**UPDATE 9** 50" Panasonic 1080P plasma TV- $499 at the store - NOT ONLINE ANYMORE

Thanks! Will check it out.

GudSpellur said:   polishdreamer said:   Anyone else?

Why are you so desperate for attention?

I bumped a great deal, is there a problem ??

I've had this TV for about half a week now and so far, I love it. My biggest (and pretty much only) gripe is the location of the remote sensor. It's on the bottom, off-centered to the left. Because of all the other equipment I have (a/v receiver, bluray player, xbox, and wii) combined with the smallish TV stand I have, the only place I have left to put my center speaker is right in front of the TV. It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor if I have the remote in my right hand (I'm right-handed). Kind of annoying. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to resolve my situation... but all things considered that's a pretty minor complaint.

Oh, and if anyone is interested, here are the color settings I'm using (based on what I found on AVS forums):

Contrast - 78
Brightness - 56
Color - 48
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 0
Color Temp - Warm 1 (guy on AVS forum suggested Warm2, but I like warm 1 better)
Color Mgmt - Off
C.A.T.S. - Off
Video NR - Off

HDMI Settings

RGB Range - Auto
Content type - Graphics (probably the most important setting to change, colors too saturated left OFF/Auto)

Advanced

Block NR - Off
Mosquito NR - Off
Motion Smoother - Off (Weak showed little to no artifacts)
Black Level - Light
3:2 Pulldown - Auto

Yuyak said...
"It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor"

This will solve your problem, and give you a growth path to hiding your AV equipment components somewhere sight unseen, if you ever go there later. Highly recommended.
Repeater

HuggieBear said:   Yuyak said...
"It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor"

This will solve your problem, and give you a growth path to hiding your AV equipment components somewhere sight unseen, if you ever go there later. Highly recommended.
Repeater

Sweet call.

Hmm, is it worth getting a Costco membership just to get this TV? The Costco by me always seems to be a madhouse.

HuggieBear said:   Yuyak said...
"It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor"

This will solve your problem, and give you a growth path to hiding your AV equipment components somewhere sight unseen, if you ever go there later. Highly recommended.
Repeater

E4300 said:   The Panasonic's TV remote has always been a so so performer. You'll need to aim it at the sensor for best performance. A small object sitting along the line-of-sight can obscure the signal.

The cheapest solution is to get a remote control with an RF (radio frequency) output and an infra-red repeater. Second best is to go for a more powerful IR (infra-red) remote control. Many quality remotes (like those that come with the LG TV) are equipped with a lens that cover the IR emitter at the front of the remote. I can sit about 20' in front of the LG and still be able to send the signal to the TV without worrying about the orientation of the remote control.Thanks guys. I still need to setup my Harmony One from the Best Buy deal; it's unfortunately not RF, but hopefully will be powerful enough to resolve this. If not, I'll look into the repeater.

Yuyak said:   HuggieBear said:   Yuyak said...
"It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor"

This will solve your problem, and give you a growth path to hiding your AV equipment components somewhere sight unseen, if you ever go there later. Highly recommended.
Repeater

E4300 said:   The Panasonic's TV remote has always been a so so performer. You'll need to aim it at the sensor for best performance. A small object sitting along the line-of-sight can obscure the signal.

The cheapest solution is to get a remote control with an RF (radio frequency) output and an infra-red repeater. Second best is to go for a more powerful IR (infra-red) remote control. Many quality remotes (like those that come with the LG TV) are equipped with a lens that cover the IR emitter at the front of the remote. I can sit about 20' in front of the LG and still be able to send the signal to the TV without worrying about the orientation of the remote control.Thanks guys. I still need to setup my Harmony One from the Best Buy deal; it's unfortunately not RF, but hopefully will be powerful enough to resolve this. If not, I'll look into the repeater.

I got the BB Harmony remote deal and it works fine on a 3 year old Panny Plasma. I can point it away from the TV and it still works.

HardcoreRS said:   Hmm, is it worth getting a Costco membership just to get this TV? The Costco by me always seems to be a madhouse.

I would get a friend who has Costco membership and make him buy it (let him keep the AMEX rewards)
OR
Ask your friend to buy costco cash cards and then you can buy it with the cash cards.

HardcoreRS said:   Hmm, is it worth getting a Costco membership just to get this TV? The Costco by me always seems to be a madhouse. My costco is always a madhouse on weekends, but pretty empty if I go weekday evenings. On weekends, as crowded as they are, they have tons of cash registers open and those guys are best check-out people (super fast and efficient) of any retailer I've seen so you end up not having to wait very long in line. And if nothing else, they have lots of free food samples

As for the membership cost, if you want this TV, the savings from this alone will pay for it. The cheapest I've seen on the U50 is $700 (last week on Amazon and Best Buy, both back up to $800). This is $650 including the extra year warranty and membership fee is $55/yr.

10credi said:   HardcoreRS said:   Hmm, is it worth getting a Costco membership just to get this TV? The Costco by me always seems to be a madhouse.

