Panasonic TH-50PZ77U Review

The TH-50PZ77U is a 50" 1080p Plasma Flat Panel HDTV from Panasonic which was released in September 2007 alongside the 42" TH-42PZ77U. The introduction of the PZ77 means Panasonic now have eight Plasma sets on the market, a clear indication of the company's status as the front runner in the competitive plasma TV market.

The TH-50PZ77U is an update to the successful TH-50PZ700U and the improvements include an anti-glare screen and a 10,000:1 contrast ratio in comparison to the 5000:1 ratio of its predecessor.

The TH-50PZ77 has a resolution of 1920 x 1080, and features more than 2 million pixels. 

Plasmas have a reputation for producing stunningly deep blacks, and the TH-50PZ77U excels in this regard. Color saturation is excellent too.

Looks wise, the TH-50PZ77U features the classic glossy black frame.

Consumers worried about image retention will also be glad to learn that Panasonic have introduced an automatic pixel wobbling function to solve the problem on the Z77U series.

The menu system is simple and intuitive Panasonic have helpfully provided three factory preset modes - standard, cinema and vivid. 

Panasonic also boast that their EZ-Sync technology, which is built into the set, allows seamless control of multiple Panasonic devices with one remote.

Input wise the Panasonic TH-50PZ77U features 2 HDMI sockets, 3 S-Video and composite jacks, and 2 component inputs. 

The TH-50PZ77U also has a SD Card slot so that the user can view media straight from a SD card.

Teamed up with a HD-DVD player (such as the excellent value Toshiba HD-A3) the results are simply breathtaking. The stunning visuals of a movie like the Bourne Ultimatum, or a documentary such as Planet Earth simply have to be seen to be believed.

In the TH-50PZ77U Panasonic have produced a wonderful plasma HDTV. In terms of the picture it produces and its price point, it's hard to see how it can be beaten. Those people lacking in space or wishing to save money may be tempted to go for the 42" TH-42PZ77U.