opinion of panasonic plasma

[tony]

about to buy panny TH-50PX60U just wanted some input about this tv.

 

[sokrman14]

Don't buy it, if you want something in the same price range then get the Samsung HPS5053. It is a much better plasma. The colors on the Panasonics look like the are colored in crayon at times, mainly in the faces. The Samsung has a lot richer and more accurate color.

 

[audiofox]

I just got the Costco version (50PX6U) and like it very much. FYI, the only major differences are the absence of a SD slot or front panel a/v connections-it is otherwise identical to the 60U. I have been using the preset "cinema" mode for now, and it is okay but needs some tweaking. The picture looked pretty good for a variety of sources-DVD (Family Stone, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Saving Private Ryan), OTA HDTV, cable SD and HD, all through the HDMI connector. I plan to run my DVE cal on it this weekend and will relay my findings to you if you are interested.

 

[tedmjr2]

Tony,

If you do your research, Panasonic plasmas are the "best buys" for performance and quality. I haven't seen any Korean plasmas that have caught up to the Pioneer Elite, Fujitsu and Panasonic overall performance but they are steadily improving and compete with their lower pricing.

Comparing TV pictures at retail stores can be misleading because of the out-of-the-box and various subjective setups applied by the sales staff and walk-by customers.

 

[skasol]

Actually the panasonic looks very good, just like any other tv, make sure you calibrate it and play with settings to adjust it the way you like it. as far as the crayon like picture, make sure you turn off any kind of video processing adjustments.

 

[moverton]

Here is a good review of this set.
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasmatvreviews/panasonic-th42px60u-review.html
I have one that is one generation older and it is very good. The review is accurate. The previous post about the color being bad is bad information. Either they don't really know or they have a badly adjusted set.
I would recomend looking into the commercial line of panasonic (TH-50PHD8UK, or the newer 9 series out soon). They make the same displays without the consumer bells and whistles for less money. They also look better in my opinion because they don't have speakers built in and are just flat black.
I am assuming you do not need the speakers and tuner though. You only need the tuner if you are going to get signal over the air or without a cable box. Most people will use a cable box or direct tv tuner (to get high def) and therefore don't need a tuner. Also, the commercial models come with less inputs built in but they allow you to add any you want. The consumer models are stuck with whatever the standard set is. that may be good or bad for you, not sure.
As for speakers, I assume as a audioholics reader you probably are going to route sound through a separate system.
Also, the comemrcial models used to have a PC input built in and most consumer models did not have it. Not sure anymore about the specifics here but you should think it through. Basically, the commercial models are just displays and are configurable. Consumer models are tv's and are not configurable. You usually pay a lot more for the consumer ones as well.