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Panasonic TH-50PX60U 50-Inch Plasma HDTV |  | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
List Price: $2,799.99
Buy Used: $1,200.00
as of 9/8/2010 18:58 MDT details
You Save: $1599.99 (57%)
Used (2) Refurbished (1) from $1,200.00
Seller: Disun
Rating:  160 reviews
Sales Rank: 42729
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Display Size: 50
Shipping Weight (lbs): 93.7
Dimensions (in): 47.7 x 14.6 x 34.8
MPN: TH-50PX60U
Model: TH-50PX60U
UPC: 037988241040
EAN: 0037988241040
ASIN: B000F4CTUK
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | 52-inch HD-ready plasma TV; measures 47.6 x 32.2 x 3.7 inches (WxHxD) | | • | Integrated NTSC, ATSC tuners; QAM tuner compatible with unscrambled HDTV cable reception | | • | 1366 x 768-pixel resolution; 10000:1 contrast ratio; motion adaptive 3D Y/C comb filter | | • | Connections: 3 composite A/V (1 front), 3 S-Video (1 front), 2 component (Y/Pb/Pr), 2 HDMI, 1 SD memory card slot | | • | Two stereo speakers, 10 watts apiece (20 watts total); BBE ViVA HD3D virtual surround sound |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The realism of a TV's image is strongly linked to its contrast ratio, and this plasma features a high contrast ratio of up to 10,000:1. Such a wide range from black to white means great depth and dimensionality with vibrant colors-and this plasma can display an incredible 29 billion colors for a superior picture. Deep blacks provide excellent shadow detail during dark scenes, while brilliant whites allow our plasmas to render bright scenes with vivid realism. Sports, movies, and original network programming are all available in high definition from many local broadcasters. Receive and view local over-the-air broadcasts on this plasma in stunning HDTV clarity using the built-in HDTV tuner. If your cable company passes through HDTV broadcasts from local broadcasters, you can decode and tune those as well. The best images you can ever view on a Panasonic plasma don't have anything to do with HDTV. Share your JPEG photos taken with a Lumix digital camera on a Panasonic plasma using the built-in SD card slot. Simply insert the SD card, which is about the size of a postage stamp, into the SD slot on the TV and enjoy a photo slideshow. A Single Cable Carries High-Quality Digital Audio and Video If you have even a moderately complicated home theater setup, you probably have a pile of tangled cables on the floor behind it. Imagine replacing all those cables with a single cable that carries both digital video and audio at the same time. With the new HDMI standard, that's exactly what you get. The HDMI connector on this TV accepts high-quality digital video and audio via the same thin cable, allowing you to run one cable from the source to the TV. This widescreen TV features a width-to-height ratio similar to movie theater screens, providing a theater-like experience at home. View HDTV broadcasts and widescreen DVDs the way they were meant to be seen.
