Panasonic Plasma 65" TH-65PX600U (1 Viewer)

[Stephen PI]

Would be interested to hear from anyone who has purchased this model.
I bought mine in October and it is still in storage as the stand is on backorder. Apparently, Panasonic didn't anticipate the demand and are way behind with shipping accessories.

 

[Sanjay Gupta]

I too am interested in knowing more about this model since I am helping a friend decide on a new 1080P television. Since he wants something larger than a 50" and also wants something he can hang on the wall, the Sony SXRD series and Pioneer 50" Pro-FHD1 are out. Although he was quite impressed with the Pioneer but due to the size issue he is considering the Panasonic.

 

[Stephen PI]

The new delivery of tv stands only just arrived from Panasonic this week!!
I was told to have the TV shipped first and sign off on it before they would ship the stand to me. So the tv will be leaning up against a wall in my house until the stand arrives. So it looks like around Jan 27th before I finally see anything.

 

[Paul_Dunlop]

I would assume from October to now that the price has dropped

Have you paid for it already?

 

[John F. Palacio]

I contacted 3 dealers telling them I was ready to purchase a Panasonic TH-65PX600U, but on condition that I would get the stand and optional speakers and requested a total for all three items.

Two stores did not even respond, even after three emails. The third answered me after the second email saying stand was on back order with ETA of two weeks. No response on the speakers. I replied asking for a price for all three items... no response.

At that point I said screw it! I am now purchasing a Pioneer PDP 6070HD. Comes with stands and speakers.

 

[Stephen PI]

Hi Paul. I paid for the TV and the stand in October, no speakers. (approx $8500).
The stand should arrive next wednesday.
I am picking up the new Pioneer Blue Ray player this evening.
Two guys from Best Buy are coming over next Saturday to hook up the stand and I hope to see something by the end of the day.
As far as I know, from the prices I have seen in the local Best Buys, the price is still around $10,000.

 

[ChrisClearman]

I can't believe you paid $8500 for a 65" monitor.

 

[Gregg Loewen]

Awesome!
Let us know what you think about it.
$8500 is about the going price? It may be a little cheaper now but I have not been following pricing so I am not sure.
The Non Elite Pioneers are nice but not as accurate color wise nor as tweekable color wise. Ive also found them to have some funky black enhancement feature that you can not disable and will cause some "pulsating" in blacks and whites when switching scenes.
Happy viewing!!
Gregg

 

[Stephen PI]

Hopefully, if all goes well, I'll have some information next Sunday.

 

[Paul_Dunlop]

Wow - that's a good price
They are listed at $13,000 CDN at our local Best Buy

Should be an awesome TV

I am looking at its little brother - the 50"

 

[Steve_L_B]

The TH-65PX600U is a complete HDTV with built-in HD tuners. The equivalent monitor only version is the TH-65PF9UK.

 

[ChrisClearman]

I just meant I can't believe you paid $8500 for TV/MONITOR/DEVICE TO WATCH TV AND MOVIES.

But congrats on having the cash for that not to be an issue.

 

[Arthur S]

Hi Stephen

That is a very nice plasma...I thought about getting one for myself...however, my Toshiba 65H84 1080i CRT RPTV has a stunning picture with cable HD and ordinary DVDs...it cost about $2200 delivered and doesn't need an additional base...if I was going to upgrade, I would probably get a 73 inch Mitsubishi DLP for about $4,800 or less.

Happy New Year

 

[Stephen PI]

Well, after all this time waiting for the stand to arrive, I was finally able to view something this last weekend. I had Best Buy come and assemble the stand and attach it to the display. I originally planned to do this myself with help from a friend, but wisely decided against it when I realised what was involved.

I hooked up the new Pioneer BDP-HD1 to the HDMI input via my Pioneer receiver. I connected my sd dvd player to the plasma's component input.
I then nervously fired up the plasma and, sure enough, it was set to vivid with contrast set to the max. Panasonic recommend 100 hours running in so I am presently running everything on the zoom mode watching out for any stationary logos etc which I then shift the image up or down to hide them.

I was very impressed with the way standard-def discs looked and at last I will be able to view 4x3 images properly in progressive scan.

I subscibed to Netflix and rented Superman 2 which then froze up on the player. After removing the disc I noticed light scratches and some fingermarks on the disc. Even after a cleaning, which I should have done first, it still froze. I then cancelled my subscription, never again.

On Monday I received "Under Seige" from deep discount. This was my first good look at hi-def. The player ouputs 1080p and there is a setting for 24fps.
The image was incredible. The exteriors of the battleship were particularly good.
I basically have the image the way I want it although I am still fiddling with the brightness trying to get the black level right.

Dish Network are due to install this weekend and the Toshiba HD-XA2 is still on back order.

 

[Paul_Dunlop]

Cool - enjoy

 

[Stephen PI]

Things are progressing nicely. Dish Network arrived Saturday morning. HD looks great on the plasma. So far I find myself watching the documentaries on EquatorHD. Some of them look spectacular. One or two use slight EE which makes a huge difference on a 65" screen. Also, 'FamilyHD' are running Gerry Anderson product such as episodes of 'Thunderbirds'. Although they are disappointingly cropped from 4x3 to 16x9, I am still bowled over by the quality and the color, IMO, superior to anything done today.
The regular non-hd channels obviously don't look as good but, for example, TCM looks horrible. I heard 'they' deliberately soften the image to make it easier to compress. Maybe some of the experts here can elaborate on this.
I am due to pick up the Toshiba HD-XA2 from UPS probably tomorrow.
More to come.