I would get a friend who has Costco membership and make him buy it (let him keep the AMEX rewards)
OR
Ask your friend to buy costco cash cards and then you can buy it with the cash cards.

Doesn't applying for the AMEX card give you a financial reward / rebate as well?

Does anyone buy a TV for a remote ??

E4300 said:   Yuyak said:   I've had this TV for about half a week now and so far, I love it. My biggest (and pretty much only) gripe is the location of the remote sensor. It's on the bottom, off-centered to the left. Because of all the other equipment I have (a/v receiver, bluray player, xbox, and wii) combined with the smallish TV stand I have, the only place I have left to put my center speaker is right in front of the TV. It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor if I have the remote in my right hand (I'm right-handed). Kind of annoying. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to resolve my situation... but all things considered that's a pretty minor complaint.


Oh, and if anyone is interested, here are the color settings I'm using (based on what I found on AVS forums):

Contrast - 78
Brightness - 56
Color - 48
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 0
Color Temp - Warm 1 (guy on AVS forum suggested Warm2, but I like warm 1 better)
Color Mgmt - Off
C.A.T.S. - Off
Video NR - Off

HDMI Settings

RGB Range - Auto
Content type - Graphics (probably the most important setting to change, colors too saturated left OFF/Auto)

Advanced

Block NR - Off
Mosquito NR - Off
Motion Smoother - Off (Weak showed little to no artifacts)
Black Level - Light
3:2 Pulldown - Auto

The Panasonic's TV remote has always been a so so performer. You'll need to aim it at the sensor for best performance. A small object sitting along the line-of-sight can obscure the signal.

The cheapest solution is to get a remote control with an RF (radio frequency) output and an infra-red repeater. Second best is to go for a more powerful IR (infra-red) remote control. Many quality remotes (like those that come with the LG TV) are equipped with a lens that cover the IR emitter at the front of the remote. I can sit about 20' in front of the LG and still be able to send the signal to the TV without worrying about the orientation of the remote control.

E4300 said:   polishdreamer said:   Does anyone buy a TV for a remote ??

E4300 said:   Yuyak said:   I've had this TV for about half a week now and so far, I love it. My biggest (and pretty much only) gripe is the location of the remote sensor. It's on the bottom, off-centered to the left. Because of all the other equipment I have (a/v receiver, bluray player, xbox, and wii) combined with the smallish TV stand I have, the only place I have left to put my center speaker is right in front of the TV. It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor if I have the remote in my right hand (I'm right-handed). Kind of annoying. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to resolve my situation... but all things considered that's a pretty minor complaint.


Oh, and if anyone is interested, here are the color settings I'm using (based on what I found on AVS forums):

Contrast - 78
Brightness - 56
Color - 48
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 0
Color Temp - Warm 1 (guy on AVS forum suggested Warm2, but I like warm 1 better)
Color Mgmt - Off
C.A.T.S. - Off
Video NR - Off

HDMI Settings

RGB Range - Auto
Content type - Graphics (probably the most important setting to change, colors too saturated left OFF/Auto)

Advanced

Block NR - Off
Mosquito NR - Off
Motion Smoother - Off (Weak showed little to no artifacts)
Black Level - Light
3:2 Pulldown - Auto

The Panasonic's TV remote has always been a so so performer. You'll need to aim it at the sensor for best performance. A small object sitting along the line-of-sight can obscure the signal.

The cheapest solution is to get a remote control with an RF (radio frequency) output and an infra-red repeater. Second best is to go for a more powerful IR (infra-red) remote control. Many quality remotes (like those that come with the LG TV) are equipped with a lens that cover the IR emitter at the front of the remote. I can sit about 20' in front of the LG and still be able to send the signal to the TV without worrying about the orientation of the remote control.

Why did Sony get out of the HDTV business? Cause it lost 5.7M. Panasonic lost 10M. That's why Samsung and LG are the top dogs when it comes to HDTV volume. These Korean-designed units provide 87% picture quality (when properly calibrated) for 1/2 the price (LG 50" 720p 50PA4500 on sale at Frys for $399). The $ saved can be used to purchase a much better OLED TV in 5-7 years. The resale value of a used 1 year old HDTV is less than 50%. Why pay 100% more for a product that's only 6% better under critical viewing condition?

Why not wait 12 years for OOLED ?

pedror said:   polishdreamer said:   10credi said:   HardcoreRS said:   Hmm, is it worth getting a Costco membership just to get this TV? The Costco by me always seems to be a madhouse.

I would get a friend who has Costco membership and make him buy it (let him keep the AMEX rewards)
OR
Ask your friend to buy costco cash cards and then you can buy it with the cash cards.

Doesn't applying for the AMEX card give you a financial reward / rebate as well?

The Costco AMEX is 1% for most purchases. Costco Executive gives 2% so potentially it is 3%. Other AMEX could be higher, but I have no idea what other cards are like.

