The Panasonic TH-58PX600U contains the 9th generation panel of the ever-popular Panasonic plasma line. This is a new size foray for Panasonic and the entire viewing world and it is massive! One can only assume that since the 50" plasma size is 8" larger than the 42" plasma, Panasonic went up another 8" to the 58" from the 50". That would be some type of bad reasoning I guess. The real explanation lies with the manufacturing process and how many 58" sheets of plasma glass (plasma display element) the factory can produce as opposed to the 65" glass that they also make on a per hour basis. It's all about economics, and the 58" size - though incredibly huge can be produced and offered at a drastically reduced price from the 65" offering as a result of the production output. This plasma TV has impressive HD resolution, and all the inputs one could want - even VGA 15 pin computer input.
PICTURE (97/100)
Like most televisions on the market today, the Panasonic TH-58PX600U came out of the box with superficially bright default picture settings. Out of the box, the picture is in a default picture mode setting of Vivid (which maximizes Contrast and Sharpness settings) and a color temperature setting of Cool. The first task before examining the picture quality of the plasma TV is to find the picture settings that get us closest to D6500K—the optimum prescribed color temperature used by the film and broadcast industry. Because Panasonic plasmas typically have a cooler default temperature setting than other brands (which often leads to a "blue push" in the white balance), the "Warm" color temperature setting is preferred for increased realism. By switching to the "Standard" picture setting (which has medium Contrast and Sharpness settings) and using a "Warm" color temperature, we quickly move much closer to D6500K. Maintaining a color temperature close to D6500K is important because it is the basis on which the rest of the picture calibrations are made.
FEATURES (96/100)
The PX600U series is a slight step up in aesthetics from the PX60U series. It's got that Pro appeal that says it costs more with black banding around the screen and a thin silver finish bezel surrounding the black banding. The excellent 31 watt audio system which incorporates 2 subwoofers is hidden in the casing. This is an 11 watt upgrade from the PX60U series. The new look of the TH-58PX600U is definitely very modern, and it has significant "pop." The unit is massive at 57.3 inches wide, 36.2 inches in height and 5.7 inches deep.
For the TH-58PX600U, Panasonic improves its already user-friendly remote control. The easy-to-find buttons are generally in the same place as the last model, but now they are bigger and easier to find without looking. The remote feels good in your hand, has intuitive controls, and would be a serviceable solution as a universal remote control.
The on-screen menu system on the TH-58PX600U is relatively unchanged from Panasonic's previous generation TH-58PX600U, however it has the new electronic programming guide included in this upgraded model. I found the whole system very intuitive. When the Menu button on the remote control is pressed, the main menu options—Picture, Audio, Timer, Lock, Memory Card, and Setup – appear in an easy-to-read fashion. The Picture menu includes the picture controls required to calibrate the picture. The Audio menu features Bass, Treble, and Balance adjustments. In the Other Adjust sub-menu for Audio, you can choose Surround for a marginal Virtual Surround Sound experience. Also in this sub-menu, the users with Home Theater systems may choose to simply turn off the internal speakers of the television in favor of your own surround sound set up. The invisible speakers system will complement this choice.
VALUE (97/100)
The Panasonic TH-58PX600U is an excellent value piece and can be purchased for around $4200. That's a LOT of screen for the money! It compares well with the Pioneer PDP-6070HD as its only real competition in the 58" to 61" TV range. Only the Samsung 63" plasma TVs can compare to this unit in price per inch. It contains all of the features of the Pioneer PDP-6070HD (around $5500) but for much less money and only 2" smaller. It has the pro quality feature set of upgraded sound system, cool looks, cable card input, and computer compatibility and input that the Panasonic TH-PX60U series lacks and at only a couple hundred dollars more. Panasonic introduced the TH-58PX600U with an MSRP of $5,999 at specialty retailers and authorized Panasonic delaers both online and brick and mortar. OVERALL (96.75/100)
The Panasonic TH-58PX600U is an excellent value piece and can be purchased for around $4200. That's a LOT of screen for the money! It compares well with the Pioneer PDP-6070HD as its only real competition in the 58" to 61" TV range. Only the Samsung 63" plasma TVs can compare to this unit in price per inch. It contains all of the features of the Pioneer PDP-6070HD (around $5500) but for much less money and only 2" smaller. It has the pro quality feature set of upgraded sound system, cool looks, cable card input, and computer compatibility and input that the Panasonic TH-PX60U series lacks and at only a couple hundred dollars more. Panasonic introduced the TH-58PX600U with an MSRP of $5,999 at specialty retailers and authorized Panasonic delaers both online and brick and mortar.
