[mrbofus]

I'm looking to purchase a 50" 1080p plasma TV. I think I have narrowed my choices down to the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U, the Panasonic TH-50PZ850U, or the Vizio VP504F


You guys are all much more knowledgeable than I about the details of these sets; which would you recommend? I was originally budgeting for the Vizio, but I'm willing to spend an extra $300 on the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U. So the question is, how much better is the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U than the Vizio VP504F, and how much better is the Panasonic TH-50PZ850U than the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U?


Thanks in advance for all your advice!

 

[chrisherbert]

Not that much is known about the Vizio plasma so it's hard to compare it to the others. I'd love to see some knowlegable people get ahold of one and really check it out.

 

[mrbofus]

Yeah, but since the Vizio has been out for a couple months, I was hoping someone would know. If not, then I was hoping to at least narrow the choice to one of the Panasonic models.

 

[doogiehowser]

The new Vizio was a dissapointment for me. Blacks are washed out. It is not as sharp as last years Vizio. Who knows about reliability?


I'd go with one of the Panasonics. Look at them side by side, play with the settings, and see which one you like best.

 

[zxlr8]

What DoogieHowser does not tell you is that he just saw it in the store and never bought it or tried to play with the settings at home. I was VERY impressed with it once I got it home and spent some time with it. I have had multiple plasmas and the Vizio is a very good performer. The blacks are as good as i have ever seen this side of a Kuro. Pannys have similar blacks, but the contrast looks better on the Vizio. With a 2.35:1 image, you won't be able to tell where the screen ends and the bezel begins. The blacks are really incredible. The 504 does not have the new Reon chip for video processing, but it still does a fine job with most SD material. The real reason I picked the Vizio over the Panny was how sharp it was compared to the Pannys. It simply looked better without having artificial line enhancement. Pick which one makes you happiest, but Vizio has a better warranty with their on-site replacement. I have a friend with a 42 that had a weird flicker issue. They sent him a brand new one and he put the old one in the box. That is tough to beat. Besides, it is an an American company and one thing we need with this downturn in our economy is to keep our money flowing within this country.

 

[chrisherbert]



Quote:
Originally Posted by zxlr8 /forum/post/14205275


What DoogieHowser does not tell you is that he just saw it in the store and never bought it or tried to play with the settings at home. I was VERY impressed with it once I got it home and spent some time with it. I have had multiple plasmas and the Vizio is a very good performer. The blacks are as good as i have ever seen this side of a Kuro. Pannys have similar blacks, but the contrast looks better on the Vizio. With a 2.35:1 image, you won't be able to tell where the screen ends and the bezel begins. The blacks are really incredible. The 504 does not have the new Reon chip for video processing, but it still does a fine job with most SD material. The real reason I picked the Vizio over the Panny was how sharp it was compared to the Pannys. It simply looked better without having artificial line enhancement. Pick which one makes you happiest, but Vizio has a better warranty with their on-site replacement. I have a friend with a 42 that had a weird flicker issue. They sent him a brand new one and he put the old one in the box. That is tough to beat. Besides, it is an an American company and one thing we need with this downturn in our economy is to keep our money flowing within this country.

Vizio is an "American" company that uses parts from other countries, probably exclusively. Korean panels (LG) and presumably everything else from China. I'll bet they aren't manfactured in the US either.


Economic nationalism doesn't make sense anyway. Buy whatever's the best set for the money.

 

[zxlr8]

The company is headquartered in the US. The money from profit ends up here. Whether or not you think that matters in our economy is still up to you.

 

[mrbofus]

I appreciate all the input. So now the Vizio is back in the running. =)


At this point, I am very brand-neutral in regards to plasma TVs.


zxlr8, what settings did you change / play around with to get the Vizio to the point where you liked it?


And does anyone know about the difference between the two Panasonics? Based on what zxlr8 is saying, I am now leaning towards choosing between the Vizio VP504F or the Panasonic TH-50PZ850U; I just have to know if the Panasonic is worth the ~$600 difference.


