Go to Windows 7 Insider GuidePanasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U
Manufacturer: Panasonic Part number: TH-58PZ800U
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The 58-inch TH-58PZ800U carries a big price tag compared with rear-projection alternatives, but its superb picture quality heightens its appeal.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/03/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U price range: $2,558.29
- Reviewed by: David Katzmaier
- Reviewed on: 10/03/2008
- Updated on:10/13/2008
The good: Reproduces deep black levels and highly accurate color; excellent uniformity compared with rear-projection models; THX mode delivers accurate settings without calibration; relatively effective antireflective screen; solid connectivity with four HDMI and one PC input; handsome styling.
The bad: Expensive; blacks not quite as deep as the best plasmas; optional 24p mode introduces flicker; fewer picture controls than most HDTVs.
The bottom line: The 58-inch TH-58PZ800U carries a big price tag compared with rear-projection alternatives, but its superb picture quality heightens its appeal.
Editors' note: The rating on this review has been lowered and its Editors' Choice award removed because of changes in the competitive marketplace.
The big-screen HDTV arena is still owned by rear-projection models, but with every passing year flat-panel versions, especially plasmas, fall in price and become attractive targets for folks seeking massive home theater pictures. But prices haven't fallen far enough yet for most people, so for the foreseeable future big-screen plasmas like the Panasonic TH-58PZ800U will remain playthings of the rich. If you can afford it, however, this HDTV provides compelling reasons to go flat aside from bragging rights and the possibility of wall-mounting. Those reasons revolve around picture quality, from deep black levels and highly accurate color to the kind of uniformity and viewing-angle performance that puts rear-projection models to shame. Yes, again Pioneer's Elite plasmas delivered better performance overall than this, Panasonic's best plasma for 2008, but for all but the most ardent videophiles the extra price to go Elite won't be worth it.
Design
Editors' note, October 13, 2008: The review originally indicated that the 58-inch TH-58PZ800U shares the same "single pane of glass" design found on the 50-inch TH-50PZ800U. That is incorrect; it has a traditional bezel raised about 1/4-inch from the screen.
The massive Panasonic has an unassuming look that differentiates itself somewhat by virtue of a slightly curved lower edge that forms the bottom of a sort of lower lip. Colored charcoal grey to contrast with the rest of the glossy black panel, the lower section bears the company logo and THX moniker and hiding a set of inputs behind a flip-down door and speakers in the crease of the lip.
The stand looks identical to the sloped number found on other 2008 Panasonic plasmas, but unlike the stand included on the 50-inch model, this one doesn't swivel. Including stand, the massive TH-58PZ800U measures 56.9 inches wide by 37.4 inches tall by 16.2 inches deep and weighs 136.9 pounds; divested of stand its size shrinks to 56.9 inches wide by 35.4 inches tall by 4.3 inches deep and its weight to 128.1 pounds. That's a lot of weight to be hanging on your wall, so we recommend using a professional installer if you want to go that route.
Panasonic's remote control remains the same as last year, and we remain fans of its layout. The medium-length wand groups the distinct sets of right-size buttons in an easy-to-feel arrangement, and although we'd have liked to see some backlighting, we didn't really miss it after a few minutes of becoming familiar with the button arrangement.
A familiar yellow-on-blue menu system leads to the television's setup functions, and although the graphics lack the panache of a Sony or a Samsung menu, navigation was intuitive enough. We liked that the company renamed its previously confusing "Normal" command to "Reset," which more accurately describes what it does to your picture settings.
Features
THX Display Certification heads the list of step-up features on the TH-58PZ800U. The certification calls for minimum standards in a number of categories, such as contrast ratio and color accuracy, although THX is characteristically silent as to the exact details of those standards. The TH-58PZ800U has a special picture preset that, when engaged, causes the TV's picture to comply with the certification. We'll detail its effects in the Performance section, and we describe more about the certification itself in this blog post.
Like most plasmas in Panasonic's 2008 lineup, the TH-58PZ800U has a native resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, or 1080p, which is fast becoming a standard feature on all flat-panel HDTVs, especially ones this large.
