Panasonic TH-50PZ77U

• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 15 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Stunning picture, great on board sound, plenty of connectivity. No regrets.

  by mschneller on December 2, 2007

  Pros: Fantastic HD image, crisp, clear, sharp and vibrant colors. Plenty of adjustments.

  Cons: only 2 hdmi ports

  Summary: I was leaning heavily towards 1080p LCD tvs primarily because I felt their images were so much sharper and crisper than the comparably priced 720p plasmas. Then I stumbled across ...

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  Summary: I was leaning heavily towards 1080p LCD tvs primarily because I felt their images were so much sharper and crisper than the comparably priced 720p plasmas. Then I stumbled across the 1080p th-50pz77u and it was even priced lower than many of the LCDs I was looking at. So I had a hard look at it and finally purchased one.
  
  I'm only giving it a 9 rating after reading the rating guidelines but for my money, it's pretty darn close to perfect.
  
  I've had it for a few weeks now and it's connected to a Dish network HD DVR and an upconversion DVD player and I am simply amazed at the HD quality. The SD picture quality is also very good.
  
  Now that I've been watching it a few weeks, I finally appreciate what the CNET editors mean when they continue to reiterate the importance of the black level. I think because of the awesome black level of this set, the color depth and brilliance completely blow away those of any LCD I looked at.
  
  There are a ton of menu options to choose from in terms of picture settings and there are several presets. After fiddling with the settings a while, I generally come back to the presets and I think they are right on target with those.
  
  It's mounted on the wall in our basement TV room so there is not a lot of external light but I can say even with the lights on, there is no noticeable glare so I'd say the anti-glare coating is doing its job very well.
  
  Under cons, I point out it only has 2 hdmi ports. I think for the price and quality of this tv, that is a very, very minor point - but it was really the only downside/inconvenience I've encountered. I believe the picture quality is pretty much the same when I connect with the component ports but the on board sound is a little better when going through the HDMI. That's not much of a drawback because I'm running the sound into an external receiver anyway - so bottom line is, I can still connect 4 hd devices, 2 hdmi and 2 component - and that's plenty for me.
  
  Love this tv, extremely glad I went plasma over lcd and Panasonic has great dependability/repair ratings from consumer reports. I spent a little more than I planned on but I am now glad I did.
  
  I highly recommend this model. Think it would be very hard to beat at any price level.

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  16 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Excellent Television, Great Quality, Good Value for your money !

  by JohnReview4u on January 14, 2008

  Pros: Surperb Black levels, Anti-Glare, Fast Response, 1080p

  Cons: 2x HDMI, No PC input ... Wasn't an issue with me though.

  Summary: At first I was thinking about an LCD, but doing more in depth research came across this beautiful unit. Priced close to or under what I was looking at so ...

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  Summary: At first I was thinking about an LCD, but doing more in depth research came across this beautiful unit. Priced close to or under what I was looking at so with comparable or better features than what I had seen to date, I went out and purchased one.
  I have this unit now connected to a HD cable network, HDMI to a Panasonic DMP-BD30, a older Panasonic VHS/DVD recorder and a Wii Gaming console.
  The noticable points I liked about this T.V. are ....
  
  1. The connectivity, there is quite a lot
  HDMI x2, Composite x2, RCA x3 one on the flip out side panel with 1x SD card slot as well. My pictures straight from the camera on the SD card look amazingly sharp. The unit also has Digital sound out.
  
  2. The Picture quality ! The blacks are black, if you know what I mean, not grey, and this unit has no sharp viewing angle washout at all. The response time with action scenes is great, no noticable ghosting or delay at all. The color depth is brillant to say the least and this unit really needed no tweaking, right out of the box ! The Panasonic Bluray player does a exceptional job of upconverting my standard
  DVD collection and matched with this unit, looks very nice. Although nothing can compare really to a pure 1080p signal going into this unit. My recommendation is definatley have at least one 1080i/p sorce to take full advantage to this TV.
  
