Panasonic VIERA TC-P50GT30 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)The picture quality this TV puts out is crazy good. Colors are bright and vibrant without being over saturated and unrealistic. Blacks are inky black, and shadow detail is great as well. One of the reasons I bought the GT30 over the ST30 is the THX mode which gives really good out of the box picture without any aftermarket calibration. If you're into tweaking the picture though, there are two professional picture modes that allow very in depth picture controls.
1080P Source Material with a high bitrate (such as blurays or Vudu HDX) look incredibly sharp and stunning, while not looking sharp to the point of unrealism as some LCD's look. 720P sources look very good as well if a bit softer. 480i/p sources look alright. I only spent a few minutes watching SD and the experience was unexpectedly unimpressive. Motion on the GT30 looks very smooth and realistic without displaying the terrible "soap opera effect" that 120/240Hz LCD's seem to suffer from.
I tried using the Viera Cast software that Panasonic builds into these Tv's and I found to be pretty laggy. It wasn't very responsive and I found the design to be a little on the ugly side. Vizio and Samsung have much more polished media platforms built into their Tvs. It's possible Panasonic will improve performance with firmware updates in the future. If I was planning on using Viera Cast I would mark my score down but I have a Media Center PC and PS3 that replace all the functionality Viera Cast offers.
3D performance is very good. So far I've watched Tron Legacy on 3D bluray and played some 3D PS3 games; the 3D picture is very immersive and THX color accuracy remains very good in 3D mode. I've had bad experiences with 3D crosstalk on a friend's Samsung C7000 LCD and it can get very annoying and distracting. Thankfully I haven't experienced any of that on the GT30 in a dark or light viewing environments.
I've heard some early reports of the GT30 exhibiting floating blacks when viewing material that changes from a darker to a lighter scene suddenly. I haven't experienced any of this. I watched Black Swan on bluray to test this and black levels remained dark and consistent throughout with no slight jumps in brightness.
I'm also very impressed with the design of the GT30. It's about as thin as my Motorola Droid and it looks stunning mounted on my wall. Panasonic has traditionally lagged behind the likes of Sony and Samsung when it comes to the design of their Tv's but they really stepped up their game with the GT30. Having a TV that looks almost as stunning when turned off as it does when turned on is an unexpected plus.
Overall the GT30 is an incredible TV that makes no compromises when it comes to picture quality. If you want to spend more money, the VT30 it will probably improve upon the GT30 in some way when it's released but I'm having a hard time coming up with things they could improve outside of their Viera Cast platform.

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P50S30 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)The picture quality of this TV is simply excellent. Compared it with more expensive Panasonic "Infinite Black" G model and it's impossible to see the difference in real video content. You need to be in total darkness and have very high quality, low noise signal with large swatches of black and put them side to side to notice a slightly darker black in G models. Of course, just watching TV you will never think I wish blacks were deeper.
I've watched HD programs over the air, from blu-ray, Netflix from Roku, and from PC over HDMI. All modes 480/720/1080 progressive and interlaced displayed perfectly, and TV did a good job upscaling lower resolution to native 1080. No problems with motion, no blurring, no color fading or runoffs. TV does have a slightly lower moving picture resolution 900 lines (vs 1080 lines in top models), but it's quite impossible to notice that without measurements. So sports viewers will be satisfied. Also, on a positive side, the screen is not as glossy as the majority of other plasmas, so reflections are subdued.
I've been using this set for a few days now, so I can't comment on "image retention" problems that previous generations had. Supposedly the phosphors used in this set are improved from previous year, and reportedly they last longer. Just be sure you turn on the "pixel orbiter" to avoid burning in the logos and avoid prolonged display of static images. You can also run "scrolling bar" once a day for 15 minutes for the first week to age the phosphors evenly. Not all plasma owners believe a break-in period is necessary for the later generations of plasma TVs, and no plasma manufacturers now suggest their sets require break-in.
The description Amazon (and it looks now they removed it) seemed to suggest that TV had a built-in Wi-Fi. It doesn't, you need to buy a separate Wi-Fi USB adapter for that. Due to lack of adapter I cannot tell if IPTV and DLNA are working as expected. The other negative is common to all plasmas, which is high power consumption. You don't find this information advertised anywhere, because this set is rated at a whopping 339W. The built-in audio is weak, it has two tiny 10W speakers. It's fine for casual watching TV programs, but if you want to watch movies you probably want to invest in a separate audio system.
This TV may lack all the bells and features you can find in more advanced models, but it does deliver an excellent picture at a very reasonable price and that what matters most.
Edit 5-8-2011. I installed USB Wi-Fi adapter (Netgear N600) to test the Viera Tools. I didn't find them very useful though. It has Netflix client, but picture quality is poor (compared to Roku on the same network). Then there is CinemaNow, which I never used. Amazon Video on demand looks OK. I don't have any use for Pandora, Napster, or Facebook, so I can't comment. There is also Media Player for SD and USB cards, works pretty well. I popped in an SD card from Panasonic camcorder and picture was pretty good, no conversion was necessary. And finally, there is DLNA client, which I couldn't make to work. I does find the DLNA server, but connection always fails.

