Amazon.com Product Description--March 10, 2008 With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings anastonishing 1,000,000:1 contrast ration to the table. advanced pixel resolution and image-processing technology with the plasma TV's natural ability to beautifully reproduce fast moving images, so every detail is rendered with amazing clarity, and all the action is delivered with a high degree of fluidity.
What's New This Year? - Super Contrast--native contrast ratios on the PZ85, PZ800 and PX 850 series are 30,000:1, double last year's 15,000:1.
- Dynamic contrast ratios are up to 1,000,000:1.
- new anti-reflective filter; lead-free "Tough Under Force" panel is resistant to impacts and scratches
- Built-in SD card slot with Photo Viewer/Gallery Player software
- x.v. Color and Deep Color (HDMI 1.3 features)
- Game Mode auto-adjusts image quality suitable to games and includes anti-image retention
- Viera Link is now compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems
- At least 3 HDMI inputs on all models (4 on PZ800 and PZ850 series)
- THX Certification on PZ800 and PZ850 series
Which Viera is Right For You? Click here to see a comparison of step up features on each Viera series.
Amazing color reproduction The incredible black reproduction of a Panasonic High-Definition Plasma TV results in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. So you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. For color that's as rich and bold as life itself, look to a Panasonic Plasma TV.
Consistent brightness from any angle A Panasonic Plasma combines anti-glare and anti-reflection technology with the natural light-emitting properties of plasma, to give you a super-wide viewing range with a crisp, beautiful image from almost any angle.
Smooth, graceful motion  | When you're watching sports or movies with fast-motion graphics, you want a TV that can keep up with the action. With over 900 lines of moving picture, self-illuminating plasma displays eliminate afterimages in fast-action scenes. So whether you're watching a sporting event or an action-packed movie, you'll always get the most impressive viewing experience possible. |
1,000,000:1 Contrast  | The Panasonic's Real Black system (a pre-discharge suppression system) and improved panel production processes combine to reproduce outstanding blacks with superb contrast. Each image is richly expressive, from bright scense, like scorching desert landscapes, to dark cave scenes. Compare the image produced by conventional HDTV on the left to the Real Black image produced on the right
| More Colors  | Viera HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. - Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals
- Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately
- Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors
| Deep Color  | Where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color. - Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors
- Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors
- Enables increased contrast ratio
- Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white.
| Connectivity Viera flat panel HDTVs interact with an array of high-definition devices and services, making it easy for consumers to access and enjoy content as never before. As of 2008, Viera Link is compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems. | Videos and stills recorded on SD cards can easily be viewed via the SD slots on Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc players and Viera HDTVs. | Viera Link means easy connectivity via HDMI cables. Finally, consumers can easily operate their Blu-Ray Disc players, DVD recorders and home theater systems with a single remote control device. |  |  |
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| | 4 HDMI inputs to connect all of your devices directly to your television. | Equipped with an RGB input terminal, VIERA can connect with your PC and serve as a large-screen monitor. |  |  | Long Life  | Panasonic plasma panels are rated to last 100,000 hours, which is about 30 years of regular or 11 years of non-stop usage before the brightness of the display is halved. | Get Full HD with Blu-Ray Disc Players  | A Panasonic 1080p plasma television is able to render 1920x1080 pixels, but standard DVDs have a resolution of just 720x480. Blu-ray discs output true 1080p High-Definition resolution and have a storage capacity ten times greater than standard DVDs, so no pixel gos to waste. | | Screen Size Measured Diagonally | 1080p Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels | Native Contrast Ratio | PC Input | THX Cert | 24p | Speakers | HDMI Inputs | One Sheet of Glass Design | Swivel Base | Shades of Gradation | H.264 Codec | Digital Cinema Color | Studio Reference Mode | Pro Setting Menu | Serial Port | Standard Features | TH-42PX80U | 42 inches | | 15,000:1 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | 4,096 | | | | | | - 480 Hz Sub-field Drive Technology
- Anti-Reflective Filter
- Viera Link HDAVI Control
- Built-in SD Card Slot w/Photo Viewer
- Deep Color Technology
- x.v. Color
- 3D Color Mangement
- Sub-Pixel Controller
- Motion Pattern Noise Reduction
- Anti-Image Retention Mode
- Game Mode
- Scratch and Impact Rsistant Panel
- 100,000 Hours to Panel Half-Brightness (>30 years @ 8 hours/day)
- Lead-free Panel