  3. The anti-glare coating. With out a doubt a really nice feature of this set. I have this unit in a brightly lit room ( during the day ) and the anti-glare coating does a great job of disfusing the reflected light.
  Panasonic I think did a excellent job of balancing the glare reduction and at the same time being non intrusive of the picture quality.
  
  The sound quality is as expected, these T.V.'s ( as most large panel displays ) are really meant to out source the sound. but all in all it still gives you sound ...
  
  The remote and on screen menus are easy to navigate and matched with another Panasonic
  unit ( BluRay etc .. ) through HDMI lets you use the "EzSync" feature, which is one remote to work all the separate units.
  
  I would recommend a viewing distance of at least 8ft or more to really get the full HD experience, after all it is a 50 inch unit.
  
  I have this unit placed in the center of a
  home theater room with 1500 watts of surround power running 300 watts x2 to the subs alone, and have no vibration issues at all. The subs are less than 8ft away. One thing I would recommend though is not to go cheap on the audio,HDMI, or composite cables ( electrical noise could be an issue ) as well, make sure you have electrical surge/spike protection for this unit.
  
  I am absolutly satified and happy about buying this unit. For the money and it's price range, it is probably the best Plasma
  you can get. I did a lot of research before
  investing in this one and I belive it paid off nicely.
  
  I hope this review helps soildify your choice, you will not be dissapointed at all.

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  5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 7 stars

  Nice features and great value. Don't have Hi Def subscription yet, so can't give full review

  by zinay on December 28, 2007

  Pros: Great slow or normal action image

  Cons: Some blur when watching sports, i.e. football

  Summary: The features, the color, the remote, the value for the money are great. My only concern is the slight ghosting/blur when viewing sports, same issue reported by last reviewer. ...

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  Summary: The features, the color, the remote, the value for the money are great. My only concern is the slight ghosting/blur when viewing sports, same issue reported by last reviewer. I have standard Dish satelite connection now, will upgrade to HD in January. I can only hope this would resolve this issue. If the HD signal eliminates this blur then my rating would go up to 9 at least (may be 10). Did anyone experience this problem in HD viewing as well?? Please post or send me feedback. Thanks

  Updated
  I finally got my HD subscription from Dish Network and now I am in a better position to properly review this TV. Well, in a nutshell, it is fanstastic, the HD images are super clear with rich colors. I got to watch my first Football game in HD, the Pats x Chargers. All I can is wow, even my wife who cares less about football was impressed and watched part of the game!
  Now when we watch our old 32 Inch Toshiba std def TV in the bedroom, which had great pictures before, seems defective! I would give this TV 10 for image and 9 overall for its features. It is a hell of a deal especially when buy it online, just use a reputable vendor like buydig.

  Updated
  I finally got my HD subscription from Dish Network and now I am in a better position to properly review this TV. Well, in a nutshell, it is fanstastic, the HD images are super clear with rich colors. I got to watch my first Football game in HD, the Pats x Chargers. All I can is wow, even my wife who cares less about football was impressed and watched part of the game!
  Now when we watch our old 32 Inch Toshiba std def TV in the bedroom, which had great pictures before, seems defective! I would give this TV 10 for image and 9 overall for its features. It is a hell of a deal especially when buy it online, just use a reputable vendor like buydig.

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  3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 8 stars

  Great buy!

  by rickrob553 on December 18, 2007

  Pros: great low movement picture

  Cons: only OK high movement picture

  Summary: Great TV for the price. Digital cable/FiOS/Dish is a MUST! Whether it’s the screen or my cable provider high movement/action shows (sports etc.) tend to "blur". ...

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  Summary: Great TV for the price. Digital cable/FiOS/Dish is a MUST! Whether it’s the screen or my cable provider high movement/action shows (sports etc.) tend to "blur". It's minimal but I notice it every time. Blue-ray looks great. Position screen at least 12 feet for viewing.

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  2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  alot of bang for the buck

  by loud9266 on November 12, 2007

  Pros: beautiful picture

  Cons: could have more things to tweak in the picture menu

  Summary: ive had it hung for 2 days now
  and i dont miss my Sharp aquos one bit
  i wish id saved my money and bought this beauty first.
  i watched
  
  
  ...