Picture controls on the TH-58PZ800U aren't as extensive as seen on many higher-end HDTVs. While we appreciated the ability to adjust all of the five picture modes, including THX, and the fact that the Custom mode is independent per input, we couldn't adjust color temperature beyond the three presets.
Advanced picture controls on the TH-58PZ800U include a color management control that we left off in THX mode; a "C.A.T.S." mode that changes contrast on the fly and so should be left turned off; two species of noise reduction, and a black level control. In case you're wondering, the step-up TH-PZ850U series series does include adjustable color temperature and a host of other picture tweaks, although it lacks THX certification.
Panasonic also touts Game mode, which turns out to be little more than an easy way to select a particular input. A quick press of the "Game" button on the remote toggles between any of the inputs that you've labeled "Game" using the input naming menu. Pressing that button does not engage the Game picture mode (which is simply another collection of adjustable picture settings) nor does it affect video processing or lag time between controller and screen--although, to be fair, such modes on other HDTVs have little value as far as we can tell.
The TH-58PZ800U offers five aspect ratio controls for HD sources, more than most HDTVs on the market. There's also a setting, called "HD Size 2," that lets the TV display every pixel of 1080i and 1080p sources without overscan or scaling. We recommend using Size 2 unless you notice interference along the extreme edges of the screen, which can occur on some HD sources. Unfortunately, selecting the THX picture mode doesn't automatically engage Size 2; you must go into a separate menu item to do so. We'd prefer HD Size 2 to be the default for all modes, or at least available among the standard selection of aspect ratios as opposed to buried in a setup menu. A selection of five modes is also available for SD sources.
A new menu for 2008 deals with burn-in or, as the company calls it, "image retention." There's a pixel orbiter that moves the entire image gradually around the screen, along with an option to set the 4:3 mode to include gray bars to either side of the picture (as opposed to black, which cause image retention more easily than gray). On the off chance that the plasma retains an image, there's a scrolling bar that slides across the screen as a sort of eraser.
We would have liked to see an energy-saver mode on this TV, but it does include one nice extra that really helps ameliorate power consumption--for a price. When you first plug in and set up the TV, it asks you whether you're in a store or home environment. Choosing "home" engages the Standard picture preset by default across all of the inputs, which saves quite a bit of power over the Vivid preset. This savings is reflected in our Juice Box measurements, where default was measured in Standard mode.
Unfortunately, Standard measures a vanishingly dim 6.8 footlamberts max light output (23.2 cd/m-squared), whereas we consider 40 the standard for a completely dark room. Brighter rooms call for even higher light output. Engaging standard produced a dull picture that we consider inadequate for a TV of this level, and anyone who cares about picture quality will likely avoid using standard, and naturally use more power. The Juice Box numbers for Calibrated more accurately reflect the true power consumption for this TV.
The Panasonic TH-58PZ800U lacks picture-in-picture, but it does include a thoughtful "Surf Mode" control, which can be set to restrict the TV's tuning options. You can set it to "all," "favorite," "digital only," or "analog only."
The jack pack of the TH-58PZ800U is as well-equipped as any high-end HDTV we've seen, starting with three HDMI inputs on the back panel and a fourth available out front. A VGA-style PC input is also onboard (1366x760-pixel maximum resolution), along with two component video inputs, an AV input with composite or S-Video, an RF input for antenna or cable, as well as an optical and an analog audio output. In addition to that last HDMI input, the front panel also sports a second AV input with composite and S-Video, as well as an SD card slot for displaying digital photos on the big screen.
Performance
The Panasonic TH-58PZ800U produces the second-best overall picture quality among flat-panel HDTVs we've tested this year. Its black level and color accuracy tested a notch below those of the Pioneer PRO-111FD--a 50-inch plasma that we assume matches the performance of the 60-inch PRO-151FD--and several notches above anything else we've seen in its class, including the THX-certified 60-inch LG 60PG60.
