Panasonic TH-50PX60U (1 Viewer)

[Greg Gable]

Just got my TV this past weekend. I am very impressed with this TV, looks a lot better than my 1080 LCD. It even looks good with SD which I wasnt expecting.

 

[Arthur S]

Hi Greg

You bought the exact right TV

Happy New Year

 

[NeilO]

My one just arrived yesterday. I ordered it from Amazon.

I was wondering about a few things, though. First, the factory setting are giving it a nice picture. Is there any reason to adjust them?

Next, the aspect ratio options. I am a bit confused as to just what is going on with some of these. For standard 480 signals the options appear to be 480i (4:3), 480i (16:9), 480p (4:3), and 480p (16:9) under the labels of FULL, JUST, 4:30 and ZOOM respectively. The book recommends JUST for normal TV broadcast. The book says that JUST "stretches to justify the 4:3 image to the four corners of the screen." We watched a show last night (Thursday night's Shark) and it look pretty natural this way - not distorted. So I guess it is working okay. Still, I was wondering what people's experiences were with these modes.

The other descriptions are
FULL: Enlarges the 4:3 image horizontally to the screen's edges (recommended for anamorphic picture)

H-FILL: Enlarges the 4:3 image horizontally to the screen's side edges. The side edges of the image are cut off.

ZOOM: Enlarges the 4:3 image to the entire screen. (Recommended for Letter Box).

For 1080p, 1080i and 720p signals they have the options FULL, H-FILL, JUST, 4:3, and ZOOM.

Anyway, if anyone with experience with this TV can give me some pointers, it would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Neil

 

[GaryPL]

Turn down the contrast(listed as picture?) NOW!!
Get it out of Vivid mode, and keep the contrast down to at least 0 for 100 hours.

Thats my take, I just bought the same TV, but 42", and I set the picture to -3 I think, and it's plenty bright.

 

[Thomas_A]

I bought the same tv before xmas... 1799 open box. someone bought it and it was too big...I was there when they brought it back! Damn..hehe.

I had to do quite a few adjustments on mine...but they could have messed with it prior to bringning it back. HD looks absolutely marvelous and i'm very impressed with angle viewing. Nothing but nice things too say about this tv.

 

[Paul_Dunlop]

Below is a link with some initial setup tips

http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/p...0u-review.html

 

[corona13]

i was lookinga t the vizio for 1699 at CC...they have this tv for 1999...will compare and decide saturday at the store.

i'm thinking vizio, but may panny is worth 300 more

 

[ChrisClearman]

Both the 50" Vizio and Panny get very good reviews. The Vizio looks nicer just sitting there IMO. Both have a great picture. I've seen the Panny for $1799 which makes it about a wash.

 

[corona13]

funny you should say that, Chris. I agree 100%, the Vizio is much better on the eyes when off...which is why it is in consideration

Why Panny went with that thick stainless steel look at the bottom is beyond me. I undersand Vizio has some of that same look as the Panny, but not nearly as much. The all black look is much better and decor friendly. Stainless steel is a trend, black will always be friendly no matter what you do with a room. Samsung nailed it in this department!

 

[ChrisClearman]

I agree with the Samsung comment. Their piano black high gloss cabinets are the slickest around. Look great with Plasma and DLP.

 

[Weaselpolooza]

I just bought the TH-37PX60U and love it so far. I have been reading many threads about burn in and have become quite concerned. Has anyone had any problem with BUrn in with the Panasonics? Also, I am concerned about watching 2.35:1 formatted movies because of the black bars on the top and bottom. With this cause burn in?

 

[corona13]

leaving in 20 minutes to go pick out between the Panny and Vizio!!!!

will let everyone know my thoughts and will post some pics once it's set up!!

 

[ChrisClearman]

Weasel,
Burn-in concerns aren't really valid anymore for plasmas unless you constantly watch stock tickers. Image retention is real however. For the first 100 hours you need to turn your brightness way down and try not to watch anything with black bars. After that you're pretty much good to go. You may still have some IR issues, but they usually fade after watching something else full screen for a minute.

