Panasonic VIERA X1 Series TC-P42X1 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this from Amazon.com, with the scheduled delivery from CEVA. Ordered last sunday, delivery was one week later. Having the option of sunday delivery was great, and the delivery was very professional and definitely white glove.
Two people brought the TV in (carrying properly as this is a plasma), opened the box, put the TV on the stand, powered the TV on and waited for me to check whether there is any problem with the TV. They also offered to remove packaging if I wanted to get rid of it. Sometimes you cannot even get such good service when you pay $100+ for shipping. Given that shipping was free, I was thrilled.
TV is awesome, right out of the box. It looks great, works great. Picture is top notch. I put in an HD-DVD version of Transformers and was amazed at the picture quality. This is my first plasma TV and I believe it is much better than LCD. I had a Samsung 4061F before, and this TV has better picture than that one, despite the Samsung being 1080P and this being 720P. There's no motion blur whatsoever on this TV.
Checking on the web a little, I made the settings to be: pic mode custom, contrast +78, brightness +57, color +53, tint -9, sharpness +29, everything else off, black levels light and temp normal. These settings turned out to be perfect for the TV.
Five stars for the TV, purchasing experience and the delivery service.

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42" Plasma, 720p, 3 HDMI, Native contrast ratio 30,000:1, Dynamic contrast infinite black 2,000,000:1, Game Mode, Anti Reflective Filter, 600 Hz Subfield Drive

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Panasonic TC-P46S2 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this television from Amazon & have lived with it for a couple of months.
I did a lot of shopping; finally deciding on this television & I am very happy I did. This TV is fantastic: Beautiful colors - 1080p - 600Hz Refresh Rate - 2,000,000:1 Contrast Ratio. The last two numbers make LCD's come up very short. In case you don't know: The contrast ratio is a measure of the difference between white and black. The higher the contrast ratio, the blacker the blacks & the whiter the whites. The deeper blacks make the colors really pop. This is where Plasma completely dominates LCD.
Sound & Vision Magazine rated these Panasonic Viera Plasma televisions right under the Pioneer Kuros. This is high praise considering that they had rated the Pioneers the best TV, of any kind - anywhere, for the last two years. Considering that the Kuros are 4 times the price, this TV was the obvious pick.
For the last years; the knocks against plasmas were the issues of Burn-In and excess heat compared to LCD's. The issue of Burn-In has been addressed. It is not a problem anymore. In addition, I have not noticed the TV giving off any abnormal heat. As a matter of fact, I don't notice any heat from it at all. Since these issues have been fixed, Plasma's should be much higher on everyone's shopping list.
A couple of side notes: 1) since I got it I have moved from cable to Dish. This has made a big improvement, & 2) the ability of take an SD card directly from the camera, insert it into the TV, and play the images is a nice feature.
I ordered direct from Amazon with the free shipping. The television arrived quickly and in perfect condition. The delivery people were accommodating and professional. They set everything up & were nice enough to even move some furniture around.
If you are considering a television in this price range, I think this is the one to get.


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Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 46-inch VIERA TC-P46S2 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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What's in the Box Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

