But arent they both the same size, 42 inches?

I think he meant that he went with the PX77 (720p) model because with a 42" display, at his viewing distance, he would be able to see the difference between it and the PZ77 (1080p).

Does anyone have a test disk to try on the Z77, to get some hard info on how the AG coating affects resolution etc.? So far, the Z77's are almost impossible to find in stores, and people are split on whether AG negatively affects picture quality. On the one hand, those who dislike AG may just be missing that "looking through a window" feeling (which is entirely a matter of taste). Or maybe they're really onto something.

I personally have both the 50 Pz700u and the 50 Pz77u in my home at the moment. The PZ77u does an AMAZING job at reducing the amount of glare compared to the 700u. My 700u has been calibrated and has the 77u has not yet (it is brand new). At this point I would say the 700u has the better, clearer picture while the 77u has a noticably better contrast ratio. I am not sure how I feel about the effects of the anti-glare screen yet on PQ.

The only downside to the TV's AG screen is that the bezel is NOT matte.

I agree, what were they thinking with that glossy bezel??? It makes no logical sense to surround your tv with something shiny and distracting.

:confused:

As soon as I purchase my Panny they will change the next models to matte.

:mad:

Thanks for the info. I would love to hear an update/comparison once you have fine-tuned the 77u.

I personally have both the 50 Pz700u and the 50 Pz77u in my home at the moment. The PZ77u does an AMAZING job at reducing the amount of glare compared to the 700u. My 700u has been calibrated and has the 77u has not yet (it is brand new). At this point I would say the 700u has the better, clearer picture while the 77u has a noticably better contrast ratio. I am not sure how I feel about the effects of the anti-glare screen yet on PQ.

Yeah, its to bad they used a glossy bezel. It does seem somewhat distracting.

I personally have both the 50 Pz700u and the 50 Pz77u in my home at the moment. The PZ77u does an AMAZING job at reducing the amount of glare compared to the 700u. My 700u has been calibrated and has the 77u has not yet (it is brand new). At this point I would say the 700u has the better, clearer picture while the 77u has a noticably better contrast ratio. I am not sure how I feel about the effects of the anti-glare screen yet on PQ.


Thanks for the comparison... I agree, unless I have a very bright room or a direct light issue, I prefer the regular glass over the AG screen.

I personally have both the 50 Pz700u and the 50 Pz77u in my home at the moment. The PZ77u does an AMAZING job at reducing the amount of glare compared to the 700u. My 700u has been calibrated and has the 77u has not yet (it is brand new). At this point I would say the 700u has the better, clearer picture while the 77u has a noticably better contrast ratio. I am not sure how I feel about the effects of the anti-glare screen yet on PQ.

So if one wanted a tv that closer resembled an LCD in picture but with plasma technology(reduced motion blur), the PZ77U would be a better choice?

So if one wanted a tv that closer resembled an LCD in picture but with plasma technology(reduced motion blur), the PZ77U would be a better choice?

I would agree with that statement for sure.
The 77u's anti-glare screen has more of an "lcd like" picture in terms of depth though in my opinion. While I feel it does impact PQ slightly, it performs very well at reducing what I refer to as the 3rd dimension on the picture which consists of the light and reflections in your room. That "3rd dimension" from time to time can honestly make me a little dizzy and makes it hard for my brain to focus on the action on the screen.
Aside from its "lcd like qualities" in terms of light and glare control you get the great color and contrast ratio of a plasma.

Thank you very much for the reply, I think this is the set for me...plus having EPP with Panny will make this fit into my budget nicely...with some $$ to spare for a HD or Blu ray player!

Thank you very much for the reply, I think this is the set for me...plus having EPP with Panny will make this fit into my budget nicely...with some $$ to spare for a HD or Blu ray player!

Oh man, dont remind me. It took me this long to decide on a TV, I hate to think about trying to figure out BD vs. HD-DVD and then filtering through all the brands and models!!

anyone think its possible to "wipe" away the antiglare coating of the 77 series? I really like the styling of the PZ77 series over the 700 series, and would probably appreciate (if only slightly) the increased contrast ratio, but the AG coating is kind of a downer. I feel that the coating might dull/flatten the picture - it's why i despise the matte finished LCDs. Their images all look so flat and lack depth. The glossy screens on the new Samsungs greatly reduce this effect.

Anyways, think it's possible to rid of the AG coating somehow?

anyone think its possible to "wipe" away the antiglare coating of the 77 series? I really like the styling of the PZ77 series over the 700 series, and would probably appreciate (if only slightly) the increased contrast ratio, but the AG coating is kind of a downer. I feel that the coating might dull/flatten the picture - it's why i despise the matte finished LCDs. Their images all look so flat and lack depth. The glossy screens on the new Samsungs greatly reduce this effect.

Anyways, think it's possible to rid of the AG coating somehow?

Dont even think about it :D
If you dont want the AG screen, get the 700 series :D

We went to BB over the weekend to see the anti-glare screen. I thought it noticeably reduced the PQ. Just one girl's opinion.:rolleyes:

I agree with texasjae...was at the CC in Sugar Land where they have the 50" 77U next to the 50" 700, and the 700 was definitely the better pic - but if in a sunny room, I'd still go with the 77U. It does a great job fighting glare.

Newbie here... Had been deciding on 50" PZ700U vs 77U and had decided on 77U since we have a huge picture window behind the couch, but now I am more confused than ever. I think I now need to decide between the PX77U vs PZ77U. Will be getting DTV HD DVR service, have no PSP or gaming setup, no BluRay or HD DVD player, will be sitting 9-11 feet from TV. Do I need 1080 or is 768 enough? I am so confused!

If nothing changes with your viewing scenario, most would say get the PX. But it's troubled with a well known "clicking noise" bug for some.

Some say at closer distances (inside 10 ft or so) they can see a difference w/ the 1080p res. In a year or 2 you may end up w/ a Blueray player too, and get more out of a 1080p res then.

I see no difference in PQ between the PZ77 and the 700. Better blacks and color on the 77 imo.

Any "Clicking" Noise on the pz77u. I am going nuts trying to finalize a tv for my house. I first started wtih two 50px77u's but returned them because of clicking, then went to a 50pz700u and returned that because the glare is rediculous, and now i'm sitting with a week old sony 46xbr4 and its good, but it doesn't blow me away like i thought it would. I'm leaning towards the 50pz77u because of the new anti-glare screen. The xbr4 offers a lot though. 1080/24fps, 3 hdmis, hdmi 1.3. , etc. But its 4" smaller and a few hundred more. and it does have slight clouding. What's a guy to do??? I watch sports, HD tv and play ps3 (in that order)

Basically, it comes down to the 46xbr4 or 50pz77u?

No clicking on my set

No clicking

No clicking...

That's good. I'm sick of returning TV's LOL. i'll wait a couple weeks till my xbr4 is near its 30 days and then hopefully the 50pz77u will come down a little. hopefully, LAST return for a couple yrs.

When i called Panasonic, they told me that the glare filter on the 700 is better than the 77 (contrary to what everyone is saying on this forum)... Of course, they didn't seem to know any more than I did about their products. They were getting their info from the web site! ALSO...

Do you all know how the 50PZ77U compares to the Panasonic professional monitor: PF9UK? I'm confused too as to why the 1080p versions of the professional monitors (PF9UK) have 5,000:1 contrast ratios while the non-1080P monitors (PH10UK) have 15,000:1 contrast ratio. Of course when I called Panasonic the guy that answered didn't have a clue. He said the engineers don't tell them why they design the monitors the way they do!

When i called Panasonic, they told me that the glare filter on the 700 is better than the 77 (contrary to what everyone is saying on this forum)... Of course, they didn't seem to know any more than I did about their products. They were getting their info from the web site! ALSO...

Do you all know how the 50PZ77U compares to the Panasonic professional monitor: PF9UK? I'm confused too as to why the 1080p versions of the professional monitors (PF9UK) have 5,000:1 contrast ratios while the non-1080P monitors (PH10UK) have 15,000:1 contrast ratio. Of course when I called Panasonic the guy that answered didn't have a clue. He said the engineers don't tell them why they design the monitors the way they do!


Man, I got some pretty shady responses from those folks at pansonic too. The first lady I spoke with (who was quite rude) about the pz77u a few weeks ago insisted that the pz700u has a more advanced glare reduction screen, which is BS. The two are not even comparable, not even the same ballpark, completely different. If you have a bright room, hands down no question, the Pz77u is the way to go.
She also attempted to tell me that the screen on the 700u is brighter, which I dont beleive is at all true. My 77u has what seems to me to be a MUCH improved contrast ratio. (my 700u is sitting right next to it )
She also attempted to tell me that the 77u would never be available via epp or panasonic direct. She stated that it was a special model specifically for Best Buy and Circuit city. What do you know, the very next day on the epp website staring back at me is the 42 and 50 inch pz77u.
Now whats the moral of this story? :)

Man, I got some pretty shady responses from those folks at pansonic too. The first lady I spoke with (who was quite rude) about the pz77u a few weeks ago insisted that the pz700u has a more advanced glare reduction screen, which is BS. The two are not even comparable, not even the same ballpark, completely different. If you have a bright room, hands down no question, the Pz77u is the way to go.
She also attempted to tell me that the screen on the 700u is brighter, which I dont beleive is at all true. My 77u has what seems to me to be a MUCH improved contrast ratio. (my 700u is sitting right next to it )
She also attempted to tell me that the 77u would never be available via epp or panasonic direct. She stated that it was a special model specifically for Best Buy and Circuit city. What do you know, the very next day on the epp website staring back at me is the 42 and 50 inch pz77u.
Now whats the moral of this story? :)

There is misinformed people at all companies is the moral of that story. Nobody has perfect service.

There is misinformed people at all companies is the moral of that story. Nobody has perfect service.But i expect much more product knowledge out of the Panasonic CSRs that are answering the phones. Or do they just hire rude idiots specifically to mis-inform their customers? I've had about 3 frustrating conversations with Panny CSRs over the past few years and i no longer bother calling now. If they worked for me they'd either have to be retrained or fired :p

My 77u has what seems to me to be a MUCH improved contrast ratio. (my 700u is sitting right next to it )

How about snapping a picture?

But i expect much more product knowledge out of the Panasonic CSRs that are answering the phones. Or do they just hire rude idiots specifically to mis-inform their customers? I've had about 3 frustrating conversations with Panny CSRs over the past few years and i no longer bother calling now. If they worked for me they'd either have to be retrained or fired :p

I don't think they keep them up on the specs, mostly on troubleshooting. I have to say, in their defense, I had a problem at a vacation home with my 9UK not using the whole screen. I got right though and they worked with me over the phone for about 20 minutes while I was on the phone to my brother and he was working with the 509UK at another location. They were very helpful. It turned out that he had selected the PIP function, so there was no problem.

- Rich

How about snapping a picture?

I will try to snap some photos today

Do you all know how the 50PZ77U compares to the Panasonic professional monitor: PF9UK?

I believe the PF9UK is using the same panel as the 700/750. There is also a new PF10UK series about to be released, but its not known if these use a new panel, and if so, is it the same as the (supposedly new) panel the PZ77U uses.

I'm confused too as to why the 1080p versions of the professional monitors (PF9UK) have 5,000:1 contrast ratios while the non-1080P monitors (PH10UK) have 15,000:1 contrast ratio. Of course when I called Panasonic the guy that answered didn't have a clue. He said the engineers don't tell them why they design the monitors the way they do!

This is no different than the consumer lineup (prior to the introduction of this new PZ77U line, anyway): 720p versions have 10000:1 contrast ratio, 1080p displays have 5000:1 contrast ratio.

This is no different than the consumer lineup (prior to the introduction of this new PZ77U line, anyway): 720p versions have 10000:1 contrast ratio, 1080p displays have 5000:1 contrast ratio.

Right... I'm confused about that too. The 1080p sets should be a step-up from non-1080p's and they're more expensive. So why the lower contrast ratio? Similar situation with the PZ700 vs PZ77--the more expensive 700 has a lower contrast ratio than the 77. No one on the Panasonic phone lines knew why this is the case. I called several times. Same deal with the business line--they couldn't answer this question in regard to the PF9UK vs. PH10UK! There has to be some sound reason for this....

There is misinformed people at all companies is the moral of that story. Nobody has perfect service.

Yep... I'm sure that's the case. One would think, though, that Panasonic (and others) would train their customer service reps so they can intelligently answer detailed questions about their products' design, performance, and the differences amongst the various models. But obviously, they don't! :mad:

Right... I'm confused about that too. The 1080p sets should be a step-up from non-1080p's and they're more expensive. So why the lower contrast ratio?

I think the widely accepted view is that the properties of the glass that are dictated by the fact that it has twice the pixels (i.e is 1080p) cause the lower contrast ratio. For example, the smaller pixel size. A full technical explanation is far beyond my level of knowledge on the subject. Obviously Pioneer has found a way to overcome this, so its a solveable problem. Panasonic appears to be working some magic on the PZ77 panel too, but that is apparently via software (which makes little sense to me) if I am reading some of the posts in this thread correctly.

Similar situation with the PZ700 vs PZ77--the more expensive 700 has a lower contrast ratio than the 77.

Right, well the PZ77 is the newer model after all. Newer model = latest tech.

the more expensive 700 has a lower contrast ratio than the 77.

I thought it was determined it was a typo on the press release and it had since been changed on their website?

Hard to keep up around here.

There is misinformed people at all companies is the moral of that story. Nobody has perfect service.

*bzzt*

The answer is ask questions through AVS and not the corporate support channels!

I thought it was determined it was a typo on the press release and it had since been changed on their website?

Hard to keep up around here.

Nope, The press release was correct. I believe the website initially listed the 77U incorrectly having 5000:1 and everyone calling Customer Service was told 5000:1 as well causing the confusion.

As been shown in the past page or two the customer service reps have no idea on the technical specs of the plasmas and probably are just reading off the website!

The Website has since been updated to match the press release stating that the PZ-77U has 10,000:1 .

Of course you could have always just looked yourself to see that the website now lists the correct contrast of 10,000:1 .

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Televisions/Plasma-HDTVs/model.TH-50PZ77U.S_11002_7000000000000005702 (http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Televisions/Plasma-HDTVs/model.TH-50PZ77U.S_11002_7000000000000005702)

I believe the PF9UK is using the same panel as the 700/750. There is also a new PF10UK series about to be released, but its not known if these use a new panel, and if so, is it the same as the (supposedly new) panel the PZ77U uses.

Both the pf10 and the pz77 use the same pdp model #md50f10a1j for the 50" size.Its also my belief the 700/750 are still using the same panel as the pf9 from last fall but Panasonic has removed the panels from their respective listings on the parts website so no way to confirm.Wonder why they would do such a thing.;)

Ok, so finally I have gotten enough free minutes in the week to take some comparison shots of the 50PZ77u and the 50PZ700u in my living room. You can see a pretty good difference between the two in terms of the way they handle reflections ---

Pz77u from one of my couches
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l257/mdog420/IMG_0975.jpg

Pz700u from same seat
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l257/mdog420/IMG_0973.jpg

Pz77u from my recliner with reflection of my aquarium
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l257/mdog420/IMG_0976.jpg

Pz700u from my reclined with reflection of aquarium
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l257/mdog420/IMG_0974.jpg

I suppose there are many other reasons that one might choose one over the other, price, contrast ratio, whether or not you need PC input or better speakers but if you are having issues with glare, the Pz77u is clearly the champ. Reflections are much less "3D" on the surface of the Pz77u. I had originally thought that the anti-glare screen affected PQ, depth in particular but the more I watch the 77u I feel the more my eyes get adjusted to its picture and the more I appreciate the lack of glare over any PQ reduction.
One thing I have noticed though is the 77u seems a bit noisier in some darker tones.

