Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U Review

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U is the 50 inch model of Panasonic’s high-end plasma TV line. As you would expect from a top-of-the-line Panasonic plasma TV, this model has 1080p resolution and offers very good picture quality. Though its black levels don’t match those of Pioneer models, they are still very good and provide great shadow depth and detail. The color reproduction of TH-50PZ850U is also very good, and together with the deep black levels it manages to offer excellent picture quality. This model from Panasonic comes with extra features like the ability to watch YouTube movies and Google Picasa pictures. Unfortunately, though these are nice features to have, they increase the price (update: at this date, many online stores have TH-50PZ850U at a better price than TH-50PZ800U).

Specifications:

• Screen size: 50 inch (that’s what the “50″ in TH-50PZ850U stands for)
• Resolution: 1920×1080 (1080p / Full-HD; All “PZ” models from Panasonic are 1080p)

For the full list of specifications see Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U product page on Panasonic site.

Pros:

• Superb overall picture quality.
• Great black levels and superb detail in dark areas.
• Very good contrast.
• Good anti-glare screen.
• VIERA Cast™ gives you access to Internet services like YouTube, Google Picasa, Weather, etc.
• SD card reader
• If you like more vivid colors you will prefer it over other HDTVs that match the standard. Note that this is also listed in the “cons” section since it has a subjective nature.

Cons:

• Doesn’t outperform its predecessor (TH-50PZ800U) though it costs more.
• Color reproduction doesn’t match the HDTV standard, being more vivid. If you are a purist you might not like this.
• Its performances and features don’t really match the price. The older TH-50PZ800U is a much better deal.

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U Picture Quality

It is one of the top-of-the-line Panasonic models so it offers very good picture quality. As with any plasma TV, a great deal of this quality comes from having deep black levels. Pioneer is still visibly above any Panasonic model in terms of black levels performance, but Panasonic is well above the other plasma TV manufacturers and certainly above any LCD TV. In real life, when watching TH-50PZ850U, you will experience very deep blacks, with the shadow detail and gradient being very good and offering plenty of detail.

What, no THX?

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U, the slightly older brother of the model we are reviewing here, is THX certified. Because of that, one might expect THX to be present in TH-50PZ850U as well. However, for some reason Panasonic decided not to include the THX certification in the PZ850U line.

So, is that a big deal? Not really. THX is a standard for HDTV content. That means it defines how exactly colors should look when actually watched on the HDTV. For some this might not make sense. Red is red and blue is blue, right? Not really. In real life, when watching two displays side by side, you may notice that the colors are not perfectly identical. One of the HDTVs may have the colors lighter or darker, some colors more vivid than others, etc. The THX certification basically tells us that a display reproduces colors according to the standard. However, not being THX certified doesn’t necessarily mean the opposite. For example, the best plasma TV in the world at this moment – Pioneer Kuro Elite PRO-111FD – is not THX certified but has the best picture you can get from a HDTV.

TH-50PZ850U, though lacking THX certification, produces a great picture with great dark areas and very good colors. It doesn’t always match exactly the standard but some people may actually prefer the wider color gamut of TH-50PZ850U which results in more vivid colors. For purists however, this could be a turn-off, especially since the cheaper TH-50PZ800U has accurate colors that comply with the HDTV standard. You can of course calibrate the TV to obtain the picture you want and by doing so you can come closer to the standard.

SD Content

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U performs well when watching standard definition content. Its noise reduction is effective and manages to improve the low quality SD content. Compared to Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD, one of its main competitors, it performs similarly when is feed with SD content. Its less expensive and older brother, the TH-50PZ800U, is also in the same quality zone. As you see, if you are trying to make your mind between these three plasma TV models, the quality of the SD content will not help you decide. Of course, if you plan to watch mostly standard definition content instead of high definition 720p/1080i broadcasts or 1080p Blu Ray movies, you might also want to check out a 720p model like Panasonic TH-50PX80U, which will go easier on your budget.

Good Anti-Glare Screen

If you usually watch TV with lights turned off or you don’t have much light in your room this might not be important, but for many the effectiveness of the anti-glare coating can make a big difference. Panasonic TH-50PZ850U anti-glare coating performs admirably compared to other plasma TVs. If you have a very well lit room, you will get glare however. This plasma TV has a very good anti-reflective screen, being outperformed only by Pioneer Kuro panels. Unless you have a light source that hits the screen directly, you will get minimal glare. Hence, for most situations and the average room lighting, it will perform very well.