With the relatively few picture controls on the TH-58PZ800U, our user-menu calibration took very little time. The main change, after selecting THX mode, was to get the light output as close to our 40 ftl target as possible, which in this case meant maxing out the contrast (picture) control. Very large plasmas, larger than 50 inches, are often dimmer than other types of displays and this Panasonic was no exception, although after calibration we still measured an acceptable 32 ftl in THX mode. Other non-THX picture modes allowed higher light output, but it wasn't worth the trade-off in color accuracy--only THX hit the Rec. 709 HD standard closely enough (see the Geek Box). We would have liked the capability to tweak grayscale on this set, but that wasn't possible. Check out the bottom of this blog post for our complete picture settings.
Our comparison involved the LG and the Pioneer 50-incher flanking the TH-58PZ800U, along with the 50-inch TH-50PZ800U and a token LCD, the Samsung LN52A650. We checked out Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World on Blu-ray courtesy of our PlayStation 3.
Black level: The Panasonic 58-inch plasma produced the deepest shade of black in our lineup aside from the reference Pioneer, out-blacking even its 50-inch brother by a surprising margin and looking a good deal darker than the 60-inch LG or the Samsung LCD. The differences were most obvious in dark scenes, such as the black background behind the "Napoleon" titles the shadowed ocean and silhouettes of the rigging and flag poles, and as always the letterbox bars above and below the image. Details in shadows, such as the underside of the bell, the folds in the hammocks and the heads of the darkened animals below decks, came across distinctly and with a natural rise out of black, in part thanks to the accurate (2.178) gamma imparted by THX mode.
Color accuracy: We measured a slightly redder grayscale on the 58-inch Panasonic than on its 50-inch brother, which made whitish areas, such as the fog and the sails of the HMS Surprise appear a bit ruddier than on the reference Pioneer. The difference is hardly a deal-breaker, and numerous other areas seemed less-affected by the redder tinge, which was still relatively close to the standard. Skin tones, like the face of Blakeney during his amputation, still appeared natural enough and not too reddish compared to the reference Pioneer. Primary and secondary colors were superb, from the green of the rainforest and fruit to the red of some sailors' military uniforms to the cyan of ocean water under the tropical sun. Colorful scenes looked rich and vibrant thanks to the Panasonic's deep blacks and solid color decoding. We also appreciated that near-black areas stayed true and didn't discolor as we've seen on so many other displays.
Video processing: Panasonic equipped this plasma with the capability to change its refresh rate, when fed a native 24-frame signal such as 1080p/24 from a Blu-ray player, from the standard 60Hz to 48Hz, to better match the 24-frame cadence and eliminate the 2:3 pull-down required for 60Hz displays. In theory that's good idea, but in practice the 48Hz refresh rate introduced significant flicker. The flicker was noticeable in every scene but increased in brighter areas, such as the frequent fields of cloud cover or bright skies. The benefit of somewhat smoother motion, without the subtle hitching characteristic of 2:3 pull-down, just wasn't worth the flicker for us, so we left the TV in standard 60Hz mode. It's worth noting that the Pioneer plasmas can refresh at 72Hz, which also avoids 2:3 pull-down but doesn't flicker.
In terms of resolution, the TH-58PZ800U performed as expected, resolving every line of 1080-resolution signals and properly deinterlacing video-based sources, although it failed the test for film-based deinterlacing. We counted between 800 and 900 lines of motion resolution on this set, which is about what we expected on a plasma TV, although not quite a high as either the LG or the Pioneer. As usual, we couldn't tell any difference between the TVs' resolutions in our side-by-side comparisons.
Uniformity: We usually skip this section with plasmas, but it's worth noting in the case of the big TH-58PZ800U because, compared to any rear-projection HDTV, a plasma will deliver a more-consistent picture when seen from off-angle, as well as better brightness and color uniformity across the screen.
