Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display Review
Screen
Size (inches): 50
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Native Resolution: 1366
x 768
Contrast Ratio: Up to 10000:1
Viewing Angle (degrees): More
than 160
New Real Black Creation: Yes
Dimensions (H x W x D): 28.5''
x 47.6'' x 3.7''
Weight: 81.6 lbs
Pros
- Beautiful picture
- Easy menus with lots of control
- Great user manual
- Attractive price
Cons
- No internal tuner
- Extremely limited number of inputs
- Optional HDMI/DVI-D inputs are additional
Introduction
Wait a second, didn’t I just review this panel? Well, yes and no. This is the new version (notice the “9”in the model number) of the TH-50PHD8UK I recently reviewed. My first question was, “So, what’s different?”Well, the first thing I noticed from the specs was that the newer display has a stated 10000:1 contrast ratio rather than a 3000:1. The newer model is also missing the REAL Mach system. This new unit uses much thinner glass (from 2.8mm to 1.8mm) which reduces the weight from 94.8 lbs to 81.6 lbs (a 15% reduction). The unit uses 16-bit digital signal processing and improved “sub-field driving technology”to reproduce 3,072 steps of gradation. Other than that, the units aren’t really all that different. The remote is the same, the menus are the same, the inputs are the same... if you have a question about this unit that doesn’t seem covered by this review, check out the review of the TH-50PHD8UK. Unless it is contradicted here, it still applies.
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