Amazon.com Product Description
Featuring Panasonic's 9th generation gas-plasma screen, the 50-inch TH-50PX60U features a width-to-height 16:9 aspect ratio similar to movie theater screens, providing a theater-like experience at home. Its maximum of 29 billion colors and over 3,000 shades of gradation provide exceptionally fine detail for outstanding HDTV reproduction. The set's built-in ATSC (DTV) tuner pulls HD signals (480p/720p/1080i) right from the airwaves, and its QAM tuner is fully compatible with unscrambled HDTV cable reception. A standard analog NTSC tuner receives standard-definition (SD) programming. It also includes a Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot, enabling you to take an SD card directly from a digital still camera or camcorder and insert it directly into the TV for quick and colorful photo slideshows. A plasma screen renders vivid colors like you've never seen before (as in, up to 29 billion in this case), extremely wide viewing angles (wider, even, than those of most LCD screens), and easy placement due to a plasma monitor's slim profile--the TH-42PX60U is a mere 3.7 inches deep, one of the slimmest plasmas around--perfect for desk or wall mounting. Brightness tends to be extremely uniform across plasma screens, which are also impervious to the picture distortion and negative color balances that afflict CRT monitors when placed near lighting or sound systems. The TH-50PX60U features a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution and an amazing contrast ratio of 10000:1. (The higher the contrast ratio, the greater a TV's ability to display subtle color details and not get washed out by ambient room light.) The 3D Y/C digital comb filter constantly analyzes the three dimensions of picture height, picture width, and picture changes-over-time, to reduce dramatically edge image artifacts while improving transition detail. Other features include V-Chip parental controls, on/off sleep timers, closed-caption decoding, aspect ratio control, and video input labeling. The TV's internal stereo speakers are powered by 10 watts per channel (for 20 watts of total power). It features the following connection options: - Component (Y/Pb/Pr): 2 inputs (with 2 audio inputs)
- HDMI: 2 inputs
- Composite (RCA audio/video): 3 inputs (1 on the front), 1 output
- S-Video: 3 inputs (1 on the front)
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a lossless, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface to link any AV source with an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV). HDMI supports standard-definition (SD), enhanced definition (ED), or high-definition (HD) video, plus multi-channel digital audio--all using a single cable. If a component doesn't have an HDMI connection, you'll also get great picture reproduction using the three-jack component video (Y/Pb/Pr) input, which provides separate connections for luminance (Y), blue color difference (PB) and red color difference (PR). This results in increased bandwidth for color information, resulting in a more accurate picture with clearer color reproduction and less bleeding than you would get with S-Video or composite (RCA yellow video plug) connections. Component video output is available only for DVD playback. What's in the Box
Plasma TV, remote control (with batteries), pedestal base, power cord, printed operating instructions
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 160
 Amazing - simply amazing April 29, 2006
Jake (Chicago)
258 out of 265 found this review helpful
I've had this TV for approximately 2 weeks now - It's my first Plasma TV - replaced a 10 year old 46" LCD television. After visiting every local store and kicking tires - I was sold that Plasma was the way to go. The clarity of the picture - 160 degree viewing angle with no decline in picture quality and sharp picture during fast moving picture ( i.e. sports ) + the vivid sharpness of blacks / reds / oranges / greens / blues made it pretty easy decision.
I went with the PANASONIC b/c of Consumer reports review of last years models. It was rated as best picture for non HD programming over any of it's competitors. Going shopping for these things locally is similar to buying a used car - b/c most stores won't show you anything but a HD signal - but I was able to get one store to show me a digital signal to a couple models and was able to view a DVD of TOP GUN on this and a few other models. Alot of brands will have a significant dropoff in quality from HD to digital signal - NOT this panasonic.
The picture in HD is simply amazing. Clarity / sharpness / at all angles of viewing both near and far away from the screen. The speakers are very good too - I will play a movie through the Home Theatrre - but day to day viewing the speakers will be more than adequate for most viewers.
The picture in non - HD programming - Comcast digital cable signal. About 85 % of the programming is pretty close to the same quality as High Def. Alot of the cable programming seems to be formatted in anticipation of High Def viewing and look very sharp and clear. Occasionally ( maybe 10 - 15 % of cable programming ) you'll get a feed that's not quite as sharp and ther'es a noticeable decline in picture quality from the HD or normal Digital programming. However - I've checked that same programming on my older CRT television - I found that the ( Non-HD programming with poor signal ) picture on the 50" plasma is the same quality as what I'm getting on my 20" non digital television. The only difference is that most of the programming is so much better in quality on this plasma TV that it seems like the picture isn't good for those few broadcasts. BUT - it's not poor picture from plasma Tube - it's just a bad signal that looks worse in comparison to the other channels and/or programming.