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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 TC-P54G25 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)After spending a couple of weeks seriously researching tv's, I decided I wanted to go plasma. I weighed the options of LCD, LED-LCD, Plasma and DLP, and concluded that all along I've wanted Plasma. Friends and acquaintances tried (hard) to convince me that LCD or even LED was the way to go...especially in my living room with 3 windows. I spent many hours trying to convince myself that LCD was what I wanted, but no matter what, I always came back to, "...but with Plasma, I can..." Thus, the search began for the Plasma that best suited our needs.
I considered LG (PK750/950), Samsung (C550/590) and Panasonic (S2/G25). I knew going in that Panasonic was the brand to have (some might argue) if you want Plasma. Given their purchase of Pioneer's Plasma tech in the last year, I figured they'd be a lot more expensive than the price I paid. LG's looked great, but although slimmer, were priced a little higher and had a major glare issue. Not for us. Samsung is leading the way in tv tech. Their LCD's are top-notch (from what I've seen), so I figured their Plasmas must be close behind. They looked good, had good specs, but 2 things kept me from Samsung - Glare (not as bad as LG, but not as good as Panasonic) and Buzz. So many people complain about their Samsung Plasmas making loud buzzing noises. I didn't want to take a chance and narrowed it down to Panasonic. There's about $400 price difference between the S2 and G25, and before yesterday, only 2 reviews existed on Amazon for this tv and both were not-so-good. But I made the decision to go with the G25 and I couldn't be happier. On to the review...
I purchased from Amazon for almost $250 less than Best Buy's "on sale" price, saved on tax (about $150) and got free shipping. Amazon contracted Pilot freight to deliver my tv and they did a great job...especially for free shipping. Wasn't white glove, but the delivery guy was well within the time frame, friendly and put the box exactly where I asked him. I opened the box and there stood the largest purchase I've made in quite a few years. I thought the tv stand I had would suffice for this, but it is a little larger than I thought, so we need to shop for a new tv stand. The pedestal the tv comes with is solid - wide base and has two posts on each end to support the tv. Eight screws later, the tv is mounted on the pedestal, sitting on my now-dwarfed tv stand. I didn't have any HDMI cables at that moment, so I hooked up my antenna and ran a quick setup and tuned in to the lcoal digital channels. WOW!!! I'm not sure I've ever seen a tv display look so good. I've always been in awe of my friends DLP and LCD tv's, but from a not-so-great antenna signal, our tv looked way better than theirs. I purchased HDMI cables last night and hooked up the satellite receiver and my PS3. WOW again!!!! I've never seen a movie, game or tv programming look so clear with so many colors and black blacks...not like the LCD we have upstairs in our room. I switched the tv to THX setting and to my untrained eye, it looked liked a well-calibrated tv. I softened the contrast, brightness, sharpness, etc down to 50, as Panasonic and other tech-ies recommend a 100 hour "break-in" of the tv. So I'm gonna be cool with it for a week or two and then modify the settings more to my liking. The frame of the tv is black, and one of my two least-favorite parts of the tv. It will definitely retain a lot of fingerprints and smudges, but I figure once the tv is on a new stand and placed where we want it, there will be no need to go touch the tv except to dust it off. There are 3 HDMI connections (2 back, 1 side), 2 component connections, SD card slot, USB ports and an ethernet port. Plenty of connections to do what you want...although my second least-favorite part of the tv is the fact that the Digital Optical out only sends out a PCM/Stereo signal to my audio receiver, not Dolby Digital 5.1. Only what is being pulled in from the OTA tuner will be sent DD/5.1 if available. From what I understand though, all tv's do this, not just the Panasonic. The remote is handy, has a "light" button and lights up almost all the buttons in red (helps in the dark). The menu is not too complicated to navigate through and use. The speakers a just ok, but I am running all sound through my reciever and speakers. The screen is large and does and excellent job blocking out glare. The display is crystal clear and like said earlier, the tv produces such rich, beautiful colors and some very black blacks...and all with very little glare. Very smooth motion for sports or action flicks to round it out.
Overall, the G25 is a top-notch tv with plenty of bells and whistles. One could go larger for the same price, but will sacrifice many features that this tv provides. And I'm conviced that no other retailer could beat the price that Amazon sells this for. For a plasma, or any tv for that matter, at the $1,600 price-point, this is the tv to have.