Bright lighting: Compared with the Pioneer, which has the best antireflective screen of any plasma we've tested, the Panasonic didn't do as good a job of attenuating glare. Watching dark scenes with the lights turned on and the windows open, reflected objects in the room appeared bit brighter and more distracting in the Panasonic's screen than on the Pioneer. Dark areas also washed out more quickly than on the Pioneer or the Samsung LCD. Compared with the LG, however, the Panasonic's screen both reduced reflections and preserved black levels better.
Standard-definition: With lower-quality sources, the TH-58PZ800U performed about average in THX mode. It didn't quite resolve every detail of the DVD format, according to the resolution chart on the HQV DVD, and as a result details in the bridge and grass from that disc looked a bit softer than the other displays in our test. On the other hand the Panasonic did a fine job of removing jaggies from diagonal lines and a waving American flag, although not quite as good as the Pioneer or the LG. Its 2:3 pull-down detection kicked in effectively, if not quite as quickly as some sets we've tested. Its noise reduction performed well with low-quality material, too, cleaning up the motes in skies and sunsets as well as any of the displays in our test.
PC: With our test PC connected to one of the HDMI inputs, the TH-58PZ800U performed perfectly--as expected from any 1080p flat-panel--in THX mode, resolving every detail of a 1,920x1,080-pixel source with no trace of edge enhancement or shifted pixels. Text looked sharp and natural. When we tried the VGA input, however, we were only able to get a maximum of 1,366x760-pixel resolution (as the manual says), which of course resulted in softer looking text and an overall less-impressive image.
| TEST | RESULT | SCORE |
| Before color temp (20/80) | 5942/6020 | Average |
| After color temp | N/A | |
| Before grayscale variation | +/- 412 | Average |
| After grayscale variation | N/A | |
| Color of red (x/y) | 0.638/0.334 | Good |
| Color of green | 0.292/0.613 | Good |
| Color of blue | 0.152/0.06 | Good |
| Overscan | 0.0% | Good |
| Defeatable edge enhancement | Y | Good |
| 480i 2:3 pull-down, 24 fps | Pass | Good |
| 1080i video resolution | Pass | Good |
| 1080i film resolution | Fail | Poor |
| Panasonic TH-58PZ800U | Picture settings | ||
| Default | Calibrated | Power Save | |
| Picture on (watts) | 196.37 | 363.45 | |
| Picture on (watts/sq. inch) | 0.14 | 0.25 | |
| Standby (watts) | 0 | 0 | |
| Cost per year | $60.78 | $112.50 | |
 | |||
| Score (considering size) | Good | ||
| Score (overall) | Good | ||
User reviews
-
-
This set is big , bold and beautiful no regrets here.
by mikes250r on October 11, 2008
Pros: THX mode,Color accuracy,hd picture detail, standard definition picture quality also very good. Ability to choose from five different aspect ratios is also a big plus. All black exterior is quite handsome-tuxedo like. Quiet no buzzing. Wife likes it.
Cons: Very heavy. HD 1 and HD 2 mode should be a one click on the remote instead of having to go thru the main menu. Black bezel although handsome could be a little less reflective.
Summary: First this is my fourth HD tv and my third plasma. I've had this Panny for about three weeks now and absolutely love it. This tv is replacing a ...
Summary: First this is my fourth HD tv and my third plasma. I've had this Panny for about three weeks now and absolutely love it. This tv is replacing a 50" Vizio which in its on right had a very respectable picture. The Vizio never failed to impress whenever I had company over even if my guest had other more expensive HD tvs of their own.
Before I made this purchase I researched it long and hard. I liked the Samsung but in the end it came down to Panasonic and Pioneer. I thought the elite had the best picture but the elite had an elite price. So then it came down to the 6020 and the 800U and the 850U. I chose the 800U over the 850Ufor its THX mode which has earned excellent reviews from all the professional critics and I did not need Vierra cast internet capabilities. When doing side by side comparisons between the 6020 and the 800U it was very close. Both had subtle strengths and weaknesses. My viewing distance is about twelve feet. If my viewing distance were six to eight feet I might have chose the Pioneer. Ultimately I felt like the Panasonic was a better value. I consider myself very picky about picture quality and I could have afforded the 6020 if I really wanted it. That being said the picture quality on the 800U really is that good. The initial settings out of the box are horrific. After I bit of tweaking and amateur calibrating this set continues to impress me and all my friends every time I turn it on. As it breaks in it does seem to get better and better. I have a PS3 and have not noticed any flicker on any of the BR disc that I have watched. At any rate I would not let that be a deal breaker no matter what others ahve said beacause this tv produces some of the most fantastic images I have ever seen on any screen.
