Panasonic TH-50PZ85U I love this TV, but it has to be installed in the right environment

This is a great TV. I gave it 5 stars, because it is very well designed, it offers all the functions that I need and the image is gorgeous. I understand, however, the complaints about reflections. But this set is not to be blamed; reflections are a limitation of the plasma technology. If you believe plasma is the right choice for you, this TV is probably one of the best you can get.

A lot has been discussed about plasma vs. LCD. To me, the difference between the two technologies is quite simple: LCDs are "day" TVs, whereas plasmas are "night" TVs. During the day, my Viera TH-50PZ85U reflects quite a lot, particularly if I watch it from far in a wide angle, in a position opposed to the window (that happens when I watch it from my kitchen, which is opposed to the living room window--The TV is positioned perpendicular and close to the living room window, farther from the kitchen). The LCD Sharp Aquos that used to be in the exact same location had no reflections at all and I could easily watch it from the kitchen.

I am very picky when it comes to image quality when I am watching my movies at night, though. I just don't care about the reflections during the day, when my daughter is watching Elmo or Barney, but at night I want the most impeccable image. That's when my Viera shines. The image is not as bright as the LCDs, which is good in a dim room, and the contrast and black levels are just amazing, much superior to LCD. The image has more of a cinema feel and also feels more "analog" than an LCD screen. The image of an LCD screen can be also very beautiful, but it has more of "digital" feel, like a computer screen. The plasma resembles the feel of the old tube TVs, but in flat screen and high definition, which I like better for movies.

For those who want a multi-purpose TV that works great during the day and OK at night, the choice becomes very personal. I, for example, hate seeing my own reflection on the TV when I am watching it (which happens quite often with this set during the day, particularly in the black zones of the image, which look so beautiful at night). But my wife, on the other hand, does not even notice the reflections. My wife cares enough about image quality to appreciate this TV's blacks and strong contrast, but because the reflection's focus distance is different from that of the image, most people unconsciously just filter out those reflections. And it is true that reflection is much less noticeable when the TV is on. When it is on, sitting in front of the TV, the only reflections you see are in the black zones of the image. Even I forget about them, if I am just casually watching regular TV programming.

Another limitation of the plasma technology is the viewing angle. As I said above, wide angles are a problem during the day, because of reflection. But at night, the image itself reflects on the glass panel of the TV. That is particularly noticeable in wide angles when you have sharp image contrasts, like subtitles against a dark black background. The effect is one of double subtitles if you are watching it from a wide angle.

As for the glossy frame, it can indeed be distracting during the day. At night, it is a very beautiful frame, particularly if mounted on the wall.

Although this review may sound more negative than positive, this really is a very fine TV set. It beats LCD TVs in a home-theater setting, that is, dim rooms and narrow viewing angles. (It does not require a completely dark room and indirect light does not affect the image quality.) It does a very good job in bright rooms and narrow viewing angles and not so good a job in bright rooms and wide viewing angles, when the reflections take over. So it really depends on how the TV is going to be used. In home-theater settings, it is practically unbeatable.