 

[corona13]

went with panny. they had the vizio and panny set up right next to each other so it made the choice a lot easier.

panny much more sharp.

being delivered tuesday. will post more than.

 

[MikeUp]

I've had this TV on my radar (or rather, the 42" version) for some time as the benchmark among HDTVs in my price range and category. But as I'm reading more claims about latest generation LCDs producing nearly equal PQ, never mind DLPs, I'm beginning to waffle. LCDs have certain distinct advantages, especially since I'll probably do a little console gaming on it, but I know from seeing these units in stores that the plasmas, and particularly the Panny, can't be beat on PQ.

Should I still be sold on the Panny? I have limited opportunities to see other HDTVs in the right atmosphere, being in NYC, as I only know of a few small stores and the big-box shops are hopelessly lit and set up for judging PQ.

And more specifically, has anyone done any gaming on their Panny or similar plasma?

 

[corona13]

I'd be careful if you plan on doing a lot of gaming. LCD is much better for gaming, IMO. Plasma has a better viewing angle as well, which was important for my situation.

I do not even own a gaming system. I'm sure that will change as the kids get older, but they can use my Sony 36" Wega that will now go in the basement.


also, funny story about CC last night. The guy tried to sell me Monster cables, I told him I buy mine on-line, and he started to "educate" me on the importance of quality cable. The HDMI I need was 180 EACH due to its lenght. I said, I'll pass.

Went to blue jeans cable this morning, I ordered 2 12 foot HDMIs, 1 8 foot HDMI, a 12 foot component and a 12 foot copmosite for 192 including shipping.

Blue jeans are as good or better cable (I've used them before) and they are rated for in-wall use. The kid started to stuter when I asked him if I could even install the Monster in-wall according to my county's electrical codes.

anywho, didn't mean to get off topic, but good stuff...

 

[MikeUp]

I've read many times that LCD is preferable for gaming. I'm wondering if, in the opinion of those with experience with this Panny or plasmas vs. LCDs in general in this regard, the difference warrants buying one technology over another. How do plasmas do with other examples of very fast motion, such as sports or tight shots in action movies? And is this the game-related problem with plasmas? Response (for lack of a better word)?

 

[corona13]

actually, is has nothing to do with fast moving effects. Plasma actually does a better job. LCD is known for a "trailer effect" with fast moving scenes. this is a slight effect, however. With regard to plasmam there could be an issue when the scene goes from a bright one to a dark one, but most good companies have controlled this issue.

the problem/issue with plasmas and gaming is burn in. Even though plasmas have made great strides with burn in, gaming is a primary casue of it on plasmas.

even so, I've read that the ghosting effect can be washed out by displaying a constant gray source...not sure if this works or not.

so, to answer your question, Plasma is better for fast moving material like sports, hockey puck, baseball, football, etc. You choice will come down to personal preference. they both will look GREAT. I know people that have xbox on a plasma and swear by it and they would probably would have to play Madden for 2 days straight to have a burn in effect, however everyone should be aware of the risk.

 

[ChrisClearman]

People say LCD is better for gaming because of the fear of burn-in with Plasmas. With the latest plasma technology - and as long as you don't run it in torch mode - those fears are unfounded.

The LCD flatpanel is MUCH worse at motion blur (though the latest sets have faster response times which pretty much eleviate this concern as well) and much poorer at blacks and overall contrast (which is important as many games are dark).

For me, the only time I would buy an LCD flatpanel is if I wanted a small, thin

 

[MikeUp]

All good information. Thanks. And I'm planning on going with something between 42" and 50", so that's a particularly useful bit of input.


Everything I read tells me that burn-in fears are mostly exaggerated, especially with the newer plasma sets, and confusion of image retention with burn-in is the main culprit. I plan on breaking mine in with the picture settings turned down and I'm not really worried about burn-in.

Thanks again. The Panny surges back into the lead!