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The 850U series is at the highest end of Panasonic's consumer plasmas for 2008, which is their 11th generation of plasma offerings. The advanced feature set bridge the fine line between consumer and professional electronics. Positioned about the 800U series the 850s contain all the same fundamental technology and features adding on VIERA CAST IPTV functionality, a digital-cinema color remastering mode, and exposes more tweaking settings for customizing the picture. Carried over from the 800U line is the one-sheet glass design, the Plasma display panel, THX and display mode, 4 HDMI inputs, and the PC input. Unlike the 800 Series, the 850s are not THX Certified.

Pros & Cons

Pros:
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Fantastic color reproduction
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Good power consumption compared to other high-end plasmas
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Good noise reduction
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Very good shadow details
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Cons:
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24p mode can have flickering issues
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Expensive if you aren't a videophile
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Not THX certified
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Panasonic Viera 850 Series is ranked 2nd.  See the top picks in Televisions

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More information

Specs

  • 1080p native resolution
  • 30,000:1 contrast ratio
  • 24p film mode
  • Game mode
  • THX certified with a THX configuration built-in
  • VIERA link and VIERA CAST technology
  • Inputs: 4xHDMI 1.3, 1xVGA, Component, Composite, S-Video

850U specific features

VIERA CAST - multi-media decoding capabilities will be built into the television, including h264 support. Panasonic claims you'll be able to download and stream content from Internet providers such as YouTube, though details on how the service works is currently unknown.

85U, 800U, and 850U features

One-sheet glass - The one-sheet glass design is similar to the Sony XBR4's, and Pioneer Elite and Kuro televisions where a single pane of glass covers the entire front of the television, including the bezel. This design reduces/eliminates the "halo" effect that can occur around lettering and logos with traditional 3-pane designs.PC-input - usually a staple among HDTVs, in Panasonic's 2008 offerings only the higher end televisions retain a dedicated input for computers.

24p support - This feature uses a native 72Hz refresh rate showing each frame 3 times like most modern film projectors rather than trying to make 24p content conform to a 60Hz display with varying display times for every other frame.

Common to all 2008 Panasonic Plasmas

Anti-reflective screen - created by Fujitsu these screens reduce the amount of ambient reflection that can appear in a brightly lit room.

100,000 hour half life - Panasonic rates the panel to last 100,000 hours, which is about 30 years of regular usage, or 11 years of non-stop, before the brightness of the display is halved.

Models

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Related products

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3 comments about Panasonic Viera 850 Series

1.  avatar meNNis  Sep 04, 2008 12:14pm

FYI, the 850 model does NOT repeat NOT have THX certification... that is on the 800 models only.
2.  avatar Omar  Sep 04, 2008 12:43pm

Report is fixed.

THX Certification is just a meaningless label anyway. It's not like I pine and yearn for a sweet sweet Panny plasma. Not. One. Bit.
3.  avatar meNNis  Sep 05, 2008 10:21am

lol ya sure Omar whatever you say ;)
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Key Features:

Display Technology Plasma
Manufacturer Panasonic
Native Resolution 1080p
Product Line 850 Series
Release Date Jun. 1, 2008

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1229 views and 38 edits (see all)
3 contributors -  Omar, meNNis, Narnia
Created: 07/01/2008 - 11:33
Modified: 09/05/2008 - 10:22