Panasonic 58" 800 or 850 ?

[DezNutz]

Alright I am looking at the Panasonic plasma models in the 58" range and want to compare these two models.

I can get the 58" 800 for 2,900 shipped and the 58" 850 for 3,129 shipped. My question to the board is what do I get for the extra 229?

From all I can tell I get some more calibration options, and lose the THX certification, is this worth it? If price was equal which model would you get?

I see the price of the 65" 850 is 2,000 more, and I cannot justify 2,000 for 7 more inches and the same specification.. I also am not sure the Pioneer Kuro's are even in the same ballpark price-wise..

[richteer]

Originally Posted by DezNutz

Alright I am looking at the Panasonic plasma models in the 58" range and want to compare these two models.

I can get the 58" 800 for 2,900 shipped and the 58" 850 for 3,129 shipped. My question to the board is what do I get for the extra 229?

From all I can tell I get some more calibration options, and lose the THX certification, is this worth it? If price was equal which model would you get?

I think it comes down to this: if you plan to get your TV professionally calibrated then go for the 850, otherwise, save a few bucks and go for the 800. Either way, you'll be getting a very nice TV!

The Kuros are $1k or $2k more, IIRC.

[kpkelley]

From Cnet:

Ever since we gave the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U an Editors' Choice award as our favorite plasma HDTV so far, we've been bombarded by variations of the same question: "Is the more expensive TH-50PZ850U better?" After finally getting the chance to review the 850U, our answer is "no." The TH-50PZ850U is the company's flagship plasma, the most expensive in its lineup, but the less expensive 800U we tested delivered slightly better picture quality, mainly due to its superior color accuracy. Don't get us wrong; the 850U still put up a great picture, and some viewers may well appreciate its wider, albeit less accurate, color gamut. The flagship model's biggest step-up feature is Viera Cast, Panasonic's first attempt at connecting one of its TVs directly to the Internet, which currently allows the TV to display digital photos from Google's Picasa service, YouTube videos, and stocks and weather info. Problem is, we're not sure how many high-end HDTV shoppers care about viewing crud-quality YouTube videos on their beautiful HDTVs. In the end we think sticklers for picture quality will opt for the 800U series, and YouTube will not figure into the decision.

Link

[My_Two_Cents]

Sam's (at least mine) currently has the Pioneer 6010 for $3954. I just bought the 58" 768p Pany earlier this year for $2K, so I won't be upgrading anytime soon. Very happy with it so far!