Don't take my word for it, do your own research, go to the AVS forum and do some reading. In the end you will realize that this 58" Panny gives more bang for your buck than any other tv out there.10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
One Small Error in the Review
by larrfry on October 6, 2008
Pros: Stunning Picture
Cons: None that I'm aware of.
Summary: A tiny correction. This 58" does NOT have the "one sheet of glass" look of its smaller siblings. The bezel is in fact raised a 1/4" from the screen. ...
Summary: A tiny correction. This 58" does NOT have the "one sheet of glass" look of its smaller siblings. The bezel is in fact raised a 1/4" from the screen.
Update: After 3 months of use, I find I no longer use the THX mode. I found the THX picture mode too dim even after maxing out the picture setting as recommended by CNET.
The brightness of the picture can be greatly increased if you don't use the THX mode, which is noted in the review. I've been switching between THX (with the picture setting turned up) and a custom setting with more "pop". Nine times out of ten the THX is better. This set is certainly bright enough for anyone.
Glare - not a problem for me. I had my Sony 35" CRT TV next to this set for a day. They both reflected about the same amount of room light.
Updated on Jan 7, 2009
I now use a custom mode, using settings I found on the AVS forums. What a difference. When compared to the THX mode these custom settings are brighter and I see no difference in the color accuracy.
I strongly recommend this set but can not recommend using THX. It is too dim and washed out even when set at maximum per CNET's recommendations.
This HDTV is not that easy to set up (and maybe no HDTV is)and I'd strongly recommend the AVS forums for advice! Look for the forum discussing this exact model.9 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
One of the Best, and definitely the best for the money.
by nagel2 on October 8, 2008
Pros: Beautiful picture, and great price for it's size and features.
Cons: Just one, a bad flicker in 48Hz mode.
Summary: This set is incredible, I love it.
Some people have misunderstood the single panel glass statement. Let me explain, most Plasmas have 2 sheets of glass in front of the ...Summary: This set is incredible, I love it.
Some people have misunderstood the single panel glass statement. Let me explain, most Plasmas have 2 sheets of glass in front of the glas on the plasma panel (so essentially 3 sheets), this set only has a single sheet and instead of the second sheet in front there is a 1/4 thick "frame" around the outside, on other models this frame would continue across the the front as the second sheet of glass. The advantage to the single sheet is a reduction in ghosting at certain angles when the image reflects off of the back of the front sheet and back on to the front of the second sheet, there is also a very noticeable reduction in weight over last years model.
My main concern is with the 48Hz flicker issue, I have had 3 conversations with Panasonic so far, they are looking into the issue and have told me they will get back to me shortly, hopefully with some sort of a fix. This really is my only complaint with the set, it is a stunning plasma for the price, probably the best value for the money in a 58" by anyone. Yes the Pioneer Kuros has slightly better blacks (I'm talking maybe 7 or 8 % better), but not enough better to justify the price difference. As far as the flicker issue goes just run it in the 60Hz mode since I can see no major issues with image smoothness in 60Hz mode, I just find it odd that they sent it to market with a feature that is virtually unusable.5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
best home movie experience ever
by edwinagustin on May 29, 2009
Pros: plasma strenghts: deep blacks, uniform color throughout screen, fast response times, no off axis picture deterioration
Cons: none really, but maybe could be lighter and more energy efficient.
Summary: this is our first real big screen (replacing a 50 inch panny plasma) and the enjoyment and satisfaction from watching a screen this big with excellent picture quality acorss the ...