Thanks asudog!! Great pics.

- Christian

Both the pf10 and the pz77 use the same pdp model #md50f10a1j for the 50" size.Its also my belief the 700/750 are still using the same panel as the pf9 from last fall but Panasonic has removed the panels from their respective listings on the parts website so no way to confirm.Wonder why they would do such a thing.;)

Ok, so does this mean its a different panel from the 700u or just a different connector of some sort, etc?

great pics asudog1080...I've seen some 77Us at CC and BB and they fight the glare very well. You almost think you're looking at a Sony LCD the way it blurs and tones down the glare. The 700u still has a slightly brighter picture despite the 5000:1 contrast ratio compared to the 77U's 10,000:1 - this is due to the dark anti-glare glass on the 77Us. Even my 7 year old son chose the PQ of the 700 over the 77, but I'm still leaning toward the 77 - too many windows facing my screen at my house. Just wish Panny would offer the 77 on a 58" screen.

Thanks for the pics, very interesting. From here, it looks that although the 77 reflection is obviously much blurrier, both sets reflect a similar amount of light. The blur makes the reflection less distracting if you're casually watching TV. But I'd think both reflections would about equally compromise the quality of dark scenes in a movie. I guess the lesson is there's no substitute for good blackout window shades (I just ordered one, even before I pick a TV).

First, thanks for everyone for posting all of the info, especially those who contributed pictures.

I wanted to see if anyone had info on the box dimensions that the 42" comes in? I just want to make sure that I bring a vehicle that can actually fit the box inside.

BTW, I plan to pick one up tomorrow (store stock willing). I'll try to take some pics and (presuming I can figure out how to post them - ultra newb here) put some un-boxing shots up for consumption. I don't have an HD source (other that OTA) or even an appropriate TV stand yet, so probably no in-action shots.

Thanks!

I guess the lesson is there's no substitute for good blackout window shades (I just ordered one, even before I pick a TV).

Funny, I actually did drapes a few months ago in anticipation of a possible new plasma. They actually look a lot better than I thought they would.

ASUDOG1080: Do you know, is the 50pz700u glass the same as the 50PX75u model?

ASUDOG1080: Do you know, is the 50pz700u glass the same as the 50PX75u model?


I am not sure honestly, I do not have any experience with that model.

I'm an absolute noob. Please bear with me.

Jumped in with both feet and ordered the 42PZ77U yesterday. Combining the BB $100-off any plasma deal and the $100 off with installation (which Panny will reimburse up to $200) it seemed like a very good price for a latest generation 1080p plasma from one of the best brands. Should pick it up Saturday. This will be my first foray beyond SD and CRTs.

I did some searching in the generic plasma thread and found what was supposed to be a FAQ about all things plasma, but most of the links were deadends.

So, can someone give me some pointers on what I'll need to do when I get this all hooked up? I'm most interested in any steps necessary to protect against burn in. Any info on calibrating would be helpful, although I likely won't have any true 1080p sources for some time. The closest I'll get will be local OTA-HDTV and upconverting SDVDs with a Panny S53S.

My apologies if this is the millionth time you've seen a post like this from some noob. Thanks.

First, thanks for everyone for posting all of the info, especially those who contributed pictures.

I wanted to see if anyone had info on the box dimensions that the 42" comes in? I just want to make sure that I bring a vehicle that can actually fit the box inside.

BTW, I plan to pick one up tomorrow (store stock willing). I'll try to take some pics and (presuming I can figure out how to post them - ultra newb here) put some un-boxing shots up for consumption. I don't have an HD source (other that OTA) or even an appropriate TV stand yet, so probably no in-action shots.

Thanks!

Unless you have a minivan, truck, or SUV, don't bother trying to fit it in your car. You can't lay the thing sideways.

Bad news guys... My PZ77U has a problem.

I was watching my copy of DVE tonight. The NASA Shuttle Montage was playing. I had the volume set to 21. I started to hear some crackling at the point when the shuttle took off.

I went to investigate, and I found that if I put my thumb on the "speaker panel" just to the left of the "Viera" logo and pushed, it would go away. It would return whenever I'd lessen the pressure.

I'll be calling the Concierge tomorrow...

EDIT: The speaker was the left speaker.

First, thanks for everyone for posting all of the info, especially those who contributed pictures.

I wanted to see if anyone had info on the box dimensions that the 42" comes in? I just want to make sure that I bring a vehicle that can actually fit the box inside.

BTW, I plan to pick one up tomorrow (store stock willing). I'll try to take some pics and (presuming I can figure out how to post them - ultra newb here) put some un-boxing shots up for consumption. I don't have an HD source (other that OTA) or even an appropriate TV stand yet, so probably no in-action shots.

Thanks!
Just picked up a 42PZ77U today.... box dimensions are: 51"W X 30.5"H X 18" Deep. Haven't even opened it up yet! Hope this helps.

I'm an absolute noob. Please bear with me.

Jumped in with both feet and ordered the 42PZ77U yesterday. Combining the BB $100-off any plasma deal and the $100 off with installation (which Panny will reimburse up to $200) it seemed like a very good price for a latest generation 1080p plasma from one of the best brands. Should pick it up Saturday. This will be my first foray beyond SD and CRTs.

I did some searching in the generic plasma thread and found what was supposed to be a FAQ about all things plasma, but most of the links were deadends.

So, can someone give me some pointers on what I'll need to do when I get this all hooked up? I'm most interested in any steps necessary to protect against burn in. Any info on calibrating would be helpful, although I likely won't have any true 1080p sources for some time. The closest I'll get will be local OTA-HDTV and upconverting SDVDs with a Panny S53S.

My apologies if this is the millionth time you've seen a post like this from some noob. Thanks.

Congrats on the new TV. Your break in period of the first 100 or so hours you should turn the contrast level way down and avoid and black bars on the tops and sides(pillar or letter boxing). With OTA HD this is hard to avoid as most commercials are pillar boxed 4:3. You might want to get a full 1:78 widesrceen DVD to play or better yet get an HD DVD player with something like "Planet Earth" for your break in period. There are other threads dedicated to plasma break in so more info can be found there. Good luck!

kkimbo,

Thanks for the specs. My boss's midsize suv might not be big enough. time to make friends with a pickup/van owner. ;)

I noticed that if I used the same settings on each of the TV modes (Standard, Cinema, Vivid, and Custom), I get a dimmer picture with Cinema and a brighter picture with Vivid.

Are the differences between Vivid and Cinema limited only to the dynamic range and picture setting, or do they extend beyond to color and tint as well?

I'm surprised to see these new models don't have a cablecard slot. I thought all new TV's sold after July 1st had to have one.

I noticed that if I used the same settings on each of the TV modes (Standard, Cinema, Vivid, and Custom), I get a dimmer picture with Cinema and a brighter picture with Vivid.

Are the differences between Vivid and Cinema limited only to the dynamic range and picture setting, or do they extend beyond to color and tint as well?

With most displays there is added edge enhancement with the "vivid" setting. It is something you cannot get rid of no matter how much you turn down the sharpness. A quick check would be to set all of your adjustments equally in both picture settings. Vivid will look more processed (sharper:cool:).

I'm surprised to see these new models don't have a cablecard slot. I thought all new TV's sold after July 1st had to have one.

Just the ability to receive a digital signal. You could have a Cablecard slot, plug your coax directly into your tuner and receive cable...no card needed. You need a Cablecard for "premium" channels.

:mad: no longer in-stock in the store. :( I guess I'll just have to wait for a week or so and get it delivered. Sorry no pics from me for a while.

Is anyone noticing a brightness stripe accross their screen like the Panasonic TH-50PX77U is displaying. Look at this picture and you will see the stripes in the middle of the test pattern on this PX model.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/1338657277_736bdf992c_b.jpg

The Office on NBC looked terrible on my new Panasonic TH-50PX77U. Bright stripes thoughout the show on peoples faces when they were standing in front of the window blinds during the show. I'm wondering if this is showing up on the PZ77U or if it's strictly a PX problem.

Is anyone noticing a brightness stripe accross their screen like the Panasonic TH-50PX77U is displaying. Look at this picture and you will see the stripes in the middle of the test pattern on this PX model.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1297/1338657277_736bdf992c_b.jpg

The Office on NBC looked terrible on my new Panasonic TH-50PX77U. Bright stripes thoughout the show on peoples faces when they were standing in front of the window blinds during the show. I'm wondering if this is showing up on the PZ77U or if it's strictly a PX problem.

I have never experienced anything like that before, might be an issue with your tv

No. It affects all TH-50PX77U - Numerous folks have now confirmed it.

No. It affects all TH-50PX77U - Numerous folks have now confirmed it.

It affects most plasmas to one degree or another. I see it on my 657UY. It is part of how they are designed. There is a thread on it somewhere. You can see it with test pattern for Preview Green Screens but seldom watching video.

- Rich

Can anyone post optimal settings and and service menu settings. Thanks is advanced.

So......any professional reviews up yet? anyone aside from cnet to look out for?

Is the stand 14.4" deep on the 50pz77? If so, is it possible to trim 2.4" off the rear of the stand so it fits nicely on a 12" mantle?? Will this introduce a weight balance problem. If 2.4" is too extreme, what amount could be cut off without impacting anything?

Thanks for the input.

I bought the 42PZ77U at Sears yesterday for 1399. Thought that was a pretty good deal when it was selling for 1600 at Best Buy. Thanks for the input from everyone.

[QUOTE=spincut;11730315]But arent they both the same size, 42 inches?

No, they are NOT. BTW, what does a 42" diagonal picture have to do with the size of the TELEVISION !? The Panny site shows a couple inches difference in width. Two inches for, essentially, a small unit makes a make-or-break difference for me and others. I just do NOT get it- why manufacturers keep adding extra width when people are getting 40-42" units for a space reason, obviously (other than $$$).

I just got back from CC and they finally have a 77U on display. This set is very very nice, no doubt. Maybe I was expecting something to hit me over the head that would make me think that this set was head and shoulders above the 700U picture wise, perhaps this was my fault. I see what others mean now that the 77U gives a "flat" look as opposed to the look on the 700U a more 3-Dish image if you will. I can't say which picture I thought was better, they both had their pro/cons. The 77U does appear to give a LCD look and the 700U gives the appearence of viewing through a window. The room that the tv will be in has two small windows to the left of the tv(my right), so I can certainly control the amount of light that comes in by closing the vertical blinds. The majority of the time that the tv will be used will be at night also, with the exception of the weekends....so now this puts me back at square one...the 700U or the 77U. I think that one can not go wrong with either set, espically for the $$. Now the decision the deeper more glossy picture(700U) or the glare protected still wonderful picture of the (77U)....ughhhhhhhh

The room that the tv will be in has two small windows to the left of the tv(my right), so I can certainly control the amount of light that comes in by closing the vertical blinds.Window that are at right angles of the panel should not cause glare.

After reading the threads in this forum on the 77U set I decided to head down to Sears today and pick one up. Thanks to the writer who mentioned Sears earlier in this thread. When I went to the store the sales person insisted they do not carry that model. After I forced him to look it up in the computer, he discovered that he had one in stock, and it was on sale for $1399.

I was by myself today and did not want to wait for someone to help me, so I decided to set it up myself, including carrying it up a flight of stairs. I can assure you that was a dumb thing to do, and I would not recommend it to anyone else. My shoulders are killing me.

Anyways, I played with the set for about an hour or so. I have purchased a number of Vizio LCD sets in the past and have always been happy with them. However, this was for the family room, so I thought I would give the new Panasonics a try. I have a fair amount of ambient light in the room, and if it was not for the claim of an antiglare coating on the screen I probably would not have purchased a plasma.

After placing the TV on the cabinet the glare was so bad I could not see the picture at all. So much for the antiglare screen. I tried closing the shades and that seemed to solve the problem, although the glossy black finish is highly reflective, and somewhat distracting.

I played with the picture settings as much as I could but I could not find a setting that made the picture look great. It has a washed out appearance, and is much dimmer than my LCD sets. I will try again later this evening when the sun goes down and see if it looks better.

That is as much as I can tell you all for now. I'll post an update after I have a chance to view the screen in the dark. I suspect it will look much better. I think I may also be used to the brighter screens on the LCDs too, and over time the plasma may look normal to me. I hope so...

You must have got a different TV. Check the numbers again.

Bad news guys... My PZ77U has a problem.

I was watching my copy of DVE tonight. The NASA Shuttle Montage was playing. I had the volume set to 21. I started to hear some crackling at the point when the shuttle took off.

I went to investigate, and I found that if I put my thumb on the "speaker panel" just to the left of the "Viera" logo and pushed, it would go away. It would return whenever I'd lessen the pressure.

I'll be calling the Concierge tomorrow...

EDIT: The speaker was the left speaker.

Mounting the plasma on the wall seems to have corrected the issue...

newbie here so please forgive me if this question has been answered before ( i must admit i didn't read all 20 pages of this thread)

here's the question: are these PDP's 24fps? thanks.

Newbie here, I have a 40" Samsung 61F that I'm returning, bought the display model a few weeks ago, have had problems, decided I just want a new one. I've narrowed my choices down to 3 to replace it. The 42" PZ77U, a 40" Samsung 71F, or a 40" Sony XBR4. I have an Xbox 360 elite, hd-dvd drive, hd programming from dish network. I would say games will get the most use on the tv. Also its in a basement so its pretty dark down there, don't have to worry too much about glare. The Samsung and the Sony are about 1K more than the Panasonic. So my question would be for what I'm going to use it for, Are the Samsung and Sony gonna be better? or is the Panasonic the best deal for me?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

newbie here so please forgive me if this question has been answered before ( i must admit i didn't read all 20 pages of this thread)

here's the question: are these PDP's 24fps? thanks.

No, they do not accept 24p.

Newbie here, I have a 40" Samsung 61F that I'm returning, bought the display model a few weeks ago, have had problems, decided I just want a new one. I've narrowed my choices down to 3 to replace it. The 42" PZ77U, a 40" Samsung 71F, or a 40" Sony XBR4. I have an Xbox 360 elite, hd-dvd drive, hd programming from dish network. I would say games will get the most use on the tv. Also its in a basement so its pretty dark down there, don't have to worry too much about glare. The Samsung and the Sony are about 1K more than the Panasonic. So my question would be for what I'm going to use it for, Are the Samsung and Sony gonna be better? or is the Panasonic the best deal for me?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Like it or not, those LCDs still have some degree of motion blur. Games like Guitar Hero were unplayable on the XBR4's motion enhancing mode due to the signal delay.

You won't have motion problems on a Plasma. That's why I bought one. Glare and motion blur were my two biggest TV concerns.

As a follow up to my previous post, I have now had a chance to view the 77U set in the evening when there is no ambient light in the room, and the picture is outstanding. It is clearly not as bright as my LCD sets, but the clarity is excellent, and the blacks are a very deep, rich black.