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Panasonic Viera TH-50PX80U 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my first HD TV purchase ever, so I made sure to do my homework. I spent days researching brands, plasmas v. LCDs, 720p v. 1080p resolutions, and 42" v. 50" screens. Friends and family kept telling me, "Get a LCD. Get a 1080p."
The fact is after combing through review after review from consumers and professional critics alike, it became evident that Panasonic is leading the way with plasma technology, and the years-old issues with these TVs (burn-in, heat, glare) are all but resolved. In fact, plasmas offer smoother motion, deeper blacks and wider viewing angles than their LCD rivals.
Screen size and resolution, I found, go hand-in-hand. The rule of thumb: 50" or less in screen size is not worth the extra $$ for 1080p. The increase in resolution only really becomes appreciable with screen sizes over 50". Too, one can only truly take advantage of 1080p with a Blu-ray DVD player. HD channels are sent at lower resolutions, though obviously much better than standard 480i.
Armed with this knowledge, I set out to find the best 50" plasma 720p I could find that fit within my budget. Sony and Pioneer were out. The next tier included Samsung, Toshiba, and Panasonic. The latter won hands down.
Whether I am watching DirectTV HD or my standard DVD player, the picture quality is nothing short of amazing. I love the anti-reflective coating on the screen; works beautifully in our well-lit room and does not mute the colors. It took a minute for my two year-old to get over Scooby-Doo outsizing him, but he's hooked now.
The one minor complaint I see in other reviews is bass distortion with the speakers. I do not use the "bass boost" function and have not noticed anything but clean sound. In fact, speech, music, and effects sound quite good and balanced. Most will use surround sound for movies anyway, I suspect. The only thing that peeves me is the digital audio out. It only supports 2 channel stereo to a receiver.
In closing, I believe this is the best value you will find for a top quality product in this category. Get one, and you won't just watch TV, you'll experience it.


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Panasonic VIERA 50" 720p Plasma HDTV

