Panasonic Viera 850 Series

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.

Where to Buy

Panasonic Viera 850 Series
MSRP $3,099 - $7,000
Release date June, 2008
Brand Panasonic
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Pros & Cons7
Reviews3
Details
Buy It3
Competitors5
Comments3
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
3 reviews
50
negative
mixed
positive
1 positive
0 mixed
2 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
Fantastic color reproduction
+1agreedisagree

Good power consumption compared to other high-end plasmas
+1agreedisagree

Good noise reduction
+1agreedisagree

Very good shadow details
+1agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
24p mode can have flickering issues
+2agreedisagree

Expensive if you aren't a videophile
+1agreedisagree

Not THX certified
+1agreedisagree


3 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!

Details

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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This report was started July 1, 2008 at 11:33 am by Omar
with the last edit occurring September 5, 2008 at 10:22 am by meNNis
This page has been viewed 5240 times, with 38 edits by 3 contributors.
See the full report history »

Buy It

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U

• Panasonic TH-50PZ850U 50-inch Viera 1080p Plasma HDTV

• TH-50PZ850U 50" Plasma TV

UPC: 037988242108

EAN: 037988242108

MPN: TH-50PZ850U

Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ850U

• Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ850U 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

• TH-58PZ850U 58" Plasma TV

UPC: 037988242115

EAN: 037988242115

MPN: TH-58PZ850U

Panasonic Viera TH-65PZ850U

• Panasonic TH 65PZ850U - 65" VIERA plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV

• TH-65PZ850U 65" Plasma TV

UPC: 037988242122

EAN: 0840484202145

MPN: TH-65PZ850U

Competitors

Panasonic Viera 850 Series is ranked 2nd among it's competitors.  See the top picks in Televisions »

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Comments

1.  avatar meNNis said:

FYI, the 850 model does NOT repeat NOT have THX certification... that is on the 800 models only.
Sep 04, 2008 12:14pm
2.  avatar Omar said:

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.
Sep 04, 2008 12:43pm
3.  avatar meNNis said:

lol ya sure Omar whatever you say ;)
Sep 05, 2008 10:21am
Some HTML is allowed. Your comments remain editable after you post..

Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Omar

avatar
July 1, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
4 pros
2 cons

Pros

  • Fantastic color reproduction
  • Good power consumption compared to other high-end plasmas
  • Good noise reduction
  • Very good shadow details

Cons

  • 24p mode can have flickering issues
  • Expensive if you aren't a videophile

Comments

"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."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

meNNis

avatar
September 5, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con
love itlove it

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • Not THX certified

Comments

"FYI, the 850 model does NOT repeat NOT have THX certification... that is on the 800 models only."
"lol ya sure Omar whatever you say ;)"

Competitors

meNNis prefers Panasonic Viera 800 Series over Panasonic Viera 850 Series
meNNis prefers Panasonic Viera 850 Series over Samsung Plasma Series 6 (2008), LG PG60 Series, Samsung Plasma Series 7
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Narnia

avatar
September 5, 2008
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • 24p mode can have flickering issues

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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