I am still playing around with the picture settings. The vivid setting helps with ambient lighting, but the faces look washed out. The normal setting looks great in the dark but is dim looking in daylight. If someone has found a good combination of settings for a well lit room, I would appreciate posting them here.

The sale at Sears ends in a couple of days, so if you are thinking about getting one of these sets, I would move quickly.

If any of you guys were curious. I have been gaming like a madman on this TV, and have had ZERO issues with IR so far. I did break in the tv for 100 hours with the break in dvd (longest 100 hours of my life).

Are these sets NOT getting 100 hours of break-in prior to shipping? I read in other threads about Pannies that they (Panasonic) were breaking them in? I got mine Saturday, ran it some on regular TV, ran the break-in DVD overnight, watched TV on it yesterday, played Madden on it last night, noticed some IR from Madden's scorebar on the bottom, ran the break-in DVD overnight and it is still running. I thought I could see a slight remnant of the Madden score bar this morning, but I may be obsessing.

So, are these sets broken in before shipping or not?

Are these sets NOT getting 100 hours of break-in prior to shipping? I read in other threads about Pannies that they (Panasonic) were breaking them in? I got mine Saturday, ran it some on regular TV, ran the break-in DVD overnight, watched TV on it yesterday, played Madden on it last night, noticed some IR from Madden's scorebar on the bottom, ran the break-in DVD overnight and it is still running. I thought I could see a slight remnant of the Madden score bar this morning, but I may be obsessing.

So, are these sets broken in before shipping or not?

According to the service menu, they are not.

Does the unit has cooling fans ?

We purchased the 42PZ77U last week and I have been giving it time before forming an opinion ...

We love the picture quality. The anti-glare screen is worth the loss of the glossy screen. We had compared the 700U and 77U side-by-side at a retailer and could see individual overhead lights and windows on the former but not the latter, and those lights and windows were quite far away. Given that we have windows on three side of my living room, and that we could live without the 'pop' of a glossy screen, the 77U seemed more appropriate. The video processing quality is excellent. But note that we could not see much difference in contrast between them even though the specs state different contrast ratios.

We like the sound quality. The sound is 'thin' and 'distant'. But I expected that given the size and location of the speakers ... and that is why we have a home theater sound system.

We love look, feel, and functionality of the remote.

But, and I should have known this, there are four fans on the top back of the unit: they are quiet but they are not silent. I have tinnitus and need to avoid background noise, and fear that I may have to return it. I can only hear the fans when the volume is below 5, but the noise is still there, as the light ringing that persists tells me. My wife cannot hear the fans when the volume is above 3 and does not consider them an issue, so unless you have tinnitus, consider my situation an extreme case.

Since I prefer this plasma over all of my candidate LCDs (42LX177, LNT4071F, KDL40XBR4), I may as well ask the following:

Does the 700U have cooling fans?

Could I disable the fans in the 77U?

Could I rewire the fans (in parallel?) to reduce their speed in the 77U?

-- Tom

They still don't support 1080p24.

:confused:

What does this mean and what are the advantages of 1080p/24?

:confused:

What does this mean and what are the advantages of 1080p/24?

If you have a 24p source (some BD players) and if the TV supports it and DISPLAYS it at a multiple of 24 then you get a smoother image as telecine judder is removed.

Only Pio makes such a plasma (officially) that I know of. Some LCDs are 120 and accept it (24p) but even then most of thouse do not properly display it.

Window that are at right angles of the panel should not cause glare.


If you are seated in front/directly across from the panel, yes, exactly right. However, if you will be seated off to the side, you might see reflections off of the screen. It all depends on the specifics of how extreme the seating angle and how far back the adjacent right angle light source is from the screen.

That is, the further back from the screen the right angle adjacent windows are situated, the sooner the screen reflection will impose upon those seated at an angle on the opposite side of the windows. This is all predicated on the panel being placed in between the two; windows on one side, seating on the opposite from the panel (i.e., it's never a problem if you are seated off to the side on the same side as the windows).

Windows far enough back will intrude upon the screen much sooner than windows which are, say, within a few feet from the screen or which begin right next to it. For these latter types of scenarios, you really would have to be seated at more extreme angles before the reflection could be seen of the screen. Hope that made a shred of sense.

Does anyone know if the pz77's will be available in Canada. I called a few retailers and they had no clue what I was talking about. I just e-mailed Panasonic Canada today. Thank you.

I just received an email back from Panasonic Canada concerning the pz77's, and it mentioned that while the price has not been finalized, it will be available at the end of October...

I hope that helps.

If you are seated in front/directly across from the panel, yes, exactly right. However, if you will be seated off to the side, you might see reflections off of the screen. It all depends on the specifics of how extreme the seating angle and how far back the adjacent right angle light source is from the screen.

That is, the further back from the screen the right angle adjacent windows are situated, the sooner the screen reflection will impose upon those seated at an angle on the opposite side of the windows. This is all predicated on the panel being placed in between the two; windows on one side, seating on the opposite from the panel (i.e., it's never a problem if you are seated off to the side on the same side as the windows).

Windows far enough back will intrude upon the screen much sooner than windows which are, say, within a few feet from the screen or which begin right next to it. For these latter types of scenarios, you really would have to be seated at more extreme angles before the reflection could be seen of the screen. Hope that made a shred of sense.I understand your post, but I cannot agree with it as in my home I have a 26' wall that is 75% windows to the left of my panel location and cannot see glare on the screen of a Pansonic 60u, Pioneer Elite 1130, or Pioneer Elite 1150.

If you have a 24p source (some BD players) and if the TV supports it and DISPLAYS it at a multiple of 24 then you get a smoother image as telecine judder is removed.

Only Pio makes such a plasma (officially) that I know of. Some LCDs are 120 and accept it (24p) but even then most of thouse do not properly display it.

Actually Runco makes a one as well.

I understand your post, but I cannot agree with it as in my home I have a 26' wall that is 75% windows to the left of my panel location and cannot see glare on the screen of a Pansonic 60u, Pioneer Elite 1130, or Pioneer Elite 1150.


well, I would need to know more about your room layout, specifically, where the seating locations are and exactly how they relate to the panel and windows, position-wise. I can imagine some scenarios in which having a 75% window filled wall still not causing any sort of screen reflection. Let's just leave at that because I don't want to divert the thread any more than I already have. Plus, who cares, really. :D

Does the 700U have cooling fans?

Could I disable the fans in the 77U?

Could I rewire the fans (in parallel?) to reduce their speed in the 77U?

-- Tom

I just had the 50PZ700u delivered and it has four fans across the top. I think it's safe to assume the 42PZ700u will have cooling fans as well.

I just had the 50PZ700u delivered and it has four fans across the top. I think it's safe to assume the 42PZ700u will have cooling fans as well.My 42pZ700U has four fans across the top but they're virtually silent.

well, I would need to know more about your room layout, specifically, where the seating locations are and exactly how they relate to the panel and windows, position-wise. I can imagine some scenarios in which having a 75% window filled wall still not causing any sort of screen reflection. Let's just leave at that because I don't want to divert the thread any more than I already have. Plus, who cares, really. :D:D We can discuss it thru PM if you want.

Nah, that's ok, d-nice. I've wasted far too much time on this forum today as it is. I'm hoping your pending "retirement" will likewise inspire me to cut down on my visits here. It's just too easy to get sucked into replying to things, as much as I try and tell myself just to read and not respond. But between the idiots cum FUDdites and those genuinely in need of helpful advice, it's nearly impossible to stay strictly observational. Cold turkey might be the only workable way to go.

.. there I go draggin' this thread off topic again (my apologies). :o

Nah, that's ok, d-nice. I've wasted far too much time on this forum today as it is. I'm hoping your pending "retirement" will likewise inspire me to cut down on my visits here. It's just too easy to get sucked into replying to things, as much as I try and tell myself just to read and not respond. But between the idiots cum FUDdites and those genuinely in need of helpful advice, it's nearly impossible to stay strictly observational. Cold turkey might be the only workable way to go.

.. there I go draggin' this thread off topic again (my apologies). :oI know the feeling:D

If you have a 24p source (some BD players) and if the TV supports it and DISPLAYS it at a multiple of 24 then you get a smoother image as telecine judder is removed.

Only Pio makes such a plasma (officially) that I know of. Some LCDs are 120 and accept it (24p) but even then most of thouse do not properly display it.

I have a PS3 and PX50U and have not noticed the judder issue. Although, I have no idea what to look for. Is there a website that explains this in greater detail?

Hello, OCR, anxiously waiting for a followup and the latest report on your 42PZ77U. I bought one at Sears the day before I left on a long family vacation, and didn't even open the box. I'm closely reading the various reviews/forums prior to my return home. I had returned a PX77U for a glass flaw - Sears had no PX's to replace it, so they substituted the PZ77U for the extra bucks. I've since read my new Consumer Reports that rates the 42PX77U as the top 42" plasma - worried that the PZ might not stack up favorably, despite having 1080p resolution. I'm especially worried about the picture being too "dark" and also don't particularly like the idea of four fans on the back of the set. It seems to me that the 1080p Pannys (both 42 and 50) at Best Buy and CC had a noticeably darker picture than the non-1080 versions.

I have a PS3 and PX50U and have not noticed the judder issue. Although, I have no idea what to look for. Is there a website that explains this in greater detail?

Simple explanation:

Your plasma redraws the screen at 60Hz, or every 1/60th of a second. Movies are filmed at 24 Hz, or 1/24th of a second. You can't evenly divide 60 by 24, so... something has to be done to convert the 24Hz signal to 60Hz. What's typically done is to show a single 1/60th image (frame) 3 times and then the next frame 2 times. This is 3:2.

If every letter was a different frame/image, picture you'd get a pattern like this:

Original 24Hz:
ABCDEFGH

Converted to 60Hz:
AAABBCCCDDEEEFFGGGHH

Judder occurs because you're not showing each image for the same amount of time. Image "A" is shown on-screen longer than "B".

It's supposedly apparent in slow panning scenes. The panning looks a little jerky. (I can't say that I've ever noticed it though.)

I'm pretty sure even LCD tv's do have fans in them though.

Granted i dont have tennitus or whatever that ear thing you have is, but even i do notice the somewhat higher buz noise that plasmas emit....although it does become backround noise after a while.... i was hoping that display made recently would have fixed that, since i know whatever fans that are in LCD tv's are silent.

Anyone have some settings to share?

Simple explanation:

Your plasma redraws the screen at 60Hz, or every 1/60th of a second. Movies are filmed at 24 Hz, or 1/24th of a second. You can't evenly divide 60 by 24, so... something has to be done to convert the 24Hz signal to 60Hz. What's typically done is to show a single 1/60th image (frame) 3 times and then the next frame 2 times. This is 3:2.

If every letter was a different frame/image, picture you'd get a pattern like this:

Original 24Hz:
ABCDEFGH

Converted to 60Hz:
AAABBCCCDDEEEFFGGGHH

Judder occurs because you're not showing each image for the same amount of time. Image "A" is shown on-screen longer than "B".

It's supposedly apparent in slow panning scenes. The panning looks a little jerky. (I can't say that I've ever noticed it though.)

Thanks for the explanation. Why do manufacturers not take this into account? I believe I read in a earlier post that some manufacturers are beginning to manufacture displays in 24Hz, who are they and when are they to be available?

Thanks for the explanation. Why do manufacturers not take this into account? I believe I read in a earlier post that some manufacturers are beginning to manufacture displays in 24Hz, who are they and when are they to be available?I'm sure you meant, that some manufacturers are beginning to manufacture displays that ACCEPT 24Hz inputs and show the image without the inverse 3:2 pulldown". (You wouldn't want a display that operated at 24Hz - too much flicker). Several Sony sets this year accept 24Hz and refresh that image 5 times to display at 120Hz. I recall others that will operate at 4x (72Hz).

Stupid question - does the 50PZ700u support PIP, or split images from 2 different inputs?

Thanks,

Kirby

I'm sure you meant, that some manufacturers are beginning to manufacture displays that ACCEPT 24Hz inputs and show the image without the inverse 3:2 pulldown". (You wouldn't want a display that operated at 24Hz - too much flicker). Several Sony sets this year accept 24Hz and refresh that image 5 times to display at 120Hz. I recall others that will operate at 4x (72Hz).

Yes, you are correct.

Stupid question - does the 50PZ700u support PIP, or split images from 2 different inputs? Thanks,The PZ700 doesn't have PIP or Split-Screen or anything. The PZ750 has limited Split-Screen ability though, not sure which inputs it works with though.

I now have a compulsive daily habit of checking Costco and Sam's online stores to see if they have a version of the pz77 with a matte black bezel. I just don't understand the glossy bezels. All that work to get rid of glare on the screen only to surround it with a black mirror. Argh.

As an aside, I have the feeling that a large percentage of Panasonic's current production is aimed at the pz77's. Pricing is going to be very competitive with the 1080p LCD's and Panasonic appears to have a winner.

Dean - I used to feel exactly as you do with regard to the glossy bezel; however, both my brother and neighbor have sets with the glossy bezels and they, like me, have gotten completely used to it. I know it's hard to believe, but you get over the "idea" of the glossy bezel in a big hurry.... really!

Anyone else notice crummy shadow detail on their pz77us? I feel it is much better on the 700u. Tried messing with the picture and brightness settings and havent had too much luck.

Anyone else notice crummy shadow detail on their pz77us? I feel it is much better on the 700u. Tried messing with the picture and brightness settings and havent had too much luck.

I have great shadow detail and have not noticed any crush, did you use a calibration disk?

No, they do not accept 24p.

thanks!

I have great shadow detail and have not noticed any crush, did you use a calibration disk?

Havent gotten out the calibration disk just yet :) Still havent hit the 100 hour mark just yet so I havent gotten too specific with my settings.
I still havent decided which TV to keep, the 700u or the 77u!

Im thinking of buying the th-42pz77. My question is should I just wait until possibly the next model year for the 1080p24 compatibility? Im wondering if it makes a huge difference in smoothness or just a subtle reduction in judder. Id like to get a tv now, but would be willing to wait if the difference is really obvious as you watch a movie.

Im thinking of buying the th-42pz77. My question is should I just wait until possibly the next model year for the 1080p24 compatibility? Im wondering if it makes a huge difference in smoothness or just a subtle reduction in judder. Id like to get a tv now, but would be willing to wait if the difference is really obvious as you watch a movie.

Yes, this is the question/concern that I have? I'm hoping to buy the 50PZ77U before Christmas but willing to wait until this issue has been resolved.

I'm sure you meant, that some manufacturers are beginning to manufacture displays that ACCEPT 24Hz inputs and show the image without the inverse 3:2 pulldown". (You wouldn't want a display that operated at 24Hz - too much flicker). Several Sony sets this year accept 24Hz and refresh that image 5 times to display at 120Hz. I recall others that will operate at 4x (72Hz).

Is this true about the Sonys? I was under the impression they were accepting a 24hz signal, converting to 60hz, then doubling that to 120hz. So there's still 3:2 processing involved. I have yet to read any confirmation that any manufacturer is taking a 24hz signal directly to 120hz without 3:2 processing.

Guys the "issue" you speak of has been on every TV since TVs where invented. If you have never had a "problem" watching TV before it wont bother you now. You also need a 24p source to even take advantage of it and there are only a few BD and HDDVD players that can output true 24p.