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P50G25 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are like me, you put a lot of research into a expensive purchase like a flat screen television, especially since it is something you plan to use for several years. I chose the Panasonic G25 after months of research trying to determine which was "better", LCD or Plasma, while also investigating which brands and models were the best performers.
What's in the box?
*The 50" TV
*Swivel stand
*Lighted remote, including batteries
*Detailed Instruction manual
*Quick Start Guide
I purchased this TV as our main television in our family room. I own two other flat screens, both LCD and both from Panasonic, 32" and 42".
Set up is a breeze. The box is designed to be easily opened by releasing four plastic clips built onto the box. This allows the top (most of the box) to be lifted of the TV, while the TV remains secure and stationary in the lower part of the box. The included swivel stand comes in two pieces and is easily assembled with a few included screws. If you use this stand, you simply have to lower the TV onto the stand. This can be done vertically without laying the screen down on its face, since the design of the TV mounting components are flush with the stand. Some TVs require you to place the TV in a horizontal position to mount it to their stand. You possibly could do this assembly alone, as the TV is not very heavy, but due to sheer size, it is extremely prudent to have someone help you.
Many professional reviews will advise you to beware of plasma "burn in" of images, or using plasma in a brightly lit room. I worried about these two things constantly during my research.
Panasonic's manual does advise you not to leave a 4:3 image, or any still image on the screen on the screen for very long periods as it can contribute to some burn in. But in general, even if you watch 4:3 mode all day long, the TV has a couple of features which helps protect its image, including orbiting pixel technology and a scrolling bar which can be run across the screen to help cleanse it. I have watched a good deal of 4:3 format on this TV and have not had any issues whatsoever. The orbiting technology slightly moves pixels about, undetectable to the human eye, which really minimizes the chance of any burn in.
As far as a bright room, don't worry! My family room is decent size, and has a cathedral ceiling with a skylight, plus a southern wall that is almost all window and a sliding door on the opposite wall. So the room has lots of light. I can watch the TV during the brightest time of day without any loss of quality or viewing ability. The anti-glare feature of the screen reduces the natural reflective characteristics of glass down to practically nil.
I tend to watch most programming on the TV's THX mode. This will give you a somewhat less bright display than the G25's "Standard" or "Vivid" mode or compared to most LCDs, but personally I am looking for the most accurate, pleasing display, not simply "the brightest". If you do prefer a very bright display, the TV's numerous picture settings can easily give you a bright display.
I am a huge Panasonic fan, and that did factor into my choice of TV. I find Panasonic typically gives you high quality at a reasonable price.
As for price, you will spend several hundreds of dollars more for an LCD of comparable size and quality. Some better quality LCDs in this size range will cost double what the G25 sells for.
Most of the features on the TV and remote are intuitive and the menu offers general explanations of the purpose of each setting. The remote itself is well laid out and easy to navigate, although this was not very important to me since I am using my FIOS remote for most typical functions.
There are three HDMI ports on the TV, as well as RCA and component connections and coax input. There is also a PC port as well as two USB ports. The lone port type absent is S-Video. While S-Video is passé, if you have a DVD player that's a few years old, you might be using S-Video to connect to your TV, so be prepared to upgrade or switch cable types if need be.
The TV can also be networked either by Ethernet cable or wireless adapter. You must use Panasonic's adapter if you choose the wireless route, which is one of the few cons on this product. Compatibility with common wifi adapters would have been nice, since the Panasonic wifi adapter is over-priced. Although Panasonic confirmed you must use their adapter, I tried a couple of others any way, but the TV did not detect them. If you network the Tv you can make use of numerous features like direct connection to several services (some of which require a subscription or fee). Examples are Amazon Video on Demand (cost associated), YouTube (free), Pandora (free), Twitter (free, and a few others.
A couple of typical complaints about Panasonic TVs are the sound quality, and starting with the G series from 2009, the black levels displayed on the screen becoming lighter after several hundred hours of use. The sound is decent on the TV, and many people will probably cutover to their home theater for audio when playing DVDs or music-related TV programming anyway. I don't believe the concerns over the black levels are a huge issue. That is just my opinion; I am neither an expert nor any type of engineer. At the end of the day, everything I have read seems to indicate that the resulting black levels from Panasonic's firmware still leaves the display at a better black level than the competing Samsung products, so .........
Aside from being limited to Panasonic's wifi adapter, about the worst thing I can say about the G25 is that for the price, Panasonic could include some sort of cleaning cloth for the screen, which is typical even on their own lower end LCDs.
Overall, this television has astounding picture quality and realistic reproduction which is superior to any LCD or LED TV I've seen. For the price, you cannot go wrong or find a better flat screen HD TV.NOTE:
If you are a making your first flat screen, HD television purchase, please remember that no matter what brand or type you buy, standard display will not be as sharp as high definition programming, and the larger the screen the more noticeable that is.

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Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 50-inch VIERA TC-P50G25 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This G25 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.



Key Specifications


What's in the Box Panasonic G25 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