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Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 54-inch VIERA TC-P54G25 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-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 G10 Series TC-P54G10 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)
Edited 2/4/10
I wanted to edit this review with an update. In the past couple of weeks there has been alot of attention on the Panasonic Vierra series plasmas due to many reports of the black levels changing suddenly and getting brighter, degrading the quality of picture. While it apparently has not impacted alot of users, a small portion have noted this, enough to be concerned. You can see the original thread at Avsforums and is being discussed by the original reviewer at CNET (see link below).
While I still stand behind my review below, and I have not experienced this changing black levels, I will be monitoring it and I just wanted people reviewing this TV to know about this potentially troubling issue. Panasonic has issued a statement (in the Cnet link below)stating they auto set the darkness after a period of time to help maintain optimal picture quality over time. In this case, it appears they over compensated. It is a problem and Panasonic needs to step up with a fix.
[...]
-----------Original Review--------
I just got the TCP54G10. STUNNING! A little history. I have been looking at HDTVs for about 3 years, and looking at DLPs originally, then went into this year thinking LCD is the way to go. I'm glad I waited, the inverse relationship between the technology and the prices is right this year.
Before you go buy an HDTV, do yourself a favor, look at this TV, and do some research. Read other reviews. It turned me around to plasma and to this 2009 model plasma from Panasonic in particular. I knew plasmas simply have a superior picture, but I thought the price and issues with plasmas were a detriment.
I came into this dead set on an LCD, most likely from Samsung, that was before I started doing research on the latest Plasmas. Picture quality compared to an LCD, it's simply stunning, LCD has nothing on the plasmas. The Panasonic G10 is nothing short of amazing. The upconvert DVDs on this are amazing, and with our Pioneer Blu-Ray it is jaw dropping.
While I knew the picture quality on plasmas can't be beat in terms of picture quality and the ability to handle fast action in movies or sports with no problem. Versus LCD, Plasmas can handle a nearly infinite color palate so the pictures come out very natural, and you can see all the nuances of colors (like the Planet Earth series). An LCD looks, well, manufactured in terms of the picture, and can only handle so many colors.
I thought the issues of plasmas still outweighed the plusses. But they don't with the new plasmas and especially this G10 series from Panasonic. A) No Buzzing, (we live in Colorado where you would get this at higher altitudes), B) wattage, very comperable to LCDs, negligable difference between LCDs, C) price, better than LCDs. D) The glass on this sest is covered in a very resilient scratch resistant plastic screen. E) Burn in or retention of picture. No problem there with this series. F) Heat, not noticeably hotter than an LCD (this is BIG) G) It is very quiet, I can stand right next to it after an hour of watching a movie and hear no sound from the fans or anything. H) Brightness: User adjustable picture, it seems very bright, and it's antiglare coating on the screen is very good.

Oh the dirty little secret from some of my research. The other manufacturers alledgedly are getting out of plasma, why? Because Panasonic apparently owns the manufacturing plants, and they would have to pay Panasonic, or they have invested in LCD technologies elsewhere and it is thus they have greater margins for LCDs vs plasmas. Thus they can't compete on price. I've seen many reviews now where folks are going plasma vs lcd after their research.
The G10 series handles fast action with no blurriness and no flicker (LCDs have just started to get around this with 120 hz). You'll read about the 600 HZ subfield drive on this latest model and it works fantastic.
(New edit: We just hooked up an over the air digital antenna to watch our local football games, the local channel is in HD. The TV handled this just fine and even displayed it in HD with it's built in digital tuner. We saw no blurrieness in the action at all! THe picture was sharp, and crystal clear in HD.)
In terms of movies and blu-ray: This handles 24p very nicely. For 24p processing, you can choose between a 48hz mode (where you will definately notice flickering), but it defaults to 60hz, with no flickering and few "judders" that we can see, in processing 24p at 60hz.
Some reviews say "well it still doesn't handle "true cinema" 24p because the 60hz is not at the same multiple of the 24fps in which the media was filmed, and thus you won't see the film at quite the original cinematic cadence as in the theater. While this is technically true, we watch 1080p/24p from the source with 3:2 pull down off, beautifully. (Though avforums, as one of the comments to this review pointed out, has more detail on this, and probably more than you would want). Would I notice "true cinema" 24p at 96hz and like it better, not for the price difference between this and the V series (~$600-$700). Plus, for us, the very durable plastic screen on the G10 was more attractive to us versus the glass on the V10.
While I don't think most users will want to get too involved in the weeds with this, for a great simple explanation of this 1080/24p see a great explanation at Cnet: [...]
For an excellent review of the Panasonic V10 the step up from the G10, and this discussion of 24p processing, see Krueger's review here at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1P7WSX9L0J94W/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B002C8LX6S&nodeID=#wasThisHelpful
He has the V10, and while it is also an excellent Plasma, according to him, the differences between seeing 24p at 96hz (a multiple of 24 frames per second, allowing the original cadence of the film to be maintained) vs the 60hz processing with the G10 is not a huge difference in viewing, you are getting a stunning picture either way. (BTW, those looking at LCDs, just because an LCD can refresh at 120 hz, a multiple of 24, I have seen in AV forums that this doesn't mean the set can handle 24p at that rate. You must look at the more technical details for the 24p processing).
Suffice to say, the G10 handles blu-ray action stunningly, and 24p just fine at the 60hz. We have the Pioneer BDP-51FD BonusView Blu-ray Player plugged straight into this with the HDMI cable (which for a blu ray player is a fantastic player). No Issues. We are running straight 1080/24p from it. No flickers, no blurriness, no jaggies or artifacts that we have seen. I'm hard pressed to see any "juddering" in large pan shots either (i.e. Batman Dark Night). Stunning clarity. This plasma is nice and bright (plus you can adjust the picture in alot of areas, but perhaps not as much as some videophiles may like), and the deep blacks are stunning with little shadowing (i.e. loss of detail) that we can see. It does have a THX certified display setting, which may be too dark for many users, but this can be adjusted. You also have a custom setting where you can set the basic picture settings to your taste, which should be plenty for the average user, though again, it doesn't have some of the more detailed settings available that some videophiles may like.Bottom line, from someone who was dead set on an LCD: this turned me around to an even greater picture with plasma. For us the G10 is a stunning TV, you can't go wrong. It gets very positive reviews from all that I have read. We LOVE it. Panasonic also has great reliability history. We looked at Samsung but they looked like they had some issues with their sets that Panasonic doesn't have in the G10 series. We love the G10, and are extremely happy with our decision to wait! Both the G10 and the step up V10 are both stunning TVs, and easily in the top TVs for 2009, you won't go wrong with either of them.
On shipping from Amazon, fantastic experience. The shipper called ahead, worked out a time, TV arrived 1 day earlier than estimated, they brought the tv down to our home theatre room in our finished basement, setup the TV, put it up, plugged it in, checked it out at a high level, offered to take the packing material away. A+ service.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P54G10 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black