Summary: this is our first real big screen (replacing a 50 inch panny plasma) and the enjoyment and satisfaction from watching a screen this big with excellent picture quality acorss the board, is well worth it! and panasonics seem to be very well made and reliable (our 3rd panasonic plasma in the house!) TV is used as main tv in our family with 3 windows and a sliding door. the blinds do have to be drawn and yes, there is reflection on the screen. not to the point of distraction but is noticeable. still playing with cnet recommended settings and our own custom settings. buy this tv, you won't be disappointed. (also have sony lcd in the house - but the panny plasmas all seem to have better picture quality).
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Panasonics makes great plasma TV
by Johnny-DK on April 29, 2009
Pros: High contrast ratio to display perfect dark scenes in movies makes Panasonic a perfect quality Plasma TV. I recommend you check out http://www.squidoo.com/best-hdtv for information what best and cheapest HDTV to buy this year.
Cons: LCDs are generally speaking better than plasma.
Summary: I give it a 5 star for trying so hard to improve over the past few years. I think Pioneer and Panasonics are the best plasma brands.
Summary: I give it a 5 star for trying so hard to improve over the past few years. I think Pioneer and Panasonics are the best plasma brands.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Impressive unit, THX worth the money
by Ted_Zimmerman on April 5, 2009
Pros: Color in THX very accurate right out of the box
Menus easy to understand and configureCons: Reddish cast as noted in CNET review is noticeable
Speakers not the greatest
Remote volume and channel controls hard to differentiateSummary: We upgraded from a Sony Wega 32" flat screen and have been very impressed with the performance of the Panasonic aside from a few niggles. Blacks are fantastic and the ...
Summary: We upgraded from a Sony Wega 32" flat screen and have been very impressed with the performance of the Panasonic aside from a few niggles. Blacks are fantastic and the dynamic range is excellent. 1080 BDs look superb.
The TV isn't perfect however, hence the four star rating.
First, the reddish cast as referenced in the CNET review is quite noticeable on certain white and neutral tones. It's not a deal breaker although I'm surprised at how many scenes are affected. Images with lots of white or even light grey, such as clouds or overcast skies, are rendered with a light, blotchy pink cast. Skin tones however seem OK. Also, different video sources seem to exhibit varying levels of ruddiness so your mileage may vary depending on the content you are viewing.
Notwithstanding the red cast, the THX mode is fantastic, with excellent color reproduction straight out of the box. I use a NEC 2690 reference grade monitor for my photography business and am amazed at how close the Panasonic colors resemble those on the monitor. This makes it a great TV for viewing slide shows with accurate and predictable color.
Second, I would have preferred a backlit remote. In a dark room it is easy to switch channels instead of volume as the two rocker switches are identical in feel and are located side by side. The menus however are intuitive and it only took about 30 minutes to configure the unit.
Third, the speakers seem to lack mid range punch, especially with 5.1 sources. We haven't purchased a surround sound system yet so are relying on the internal speakers for movies and games. We often have to change the volume to hear speech, then for action sequences we usually need to ramp the volume down.
Finally, while standard def content looks better than I expected, with a unit this large it is easy to detect compression artifacts and other noise. THX seems to help somewhat, but this may be too large of a unit if you are sitting closer than 8 feet to the screen. This isn't really a fault, but rather a recommendation to consider your size needs carefully.
Overall we are still very pleased with the TV and are looking forward to many years of stunning image quality, especially with 1080 sources.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Picture Perfect
by chrkeller on March 13, 2009
Pros: There really isn't anything not to love about this TV. The blacks are deep, the whites are white. The colors are bold and highly accurate given the THX certification. The motion is flawless.
Cons: None, at all.
Summary: I am a huge gamer. I have a 360 and ps3. Videogames have a ton of motion and this set handles motion like a champ. I have spent hundreds of ...