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Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P50G10 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)The P50G10 is my second HD Plasma experience, the first being a 2004 Panasonic, which still looks and works quite well. It has found another spot in our home to make room for the new G10 in our family room. When searching for and finally selecting the new Panasonic G10, I was comparing choices against this first experience considering both the manufacturer and the plasma technology. While I have a few smaller sized LCD's, mostly in the 20-32" range, I have never been overly impressed with the picture. The seem a bit cartoonish, even in HD mode, so I quickly settled on a plasma as my technology choice. Having made that decision the alternatives in terms of manufacturers narrowed quickly. Wh Pioneer exiting the Plasma business, and considering my experience with my original Panasonic plasma the brand decision was made. Selecting which model from Panasonic boiled down to scouring the 2009 product announcements and available reviews (CNET), and making the trade-offs on size, cost and availability. This all led me to the P50G10, which was a good fit on all points.
I have had the unit installed and working for 4 weeks now, and must say its been an extremely satisfying time. The G10 is a major step up, from my previous plasma, in terms of picture, inputs i.e. 3 HDMI vs 1, and ability to control each picture setting independently. I have tweaked the picture setting on the Standard and THX settings a bit to sharpen and brighten the picture a bit, but most of the other settings are very good out of the box. As the unit is stand mounted, and in a room with mostly indirect and overhead lighting there are no issues with glare or light reflection, from the main glass or its glossy black bezel.
In the process I also moved up to a Panasonic BMP-BD60 (will write a separate review on it) Blu Ray player and the 1080P picture is nothing short of amazing. As these are both Panasonic units they inter-operate with VieraLink which simplifies and automates the way the two units operate together, a nice but not essential feature. I setup a Wireless ethernet bridge (Linksys WET54G) to feed the VieraCast function on the G10, and it works flawlessly. At this time the amount of content available is limited, but one can see the potential, if Panasonic can bring more content services to this function. The G10 does employ a set of power consumption controls. There are both Input Idle and In-Activity based auto-power off modes to save on power consumption, which is good as plasma's are a bit power hungry.
To be balanced the G10 does have a few shortcomings. The sound from the onboard speakers is a bit thin. You can mitigate this some by pumping up the Bass control and turning on the Bass Boost, but its just not a rich sound experience. I think Panasonic can do better with some higher quality speakers and a small sub-woofer. I, and I suspect most others, have a surround system connected and utilize it for a better sound experience.
I also preferred when Panasonic placed the additional inputs into a trap door on the front of the plasma, the G10 has these on the left (facing) edge. To me it was more convenient and accessible to have these set of inputs up-front.
All in all, the G10 is a high quality Plasma with terrific features and future expandability. If offers a near perfect picture across multiple inputs and types of content.


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50" Plasma, 1080p, THX, Viera Cast, H.264, IP Camera Ready, PC Input, NEO PDP Panel which is brighter, Full-time 1080p TV lines of moving picture resolution, 3 HDMI, Native contrast ratio 40,000:1, Dynamic contrast infinite black 2,000,000:1, Game Mode, Anti Reflective Filter, 600 Hz Subfield Drive

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P50X3 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)This is my 2nd Panasonic plasma display and the quality of the picture is absolutely great. This TV gets 4 stars because the display has a glossy finish and not a matte finish. This matters in any room that has windows or lamps. You'll see the reflection of these light sources on the TV screen. Honestly I have no idea why anyone would want a glossy screen over a matte screen.
This is a 720p resolution TV, which is why the price seems low for a 50 inch TV. 1080p sounds great but in reality most folks are not watching _true_ 1080p content. Even with a lot of bluray content, the original content was a lower resolution (often DVD 480p) and it was simply rescanned into 1080p for the bluray disk. If you really want a 1080p TV, go for it of course. There is some true 1080p content out there and it looks great if you have a 1080p TV.


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(March 2011)
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Panasonic VIERA TC-P46X3 46-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)The Panasonic Plasma TC-P46X3 is a great entry level Plasma HDTV. You will be extremely hard pressed to find anything close to the picture quality of this set for the money (the only real contender is the Samsung D450 series). Coming from LCD's, I was a bit nervous about moving to Plasma due to stories of burn-in. Overall, I am very happy with my decision to go with the Panasonic TC-P46X3.
Pros:
1. Great contrast ratio, nice deep blacks and rich colors. The screen is never too dark or too bright or washed out.
2. Great panel response time, little to no ghosting.
3. Price!
Cons:
1. Reflective screen (if you have a lot of light in the room while you're watching, it can be distracting as it reflects off of the darker areas of the picture).
2. Image retention (NOT burn-in) does occur, but disappears when you use the screen wipe white bar feature. I'm also still in the first few hundred hours of pixel life, so this may become less and less of an issue as the phosphors age.