| TH-50PX80U | 50 inches | | 15,000:1 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | 4,096 | | | | | | TH-42PZ80U | 42 inches |  | 20,000:1 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | 4,096 | | | | | | TH-46PZ80U | 46 inches |  | 20,000:1 | | | | 2 | 3 | | | 4,096 | | | | | | TH-50PZ80U
| 50 inches |  | 20,000:1 |
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| TH-42PZ85U | 42 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  | | | 2 | 3 | | | 4,096 | | | | | | TH-46PZ85U | 46 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  | | | 2 | 3 | | | 4,096 | | | | | | TH-50PZ85U | 50 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  | | | 2 | 3 | | | 4,096 | | | | | | TH-42PZ800U | 42 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 4,096 | | | | | | | TH-46PZ800U | 46 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 4,096 | | | | | | | TH-50PZ800U | 50 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 4,096 | | | | | | | TH-58PZ800U | 58 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 4,096 | | | | | | | TH-46PZ850U | 46 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 5,120 |  |  |  |  |  | | TH-50PZ850U | 50 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 5,120 |  |  |  |  |  | | TH-58PZ850U | 58 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 5,120 |  |  |  |  |  | | TH-65PZ850U | 65 inches |  | 30,000:1 |  |  |  | 4 | 4 |  |  | 5,120 |  |  |  |  |  | |
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Dead soon after warranty expired...
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| Review Date: August 16, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Chris H., Central Texas |
| Like several other folks here, our 50" Panasonic PZ850 is D.O.A. just a couple of months out of warranty. This was supposed to be their top-of-the-line HDTV, but the only thing it can show us now is the blinking red light of death (ten blinks like everyone else). Estimates are ~$500 for replacement boards / power supply plus labor. Meanwhile we have an old-fashioned 31" CRT in our bedroom that continues to work flawlessly since we bought it 15 years ago in 1995. This PZ850 didn't last us 15 months, but it sure worked great while it was covered by warranty. Now we're shopping for a replacement... an LED or possibly another plasma, but definitely not Panasonic, I can tell you that. |
GOOD ... but for only 27 months
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| Review Date: August 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: UTFan1, Seattle |
| It was great for 2 years and 3 months - now the 10 red blinks of death, and it won't come back on. Have been able to turn off for a while and it would come back, but as of this morning, no longer - will have to call service! This is terrible, but it is manufactured in China. We are extremely disappointed because it is a great picture and TV otherwise, but having to put out money in such a short time for a set we paid $2,000 for is insane. Hope you get luckier than we did. |
We loved it until today when it died.
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| Review Date: June 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: S. Swinney, Houston, TX |
| It was a great TV for a year and a half. Now it's dead. $487.00 to fix it. It only has a year warrenty for a reason. It doesn't last much longer. :( |
15 months later...a paper weight
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| Review Date: April 23, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Kyle L. Kirk, Midland, TX |
| Loved the tv. Looked and worked great....for first 15 months. Bought from Amazon in December 2008. Stopped working end of March 2010. Out of warranty, so I am trying to get fixed with local repairman. Was flashing power light 10 times. According to the internet, that means a bad power supply or something similar. Thought I was getting a good deal buying off of Amazon....now I am paying for it. |
Buyer be ware
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| Review Date: February 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: L. Courtney, Texas |
My husband and I absolutely loved this TV...I bought it for him as a Christmas present in 2008. I did tons of research...took me over 3 months, yes I am very picky and frugal, and I finally decided on this set and bought it on line thru Amazon.com. Had an absolutely great experience, until exactly 9 days out of "official" warranty. Purchased it on 14 Dec 08, delivered 22 Dec 08 and set it up on Christmas Day. Well, on 23 Dec 09, we were watching a DVD, had it on pause when suddenly we heard a pop, saw a thick black line appear across the screen. We turned it off immediately...To make a real long story short, the bottom line is since it is out of the warranty, which is considered one year from the purchase date, there is nothing they will do about it, even though part of the warranty offers 2 years on the glass. The Concierge repair folks said the set was not repairable. So now, we have a $1500 piece of trash sitting in our living area in the hope that someone from Panasonic will stand behind their product and replace it.....So far, no such luck...I am not finished trying to go up higher on the authority chain, so if anyone has any suggestions or a point of contact, I would certainly appreciate that....But if anyone is considering this TV or any other Panasonic, please protect yourself with an extended warranty or purchase something else all together....
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