Summary: I am a huge gamer. I have a 360 and ps3. Videogames have a ton of motion and this set handles motion like a champ. I have spent hundreds of hours playing on LCD models and they don't even remotely stand up to this set. I couldn't possible recommend this TV more. I consider myself an expert with home theatre and I am very hard to please. This set lives up to the hype. CNET is exactly right, the only set that is better is the Pioneer Elite which is 5k. Given the much lower price this is the best of the best. I honestly could not recommend this set more, it truly is perfect for those videophiles who are into gaming. The picture quality is like looking through a window.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Was so excited when we purchased this television
by phenry45 on December 22, 2008
Pros: Color contrast and sound are both wonderful Excellent picture quality
Cons: We have had the television only 1 week and it will not turn on.
Summary: We were so excited when we purchased this television love the size and all that comes with it. We have had it only 1 week and now it will not ...
Summary: We were so excited when we purchased this television love the size and all that comes with it. We have had it only 1 week and now it will not turn on. We have a friend who purchased one as well having the same problem. I am just glad we purchased the extended warranty just dread seeing what the future has in store with such things going on with only a week of use.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
WOW! Great Plasma at a great price.
by Foxman098 on November 19, 2008
Pros: Purchased from Costco for $2999; they double the warranty to 2 years. Costco guarantees to fix/replace the set in that period if something goes wrong. This 58" plasma is beautiful. Picture is as clear and sharp as any I've seen from any brand.
Cons: It didn't mount itself on the wall! Other than that, no cons yet. It's very quiet and clean looking. The anti-glare works pretty well. The sound is tremendous from the 4 hidden internal speakers.
It is heavy (140 lbs)Summary: For the money, you can't surpass a buy like this. And having not bought it through a web dealer, I am not concerned with Panasonic giving me grief on ...
Summary: For the money, you can't surpass a buy like this. And having not bought it through a web dealer, I am not concerned with Panasonic giving me grief on the warranty. Costco will make it good! Beautiful lines and functionality. Picture is exactly what I dreamed of having, and the sound is room-filling from the four speakers within the set. And the speakers are hidden! The set is wall mounted on a "Simplicity" wall mount ($79.00 from Costco). The mount is very very sturdy and high strength. It is also a 12 degree tilt system. The manual is to-the-point and easy to read and understand. The remote is simplistic and functional as well. I enjoy the Viera feature which links all of your equipment, even the Scientific 8300 cable box.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Great set, but CNET got one thing wrong....
by roleesun on October 5, 2008
Pros: beautiful picture, deep blacks and natural colors, easy set up, attractive package overall
Cons: could be a little brighter.
Summary: Ok...on to the error by CNET. The 58" version does NOT have the single pane of glass across the front as the 50 inch does. The 58" has a ...
Summary: Ok...on to the error by CNET. The 58" version does NOT have the single pane of glass across the front as the 50 inch does. The 58" has a more traditional bezel that is raised about 1/4 inch above the screen.
The picture is beautiful, the blacks are deep and the colors accurate. The anti reflective coating works well. I have the set next to a large window with venetian blinds. With the TV off you can really see the window and the blinds, but with the TV on you really have to look for the reflection.
I still need to hook up my home theater receiver and speakers, but the set sounds good even without a special set up.
The picture could be a little bit brighter. Its by no means too dark as the picture has a very realistic look. It just doesnt pop off the screen like LCDs... which may be a good thing.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Panasonic
- Part number: TH-58PZ800U
- Description: The PZ800 series meets the THX certified display specifications, signifying the highest standards of performance and quality. The PZ800 plasma televisions feature an improved native contrast ratio of 30,000:1, game mode, VIERA link, a PC input, four HDMI connections and one sheet of glass design concept.
