bd_lin's Full Review: Panasonic TH-50PX77U 50 in. HDTV Plasma TV
I wanted a plasma because I needed to mount a TV on the wall due to the configuration of my family room. I decided on the 50 inch Panasonic HDTV screen mainly because it had the best anti-glare screen. The Panasonic also has a sleek black look and looks great when hung on the wall.
Picture Quality
The TV picture looks very clear with standard definition DirecTV. I don't feel the need to go to HDTV with this TV yet. The TV actually looked better than I had hoped. Watching football looks fantastic. The Panasonic has a 10000:1 contrast ratio, which means it is pretty bright. The anti-glare screen makes it much better when watching during the day. Sound was great too. The picture mode on this Panasonic model is 720P, which is not as many pixels as the more expensive 1080P model. However, it still looks great to me. I couldn't really tell the difference when looking at the TV's side by side in the showroom. The only thing I noticed was that 1080P model was not as bright because it had a 5000:1 contrast mode.
Aspect Ratio Mode
This TV has a great aspect ratio adjuster. My old TV, when you tried to squeeze the 4:3 picture into the 16:9 box, you would truncate the picture. The Panasonic has a version in which you can see the bottom. This is great for ESPN when you want to see the sports ticker.
Viewing Distance
With standard definition Directv, everything starts looking good at around 8-9 feet. I mounted the TV so that the bottom of the screen was about 43 inches from the ground and that looks fine either standing or sitting.
Connectivity
The TV comes with 2 HDMI inputs, S-Video inputs, and Component video inputs. There is also a side input for s-video and component for easy access. I don't have any components that use HDMI, so it is not used at the moment. I think I might use HDMI if I bought an amplifier with an HDMI output. Then you plug everything into the amplifier and need only one wire to go to the TV.
Mounting
I used the Peerless ST660 mount. This is a tilt mount. I would recommend using the tilt as you can tilt the TV up to connect more inputs if you need to.
1) Make sure you have at least 2 studs 16" to 28" apart. If you do not have studs within this distance, you cannot mount on the wall.
2) Get a keyhole saw to cut a hole where the wires go after you mount the TV on the wall. You make a hole at the top and bottom where you want it to come out and drop the wires through.
3) Order 2 Dual Gang Bulk Cable plates so that when you drill the hole in the wall, you can cover it up to make it looks nice. These things are big so that you can stuff lots of wires through them.
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