Deals Panasonic TH-58PZ700U 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Product Description

1080p High-Def Resolution for Crisp, Life-Like Details. The extremely high 1920 x 1080 pixel count of this plasma TV allows for its incredible 1080p HD display capability, which provides twice the number of pixels as 720p HDTV displays for superior detail and extraordinary HDTV reproduction.One-Touch Playback: EZ Sync¿ HDAVI Control lets you operate all of your home theater components by pressing a single button on your TV's remote control.Turn Your Living Room into a Gallery: GalleryPlayer® allows you to enjoy the world's finest high definition art and photography on your Panasonic HD plasma TV. Use the free GalleryPlayer® software to purchase and download the images you like, and then play them on your Panasonic HDTV right from your PC. Sign-up is easy and free. Plus, you get a free collection of high definition images to enjoy right away in your home or office.Share Digital Photos on the Big Screen Share your JPEG photos taken with a Lumix® digital camera on your Panasonic plasma using the built-in SD card slot1. Simply insert the SD card, which is about the size of a postage stamp, into the SD slot on the TV and enjoy a photo slideshow with Photo Viewer

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description The Panasonic TH-58PZ700U 1080p Plasma HDTV sports an impressive 58-inch plasma screen with 1080p resolution for a wonderful viewing experience. It will feel right at home as the centerpiece of a home theater setup.

An Understated Beauty
The TH-58PZ700U does not look like it's trying too hard. Instead, it lets the big screen speak for itself. The glass is surrounded by a thick glossy black bezel on all sides, with a door on the bottom to keep controls out of sight. Another hatch hides a slot for SD memory cards. Speakers--matching in color and barely noticeable--are set on both sides of the display. The understated look would be an elegant addition to any decor.

The understated elegant looks of this Panasonic HDTV will fit in with any decor. View larger.

The TH-58PZ700U has connections for all your home theater components. View larger.

Outstanding Performance
The TH-58PZ700U is 1080p, meaning it has a full 1920 x 1080 resolution, the highest HD resolution available for the clearest and sharpest picture. Because its plasma display, the black levels are deep and the uniformity of brightness is superb. The unit has 4096 shades of gradation and has up to a 5000:1 contrast ratio. Video noise reduction circuitry and a digital comb filter make sure the picture on screen is always optimal. The TH-58PZ700U will upconvert any signal you feed it and display it at 1080p.

Connections
On the back, the TH-58PZ700U features two HDMI inputs, two component inputs, two composite inputs, and two S-Video inputs. Hidden beneath panels in front is another composite and S-Video input, a component video input, and a slot for SD cards. Insert an SD card filled with photos and you can watch a slide show with the built-in Photo Viewer software.

TV as an Art Gallery
The TH-58PZ700U includes GalleryPlayer software you can use to display high-definition art and photography on your TV. A free collection of images is included so your television can display art even when it's not on.

One-Touch Convenience
When you use the Panasonic EZ-Sync technology to connect to other compatible EZ-Sync devices via the HDMI connector, you get one-touch control over all your home theater components. For example, with one touch of a button, you can turn on the DVD player, turn on the receiver, and set the DVD player as the source while also adjusting the sound level, turn on the TV--which will accept the input signal--and play the DVD. Instead of fumbling to find all the right buttons, you can watch your movies without wondering how to set everything up.

The TH-58PZ700U is backed by a 1-year limited warranty for parts and labor.

What's in the Box
TH-58PZ700U plasma HDTV, remote control (with batteries), AC cord, pedestal, two cable clamper, and antenna adapter.

Customer Reviews

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS TV - edit - be aware of this
The Panasonic TH-58PZ700U is not only a great looking Plasma TV, but the picture on it is incredible. The remote control, besides not being backlit, is excellent in layout and functionality. It's great having the SD card slot, and although some people have complained about the sound, I've found it to be very good.

Why am I telling you NOT to buy such a wonderful television? Because it is being sold with a horrible defect. The internal power units go out. They just cease to function.