Is this true about the Sonys? I was under the impression they were accepting a 24hz signal, converting to 60hz, then doubling that to 120hz. So there's still 3:2 processing involved. I have yet to read any confirmation that any manufacturer is taking a 24hz signal directly to 120hz without 3:2 processing.


As far as I know you are correct the Sammy is the same, I believe the Toshiba does do a 5:5 though.

The only 72 that I know of is the new Pio's

I have a PS3 and PX50U and have not noticed the judder issue. Although, I have no idea what to look for. Is there a website that explains this in greater detail?
Hitachi's new high end plasmas (P50V701 & 50" and 60" Director's Series models) have a split screen mode that demos this 3:2 pulldown judder very well. Their new processor interpolates the difference between 24 & 30fps. It's not noticeable with all content, but with some slow-med speed panning scenes it's extremely evident.

The difference is somewheat similar to comparing a 60Hz and 120Hz LCD.

Dean - I used to feel exactly as you do with regard to the glossy bezel; however, both my brother and neighbor have sets with the glossy bezels and they, like me, have gotten completely used to it. I know it's hard to believe, but you get over the "idea" of the glossy bezel in a big hurry.... really!

Yea I agree... felt the same way moving from my px50 with a matte black bezel to the 700u... got over it quick, now I dont even notice it.

Is this true about the Sonys? I was under the impression they were accepting a 24hz signal, converting to 60hz, then doubling that to 120hz. So there's still 3:2 processing involved. I have yet to read any confirmation that any manufacturer is taking a 24hz signal directly to 120hz without 3:2 processing.Well there has been conjecture about this in the A3000 forum before the set really came out. Now that it is in folks hands, it seems pretty clear that it does go directly to 120Hz WITHOUT 3:2. Some confusion still exists first, because Cinemotion (Sony's 3:2) is still there (needed for convention 30/60 hz video input of 24fps material) plus, Sony has added a lot of "motion" controls, that folks can fiddle with and really screw up results.

Well there has been conjecture about this in the A3000 forum before the set really came out. Now that it is in folks hands, it seems pretty clear that it does go directly to 120Hz WITHOUT 3:2. Some confusion still exists first, because Cinemotion (Sony's 3:2) is still there (needed for convention 30/60 hz video input of 24fps material) plus, Sony has added a lot of "motion" controls, that folks can fiddle with and really screw up results.

Cool did not know that.

Seems they should have left out the 3:2 conversion to 24 as that could create more problems then its worth but I am sure they had there reasons.

I am sure they had there reasons.I'm not so sure about that (having reasons):rolleyes:

Sony, like many foreign based manufacturers, has the habit of not explaining the functioning of their controls very well (example: "makes the picture more natural") in the user manual. So it's pretty hard to figure out "their reasons".

The whole 24P input thing is a little overblown. Yes there is a difference....but if slight judder doesn't bother you in the 1st place it doesn't matter much.

The whole 24P input thing is a little overblown. Yes there is a difference....but if slight judder doesn't bother you in the 1st place it doesn't matter much.

I don't think I would notice "judder" if someone pointed it out to me.

120 is divisible by 24. Wouldn't this mean there is no 3:2 conversion? It would be 5:5. Sorry, totally off topic...

- Christian

all this ........and 1080p isn't noticeable.

ALl this talk is making my brain Hz.

all this ........and 1080p isn't noticeable.

ALl this talk is making my brain Hz.

:D

Great forum. I've read this thread with interest. Although, I must say that I'd basically decided on the 50PX77U until I found this forum ;o)~

I will be viewing at about 10 feet away, in a fairly sunny room. What are folks opinions: Is the PZ really worth an extra $800 or so?

Great forum. I've read this thread with interest. Although, I must say that I'd basically decided on the 50PX77U until I found this forum ;o)~

I will be viewing at about 10 feet away, in a fairly sunny room. What are folks opinions: Is the PZ really worth an extra $800 or so?

I had also decided to go with the PX model before looking at this thread on the PZ and seeing one on display at Best Buy. I just got my 42PZ77U delivered today.

I could have saved about $500 by going with the PX but I decided I wanted 1080P. I have read much about not being able to see much difference with 1080P, especially on smaller screen sizes, and that may indeed be very true, but I would still know there is a difference. ;)

It really depends on the pair of eyes God gave you. I stood at CES this last January for an hour in front of two 58" Panasonic plasmas in the Panny booth. One was 1376x768 and the other was 1920x1080. They were set up for comparison purposes. All they showed were still images of text, musical instruments, and such. At 8' I could tell the difference if I REALLY concentrated on looking at the two pictures and darted my eyes back and forth. Text, the reflections in instruments and people's hair looked slightly sharper. But just slightly. I am not sure that with full motion the difference would be as discernable to me, but it would be discernable if I really concentrated. Further back than 8' I could detect no difference. I even asked a number of people who walked by if they could see a difference at 8' and most said no - until I pointed out the differences in resolution and asked them to take another look. Only then did some (not all) notice one set was slightly sharper, but ever so slightly. Now, you may notice a difference more than me. It all depends on your eyes. Some people are bothered by SDE (screen door effect) and I am not. No one can answer the question for you. You have to see for yourself. But... generally the difference is so small as to be not very noticeable for most people at a standard viewing distance for the size of set you are considering. Now if you have a tendency to sit much closer than normal to your set, then the chances of you noticing a difference increases the closer you get. Anyway, once you have your set, you won't have any other reference set beside it to compare to and you will quickly forget about 1920x1080 vs 1376x768.

I decided to save a bundle and got the 50PX77U (rather than a 1920x1080 set). I didn't opt for the 50PX75U because it doesn't have an anti-glare screen and my tv is going in a room with windows all over the place. I am putting the money I saved into an HD-DVD player and maybe a video-processor. They'll increase my viewing pleasure WAY more than 1920x1080 ever would.

By the way, the anti-glare works great, but in the store I could detect that the 77 was ever so slightly less sharp than the 75 (due to the anti-glare_, but ever so slightly. Now that I have been watching my set for a couple weeks, I don't notice at all the difference.

Its actually kind of strange watching the 77u versus the 700u as there is SO much less reflectivity on the screen in my opinion. I still am a fan of the great picture of the 700u though.

One more thing.....

My PZ77u was built in September of 2007, it only shows the hours of use that I have put on it so far, approximately 15.
Whats up with the pre-broken in panels :) I need my Halo 3 fix!!

Its actually kind of strange watching the 77u versus the 700u as there is SO much less reflectivity on the screen in my opinion. I still am a fan of the great picture of the 700u though.

I have them side by side and see no noticeable difference. Besides better color and blacks and alot less glare on the PZ77 as in PQ is the same. Unless using it as a computer screen then you can see a slight difference on fonts.

No noticable difference, other than better color and blacks and less glare? I would say that's a noticable difference! Please clarify.


I have them side by side and see no noticeable difference. Besides better color and blacks and alot less glare on the PZ77 as in PQ is the same. Unless using it as a computer screen then you can see a slight difference on fonts.

I have them side by side and see no noticeable difference. Besides better color and blacks and alot less glare on the PZ77 as in PQ is the same. Unless using it as a computer screen then you can see a slight difference on fonts.

I have them side by side as well and notice quite a good deal of difference, may just be my aging eyes :)

I finished the break-in and I am now tinkering with the settings. I have found that for daytime viewing, Standard works best with Picture at +27, Brightness at +17, Color at -5, Tint at -1, Sharpness at -20, 3:2 Pulldown On and color set to Neutral or Warm depending on the content.

At night, especially when watching in a dark room without lights on, I have the Tv set to Cinema with Picture at +27, Brightness at +15, Color at -5, Tint at -1, Sharpness at -20, 3:2 Pulldown On, and color set to Warm.

This TV definitely looks darker in stores compared to other sets but I often find that setting it to Standard with the above settings really looks amazing in a lit room with some light from windows.

As far as reflections, this TV does a great job at reducing the annoyance of a window or a lamp with only dark scenes revealing a slight reflection.

As far as game consoles go, the X360 blades look fuzzy. In addition, this TV, via HDMI, takes a while to handshake with my Elite X360 (10 seconds to boot before the Xbox 360 logo appears). PS3, on the other hand, looks incredible. I have played Halo 3, Gears of War, Madden '08, Warhawk, and Bioshock and all have looked wonderful. Madden '08 DOES leave an IR of the scorebar at the bottom of the screen, but a few minutes of normal viewing washes it away.

I have not noticed the fans at all. They blow cool air and are pretty much silent. The fans on my PC and the X360 are infinitely more offensive.

One last thing. I am now in full appreciation of those who have told me in the past that channels broadcast different quality HD signals. Before, on my Sony 30" CRT HDTV, I thought most channels looked great. However, now with a 42" screen, I see issues like "screen door effect" on HD Net's coverage of the NHL, but NFL Football on Fox looks absolutely flawless. Just keep in mind that you may obsess over trying to make every channel look amazing, but it is out of your control. Just pop in a Blu-Ray if you get discouraged and remind yourself why this 42" Panny is one of the best options on the market today.

And by the way, you can get this TV at Sears right now for $1249.99 if you use a Sears card with 18 month no-interest financing.

One more thing.....

My PZ77u was built in September of 2007, it only shows the hours of use that I have put on it so far, approximately 15. Whats up with the pre-broken in panelsWell this conflicts with Panagurl's assertion that Panasonic is breaking these things in for 100 hours at the factory. I wonder what's up with that myself !

Well this conflicts with Panagurl's assertion that Panasonic is breaking these things in for 100 hours at the factory. I wonder what's up with that myself !Not necessarily: they could be running in the panels alone - before attaching to chassis, OR, resetting the counter before shipping, or dozens of other things.

Not necessarily: they could be running in the panels alone - before attaching to chassis, OR, resetting the counter before shipping, or dozens of other things.Still confusing - IIRC Panagurl said the service menu on a brand new TV showed exactly 100.0 hours fresh out of the box. Maybe they do things differently up in Canada :D

I just bought the 50PX77U (at the bargain basement price of $2,204 CDN from Future Shop with two year warranty using my 2% off Amex Card) . It was so easy to just run the break-in DVD on my DVD player continously and just switch to programming that I wanted to watch and back again. I ran it for 4 days straight.

By the way, this thing sure uses a lot of power. With my Rogers HD PVR on standby and the 50PX77U on standby it draws 35 watts. When both are powered up it's anywhere from 250 - 290 watts, depending on what I am watching and whether or not I am watching a recorded program or not. Thank God I changed all my old light bulbs from 60 watt incandescents to 15 watt compact fluorescents. I think I'll put a 3 prong timer on the 50PX77U to turn it off between 2am and 8am to stop it from drawing phantom power for no reason. I don't want to turn the PVR off as I often record programs in the middle of the night. In fact, I think I'll put timers on everything that draws phantom power in the middle of the night.

I have a question about the Component Inputs.

Will they accept 720p?

Is 1080p the only mode they won't accept?

I have a question about the Component Inputs.

Will they accept 720p?

Is 1080p the only mode they won't accept?

Don't know about the 1080p but they do indeed take 720p.

Im thinking of buying the th-42pz77. My question is should I just wait until possibly the next model year for the 1080p24 compatibility? Im wondering if it makes a huge difference in smoothness or just a subtle reduction in judder. Id like to get a tv now, but would be willing to wait if the difference is really obvious as you watch a movie.

I noticed this motion on my friends 37inch Samsung LCD. He wasn't happy when i pointed it out and now im sure it will pop in his head more often. But all TV's todate do have panning issues from what ive read. however,

http://www.canadahifi.com/comments.php?id_entry=161
has a great reference to Pioneer Sets being much better at the panning issue.

here is a blurp
"But the next test was perhaps the most surprising. In two separate scenes, the camera panned up and down a set of stairs at different speeds. Panning scenes are generally very difficult for almost all TVs to display. Every TV produced a clearly visible jutter (a jumpy, non-smooth motion), with the exception of the Pioneer TV which produced a butter-smooth motion. Manufacturers have attempted to reduce the judder in scenes like this for a while now but I have never seen anything work this well ever before. The Pioneer didn’t just reduce the judder, it virtually eliminated it altogether! Pioneer calls this feature “Smooth” and it is incorporated into all of their 2007 plasma TV models. Outside of the Pioneer’s super deep black level and colour reproduction, this is a fantastic feature that places Pioneer’s plasma technology way ahead of the competition in my opinion"

So.. just a FYI its just another opinion!

Most people don't notice it until people point it out. In my opinion, it's about eliminating it maybe increases the enjoyment value of the TV by about 1%.

I sure wouldn't delay my enjoyment of a large plasma set just so I can enjoy a 1% better experience. I'd rather enjoy the other 99% that I want to enjoy NOW. You only live once. I can always get another set later. Plus, 1080p/24 compatability can mean a lot of things and isn't always implemented correctly. Again, there are also so many other factors coming into play that make an outsanding viewing experience (video processing chips inside the unit, colour, screen coating, DVD player you are using, etc. etc. etc.) it seems like focusing (no pun intended) on just this one aspect is misplaced concern.

Thanks for the input, eonibm. I was thinking most of the same things; just needed confirmation I guess. "The eyes God gave me" have always been near-sighted, and are now also becoming increasingly far-sighted. In other words, I can't see close or far! I saw both a 50PZ77U and a 42PX77U at Best Buy. Not only were they not the same size, they were nowhere near each other for direct comparison so I really couldn't say. Like you, I'm thinking about putting the "extra" money into other components...HD DVD and in completing my sound system, namely.

Seems like the 50PX77U comes & goes from websites. Sears, for example, had it on their website this past weekend (& with their $$ off, etc., it was a good deal). Now it's gone. Problem for me is that I'm waiting on an entertainment center to be delivered (supposedly that's going to be next week). So, I couldn't jump on the Sears deal. If anyone knows of any current great deals on this unit, I'd be greatly obliged. At this point, it will only be a matter of a few days before I order.

Do I need to get White Glove delivery if I simply want the delivery person to place the TV on my entertainment center? I've gotten conflicting info about this. Some say that "inside" delivery is enough. I don't want to attempt a 100 lb. fragile item by myself, and frankly, don't want to bother friends (besides, I don't want to have to wait for them...I'll want "instant gratification" upon delivery). Anyone with experience with this?

Thanks in advance. To all of you who already have the HDTV of their dreams...enjoy! The rest of us are chomping at the bit!

what version of HDMI does this Set have? is it the 1.3a?

crosses fingers that it compliments the ps3 thats on its way.

1.3 works great with a PS3

I have them side by side as well and notice quite a good deal of difference, may just be my aging eyes :)

Must be.

No noticable difference, other than better color and blacks and less glare? I would say that's a noticable difference! Please clarify.

The colors are more true and the blacks deeper. As far a PQ as in how sharp and detailed the pic is I see maybe a slight difference but nothing you would tell from more than 2' away

Question: Can the Digital Optical Out be used for the monitor out? (i.e. Can I route my HDMI audio out through this port?)

I just read the specs on the panasonic site 68 billon colors for the 42PZ77u. They also say presently 1080p viewing is only available using the bluray HD dvds. so why are we running to get a 1080p tv? Yes there is no 1080p broadcasting and wont be for a long time.

