Panasonic 58PZ700U 58-inch TV

Panasonic has another addition to their line of high-definition televisions. On their 1080p line, they introduced the 58-inch Panasonic TH-58PZ700U. The Panasonic HDTV outperforms many rear-projection sets and nearly all jumbo plasmas out in the market today. For big-screen lovers with the means to go flat, the Panasonic TH-58PZ700U should be near the top of the list.

For such a large television, the styling of the TH-58PZ700U is admirably understated. Its huge, 58-inch-diagonal pane of glass is surrounded on all sides by a relatively thick frame of glossy black. From either side of that frame peek the speakers, which consist of extremely thin, black, vertical strips. The top of the cabinet is angled back, as is a larger section along the bottom where you’ll find a door concealing controls and also an AV input, while a smaller hatch opens to reveal a slot for SD memory cards. The TH-58PZ700U measures 57.3 inches by 38.2 inches by 16.5 inches and weighs 165 pounds with the included stand; sans stand, it measures 57.3 inches by 36.2 inches by 5.7 inches and weighs 141 pounds.

The Panasonic TH-58PZ700U has a 1080p native resolution, which translates to 1,920×1,080 pixels, the highest number available today in an HDTV. The set can resolve every detail of the highest-resolution 1080i and 1080p HD sources, and all other resolutions, whether from 720p HDTV, DVD, or standard-definition television, are scaled to fit the pixels. The 58-inch screen size makes the benefits of 1080p more apparent than they’d be on smaller HDTVs.

This HDTV features not three HDMI inputs - as usually the standard in most televisions - but only two, which is a bit surprising and a let-down. There’s also a VGA-style PC input with a 1,280×1,024 maximum resolution, a pair of component-video inputs, two AV inputs with composite- and S-Video, an RF-style antenna input, and an optical digital output for the ATSC tuner. A panel on the front flips up to reveal controls and another AV input with composite- and S-Video, while a second panel hides slot for SD, SDHC, and miniSD cards, allowing you to display JPEG digital photos on the big screen.

The TH-58PZ700U delivered excellent picture quality in just about every regard. You will find that the set performs very well especially with its deep blacks and extremely accurate color temperature, and while its standard-def picture and its color of green could, as with many plasmas, stand improving, those issues don’t interfere with its overall impact.

With black level representations, the TH-58PZ700U held its own nicely, displaying as deeper shade of black than nearly any set it is compared to. Colors on the Panasonic looked very good and were helped tremendously by the set’s accurate grayscale. Detail on the TH-58PZ700U was everything you would expect from a 1080p HDTV. The set resolved every line of a 1080i and 1080p patterns, although it couldn’t take 1080p/24 sources. Like most HDTVs, it couldn’t properly deinterlace 1080i film-based material.

The TH-58PZ700U has a screen designed to reduce glare from room. Watching dark scenes in a brightly lit room, you could clearly see yourselves reflected in on the screen, and blacks appeared quite a bit lighter, washing out the image somewhat.

Overall, the tv produces a deep level of black; highly accurate initial color temperature; clean, sharp image; sleek design. On the other hand, its also expensive; has a less than impressive connectivity than other high-end HDTVs and subpar standard-def performance with a less-effective glare-reducing screen.

Sources:
http://shopping.yahoo.com
http://reviews.digitaltrends.com
http://www.plasmaconcepts.com