Panasonic TC-P65S2 65-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

The TCP65S2 VIERA® S2 Series Plasma HDTVs feature 1080 lines of moving picture resolution. VIERA Link allows interconnected operation of various AV devices using only the VIERA remote control by simply connecting compatible devices to each other by an HDMI cable.

  • 65-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; 1080 lines of moving picture resolution

  • 600Hz Sub-field Drive technology for superb full-HD motion; 2000000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

  • VIERA Image Viewer for JPEG image slideshows directly from an SD memory card

  • Inputs: 3 HDMI 2 component 2 composite 1 digital audio output

  • Includes removable stand; measures 62 x 40 x 16.4 inches with stand



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Panasonic TC-P58S2 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TC-P58S2 58" 1080p Plasma TV TCP58S2

  • 1080 TV Lines Moving Picture Resolution: The ultimate picture resolution all the time.

  • VIERA Image Viewer (Photo): Enjoy your photos on the big screen.

  • 600Hz Sub-field Drive:
    Experience fast-moving scenes in crisp vivid resolution.



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Panasonic VIERA TC-P46G25 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TC-P46G25 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

  • 46-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; THX certified display

  • VIERA Cast for streaming online content plus video conferencing via Skype (using optional webcam)

  • Infinite Black panel blocks ambient light and produces deep blacks and bright vivid images with minimal reflection

  • Inputs: 3 HDMI 2 component 2 composite 1 Ethernet 1 PC 2 USB 1 digital audio output

  • Includes removable stand; measures 44.6 x 30 x 13.2 inches with stand



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Samsung PN50C430 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)

Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN50C430 with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 50 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

  • Mega Dynamic Contrast

  • E3-panel single filter design

  • Exceeds ENERGY STAR Standards

  • Game Mode

  • Clear Image Panel



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Panasonic VIERA TC-P42G25 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TC-P42G25 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

  • 42-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; THX certified display

  • VIERA Cast for streaming online content plus video conferencing via Skype (using optional webcam)

  • Infinite Black panel blocks ambient light and produces deep blacks and bright vivid images with minimal reflection

  • Inputs: 3 HDMI 2 component 2 composite 1 Ethernet 1 PC 2 USB 1 digital audio output

  • Includes removable stand; measures 40.6 x 27.3 x 12.2 inches with stand



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Samsung PN50C550 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV (Black)

Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN50C550 with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 50 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

  • Mega Dynamic Contrast

  • E3-panel single filter design

  • Exceeds ENERGY STAR Standards

  • Game Mode

  • Clear Image Panel



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Samsung PN42C450 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)

Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN42C450 with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 42 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

  • Mega Dynamic Contrast

  • Anynet+(HDMI CEC)

  • ConnectShare? Movie

  • 600Hz Subfield Motion

  • Game Mode



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Panasonic TC-P54G25 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TC-P54G25 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

  • 54-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; THX certified display

  • VIERA Cast for streaming online content plus video conferencing via Skype (using optional webcam)

  • Infinite Black panel blocks ambient light and produces deep blacks and bright vivid images with minimal reflection

  • Inputs: 3 HDMI 2 component 2 composite 1 Ethernet 1 PC 2 USB 1 digital audio output

  • Includes removable stand; measures 51.7 x 34.8 x 15.3 inches with stand



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Panasonic TC-P42C2 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV


Make every night family night. VIERA® C2 Series Plasma HDTVs are ideal for watching action-packed sports shows and movies with the family. The 600Hz Sub-field Drive offers crisp focused images during fast-moving scenes. 600Hz technology lets you view superb full-HD motion and still images with 1080 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 dots. And each frame is practically displayed for a shorter length of time than in previous systems to reduce aftereffects. It's easy to view full-HD images with the SD card slot. Watch and show your photos right after you take them. Simply insert an SD Memory Card into your VIERA HDTV to display photos on the large screen. It's much more fun when you can view them on a large screen HDTV with family and friends in high definition and a wide 16:9 aspect ratio. VIERA Link allows interconnected operation of various AV devices using only the VIERA remote control by simply connecting compatible devices to each other by an HDMI cable.

