Customer Reviews
Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV 
2008-07-01
Excellent. TV came quickly with no damage, which was a concern because of its size and delicacy!!
top of the line, beware burn in gamers! 2008-05-17
straight up, i did my research for about a year while i saved money. this is the best set you will find for your money, everything you've read about it is true, except one thing. Burn-in. Gamers beware. Even if you watch HD-TV with a symbol in the corner like 'TLC' you'll get burn in if the icon doesn't move. I have this set and a good friend does too. what really upsets me is playing my ps3 through this. Sharp as a razor yes. adding a static wallpaper for a custom theme though is a BAD idea. Try it, you'll see. then play some music and turn the visualizer on. if you cant see the burn in, then get your eyes checked. play rock band or guitar hero FOR AN HOUR (which is'nt hard to do), turn any white background on, look for the game icon burn ins (rock meter, etc). Generally they go away after a couple hours, but its frustrating. BOTH my set and my good friend's set do the same thing. even a half hour of a static image will create burn in. Granted its better now a days than it used to be, at least it goes away after some time.... if you're a gamer, pick up the sharp aquos. no burn-in on an lcd set; and the runner up as far as a great picture goes (reds are a little funny at times though). Reviews are slightly lower, but hell, you could at least leave a game system on pause without havening to worry about switching the inputs to avoid burn in. Im serious folks. take heed. great set, bad for gamers and burn-in. sharp as a razor though....
Incredible picture, Incredible HDTV 2008-04-24
This Panasonic Plasma HDTV is simply an incredible product. The picture quality stands out as nothing short of impressive. I found this HDTV to strike the perfect balance between excellent quality and price. After months of searching for a quality product to invest my money in, this HDTV does not disappoint.
While there has been some history of people expressing concern about the picture brightness of plasma flat-panels (i.e. being too dim), I have found this Panasonic to provide ample brightness of picture. As a matter of fact, a description in my house of the picture is how the colors "glow." Of course this is referring the the brighter colors. This leads me to another aspect of the picture, the darker colors. This is where this plasma really stands out. The darker colors are well defined with deep blacks. The grays and blacks are well delineated. For someone who likes to view a lot of movies, the strength of it's display of darker colors is something that I have found impressive. Additionally, the plasma is excellent in it's display of motion. For a sports fan, such as myself, this plasma does an excellent job of displaying the motion of sports.
Also of note with this plasma is that the performance of the speakers turned out to be a pleasant surprise. One of my wife's first comments about this Panasonic was the good quality of sound from it's speakers.
After having this Panasonic for about 4 months, I've had no problems with this product and have found it to be free of defects.
While I've spent much time providing a "glowing" review of this set, I'll turn to any perceived weaknesses. They are few, and I almost have to search for them.
One of the main weaknesses that I found is the need for tender, love & care that the plasma requires. Specifically, plasmas can be at danger for screen "burn-in" by leaving a static image on the screen for too long. While I have not had any burn-in problems, I do remain vigilant about not leaving the tv on while unattended. At least this helps me to save on my electricity bill as these HDTVs are known to be energy hogs. As a precaution, I do not leave letterbox shows on the screen for hours uninterrupted. My complaint regarding this weakness is that the manual mentions image retention/screen burn-in, but the manual does not clearly define the length of time before there is danger of burn-in.
One last weakness that I found is that there are only 2 HDMI connection ports. While that is just enough for me, it would be nice to have an extra just in case.
In conclusion, I am extremely impressed with this Panasonic plasma. I am really glad that I choose this set, and my family and I get much enjoyment out of it. I view this set as being worth every penny that I paid for it. Panasonic has won me over.
Exchanged this Plasma for another LCD 
2008-04-02
I orginally bought this TV because it was rated very highly. I had a couple of Samsung LCD's and thought I would try a plasma. When I had it delivered and tried to set it up I found that I could not increase the brightness and contrast to the level I wanted. Depending on the channel, this aspect of the picture varied between good and fair. The resolution, however, was excellent. To make a long story short, after investigation I realized that the difference in pictures between the plasmas and LCD's was significant. I had read that the LCD's were brighter but I always assumed that picture adjustment could minimize the difference. Wrong. Now beauty is in the eye of the beholder, because other people were satisfied with the picture. However, it didn't work for me and I exchanged it for another Samsung LCD and I am now very happy. If for any reason you are sensitive to the brightness and vibrance of the picture then I would recommend you note the differences in technologies.