*** Don't let a salesperson talk you out of this TV if you have a large pictue window. I almost decided against the Plasma tube b/c a circuit city salesperson said the reflection would annoy me with a large window in the room. We have a west facing picture window in the rear with a tree outside the window. There is reflection on this tube - but it's no different than the reflection you'd get with a standard CRT tube television. We just pull down the shades a bit - and we haven't noticed anything that would be bothersome when viewing a program. We bought it with the assurance that if the reflection was an issue we could swap it out for a LCD or other television. We're keeping the Panasonic Plasma!!!!
I'm totally happy we bought this TV - and have no regrets for choosing the Panasonic. I'd buy this TV again in a heartbeat. The only thing I don't know about is the longevity of this type of tube - but I'll learn that over time. We spent 400 bucks on an in home 4 year service plan to accompany the TV. The marketing says it will last 27 years if viewed 6 hours per day - but I think that's a little optimistic. I did however learn in my research that this technology has been around for 30 or 40 years so I'm hoping that means there won't be any technical quirks to still work out.
Jake
I really like this TV! August 17, 2006
J. Haindel (Louisiana)
73 out of 76 found this review helpful
I really like this TV. It encompasses all that I was looking for. Buying a HD TV these days makes for some tough decisions. I found it impossible to make a clear decision from looking at the vast array of HD TVs available. The super big screens are impressive as are the super fine displays of the plasmas. For my purposes, I put picture quality over size. This lead to the plasmas and then to the Panasonic, which, along with Pioneer, have the best picture available, in my opinion,in plasmas.
My next criteria was the TVs ability to present a quality standard broadcast video, that seems to be about 90% of the material available today. HD is just beginning to become more adequately available today.
While shopping, I did not notice a huge difference in the quality of HD from one TV to another but there is a huge difference in quality at standard broadcast. You won't see this in the stores because they always use HD to impress their customers. This is where this TV shines. The picture quality is amazing even when not a HD broadcast. This is important as it involves the TVs ability to improve the standard broadcast video. There seems to be a vast difference from set to set in this ability and it has a lot to do with the internal circuitry. All sets look great at 1080p, however they sure don't look the same when it involves standard cable or standard satellite broadcast. The standard broadcast material on this set can look almost like HD depending on the quality of the broadcast. The poorer material looks just that, poor, but it is the broadcasters fault, not the TV.
Some things I do not like:
1. A plasma must be carried straight up and down. The first one I purchased had a shattered screen (the whole TV had to be replaced) Not too good for internet purchases as they will not allow returns even if defective or damaged in shipping.
2. The remote is spartan. No "learning" feature and has very limited adaptation to other video equipment.
3. Way too much silver. Thank goodness they have a little black around the screen.
4. No variable audio to an amplifier. You have to use the receiver control to vary the volume or connect everything through the receiver.
5. Some glare problems particularly if you have a window to the back of the viewing area. No problem from front or side lighting.
6. The set control comes set to "vivid" which sets the contrast and brightness way up and can damage the TV. You must first "break in " all plasmas by running the contrast and brightness at "0" for the first 100 hours. This is a pain as this is about a months viewing for us because the picture is pretty dark. Also, you have to be aware of the screen ratios as some broadcast cut off the sides or bottoms/tops which leave a black border. This can cause "burn in" that can damage your screen. I find myself changing aspect ratios pretty often. You can watch all transmissions if you adjust the screen ratios to cover the entire screen and not leave any black bars anywhere.
7. Possible repair costs. I understand that it is a "throw away" set if the plasma screen goes out. Plasmas costs more than other TVs to repair but are less repair prone.
8. A 50" screen just qualifies as a "big screen" in my opinion. 55" or 60" would be better but the cost now is prohibitive. I find it adequate at a viewing distance of 12' to 14'.
9. You can see the pixels if you get up close. (screen door effect) I guess it is the nature of the beast. The pixels are not visible after about 6 feet away.