General
- Series VIERA
- Product type Plasma TV
- Diagonal Size 58 in - Widescreen
- Dimensions & Weight Details Panel without stand - 56.9 in x 4.3 in x 35.4 in x 128.1 lbs
Display
- Technology Plasma (PDP)
- Resolution 1920 x 1080
- Display Format 1080p
- Image Aspect Ratio 16:9
- Image Contrast Ratio 30000:1
- Dynamic Contrast Ratio 1000000:1
- Widescreen Modes Full, Just, Zoom, Normal, Conventional 4:3
- Total Pixels 2,073,600
- Progressive Scan Progressive scanning (line doubling)
- Display Menu Language French, English, Spanish
- Comb Filter Digital
- Additional Features Anti-reflective filter, SD card slot, Game mode
TV Tuner
- Digital TV Tuner QAM, ATSC
- Analog TV Tuner NTSC
- Channel Coverage UHF:2-69, Cable:1-135
Video Features
- Video Interface HDMI, S-Video, Component, Composite
- HDTV Ready Yes
- Analog Video Input Signals NTSC
- Input Video Formats 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p
- Supported Computer Resolutions 640 x 480 (VGA), 1024 x 768 (XGA), 800 x 600 (SVGA), 1280 x 1024 (SXGA)
Audio System
- Speaker(s) 4 x Right/left channel speaker - Built-in
- Sound Output Mode Stereo
- Surround Mode Yes
- Sound Effects BBE ViVA HD3D, Virtual Surround Mode
- Audio Controls Balance, Bass, Treble
- Output Power / Total 31 Watt
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Composite video input ( RCA phono ) - Rear, 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Rear, 3 x Audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Rear, 2 x Component video input ( RCA phono x 3 ) - Rear, 3 x HDMI input ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Rear, 1 x VGA input ( 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15) ) - Rear, 1 x Headphones ( Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ) - Rear, 1 x Composite video output ( RCA phono ) - Rear, 1 x Digital audio output (optical) ( TOSLINK ) - Rear, 1 x S-Video input ( 4 pin mini-DIN ) - Front, 1 x Composite video input ( RCA phono ) - Front, 1 x Audio line-in ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Front, 1 x HDMI input ( 19 pin HDMI Type A ) - Front, 1 x Audio line-out ( RCA phono x 2 ) - Rear
- Slot Provided 1 x SD Memory Card
- PC Interface VGA (HD-15)
Memory Card Reader
- Supported Flash Memory Cards SD Memory Card
Remote Control
- Remote Control Remote control
Stands & Mounts
- Stand Included Yes
Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
- Power AC 120 V
- Power Consumption Stand by / Sleep 0.2 Watt
- Power Consumption Operational 355
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Sustainability
- CNET Labs: Operational power consumption 196.37 Watt
- CNET Labs: Calibrated power consumption 363.45 Watt
- CNET Labs: Power consumption Stand by / Sleep 0 Watt
- CNET Labs: Estimated Annual Energy Cost 42.47 US Dollars
- Greenpeace policy rating (Sept 2009) 4.9
Product series
-
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Specs: Plasma TV, 42 in, 1000000:1, 30000:1, 1920 x 1080, 16:9
-
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Specs: Plasma TV, 46 in, 1920 x 1080, 16:9
-
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Specs: Plasma TV, 50 in, 1920 x 1080, 16:9
-
Manufacturer: Panasonic
Specs: Plasma TV, 58 in, 1000000:1, 30000:1, 1920 x 1080, 16:9
Accessories
- dreamGEAR Dreamline video / audio cable - HDMI - 6 ft (33543214)29.99
- XtremeMac XtremeHD video / audio cable - HDMI - 6.6 ft (32416821)7.86 - 18.53
- ViewSonic ViewMate Cable Collection - video / audio cable - 6.6 ft (31482671)32.00
- ViewSonic ViewMate Cable Collection - video / audio cable - 10 ft (31482685)34.00
- VIZIO VMAX1000 - video / audio cable - HDMI - 6 ft (33397373)29.99
- ADCOM GFR-700 (31966032)1266.10 - 1999.00
- Adcom GFR-700HD (32082704)1599.00 - 2899.99
- Denon AVR-1707 (31987322)
- Denon AVR-1907 (31987323)
- Denon AVR-1910 (black) (33650441)499.00 - 549.99
Manufacturer info
- Panasonic
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Panasonic products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.panasonic.com/
- Address:
One Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094 - Phone: 800/662-3537
