Reviews for Panasonic TH-50PZ77U 50" Plasma TV

TH-50PZ77U 50 Rocks!

Strengths: Deep Blacks, Vivid Colors, Grey levels are one of the best. 1080P Resolution, HDMI 1.3

Weakness: Lack of 3 HDMI Ports, Standard Def looks just Okay, but that is expected. Lack of VGA but I have a PC monitor for that.

I have minimal light when I watch TV and would prefer the one with better blacks levels with no glare on my screen. I also thought the one with higher contrast levels would come in handy when shouting stats.

Panasonic wants to compete with the non glare LCD, the 700U anti glare didn't do the job and the PZ77u anti-glare filter does do the job of reducing glare. One of the coolest features is the ability to have your PZ77 auto turn-off. This function will turn your set off when it's not in use. Look in the set-up menu options. I currently use this feature.

Some quick settings after running Avia 2:

Picture Mode: Standard
Picture: +9
Brightness: +8
Color: -1
Tint: -2
Sharpness: -10
Color temp.: Normal
Color mgmt: Off

Overall I'm sure i got a good Plasma for the money. Now I just need to get Discovery HD

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Panasonic tth50pz77u amazing tv , amazing price

Strengths: great picture quality, no reflection , 1080p looks great

Weakness: less inputs as compared to the current models, picture is slightly graining due to anti-glare

this is an amazing TV for great price. Great TV for a room with lots of windows due to anti-glare screen. Looks similar or better than 700u model. 1080p Blu-ray movies looks great.. Will recommend this TV .

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Panasonic 50" 1080P (TH-50PZ77U)

Strengths: - great HD pic - also very good standard def (regular tv) pic - good sound - wide viewing angle - very low glare considering it's a plasma - stylish - predicted reliability

Weakness: - more HDMI ports - no PIP

This is my first HDTV & I haven't been disappointed.

Just fantastic HD tv and gaming (Xbox 360)!! That didn't really surprise me since I've seen my other friend's set up with their HDTV. But what suprised me is how good the Panasonic at showing regular broadcast (SD) tv compared to my friend's HDTV's. I read reviews saying the Panasonic was good showing SD, but I was suprised how good. Two thumbs up Pansaonic!! SD was important to me since most of the programs are still SD and the switchover from SD to HD may take longer than people think.

Here are my recommnedations if you are considering buying a tv. Take them with a grain of salt, but hope they'll be useful,

1) Go larger if you're deciding between 2 sizes. For me, I was between a 42" and 50", but I'm glad I got the 50". The extra 8" makes a HUGE difference in viewing & surface area. If you have a big room, go for the 50". You won't regret it. You get used to the size. I went to Best Buy yesterday to look at the 2 sizes, and the 42" just looked small now. If you got the extra $$, go big.

2) If you're looking at Panasonic, and you're planning on putting your tv where there will be a lot of glare (either sunlight in the daytime, or lights at nightime), get the 77 vs 700 model. 77 has "anti-glare", 700 has "anti-reflection". Magazines noticed it (eg CNET) & I have to agree. Go to the store and see the difference for yourself, but I thought the "anti-glare" was a lot better and gave a less-distracting picture. It pretty much gives you the same low glare of the LCD, with a plasma picture. Best of all, for some strange reason, Panasonic has it on their low-end model (77) verses the high-end (700). So save yourself some money here and go 77 with anti-glare.

3)Pay more to get either Plasma/LCD over rear projection. Much better picture and viewing angles. It's worth paying more to get Plasma/LCD. IMHO, I think Plasma has a slight edge over LCD with picture and viewing angle, but LCD's have their advantages. Both Plasmas' and LCD's have addressed and fixed several of their respective weaknesses over the past couple of years, so you can't go wrong. According to consumer reports and other online electronics websites, plasma's have fixed image burn-in and life span. Life span is now around 10-15 years which is the same as old fashioned CRT tv's. Plus with the anti-glare magic treatment on the panasonic 77, there are no real downsides left.

4) Don't get cheap knock off brands unless you check their reviews on CNET and/or Consumer Reports. There are better ways to save money. Even some name brands have fairly bad reliability. I'd go as far to say, if you get a plasma, go for panasonic. Right now they have the best reliablity and overall value.

5) Make sure you buy a good surge protector for your tv / home theater. A good surge protector not only protects you from lightning, but also power fluctuations like brownouts, or even just the repeated abuse/surges from turning on electrical equipment in your house. Also, the best surge protectors also reduce electrical interference (EMI/RFI) between various home theater components. So far, Belkin looks like a good buy. You can pick one up on amazon for $30. Make sure it has coaxial cable & ethernet since lighting can come in through your cable and ethernet!! Also, if you have a home theater system and got a sound system, or if you want don't have room to cram the protector behind your entertainment center, you may want to splurge to get the Belkin PF30 which is about $90, looks like a small VCR, but is hard core & you can put inside your entertainment center or even on top of it. Looks very sweet and they got good reviews.

