Panasonic Plasma TH58PZ700U and TH58PZ750U

[klondike]

I am in the market for a new Plasma TV. I currently have a 57 inch rear projection TV which I am ready to retire. I went to college with Gene D many years ago so I figured I would give this place a try.

I have been searching around for Plasma TV's and would like something in the 58" to 60" range. I also would like something that is 1080p. I am leaning towards the offerings from Pioneer and Panasonic. The Panasonics seem more attractive because of the lower cost. I think that no matter what I get with the right source it will blow away what I have now.

I noticed a significant price difference between the TH58PZ700U and TH58PZ750U Panasonic models. What is the difference???

I have a feeling I might be happy with one of these models.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gus6464]

The 750U is considered the Pro model and has a lot more picture functions in the menu. You can tweak the colors and PQ settings a lot more. Although if you are going to get it pro calibrated it won't make much of a difference since they do it through the service menu.

 

[stratman]

I am in the market for a new Plasma TV. I currently have a 57 inch rear projection TV which I am ready to retire. I went to college with Gene D many years ago so I figured I would give this place a try.

I have been searching around for Plasma TV's and would like something in the 58" to 60" range. I also would like something that is 1080p. I am leaning towards the offerings from Pioneer and Panasonic. The Panasonics seem more attractive because of the lower cost. I think that no matter what I get with the right source it will blow away what I have now.

I noticed a significant price difference between the TH58PZ700U and TH58PZ750U Panasonic models. What is the difference???

I have a feeling I might be happy with one of these models.

Thanks in advance.

K,

Not only attractive in price, but in performance for your buck. Be aware they really like an HD signal for optimum picture. I have a 4 year old 42" that's been bullet-proof, I just helped my buddy put up his 58" (Z700U) and he's blown away, he's got Comcast HD content (switching to Direct TV) and he took the plunge and bought a Samsung Bluray player, he's extremely happy with tv and gear. Good luck.

 

[klondike]

So it seems that it may be a better idea to go with the cheaper model, spend some of the money saved getting it pro calibrated, and concentrate on setting it up with a good signal/source.

As far as pro calibrations go... Would you guys recommend an ISF callibration?

Thanks.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I would recommend an Avia disc and do it yourself. I have a plasma, a LCD and a DLP and all of them required very little calibration. They do like a HD signal though.

So it seems that it may be a better idea to go with the cheaper model, spend some of the money saved getting it pro calibrated, and concentrate on setting it up with a good signal/source.

As far as pro calibrations go... Would you guys recommend an ISF callibration?

Thanks.

 

[annunaki]

So it seems that it may be a better idea to go with the cheaper model, spend some of the money saved getting it pro calibrated, and concentrate on setting it up with a good signal/source.

As far as pro calibrations go... Would you guys recommend an ISF callibration?

Thanks.

An ISF calibration will give you every last bit of performance from your set. A setup disc will usually get you about 95% of that performance if used properly and the set is reasonably accurate to begin with.

If I had a front projector, I would definitely get an ISF calibration as I would want my substantial investment performing at 100%.

I would read all of the in-depth professional reviews on the set to see if it would benefit substantially from a professional ISF calibration, or if the benefit is worth the investment for the set in question.

Some TV's will benefit more than others with an ISF calibration.

Edit: For setup discs I prefer the Digital Video Essentials DVD over Avia (as I own both) for video calibration.

 

[klondike]

An ISF calibration will give you every last bit of performance from your set. A setup disc will usually get you about 95% of that performance if used properly and the set is reasonably accurate to begin with.

If I had a front projector, I would definitely get an ISF calibration as I would want my substantial investment performing at 100%.

I would read all of the in-depth professional reviews on the set to see if it would benefit substantially from a professional ISF calibration, or if the benefit is worth the investment for the set in question.

Some TV's will benefit more than others with an ISF calibration.

Edit: For setup discs I prefer the Digital Video Essentials DVD over Avia (as I own both) for video calibration.

Wow! Thanks to everyone in this thread who has responded so far. I really appreciate it.

How much are these setup disks and where can they be purchased? What do the setup disks have you do???

Anyone have a mount they recommend for the 58" plasma?

I found this set at least a $1000.00 less online than at my local Best Buy. Any issues with ordering a Plasma TV online???

Thanks!

