(B&M) Panasonic Plasma HDTV TC-50PU54 (50-inch 1080p 600Hz Plasma) - $499 + 2 yr warranty @ COSTCO

Quote from yourwhiteshadow : AVS forums confirms the 3:3 pulldown. tough call between this and that LG. i was in the market for a 46" LED/LCD, but now i'm thinking 50" 1080p plasma.

Agreed, though, if you plan on wanting full 24p Sources with no 3:2, the LG is really your only choice. You could wait and see if the Panasonic GT50/ST50 drops at all in the next couple weeks, with the upgraded Pro panels, the image is amazing.

Quote from SN95JOSH : Short example: I spent $2000 on a closeout Pioneer Elite Plasma in 2006. My buddy bought a 42" Olivia LCD the same year for 600 bucks. It died in 2007. He then purchased a 50 inch Akai Plasma for $1000, that lasted almost 2 years. He finally ponied up the cash for a closeout Sony 52XBR6 in 2009 for $1800. That TV has been flawless for over 3 years. His running total: $3200. Cheap =\= Value.

My $1299 on sale Sony died just weeks after the American Express third year warranty expired. LCD panel failure - not uncommon for the 46"

So price doesn't necessarily mean quality!

Is this [blackfriday.com] the 50" for $300 everyone is talking about? Note this is a "doorbuster" item so grabbing one is far from guaranteed.

Quote from batterycharger : My $1299 on sale Sony died just weeks after the American Express third year warranty expired. LCD panel failure - not uncommon for the 46" So price doesn't necessarily mean quality!

Electronics are electronics. They break, even the good stuff. Just less often.

Quote from Nate650 : Is this [blackfriday.com] the 50" for $300 everyone is talking about? Note this is a "doorbuster" item so grabbing one is far from guaranteed.

Yep, it's a good deal, for sure.

If the image in the Wiki is correct and the deal is through a $200 manufacturer's rebate, you'll be paying sales tax on the full $700, even though you'll pay $500 at checkout. This is the way manufacturer rebates at Costco work here in Washington state anyway.

The math will be $700 x tax rate = sales tax. Then $500 + computed sales tax = Total price out the door.

So how do you order with in-store pickup and get the 500 price?

Quote from michael_8 : Good deal, too bad I am not a Costco member.

I don't think you have to be a member to order it online. Although you might have to pay $549. Still a deal considering you get a 2 yr warranty as compared to Sam's club.

Quote from donmagicricky : So how do you order with in-store pickup and get the 500 price?

You can't. In-store only for this price.

Quote from aedv : If the image in the Wiki is correct and the deal is through a $200 manufacturer's rebate, you'll be paying sales tax on the full $700, even though you'll pay $500 at checkout. This is the way manufacturer rebates at Costco work here in Washington state anyway. The math will be $700 x tax rate = sales tax. Then $500 + computed sales tax = Total price out the door.

Confirmed, if you zoom into the image you can see the text "Sales Tax on the pre-rebate price" at the bottom right. I also noticed this in-store.

For those who care, note that this only has 2 HDMI inputs. I run everything through my stereo recevier, so to me this does not matter.

Quote from brahmos : I don't think you have to be a member to order it online. Although you might have to pay $549. Still a deal considering you get a 2 yr warranty as compared to Sam's club.

From the Order Information page [costco.com]:

"Why was I charged a Non-Member Surcharge at checkout?

Costco members need to enter their membership number during the registration process in the My Account section. Non-members will be charged a 5% surcharge over the member's posted product prices (except for prescription drugs). If you are not a member, we encourage you to join: Membership information.

If you are a member, please click on My Account to enter your membership number and update your account information prior to completing your purchase. The 5% surcharge will be removed if your account is updated prior to order completion.

If you are not yet a member, you will have the opportunity to add a membership to your shopping cart at the checkout page. The 5% surcharge will be removed if a membership is added prior to order completion."

This looks like a great deal. Going to Costco tonight! Thanks OP

U Series has a great picture. I've seen this one in Costco, and I think it actually looks better then TV's they have it next to at 2x the price

From a review on the Panasonic site: "Once I learned about disabling C.A.T.S. I breathed a bit easier...could not figure out why the picture kept dimming....Great TV!"

What's CATS, and what are the optimal settings?

Quote from batterycharger : From a review on the Panasonic site: "Once I learned about disabling C.A.T.S. I breathed a bit easier...could not figure out why the picture kept dimming....Great TV!" What's CATS, and what are the optimal settings?

CNET's settings [cnet.com]