FEATURES:
  • 600Hz Sub-field Drive Experience fast-moving scenes in crisp vivid resolution
  • VIERA Image Viewer™ (Photo) Enjoy your photos on the big screen
  • VIERA Link™ Control multiple compatible devices with one remote
  • ENERGY STAR Qualified


  • 42-inch Plasma HDTV with 720p HD resolution; 720 lines of moving picture resolution

  • 600Hz Sub-field Drive technology for superb full-HD motion; 2000000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

  • VIERA Image Viewer for JPEG image slideshows directly from an SD memory card

  • Inputs: 2 HDMI 2 component 2 composite 1 digital audio output

  • Includes removable stand; measures 40.6 x 27.8 x 12.1 inches with stand



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Samsung PN50C450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)

Get a true cinematic experience without going to the cinema with a Samsung plasma HDTV. This Samsung PN50C450 with Mega Dynamic Contrast Ratio makes sure every frame is saturated with dense rich color. Samsung is also ENERGY STAR compliant so you are assured that your 50 -inch plasma HDTV is helping the environment by using less enery while saving you money.

  • Mega Dynamic Contrast: 2000000:1

  • Features Anynet+ (HDMI CEC)

  • 1280 x 720 Native Resolution

  • PC Input

  • 600Hz Subfield Motion



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Panasonic VIERA TC-P42G25 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Panasonic TC-P42G25 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

  • 42-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; THX certified display

  • VIERA Cast for streaming online content plus video conferencing via Skype (using optional webcam)

  • Infinite Black panel blocks ambient light and produces deep blacks and bright vivid images with minimal reflection

  • Inputs: 3 HDMI 2 component 2 composite 1 Ethernet 1 PC 2 USB 1 digital audio output

  • Includes removable stand; measures 40.6 x 27.3 x 12.2 inches with stand



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Panasonic TC-P42S2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


A truly exceptional plasma television5

I've owned this for 3 days now and wanted to wait until I fully tested it to write a review. After seeing how it performs with videogames blu-ray movies and basic cable I feel I know the television enough to offer my thoughts.



Picture quality: Incredible. Blacks are as deep as the bezel surrounding the TV. Colors are bold - everything you'd expect from a top of the line plasma. I own a 62" DLP a 26" LCD a 50" panasonic 720p plasma and this plasma and the plasmas are the only sets that really "pop." This model is head and shoulders above even the 50" 3-year-old model I own.



Video game play: There's a game mode which bumps up the brightness and sharpness. It's great for PS3 games. I've played Demon's Souls and Wolfenstein on it so far and both look amazing. The system touts "1080 lines of moving picture resolution" to help with motion blur. Honestly I never felt plasmas had an issue with motion blur to begin with so I'm not sure how much of a difference this feature is making but from what I understand in doing research it helps to have it.



Cable: HD looks good - even the reds aren't blown out. Basic cable is standard definition - a thing on it's way out anyway lol.



Aesthetics/connections: The TV is very sharp looking and the anti-glare feature on the S model (as opposed to the U model) actually makes a difference. I rolled my eyes when I read the feature but I'm watching it in the daytime in a well-lit room and the glare is really minimal. The only minor dissapointment is no VGA connection but I'll figure out a way around that. Was going to use VGA to hook up my 360 (since I'm using computer speakers for audio at the moment) but will go the component route now. By the way a TON of controls and an HDMI input are on the side of the tv making it very easy to get to.



Burn-in/image retention/ghosting: Haven't experienced any signs of even ghosting yet. Had my game on pause for a few minutes a couple times to test it.



Audio: Haven't tested the TV's speakers just using an external set of logitech speakers with subwoofer at the moment.



Overall: For the price I highly recommend the set. Like I said I own 4 televisions of 3 different technologies and this one shows off the best picture. I have a collection of almost 800 blu-rays and stay up to date on all the high-def news etc... I do extensive research before purchasing a product and actually went into this thinking I was going to give in and get an LED. I don't want to get into an LED vs. Plasma thing here but the LED's are simply LCD with different lighting and it brings all the inherent LCD problems with it. They make catch your eye in the store but once you get home and get into your environment it's a different story. That said this plasma in game mode gets the picture as close to LED as I've seen but with much better blacks.