Some of the things I like:
1. Good standard video quality
2. Awesome HD video quality
3. Can handle 1080P (for future, blue ray and HD DVD players)
4. Runs really cool. I notice no heat at all emanating from it. For some reason it has two cooling fans.
5. Quiet operation. You have to put your ear to the back of it to hear anything.
6. Quality construction. The interior looks like commercial quality.
7. Remote uses hard buttons instead of soft rubber
8. Easy setup and controls
9. Two HDMI connections (more the better as future HD devices will use these)
10. No lamp to replace every couple of years at $250- $300 (DLP, LCD)
11. Long service life (estimated at 60,000 hours or about 20 years)
12. Good repair record according to Consumer Report.
13. Excellent black handling which is so important for the 3D effect.
14. Sound quality is adequate. The surround sound is artificial sounding.
After owning and watching this set for a little over a week, I have no buyer's remorse. It was a good purchase and I am very happy. I highly recommend this TV. The negatives are very small compared to the positives, many being the nature of plasma TVs. Watching a program on HD is a real experience that makes you feel like you are there and this TV will do it. Calculating the costs of any hobby or vacation far exceeds the cost per hour of this quality of a television. It is really cheap entertainment and well worth the investment.
Panasonic 50PX60U - What you should know January 10, 2007
George - Liverpool, NY
30 out of 30 found this review helpful
I first saw this Panasonic plasma at several major retailers. Although the TV was extremely well rated, what I observed were pictures that appeared unrealistic with HD (high definition) programs and cartoon-like with SD (standard definition) programs. It didn't matter if it was this 50" model or the more expensive 58" model, in person the picture on these plasma TV's lacked the quality I was expecting at each retailer I saw them. This didn't make sense to me. I wanted to buy a reasonably priced plasma and one that was highly rated. On paper, the 50PX60U seemed to meet both these requirements. And yet there was the image I observed which I felt did not live up to the reviews.
Then one day I was researching plasma TV's on the internet and came across a web site that helped solve the dilemma. The information they conveyed suggested to me that the problem I was seeing with these Panasonic plasma's was not associated with the quality of the TV, but rather with the quality of the picture adjustment (probably the standard default adjustment out of the box).
As it turns out, the film and broadcast industry uses the Imaging Science Foundation optimum color temperature rating of D6500K as their standard when filming TV shows or movies. When the technical people who reviewed this Panasonic 50" model measured the color temperature of the TV out of the box, they found it measured in excess of D10000K. This setting was well in excess of the industry standard of D6500K and probably accounted for the fact the plasma looked so unrealistic to me at the stores. Most plasma TV manufacturers have unrealistic viewing picture settings out of the box in order to entice the unknowing consumer.
The website shared the optimal picture settings that bring the plasma to within several percentage points of the industry "perfect" standard of D6500K. After reading the article I decided to take a chance and buy the 50PX60U. Once hooked up, I immediately pulled up the main menu and proceeded to adjust the TV to the recommended settings. These screen adjustment settings found in the main menu under "PICTURE" include changes to Picture Mode, Picture, Brightness, Color, Tint, Sharpness, Color Temperature, and Enhanced Black Level. If you are considering buying this plasma or have already bought it, I highly recommend visiting the site. It contains a wonderful review of the 50PX60U and gives you in table form the exact picture settings mentioned above. Their site can be found by searching plasma tv buying guide. Just click on the 50" plasma reviews for the Panasonic 50PX60U.
After changing the settings to the recommended industry standard, the only word I can use to describe the picture quality of this plasma TV is WOW!!!!!! It is shockingly great, very realistic, and does NOT show any of the negative characteristics that I witnessed in the major retail outlets I visited. If you buy this set (or if you own it already), you'll find that the recommended settings will enhance your viewing pleasure immensely.