I love my TV 2008-03-03
I had a tough time trying to decide between a plasma and LCD television. I took into consideration room lighting, video games, and picture quality. The final selling point for me was a side-by-side comparison between the two. The plasma television is much smoother when watching action or sports shows. The LCD would "blur" when quick motion shots were on. Getting it home (Costco) and setting it up was simple. I do wish it had one more HDMI connection, but not a deal breaker. I hooked up a TIVO box with cable card (love this setup) and a Panasonic Blu-ray disc player (DMP-BD30). I originally bought a Sony player, but tired of the slow start-up time. The Panasonic picture is clean and clear. I have no complaints. I would highly recommend this television to anyone looking. I would also highly recommend plasma for those comparing the two. I have a Sharp 32" LCD in the bedroom and the plasma picture is much better. There is nothing wrong with LCD, but for main picture viewing, plasma is the way to go. LCD is better suited for bedrooms or kids rooms (video games).
Breathtaking 2008-02-25
Panasonic's TH-50PZ700U 1080p Plasma TV turns your living room into a gallery. Its amazing 1920 x 1080 resolution and 1080p HD display gives you incredible picture quality, superior detail and extraordinary HDTV reproduction. The GalleryPlayer allows you to enjoy the world's finest high definition art and photography -- you'll get a free collection of high definition images to enjoy right away in your home or office. Purchase and download the images you like, and then play them on your Panasonic HDTV right from your PC. Simply insert the SD card and enjoy a photo slideshow with Photo Viewer. EZ Sync HDAVI Control lets you operate all of your home theater components by pressing a single button on your TV's remote control. Up to 5000 - 1 contrast ratio Progressive Scan Motion adaptive 3D-Y/C Digital Comb Filter Video Noise Reduction Four speakers with BBE ViVA HD3D sound; 31W output power Surround Sound NTSC/ATSC/QAM Tuners SD Card slot Anti-reflective coating Inputs - Component Audio (2 rear), Component Video Y/Pb/Pr (2 rear), PC Audio, PC Input, Mini D-sub 15-pin (rear), Audio in (2 rear, 1 front), S-Video (2 rear, 1 front), Outputs - Optical Digital Audio (1), Audio (1 rear), Composite Video (1 rear) HDMI-HDCP Interface (2 rear) EZ Sync HDAVI Control via HDMI interface (2 rear) Onscreen display languages - English/Spanish/French V-Chip Built-in closed captioning decoder Sleep/On/Off timer Video input labeling Includes pedestal stand Dimensions(HxWxD) - 31.6 x 49.9 x 5.5 Weight - 105.8 lbs.
Rated #1 and there's a good reason why! 2008-02-20
Wow! A high quality plasma and a great price. Consumer Reports said it all best. It is everything I wanted in a plasma. The picture is amazingly clear. I've experienced no problems in one month and found it very easy to use in every way. Make sure that you buy an adequate surge protector with a cable surge protector connector as well. I've heard SO many stories about people who lost their new plasmas to power surges and storms, that I would never be without one. Don't get cheap in this area, either. Also, don't forget to sign up for the digital signal with your cable provider -- you'll never see the 1080p without it. Last point. If you are thinking of going for a digital player: stay away from HD-DVD. They lost. The industry will be BlueRay -- you should be too. The cheapest way with a plus is to by a PlayStation 3; you get the games AND the movies. YOU WILL LOVE THIS PLASMA.
Great image, great value, could use more features 2008-02-20
I gave it a 5 star for image quality, and that's why people buy this TV. The following are some minor points that might affect your buying decisions:
* It only has two HDMI inputs: I have my cable box and DVD player plugged in and that's it. If you need to plug other sources in, such as HD-camcorder, etc, you have to use other messy inputs. It really needs a front HDMI or DVI input (see below).
* No DVI inputs: how about plugging my laptop computer in to do slide shows?
* Well, there is a VGA input, but it limits the resolution to WXGA. Why have a wonderful 1080p resolution and not take full advantage of it?
* Sound is good, but I wouldn't say it's great.
* The TV bulges out at the bottom. This might affects how much it can be tilted down if you hang it on the wall.
* Although it has an anti-reflection coating, the reflection might bother some people, especially during dark scenes.
* It's great to have a SD card slot. Slide show functions are adequate, but SLOW.
At less than $2000 at Costco and just slightly more (but without taxes potentially) at Amazon, this TV is a fantastic value. If the above points don't bother you, you'll be very happy with the set.
Excellent TV 2008-02-18
It took my roommates and me a few days to stop saying "Wow" every time we looked at my new TV. Picture quality is superb (though Comcast HD delivery is questionable...garbage in garbage out). Halo 3 looks marvelous - accurate shooting is so much easier now! I haven't used the menu system much, but I do like the input selection mechanism quite a bit.
I'd heard concerns about glare with plasmas but haven't had any problems with that whatsoever. This is despite the fact that my TV is in a big open room and not too far from a large sliding glass door which lets in a lot of light.
All in all, I'm very satisfied with my purchase (after ~3 weeks)
Excellent 2008-02-17
This is my first big screen tv. I have heard the pros and cons of plasma
and I can find nothing wrong with my tv. So I give an excellent rating to
Panasonic.