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P65ST30 65-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow! My first review... OK, the set arrived Friday, 5/27/2011, delivered from Best Buy, obviously in a huge box... Its 65 inches after all... And after the Spanish speaking delivery guys mounted it on the stand, plugged it in and left me to hook it up myself at my request, I began setting up the TV.
This set comes with every possible connection that you will need to view and listen to anything that you want, it includes a WiFi adapter for your Internet applications which plugs into one of the two USB ports available and obviously, an SD card slot for viewing pictures, listening to mp3's,3D movies etc.There is also a pc connection if you decide to go that route,but i use one of the HDMI connections for my laptop which does an exceptional job.
There are four HDMI input jacks, an optical digital audio output jack, and all the other standard inputs that you would need including a PC and a wired LAN connection.
Setting up this beast took approximately 15 minutes, after which I began looking at the digital as well as analog channels that came in on my cable system.
After setting the picture function to vivid, and backing off some of the adjustments, the thing looked superb... I also own a Panasonic vierra 50in plasma set that works like a champ, which is the reason that I went for this one, and the picture here exceeds the images I would see with the 50 inch.
I fooled around a little bit with the Internet applications, it has all the usual ones, netflix - twitter -face book etc.
It also has some games that you can play and if you want to,and you can download more apps... Some are free and some cost around 3 to 4 dollars to install in the TV. Looks nice and works as well as you might expect... My DSL connection is only 700 mbit so the quality isn't as topnotch as it would be on a faster connection... Say FIOS or something.
I then throw in the avatar 2D bluray DVD, and that's where this thing really shines! The set has a function in it that allows you to smooth the image. This is very useful for removing the jerkyness that you see on most televisions when things move from side to side or up and down and it gives the appearance of a very smooth and flowing image... I love this and you have the option of turning this on and off. You can see this effect on some sharp and Samsung LCD TVs... Now it's available on plasma.. Very nice. The thing is maybe about an inch thick front to back so when you view it from the side you can barely even see it... And then as you step outwards from the side of it, you start to see all of the picture with no color degradation or reduction in brightness that you get with LCD TVs, so viewing angles aren't a problem.
This is one of the clear reasons for me buying a plasma TV. And the black levels, as promised, are infinitely black! I viewed it in a completely darkened room and contrast levels are amazing... when the screen goes black, you couldn't see anything in the room except for the red light on the television.
The set is 3D ready but you'll need to buy 3D bluray player and the special Panasonic active shutter 3D glasses that you have to purchase separately... Another $400 or so for those additions... So for now I can't comment on the 3D functionality of this set.. But I am sure that it is beautiful because everything else looks great on this titanic screen.
My son has seen it and is bugging me about getting the 3D glasses so that he can see how avatar looks in 3D so maybe there will be an addition to this long review coming soon. Kudos to Panasonic.. I love it!
5/29/11-I forgot to mention the one BIG negative that i have with this set,that is the speaker system within the tv,they SUCK!They sound like something you would find in say a 19"television,thin and tiny...its kinda weird that my 50"speakers seem to sound better than these but i guess that the thinking is with a screen this big,you will be using an external surround system anyway, as i do,so there's that.It also comes with a very well-lit,when the light button is pressed,remote control.There are many more things this set can do,you'll have to get one and play with it to check them out,
LB

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Panasonic TC-P50S2 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)1080p HD Picture Quality: The picture presentation of the from the 50S2 is still very bright and with the improved black levels much improved. Black levels are deep and strong with an HD signal input through HDMI. While not the best we've seen lately, they lose the dark gray haziness that the S2 can display with a 480i signal. Color is plenty saturated and dark shadow detail remains excellent.
Picture Presentation from 480i signals: We always test every TV with a 480i resolution. It is a great test of a TVs upconversion and processing chip sets. The signal may be likened to what you would see with your normal digital cable or satellite signal.The TC-P50S2 series plasma contains the new an updated version of the NEO PDP (i.e. plasma screen) from Panasonic. This is the same screen used in some of the higher end Panasonic series which should make this model a good value if picture quality is your primary objective. We find the picture quality overall improved from the prior S1 series. The drives do a little better job of eliminating motion artifacts than the S1 series did. Color rendition is still with black levels being the primary progress area of the S2 series delivering more depth and solidity. As was the case on the S1 series, brightness is a strength of the these newer Panasonic plasma models.
Calibration Notes: Overall, calibration to D6500K was very easy with this TV. Though there are no white balance adjustments available on the menu without entering the service menu, the 50S2 calibrated so close to D65 from the start that it would have improved the TV inappreciably. We started our calibration from the custom setting in the Warm 2 color temperature position. The S2 series TV does not contain the THX picture setting option. Follow the following settings to calibrate to a nearly perfect D65. These picture settings are best viewed in a controlled light environment fairly dark room:
Picture Mode: Custom
Color Temp: Warm2
Brightness: +74
Contrast: +75
Color: +45
Tint: -2
Sharpness: +15
Color Mgmt: OFF
x.v.Color: OFF
C.A.T.S.: OFF
Video NR: Weak
Block NR: Off
Misquito NR: Off
Black Level: Light
3:2 Pulldown: Off
HD Size: 2
Black Level/Contrast: Black levels were an area that the S1 series needed a makeover on. They got it with this S2 series. These are not going to be the best black levels we see this year and we dont anticipate them coming close to some of the Samsung plasma black levels. However, Panasonic has brought black levels back into welcomed focus. Final ANSI contrast measurement was 1261:1 which is a nice improvement over last year but far from what we want. One of the TVs greatest strengths lies in its white brightness which measured an average luminance of 31.50. This result nears LCD TVs in brightness and points to Panasonic's desire to compete with LCD TVs in this area.
Dark Shadow Detail: Partly due to the high brightness of this plasma dark shadow detail is excellent. Panasonic plasma TVs have long been a favorite of ours in this important area.
Color Rendition/Color Accuracy: Color rendition is much more saturated with HD content. The TV excels with HD content and is much more subdued in presentation with lower signals. Colors can seem a little weak and hazy at times with lower end signals. I will give them the thumbs up on reality however.
Features: One of the key feature differences of the S2 series with the G20 series of plasma by Panasonic is the absense of The Viera Cast feature set, which enables online content via a web interface. As a result, there is also no Ethernet port. The included Viera Link feature allows the user to control other Viera link capable outboard equipment. Viera Image viewer is the Panasonic compatible technology which enables use of SD memory card viewing via the SD card slot.The S2 has discrete picture settings for each input as well as Panasonic's new "600 Hz" specification for blur reduction.
This TV is Energy Star compliant due to an energy saver feature option. Power consumption for the S2 has been reduced from the S1. This is one of the main feature differences aside from improved black levels. Panasonic started improving efficiency in their plasma TVs in 2007 and have improved it 400% with this S2 model. They are now close enough to LCDs in energy efficiency that is should not matter.
To see the overall ratings and full review of this TV head over to Plasma TV Buying Guide