I just read the specs on the panasonic site 68 billon colors for the 42PZ77u. They also say presently 1080p viewing is only available using the bluray HD dvds. so why are we running to get a 1080p tv? Yes there is no 1080p broadcasting and wont be for a long time.1) HD DVDs are also 1080p, and I believe PS3.
2) The big deal with the 42PZ77u is not that it is progressive, most all displays are progressive, it's that it is 1080 not 768!

I have a question about the Component Inputs.

Will they accept 720p?

Is 1080p the only mode they won't accept?

Yes, 720p and 1080i are accepted through the component inputs, but not 1080p.

I just read the specs on the panasonic site 68 billon colors for the 42PZ77u. They also say presently 1080p viewing is only available using the bluray HD dvds. so why are we running to get a 1080p tv? Yes there is no 1080p broadcasting and wont be for a long time.

But there is 1080i (most HD broadcasting) that deinterlaced is 1080p (well most of the time) and as was said HD-DVD some PS3/xbox 360 games.

If you don't want one fine don't buy one. No one is makeing you run out and get one. :rolleyes:

First of all I want to say that reading this thread has been extrememly helpful. I haven't gone out to CC or BB yet to compare all these tv's side by side (50px77u, pz700u, or pz77u) but I'm wondering if I'm going to notice a real difference at my viewing distance between the px and pz. I'll be viewing at approx 10-12'. If I hook up a blue ray or HD-DVD am i going to notice a difference at 10-12'?. Just curious of others opinions since there is a significant price difference between the PX and PZ sets. I'll be heading to the stores in the next few days to see for myself.

Thanks in advance for any responses :D

I just read the specs on the panasonic site 68 billon colors for the 42PZ77u. They also say presently 1080p viewing is only available using the bluray HD dvds. so why are we running to get a 1080p tv? Yes there is no 1080p broadcasting and wont be for a long time.

There are some 1080p choices (Blue Ray, HD-DVD, PS3 and Xbox 360) now, but I have heard that they may be sending out 1080p broadcasts in 3-5 years, that seems like along time to wait, I am buying my next tv and thinking long term. I don't change my sets out that often. And I know I can't wait 3-5 years to buy a HD set. I have the fever now! :)

First of all I want to say that reading this thread has been extrememly helpful. I haven't gone out to CC or BB yet to compare all these tv's side by side (50px77u, pz700u, or pz77u) but I'm wondering if I'm going to notice a real difference at my viewing distance between the px and pz. I'll be viewing at approx 10-12'. If I hook up a blue ray or HD-DVD am i going to notice a difference at 10-12'?. Just curious of others opinions since there is a significant price difference between the PX and PZ sets. I'll be heading to the stores in the next few days to see for myself.

Thanks in advance for any responses :D

Not a chance.

I can't even see my dead pixel at 5 feet on my 50PZ77U.

Shagwell. You might have missed my post#626 a few posts back. I discussed your question at length.

eonibm...what you wrote is exactly what i expected to hear based on my research. Not that I don't trust your opinion, but I wanted to get some other's take on the situation as well. If I decide to go the PX77u route I'll probably invest my money in a new reciever since mine doesn't have HDMI. Hopefully there will be some $$$ left over for a hi-def dvd player. :D

I had the 50px77 returned it and got the 50pz77. I sit about 9' all I can say is even my wife (who does not about the upgrade just thinks I exchanged like for like) said the tv look munch better then the old one (px).

Ok guys im sorry i wasnt considering PS3/XBOX 360 games HD-DVDS compter hookups,digital photo, musical instruments hook ups. I just enjoy watching my 800 cable channels, movies on demand HD channels provided by TWC. Tower 101 are you saying that 1080i is sometimes deinterlaced and becomes viewed as 1080p. Could you please elaborate on that. Thanks George

Hi all, sorry this isn't directly related to Panny plasmas, but as a complete newbie and AV tech-challenged person, I was hoping to mine the vast experience of this group.:) I'm very excited to have my HE system installed next week (after driving myself crazy with months of research). I'm getting the whole shebang--50" 1080p plasma, receiver, surround-speaker system, up-converting DVD player (not ready to spend the $$ for blu-ray or HD DVD), etc. The installer has recommended I get a power surge/line conditioner battery backup (the one at this link: http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=195291). It would cost me an extra $250--not a whole lot considering the total cost of the job (I'm having to expand my niche to accommodate the set). It's supposed to protect the equipment and improve picture and sound quality by filtering out noise and unstable voltage. Do you all think this is necessary or can I get away with a much less expensive surge-protector?

Also, someone else suggested I install a couple of small monitor fans (http://www.xtremods.com/?pg=review_3dcoola1) because plasmas get very hot (great--like I really need a heat generator in my den in Phoenix!). These are very inexpensive, but again--I wonder if they're really necessary.

Thanks! Your advice is MUCH appreciated!

I have been looking at various flats screens for the last 2 years!
I have almost bought several ones including Westinghouse, Sony, Sharp, etc.

I resisted buying in hopes of better and more complete products.

I feel these new 1080p pannys will actually finally fit what I am trying to accomplish.

My goal to have a flat screen connected to hd cable, possible video games and HTPC.
What my biggest requirement is HTPC compatibility, IE I'd like the highest resolution possible.
Has anyone who owns either the 42 or 50 inch hooked it up to a PC yet via DVI to HDMI?

Also with regards to 1080p/24frames compatibility, I am going to assume it does not have this feature as it likely would advertised...It prolly can only do 180p50 or 1080p60 like most new 1080p models. Whether this is a deal breaker depends on what it is going to be used for. if people are only watching TV shows and occasionally DVD, this feature is useless. If they have an advanced Blu-ray or HD-DVD that can even output this and that is what is watched primarily then maybe it would help. I personally don't think it is critical especially since there are not many sources to do this. The PS3 games will be 1080p60 not 24... Also just wanted to mention that I think Apple TV or similar product will likely be the future of movies. The mass public does not like buying DVDs and messing with them. People would rather just download and stream and the mass public will decide the HD format wars not the hardcore loyalist techies...

I already have a 720 PJ for movies and sporting events, etc. But during the day, I would like to avoid the "Cave" :)
BTW this is my first post and it feels good! :D

This is exactly what I am wondering...I have a PZ700U on order right now to be delievred at month end...wondering if I should go and cancel the order and order 50PZ77, I don't mind waiting a month to get it. It seems like a no brainer to do it, am I wrong to think like this???

I wouldn't do anything that drastic until you see it in the store. The 77 has an anti-glare screen reminicent of a standard LCD screen placed over the plasma panel. This is awesome for people who have a big glare problem, but eliminates the deeper feel of a clear glass screen. The reason the contrast is higher is to combat that screens effect on the picture. To me, the tv's are very similar in black levels and brightness. Go to a local stor (Best Buy has them next to each other in the 42" size) and compare.

I wouldn't do anything that drastic until you see it in the store. The 77 has an anti-glare screen reminicent of a standard LCD screen placed over the plasma panel. This is awesome for people who have a big glare problem, but eliminates the deeper feel of a clear glass screen. The reason the contrast is higher is to combat that screens effect on the picture. To me, the tv's are very similar in black levels and brightness. Go to a local store (Best Buy has them next to each other in the 42" size) and compare.This is my feeling too - i've seen the PZ77U in two different BB stores now and i think the PZ700U looks richer and clearer. I got the same impression when i scrutinized the PX77 against the PX75U. The Anti-Glare is great if the room conditions make the regular screen unwatchable, but there's no way i'd choose the PZ77U over the PZ700U if glare isn't a problem. At first i lamented the release of the PZ77U with it's higher CR and Anti-Glare screen after i'd already bought the lowly PZ700U, but now that i've seen them in stores and played with the settings i'm certain i made the right choice.

Tower 101 are you saying that 1080i is sometimes deinterlaced and becomes viewed as 1080p. Could you please elaborate on that. Thanks George

All digital displays are progressive (we will leave Hitachi out of this) and can not display interlaced material.

Simply 1080i is 1080 the interlaced part means the each frame is broken into 2 540 fields. The 2 540 can be (has to be) put back together (deinterlaceing) and get the original 1080 frame.

The are 2 types of interlaced images Video based - live sports, news (anything recorded as interlaced) Film Based - movies, most TV shows (any thing recorded progressively).

With video deinterlacing there are many ways to do it but all ways make compromises. So for the most part you end up with something between 540 and 1080 but generally closer to the 1080.

Film deinterlacing "should" be much easier as the process starts with a progressive image that has had telecine applied to it. So you can do reverse telecine and get the original 1080p image back (this is the whole 3:2 pull down thing).

This is just the highlights you can search and find tons of info on deiterlacing.

eonibm...what you wrote is exactly what i expected to hear based on my research. Not that I don't trust your opinion, but I wanted to get some other's take on the situation as well. If I decide to go the PX77u route I'll probably invest my money in a new reciever since mine doesn't have HDMI. Hopefully there will be some $$$ left over for a hi-def dvd player. :D

But that's exactly my point. It ALL depends on who is looking at the screen. Because of the architecture of the eye, for ALL people it is impossible to resolve 1920x1080 screen resolution over 1376x768 screen resolution beyond a certain distance (unless you are Superman). But, what that distance actually is all depends on your eyes, not someone else's. So people can give you opinions up the ying-yang, and they'll go both ways (higher resolution is worth it, higher resolution isn't) but they are giving you what they themselves see, not what you will see.

At the end of the day the only way for you to really know (and not just listen to someone else's experience which won't necessarily be yours) is for you to view both sets side-by-side, with both sets calibrated similarly, showing the same content, with the same cables, with the same digital box or PVR or DVD, etc. Then move backwards and forwards and see where at what distance it makes a difference FOR YOU and if where the distance at which it makes a difference is closer than you would normally sit. If you only see a difference closer than where you normally sit, and no difference where you do normally sit, then there's your answer - you won't notice a difference. In that event only get the higher resolution screen if you like 'the idea' that if you sat closer than normal, you can see the difference (whether or not you do that).

(Now, if money is no object, get the 1920x1080 resolution screen because then it won't matter whether it's worth it or not, or whether you can resolve the additional resolution or not)

The 700 vrs 77 thing I will tell you my feelings. My Samsung LCD broke (for the 2nd time) so I decided to replace it.

I have tried PDPs before but the reflections drive me nuts, not only that but when light hits a "normal" PDP the blacks get washed out BAD. I at first got a 75u and it was just like the other PDPs I have tried, I went back up to CC and ordered a PX77.

When that showed up I was very happy even with sunlight blasting my room the PX77 was very watchable. At night with my wife reading or doing a crossword puzzle the light was no problem AT ALL and it was with the other PDPs I tried.

Now I could have rearranged the room and put the TV in front of the windows (like Randy's) and got my wife a different light but the wife would NOT have been happy.

As far as the normal PDP (like the 700) looking richer that is not my experience as when light hits a normal PDP they get very washed out the 77 does not. So for me the 77 looks much richer, blacks colors every thing.

If you are willing to rearrange your room and/or put up black out curtains then the 700 would be the way to go. If you are not willing to make thouse compromises then the 77 is the way to go.

Here is a pic to demonstrate my point.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h98/tower101/2.jpg

Tower 101, Thanks for taking the time to enlighten me, im really not sure i understand it in depth. maybe i just shouldnt worry so much about that stuff. I recall you saying that you have the 50inPZ77u, does it have the same glare filter that the 42inPZ77u has and if so how do you like it. Do you think it takes too much away from the brightness of the picture. Thanks in advance. George

I have moved to the 50PZ77u and love it. It has the same screen as the 42PZ77. My understanding is all the xx77 have the same abti-glare screen. I found it just as bright as the PX75 I had but not as bright as the Sammy, plenty bright enough.

Thanks looks like thats the one ill get for my daughter. Im not trying to correct you but i believe its being called the anti-glare filter. A little different then prior models.

Tower 101, Thanks for taking the time to enlighten me, im really not sure i understand it in depth. maybe i just shouldnt worry so much about that stuff. I recall you saying that you have the 50inPZ77u, does it have the same glare filter that the 42inPZ77u has and if so how do you like it. Do you think it takes too much away from the brightness of the picture. Thanks in advance. George

I spent a lot of time looking at both the anti-glare and anti-reflective units side-by-side with a friend. We both noticed that anti-reflective unit was very very slightly sharper than the anti-glare one. So it's a trade-off. For me the anti-glare of feature is worth way more than a tiny tiny bit of sharpness. Certainly now with the one unit sitting in my living room, I have no other reference point and it seems really sharp. (By the way I am talking about the 50PX75U vs the 50PX77U, but the coatings are the same for the 700U vs the PZ77U)

Thanks looks like thats the one ill get for my daughter. Im not trying to correct you but i believe its being called the anti-glare filter. A little different then prior models.

That's OK If you look an Pannys web site they call all the 77s anti-glare coating and the 75s and 750/700 anti-reflective coating, but the anti-glare is more then just a coating on the outside of the "glass". There is a post around here somewhere explaining it-depth.

I am sure your daughter will love it.

I concur with what most others have said regarding the comparison between the pz77u and the pz700u. My local Best Buy had these two units right next to each other, making it easy to do a comparison. The picture on the 700u definitely looked sharper and smoother, most likely due to the slightly grainy effect of the anti-glare coating on the 77u, but that same anti-glare coating really made a huge difference in the reflectivity of the screen. I could clearly see the store lights and everything behind me in the 700u screen, but the 77u seemed to absorb it and blend it in with the picture. With my viewing situation - lots of sunlight and background lighting at night - the 77u was an easy choice. If I had a dedicated home theater environment where I could control the lighting then I would have went with the 700u.

By the way, I'm very happy with the PQ on the 77u now that I have it at home. The anti-glare screen is awesome and really makes a huge difference when viewing with lots of sunlight or background lighting. I have no regrets with the 77u.

I concur with what most others have said regarding the comparison between the pz77u and the pz700u. My local Best Buy had these two units right next to each other, making it easy to do a comparison. The picture on the 700u definitely looked sharper and smoother, most likely due to the slightly grainy effect of the anti-glare coating on the 77u, but that same anti-glare coating really made a huge difference in the reflectivity of the screen. I could clearly see the store lights and everything behind me in the 700u screen, but the 77u seemed to absorb it and blend it in with the picture. With my viewing situation - lots of sunlight and background lighting at night - the 77u was an easy choice. If I had a dedicated home theater environment where I could control the lighting then I would have went with the 700u.

By the way, I'm very happy with the PQ on the 77u now that I have it at home. The anti-glare screen is awesome and really makes a huge difference when viewing with lots of sunlight or background lighting. I have no regrets with the 77u.
I have the same situation as you and bought the pz77u today. Will get it set up tommorow or tuesday and hope I am as satisfied as you are.

Thanks to all and AVS. After reading about 3 million post over the past 3 months I got my first HDTV. I went with the 50PZ77U, this thing is just great, wish I would have done it sooner.

At least for me this thing is way bright, took out of Vivd mode and set it to standard and its still bright, still need to play with the settings.

Just have a few hours on it now and can't wait until I can watch a DVD with a true 16x9 picture. I'm not sure how long that should be, with the top and bottom bars and all, thoughs?

At some point I will need to fiqure out how to make the sides with a 4x3 black instead of grey, I may just get use to using the fill mode thingy so that may not be a big deal.

Anyway thanks again for everbodys help in this thread.

Jay

Has anyone found some solid settings for the 42PZ77U? I have found that the "warm" color setting provides less pop in a lit room, and I find Cinema to be only suitable for dark-room viewing.

