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More…The Panasonic TH-50PZ850U is a pretty good value, especially in view of its generous array of extra features. Not only can it display your pictures and run your videos off its SD card slot, but you can plug it into an ethernet connection and enjoy Internet video. This set also does an adequate, though not extraordinary, job displaying movies and TV shows. And at $1700 street (as of April 16, 2009), this plasma HDTV is reasonably inexpensive for a 50-inch set.
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U 50
Pricing
$1,109.47 - $1,649.00 From 4 Vendors Get Best Prices »
- Spec Navigator
- Screen Specs
- Broadcast Standards & Resolutions
- Dimensions and Weight
- Interface Connections
- Other Features
- Adjustments
- Aesthetics
- Included Hardware
- Warranty & Support
Screen Specs
| Diagonal screen size | 50 inches |
| Viewable size | 49.9 inches |
| Display type | Plasma |
| Maximum resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Contrast ratio | 1000000:1 |
| Static contrast ratio | 30000:1 |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
Broadcast Standards & Resolutions
| Broadcast format displayed | 1080p (HDTV) |
| Broadcast format supported |
|
Dimensions and Weight
| Width | 49.9 inches |
| Depth | 15.2 inches |
| Height | 33.3 inches |
| Weight | 99.2 pounds |
| Wall-Mountable | Yes |
Interface Connections
| Interface connection |
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| Other Interfaces | headphone |
| Input |
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| Output |
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PCWorld Rating, April 20, 2009
3 User Reviews Add your own »
$1,109.47 - $1,649.00
From 4 Vendors
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- Lab Tested
- How We Test HDTVs »
Pros
Internet and content via ethernet port
Well-designed remote
Cons
Average picture quality
Bottom Line
The Panasonic TH-50PZ850U has fantastic extras, but only average picture quality for a 50-inch plasma HDTV.
Panasonic TH-50PZ850U 50-Inch HDTV
TH-50PZ850U 50 Review, by Lincoln Spector, PC World April 18, 2009
This is one of two ethernet-enabled TVs we've looked at recently (the other being the Samsung LN55A950), and this is the one that gets that feature right. Once you've plugged it into your home network, you can access online content delivered via Panasonic's Viera Cast service, including YouTube, weather reports, Picasa, and Bloomberg. YouTube videos display in a somewhat small window rather than at full screen, which is fine: A YouTube video blown up to 50 inches is not a pretty sight. The TH-50PZ850U also has an SD Card slot. It can show you a slideshow of your JPEG photos, or play your videos if they're in AVCHD or MPEG2 format.
The 480Hz Sub-Field Drive promises to improve fast-moving sequences by flashing the image eight times for every frame, or 480 times per second. But in our image quality tests, we didn't detect any tangible improvement. Though I liked the way the TH-PZ850U handled fast motion in the Mission: Impossible III Blu-ray test clip, not all of the other judges agreed. And this TV did a poor job in our other fast-movement test--the 720p NASCAR clip. There I noticed heavy pixelation surrounding the cars as they spun around the track in a wide shot.
Overall, we deemed the TH-PZ850U's picture quality good but not great. Among the problems judges noted were pixelation in long shots, reddish tones on Caucasian skin, and a bad overscan when handling a 720p source.
The model does have a very good (albeit not backlit) programmable remote. It's long, but the buttons are big and easy to find with your thumb.
The blocky on-screen menus aren't pretty, but they're functional and easy to read. If you get confused, a picture at the bottom of the menu reminds you where the OK and Return buttons are and what to do with them. An easy-access Sub Menu (a poor choice of name; it's not a submenu but a secondary, small, and simple menu) lets you change common options such as Closed Captioning and Favorites without having to navigate the main menu.
The sound quality is acceptable, but no better than that. It emulates surround sound reasonably well and becomes only slightly strained when things get loud. But you won't want to depend on your TV's speakers if sound is important to you.
I wish that the image quality were a bit better, but the Panasonic TH-50PZ850U is definitely worth its price. Two higher-rated big-screen plasma HDTVs to consider are the Samsung PN50A760 and the LG Electronics 50PG30.
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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75
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82
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86
- See Complete Lab Results »
75
80
73
73Performance
| Brightness and Contrast | Good |
| Color Quality | Good |
| Detail | Fair |
| DVD Image Quality | Very Good |
| High-Definition Image Quality | Good |
| Interface Tested | HDMI |
| Overall Quality | Good |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by:
Strengths: Great Picture...Deepest Blacks By far the Best. No Flicker In 24 Mode .Downloading Software updates is a Snap Once your connected to the Web.
Weaknesses: None
Overall: I would Reccomend this TV to All. Blu-rays are breathtaken.I have it set In 24 P Mode and No Flicker at all. 6th ave even shipped mine Free! Great People to deal with . Besides this being a awesum Set. I did alot of Research before i Purchased this set and It Well Worth the Price.
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Reviewed by:
Strengths: Picture Quality, look, sound,versatility
Weaknesses: color accuracy, flicker in 24p mode
Overall: This Tv is Truly amazing. I purchased this TV about a weak ago. After setting it up, i immediately put on a blue ray disc from my PS3 and the picture was breathtaking. I definitely recommend this tv to anyone who is looking to buy a flatscreen. Go plasma...
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Reviewed by: kj1000
Strengths: Incredible picture. Deep colors. Nice design. 4 hdmi connnections.
Weaknesses: Not pure black. Sound a little lacking. Vierra cast more of a play item rather than valuable. Cheap looking remote.
Overall: I bought this tv at a great price from Panasonic direct and am not disappointed. I looked at this product many times in the store and came away impressed. It does not have the dark available in the Pioneer Kuro but it is also quite a bit less. The color is deep out of the box, I plan on fine tuning it shortly. The Viera cast is more of a toy rather than practical at this point, but shape of things to come in the future. The tv is functional, easy to set up, and excellent picture. I highly recommend this tv as a main unit.
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