I just replaced my TH-50PX60U, which was fabulous, by purchasing the FD18 at Costco. I am terribly disappointed in the quality of the picture. Is it possible that I just got a "lemon" or am I missing something with the settings. I've spent hours trying to acheive a satisfactory calibration but have not come close to what I had with my other TV. I've been fooling with this set for about a week now but the clarity is just not there. Picture is not crisp. In fact, I'd estimate that the quality of the picture is only about 75% of the 60U.
I am just about ready to give up and lug it back to Costco but am concerned that if I replace it with the same model that I may have the same problems. Suggestions would be immensely appreciated.

I don't know what to tell ya other than I had a 60u Plasma for over a year.

And comparing it to the PZ80 1080P Panny, both sets have nearly the exact same picture.

Except the 1080P pixel's were harder to see than the 768p's.

Keep in mind that as Plasma's break in, they tend to look better and better.

And it would probably be impossible to remember what your 60u Panny looked liked when it was brand new.

Thanks for your quick reply.
I remember that the old set blew me away from the first time that I turned it on.
This one bums me out.
The blacks are great, but the picture seems fuzzy. For example, the channel guide is just not as clear as it was on the other TV. The other big difference is that many times it appears out of focus for an instant when the scene changes.

Thanks for your quick reply.
I remember that the old set blew me away from the first time that I turned it on.
This one bums me out.
The blacks are great, but the picture seems fuzzy. For example, the channel guide is just not as clear as it was on the other TV. The other big difference is that many times it appears out of focus for an instant when the scene changes.

Thanks for your quick reply.
I remember that the old set blew me away from the first time that I turned it on.
This one bums me out.
The blacks are great, but the picture seems fuzzy. For example, the channel guide is just not as clear as it was on the other TV. The other big difference is that many times it appears out of focus for an instant when the scene changes.


If it's a huge difference and the TVs are getting the same signal, there's probably an issue. If it's a smaller difference, keep in mind that Panasonic recommends their 720p models for people sitting away further. The lower resolution actually has a type of sharpening effect because it makes smaller details more visible when you wouldn't be able to them on a 1080P model. Of course, up close the 1080P model should kick ass.

The TVs have been set up in the exact same way. HDMI cables, cable HD, etc.
and viewing distance is 6-8 feet. This set is not terrible, just OK, and like I stated in my original post the quality is only about 75% of the 60U. Shouldn't it be at least equal?

Thanks for your quick reply.
I remember that the old set blew me away from the first time that I turned it on.
This one bums me out.
The blacks are great, but the picture seems fuzzy. For example, the channel guide is just not as clear as it was on the other TV. The other big difference is that many times it appears out of focus for an instant when the scene changes.

I had the same issue with the channel guide not being as sharp on the TH-C50FD18 as my previous Plasma (which was not a Panasonic). I decided to give it some time though with the burn-in period and it has now been about 3 weeks and probably 40 hours of viewing and the channel guide is certainly clearer/sharper than when I first got it so you might want to give it some time to see if it improves.

Quite honestly, I haven't had any complaints about the picture quality on TV programming though and any motion blurring isn't too distracting (I haven't seen a Plasma yet that doesn't have some level of motion blurring).

I had similar complaints with my C50FD18 and noticed that when I setup my Motorola cable box to display in 1080i vs 720p the menu became clearer. I'm guessing this is because it was able to display it in a native resolution vs the tv having to scale it.

What video mode are you using?

Well I finally had enough of torturing myself in trying to find satisfactory picture settings and returned the TV to costco and exchanged it for the 720 model. I saved $500 and the replacement set is terrific. Since the local cable company is not presently broadcasting in 1080 and I don't own a Blueray player-I did not feel compelled to purchase another 1080.
I don't know why the FD18's picture was disappointing-but it never came close to the wow factor of my original TV or to my new one.
My experience tells me that even though a TV may not have any discernible defect there still may be marked differences in the quality of the picture from one TV to another, even iwith the same model.
Thank goodness I purchased it from Costco. I can't imagine being able to have done this with any other retailer.
Thanks to all for your suggestions.