 

[annunaki]

Be careful with ordering Plasma from online retailers. Shipping is very important. Who ships it is important as well. Some carriers are better at handling electronics than others. Amazon is pretty decent from what I have heard.

Setup DVD's help you properly setup Contrast, Brightest, Color, Hue/Tint, Sharpness and Color Temperature (to a degree, no pun intended) using test patterns.

 

[Hi Ho]

Just FYI... Panasonic plasma sets don't show their full potential out of the box. Standard definition programming is greatly improved by turning on "MPEG NR" and "Block NR" and turning the sharpness all the way down. Also start with the picture mode on "Standard" as opposed to the default "Vivid".

 

[klondike]

Be careful with ordering Plasma from online retailers. Shipping is very important. Who ships it is important as well. Some carriers are better at handling electronics than others. Amazon is pretty decent from what I have heard.

Setup DVD's help you properly setup Contrast, Brightest, Color, Hue/Tint, Sharpness and Color Temperature (to a degree, no pun intended) using test patterns.

What about from 6th Ave. I was just searching and noticed that they have an excellent price on the 58" Panasonic Plasma. I also noticed that they post here. I have actually ordered from them many many years ago the current High Current Parasound amplifier I am still using today on my Legacy's.

 

[Warpdrv]

I have bought both of my Panasonic Pro Plasma's 50" and 42" from PCConnection online. I got great CS and delivery was top notch with a great price to match.

http://www.pcconnection.com/home

 

[klondike]

Wow, I just went to the store and saw the 700U hooked up to an HD source and it looked really nice.

I think we have a winner.

The only other plasma that I have liked as much is the Pioneer and in general it runs a little higher in price.

Now I am ready to find a processor. So far I am looking at the Integra 9.8.

 

[westcott]

I would check out Best Buy and see if they have any "Door Busters" left from Black Friday.

I just bought a 42" Panasonic for $300 less than the 42" Panasonic display they had on the wall. Granted it was 720p vs. 1080p but at these small screen sizes and normal viewing distances, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

It was not advertised and the salesman was reluctant to even divulge its availability. It seems many of the employees had their eyes on these left overs, as well.

Good Luck. Panasonic and Pioneer dominate plasma, Pannys being the real bang for your buck.

 

[jlahk]

I would recommend an Avia disc and do it yourself. I have a plasma, a LCD and a DLP and all of them required very little calibration. They do like a HD signal though.

A couple people have mentioned that the Panasonic 58s like an HD signal. Do you think there is a problem with the scaler upconverting to 1080p? Anyone know what type of scaler is in the Panasonic 58s?

I'm looking to buy a Panasonic 58 700u and also an Integra 9.8 or Onkyo Pro 885 which both have a Reon HQV scaler. I wonder if I may be better off letting the Reon in the processors handle upconversion.

 

[westcott]

A couple people have mentioned that the Panasonic 58s like an HD signal. Do you think there is a problem with the scaler upconverting to 1080p? Anyone know what type of scaler is in the Panasonic 58s?

I'm looking to buy a Panasonic 58 700u and also an Integra 9.8 or Onkyo Pro 885 which both have a Reon HQV scaler. I wonder if I may be better off letting the Reon in the processors handle upconversion.

Hard to beat the Reon from Silcon Optix for a scaler and deinterlacer. I have one in my Samsung and my Toshiba. They both look even better than my Denon. The latter is now retired to my bedroom.

 

[klondike]

Just picked up the TH58PZ700U on a deal from Best Buy. Of all places. LOL! I was searching on the net for a reputable place that had it at a good price. Then I found a special on Best Buys website that had the Panasonic Blue Ray Disk player for $499 with 10 Free Blue Ray movies and an additional $500 off the TV's sale price. This put it very close to the out the door price I found on the internet and I did not have to wait for it or sit home for the delivery worrying if it will arrive in one functional piece.

I will hook it up in the next few days and let you guys know how it all goes. Now I am searching for a place to get the Integra 9.8 and it seems impossible to find. I will keep searching for the Integra 9.8.

 

[Thunder18]

Just picked up the TH58PZ700U on a deal from Best Buy. Of all places. LOL! I was searching on the net for a reputable place that had it at a good price. Then I found a special on Best Buys website that had the Panasonic Blue Ray Disk player for $499 with 10 Free Blue Ray movies and an additional $500 off the TV's sale price. This put it very close to the out the door price I found on the internet and I did not have to wait for it or sit home for the delivery worrying if it will arrive in one functional piece.

