I was able to view this set tonight at BB and it looks great...I was wondering if any owners out there felt that this unit wasn't as "bright" when they got it home as they hoped it would be...or perhaps maybe the settings at BB were different than compared to other units.

-Rob

bump

I was able to view this set tonight at BB and it looks great...I was wondering if any owners out there felt that this unit wasn't as "bright" when they got it home as they hoped it would be...or perhaps maybe the settings at BB were different than compared to other units. This is my biggest concern - one guy already reported that it looked dark at a store even in VIVID mode and that worries me. I run my two-year-old TH-42PX50U in Standard mode with the Picture setting almost all the way up and i would require that the 42PZ700U be at least as bright. I would love to hear from owners who upgraded from an older PX50U or PH8UK and how their new 42PZ700U's brightness compares. There are some reports in the PZ700/PZ750 thread that the 50" examples they saw were dimmer than surrounding plasmas, while others say it's plenty bright enough - but it's hard to tell from reading here because some people like the TV settings on the darker side, while others (like myself) like to crank the picture settings up in our bright environment. I have played with the settings on several 50PZ700's at various BBs & CCs and a few of em did look dim, while the rest looked more like the other models nearby.

Everything else about the TV i like, but if it can't be set to be as bright as my existing TV then i don't want it and will probably get a Costco 42PE77U instead for thousand dollars less.

In case you don't know, there is a dedicated thread for the TH-42PZ700U:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=844033

Ok i just saw one for the first time at a distant BB and i'm conflicted. I'm going to go to another BB either tonight or tomorrow and see if they have one on display as well and double-check my findings at the first store.

But i'm going to post in the other thread cause that's where everybody is . . . . . ;)