Any opinions on the Panasonic 47" HDTV? (1 Viewer)

[Dylan Savage]

Hello all! I am strongly considering the Panasonic 47" HDTV for the basis for my theater. It's a 16:9 HD-compatible RPTV, 2 tuner PIP, all the goodies.. wondering if anyone out there has one or knows someone that has one. I've seen it in the store and all that, and it looks great. Anybody have any opinions regarding this set?

A question.. why is it so inexpensive compared to competing models? It seems to undercut them by 200-300 dollars.

Thanks all!

 

[Dwight Amato]

Dylan, I have had my Panny 47" set for a couple of months now and I love it. It is equal to or better then any set in it price range, but may not look as good as some right out of the box. With just a few minutes with Avia or VE, it can crush the competition. Also, sears has some pretty sweet price matching deals that lands this set in the $1500 range.
For all of the information you could want, go to www.panny.tv for a site dedicated to this set.

 

[AlbertH]

please correct me if i am wrong, but i believe this tv CAN'T display TRUE HDTV (like many tubes btw) because it cannot display a full 1080 lines of resolution. I believe it is limited to about 800 lines. Another thing it has no built in screen shield.

 

[DougRuss]

Another thing it has no built in screen shield
You mean Glare Screen ?
There's some of us the prefer our RPTv without a Glare Screen.
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HDTV PROJECTION MONITORS (16:9 ASPECT RATIO)
HDTV MONITOR
Some Panasonic televisions double as HDTV monitors, allowing you to view high-definition broadcasts. When paired with our TU-HDS20 HDTV digital receiver, our HDTV monitors will captivate you with vibrant, high-resolution digital programming unlike any analog broadcast you've seen.
Note: Optional set-top receiver required to view DTV programming. Optional external over-the-air antenna may be required for ATSC reception. If your cable company "passes through" a DTV signal unchanged, an optional HDTV set-top receiver can decode and tune the program. However, standards for cable connectivity have not been finalized. Consequently, this product may not be compatible with your cable system.
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[Kevin Coleman]

Albert,
None of the RPTV's currently on the market can fully resolve full 1080I. The few 9" CRT RPTV's might come close but they all come up a little short because of the lenticular screens that are used on most RPTV's.
If you truly want to fully resolve 1080I you need to buy a 9" CRT FPTV.
Kevin C.

 

[JohnnyG]

Panasonic's spec for the PT-47 is 850 lines of horizontal resolution, measured in TV lines per picture height. You have to multiply this by the aspect ratio, which is 1.78 in this case, to arrive at the full-width resolution of 1513.

 

[BradZ]

my thoughts on the panny are that it depends entirely on your viewing habits. If you are getting this set for DVD's and HD only, then this is the best bargain out there.

if,however, you plan on watching any SD 4:3 programming, then I think you really need to look at the stretch modes available. To me, the Panny has the worst stretch modes of the major manufacturers. Since I still watch a lot of 4:3 analog stuff I have to rule out the Panny and look more closely at the Tosh, Sony, Hitachi, and Pioneer.

For the money though, the panny is hard to beat.

 

[Dylan Savage]

Brad.. I'm trying to make the Jump from a 36" normal TV price to the HDTV price without doubling it. The Panasonic is the only one I've seen that is what I would call 'reasonably' priced.. the others are much more expensive. $300 is alot when you're talking about a $1600 TV. I understand there are compromises on the panasonic, and the stretch modes are one of them. I may just watch my 4:3 programming zoomed or with grey bars.
Basically, the panasonic is the only one that hits the price point I want, so it's either that or back to the 36".