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  Summary: ive had it hung for 2 days now
  and i dont miss my Sharp aquos one bit
  i wish id saved my money and bought this beauty first.
  i watched my lions get trounced by arizona yesterday and due to the awesome picture
  i actually watched the whole thing.
  the black levels are incredible even when you turn the brightness up.

  Updated
  I originaly loved this tv .
  shortly after 90 days it stoped working.
  it blinks 10 times over and over.
  best buy has been out to the house 3 times once with a part,and it still blinks 10 times... not sure if its best buy or panasonic im most upset with at this point. Ive been without a tv for over a month and still paying for it as well as dish.
  note: that best buy does not go out of their way to be friendly once you've bought their warranty. Once they touch your tv panasonic wont help you till best buy closes the case. be warned my friends
  best dosent mean best when best buy is involved. as far as my tv i can only pray it works in time for football season

  Updated
  shortly after 90 days it stoped working.
  it blinks 10 times over and over.
  best buy has been out to the house 3 times once with a part,and it still blinks 10 times... not sure if its best buy or panasonic im most upset with at this point. Ive been without a tv for over a month and still paying for it as well as dish.
  note: that best buy does not go out of their way to be friendly once you've bought their warranty. Once they touch your tv panasonic wont help you till best buy closes the case. be warned my friends
  best dosent mean best when best buy is involved. as far as my tv i can only pray it works in time for football season

  Updated
  this beauty that i thought was perfect is anything but.
  its been broke since feb 8 its now march 22.
  now taht best buty has attempted to fix it .panasonic wont touch it,
  best buy has been here 3 times once with a part, 2 other time he looks at tv and says its blinking 10 times i need to order a part.
  after many calls telling them that same thing,
  im disgusted with best buy and panasonic wont step up to the plate.
  good luck if you buy this!!!!
  and dont depend on best buy's warrany it's useless.

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  2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Awesome TV!

  by jalard on April 27, 2008

  Pros: great picture, decent sound, nice price, anti-glare works great

  Cons: AG coating very slightly effects PQ

  Summary: The plasma TV is by far the best TV I've ever owned. Before this TV, I had a 1080p 46" Sony Bravia, and before that, a 50" Vizio (the ...

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  Summary: The plasma TV is by far the best TV I've ever owned. Before this TV, I had a 1080p 46" Sony Bravia, and before that, a 50" Vizio (the Vizio was actually nicer than the Sony). I learned from the Vizio that plasma is the best way to go, but from the Sony that I need anti glare should have 1080p for the future. Then, in November, I found this 1080p Panasonic 50" plasma with an anti-glare coating for only $1800! Perfect!
  
  The PQ is amazing, and pretty much what you'd expect from a top tier company like Pansonic. The only complaint I have is that when you are within a few feet of this TV, and it shows a uniform color, you can slightly notice little water-like dots on the screen. Its really no big deal, since I don't watch TV from extremely close distances. Another slight complaint I have is that, IMO, the only picture setting that looks decent is the Vivid setting, which I've heard uses a lot more electricity and makes the TV have a shorter life. Oh well, having to pay the extra couple bucks on the electric bill and getting 50,000 hours instead of 100,000 is worth it to me. At 50,000 hours, that should still last me 20+ years, by which time I'll probably have gone through 3 or 4 TVs, anyways.
  
  In conclusion, if you want the better PQ benefits of a plasma combined with the anti-glare and 1080p resolution of an LCD, look no further than this TV.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Wow it is everything

  by krumpy34 on January 23, 2008

  Pros: Great Picture, Color Accurateness is awesome, details in the picture

  Cons: Way it is packaged and mounted could be better, 2 HDMI's

  Summary: I am a CNET and review junkie. So after much review I decided on Plasma but was leaning towards the Pioneer. After looking at many places I couldn't tell ...

