eddicat

You are correct about the 700's being cleared, however do not buy a 58pz700a for $4,999 !! I purchased my 58pz850a for $5,550 on October 25 from Good Guys (Brighton) and got it delivered about two weeks later. All I can say regarding the picture quality is "wow!", it looks stunning right out of the box (mine had IFC off as default) and even Foxtel SD is handled well. BluRay is the killer of course, with Casino Royale blowing us away first up and Houghton Hears a Who mesmerising the kids.

The price of $5,550 was achieved (by me!) a week or two after the 58" was released. Digital Centre are usually a good guide (they started selling the 58" at $5,535) so keep your eyes on their website for any price reduction. I would have expected a cheaper price for the 65" than $10,589 to be honest.

Digital Centre have these for $10,589. Can't see why one would get the PZ65850A in front of the Pioneer KRP-600M for $9,000, unless one is absolutely stuck on the extra 5 inches. The Kuro leaves plenty of change left for set-top box, PVR, Bluray etc.

I second this. However, I wouldn't waste my time going to JB.

Easy to do a search of this thread to find out! Best prices I've seen posted here are $975 - $985, although you will have to haggle to get that. There are receipts posted here. Personally, I have had success getting the right price by chatting with the sales person first, then mentioning that I have a price in mind - "If you can match it I'd be happy to purchase hear and now" - rather than shove a receipt in his face and make demands.

No. A few people on the forum have been chasing these models but the 508XDA disappeared long ago and the last of the 428XDA's may have just run out last week by all reports. I stand to be corrected though!

Anything's possible although that would represent around 50% price drop from RRP. My advice would be not to hang out too long, waiting for rock bottom, or you may miss getting the product at all. For example, I was dead keen on a pioneer PDP-42XDA and was waiting for them to drop below $2K but by the time they did they were in such short supply that I missed out. To avoid disappointment again I decided to set a budget as first priority, then figure out the best / biggest panel that I could squeeze into that budget at current pricing. That way I got a panel that suited my needs at a reasonable price.

Also, I have noticed the trend based on posts here is that Good Guys, Clive Peters and Myer are the most likely to come to the party when you bargain with them. Others have had success elsewhere of course but there's a start. Apparently some stores within the same chain can afford to be more flexible on price, due to sheer weight of sales, than their smaller cousins.

"Latest Gen" refers to the fact that it has all the available technology "enabled" - they are in fact the same panels. If you download the brochure and read the specs, you will see that they are exactly the same apart from the differences already listed in previous posts. Price points have everything to do with marketing and nothing to do with value for money - which exists only in the eye of the purchaser.

The PZ80A has 96hz 24p playback instead of 24p Real Cinema (IFC). Interestingly, some people posting on this forum have recommended turning IFC off! Regarding sound, both have the same speakers but the PZ80A has simulated surround mode only, whereas the PZ800A has BBE ViVa HD3D mode as well. Both panels are listed in the brochure as having a stand with +/- 10° swivel but strangely the stand with the PZ800A weighs 2kg more than that of the PZ80A. Specs for all the Panasonic plasma and lcd panels are available in the brochure which can be downloaded from the website.

Thanks. I'm excited! It's not going to be big enough (really wanted a 65") but it fits our budget and we'll just pull the couch forward when we need to. Anyway, I have to wait until Tuesday to find out when it'll be in stock. We don't need it for a couple of weeks so won't take delivery until then but I'll keep you posted. Also, when we do take delivery we'll be stuck with SD Foxtel and FTA (straight into the panel) until I sort things out with up-scaling receivers, blue ray, HD Foxtel etc. Gotta do more research and find room in the budget, i.e. convince the missus chairman of the board!!

Bought a TH-58PZ850A ($5,550), TH-42PX8A ($1,190) and TX-32PXDA ($870) today at GG's Brighton in Melb. They only had the TH-50PZ850A, not the 58" on display as it seems they are trying to flog the 58PZ700A. Strangely I was most impressed with the TH-42PX8A, bang-for-your-buck-wise, picture looked great! Great service and advice, must ask for Craig (Saturday & Sunday, Tuesdays & Fri morning only). I said I had prices in mind and he was happy to play ball but I didn't push, just told him what I thought was fair. Probably paid $100 - $200 too much for the PX8A but only realised that when I got back home and saw a price of $895 on this forum - previously I had $1,100 written in my notes. Anyway, both parties happy - that's what doing business is all about. Craig seemed to know his stuff when it came to AV receivers, speakers, DVD recorders etc. too so will go back again when I've done more research on those items. DTV forums has really helped me out so far. Thanks to everyone who has posted here!!

Bought a TH-58PZ850A (along with some other stuff) today at GG's Brighton in Melb. $5,550. Sight unseen but they had the TH-50PZ850A on display. Great service and advice, must ask for Craig (Saturday & Sunday, Tuesdays & Fri morning only). I said I had prices in mind and he was happy to play ball but I didn't push, just told him what I thought was fair. Both parties happy - that's what doing business is all about. Craig seemed to know his stuff when it came to AV receivers, speakers, DVD recorders etc. too so will go back again when I've done more research on those items. DTV forums has really helped me out so far. Thanks to everyone who has posted here!!