Product DescriptionIf you demand the best from your viewing experience, the 54-inch TC-P42G10 was created just for you. The new G10 Series boast cinema-quality movie reproduction, clear, smooth sports and gaming action--even Web entertainment. All made possible by Panasonic's Neo PDP technology, which delivers sharp, detailed images, deep blacks and remarkable brightness, all with lower power consumption.Key Features
1080p Full-HD Resolution
Neo PDP
Full-Time 1080 TV Lines Moving Picture Resolution
Contrast Ratio: 40,000:1 Native; Infinite Black Panel
Brighter Panel

VIERA CAST
THX-Certified Display
VIERA Image Viewer with AVCHD Playback
VIERA Link
AR (Anti-Reflective) Filter
Game Mode
3 HDMI Inputs
PC Input
100,000 Hour Panel Life

Stunning Picture Quality Time spent with family and friends can be even more exciting when you gather around the 54-inch TC-P54G10. 1080p resolution combines with a 480 Hz processor to bring you exceptional clarity and smooth, fluid motion--even during high-speed action. VIERA HDTVs offer incredible black reproduction, with a rated dynamic contrast ratio of up to 1,000,000:1, so you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. And now, all of your friends and family can get in on the action thanks to an extra-wide viewing angle that provides an excellent view from almost anywhere in the room.

600Hz Sub-field Drive 600Hz technology lets you view superb full-HD motion and still images with 1,080 lines of resolution. For even greater clarity with motion images, Panasonic uses its own unique image-analysis technology. This technology converts the motion in each scene into data. And each frame is practically displayed for a shorter length of time than in previous systems, to reduce aftereffects.

Over 2,000,000:1 High Contrast (Native 40,000:1) New VIERA models incorporate an improved panel production process and the new Real Black Drive system. A pre-discharge control system, the Real Black Drive system combines with NeoPDP technology to achieve next-generation black reproduction. When you're watching movies, VIERA renders images just the way the director intended, even in scenes where it's difficult to achieve a proper balance of light and dark.

Wide Color Viewing Angle View breathtaking images with rich, vivid colors from anywhere in the room. Because plasma TVs are self-illuminating, images look beautiful from any angle. Black areas do not fade, and colors look virtually the same no matter where you sit.

AR Filter This advanced filter keeps images sharp, with minimal glare. While dramatically reducing reflections from external light, it helps to produce clear images. This filter creates pure, crisp images in a wide range of colors.

THX Certified for Faithful Movie Image Reproduction G10 Series Plasma HDTVs meet the high standards set by the Lucasfilm THX Certified Display Program, to faithfully recreate the visual ambience intended by the original movies creators. If you love movies and demand cinema-quality images in your home, this is the HDTV for you.

The Next Level of Video Gaming Take your team to the championship and your gaming to the next level on the TC-P54G10. A specialized Game Mode helps ensure fluid and seamless gameplay by minimizing time lag when displaying game images. With Game Mode turned on, you get the motion resolution and enhanced details you need to win. And don't worry about racking up all those long hours playing; anti-image retention technology and a remarkable 100,000 hour panel life ensure that your VIERA HDTV will still run smoothly and beautifully long after you score the game-winning goal.

