The Official Panasonic TC-P50X1 and TC-P42X1 Owner's Discussion & Information Thread - Page 5

Some Costcos (stores, not online) have the TH-46PZ85. (Or is it the Z80? Don't recall.) And they're selling them for less than the X1 now, complete with two-year warranty.

(WAY brighter than the P50X1...)

Where are people getting that the PX80U is "WAY" brighter than the X1...I JUST DON'T SEE IT. And I have 20/20 vision and not color blind. As close to perfect eye vision as nature allows. My Friend's PX80U is not "WAY" brighter. Where are people getting this from??

LOL ...you just can't stop talking about Samsung can you, regardless of what thread(panny)you are on.

I'm a Costco member and you are wrong. The 85 series they have is a 50 inch and it's several hundred more than the 50inch X series. The 46 panny is the 80 series and it's not brighter than the X series. After you pay the $50 membership fee to Costco the 46 inch set would be a whopping $60 cheaper than the larger X-series 50 inch set. Best Buy will easily knock off at least $60 on the new set. And the second year of warranty is not free, you have to renew your membership, another $50.

You are correct, it's not brighter. The people doing the evaluation are looking at a display in a retail outlet, not in their home. A true evaluator would realize that such comparisons are useless on a retail showroom. I recently saw both the pioneers(not elites)on the common area of the showroom floor at BB. If I hadn't known that the Pioneers were much better displays, I would have been fooled. The quality of the feed is horrible, the type of lighting and the distribution of that light negates the advantages of a better panel.

It's like having a racecar run on low grade gasoline. I just returned today from the opthamologist. I got my eyes "calibrated" and I'm 20-10, and the 80 U still doesn't look any brighter.

Well I noticed it on both of them equally in the store but all is great in my house.

Who's saying that? I am. Others too. You may not be able to evaluate black levels in a store, but you can surely tell which set is brighter. Tell that to Sony.

The TH-46PZ80 is, indeed, way brighter than the P50X1. About one f-stop, I would say. (But it's smaller, so....)

The PN50A450 is noticeably brighter than the P50X1. About one f-stop also, I would guess.

The TH-50PX80U is comparable to the PN50A450. About two-thirds of an f-stop brighter than the P50X1, I would say.

More than a couple of posters here have also noted the relatively subdued images coming out of the X1, so it's not just me.

Panasonic figures that it's not a deal-breaker. And I don't think it will be, with most buyers. But it's there, plain as (a partly cloudy) day.

At BB I saw the 3 2008 models x,z and an x1 surrounded by lcd's. I was going to say the plasmas were darker but they looked more off white than the lcds. Hopefully at Sears they may look different. BB is not well lit and Sears is well lit. I have been planning on a plasma for months but on that visit I was drawn to the sony lcd. Why did every Panasonic look so off white?

I picked up a TC-P42X1 today. Prepping it for break-in. I'll have settings posted for it either next Monday or Tuesday.

Again...I am confused. Where do you get the X1 is dimmer than the PX80U models???

Have you done a side by side test in a home enviornment? Or you are going off store displays??

That's what I'm trying to figure out. How did they come to this conclusion? I HIGHLY doubt Panasonic would make the next Gen models of the entry level plamas dimmer, or worse quality than current models. Would make no sense what-so-ever. Talk about customer anger and backlash as a result of a move like that. Panasonic is looking to improve their sets, no make them worse. It's like the folks who swear 1080P makes a difference on a 42 in TV....science says you eyes won't agree from a comfortable viewing distance. I vave seen both in action, and I can not tell. Now...if someone can do a side by side test, that would be key to answering this question. What I plan to do is have my friend bring her PX80U and do a side by side with the X1 I plan to purchase. If I do notice that the X1 is dimmer...I will return the X1 to the retailer and post the details here and every major blog.

You all need to get over the brightness. I have the px80u and turn the contrast/picture down quite a bit. Also, in-store observations are silly. Usually the Kuro's are the most dim, but we all know that they give the best picture.

Stop the presses! Now we're lucky enough to get one of the most informed opinions out there on a X1 series in several days, so no need to worry until then.

This is be a deciding factor for me too!!

Look, LCD's will always look that way, bright, bright, bright. The picture quality is another matter. Plasmas are natural tones, not that "flashlight" white or "cartoonish" flesh tones of an LCD. Take one home and suddenly you realize that that's the way an image should look.

Maybe you should go to the thread of people who have actually BOUGHT the new X1 series. The overall impression seems to be extremely positive. It's an entry level display and is an awesome value. This set will probably be the display of the year in it's price point. The set already sells for under $800(42inch)at some reliable online dealers, including delivery and no tax. That's an amazing price for a 42 inch display. It's not even a NEO and it's getting great reviews.

In regards to the 450, no way I'd buy another Sammy. This was already discussed on here and the reliability is always a concern with Samsung.