I paid about $2k for the 50" tv. It may seem like a lot of money, but look at it this way. If you're paying $50 a month for cable, you're paying $600/year for cable. Over 10 years, that's $6000!! Given all of that money your spending on cable, I figure it's worth it, to have a good tv that you enjoy so you can leverage all of that money your spending in cable :)

96% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Best Picture for the Money

Strengths: Deep Blacks, Excellent Color out of the box, Full 1080p HD, anti-reflective coating, good contrast ratio, HDMI 1.3 ports, auto-off feature after 3mins of non use, Great Picture

Weakness: No DVI input for PC, only two HDMI ports, consumes lots of power compared to LCD panels.

I did a lot of research on AV forums, AV magzines, and in store comparisons before plonking down $2,178 on this. In talking to many of the store employees that see these everyday, a couple of them also owned Panasonic Plasmas at home and were happy with them. If you have extra money to burn, check out the Pioneer Kuro series which are tad better on black levels but 2x the money. Practically everone I talked to steered me away from LCDs for now.

I am very satisfied with my purchase. For the money this is a great deal. Seems like prices are dropping from when I bought but no regrets, had it for the holidays.

83% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Awesome TV

Strengths: 1080P display, Clean looks with Black Bezel, SD Card slot, Plenty of inputs, Big Screen, Deep Blacks, Anti Reflective coating, User friendly menu and last but not least Great Picture.

Weakness: Consumes 630 Watts of Power, Not able to hook up a PC.

Did lot of comparisons like many first time Flat Panel TV buyers. Compared Sony 52 XBR, Pioneer 5010FD and Panny 50PZ77U. After viewing many different sources and many hours of reviewing the technical specs, finally decide to go for Panny 50pz77u, because of 1080P display resolution, Comparable picture quality to more expensive Pioneer models, better picture compared to LCD's.

Transported this huge TV my self, this was the hardest part, after unpacking, setting up was a breeze, did a self calibration using "Vikruti" calibration DVD. Connected to A Panny 1080P Up converting DVD player, and I feel; The picture is awesome that I will not be needing a HD/Blu Ray player.

Recommend this TV for any one looking at 1080P Plasma's.

75% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great tv

Strengths: Awesome picture and sound

Weakness: can get expensive

Overall a great buy for the money. I have little experience with tvs but know that I made the right choice with this one. I bought this TV at Circuit city on sale before the big day after Thanksgiving sale. My wife and I have talked for awhile about getting a new plasma TV and we read in consumer reports that panasonic did well overall.

60% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Panasonic Plasma

Strengths: No glare screen, very good sound, excellant picture with only a 480i input, sturdy stand compared to other plasmas

Weakness: 2 hdmi ports

After a lot of research over the past year, comparing with Pioneer and Samsung, the Panasonic is the best buy for the money. The sound is far superior than the Samsung. The price is half of the Pioneer. Very good picture with a Direct TV 480i input. The plasma is located in a well lit room and glare is not an issue. Easy to use on screen menu for adjusting picture to your viewing preference. Using pricegrabber.com I saved $600 over a local major electronic store.

50% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

contrast ratio

Strengths: big, looks great, great colors, didn't have long enough to comment its full strenght

Weakness: lack HDMIs, lack VGA, connectors,

I gave 1 star just because it misled a lot of people by marketing this TV as 10000:1 contrast ratio, the real CR is 5000:1 I was very pissed to find that out. go to manufacture website and you will see it has only 5000:1, I spoke to the guy from panasonic over the phone and he told me their marketing team made this tech error blah blah crap. anyway I am giving 1 star for that marketing error

8% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Impressed

Strengths: Price..Easy of use

Weakness: Remote does not seem as user friendly as Sony

Bought at BB last week. Purchased the Panny Bluray DVD player. Also had a store discount so I got both of them for $2300. Picture is impressive, expicially at night. Upconvert and Blu ray movies look great....however, nothing has come close to watching the NFL channel on hi def cable.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Solid entry to 50" 1080p's for (late 2007 & 2008)

Strengths: Black levels Inputs (mostly)

Weakness: Inputs (missing a PC input)

Great colors, none of them overwhelm. Plenty of inputs, but I'd like a PC input as well as a few more HDMI's but 2 suffices for now.

Has a SD Slot on the side that works out well if you feel the need to share photos on a TV.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

One of The Best

Strengths: Great value,1080p, Hdmi 1.3, easy to set up and use

Weakness: anti glare screen takes some pop out of the picture

This is my second 50" panny plasma. I've spent too much time researching tv's and come to the conclusion that for the money the panasonic is one of the top plasmas out there. Blu ray looks outstanding and over the air HD is awesome. Standard def is ok, some channels are better than others. I have an onkyo receiver that i run all my hdmi cables to and just one hdmi to the tv. As others have stated, if you're on the fence between 42 and 50 inch, go 50, you won't regret it. Last, Panasonic sometimes runs an install rebate where they will give you 200.00 back when you pay for delivery or install.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Excellent TV