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Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 50-inch VIERA TC-P50S2 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This S2 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.


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Key Specifications


What's in the Box Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

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Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P50S1 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)The value you get for the price of this tv is second to none. I just recently put this tv in my house replacing an old rear projection tv and i am amazed at its color accuracy. I did find my self making a few tweeks from the factory settings but once you get it to where you like the picture you'll fall in love. Sports and movies shine on this set. I preferred the plasma over the lcd because the movement on the tv was much more natural than the 120hz lcd displays. I sell T.V.s at sears and after being around both for a while I find the plasma image much easier and natural to look at. I chose Panasonic because they seem to have mastered the plasma technology and even a Samsung rep told me that he preferred Panasonic's plasma to Samsungs plasma. I will admit to liking some of the new Sony's coming out and the new LED tv is really cool but you cant touch those televisions at this price point. I kind of wish I had waited for the G10 seeing as it came in at such a close price difference but I cant complain I love this tv and it is a few hundred dollars cheaper. I should also note that the anti-glare filter works really well I wouldn't be worried about glare issues. If anyone got through this review my advice to you is to buy this or the step up G10.

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50" Plasma, 1080p, NEO PDP Panel which is brighter, Full-time 1080p TV lines of moving picture resolution, 3 HDMI, Native contrast ratio 40,000:1, Dynamic contrast infinite black 2,000,000:1, Game Mode, Anti Reflective Filter, 600 Hz Subfield Drive

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Panasonic TC-P50C2 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this TV almost a week and like it more everyday.
Bought it from Best Buy for $680 with free delivery and set up.
When the delivery guys set it up, thye told me that in order to get
the picture that I saw in the showroom, that I had to switch out
my Direct TV receiver and dish to HD. Called Direct TV and had the HD
dish and receiver installed. Boy, what a difference. I can't get
over how great the picture is, and you can't beat the price. I played
BB against HHGregg, and they both fell over each other trying to get the sale.
It listed for $800 at both places, but I got it for $680. I've read about
buzzing noise complaints, but I have not had this problem. This is the 2010
version of this model. I'm a happy camper.

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Offering excellent picture performance, Panasonic's 50-inch VIERA TC-P50C2 Plasma HDTV features a 720p high-definition resolution and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity. This and other models in the C2 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements. And you'll get a long Plasma panel life of up to 100,000 hours--more than 30 years of viewing when watched 8 hours a day--before the brightness of the panel decreases to half.

Key Features Panasonic's VIERA C2 series Plasma HDTV.