Viewing is a very subjective opinion, but you are in the minority of your comparison with the 80U.

Hey Prime,
I was just at another local Sears and they had a 50a450 next to a 50x1 and the a450 is definitely brighter like you said. Do you think it makes much of a difference in a home setting though? I am upgrading from a 32" CRT with SD service. I have Hd service scheduled next week to go with my new Plasma (leaning towards the X1 being brand new). I also thought about purchasing the a450 but its the display model, I figure its been there for quite some time with allot of hours on it.

First thing a normal viewer would do was turn off that Vivid setting OFF. I would have had to wear sun glasses if I would have kept it in that position.

It's ironic that YOU actually own an 80U and you aren't buying into the brightness advantage over the X1. Unfortunately, people don't realize that this showroom brightness means nothing at your home.

The store will have the A450 brighter on purpose. They want it to "outshine" the X1. Why?? They need to sell all the A450s left in the store. The X1 being new to the market, will sell itself. It's known knowledge that retailers will tweak the TVs they want to sell the fastest. Pioneers always seem "Dim" at retail stores. And we all know nothing outshines Pioneers. And at that price level, they sell to a specific demographic. And this demographic will not be comparing $3k plasma with the X1 or A450 for example.

You just have to overcome this "brightness" issue, it's not the deciding factor on picture quality. If you are buying a flashlight, it's important, but not with a display. But the notable exception is if your house is an exact replica of Best Buy or Sears....lol.

True. However, what concerns me is that some are saying it's"much dimmer", which affects the overall picture quality. Instead of a "sunny day" it looks like a "cloudy day" said one blogger. How can the brightness be that drastic? I highly doubt that. And if you want bright and fake looking, go with LCD is what I say. What do you think Speedking?

Looking forward to see how low the black level measures.

I'm sure you are right. The stores are very bright compared to my basement - especially at night . Really though, thanks for all the input! I'm sure I will be very pleased with the 50X1.

There are only 2 types of posters that would say the Panasonic Plasmas are dim or dirty whites. One is an LCD owner/fanboy type and the other is one that has never owned one. I am more concerned with flesh tones and people looking like actual people. I have had my Panny for 2 years and it looks as good as the day I bought it, actually better(after I learned what adjustments I liked). I don't ever watch a show or movie and look for flaws. Every display has flaws, even the mighty Elites. If you want to look for things, instead of the actual content, you will never be happy. The artificial whites on an LCD look like toothpaste smeared on a glass to me, with a "paste" like quality.
Then when you consider the "off axis" viewing problems of LCD's, it makes them impossible for me to enjoy. Imagine having a superbowl party and drawing straws to see who gets to sit in the coveted" front and center " position to enjoy the best picture. Not for me.....that's for sure.

I

I wouldn't expect any remarkable numbers for an entry level 720p display. It's not the Neo, so I'd expect numbers like the previous year. What I'm curious about is the 600hz sub field and general picture observations.

One Buyer's Purchasing Process...

A few months back I saw a 50px and fell in love. I currently have a Toshiba 36" Cinema series CRT. Cost me $1200 about 9 years ago, and the picture is VERY good for a 480. If I hadn't seen the px I would have little motivation to change out my TV. I use it an average of 6 hours per week for movies...that's it. It's still a great picture.

Why not 1080? I have to say most of the time I see a 1080 with an optimal signal feed, it's TOO crisp. The picture feels artificially sharp. Almost like seeing a photoshop sharpened photo. But a Panny 720p looks natural to me.

Anyway, Sears sold its last 50px, and in making a recent trip to flirt I felt spurned . I popped up my iPhone and scoured for the replacement model. When I saw the 30,000:1 contrast ratio specs in the new 50x1, I decided I would not let love die again. I haven't even laid eyes on the 50x1, but I guess like others I have faith that Panasonic has a clue.

I have had my Toshiba set at brightness of 60, and my iMac at its lowest brightness. I have kept every display I ever used at home or work dim enough that some people say "Is there something wrong with your screen?" I am fairly confident that I am a low-light kinda guy and will not have problems with the x1. Especially in the basement home theater.

I'll let you know this weekend. It arrives Friday. I also bought a Roku Netflix streamer so I might throw in a review of that thru the x1, as well.

PS: My Sears people gave me 10% off AND the 3 year same-as-cash. So I feel especially lucky.

Agree with you 100% speedking.

After a visual inspection right beside my second 111FD that is finishing up its break-in time, there is no contest.... the 111FD is blacker by a mile. The X1's minimum black level only gets slightly darker than the 111FD at the beginning of it's power on cycle. I'll estimate that the minimum luminance level is around 0.008-0.010fL. I'll have definitive measurements next week.

That is not good news.
Do you have any first impressions on the picture quality?

- Rich

Nope. The only source it has seen since I pulled it out of the box is the break-in images on a SD card.