Strengths: see others

Weakness: see others

Other reviews are pretty comprehensive. The only thing I'd like to add is that the difference in the picture noise levels between this set and the (more expensive) Pioneer plasmas and Sony XBR4 LCD is unintelligible, whether the source is an HD broadcast or a BluRay. Some people suggest that Sony XBR4 is easier on their eyes, but I don't find this to be the case. By contrast, the noise difference is quite notable for many cheaper plasmas and LCDs I've looked at.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

50" Panasonic 50" 1080P

Strengths: Picture Connections - both rear and side Mounting connections Lifting slots Packaging Instructions

Weakness: Remote

I'm sorry to say there is really nothing about this TV that is not spectacular. The picture(basement TV) seems to have very deep blacks and clarity and that couldn't get any better. The easy of installation and solid packaging make this purchase easy when it arrives. There are setting on the Web for "the best" picture, but every setting I try makes for an excellent picture.

Lance Longhenry

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Wow!

Strengths: Deep blacks, crisp clear color, easy set-up,

Weakness: none as I can tell

This TV provides the most incredible viewing experience imaginable. I had a 42" Sharp LCD in my living room and replaced it with the TH50pz77u and could not be happier. There is a world of difference between a 42" LCD and a 50" plasma and I highly recommend this Panasonic model. There are plenty of adjustments.. Set the picture quality to vivid or cinema and away you go. I did my research before buying it and Consumer Reports as well as Cnet.com rate it excellent.. I can certainly see why. I feel as though I am apart of the action whenever I am watching it.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Panasonic TH-50PZ77U 50

Strengths: Excellent picture quality viewed from any angle. Sound quality is great.

Weakness: Lack of 3 HDMI inputs. Quite heavy for installation purposes. Somewhat power hungry.

Lets face it, the primary purpose of your television is the picture presentation, and this unit scores the highest awards. It may be heavy and consume more power than LCD's but the picture is stunning at any viewing angle. This unit is a 1080p, but to be honest, I cannot tell the difference between 1080i and 1080p. The picture setup is a personal preference thing, so four of us sat around the set and and went through each setting until we all compromised on what displayed the best. No need for expensive set up programs! I recommend a power conditioner such as the Belkin PUREAV Console for around $250. It may seem a little pricey, but the protection is worth it. Overall a great product for the money!

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great Picture and Over The Air Reception

Strengths: Great picture, super reception of digital TV signal, Support full HD resolution, SD Card slot, AI sound

Weakness: No program guide, No direct change of input

Overall this is a very good TV and produces great picture quality. Many reviewer has provided good comments of the picture quality, I like to comment on the areas that were little discussed. Over the air Digital TV signal reception is excellent. There are few complaints. When I setup the set by scanning the digital TV only, the set also scan all the analog station. Can not select a specific input via direct access, it must be selected by pressing TV/Video key and select via a drop down menu. The is no program guide feature that allow viewer to check what is available on the air. The Sub Menu is a good addition, but it can not be reprogrammed to the need of the user. AI sound do not work when changing channel.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Great product!

Strengths: Clear picture, lots of inputs and outputs.

Weakness: None, as of yet.

This TV has been everything I could have ever wanted in a TV. The picture is great, the size is amazing, and Panasonic is supposed to be the best producer of plasma TV's. It has worked perfectly right out of the box.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Panasonic TH-50PZ77U 50" Plasma

Strengths: This is a great TV from Panasonic, the leader in Plasma TVs. It has a great picture, high contrast ratio with deep blacks. Anti-reflective coating helps keep the glare out during daytime viewing.

Weakness: Only 2 HDMI ports and no PC input. Should have at least 3 HDMI ports.

This is a great Panasonic plasma TV, with 1080P output display. The Anti Reflective coating really helps keep out the glare in the daytime. I also reviewed LCDs and other Plasmas, and this is comparable to some of more expensive Sony XBRs and Pioneer plasmas.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Good buy for the money

Strengths: Deep black colors compared to other Plasmas I looked at. Anti reflective and Anti glare screen gives much better experience in the day.

Weakness: Only 2 HDMI ports and no PC input

This is a very good buy for the money. It was very easy to install and original setup needed very few hanges. I haven't tried the 1080P esolution yet but the pictue quality is very good with HD transmission and 8 feet viewing distance.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Panasonic TH-50PZ77U

Testseek.com has collected 4 expert reviews for Panasonic TH-50PZ77U and the average expert rating is 80 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

Read Full Review

Panasonic TH-50PZ77U

Panasonic TH-50PZ77U receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 2.24 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #77 plasma flat panel TV of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market value, and a...

Read Full Review

Panasonic TH-50PZ77U

The Panasonic TH-50PZ77U is a 50" 1080p plasma television released along with the 42" Panasonic TH-42PZ77U in early September 2007. It is the successor to the TH-50PZ700U ($3000) by increasing the contrast ratio to 10,000:1 with its anti-glare screen and drops the price by $200 to $2800. Features 50" 1080p plasma; 1920 x 1080 resolution 10,000:1 contrast ratio (up from 5000:1 in TH-50PZ700U) 2 x...

Read Full Review