Panasonic TH-50PX77U 50" HDTV Plasma TV

After having a 26 inch Panasonic tv for the last 20 years, we decided to bite the bullet and try newer technology. Consumer Reports and C-Net.com rated this hdtv and its more expensive brother at the top of the ratings. This unit gives a beautiful picture with no fiddling with settings right out of the box. The remote isn't backlit but is easy and intuitive to use.
These Panasonic hdtvs are likely the most reliable brand on the market. I spent considerable time researching the pros and cons of various makes and Panasonic was the hands down winner overall for best value as well as most reliable. I was disappointed that another reviewer had a bad experience with this set, but his is definitely the exception, not the rule. I bought mine from Costco where the return policy is much better than most and the warranty is doubled to two years. I fully expect not to use this warranty. These sets really do require careful shipping as they can't be laid on their side or turned upside down. If a shipper isn't careful, damage is likely from what I've read. Best Buy and Circuit City don't have very good ratings with hdtvs and that is why Costco came into play.
Standard analog signals look very good on this set, but hd signals are simply breathtaking. Don't be duped into thinking you need to buy an upscaling dvd player to take advantage of the capabilities of this set for your dvd collection, as this set seems to do the upscaling on its own very well.
I was shocked that the average rating of this set was 3, but then I saw there were only 2 reviews. C-net.com has many reviews including one of their own. Frankly, I could not tell the difference between this 1080i set and its much more expensive 1080p brother. At Costco they were side by side so it made it easy to compare.
The sound is as good as any I listened to in many stores, but you will probably want a better sound system to go with the other worldly picture this set delivers.