3% is ~$20, which is not bad.

E4300 said:   polishdreamer said:   E4300 said:   polishdreamer said:   Does anyone buy a TV for a remote ??

E4300 said:   Yuyak said:   I've had this TV for about half a week now and so far, I love it. My biggest (and pretty much only) gripe is the location of the remote sensor. It's on the bottom, off-centered to the left. Because of all the other equipment I have (a/v receiver, bluray player, xbox, and wii) combined with the smallish TV stand I have, the only place I have left to put my center speaker is right in front of the TV. It doesn't block the screen itself but it partially blocks the remote sensor if I have the remote in my right hand (I'm right-handed). Kind of annoying. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to resolve my situation... but all things considered that's a pretty minor complaint.


Oh, and if anyone is interested, here are the color settings I'm using (based on what I found on AVS forums):

Contrast - 78
Brightness - 56
Color - 48
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 0
Color Temp - Warm 1 (guy on AVS forum suggested Warm2, but I like warm 1 better)
Color Mgmt - Off
C.A.T.S. - Off
Video NR - Off

HDMI Settings

RGB Range - Auto
Content type - Graphics (probably the most important setting to change, colors too saturated left OFF/Auto)

Advanced

Block NR - Off
Mosquito NR - Off
Motion Smoother - Off (Weak showed little to no artifacts)
Black Level - Light
3:2 Pulldown - Auto

The Panasonic's TV remote has always been a so so performer. You'll need to aim it at the sensor for best performance. A small object sitting along the line-of-sight can obscure the signal.

The cheapest solution is to get a remote control with an RF (radio frequency) output and an infra-red repeater. Second best is to go for a more powerful IR (infra-red) remote control. Many quality remotes (like those that come with the LG TV) are equipped with a lens that cover the IR emitter at the front of the remote. I can sit about 20' in front of the LG and still be able to send the signal to the TV without worrying about the orientation of the remote control.

Why did Sony get out of the HDTV business? Cause it lost 5.7M. Panasonic lost 10M. That's why Samsung and LG are the top dogs when it comes to HDTV volume. These Korean-designed units provide 87% picture quality (when properly calibrated) for 1/2 the price (LG 50" 720p 50PA4500 on sale at Frys for $399). The $ saved can be used to purchase a much better OLED TV in 5-7 years. The resale value of a used 1 year old HDTV is less than 50%. Why pay 100% more for a product that's only 6% better under critical viewing condition?

Why not wait 12 years for OOLED ?

Sacrificing 6% performance to save 50% is a HOT DEAL. Waiting 12 years for OLED to become an affordable technology is foolish.

I guess it's a personal choice, I prefer Pannys.

my4mainecoons said:   sorry for the dumb questions but just started thinking I need a new tv.
I think the picture tube on my Sony Trinitron XBR is starting to go. Wavy image for about 10 min when I first turn the set on. Just got digital adapters from Comcast for this and my other Trinitrons. Am I correct in assuming that if I got this TV that I wouldn't need the digital adapter?

Would it make more sense in my situation to get the U50 at BB? Costco is 90 min away. BB 60 min away across the border in a state w/o sales tax. I'm not a Costco member so have to deal w/ that hassle too.

You need Comcast's digital adapter either way, it's unavoidable. Costco automatically gives you a second year of full warranty & if you buy it with their AMEX, you'll have 3 years worth. I know that people normally don't think about the warranty as serious but if anything goes wrong with a TV these days, it's a pricey fix.

my4mainecoons said:   I thought newer tv's had the digital tuner built in? I thought if I got a new tv that I wouldn't need the box from Comcast.

I understood it limited your channels if it worked at all, it's also free tuner from Comcast for the first 3 TV's. All around it was easy to set it up, so I'd just as soon use it.

Link

my4mainecoons said:   I got them cuz they were free but was hoping not to have to use them. You have to use their POS remote as well as your own remote. PIA
My understanding is that adapter allows you to get digital channels that you don't receive w/o adapter but I have no interest the additional channels they offer.

So it this TV doesn't have a QAM tuner built in?

Yes, it has the QAM. I'm not sure how many channels you get & Comcast adds channels as well, yeah their remote sucks but when I put a show on the remote disappears anyways.

not yet. still thinking about the logistics. How to get it home? Borrow a pick up? If I get it at Costco will they load it for me? Don't have a Costco membership. Is it even in stock at the one Costco in my state? etc. etc.

my4mainecoons said:   not yet. still thinking about the logistics. How to get it home? Borrow a pick up? If I get it at Costco will they load it for me? Don't have a Costco membership. Is it even in stock at the one Costco in my state? etc. etc. So perhaps it wasn't the "advised" method, but we put it in horizontally (screen-side up) in my corolla with the seats down. I drove extra carefully avoiding every little bump in the road. The TV was just fine. As for loading, just bring a friend with you. It's big but not too heavy (maybe 60lbs?). I was able to do it with my wife - neither of us are very strong