Plus, I am seeing a lot of screen door effect on CBS HD and HDNet hockey coverage. Is this a signal issue that is common with certain networks? FOX HD looked incredible, while the CBS HD seemed hit and miss with some screen door kincking in on CBS during fast pans with the camera (player running back to the huddle with a zoomed pic).

Finally, all of my Blu-ray dvd movies have letterbox on the top and bottom. I watched Casino Royale this weekend and noticed afterwards in the PS3 dashboard that there was some slight IR there. It went away in seconds. However, is there a way to view Blu-rays in a full screen mode or is this a limitation of how the films were shot by the director?

I have moved to the 50PZ77u and love it. It has the same screen as the 42PZ77. My understanding is all the xx77 have the same abti-glare screen.Not quite, the Costco PE77U has the regular Anti-Reflective screen, not the Anti-Glare screen. The PX/PZ/PC/PE prefix is important. Just FYI :)

Is anyone seeing Graphic Line Bleeding on the PZ77 line. Here is a test you can do to check your plasma. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11821787#post11821787

Is anyone seeing Graphic Line Bleeding on the PZ77 line. Here is a test you can do to check your plasma. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=11821787#post11821787

I have not seen any on my 42PZ77U. I watched several trailers this weekend and the green backgrounded Preview lettering shown before each trailer showed no signs of bleed.

I am seeing a lot of screen door effect on CBS HD and HDNet hockey coverage. Is this a signal issue that is common with certain networks? SDE would be prevalent on every channel and input if it were something with the set. It sounds like you are describing macroblocking. This has to do with too much compression of the source and also with how digital transmissions are usually sent.

Finally, all of my Blu-ray dvd movies have letterbox on the top and bottom. ...is there a way to view Blu-rays in a full screen mode or is this a limitation of how the films were shot by the director? Most [Blu-ray] films are shot in a 2:35:1 or 2:40:1 (in Blu-ray's case) aspect ratio. This is the intent of the director. While you may be able to use some of the set's aspect ratio controls to minimize the letter boxing, it will add some distortion to the image.

tower 101, check the panasonic site again they are calling it the anti-glare FILTER, are you getting it from the manual? I wasunder the impression from the comments on these threads that anti-glare fiter was new and different from the old ones.

I'm going to go out to my wood shop and build a new stand for my pz77u 50". I was thinking of seeing if I can get my hands on 2 of the mounting poles that come with the stand and grind off the little lip on the bottom of the mounting poles and then bolt them to the new stand I'm going to make.

Has anybody around here done such a thing?

Was thinking I could get the tv upto the wall with not having to wall mount the thing, at least get it closer.

For a second question, I'm starting to think I may of bought to big of a TV. I'm at about 8.5' from eyeball to the screen, just seems way huge, it may be that I cam from a 27" CRT. So will I get used to it or should I go back and get a smaller one? I feel that I need to keep looking back and fourth to take in the whole screen. According to the charts the 50" should be close to the sweet spot. Thoughts? BTW the picture quality is great so thats not the problem.

Thanks Again

Jay

If money is not a problem I'd keep the 50". They say to buy the biggest you can afford. You never know when you might want to rearrange the furniture or put it in a different room and you'll be glad you have that extra size. I think you'll get used to it also.

I need to clear up some confusion on my part: Re the PZ.. products can 1080 be sent via the component inputs and have them display in 1080? I've read some posts that say you can an others that say you can't...

Not quite, the Costco PE77U has the regular Anti-Reflective screen, not the Anti-Glare screen. The PX/PZ/PC/PE prefix is important. Just FYI :)

:) I always forget those pesky Costco ones. Thanks for the correction :D

tower 101, check the panasonic site again they are calling it the anti-glare FILTER, are you getting it from the manual? I wasunder the impression from the comments on these threads that anti-glare fiter was new and different from the old ones.

The 50PX77 I had, had the same screen as the 50PZ77 that I now have.

I need to clear up some confusion on my part: Re the PZ.. products can 1080 be sent via the component inputs and have them display in 1080? I've read some posts that say you can an others that say you can't...

Component video cables are entirely capable of carrying a 1080p signal, but almost all electronic source devices (except Xbox 360 I think) do not output 1080p on component, only on HDMI, due to pressure from the entertainment industry (who want to see 1080p only carried on a cable that has digital rights management built in). In other words, they've 'crippled' the component output ports to not allow 1080p . In any event, broadcast is 1080i or 720p and won't be 1080p for many years to come, if at all. And almost no HD-DVD or Blu-Ray players output 1080p and the ones that do do not even do it properly.

All displays are progressive, so your TV rearranges the signal in order to display a progressive image.

Thanks duude!

Since I use a XBox 360 with HD add on and a cupla HR20-700's from Directv as my sources both of which have component output then I should be fine, right? I'm looking to distributing the signals via a matrix 4x4 switch via component cable to all of my tv's.

panasonic 42 & 50in PZ77us have the anti-glare FILTER, is that is that different then the anti reflection on the older models?

There are some 1080p choices (Blue Ray, HD-DVD, PS3 and Xbox 360) now, but I have heard that they may be sending out 1080p broadcasts in 3-5 years, that seems like along time to wait, I am buying my next tv and thinking long term. I don't change my sets out that often. And I know I can't wait 3-5 years to buy a HD set. I have the fever now! :)

I'd love to know where you heard 'they may be sending out 1080p broadcasts in 3-5 years'! Broadcasters and studios are presently in the painful and costly throws of converting over to 1080i and 720p broadcast and studio equipment right now. Also, 2 HDTV stations take the space of 6 SDTV stations and there's already a lot of juggling going on to get those HDTV stations squeezed in under 1080i or 720p, never mind the much higher bandwidth requirements of 1080p. Not to mention the fact that there are very few 1080p studio cameras available.

Because of the massive upgrade cost and bandwith requirements (and the fact they are just making the switchover to 1080i/720p), they say that 1080p broadcasts may take 20 years or more to see the light of day, if ever. Certainly there is very little market demand for such broadcasts right now to drive such a change, even though it 'might be nice'.

Thanks duude!

Since I use a XBox 360 with HD add on and a cupla HR20-700's from Directv as my sources both of which have component output then I should be fine, right? I'm looking to distributing the signals via a matrix 4x4 switch via component cable to all of my tv's.

I am not sure that the HR20-700 sends out 1080p over component. Also, I don't even know whether the PZ77's accept 1080p input (or such input without reprocessing it). Does anyone know?

panasonic 42 & 50in PZ77us have the anti-glare FILTER, is that is that different then the anti reflection on the older models?


yup, night and day

Hi guys my son is thinking about getting a Th-42pz77u My question is. Does the HMdi port support 1 to 1 pixel mapping from a PC. Or is the 700U with Vga the only way to go. I know the video cards make a diffrenace and power strip programs help. Anyone getting a fuctional 1 to 1 with what video card please.

Hi guys my son is thinking about getting a Th-42pz77u My question is. Does the HMdi port support 1 to 1 pixel mapping from a PC. Or is the 700U with Vga the only way to go. I know the video cards make a diffrenace and power strip programs help. Anyone getting a fuctional 1 to 1 with what video card please.

Yes it does 1:1 over HDMI.

Because of the massive upgrade cost and bandwith requirements (and the fact they are just making the switchover to 1080i/720p), they say that 1080p broadcasts may take 20 years or more to see the light of day, if ever. Certainly there is very little market demand for such broadcasts right now to drive such a change, even though it 'might be nice'.It's much more than the upgrade costs - it's that 1080p broadcasts would not be compatible with current ATSC tuners. It's likely that the first appearance of any sort of 1080p "broadcasts" would be via premium services on cable (like a HBO HD+ channel or something). The next time that real broadcast TV will change, it will take an order of magnitude improvement (like 4x PQ improvement in 1/4 the space). Progressive will likely be part of that. It took 50+ years to go from color TV (NTSC) to HD (ATSC).

I am not sure that the HR20-700 sends out 1080p over component. Also, I don't even know whether the PZ77's accept 1080p input (or such input without reprocessing it). Does anyone know?I would doubt that the HR20 would do that, as the program source material is, at best, 1080i. There would be no advantage in having the HR20 deinterlace over having the Panny do it.

Note: Regarding 1080p over component. 1080p doubles the analog bandwidth requirement. As a result, many chassis (I don't know about this one) haven't been designed to handle it. For example the A/D converters have to run twice as fast. 1080p over HDMI is a lot easier for existing chassis to handle.

Thanks Eonibm i thought i read something regarding the difference between the anti-glare FILTER and the older version earliar in this thread.

Picked up the 50PZ77U today and, for reference, I was able to bring it home properly in a RAV4. Just in case anyone was wondering about size-wise.

Love it so far. Screen is perfect. I just tuned down the settings a bit and watched a DVD (no upconvert - still looked great), regular TV, and now MNF. HD setup gets installed tomorrow (cable co dispatch).

Can anyone with a clue give me a hint on how I would go about wall-mounting this model? I was looking at the mounts at monoprice.com but when I look at the back of the plasma, there are no screw holes anywhere - especially none that look like they would be used in wall-mounting.

Thanks much....this forum was a huge help for my purchase.

Picked up the 50PZ77U today and, for reference, I was able to bring it home properly in a RAV4. Just in case anyone was wondering about size-wise.

Love it so far. Screen is perfect. I just tuned down the settings a bit and watched a DVD (no upconvert - still looked great), regular TV, and now MNF. HD setup gets installed tomorrow (cable co dispatch).

Can anyone with a clue give me a hint on how I would go about wall-mounting this model? I was looking at the mounts at monoprice.com but when I look at the back of the plasma, there are no screw holes anywhere - especially none that look like they would be used in wall-mounting.

Thanks much....this forum was a huge help for my purchase.

Do you prefer tilt, flat, or articulating? Try Sanus and Peerless.

Chris

If you are willing to rearrange your room and/or put up black out curtains then the 700 would be the way to go. If you are not willing to make thouse compromises then the 77 is the way to go.

Here is a pic to demonstrate my point.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h98/tower101/2.jpg

UMMMM where is a pic of the 700U ?? I see a totally dif brand ??

Note: Regarding 1080p over component. 1080p doubles the analog bandwidth requirement. As a result, many chassis (I don't know about this one) haven't been designed to handle it. For example the A/D converters have to run twice as fast. 1080p over HDMI is a lot easier for existing chassis to handle.

I can confirm that the pz77u will not accept 1080p via component. 1080p input is HDMI only for this set.

Do you prefer tilt, flat, or articulating? Try Sanus and Peerless.

Chris

Oops. Should have stated....just looking for tilt.
Also, I know those two brands of mounts are popular, I was just looking for some hints on how they attach to the back of the 77U, since I don't see holes in the TV.

Oops. Should have stated....just looking for tilt.
Also, I know those two brands of mounts are popular, I was just looking for some hints on how they attach to the back of the 77U, since I don't see holes in the TV.
There are 4 snap-in hole plugs that have to be removed; about an inch in diameter.

UMMMM where is a pic of the 700U ?? I see a totally dif brand ??

Did you even read what I typed or just look at the pretty pictures? The pic was for reference it shows a Sammy PDP that has there anti-reflective coating, if you think the 700 has a better one good for you, you would be wrong but what ever lets you sleep at night :rolleyes:

There are 4 snap-in hole plugs that have to be removed; about an inch in diameter.

OH! So that is what those are for! Thanks so much...great, now I think I know what I am doing once I find where my studs are.

77U still looking great today...HD box will be here in the next 3 hours. Can't wait.

Asty

I'm at the same point as you, just got the same set and thinking of mounting it on the wall. What wall mount are you getting?

I'm also trying to think of a way to just bolt it down to the back edge of the stand I'm going to make.

There appears to be a consensus that as far as TV watching you wont be getting any better picture from the 1080p than from the 1080i or 720, however the PZ77us have a 10000 contrast and 68 billion colors. Wouldnt that in its self make for a difference in the picture?

I am just going to try one of the $20-30 wall mounts at monoprice. They have good reviews.

The model is the 165lb rated, wide sized so it has the chance to cross three studs.

If it doesn't work, I am only out 20 bucks. I had to order my HDMI cables from them anyway so what the heck.

Below is terrible review by expert reviewer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was going to buy one of these 42" sets.....:mad::mad::mad::mad:


http://hometheatermag.com/plasmadisplays/907pana700u/

Below is terrible review by expert reviewer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was going to buy one of these 42" sets.....:mad::mad::mad::mad:


http://hometheatermag.com/plasmadisplays/907pana700u/
1) Review is not terrible.
2) Set reviewed is PZ700 - NOT the PZ77, which is the subject of THIS THREAD.

Did you even read what I typed or just look at the pretty pictures? The pic was for reference it shows a Sammy PDP that has there anti-reflective coating, if you think the 700 has a better one good for you, you would be wrong but what ever lets you sleep at night :rolleyes:

OK, I'm a bit confused. :confused: Exactly what TVs are in the picture? And are both tv's really at the same angle so as to catch the same reflections? There sure is a huge difference!

Is the pz77u HDMI 1.3? and if not, does that matter?

OK, I'm a bit confused. :confused: Exactly what TVs are in the picture? And are both tv's really at the same angle so as to catch the same reflections? There sure is a huge difference!

TVs are at the same angle with the PDP being slightly closer. The pic shows a Samsung PDP with there anti-reflective coating and a Samsung LCD. The pic is for reference of how a PDP gets washed out with light as I remarked in my post.

The 50PZ77 is now where the LCD used to be (see pics in prevous posts) and like I said it does very well in that spot it does not get washed out at all.

Is the pz77u HDMI 1.3? and if not, does that matter?

It is 1.3 and no I don't think it matters :)

Hey Orange7.... here's the CNET review of the 42pz700u - they say it has the
"best picture quality in its size class." Also, the average user rating is "spectacular."

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-th-42pz700u/4505-6482_7-32466828.html?tag=prod.txt.1

the tv on the right is either the 4254 or 5054 samsung. the 4264 and 5064 samsungs have a more effective anti glare coating than the one in the picture

So I got the 42" delivered over the weekend. I'm still in the break-in process, but I've watched some TV and movies between running the break-in DVD disk that is mentioned throughout the AVS forums (available here: http://www.eaprogramming.com/ ). I haven't actually calibrated it yet and I'll do that once the break-in is complete, but I did eyeball some decent settings in the meantime.

I've got to say that the PQ so far seems to be amazing, even thought I only have SD and standard DVD (waiting to upgrade to HD programming - probably D* - until I was sure this was the HDTV for me). The picture is crystal clear, and sharp, with out any jagged edges, color bleeding, or wonky color push (that's a technical term, right?) ;) In any case, set up was a snap. the menus could be a better, but I've seen a lot worse.

I haven't noticed the cooling fans at all and I also have significant tinnitus problems in both ears, so the person who posted earlier with concerns about it should not have a problem with the fans. Once i boosted the bass and treble the sound actually wasn't half-bad from the built-in speakers. Of course keep in mind that with tinnitus I hardly qualify as an audiophile.

The anti-glare filter works wonderfully! If you have an issue with ambient light I strongly recommend this set. I have two windows immediately behind the primary seating area and it has always caused problems with glare on my TV's (there are large windows on 3 of the 4 walls in the room). With the PZ77 the only time I ever noticed it was in an extremely dark scene I was watching in the middle of the day with bright sun. Even then is was just a slightly lighter haze rather than a picture obscuring glare/reflection.

