Panasonic 50'' Smart Viera 3D Plasma HDTV TC-P50ST50 - $799.88 @ Sears

Quote from jjm5119 : then buy the U50 man. That TV received CNET's TV of the year under $1000. It is a great picture with no bells and whistles. The difference between ST and U, to me personally, is not worth $200 more.

It's also important to note that a U50 and UT50 are more reflective than the ST50. So if you plan on putting the tv in places that have light then that's something to consider. The $200 difference is worth it for the anti-reflective screen, slightly better picture quality, extra HDMI port, 3D and smart tv. I think the ST50 has all the bases covered for me and spending $200 more for this model rather than the U50 model is worth it.

Quote from jjm5119 : then buy the U50 man. That TV received CNET's TV of the year under $1000. It is a great picture with no bells and whistles. The difference between ST and U, to me personally, is not worth $200 more.

the anti-glare filter is worth it.

Quote from Smart04 : So do people simply not "use" the TV for their entertainment during the first 100 hours and wait just for the break in to complete ? I'm new to plasmas and have just bought the UT50 last week.. I already started watching Netflix content.. although I am trying to stay out of content that has black strips on the top and bottom of the screen. Also I run basic Anti Image retention once or twice in a day for 10 mins. Is this not enough ?

yeah just avoid black bars and static images.

Wish Sears had the 55"!

Quote from BlackFire : Wish Sears had the 55"!

65"!

Have this tv from the last deal when amazon price matched. Stunning picture and that's without the custom settings on.

Quote from RedrumBone : Its still a plasma. Yuck!

Except in direct sunlight, plasma >>> LED LCD. Especially this one.

Looks like I'm going I return my 50". 55" is $699 at Costco after $100 rebate

Spoke too soon it's the UT model not ST what's the difference? It's tc-p55ut50 for $699

For strictly panel quality (and price efficiency), is the 55" UT from Costco a better buy?

Quote from ant1pathy : For strictly panel quality (and price efficiency), is the 55" UT from Costco a better buy?

It depends on how picky you are about the picture. The ST is the best value TV according to CNET, Consumer Reports and others. But many (most?) would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the UT50 and the ST50 unless you had both side by side. The larger screen would be the better deal for some, the better picture would be the better deal for others. This is kind of a wishy washy non answer, but the truth is, it depends on the individual. My best advice is to zip on down to Sears or Best Buy and check out both in person. And make sure you have them both on a similar setting (example: THX cinema) so it is apples to apples.

Quote from ant1pathy : For strictly panel quality (and price efficiency), is the 55" UT from Costco a better buy?

Debatable regarding value, but as far as picture quality is concerned, the win goes to the ST, as the ST series uses a better panel than the UT series - the ST is better suited to bright environments, and has better 3D picture quality. ST also has much more advanced picture controls vs. UT. If you do not plan to use the TV in a bright room and don't mind not being able to tweak the picture much, then the UT is worth considering, because an extra 5" is nice.

CNET review of the UT series:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-pane...53392.html

and the ST:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-pane...18300.html

I bought one of the ST's, btw. Picture blows my brother's Vizio LCD out of the water. Black levels are quite impressive.

Quote from ant1pathy : For strictly panel quality (and price efficiency), is the 55" UT from Costco a better buy?

I'd take the 50" ST50 over the 55" UT50 any day but that's just me.

Do you guys really think this is worth getting right now over the st60 that is coming out in 2 weeks or so?

even though the price at $800 bucks plus tax is great and most likely wont go any lower the st60 retail price went down to $1,150 and comes with 2 pairs of glasses and the panasonic epp price for the st60 is only $977 plus tax. if you factor in that you can get 5% cash back from shop discover or urlhasbeenblocked on both deals and the glasses which since they are panasonics would easily cost like 50-60 bucks each (cheapest is $20 samsungs that will work) you are only talkng about a $100-$140 difference and the price could go even lower within a month from launch.

i know the st60 isint supposed to be significantly better picture quality or anything but the slight increase in picture quality, black levels, possibly better 3d performance and filter, and most importantly features make the st60 seem like the more reasonable purchase..would the slick deals community agree?

this deal was making my eyes light up until i thought about how little the difference was between the new 2013 model all things considered

Quote from ashbrown : Do you guys really think this is worth getting right now over the st60 that is coming out in 2 weeks or so? even though the price at $800 bucks plus tax is great and most likely wont go any lower the st60 retail price went down to $1,150 and comes with 2 pairs of glasses and the panasonic epp price for the st60 is only $977 plus tax. if you factor in that you can get 5% cash back from shop discover or urlhasbeenblocked on both deals and the glasses which since they are panasonics would easily cost like 50-60 bucks each (cheapest is $20 samsungs that will work) you are only talkng about a $100-$140 difference and the price could go even lower within a month from launch. i know the st60 isint supposed to be significantly better picture quality or anything but the slight increase in picture quality, black levels, possibly better 3d performance and filter, and most importantly features make the st60 seem like the more reasonable purchase..would the slick deals community agree? this deal was making my eyes light up until i thought about how little the difference was between the new 2013 model all things considered

Can you provide link to the 977 plus tax?