Panasonic P50S1 Current Gen 50" 1080p Plasma @Sears.com $800.39 + tax ACC ACB

$999.99 - 8% Sears CC - 13% Bing CB = $800.39 + tax, no shipping with in store pickup.

Best deal I've seen on this TV in a few months. Note the S1 series is the current gen, with better contrast and AR coating than the U1 sets that have shown up in a number of recent deals. There has been a lot of trouble recently with getting the Sears CC discount to show up automatically. A call or chat with customer service after ordering usually seems to clear it up, as its plastered all over their website.

There is a thread going in Deal Discussion tracking deals on Panasonic Plasmas Here.

Sears Link

Sears said: Product Description

Striking in its beauty and elegance, bold in its functionality, this 1080p VIERA® television from Panasonic brings your favorite programming to life. You'll be mesmerized by its clear, crisp picture and its true-to-life motion reproduction, and its added features will only impress you more. Whether offering all-in-one control of your components from a single remote or digital photo viewer that turns your TV into a large, slideshow-running digital picture frame, the VIERA® S1 Series steps up to the challenge of offering more. 48.0 x 30.3 x 4.2 in., 72.8 lbs. (48.0 x 32.4 x 15.3 in., 75.0 lbs. with stand)

* Full-Time 1080p TV - The S1 Series produces crisp images and eliminates motion blur by maintaining full TV lines of resolution even in fast moving scenes.
* VIERA Image Viewer™ - Turn to this feature for a better way to share your digital photos with friends and family.
* VIERA Link™ - Control all compatible audio and video devices via a single remote and helpful on-screen menus.
* Neo PDP (Plasma Display Panel) Technology - The S1 Series utilizes advanced up-to-date plasma technology to bring you the best picture, complete with brighter images, a 40,000:1 native contrast ratio and an Infinite Black Panel.
* 600Hz Sub-Field Drive - An improvement on the 480Hz Sub-Field Drive of previous models, this feature provides more sub-field possibilities for your display, allowing for a more true-to-life presentation.
* Game Mode - Game Mode minimizes the time lag when displaying game images on the plasma screen. Ultimately, this mode ensures that your gaming experience will feature an extremely clear image with no annoying motion artifacts.
* AR (Anti-Reflective) Filter - Cut down on glare and light reflection with this exclusive Panasonic feature.
* 100,000 Hour Panel Life - Don't worry about fading or loss of image quality. With the S1 Series' long panel life, you'll be enjoying your plasma television for many years to come.
* Inputs - HDMI™ (3), Composite (2), Component (2), S-Video, Audio (5)
Outputs - Digital Audio

Currently BestBuy has this for 897.99 here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+VIERA+/+50%22+Class+/+1080p+/+600Hz+/+Plasma+HDTV/9236294.p?skuId=9236294&productCategoryId=abcat0101001&id=1218064394819
Do the price match at Sears for 10% off Bestbuy price + 8% off for Sears card and you are looking at ~$800 for a 50" 1080p Panny Plasma.
Not bad, I say!

Did anybody have success with this? I'm soooo tempted. Also, does anybody know if doing the 8% discount means foregoing the 12 or 18 months no interest?

I applied for a Sears card, but it turns out they apparently don't do instant approval when applying online??? They said they'll let me know within 30 days! Dell approved me for $4k right away

adamsmith said: Yes, we did! We didn't have Sears card but we were able to get the bing CB and BB price match (110%)

Net net: $999.99 - $129.99 Bing CB - $112 BB PM = $758 + Tax with store pickup Folks with Sears card should be able to use it.

Thanks OP and miscrms!!

Hi, how did you get the PM? Did you fill out the electronic form on the Sears website?

adamsmith said: No, did the PM in store. Sears folks didn't give the PM that easily but ultimately caved in

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm trying to get my ducks lined up to possibly do this tomorrow (if the two local stores don't sell out; each only has one in stock).

So, you purchased online, got your Bing CB, then you went down to pick it up and at that point you got them to price match? Do you think that will affect your Bing CB?

guys i was planning to buy the V10 Model should i wait or there is no humanly identifiable difference between this and that model.

joker380 said: guys i was planning to buy the V10 Model should i wait or there is no humanly identifiable difference between this and that model.

The S1 is very nice but there is quite a difference between them. The S1 is a good value, I think. Cnet said the v10 had "the best picture quality of any flat-panel HDTV we've tested so far this year."

The question is do you care enough to pay extra?

call Sears cc and ask them to send a quick card, it will go out over night.

I had a Sears card, but cut it up. the account was still active, so they sent a card overnight and I purchased the p54s1...

braggtd said: Does anyone have the knowledge to compare this TV to the w5100 BB Sony HDTV deal? I am just curious which deal is better in your opinions? Does the plasma's have the same fake picture look as the 120hz do when playing bluray?

Thanks,
Tom

I bought the Sony 46v5100 and wifey wanted a bigger one. The max that would fit is the Panny 50 so I got the 50S as well. I had both running next to each other and the Sony just blew away the Panny. The sharpness of the Sony was way better. The anti-glare coating on the Sony is also much better. I ended up returning the panny and have been very happy ever since with the Sony.

Yes please go to the store and see for yourself. Remember LCDs will have that milky color tone that I hate with passion. As for Technophile, not to dog on Sony but I bet that was a lot more expensive than the Panny and did you even calibrate the colors? Did you just see what is brighter and not realistic??

I did checkout the Bravia next to a different brand of plasma. There is no doubt in my mind that on regular HD channels the plasma is less pixellated (made up word). I just really like the W5100+PS3+Game+Movie deal. I am just trying to figure out if I should get this or that. Tough decision!!

i got the p54s1 from Sears, using the other deal that miscrms posted(thank you!)... i'm currently hassling bing for the CashBack, but the Sears 10% came through after several phone calls.

i shoot video for a living, and i'm really impressed with this plasma tv... the problem with lcds is that the only person who sees the full correct picture quality of the set is the person who is sitting right in front of the tv, if you are at any angle other than straight on, the contrast goes away... the bigger the angle, the worse the picture... plasmas do not that, which was why i went with a plasma.

on the other hand, lcds tend to be much brighter than plasmas, so if the set is in a sunny room with lots of windows, some people like the picture on the lcd better... i've read complaints about washed-out blacks on some models of plasmas in that situation, but i think that it can't be any worse than sitting off-center with an lcd tv.

if i had a criticism about this plasma, it would be with the faint buzzing sound coming from behind the tv... i can't hear it from in front, but if the set was against the wall, and my hearing was better, it might be noticeable.

in order to appreciate the picture quality of this set, you really need to run bluray through the hdmi port, or else maybe watch the right over-the-air tv broadcast on it... some ota signals are better than others, while all cable/satellite sucks, because it's compressed to much... i have an hdnet recording of blade runner that is pretty good, but i think that channel went away.

P9142 said: I got this TV from Sears a couple months ago when it was marked down to $899 minus Bing - Sears credit card for under $800 with tax. I have been very happy with the picture quality. The only thing I regret about the tv is that it doesn't have a VGA input, but other than that it is good.

Yeah lack of a VGA is a problem the plagues all Pannys I think. I use PlayOn via a wired laptop and my Xbox360 to stream Hulu onto the screen. It's not an easy process, but it works well enough for us.