I was going to take some un-boxing pictures, but it was delivered right as my wife was hosting a Girl Scout meeting so I wanted to get it set up and out of harms way. I guess I could have left it in the box until they left, but it was a very kid-on-Christmas-morning kind of deal where if I tried to wait I would just burst. So apologies for my impatience.

I hope some of that helps people who are still trying to decide on this set vs another. I'm extremely happy with it so far, and I haven't even tried a proper HD source yet.

the tv on the right is either the 4254 or 5054 samsung. the 4264 and 5064 samsungs have a more effective anti glare coating than the one in the picture

Yep... and the 5084 is better still (from what I've read). I did get to compare it to the Panny 77 and to my eyes it had slightly better glare reduction--but not a big difference. I'll know better by Friday when I have my new 5084 installed!! :D Of course, that's assuming all goes well with the drywall work that they're starting today. Given my track-record with home improvements, I'll be lucky if I have the 5084 installed by next week! :( But enough with the self-defeatest attitude--I will think positive thoughts and all will be well! :)

how well does the remotes ez sync work with other components? or should i fork over the money for a logitech harmony remote?

the tv on the right is either the 4254 or 5054 samsung. the 4264 and 5064 samsungs have a more effective anti glare coating than the one in the picture

Yes it is good eye. I did replace it with a 64 to me there was not much of a difference (about the same as the 75) so I returned it (the 64) and gave the 54 to mom (she has a nice dark room :)) Both where 42".

I never tried the 84 as I had given up on PDP until my LCD broke and then I tried the PX75 then the PX77 and ended up with the PZ77 (all 50")

I did do the penlight test on the 84 when I sent the 75 back but the 77 did MUCH better so never bothered with it.

So I got the 42" delivered over the weekend. I'm still in the break-in process, but I've watched some TV and movies between running the break-in DVD disk that is mentioned throughout the AVS forums (available here: http://www.eaprogramming.com/ ). I haven't actually calibrated it yet and I'll do that once the break-in is complete, but I did eyeball some decent settings in the meantime.

I've got to say that the PQ so far seems to be amazing, even thought I only have SD and standard DVD (waiting to upgrade to HD programming - probably D* - until I was sure this was the HDTV for me). The picture is crystal clear, and sharp, with out any jagged edges, color bleeding, or wonky color push (that's a technical term, right?) ;) In any case, set up was a snap. the menus could be a better, but I've seen a lot worse.

I haven't noticed the cooling fans at all and I also have significant tinnitus problems in both ears, so the person who posted earlier with concerns about it should not have a problem with the fans. Once i boosted the bass and treble the sound actually wasn't half-bad from the built-in speakers. Of course keep in mind that with tinnitus I hardly qualify as an audiophile.

The anti-glare filter works wonderfully! If you have an issue with ambient light I strongly recommend this set. I have two windows immediately behind the primary seating area and it has always caused problems with glare on my TV's (there are large windows on 3 of the 4 walls in the room). With the PZ77 the only time I ever noticed it was in an extremely dark scene I was watching in the middle of the day with bright sun. Even then is was just a slightly lighter haze rather than a picture obscuring glare/reflection.

I was going to take some un-boxing pictures, but it was delivered right as my wife was hosting a Girl Scout meeting so I wanted to get it set up and out of harms way. I guess I could have left it in the box until they left, but it was a very kid-on-Christmas-morning kind of deal where if I tried to wait I would just burst. So apologies for my impatience.

I hope some of that helps people who are still trying to decide on this set vs another. I'm extremely happy with it so far, and I haven't even tried a proper HD source yet.

Thanks for your post. I am in the same situation as you..., new to HDTV. I have a Pannny 426UY and have always been extreamly happy with these PDP's. I can't help to think that the PZ77U is a step up from the PZ700U (which has been rated the very best in it's class) due to the Anti Glare, doubled CR, and including pixel wooble. This is not a low end model, it is an upgrade that Panasonic needed to do to be competitive with LCD by alleviating the only drawbacks of plasma: i.e., glare and burn-in, and lowering price. This PDP has great features for those of us that use external speakers for 5.1 or better audio. The Sony 46xbr4 costs more than twice as much and has less overall PQ. I plan to upgrade to the 42PZ77U, Panny blu-ray DVD player and DirecTV HD PVR. As you go through set up, break-in, or calibration, any tips would be very much appreciated.

I am sorry for asking this, but i didn't want to read through 24 pages to find the answer. after page 5 thigns got redundant. I was looking into the 42pz700u until i came accros this thread. now im afriad to get one with the new 42pz77 coming out. has anyone personally been able to compare these 2 sets and could they explain why the pz77 is cheaper? i dont want to get cheated buying the pz77 over the 700u unless its worth it. are there any official reviews? cnet hasnt gotten around to it i guess. also, what stoers are selling it?

thanks

I can't help to think that the PZ77U is a step up from the PZ700U (which has been rated the very best in it's class) due to the Anti Glare, doubled CR, and including pixel wooble. This is not a low end model, it is an upgrade that Panasonic needed to do to be competitive with LCD by alleviating the only drawbacks of plasma: i.e., glare and burn-in, and lowering price. This PDP has great features for those of us that use external speakers for 5.1 or better audio......I don't feel that the PZ77U is a step up from the PZ700U. The lower price, reduced sound quality, lack of VGA input etc tells me it's a step down from the PZ700U, not a step up. They've added the Anti-Glare screen but have taken away features and reduced the price presumably to lure sales away from the hord of cheaper LCD TVs on the market.

I've compared them at two stores now and like i see on the the PX77U, the PZ77U's LCD-like Anti-Glare screen gives me the impression of less depth and less of that "3-D" look that the 700u's Anti-Reflective screen provides. The doubled CR was not apparent in the stores but that could be because the AG screen negates it's higher numbers, or it could be because the fairly bright lighting in the store masks it, or both. Pixel wobble (or is it Pixel Shift?) supposedly exists in all current Panasonic plasmas so nothing new there.

I don't feel that the PZ77U is a step up from the PZ700U. The lower price, reduced sound quality, lack of VGA input etc tells me it's a step down from the PZ700U, not a step up. They've added the Anti-Glare screen but have taken away features and reduced the price presumably to lure sales away from the hord of cheaper LCD TVs on the market.

I've compared them at two stores now and like i see on the the PX77U, the PZ77U's LCD-like Anti-Glare screen gives me the impression of less depth and less of that "3-D" look that the 700u's Anti-Reflective screen provides. The doubled CR was not apparent in the stores but that could be because the AG screen negates it's higher numbers, or it could be because the fairly bright lighting in the store masks it, or both. Pixel wobble (or is it Pixel Shift?) supposedly exists in all current Panasonic plasmas so nothing new there.

If you need VGA input, just get a VGA balun. As for reduced sound quality, most people buying one of these connect it to an external amp and sound system anyway so the quality of the TV's sound system doesn't matter. Lower price doesn't mean lower quality as maybe the reduced sound and lack of VGA account for the reduced price. As for the Anti-Glare screen, for some people, like me, it's a Godsend as I have a huge great room/kitchen/dining area with windows all over the place. The would be no point in me having that "3-D" look if it's combined with reflections in the screen. In my situation the 700 is definitely a step down. For others with no reflections problem the 700 is probably the same or better in terms of picture quality. The PZ line is not for everyone, but does meet a need (and some people like saving money).

As for pixel wobble, I was told by Panasonic at CES 2006 that they had this technology incorporated into their screens. (that's 2 years ago!)

I don't feel that the PZ77U is a step up from the PZ700U. The lower price, reduced sound quality, lack of VGA input etc tells me it's a step down from the PZ700U, not a step up. They've added the Anti-Glare screen but have taken away features and reduced the price presumably to lure sales away from the hord of cheaper LCD TVs on the market.

I've compared them at two stores now and like i see on the the PX77U, the PZ77U's LCD-like Anti-Glare screen gives me the impression of less depth and less of that "3-D" look that the 700u's Anti-Reflective screen provides. The doubled CR was not apparent in the stores but that could be because the AG screen negates it's higher numbers, or it could be because the fairly bright lighting in the store masks it, or both. Pixel wobble (or is it Pixel Shift?) supposedly exists in all current Panasonic plasmas so nothing new there.

Well, I think many would agree that PQ; i.e., higher CR, black levels, and other things that improve PQ, are far more important than the quality of built-in speakers or PC input via VGA. Lower price is a marketing, competitive move, that benefits al consumers and not a downgrade. The best audio is achieved by external speakers and an amplifier, so I could care less about the built-in speakers. Reviews have stated that PC display quality is better achieved by using an HDMI input anyway, so in my opinion the lack of VGA PC input is irrelevant. So, yes, to me it is an upgrade and I think the reviews will confirm that when they become available in the near future. You are correct about the pixel shift or wobble that is on all 2007 models.

Well, I think many would agree that PQ; i.e., higher CR, black levels, and other things that improve PQ, are far more important than the quality of built-in speakers or PC input via VGA. Lower price is a marketing, competitive move, that benefits al consumers and not a downgrade. The best audio is achieved by external speakers and an amplifier, so I could care less about the built-in speakers. Reviews have stated that PC display quality is better achieved by using an HDMI input anyway, so in my opinion the lack of VGA PC input is irrelevant. So, yes, to me it is an upgrade and I think the reviews will confirm that when they become available in the near future. You are correct about the pixel shift or wobble that is on all 2007 models.But the prime directive is Picture Quality, and i've scrutinized the PZ77U and am convinced that the PQ is not as good as the PZ700U, and others share my observation. I don't use my TV's VGA input or speakers but that's not the issue. The PZ700U's black level is plenty good enough and i don't feel the need for anything better, and i'm a CRT fan. Trust me, i'd love to like the PZ77U because i get a lot of light in my living room (see my gallery pics) and the Anti-Glare screen would be a great benefit to me, but i will not sacrifice overall PQ to get it. I just don't see how anyone can say that a decontented lower priced model with lesser PQ is an upgrade over a PZ700U.

This leaves me to wonder why the PZ700u would have a better PQ than the PZ77 given that the PZ77 has better contrast ratio and black levels? Could the anti-glare be detrimental to it's overall picture quality?

Light/reflection is not a big deal in my situaton, which makes me think I should just go with the PZ700.

I read this thread every day, and now I have a headache.

:(




But the prime directive is Picture Quality, and i've scrutinized the PZ77U and am convinced that the PQ is not as good as the PZ700U, and others share my observation. I don't use my TV's VGA input or speakers but that's not the issue. The PZ700U's black level is plenty good enough and i don't feel the need for anything better, and i'm a CRT fan. Trust me, i'd love to like the PZ77U because i get a lot of light in my living room (see my gallery pics) and the Anti-Glare screen would be a great benefit to me, but i will not sacrifice overall PQ to get it. I just don't see how anyone can say that a decontented lower priced model with lesser PQ is an upgrade over a PZ700U.

Could the anti-glare be detrimental to it's overall picture quality?(Yes, it certainly COULD, it COULD diffuse the image (in order to diffuse the glare) and add a degree of fuzziness that may bother some.

This leaves me to wonder why the PZ700u would have a better PQ than the PZ77 given that the PZ77 has better contrast ratio and black levels? Could the anti-glare be detrimental to it's overall picture quality?

Light/reflection is not a big deal in my situaton, which makes me think I should just go with the PZ700.

I read this thread every day, and now I have a headache.

:(

Yes, I believe the anti-glare screen definitely has a negative impact on PQ, and that is likely the biggest PQ difference between the pz77u and the pz700u. To my eyes the anti-glare gives the 77 a very slight grainy appearance that takes a little of the smoothness and sharpness away, at least when compared directly with the 700. As I've said previously, if I had a completely controlled home theater environment (no lighting issues) then I would go with the 700.

For folks like me with a lot of natural and artificial lighting to deal with, I really think the 77 is definitely the way to go. The anti-glare screen more than makes up for the slight PQ impact, and once you have the set in your home you will not be disappointed in the PQ.

I read this thread every day too. ;)

Shaggy...there is really only one way to decide what is best for you, you have to view them for yourself.....I have flip flop back and forth more than anyone on this subject. I really don't have much of a light issue where my set will be, but I am going on Friday to get the 77U. I have made numerous trips, in fact I think they posted my picture on the wall as the guy who looks but doesn't buy...anyways I prefer the picture on the 77U, so that is the one I am going to get. Just my .02 I don't think one can go wrong with either one of these sets....

I read this thread every day too. ;)

I hear you with that...:eek::confused:

But the prime directive is Picture Quality, and i've scrutinized the PZ77U and am convinced that the PQ is not as good as the PZ700U, and others share my observation. I don't use my TV's VGA input or speakers but that's not the issue. The PZ700U's black level is plenty good enough and i don't feel the need for anything better, and i'm a CRT fan. Trust me, i'd love to like the PZ77U because i get a lot of light in my living room (see my gallery pics) and the Anti-Glare screen would be a great benefit to me, but i will not sacrifice overall PQ to get it. I just don't see how anyone can say that a decontented lower priced model with lesser PQ is an upgrade over a PZ700U.

And do not forget there are those that disagree as well. I see nothing different except better black levels on the PZ77U.

The 700U also washes out when the light hits it. Thats a major PQ bring down.

I take that back I can see a difference at 24" away from TV. My appologees anything further back and I cannot see a difference. Maybe the lasik takes away the grainy PQ :P

My old TV was a 1997 27" Sony Tritron. Not ancient, but not this millennium either. I never watched TV on anything but CRTs previously. My brother got a 42" Samsung big screen back home, and I'll be damned if I let him have better stuff then me....so it was time to buy. I spent the last month on this forum reading.

MY HDMI cables are coming next Monday...so all I had this past Monday when we bought the TH-50PZ77U was it hooked up via coax, and then Tuesday, since the HD cable box arrived from RCN, it is now hooked up via composite. Also have a composite hook up from a regular old DVD player as well. I have no idea what this means as far as the picture I am seeing (480p I think is all I can get over that)

I bought this thing without being able to view it. None of the CCs or BBs had it on display around here. The Samsung 5084 had the more crisp PQ on display, but its reflective screen was the worst with glare in the store. The 700U looked good, but next to the Sammy I could see a difference, but my wife couldn't ("They all look the same!")

I could have gotten it for $300 less online, but I wanted to take advantage of CC or BB's financing.

CC didn't have any 700U left and BB had neither, so I thought I would take a chance with the 77U anyway...since I had wanted that one for the anti-glare. The 700U wasn't terrible in the store with glare, but it was still visible. My concerns with the 77U over the 700U were PQ and the speakers, since I use the external amp at times but not always and my wife doesn't at all.

I have a large bay window on the left-hand side of the viewing room. It gets sun directly after 4PM, but dark curtains help...they just don't close all the way (middle open - wife's design).

Now with all that background out of the way...the 77U:

Video: So happy. Without having a 700U or 5084 right next to it in my house, all I can say is it looks great. I watched SW IV: A New Hope Tuesday night on regular HBO and I saw detail I never saw before, like pimples and stuff. I watched an old wrestling DVD and it looked fantastic. I have no idea what resolution I am seeing over composite, but DiscoveryHD looks better already then the normal SD Discovery channel...so can't wait to get the HDMI cables hooked up.