Thanks!

 

[chrisherbert]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mrbofus /forum/post/14206882


I appreciate all the input. So now the Vizio is back in the running. =)


At this point, I am very brand-neutral in regards to plasma TVs.


zxlr8, what settings did you change / play around with to get the Vizio to the point where you liked it?


And does anyone know about the difference between the two Panasonics? Based on what zxlr8 is saying, I am now leaning towards choosing between the Vizio VP504F or the Panasonic TH-50PZ850U; I just have to know if the Panasonic is worth the ~$600 difference.


Thanks!

Rather than the 850U I'd look at the 800U. It should be cheaper and the THX mode is actually more accurate than any on the 850U. Cnet rated the 800U considerably higher than the 850, and actually have it rated higher than any other TV (including last year's Kuros, though that will change once they complete the reviews of the '08 Kuros).

 

[mrbofus]



Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisherbert /forum/post/14207044


Rather than the 850U I'd look at the 800U. It should be cheaper and the THX mode is actually more accurate than any on the 850U. Cnet rated the 800U considerably higher than the 850, and actually have it rated higher than any other TV (including last year's Kuros, though that will change once they complete the reviews of the '08 Kuros).

Wow, thanks for letting me know! The 800U is $300 cheaper than the 850U, so I appreciate that.


OK, so now the question becomes: is the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U worth about $500 more than the Vizio VP504F? And if so, why?

 

[chrisherbert]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mrbofus /forum/post/14207244


Wow, thanks for letting me know! The 800U is $300 cheaper than the 850U, so I appreciate that.


OK, so now the question becomes: is the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U worth about $500 more than the Vizio VP504F? And if so, why?

I don't know whether it's worth the extra $500, but here are some differences:


800u will be more reliable and have better build quality


800u will almost certainly have more accurate colors and better black level


Vizio will accept 1080p over VGA, 800u will not


Vizio will probably accept 1080p over component, 800u will not


Vizio will probably have more extensive user controls


Overall picture quality will probably be significantly better on the 800u, though no guarantees.

 

[BetaB]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mrbofus /forum/post/14207244


OK, so now the question becomes: is the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U worth about $500 more than the Vizio VP504F? And if so, why?

It's just a really nice image. What more can I say. The THX mode is so great to know that you can "set it and forget it." Accurate colors, real life images. Sure it's not the best TV on the planet, but for your average TV fan, what more can you ask for, well maybe take a couple hundred of the selling price.


To me, the extra cash over the vizio was worth it BUT, I gave up the 800u after a couple of weeks for a samsung 5084 b/c it was $1500 less. Look out locally for a top of the line model from a previous year for some serious cash savings....anyways enough with the money talk, the 800u is a great screen. Blacks are good enough, the flesh tones are great, reds, blues, action and motion. It was the first time I really felt comfortable with the colors a tv was producing, well this is measured against my 4 year old panasonic 1080i crt HDTV and a samsung ln40a650. If I had the cash for the 850u, why not a kuro....it never stops argh......

 

[chrisherbert]



Quote:
Originally Posted by BetaB /forum/post/14208918


It's just a really nice image. What more can I say. The THX mode is so great to know that you can "set it and forget it." Accurate colors, real life images. Sure it's not the best TV on the planet, but for your average TV fan, what more can you ask for, well maybe take a couple hundred of the selling price.


To me, the extra cash over the vizio was worth it BUT, I gave up the 800u after a couple of weeks for a samsung 5084 b/c it was $1500 less. Look out locally for a top of the line model from a previous year for some serious cash savings....anyways enough with the money talk, the 800u is a great screen. Blacks are good enough, the flesh tones are great, reds, blues, action and motion. It was the first time I really felt comfortable with the colors a tv was producing, well this is measured against my 4 year old panasonic 1080i crt HDTV and a samsung ln40a650. If I had the cash for the 850u, why not a kuro....it never stops argh......

How do you like the colors on the 5084?

 

[PeterPP]

I got the Vizio VP504F today and I love it!