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  Summary: I am a CNET and review junkie. So after much review I decided on Plasma but was leaning towards the Pioneer. After looking at many places I couldn't tell a big difference between this and the Pioneer so with a free blue-ray player special chose this I am glad. My wife who is not an videophile, quote I can't see the difference on HD, was wowed by the picture when we watched our first Packer game on it. Then we hooked up the blu-ray and watched true 1080P. It blew our socks off. Great value and great picture best value I every bought in a TV.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Stunning Picture !! Excellent Quality !!

  by Xenon4U2C on January 14, 2008

  Pros: Blacks are Black, No washout, Fast response, Awesome

  Cons: No PC input but that really didn't bother me.

  Summary: The best Plasma Television I have ever bought, hands down. The contrast and black levels are excellent, this set needs virtually no tweaking straight out of the box. Panasonic did ...

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  Summary: The best Plasma Television I have ever bought, hands down. The contrast and black levels are excellent, this set needs virtually no tweaking straight out of the box. Panasonic did a great job on this one.
  Fast action scenes look awesome with no ghosting or delay what so ever. 1080p input on this set look stunning ! extremely clear and crisp at all veiwing angles ...
  In my opinion, it's the best Plasma display you can get in it's price range.
  The only sets I saw that came close to this cost $1000 more. Great Buy, Good deal ...
  Buy one today, you know you want to. So don't delay, go and get it !!

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 1 stars

  It died in 2 years. 0 support from Panasonic & BestBuy.

  by Cbususer on May 19, 2011

  Pros: While it worked, we loved it. Had a great picture. Sound is great too.

  Cons: It is dead, what else can I say. One local repair shop says its the SC board, $400-$600 to fix, but he won't know until he gets in there. Panasonic laughed at me; Best Buy can do nothing because I didn't buy the extended warranty.

  Summary: Based on Panasonic's response to me, versus the fact that I may have just bought a lemon, I will never buy from Panasonic again. I am also very disappointed ...

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  Summary: Based on Panasonic's response to me, versus the fact that I may have just bought a lemon, I will never buy from Panasonic again. I am also very disappointed with Best Buy, they should stand by what they sell, even if it's after the 1 yr time frame.

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• 9 stars

  Enjoying the TV immensely, Great purchase!

  by jazzydev on September 8, 2008

  Pros: The anti-glare screen, PQ(color, blacks etc), ease of use with input and settings menu, SD slot

  Cons: Not really anything, maybe another HDMI port, but again Panny makes other TV's with more HDMI's; so you are getting what you pay for, which I am more than satisfied!

  Summary: To begin, this is my first foray into the HD world, coming from CRT to this was HUGE step up. To me, the picture is FRICKIN AWESOME! bottom line is ...

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  Summary: To begin, this is my first foray into the HD world, coming from CRT to this was HUGE step up. To me, the picture is FRICKIN AWESOME! bottom line is that I think my viewing experience is OUTSTANDING!
  
  I have done approximate 7-8 months of heavy research, on a daily basis, reading the forums, visiting BB and CC and Tweeter etc... my initial thought was LCD, but the refresh rate, price, and glare was a sticking point with me (looking at Samsung and Sony which both make wonderful products I am not knocking them at all) so I decided to look at the Plasma technology. And Panasonic seemed to be the best overall brand as far as quality and value were concerned. So I narrowed down to the new 800 series, however I didn't like the fact of paying over 2000 for a TV. So I was intrigued by the 77U series as a sales rep suggested to me and because the TV will be in family room with many windows. After checking out the new Panny's, the glare on the new 750, 800, & 850 models is very noticeable, so why pay all that money to see yourself every time the picture changes. With the 77U, the anti-glare screen does the job. Other reviewers gripe about PQ going down because of it are wrong, (I know kinda bold) if you have a deep dark color and you want it to look good, why would you want to see the glare? To me that doesn't make sense. I am also ecstatic with the color and with watching sports. I have yet to notice motion blur in watching football, baseball etc. Making slight adjustments is no problem and the menu is really laid out well. I have had the TV for about a month, I purchased it on clearance, so I paid a wonderful price. I have noticed some slight blurring with fast color on my satellite service, which I am contributing to compression with the signal. I am really excited to get a Blu-Ray player so I can see a full 1080p signal and I know that it will blow me away again. So, as far as my overall experience goes, 2 thumbs way up.

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