Seats are 10' away from the TV. It will be more like 12' once it is mounted on the wall. I can see what the anti-glare does, as it diffuses the light from the window. However, straight-on like I sit has no glare visible at any time, and my wife on the couch on the side said the window glare was only noticeable in black-colored areas of the screen...and she could care less. So I think going with the 77U was a good move over the mirror-like reflection we would have had with the 700U.

*I was really worried that SD content would be unwatchable at 50" and with increased definition of a big TV, however this has not been the case. Some of this may be at least that I get all digital content, but everything, even the cheap religious/local channels look fine.*

I've had no problems with burn-in yet. All I did was lower the settings for now. I am trying to be careful with logos and those CNN/ESPN bars.

Only gripe may be that I play with the 'Aspect' button a bit too much, instead of just flipping channels.

Audio: The speakers sound better then the ones in my old Sony. That's the best I can tell you. Since they are spaced farther apart, the stereo sound separation is much more noticable. My audio equipment was torn apart to get the new TV in place, so the TV speakers are all that I have at the moment.
I upped the bass a bit in settings but that was all. If the 700U speakers are suppossed to be better, then they really must sound great considering what I have heard from the 77U. It is loud enough, but I certainly need my stereo hooked back up to make my ears bleed like I am used to.

Controls: Simple enough that I know what I am doing already and can find my way around. I am not an idiot (although I do work in I.T.) yet it was really cake to learn. There are some fine tuning settings there that I haven't played with, but haven't seen a need yet either.

Remote: Could be better...but it is what I expected from one that came 'with' something. I have a MX500 that I have converted already.

Sorry for the length, but hoped this helped some of those interested.
My next step in a new receiver and speakers.

Asty - sweeeeeeet. This is great info. It helped me.

Nice one.

- Christian

...The Samsung 5084 had the more crisp PQ on display, but its reflective screen was the worst with glare in the store. The 700U looked good, but next to the Sammy I could see a difference, but my wife couldn't ("They all look the same!")...

How odd... When I took a look at these sets at three different stores, the Sammy 5084 looked like it had significantly less glare than most of the other plasmas, slightly less than the Panny. I was looking specifically for this because my room has floor to ceiling windows. I'll have the 5084 installed by the end of the week and will let you know how it does ...

How odd... When I took a look at these sets at three different stores, the Sammy 5084 looked like it had significantly less glare than most of the other plasmas, slightly less than the Panny. I was looking specifically for this because my room has floor to ceiling windows. I'll have the 5084 installed by the end of the week and will let you know how it does ...

Hmm...that is odd then. Maybe I took too many shots to the head as a child....I have other things blamed on that too.

I don't know why, but I don't like BB as much as CC (actually I don't really like either). At CC, they had the 5084 and the 700u right next to each other.

When looking straight on at the 5084, it was like a mirror. I could clearly see (almost as well as the picture on the screen) the lights, the Customer Service desk, etc everything that was behind me. I also didn't choose this one because of the heat. I do like Samsung LCD panels though (for computers, etc). Its picture was stellar though.

The 700u I could only clearly see the lights, meaning they weren't diffused at all. I could make out how big they were, etc. (don't know how to better explain) but I couldn't see the counters or displays...so it didn't seem to be as bad as the 5084. Maybe I was just at the wrong angle...but I did move around a lot to look.

I am not saying the 5084 is crap. I think most would be happy with either the 700u, the 5084, or the 77u. It all comes down to little specifics.

I would also like to say, that since I normally buy stuff online, that another fun part of all this experience was the spiel that the CC clerks (yes, more then one) gave on extended warranties, cables, surge protectors, and all that. I know they hate doing it and they have to since it is required (profit, etc)...but I shot them down each time and enjoyed doing it.

Not one store clerk (in the TV section, no less) even knew they had the 77u in the back. And I must really look ratty or something, since I never had any clerk in either CC or BB actually approach me...it was always the other way around and I would have to fight for someone to help me. Not good service really.

I am wondering if any of the PZ77U owners out there that are hockey fans..I am a big hockey fan, yes there are a few of us out there, and I was wondering how hockey looked on this set? One of the reasons I went with plasma is I was told that hockey on a LCD doesn't work well...so if there are any hockey fans out there and you have a 77U , I would love to hear your comments on how the set held up with the fast motion and any blur that may/may not have occured. thanks

-Rob

I read this thread every day, and now I have a headache.

:(

I hear you with that...:eek::confused:


I'm in the same damn boat. It's killin me. So damn anxious to buy one, but want some actual owner reviews and comments. I'm glad i read up on vizio before buying. I've heard so much bad...

You really have to go an see the TV sets for yourself, I feel that the more you read...sometimes the worse it can be. Do your research so you can narrow it down, see what fits in your budget, and then get a set and enjoy it!!! My long journey of research and second guessing if I am getting the right set is coming to an end this week...finally!! :)

I am wondering if any of the PZ77U owners out there that are hockey fans..I am a big hockey fan

Hockey is still televised? :D

Thanks for all of the info. I am narrowing in on my decision and I am leaning towards the 50PZ77. The problem with "seeing for myself" in stores is that there are so many variations which can make a TV look terrible in the store (source, connection, settings, etc) so I don't trust when I see poor PQ on an expensive set. For example I viewed this 60-inch Pioneer which was listed for like $8000 and the PQ was TERRIBLE, but I knew it had to be the way is was connected because it was a well-reviewed, expensive set. I also see Sony LCD's that blow away any picture in the store, but I know that with proper adjustments and connections the Pioneers and Panny's will look as good or better, because I've seen it.

I suppose that is why a take so much stock in these forums because these posts are from people who are actually buying/using these sets, and I trust that knowledge more that so-called "professional" reviews or in-store sales geeks.

That being said, I still visit every CC and BB in my area to look at the sets. I will be sure to give a full and detailed report once I take the plunge!

Thanks to all!

As I've posted before, I'm VERY happy with the 77u and never really considered the 700u due to the fact that I knew I'd have a light/glare problem (the slightly higher price didn't help either).

It seems like the comparison between the two models is an apples to apples debate, but on one hand you have a granny smith apple and on the other you have a golden delicious. Both are excellent in their own way and it really comes down to a matter of personal taste and/or needs. At this point it's hard to compare the two because so few places seem to have both on display, so it would seem that it really comes down to the primary difference in PQ.

The primary difference would seem to be the effect that the 77u's anti-glare feature has on the picture. From reading all of the posts it would seem that with the 700u the picture is going to have more of a "looking through a window" kind of quality to it. The 77u on the other hand, has more of a "film" (movie screen) quality to the picture. I know that the 77u is supposed to have a much higher contrast ratio, but I haven't seen anywhere where people have noticed a significant (if any) difference in that area between the two. Maybe it's because even though it's technically lower, the CR of the 700u is good enough to begin with. Regardless, CR doesn't seem to be a problem area for either model.

For me the issue came down to glare, but even if I didn't know going in that glare might be a problem, I may have opted for the 77u anyways. My thinking is that even if the 700u does have a crisper/clearer picture (which is debatable) the chances are that the effect of any glare I see on the set (regardless of light source) will degrade the PQ a lot more than the amount the anti-glare filter on the 77u might. I hope that make sense.

To me, it comes down to this: If you have a dedicated home-theater set up where you can control the light sources and eliminate extraneous reflections, then go with the 700u. Otherwise, I'd go with the 77u, because there's less chance that whatever random environmental variables you may have/encounter will diminish your viewing experience.

That's just my $.02, but based on the feedback so far (and my experiences with the 77u) the logic seems sound. Hopefully that will help those who are still straddling the fence.

Hockey is still televised? :D

Yeah there are a few of us out there that still watch, not many we are a rare breed...:) Has anyone watched out there watched hockey on a PZ77U? :confused:

Yeah there are a few of us out there that still watch, not many we are a rare breed...:) Has anyone watched out there watched hockey on a PZ77U? :confused:

I have. I watched some of a game on HDNet. The signal was kind of poor (compression errors from Time Warner Cable) but it looked great.

What problems have you been hearing about with LCD as far as hockey?

What problems have you been hearing about with LCD as far as hockey?

When I first was interested in getting a HD set, I was looking to LCD first. I told the rep that I wanted a tv for watching football and hockey, then gaming, then movies...he said I would be better off with a Plasma vs LCD. He stated that the movement from the puck along with the white ice surface would create motion blur. He stated that alot of people will buy LCD for football in early Sept and return by mid Oct due to the blur from the fact that the LCD would not be able to handle the fast action. He stated how wonderful LCD are for movies and gaming, but not for sports esp hockey and football...so this is why I went to the plasma camp.

My 2 cents... The VGA is a total useless input on the 700 since it doesn't even accept 1080p! It maxes out way to low for computer usage for its size. The only conceivable use would be to connect the xbox360 via vga for gaming. But, it might even look better via component on this set...

The speakers. Do they sound great? Or just average. What about the speakers on this forum model?

Do you agree they are likely the same plasma guts? I'm just not sure.

It seems they are just with different external screens.

IMO, i would buy whatever has the lowest price(unless sunshine is directly on your screen in which case you should move your seating area anyway!)

Also, I believe in 4-5 years they both will be outdated due to advances in technology (i.e. SED or more advanced OLED-LCD, etc.)

Would I be correct in assuming from reading this thread that the difference between the Panny 77U and the Sammy 5084 is relatively negligable and a matter of personal choice?

Im literally down to the wire as Im going to be purchasing tonight... Any thoughts are greatly appreciated... Thanks:)

I would check to see if the Sammy has something in comparison to a "pixel shifter" like the Panny does, I personally like the fact that the Panny does have this feature...just my .02

Samsung plasmas offer a pixel shifting option in the setup menu. You can turn it off or choose shifts up to four pixels vertically and horizontally. I believe the Panasonics work on a 2 x 2 basis.

When I first was interested in getting a HD set, I was looking to LCD first. I told the rep that I wanted a tv for watching football and hockey, then gaming, then movies...he said I would be better off with a Plasma vs LCD. He stated that the movement from the puck along with the white ice surface would create motion blur. He stated that alot of people will buy LCD for football in early Sept and return by mid Oct due to the blur from the fact that the LCD would not be able to handle the fast action. He stated how wonderful LCD are for movies and gaming, but not for sports esp hockey and football...so this is why I went to the plasma camp.

This is so true. I've watched identical motion sources on plasmas and lcds simultaneously. PQ wise there wasn't that much difference, but when it came to moving objects, the difference was unbelievable. One scene was cars passing by on the road - anything with text, ie the license plates, was blurred. The numbers/letters on the license plates were hardly legible on the LCD. On the plasma, they were still crisp and clear. Same with any logos that were displayed on the vehicles, or on the buildings as the camera panned.

Plasma TVs tend to be approximately 12x faster for image response time than LCDs. All this varies with the brand and quality of course, but that's still a noticeable difference.

And for the record, for gaming, my plasma kicks butt over my LCD monitor!!!!

You really have to go an see the TV sets for yourself, I feel that the more you read...sometimes the worse it can be. Do your research so you can narrow it down, see what fits in your budget, and then get a set and enjoy it!!! My long journey of research and second guessing if I am getting the right set is coming to an end this week...finally!! :)

Amen to that! I drove myself wild for months reading everything I could find on the net about HD in general, then about LCD's and pasmas. Then when I narrowed my choice to plasmas I read all about 1080P vs. 720, then narrowed down my choices to several Panny's and the Sammy 5084 and at that point was pulling my hair out trying to decide on one. Then I found this forum--whew! It really helped getting so much input from actual owners and AV geeks--and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible! ;)

I litterally read every post on several threads :eek: then checked out the finalists at several stores and was finally able to make a confident choice! Woo-hoo! Thankfully, when I asked my HE guy for his opinion amongst my finalists (before telling him my choice), he agreed with my selection (while also agreeing that they are all excellent sets). Whew! The dry-wall/HE installers have been working steadily since yesterday and I should have everything installed by tomorrow! :D

Bottom line though, I know I would've been very happy with any of the finalist sets. So it really wasn't necessary to stress so much over the decision--it's just one of my (many) quirks that I have to live with! :o

Would I be correct in assuming from reading this thread that the difference between the Panny 77U and the Sammy 5084 is relatively negligable and a matter of personal choice?

Im literally down to the wire as Im going to be purchasing tonight... Any thoughts are greatly appreciated... Thanks:)

I think so. The Sammy has pixel shifting and another anti-burn-in feature (though I don't recall the specifics at the moment). I had finally narrowed my choice down to these two and after reading this thread and the Sammy thread, and after viewing both in showrooms, I decided on the 5084. One of the things I liked is the 2-year warranty on the Sammy. ... But again, bottom line, I'm sure you'll be very happy with either one ...

...When looking straight on at the 5084, it was like a mirror. I could clearly see (almost as well as the picture on the screen) the lights, the Customer Service desk, etc everything that was behind me. ...The 700u I could only clearly see the lights, meaning they weren't diffused at all. I could make out how big they were, etc. (don't know how to better explain) but I couldn't see the counters or displays...so it didn't seem to be as bad as the 5084. Maybe I was just at the wrong angle...but I did move around a lot to look.

Wow, now you've got me wondering about my observations cuz they were exactly opposite! :confused: I also moved around a lot and I even turned both sets off to evaluate the glare on the dark screens. I found this made the difference between the sets even more distinct. Though again, while there was a big difference between these two sets and the other plasmas, there was a much smaller difference between the Panny and Sammy (in favor of the 5084) on my visits. I guess I'll find out once it's installed if I'm the one that suffered a blow to the head with regard to the glare observations! ;)

I also didn't choose this one because of the heat.

I was concerned about the heat too (being that I live in Phoenix!) and frankly all the plasmas were hot. :( There wasn't a discernible difference when I compared them. In the end I gave the edge to the Sammy cuz it's rated as Energy Star compliant. Of course, I'm not sure how much that really means!

...I would also like to say, that since I normally buy stuff online, that another fun part of all this experience was the spiel that the CC clerks (yes, more then one) gave on extended warranties, cables, surge protectors, and all that. I know they hate doing it and they have to since it is required (profit, etc)...but I shot them down each time and enjoyed doing it.

I understand the need for a Surge protector isn't just spiel--although I've been trying to evaluate the need for "line conditioners"... My HE guy suggested one that was $250--I told him I didn't want to go much above $100 ...

And I must really look ratty or something, since I never had any clerk in either CC or BB actually approach me...it was always the other way around and I would have to fight for someone to help me. Not good service really.

I had varying experiences here. Interestingly I had both the best and the worst experience at two different Ultimate Electronics stores. At one of them the sales guy actually seemed to know what he was talking about and took a lot of time with me. At the other, it was like pulling teeth trying to get any help at all and when I finally got a sales guy he seemed bored and like he just wanted to get rid of me! :mad:

Boy am I glad all that is behind me now! I can't wait to just sit back and enjoy my new home theater set-up! :D

I'm picking up my TH-42PZ77U on friday. If it's not too much trouble I'd like to get some basic info on what I should do to break it in, what things to watch out for and what settings to use. I have heard some complaints about IR, but I'm hoping it's not a big problem.

This tv will be used for a LOT of gaming and will be in a pretty well lit room.

shouldnt be any grainy on the PZ77U with all the high specs it has if there was some i would be dissapointed.