Features

Controlls

Panasonic TH-50PZ850U has five picture modes and each of them can be adjusted. If you use Custom mode you will be able to adjust it independently for each input. You will find a setting named C.A.T.S. which changes contrast dynamically. You will probably want to leave this turned off as it doesn’t produce a better picture. Actually, as it is the case with most “intelligent” settings that dynamically affect the image, C.A.T.S. will most likely do more bad than good.

VIERA Cast™

This feature allows you to watch YouTube videos, photos from Google Picasa, weather information, stock information and news. We can probably assume that in the future versions, Panasonic will add more services.

All interfaces are optimized for plasma TV so the backgrounds are dark. This eliminates the risk of Burn-In and is also easier on the eyes. When watching YouTube videos you can see them full screen, and if you thought SD content looks bad on a large screen wait to see that tiny YouTube video get resized to 50 inch.

While VIERA Cast™ is a nice feature if you don’t have a computer, for those who can quickly hook up a laptop to the TV it isn’t a big deal. If you have a computer, you can get a whole lot more flexibility from any HDTV without having to spend a dime.

If you have checked out Pioneer PDP-5020FD Review, you have probably noticed that it has a LAN port and also a feature called Home Media Gallery. VIERA Cast™ gives you access to some internet services while Home Media Gallery allows you to play content from a computer. Hence, they don’t offer the same functionality.

Connectivity

As with every high-end plasma TV, Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U offers complete connectivity options. Under the screen you will find a door that covers a SD card slot, one HDMI input, S-Video and one composite input. On the back side you will find three HDMI connectors, one VGA for PC connectivity, S-Video, Composite, two component inputs, RF for antenna or cable, optical and analog audio output. You will also find a LAN connector used by VIERA Cast™ to access the Internet and a RS-232 port.

Anti Burn-In Features

These days it is very unlikely to get burn-in on your plasma TV. But, just in case, Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U has all the anti-burn-in features we are used to find in a plasma TV. As a prevention mechanism you have the pixel orbiter function which shifts the image around. You also have the possibility to make the side bars of 4:3 content gray instead of black, thus “burning” the pixels more evenly. In the unlikely case that your plasma TV gets a burn-in, you can use the white wash function to eliminate it. Don’t forget that even though you have these features it is also a good idea not to abuse your plasma TV by leaving the DVD paused for hours or staying on the same channel all day long.

Audio

It has four speakers, two on each side. Two of the speakers are woofers, producing low frequency sounds (55Hz - 200Hz), while the other two speakers cover the higher frequencies (200Hz - 17kHz). The sound is more than decent for watching TV and is acceptable even for HD movies. Of course if you really want quality and power you better put some money aside for a serious home theater audio system.

TH-50PZ850U vs TH-50PZ800U

The most important difference between the two models (and generally between the two lines) is the presence of VIERA Cast™ in TH-50PZ850U. It is a nice feature to have, but only if it would have been for free. The bad news is that it will cost you more to have a PZ850U model, and frankly being able to play YouTube videos, watch your Picasa images or see weather conditions isn’t quite worth the money. If you have a computer you can do that (and more) for free with any HDTV, though it might not be as convenient.

In terms of picture quality, both TH-50PZ850U and TH-50PZ800U have similar performances. There are differences of course but of a subjective nature. Aside from the differences in how they render colors, all the other factors that determine picture quality are the same for both models.

The question that comes to mind is whether or not Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U is worth the extra money. While working on making the top with this year’s best plasma TVs, I tried to condensate in a short sentence the characteristics of each plasma TV. While for some models it was an easy task, for others like the TH-50PZ850U I ended up scratching my head because I had a hard time placing them in a clear category. The less expensive TH-50PZ800U offers best value for money in the 50 inch class and Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020FD is the best HDTV targeted at the average consumer. However, TH-50PZ850U isn’t that easy to categorize because it is more expensive than TH-50PZ800U without offering better quality. So, whether or not is worth the money comes down to how much you appreciate the features offered by VIERA Cast™ and what type of colors you personally prefer - more accurate or more vivid. Choosing between TH-50PZ850U and TH-50PZ800U is a matter of personal preference, the differences between the two models not being sufficient to consider one better than the other. Of course, your budget may push you in a certain direction more than performance and features do.

Update: at this date, many online stores have TH-50PZ850U at a better price than TH-50PZ800U. I have updated all price references that appeared in this review to be displayed as strikethrough text.