Update 5/2/10: Just thought I'd add to this that I've had a videogame on pause for more than an hour a few times and while I wouldn't make a habit out of it there hasn't even been a hint of ghosting and certainly no issue with burn-in. Even so the TV seems to have an auto shut-off function after 5 minutes or so of complete inactivity. There will be a message prompting you that it will shut off in 3 minutes and it counts down from there.More detail ...

Panasonic TC-P54G25 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


Panasonic G25 54" Plasma5

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 $1600 price-point this is the tv to have.More detail ...

Samsung PN42C450 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)


Fantastic set!5

Just received the TV today! It arrived a day early which was a pleasant surprise. Once I fired it up I was ecstatic with this set. The quality is amazing for the price the picture blows away a top of the line 42" 1080p LCD display that I've seen. Deep rich colors high contrast fluid motion...there is nothing not to like! Streamed Spartacus off Netflix and compared to my old little 22" LCD it really came to life.(Even if the writing is really bad)



It was able to find some basic cable channels in HD which is awesome and Modern Warfare 2 looks simply astounding (again much better than on aforementioned 42" and 22" LCDs.)



The sound is decent it's actually better than I was expecting. It's obviously no Home Theatre but I was impressed. It's got a few connections which aren't listed on Amazon...the 3 HDMI 1 PC 1 USB 1 Component 1 Dual Component/Composite Audio In 1/8" Audio Out 1/8" Optical out and cable. The menu is very easy to navigate and adjust and in it you can turn off it's startup/shut down sound if you find it irritating. It's kinda soothing though.



One negative I've found is that the audio running out isn't controlled by the televisions volume I guess that's pretty standard but it means my cheap computer speakers aren't much good. (No remote) Also when installing the base stand it felt like I was about to destroy the thread on the screws that are used...They aren't easy to get in there!



It's very elegant and looks great in my living room. It's not super bright which I love (LCD panels hurt my eyes after a while) All in all for the money it's a fantastic TV. I was looking for quality affordability and style.More detail ...

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


SUPERIOR PICTURE QUALITY INCREDIBLY REALISTIC COLOR REPRODUCTION5

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.More detail ...

Panasonic TC-P42S2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


A truly exceptional plasma television5

I've owned this for 3 days now and wanted to wait until I fully tested it to write a review. After seeing how it performs with videogames blu-ray movies and basic cable I feel I know the television enough to offer my thoughts.



Picture quality: Incredible. Blacks are as deep as the bezel surrounding the TV. Colors are bold - everything you'd expect from a top of the line plasma. I own a 62" DLP a 26" LCD a 50" panasonic 720p plasma and this plasma and the plasmas are the only sets that really "pop." This model is head and shoulders above even the 50" 3-year-old model I own.



Video game play: There's a game mode which bumps up the brightness and sharpness. It's great for PS3 games. I've played Demon's Souls and Wolfenstein on it so far and both look amazing. The system touts "1080 lines of moving picture resolution" to help with motion blur. Honestly I never felt plasmas had an issue with motion blur to begin with so I'm not sure how much of a difference this feature is making but from what I understand in doing research it helps to have it.



Cable: HD looks good - even the reds aren't blown out. Basic cable is standard definition - a thing on it's way out anyway lol.



Aesthetics/connections: The TV is very sharp looking and the anti-glare feature on the S model (as opposed to the U model) actually makes a difference. I rolled my eyes when I read the feature but I'm watching it in the daytime in a well-lit room and the glare is really minimal. The only minor dissapointment is no VGA connection but I'll figure out a way around that. Was going to use VGA to hook up my 360 (since I'm using computer speakers for audio at the moment) but will go the component route now. By the way a TON of controls and an HDMI input are on the side of the tv making it very easy to get to.



Burn-in/image retention/ghosting: Haven't experienced any signs of even ghosting yet. Had my game on pause for a few minutes a couple times to test it.



Audio: Haven't tested the TV's speakers just using an external set of logitech speakers with subwoofer at the moment.