Effortless Connectivity Make the TC-P54G10 the entertainment hub for your friends and family, and the center of your multimedia world. A built-in SD memory card slot makes it easy to share your digital photos and home videos, while H.264 AVCHD video compatibility allows you to get the most out of your high-resolution AVCHD home videos. The new VIERA Cast feature lets you enjoy great web content--such as PICASA online photo albums and YouTube videos--right on your TV. And when you connect your compatible AV components with HDMI cables, VIERA Link technology lets you control them all with one easy-to-use remote.

Enjoy Exciting Web Entertainment in Your Living Room--No PC Required! With Panasonic's VIERA Cast technology, you can enjoy online content like Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube videos, Picasa Web Albums, stock information, weather and more. All through an easy-to-use Web interface that's built right into the TV. No extra equipment required--just surf with your TVs remote, and let the fun begin!

Share Your Digital Photos and Hi-Def Camcorder Videos on the Big Screen VIERA Image Viewer provides a better way to share your digital photos and home videos recorded on your AVCHD camcorder. Just pop your SD memory card into the handy slot, and instantly display your digital photos and hi-def videos for friends and family.

VIERA Link VIERA Link makes it easy to connect all of your compatible AV devices. That means your Blu-ray Disc player, DVD recorder/player, home theater system and hi-def camcorder can be operated by a single VIERA remote control. You can even view digital photos via the SD card slot, which comes standard on the TC-P54G10 and all new VIERA flat-panel HDTVs.

Exceptional Service With its lead-free construction, TUF Display screen, and long lifespan, a VIERA HDTV is a safe, eco-friendly, durable and lasting investment in high definition entertainment. Of course, should your VIERA TV ever need service of any kind, you are entitled to the VIERA Concierge program--a free service made available to all VIERA owners to bring peace-of-mind to your purchase. Benefits of this extensive service program include: use of an exclusive toll-free expert hot line, live chat with a VIERA HDTV expert, priority service scheduling, and a personalized VIERA Concierge benefits card.
What's in the Box Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P54G10 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Remote control, Remote batteries, AC cord, Pedestal with installation hardware, Cleaning cloth, Operating instructions, Quick setup guide

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

Average Reviews:

(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.


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?

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

Average Reviews:

(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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P50S1 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic TC-P50C2 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

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.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic VIERA TC-P50ST30 50-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV


