This 50-inch 1080p plasma monitor is expensive, and must be judged critically on that account. With its generally very good basic video performance, the big Panasonic plasma merits some serious consideration.

This set excels when it comes to sharp contrasts and deep blacks, the traditional strengths of plasmas versus other flat screen technologies. And unlike some plasmas, the TH-50PZ700U renders bright, highly saturated colors with no blooming, and this particularly true of saturated reds, the most difficult color to render accurately with the phosphors employed in plasma and CRT displays.

Plasmas as a whole can come up short when it comes to the resolution of the smallest details and the rendering of sharp edges. While not quite equaling a studio monitor CRT, the Panasonic is close. No image artifacts or distortions were present, a weakness in many plasma displays.

Again, as is the norm with plasmas, image consistency is highly uniform across the screen. And because it's a big screen, comparable to that of a medium sized projector, the TH-50PZ700U is an ideal component for a high performance home theater system.

Part of the excellence of the visual reproduction is the extensive amount of video signal processing circuitry incorporated in the set. The set is not without flaws, though: In conditions of high ambient light, the screen projects an annoying glare. The sound system is poor as well, with four speakers and a cheesy sound processing option intended to suggest a multi-speaker surround sound system. It doesn't succeed. (One assumes that someone spending the money on an HDTV would be willing to invest in a separate surround sound setup.) On that end, the TH-50PZ700U has just one rear component audio output, in addition to one optical audio output.

The set has an HDMI digital video input and also boasts an SD slot for viewing digital photographs-- a nice feature. There are no provisions for preventing pixel burn when still frame images are left on the screen, however.

Pros: Unsurpassed video performance in low ambient light and very high brightness combined with crisp image.
Cons: poorer performance in bright rooms, mediocre sound, high price.

Warranty
1 year, limited; 2 years on glass