Key Specifications


What's in the Box Panasonic C2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P50ST30 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I also have an issue with a "green tint" or "blobs" in various areas of the screen. The green makes it difficult to judge the quality of the television because I keep focusing on the problem areas. Not sure if this is a problem with this series or if the TV was damaged during shipment.
Amazon is sending a replacement, and I will update once the next set arrives.
UPDATE 04/04/11:Received my replacement set. Fired it up and immediately started running break-in slides to search for any green tint that appeared with the previous panel. Once again, the green tint/blobs appeared on the grey scale slides, however, the green was much lighter with this panel and I can live with it. After two TV's and reading reviews online, this appears to be a common problem with this set. The green blobs are rumored to fade as the panel ages. I've run 100 hours of break-in slides and have seen no reduction.
Design: 3/5
The shiny, black bezel looks great. Definitely an improvement over my previous Pansonic plasma. The base swivels although it is "stiff" and awkard. Compared to the design of the Samsung plasmas, I'd rate the design a 3 out of 5.
Picture: 4/5
Post break-in slides (100 hours) and calibration using the D-nice settings, the picture looks great. The colors are excellent, and the blacks are much better than my previous plasma. There are a few minor problems. First, the green tint appears when a grey images on is on the tv. In fast moving scenes, the picture seems to fall apart or blur... and dark scenes can become grainy from time to time. Overall, the picture is fantastic and the pros for outweight the cons.
Viera Cast/3d: 5/5
Love the ability to pull up Netflix, Skype, and Facebook on the TV screen along with the other various apps availabe in Viera Cast. Have had no problems with 3d or 2d to 3d conversion.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with the TV for the price range. The green tint/blobs are the only thing holding me back from giving the P50ST30 a five star rating.

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3D Technology Checklist
This product is 3D-related. To help you get a great 3D experience, use the checklist below to ensure you have everything you need. 3D viewing requires:

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Samsung PN50B650 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you're in the market for a HDTV then the Samsung PN50B650 is worth a second look. Externally, the attractive Touch of Color design incorporated into the clear beveled edged glass exudes sophistication and class. Internally, the Crystal Full HD Engine and Samsung's e-panel technology translates into a blur free clear vibrant picture perfect for sports and movies alike.
Truthfully I started off in the HDTV market looking for a 52" LCD panel with 1080p and 120hz specs. After a month of searching I realized that a name brand set with the above specs was out of my budget. I wasn't considering a plasma because I thought it was outdated technology, fear of image retention (IR), cost of operation, and plasma's heavier weight difference. However, as I researched more into plasmas I learned that my fears were they themselves outdated. Plasma was not outdated technology, many companies were still pouring money into plasma R&D. IR for sure is still a concern but with some simple basic precautions and use of the built in pixel shifting option, IR has become a very minor concern. This set is also Energy Star compliant using 40% less power than prior years plasmas (as per Samsung's website) and comparable to LCDs of similar size. As for weight, I wasn't too concerned because my set wasn't going on a wall. Regardless, the weight difference to a LCD is only about 15 lbs or so. Also, this set comes with an attractive stand that allows the TV to rotate for optimal viewing.
The cons I have so far are: Even with the FilterBright technology incorporated into the screen, glare is still a factor. I have my set in a room with no curtains but no direct sunlight and find myself changing the brightness control at times during daylight use. While the Media 2.0 is a fantastic feature (and the reason why I highly recommend this set over the B550 for a few extra $) it can be slow at times. Lastly, the speakers on this TV are marginal. Not bad in loudness but definitely no mid range or bass as one would expect. You will eventually need something externally powered.
I will not bore you with pros and cons of this set's internal specs, you can interpret them anyway you want but for a non HDTV expert that was merely trying to get the best value for the money, with great picture quality and technology (e.g. Cinema Smooth 24p frame rate), in an attractive looking TV, this Samsung was a clear choice for me. Lastly, the other plasma I was considering was the Panasonic G10. It has slightly better reviews but esthetically IMO the Samsung was a clear winner. For the non HDTV expert like myself, the image quality differences were unnoticeable. On a side note, as the post above had mentioned, standard def cable channels are pretty darn good on this set compared to my old 37" LCD.
*I do not have the buzz or the pinkish hues some others claim on their sets.
Update: After 7 months of use, my Samsung tv is is still going strong with no issues. Picture quality is still bright and vivid. I have either found the most balanced setting for day and night time use or my eyes have gotten used to this set because I longer find myself adjusting the picture settings. Burn in is not an issue and its not even on my mind (although I do not play video games on it).
Its great having a tv with online capabilities. While I don't personally find myself using the "widgets" very often, I do appreciate the no hassle automatic software updates to the tv. The two widgets I do use on occasion are the Amazon Video on Demand and the Blockbuster Video on Demand. Either of these two features allow one to watch HD or regular quality movies streamed from their respective providers at about $3-$5 a movie for a 24 hr rental period. Not bad when I don't want to drive to the rental store. Other noteable widgets available are Twitter, YouTube, Ebay and flickr. The tv's speakers are adequate for everyday use but for movies and sporting events an externally powered speakers are advised. I use a Sony sound bar that looks and sounds great with this set. My electric bill has increased about $10 per month. The set is on for 10 plus hours a day.