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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Panasonic VIERA TC-P42ST30 42-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)OK, I figured since I've hit the 200 hour mark I will give more impressions of my P42ST30.I highly recommend D Nice's panel prep method which can be found online by using Google. Even if you "accidentally" watched a couple of hours of regular content, just start it now and don't watch anymore. I know that the purpose is to get even pixel aging for accuracy of settings, but I think doing this also results in sharper colors, with less bleeding.
I read the entire thread over on High Def Junkies forum about the brightness flux. Now I've been keeping a critical eye on this TV since I bought it (it's my 4th counting returns of 3 GT25's) and I had not noticed a problem with brightness adjustments during viewing. However, after reading the thread I decided to pay more attention. To test whether or not my TV suffered from brightness flux, I watched a movie that I thought would be an excellent test, Dark City on BD, Director's cut.
All I can say is that I was very impressed with how my ST30 handled this movie. If anyone is familiar with it, you know that Dark City is filmed almost entirely in this eery night/twilight background. There are tons of scenes with inky black backgrounds, brightly lit lights, and plenty of shadows and contours. This TV really passed with flying colors. I actually got up several times to go stare at the screen during a particularly dark scene with good contrast of bright localized lighting and I could not see any brightness flux, or any light bleeding into dark areas, etc...
Tried that "binary butterscotch" hi def jpeg that someone posted a video of on You Tube with his GT30 doing obvious flickering, and the only thing I saw was a very brief moment of darkening of the blacks in the picture and then it was stable.
Watched the opening scenes of Inception because someone on the thread mentioned their set did a lot of this brightness flux on the first 11 minutes...nothing...lights and darks were rock solid.
Now, I thought that I encountered a very slight version of this issue one time when watching hockey in 1080i on digital network broadcast. But I watched hockey again yesterday, same channel, and I realized what I saw was the unit's interpretation of the camera flashes from people in the stadium sitting near the camera but out of view, adding a kind of backlighting effect with their flashes. Not once did the white ice rink alter brightness or shades.
As a matter of fact, the only thing I can produce that even comes close to being called this kind of problem is if I have the white slide on the screen from the D Nice panel prep method and I bring up the ST30's main menu. Then I can see the white dim noticeably. But again, that's only when viewing the slides.
Now again, I'm a newb and this is an uncalibrated set, but I definitely noticed the panel changing as I broke it in. The ST30's seem to be particularly...I dunno how to say it...stiff, out of the box. Colors looked a bit dull and it looked like the TV really didn't know how to handle gradients, etc...but after the 100 hour panel prep, I really noticed images looking very sharp, colors bright and well defined, no bleeding into each other. They seemed more accurate. Fast motion scenes held their color well as they quickly passed across the pixels. And then I really noticed another marked improvement right around 180 -190 hours.
Let's see...about the only other issue is when I choose 48hz while watching something on BD with the player set to 24p I can see flickering in bright lights on the screen. When I change to 60hz, it disappears.
The buzzing has not gotten any louder at all. It's quite soft. Heck, it vibrates at the same frequency as my fridge motor so for all I know it could all be caused by dirty electricity from the utilities. They operate at 60hz so there has to be some interference. Anyway, I can only hear the buzzing with audio off and sitting within 6 feet of the TV and even then the other electrical sounds in the house tend to drown it out. It does change pitch with different colors but since I can hear the high-pitched whine from a CRT tv from any room in the house it really doesn't bother me at all. Of all my electronics the TV is probably the most quiet of the bunch.
As far as dead/stuck pixels I only have two. One goes dark on blue slides and one goes dark on red slides. I can live with that because they both fire properly on all other colors.
I have not been able to watch any native 3D content yet (waiting for my Avatar BD), but 2D-3D is cool to see at first but after a while it's not really noticeable unless there's some kind of graphic up on the screen then you really get the depth perception. The TV syncs up easily with my Xpand active shutter 3D glasses.
Oh yes, I am getting audio stutter on Netflix, but that only started recently, so for now I'm assuming it can be fixed with a firmware update. Plus it's not that big of a deal for me because we have the DMP-BDT210 and that Netflix shows more movie choices anyway for some reason so we primarily use it for streaming movies.
In conclusion, I know the ST30 line is the lower, high end model and I know it is far from perfect. But I really think it is the best value on the market for a 42" full HD, 3D television for under $1000. I am definitely a happy ST30 owner.
UPDATE 6/1/2011: Over 400 hours now and I stand by my review 100%. Also, I finally received my Avatar 3D Blu Ray and I watched it using my Panasonic BDT-210. WOW! Great 3D picture, the sense of depth is amazing! Using the Xpand X103 glasses from Amazon. Don't be fooled by the naysayers, 3D is cool and it's not a gimmick. Every guest I've shown the opening scene of Avatar to has been very impressed. Audio stutter on Netflix seems to have been fixed via the 2.04 firmware update.

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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:

Click here for more information about Panasonic VIERA TC-P42ST30 42-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P46S30 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)If you read the 3 star product review, you might think twice. This individual actually sounds convincing. That is unless you've done your homework. I'd like to clarify a few incorrect points that have been made.
- Fast switching phosphors are used in all Full-HD VIERA models for 2011. By reformulating the phosphor materials, afterglow has been minimized and luminous efficiency has been increased. This enables crisp, clear rendering of motion images. A level of efficiency that exceeds our 2010 panels also increases picture quality while lowering power consumption.
Only the top of the line 2010 3D models ($2K) had the fast switching phospors. The neoplasma is literally a promotional "tag". The 2011 3D TV's have a different rib structure in the panel as needed for the seperation of 3D images, specific cross talk cancellation processors to minimize 3D double images, and a specific louvered filter (infinite black) to help keep glare down while keeping the two 3d images clear.
Panasonic streamline the production lines by sharing internal components for 2011.
Cost leader is the 2D 720 "X" model. High end 1080 2D is the 2D "S" model. The only 1080 3D line is the "ST" model. That's it. It's cost effective.
Note that "X" and "S" do not have the pro mode picture setup like the 3D models but don't let that scare you. The 3D models need it to fine tune double imaging.
The 720 "x" model is a fine choice however you will notice a difference in edge glow with blueray IF you know what your looking for. Since most HD TV channels are 720, you'll never know the difference. A lot of people read the old CNET report and live by it and a lot of it is valid. But a one size fits all review between 720 and 1080 is flawed. The old comparisons between LCD and plasma is no longer an issue as power consumption is now equal.
Panasonic plasma has always been choosen as best picture over Samsung and LG. Do your homework and make sure your looking at a review within the last two years. Panasonic wins period. Far more natural colors, especially over LED-LCD which makes movies look like they were filmed with video tapes.
I have no need for 3D as its not receiving the support expected. Soon 3D screens without glasses will be standard just like the new handheld games systems that have just been released. They just have to get past the headaches...
My old Panasonic was one of the first 1080s on the market and has been through 4 rough home moves and is still kicking strong. That earns a bit of brand loyalty from me.
I went with the "S"46 model for a very simple reason. $768 delivered.
Thinner, better design, better picture technology than the 2010 Panasonic models and 1080 for bluray. Lovin it.
[...]
Panasonic VIERA TC-P46S30 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

