I'm building a house that won't be ready until September. I want to put a Pany TH-58PX60U in it. However I now realize this model is going end of life. I want to spend south of $3000.

1. Should I buy this set now while I can and store it.
2. Wait because they will still be around in the fall, maybe for less.
3. Wait because there will be an equivalent set available for the same money in the fall.


Any input would be appreciated.

TY

I would move into a house first, see what furniture I have and what needs to be replaced, where do I want to place the TV and what connections are there, and how far are you going to sit from the TV....

Once you are certain that 58" plasma is what you want it's gonna be almost Xmas time and you'll be most like able to get a new (maybe even 1080p) 58" Panasonic plasma within your budget.

Thanks for the input. I built the house with a "network closet". My plan is to only have 2 cables run to the TV from the closet. 1 hdmi cable and 1 IR repeater. I hope use a receiver to do my hdmi switching which will be kept in the closet.

Is your "network closet" in the basement?
Where are you gonna put your DVD player, AV receiver and maybe a gaming console?

If you want a 58PX60U, now is obviously the time to get it because of the close-out deals. However, you say your room won't be ready until September, and you would store the set until then? A bad idea, if you ask me. You won't know if there is anything wrong with the set, or the possibility of something happening to it in storage is significant. Wait until your place is finished, arrange your furniture, and then see what's available.

Do not buy a set to store it. In a year, the 1080p plasmas of comparable size won't be far off in price from where the 58PX60U is today.

Do not buy a set to store it. In a year, the 1080p plasmas of comparable size won't be far off in price from where the 58PX60U is today.


Sorry but there is no way that the 58" 1080p Panny will be selling for what the close-out 58" 768p version is selling for now. The factory list on the new Panny's is nearly five grand, it's not going to drop below much more than 4 in the next year. Thats still nearly twice what some places are selling the 58" now. The 58" panny is the best value out there right now, and I doubt you'll be able to find one by mid summer.

Sorry but there is no way that the 58" 1080p Panny will be selling for what the close-out 58" 768p version is selling for now. The factory list on the new Panny's is nearly five grand, it's not going to drop below much more than 4 in the next year. Thats still nearly twice what some places are selling the 58" now. The 58" panny is the best value out there right now, and I doubt you'll be able to find one by mid summer.People said the same thing about the 58" a year ago when it was selling for close to $5500. The list price on the 58PZ700 is $700 less than the 58PX60 was this time last year.

Forum sponsors are already selling the 58PZ700 for under $4000 and Panasonic cuts dealer prices several times over the course of the year.

Is your "network closet" in the basement?
Where are you gonna put your DVD player, AV receiver and maybe a gaming console?
No the closet is on the first floor in the center of the house. The DVD player and the rest of the components will go in this closet. The house is being built in NC where basements are rare.

My number one rule: NEVER buy electronics to store. Buy them when you have an immediate need to use them.

Those 1080p plasmas may drop by up to 20% by the end of the year.

That said, I pulled the trigger last night on the 58" 60u.

If I do decide on storing it...we're talking 5 months I will do something I never do, buy the extended warranty.

I would have to agree with what most people are saying here. I would not buy anything just to store. You will find some great bargans by the time you are all finished building your house. On a side note I also purchased the 5860u, but that was because the tuner was broken in my 50" and they no longer sell the 50" so I opted to pay an extra $200 to get the 58". I struggled with the decision because 50" seemed to be the right size for me being 10' away, but I couldn't pass up the deal for a little bigger. Maybe it was the wrong decision, or the best decision, I wont know until Sat when it is delivered.

Buying a plasma to store isn't much different than buying a computer to store. For a given technology, the prices go down, not up.

Buying a plasma to store isn't much different than buying a computer to store. For a given technology, the prices go down, not up.

Very well put!!!

Buying a plasma to store isn't much different than buying a computer to store. For a given technology, the prices go down, not up.
That's good info. I just have my doubts that a 1080p pany will be below $3000 Within the next year. Do you think they will still produce a 720p 58" set?



BTW. I currently own a 57" Rear projection Hitachi....Its a nice set, I just no longer want it's foot print.

That's good info. I just have my doubts that a 1080p pany will be below $3000 Within the next year. Do you think they will still produce a 720p 58" set?



BTW. I currently own a 57" Rear projection Hitachi....Its a nice set, I just no longer want it's foot print.


The reason why you are seeing the huge drop in price on the 58" 60u is because they are blowing them out. Do not expect to see any 58" plasmas at this price until the Hollidays. Then again who would have thought that you could get a 58" below $2,500. Just two months ago it would cost you $4,999. So maybe they will drop the 1080p models in the sub 3k range. I don't see them being below 3k until this time next year when they are preparing for the new models.

That's good info. I just have my doubts that a 1080p pany will be below $3000 Within the next year. Do you think they will still produce a 720p 58" set?The 50" 1080p Panasonic is already well under $3k from the forum sponsors, but I agree with the above poster that it will be at least another 10-12 months before 58" model is available for significantly less than that.

Note Panasonic apparently still intends to bring the 58" PX75 (768p) to the Canadian market, and last I looked, it had the same price as Panasonic's 50" 1080p model up north.