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Samsung's new PN50B650 plasma flat panel HDTV exemplifies the design and performance refinements for those with discerning tastes and a passion for innovation. Picture your favorite room filled with 50 inches of 1080p Full HD picture performance artistically accented in a new Touch of ColorTM design. Samsung's 6 Series E-Panel technology delivers improvements with our Ultra FiterBrightTM technology that further reduces glare in brighter rooms and our advanced Crystal Full HD Engine expands the picture viewing experience with less power consumption. The new Medi@2.0 connectivity package offers customizable online content via user-friendly 'widgets,' networking capability via the DLNA standard, and playback of your camera and camcorder via USB 2.0. Add 4 advanced HDMI inputs that feature Samsung's Anynet+ (CEC standard) technology making system control of compatible A/V devices like a Blu-ray player or HTIB system a one-touch operation. Experience Full 1080p performance and advanced connectivity on Samsung's new B650 series plasma HDTVs that are designed to meet higher pride of ownership expectations and lower the cost of ownership.

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Panasonic TC-P54S2 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have had this TV for nearly a month. After I got the basic picture settings where I like them I am continually amazed at what a terrific picture I get. For me the the CINEMA setting seems to be the best overall setting for both DVDs and broadcast/cable TV and I adjust the the other picture settings as needed for individual DVDs or TV programs.
I wanted to keep this brief so I won't go into any further detail. I am completely happy with this TV. You can never really be sure what a TV is going to be like once you get into your home. In this case I can't imagine how it could be any better.
AVERAGE USER PICTURE SETUP GUIDE
I have had this TV about 3 months now and still Love it. Over that time I have fine tuned the picture settings to the point where I am happy with them in almost every viewing situation and video format without having to make any changes. I watch my TV at ambient light levels from fairly bright to completely dark.
I thought a list of my settings might be a helpful starting point for new owners wanting to get the best from this awesome TV as quickly as possible. I didn't use any test patterns or fancy equipment to arrive at these settings. They were developed using real world viewing. You super techies can scoff and move on now and hopefully this will be a help to the rest of you.
SETTINGS
Picture Mode = Cinema (always)
Contrast36
Brightness36
Color 29 (you will probably use this
Tint+1 and the tint control most often)
Sharpness 50
Color Temp = warm
CATS off
Video NRon
Blur Reduction on
ASPECT:
Screen Format = full
HD Size 1
ADVANCED PICTURE
Mpeg NR = on
Black level = light (This is an important setting. On My TV it was defaulted to DARK. On very dark scenes like in
Theaters during concerts there is much useful detail that is lost with the Dark setting.
Another good example is the opening scene of "Master and Commander" The movie opens with a
long distance shot of the HMS Surprise alone at sea just before the sun comes up. The camera
slowly pans closer to the deck of the ship until we can see the black rigging silhouetted
against the grayish blue predawn with sailors climbing up and down the rigging for the
changing of the watch. The next scene is of the ships cook reaching into the on deck chicken
coop to grab a chicken. With the setting in DARK the cook's face, clothing and the chicken
are all dark shadows with no detail. With the light setting the cooks features, his ginger
colored beard and the soft blue and gray stripes of his shirt are now visible along with
the individual reddish brown feathers of the chicken he selected.
I hope this helps you get started. Everyone's tastes are different but this should be a good starting point.
I suspect that these settings should also be good for the other size sets in the S2 line
This review refers to the 2010 model TC-P54S2

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Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 54-inch VIERA TC-P54S2 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This S2 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.




Key Features


Key Specifications




What's in the Box Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions
Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

Click here for more information about Panasonic TC-P54S2 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

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