I would make several other suggestions for your viewing pleasure if you are new to the plasma market as I was. Be sure your HD source is excellent. The plasma you buy will only put out an excellent picture if the incoming signal is of excellent quality. A reliable cable or satellite provider with the proper HD in-home and outside of home equipment and HD service will provide a great HD feed for your plasma. If your cable provider is like mine, be sure to check that your HD cable box is putting out the HD 720P (P for progressive scan) signal that your plasma TV was made to use. Some boxes will default to a 1080i (interlaced) signal which is inferior to the 720P your plasma will support. Check the display on your cable or satellite box if it has one. If it displays anything but 720P, get on the phone with your cable or satellite provider to find out how to make it default to a 720P signal. If you have a DVD player, make sure it is a 720P (progressive) scan HD DVD player and check to make sure the DVD's you use are also of 720P quality. Anything less and you will be sacrificing picture quality.
Be sure to purchase a decent HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) cable if you plan on using upstream hardware with HDMI outputs to your plasma. A decent HDMI 6' cable is about $30 on the internet. This too will give you the greatest amount of HD precision from your plasma TV. If your upstream hardware only has a DVI (Digital Video Interface) video output, be sure to purchase a DVI to HDMI cord that has a DVI connector on one end and a HDMI connector on the other. As DVI only supports video signals, you will have to run a separate RCA audio cable from your cable/satellite box for your digital audio signal (for plasma TV or home surround system) or analog audio signal (for a standard stereo). However, this is far superior than taking the easy way out and using a component hook-up instead. Component video cables supply no where near the same video quality that HDMI or DVI do. If your upstream hardware providing the signal to your plasma has neither HDMI or DVI outputs, change that hardware to one(s) that do if you truly want High Definition quality out of your HD plasma.
Also, make sure you purchase the right plasma screen size for the distance you're going to watch it from. A 65" screen may be way too large for a 6' viewing distance. The high definition pixel size for a 65" screen is much larger than say a pixel from a 42" screen. If you watch too large an HD screen from your viewing distance, you will see the individual pixels losing the HD effect. A 42" screen may be too small if your viewing distance is 16' away. Although the picture quality would be just fine, you probably will have trouble watching it because of its diminished size. Remember, these plasma TV's have a 16:9 aspect ratio (16" horizontal for every 9" vertical) which are nearly twice as wide as they are tall. The good news is that you get great wide screen vision far superior to standard 4:3 (4" horizontal for every 3" vertical) aspect ratio TV's which are only 33% wider as they are tall. The bad news is that you must be VERY concerned about the vertical viewing area. Make absolutely sure you have enough vertical screen viewing area when picking out the right plasma for your viewing distance. I would go so far as to say that paying close attention to the vertical measurement of the plasma may be much more important than consideration of the diagonal measurement, especially if you are accustomed to seeing standard TV with a 4:3 screen aspect ratio size.
Plasma TV's are great. But be aware they are susceptible to screen burn in from static objects displayed on programming you may watch such as stock tickers, etc. Many HD channels are now using logos that are plasma friendly. But be cautious about this inherent weakness in plasma technology especially vulnerable in the first several hundred hours of use.
One last thing. You just spent big bucks on a plasma TV. Make sure you buy a good AC power surge suppressor to plug your plasma into. It's not a good idea to buy some cheap $5 plug strip. Purchase something decent, preferably one that has a downstream equipment replacement warranty if it fails. (Better to have THEM replace your plasma TV from a power company power surge than YOU!!!)
Hope this information will be helpful to you. Good luck in your plasma shopping experience!
Amazing September 19, 2006
Melfi (Omaha, NE USA)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful
I waited a long while before getting a plasma TV. I adored my old standard JVC TV that I purchased in 1994 and requires two guys to move and a huge wooden entertainment center in the middle of our living room. I researched a lot and found that the Panasonic TH-50PX60U was the item I wanted. Then I waited a few months for the price to drop (which it did rather significantly in my view).
I could not be happier with this TV.
I just keep saying 'amazing' whenever I look at the picture (my wife is getting sick of hearing me say 'amazing'). The images are just spectacular. The technical details are better discussed in other reviews (and very well on [...]).