I will hook it up in the next few days and let you guys know how it all goes. Now I am searching for a place to get the Integra 9.8 and it seems impossible to find. I will keep searching for the Integra 9.8.

Congrats! Sounds like you made a great find. Big new Plasma and a Blu-Ray player to boot. Did you pick up a Blu-Ray movie to watch as well?
You never mentioned if you have digital cable/satellite or even an HD cable/satellite set-up. If you have cable of any kind, you might try plugging in the coax connector directly from the wall and into the TV to see if you Panasonic will find any of the digital channel in clear with the built in QAM tuner. Then you can be well on your way to enjoying your new set.
Also, i was wondering if you might comment on the sound from the built-in speakers from that Panasonic. I understand it actually has 2 separate woofers and tweeters(frequency range of 55Hz-17kHz) and was curious as to how good(or bad) the on-board sound system is.

The Integra, because it is Onkyo's pro line will be a bit harder to find especially online. Like Pioneer Elite, they want them sold mostly by brick and mortar stores who generally should be offering good support and product knowledge prior to and after the sale. Have you tried Integra's website? They have a dealer locator link that may be helpful.
http://www.integrahometheater.com/locator.cfm?SearchType=d

 

[klondike]

I will definitly try plugging the coax directly in and seeing what it will do. Right now I just have the coax cable comming from my digital cable box. I am going to call tomorrow to get an HDMI box from my local cable company. If I can pick it up I will do that to save some time.

I did in fact pick up 5 Blue Ray disk movies with the player. I am also sending off for 5 more. My freind owns a cabling store locally so I am going to go see her tomorrow and pick up an HDMI cable so I can hook up the Blue Ray disk player. The last HDMI cable I picked up she did not even charge me for. Regardless she sells them very reasonably priced.

It will take a bit to get all the loose ends wrapped up but I am working on it slowly but surely.

I also need to order a mount. I found one that looks too good to be true...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082801&p_id=3900&seq=1&format=3#specification

According to the specs it should work on my TV. I just feel funny hanging a 150 lb expensive TV on the wall. But I know it would looks awesome.

Anyone have any experience mounting a TV this big on the wall???
Also, any base settings I may try for the picture quality.
Once I get everything setup I will probably have a calibration done.

 

[stratman]

I hung my friend's 58" Panny, pretty straightforward. One word of advice (very important) you'll need 3 men to lift TV up to wall mount, 2 to heave up one to guide/help and make sure before everybody relaxes and takes their paws off the unit make doubly sure that the unit is sitting correctly on the wall stand or you're going to have an expensive pile of plastic and glass on your floor.

Is your wall stud or block? If stud you have to make sure you hit the studs true, if block use Tapcon screws through drywall into block.

 

[Warpdrv]

I also need to order a mount. I found one that looks too good to be true...

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082801&p_id=3900&seq=1&format=3#specification

According to the specs it should work on my TV. I just feel funny hanging a 150 lb expensive TV on the wall. But I know it would looks awesome.

Anyone have any experience mounting a TV this big on the wall???
Also, any base settings I may try for the picture quality.
Once I get everything setup I will probably have a calibration done.

I just mounted my 42" plasma on my wall on tuesday, I would suggest a mount that will take more load then that... $3000.00 plasma on a $25.00 mount.. Not me... http://www.peerlessindustries.com
Make sure you get those screws in the center of the studs....

Peerless is awesome and known for their mounts.. they are a touch more, but worth it.. shop around, I got mine - 42 - 50" for $75 It will handle a load of 200lbs.

I Got this RECESSED LOW VOLTAGE CABLE PLATE WITH RECESSED POWER http://www.datacommelectronics.com/product.php?ID=430 for the power and data pull... worked awesome.. although I had to cut the mount to make it fit, the hole was for single gang box only, and this is a double, which was a little bit of a pain... but it made for a super clean install. I'll be betting you will have someone to help you lift that badboy up there, I managed to lift my 100# 42" by myself, but needless to say, I was a little worried, as its an awkward lift.

Here is the same mount I got, just a bigger unit....$87. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009JR460/ref=nosim/?tag=pricegrabber2-elect-20&creative=380333&creativeASIN=B0009JR460&linkCode=asn