Panasonic TH-50PZ77U 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV

I got a new TV. I originally ordered it from Fry’s on March 7th 2008 (read more about that one in another post). This post will concentrate on pictures and what I like/hate about the PZ77 series.

My beautiful new 50” 1080p Plasma

• Aspect mode with no overscan - very useful for displaying my Macbook Pro with a DVI-HDMI cable
• Amazing black levels. When the lights are off I can barely tell the difference between when it is on and off if the TV is displaying a black screen (like when I turn the cable box off before I turn the TV off)
• Ability to switch aspect ratios to stretch 4:3 to widescreen, squeeze widescreen to 4:3, and zoom letterbox content over component or HDMI.
• Access to the service menu

• Being paranoid about burn-in and image retention in the first 100 hours of use.
• No 1080p over component, only over HDMI (sucks for people with older xbox 360, like me)

How to Access the Service Menu:

1. Hold down the [VOL -] button ON THE PLASMA.
2. Press the [RECALL] button on the remote control 3 times.
3. The Service Menu will be displayed.