Overall: For the price I highly recommend the set. Like I said I own 4 televisions of 3 different technologies and this one shows off the best picture. I have a collection of almost 800 blu-rays and stay up to date on all the high-def news etc... I do extensive research before purchasing a product and actually went into this thinking I was going to give in and get an LED. I don't want to get into an LED vs. Plasma thing here but the LED's are simply LCD with different lighting and it brings all the inherent LCD problems with it. They make catch your eye in the store but once you get home and get into your environment it's a different story. That said this plasma in game mode gets the picture as close to LED as I've seen but with much better blacks.



Update 5/2/10: Just thought I'd add to this that I've had a videogame on pause for more than an hour a few times and while I wouldn't make a habit out of it there hasn't even been a hint of ghosting and certainly no issue with burn-in. Even so the TV seems to have an auto shut-off function after 5 minutes or so of complete inactivity. There will be a message prompting you that it will shut off in 3 minutes and it counts down from there.More detail ...

Samsung PN58B860 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


It came today...5

From reading AVS forum I was ready to pull the trigger on a Panasonic G10. Then went to Best Buy to see them in person and this thing was just so much nicer in every way. I'm sorry Panny fanboys but the picture on the current models just looks dingy. The older ones were much nicer. Maybe they made too many compromises for the "eco" thing. And WAY reflective. Anyway the Samsung came today no more calibration that setting it to "movie" mode (will wait til after break-in for that). Watching a show about quasars & pulsars on DirecTV HD Channel (720p) and we are saying "whoo" and "wow" just like watching fireworks. The colors are vivid but not harsh (like LCD's can be). No banding jaggies. Incredibly detailed but smooooth. It's just amazing. Flesh tones so natural it's like you're looking at a real person. This replaced a calibrated Samsung 56" DLP which I preferred to anything I'd ever seen before (had it's caveats but LCD RPTVs were positively hazy at that time so I went with DLP since the rainbow thing was rare and didn't bother me - kind of pretty actually.) But this just blows it away. It's like the fog has lifted. Hot? Yes it's putting off some heat; but I live in a cold climate (SF) so no big deal. Buzzing? If you put your ear right next to it (the hard drive in my DVR is way louder) but then I'm essentially at sea level supposedly higher altitudes worsen that. Reflections? Yes but nowhere as bad as CRT or (ahem) the current generation of MacBooks. It's glossy but subdued. For the first time I have an in-home viewing experience superior to a movie theatre. Just can't emphasize how natural the picture is. I hope Samsung & Panasonic will continue this technology. I love LCD TV for the kitchen it's fine for watching the news and great on the computer for static images but this is a true videophile experience. Like MP3's (which sound great) vs full uncompressed quality digital sound. I can see how (especially sports oriented viewers) might prefer LCD - it's bright sharp vivid (especially if you're looking straight on - not so great off center). But if you want to see subtlety in light shadow cinematography - this new tech plasma is the way to go. Maybe the key is you need a technology where the pixels are producing their own light. The last time a picture was so smooth natural detailed to my eye were the last generation of Sony CRT Trinitron Wega sets. Perhaps OLED will be the next step up but I'm very happy with this. And Amazon's price white-glove delivery return policy can't be beat.The guys from Pilot unboxed it and made sure it was working before they left. Hauled it up 2 flights of stairs. I can't believe this marvel of technology was cheaper than a decent laptop.More detail ...

Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P65S1 65-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Black


Best value on the market5

I looked at this set and the TC-P65V10 in Best Buy before I purchased it here. Using the same input I could not tell more that a tiny marginal difference in the V10's 96hz 24p feature and this set without. I also looked at the 60" KURO and while it did look better calibrated it was not worth the more than "double the price" premium. I could tell a difference in the price though and back in my in home all I can say is "WOW what a picture". This performance available at this Amazon price point is the value of the year in television IMHO.



I bought the new TC-P54G10 in early September and also have a 720P 50" TH-50PX80U model. While the TC-P65S1 Panasonic does not have THX I was not as impressed with the THX settings as I thought I would be and prefer to use the custom settings. In my opinion this is still by far the best picture of the three sets I own. It shares the same Neo-PDP glass as the 54G10 but at 65" the 1080 ability really shows through. Even at the 54" size I cannot tell the difference with the 720 sets but this 65S1 shines like a star. I watched the Thursday night college football game on ESPNHD and spent more time being amazed at the picture than at the game and it was a darn good game.