Set up is no easy matter in my opinion. We had a technician come out to have the Plasma TV mounted on the wall appropriately and make sure all the components (Digital Cable Box from Cox and the JVC Theater in a Box DVD player and speakers) were all connected to the plasma TV. This was well worth it for me as I would have not enjoyed trying to set this up myself at all. You also have to drop a few hundred more dollars for all the requsite 'monster' cables to connect the Plasma TV to the components and you have to buy a wall-mount if that is how you want to display your screen. I had no real problem with my old TV but I honestly did not want to tackle this set up...I think having someone do it for you is very much worth considering and allowed me peace of mind (I would have lay awake at night listening for a crash of the Plasma TV falling off of our wall in the living room)...
The HD Channels are amazing. Football games are a whole different experience. You can see the blades of grass on the field, the faces of fans in the stands, the dimples on the football, the chalk lines' imperfections in the field...I am in awe. Discovery and PBS have HD Channels and the nature images are simply breathtaking.
The settings of the TV out of the box are MAXIMIZED for contrast and sharpness...these need to be adjusted for a better picture (and supposedly to prolong the life of the TV but I read somewhere that the half-life of the plasma is about 40 years with 4 hours a day playtime).
The remote control options are pretty self-explanatory. I am still trying to figure out the DVR that is in our new cable television box as well so this is complicating the process a little. I still have 3 remotes (TV, Cable Box and JVC Home Theater/DVD---I also have reviewed the JVC THC6 HTiB) and it does not seem likely that one will 'learn' the other two...this is not a big problem for me, but my wife would really like one remote to rule them all and it does not appear that the Panasonic remote will do that.
Even DVDs (like LOTR: The Two Towers) look wonderful on this Plasma TV. There are picture settings for 'cinema' view (as well as others) which has a darker tone to the display. I am still playing around with the settings a little bit. I do not have a HD DVD player yet but I am considering it (though I cannot imagine movies will look that much better than I think they already do on this screen).
I really do not ever have to go to a movie theatre again and suffer through the high prices for tickets, popcorn, rude patrons, cell phones and screaming kids. I am certainly not saying that buying the multi-thousand dollar plasma TV is a cost-saving measure to avoid going to movies---honestly, I think that the only valid justification to buy this is because you WANT to...but it is really an amazing piece of technology and we plan to get the most out of it.
We have not tried to display any of our digital camera's images from the memory card yet but there is a slot in the bottom front of the TV to allow for this and it seems to be pretty user-friendly. Also, if you are like me and still have a lot of VHS movies, the front of the plasma TV appears to allow connection of another component (VCR) to the TV...which is nice but I have not tried this yet.
We did cave in and get the warranty for the product...
I absolutely love this Panasonic TH-50PX60U 50" Plasma HDTV and could not be more pleased with it thus far.
If you can find one, buy it May 1, 2006
Craig L. Lister (Saint Louis, MO USA)
41 out of 45 found this review helpful
I purchased this TV from Circuit City a month ago and am delighted with the picture. You feel, very much, as if you are there when you view quality high-definition feeds. Older DVDs at 480p look excellent when upsampled to 1080i (I got the best results at the 1080i upsampling rate).
There are plenty of fine TVs out there these days and in-depth information about them all at the AVSForum.com link. "Panny's" as they are referred to there, are held in high esteem.
After spending 4 months looking for a large screen TV, I had decided that it was almost impossible to make an intelligent choice in what is an extremely fast-changing scene. The salesperson at CC was kind enough to feed a 1080p feed (as we will soon be getting from the new BlueRay players) through the Panny to see how it will look when these high-definition players become available. The picture was every bit as good to my eyes as was the native 1080p Sony Microdisplay TV placed conveniently below the Panny.
This convinced me to purchase the Panasonic now. I can live with the small difference between 720/1080i and 1080p.
Now is a good time to buy a high-definition set. There are plenty of feeds available from both cable and satellite services.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 160
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