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B004M8SCHO
(March 2011)

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Panasonic VIERA TC-P42X3 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Disclaimer: This is all personal opinion.
There was Beta vs VHS...
There is Mac vs Windows...
And there is Plasma vs LCD/LED...
Like Beta and Mac, Plasma is the higher quality technology. Like VHS and Windows, LCD/LED is the user-friendly norm. To each his/her own.
I prefer Plasma.
PROS:
Less pixelation, faster refresh rate, less action-blur, 30 yrs life at 8 hours a day viewing, "image burn-in" almost nonexistent in newer models (would require MAJOR user-negligence, and it's a temporary effect anyway), on the average the sound quality is better/resonance, a more durable screen surface (better for people with pets who throw toys around and children who might push at the screen---ask your local dealer to knock his knuckles against a plasma screen and an LCD one, he won't knock on the LCD screen!), and unlike Macs though..."plasmas" are also the better technology BUT at the cheaper price. Life usually isn't that kind! The better product for the better price:-) Take advantage of it!
NEUTRALS:
Some might see the "higher quality but cheaper price" is a precursor to a technology that is being phased out of service (like the Beta tapes, or even Toshiba's HD-DVDs that eventually lost to Sony's Blu-Ray). That's understandable! But keep in mind, to my knowledge there are no LCD tv's beyond 65" as the technology can't support it. Those "enormo-screens" like Jerry Jones' "Everything is Bigger in Texas" boob tubes are Plasmas! Plasmas aren't going away...
CONS:
Glare. Period. It IS an issue! The only issue. Personally, I think LCDs show their fair share of washed-out, hazy-glare at various angles anyway, but they still reign supreme in high light. Being a former glass-screen, tube-tv viewer...I don't find it any worse, but the "glare is there" so to speak. Can be "mirror-like" in the very worst cases. Blinds can solve the problem and setting the tv at a height of 4' or higher in room makes most sitting-angles, couches/tablechairs fine from window light. Still, it IS an issue.
"Plasma tvs run at a hot temperature and drain more energy." That's kind of out-dated. And the energy-draw is probably like $2 more a month. (Interesting sidenote...when choosing between the Panasonic and the Samsung, noticed the Samsung plasma screen felt rather warm whereas the Panasonic felt room temp.)
CLOSING STATEMENT: Panasonic is/has been Plasma-industry leader since day 1...they've always focused on plasmas unlike Samsung, LG etc (not saying they're bad). Despite selling HDTV's a few years ago at a major chain, I just got my first HDTV a few weeks ago! Couldn't afford one until now. Always kept my eye on the Panasonic plasmas though and the Panasonic TC-P42X3 was worth the wait. I sit (using the old walking-foot count) ~12' away from my tv in an apartment living room w/ 2 larger windows. I'll take the better picture with some "glare-issues" in the morning then the lower quality picture with "little glare" issues anyday!
ANY HDtv is better than the old CRTs (even though I loved them--"pixelation"?!? Who ever heard of "pixelation"?!!!), but I must confess this is a really good tv. I debated b/w a 1080p 32" LCD and a 42" 720p Pan plasma. Wanted great picture. Was afraid I was sitting too close to a 42" at 12'. Not so. An old worker-associate steered me back in the right direction that was my gut instinct to begin with...a 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma! Alvin at hhGregg, Dayton Ohio (sorry Amazon)! His commission was a pittance but his advice priceless.
Hope this review helped...

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(March 2011)
Internet-Ready Devices

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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?

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