I have had my Panaonic for 5 days, and now it won't turn on. After doing some quick searching on the web, I discovered that this is an all to common issue.

Not a problem for me, because I'm taking it right back to Best Buy. But what would happen if it goes out in 13 months - one month over Panasonic's factory warranty. Well, according to Panasonic, who did admit that there is a problem, they will 'handle it on a case by case basis.' I asked why they just wouldn't warrant a bad power system for 5 years, which I believe is perfectly reasonable on a $3000+ television, and they told me that they couldn't commit to anything. Wow!!!

So to summarize. Panasonic is selling very expensive Plasma televisions with a known defect. They have several options. They could recall all the TV's and replace the power systems. They could just extend the warranties on that particular part of the set so that a mass recall wouldn't be necessary and which would probably save them money. Or, they can continue selling them, and fix the ones that fail within a year, and decide what to do about the rest later.

Because they chose option 3, I will not only be purchasing a different brand, but I will warn everyone via the web about this issue.

I tried to contact Panaonic Customer Relations to voice this concern and to find out if they are looking at it in more detail as these things continue to fail, but alas, there apparantly isn't a Customer Relations Department or they prefer to remain out of touch and unseen.

---------EDIT on 8/19/2008------------

Well, just as an update, I ended up deciding to give it another chance and exchanged it at Best Buy. Due to a few Best Buy mistakes, I didn't get my replacement for nearly 3 weeks; however, I ended up paying around $75 extra for the 5 year warranty.

This television is awesome. It's been 6 months since I received my replacement, and I'm still thrilled about it.

I'm not sure whether or not this issue has been totally resolved or if Panasonic has extended the power component's warranty, so I wouldn't recommend this television to friends. A tv this expensive and heavy shouldn't be a gamble.

I can say I absolutely love mine, and if I had to buy it over, I would. But only because I know about the issue and got the extended 5 year warranty.

If you get the 5 year warranty, it gets a 4 star rating from me. It would be 5 star if I felt the warranty wasn't a necessity.

Excellent PQ
I had originally bought the 50PZ700u and I loved it, but kept thinking I could go bigger so I got this one. It has a beautiful picture using a High-Def source and a very good picture using a standard def source. I'm viewing it from 13' away and have it hooked up to a regular DVD player, DirecTV HR10-250 HD Tivo and a PS3.

As I said, regular programming looks very good on this tv. I hadn't exptected much in this department, especially with a 58". I thought a 480i or 480p picture would look jaggy or blocky on a set with a 1920 x 1080 native resolution. The picture is as good as it was on my 35" Sony CRT.

But HD programming is where this unit really shines. Discovery HD, HDNET, etc all look amazing! And Motorstorm, the Gran Tourismo HD demo and POTC: DMC Blu Ray on the PS3 are mind blowing. I can't wait for DirecTV to launch that new satellite and add more HD programming!

I don't use the TV's built in tuner or the speakers (I run the audio through my Amp) so I can't comment on them. Some people who see this set in the store say it's too dim, but at home, with the settings as high as possible it's actually too bright.

My only gripe is that it only has 2 HDMI inputs. You can never have too many HDMI inputs these days. Other than that this TV is top notch, I highly recommend it.

best tv on the market today
as of right now this is by far the best tv on the market, plasma techonology beats out every other technology in the over 46 inch screen category and Panasonic is the only company making a 1080p consumer model right now with a built in tuner and pedestal stand, I was one of the very first people to own this tv when it came out and it does not dissappoint, the picture quality is the best I've seen and SD programming looks very good, but this baby was born for blu-ray and when hooked up to a blu-ray player the images are ready to come out and grab you, it's like having a professional movie theatre in your house the picture is that good with blu-ray, if u want to mount this to a wall make sure you get a very good mount like maybe the sanus vmpl3, this mount can be installed with 3 studs on your wall for extra protection because this tv is heavy 140 lbs, the speakers are not that great but again this tv is for a home theatre set-up with a good a/v receiver capable of HDMI output, I'm using the sony dg1000 which works perfectly with this tv