I have been agonizing over my purchase of an HDTV for months now, and have only been looking at 1080P until now. However, I found a deal this morning for a Panasonic TH50-PX75U that seems very hard to pass up. Here are my concerns:

-I sit about 10-11 feet away from the TV. Is 720P sufficient for a 50" from this viewing distance?

-What am I missing out on by not having 1080P? I will be using Verizon Fios, a Sony PS3 for Blu-ray, and an X-box 360 as my viewing sources.

-Am I missing out on anything for the future? I want this to be my primary TV for many years ahead.

Thanks in advance for any help with this.

1. At 10 to 11 ft, 1080p is barely discernible to most viewers for a 50". The main benefit I've seen in the 1080p sets is that they look smoother at closer viewing distances.
2. Not much, but you will see a little more on the 75U in terms of jagged diagonal lines due to the scaling. 768p is not an especially elegant resolution to deinterlace and scale to. You will probably see this more with video games and Blu-ray menus than FIOS.
3. Blacks on this set are okay, but not great. This is not as noticeable in the bright stores with high ambient light and all the sets cranked to max white level, but becomes a factor if you like to watch movies with low ambient light. If you do most of your viewing in normal lighting this is less of a consideration. Future generations will be much better in this regard.

Thanks for the reply. I went and looked at the set today, and I'm very pleased, even looking closer than my actual viewing distance. However, I was quoted a price for the 80u for only $200 more, and now I have that decision to make... I posted in the other thread about this that asks for a direct comparison between the two.

Thanks for the reply. I went and looked at the set today, and I'm very pleased, even looking closer than my actual viewing distance. However, I was quoted a price for the 80u for only $200 more, and now I have that decision to make... I posted in the other thread about this that asks for a direct comparison between the two.

In my opinion it is worth it but you have to make the ultimate decision if you want the newest set and if it is worth it to you.

Any particular reasons why the 80u is better than the 75u? In particular, I would love an opinion from someone who has seen both sets calibrated well.

"You can always spot the pioneers. They're the guys with the arrows through their hats."

The way I look at it, it's kind of like Microsoft Windows. Unless there is some striking reason to prefer the newer 80 over the "seasoned" 75, I would go for the 75. You can review the service history on AVS (pretty good), whereas we won't know about niggles, problems and patches with the 80 until we can count the arrows in the hats of the early 80 adopters that report back here.

(That, and the two Benjamins....)

"You can always spot the pioneers. They're the guys with the arrows through their hats."

The way I look at it, it's kind of like Microsoft Windows. Unless there is some striking reason to prefer the newer 80 over the "seasoned" 75, I would go for the 75. You can review the service history on AVS (pretty good), whereas we won't know about niggles, problems and patches with the 80 until we can count the arrows in the hats of the early 80 adopters that report back here.

(That, and the two Benjamins....)

Very good point. Honestly, to my eyes the 75 is enough, and it isn't worth agonizing over. I'll probably go with that.

I have an X80U (bought instead of an X77U) and like it. The price differential in that case may have been smaller, but still...

Here are the factors I went on:

-50% better contrast stats: 15k:1 vs. 10k:1
-Better shades of gradation: 4,096 vs. 3,072
-Colors: 68 billion vs. 29 billion

Now, all of that may be Panny's "funny numbers," but at least apples-to-apples, the 2008 model has more to offer than the '07, possibly less false contouring (we'll wait for the CNET reviews), etc.

Other tangible factors:

-3 HDMI inputs vs. 2 (granted, one is on the front, but still...)
-Impact-resistant CRT-grade glass on the 2008 (as a Wii owner - and general consumer - I like this)
-Improved anti-reflective filter

And as the 80U owners' thread suggests, the 08 models may have superior out-of-the-box PQ to the 07's.

I'd disagree with the previous comment about Windows. This is hardware, not software. It's not "tried and true" vs. "new and unstable." It's "every year, the product gets better for cheaper." The 80U is, right now, the latest thing (at the entry level), a better revision to the 75U. Unless the price difference is a make-or-break, I'd go with the 80U. It's probably a better TV, and will let you feel like you've got the latest-and-greatest for 6-8 months until The Next Big Thing comes out.

Very good point. Honestly, to my eyes the 75 is enough, and it isn't worth agonizing over. I'll probably go with that.

you know, if you are going to use this for years, spend the $200 for the better set. You will never regret it. If you get the lower res, you will always wonder about whether you made the right choice!! :D

Indulge me, please. I can't help myself....

you know, if you are going to use this for years, spend the $200 for the better set. You will never regret it. If you get the lower res, you will always wonder about whether you made the right choice!! :DWho's to say that the new set is the "better" set? That's my whole point. "lower res" ??? Don't get that one.

Now, all of that may be Panny's "funny numbers,...""Funny" or not, they're not significant.

Other tangible factors:

-3 HDMI inputs vs. 2 (granted, one is on the front, but still...)
-Impact-resistant CRT-grade glass on the 2008 (as a Wii owner - and general consumer - I like this)
-Improved anti-reflective filterThe extra HDMI port may be the most significant difference.

Better glass? Guess you won't need that White Glove delivery now. Still....Don't be dropping it.

Filter? I think here Panasonic just bailed on the 77 filter in favor of the 75 filter and called it "progress."I'd disagree with the previous comment about Windows. This is hardware, not software.Not strictly true. Samsung, etc. have USB ports for patches -- just like Windows. Not that that's a bad idea.It's not "tried and true" vs. "new and unstable."It most definitely is "tried and true" vs. "new and untested," though. Having worked in manufacturing, I can attest that ANY new product is going to have more bugs in it than something that's been out in the field for a while. (That is, except for the real turkeys.) It's "every year, the product gets better for cheaper.""Every year" -- so far. Let's see how the dollar holds up this time around.

At a $200 difference between the px75 and px80, it is about a wash.

Better processing, better blacks, extra hdmi, pixel shifter in the menu, and 24p playback. I would go with the 80.

No proper 24p (2:2, 48Hz) playback for the PX80 here in the US, just a 2:3 pulldown (60Hz).