I posted a link to this a few posts before you asked. Here it is again. Cheers.

Does the Beyonwiz DP-P2 upscale to 1080p?

How about a TH-42px8a partnered with a DMR-EX77. See a review here.

I believe it's got to to with forecast volume of sales. They will sell nowhere near the amount of 58" as they will 50" (even if they drop the price) so they need to make a bigger margin. People on this forum and enthusiasts will say, "I will buy the 58" over the 50" if price difference is less between the two", which may be true, however it will still not help them sell enough volume as the majority of buyers are mums and dads with tight budgets and small living rooms.

Not sure about the NTSC, sorry. Did you download the manual? Thanks for the offer to help get me one down from Sydney. I think the cost of shipping will rule that option out for me but I guess it doesn't hurt to ask. If you wouldn't mind that would be great. Can you please tell me the name of the retailer too. You can PM me if you don't want to post here. Thanks heaps.

SNAP!

The 58PZ850A is back up on the Panasonic website under "what's new" at the top of the home page. Here's the link.

This wasn't on the press release with the other new panny's! Maybe you should edit the title of this thread as according to the website there is a "new!" TH-42PZ80A as well.

Don't worry about the UK price, that's irrelevant to market forces here. Why don't you compare the price of the TH-50PZ700A and TH-58PZ700A, then apply the same factor of difference to the TH-50PZ850A (available now) to come up with an estimate for the TH-58PZ850A ? By my calculations, using current prices on Digital Centre's website, that would mean the new 58" could eventually reach $6,249. Theoretically of course, however only time will tell.

Good choice. Sure it's not the latest but a great tv none the less. Where did you get it? I might avail myself of one if in Melb. Check out this review which sings the praises of your new purchase. There's also a link to show you how to calibrate the 428xda, presented by Kuro guru Aaron. Cannot remember if the xda plasma's can be controlled by other pioneer device remotes but you can download the manual here and have a look see. Cheers and happy viewing.

Where abouts are you? They are probably sold by now.

Main difference will be improved picture quality due to nearly double the colours able to be displayed and triple the contrast ratio. See specs for both below. 58PZ850A Features (from the Panasonic website): * Full High Definition Progressive Scan Plasma Panel (1920 x 1080 Pixels) * Integrated High Definition Digital DVB-T Tuner * Maximum 1,000,000:1 Contrast Ratio (30:000:1 Native Contrast Ratio) * 5,120 Equivalent Steps of Gradation to produce 134 Billion Viewable Colours * 4 x HDMI Inputs (1 - Front) with Viera Link * ADVANTAGES OF PLASMA TECHNOLOGY: * Superb motion image display * Outstanding Colour Reproduction even when viewed from an angle * Incredible Contrast and the ability to clearly produce the darkest movie scenes * 7-Day Electronic Program Guide Compatibale* * SD Card Slot for AVCHD & JPEG Photo Viewing * 100Hz Double Scan Technology * Sub-Pixel Controller for outstanding images with reduced jagged edges * VIERA Link* - VIERA can control your entire home cinema system * PC Input for easy connection to your Personal Computer * Making reccyling products at end-of-life much easier * Advanced 3D Colour Management - Effective colour correction without affecting colour balance * Long Service Life - Panel Service Life of Approximately 100,000 Hours* 58PZ700A Features (from the Panasonic website): * 1080p Digital Processing Chip-Set - Inputting and outputting 1080p video signals without altering their natural specifications. (Image is displayed on Full-HD Panel with 1920 x 1080 resolution). * 1080p Digital Re-mastering Processor - Up-converts SD video signals to 1080p signals. Delivers pictures as beautiful as those from HD video signals. (Image is displayed on HD Panel with 1920 x 1080 resolution). * Real Black Drive System & Deep Black Filter - Max. 10,000:1 Contrast * 4,096 Equivalent Steps of Gradation - 68.7 Billion Viewable Colours! * High Resolution - Even for fast moving subjects * Self-Emitting System provides a stable colour appearance, even when the screen is viewed from an angle * Faithful Colour Reproduction - Colour reproduction geared to HD standards * Advanced 3D Colour Management - Effective colour correction without affecting colour balance * Sub-Pixel Controller - Smooth images - no jagged edges * Making Products More Easily Recyclable - Lead-Free Products * Advanced Smart Sound Speaker System - For a pure, clear sound that seems to come right from the screen * VIERA Link* - VIERA can control your entire home cinema system * Operate DVD Recorder Playback and Recording with Only the VIERA Remote Control * Play Scenes from an HD Video Camera with Only the VIERA Remote Control * HDMI Input * PC Input * Big Screen with Energy-Saving Design High-Efficiency Operation * Long Service Life - Panel Service Life of Approximately 100,000 Hours*