This set is in a big room 19' x 26' 12" ceiling with lots of glass windows behind it and sliding doors. The anti glare works well really great.

They need to add the ability to use Netflix right from the set and add more picture control ability for fine tuning and calibration of the picture.



Panasonic really knows their stuff. I can't wait until they come out with a 100" or better Plasma that folks who are not a Rap-Star can afford.



Don't hesitate to purchase through Amazon!More detail ...

Panasonic VIERA TC-P42G25 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


Excellent TV from Panasonic5

I bought this plasma from a local electronics store [...]. This is the second flat screen I have purchased in as many days.



I first bought a Samsung LN40C650 LCD but returned it the next day because of a few issues that I couldn't get past. It had very light vertical banding in some spots (It's possible that I just got a bad one on this count) the image washed out when viewing from anywhere other than straight on and I didn't like the way the tv dealt with motion (whether the auto-motion was turned on or not). Also the colors didn't seem very natural although it's possible that after adjustment this would have improved.



So I decided to try the Panasonic TC-P42G25 a Plasma tv which supposedly has none of these issues (but maybe its own inherent issue read on). I brought it home unboxed it attached the stand and hooked everything up. I was able to accomplish this myself but I would recommend getting some help to do this step. The stand does swivel which is a nice feature to have. I turned it on and after a short setup wizard everything was ready to go. I live in Chicago and the tv had no problem finding all the digital channels from my indoor/outdoor antenna which you can see here - [...]



At first this tv looks a bit dim but this is because by default the tv is set to standard brightness mode which is the least vibrant of the settings. I flipped through some of the other picture modes and THX seems to be bright and accurate though I decided to leave it in standard mode for the first few days during the plasma "break in" period.



I popped the dvd Ashes of American Flags (concert film rock band Wilco) into a bluray player that I borrowed from someone. This film has a lot dark areas in the concert scenes which allowed me to check out the black levels. The tv automatically recognized that I was playing something and switched the source to receive video from the bluray player.



If I had to describe the picture quality on this tv in one word it would be "amazing". Screen uniformity is perfect no light or dark places anywhere. Colors appear natural and realistic to me. The black levels are very deep on this tv when you dim the lights a bit or close the shades in the room. Motion appears fine to me (I found the motion looked better with the blur reduction in settings turned off).



The default setting for this tv is to have C.A.T.S. turned on in the settings. This adjusts the brightness of the picture depending on how much ambient light is in the room. Some people may like this feature but I turned it off.



The sound is good for normal tv viewing. It sounded better to me when I turned on bass boost in the sound settings; It is possible to adjust the treble and bass also.



One issue that this tv has (as well as Plasma's in general from what I've read) that LCD's don't is that the black levels don't look their best in a brightly lit room. This is not a problem for me as I prefer watching in a dim but not pitch black environment. To my eyes the black levels look deeper than I've ever seen on an LCD.



I have not tried the network feature on this tv yet. An earlier reviewer said some of the network features may not be available yet. It won't really matter to me if this is still the case. I just want a flatscreen that does what it is supposed to do and does it very well; This plasma delivers that.



This is a polished product from Panasonic. Please Panasonic don't ever stop making Plasma's!



****Quick update**** 4/26. When I said that the TV automatically switched the source to receive video from the bluray player It may have done this because the bluray player that I borrowed also happened to be a Panasonic product. As to whether or not it will automatically switch the source for another brand of bluray player you'll have to find that out for yourself.More detail ...

LG INFINIA 50PK750 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


Excellent choice if you are on a Budget AND if you are not a videophile4

This is one of the Best TVs available on the market especially considering it's price. I've had this TV for about a week now and have nothing major to complain. I was nervous getting a plasma TV due issues like glare buzz weight form factor ghosting burn-in etc. But this TV proved to live out most of the disadvantages of plasmas.



Pros:



1. Color Accuracy - Color accuracy great without even tweaking any calibration settings. I like the THX cinema mode the best.



2. Slick - The TV has a slim form factor and the uniform glass top (Bezel does not pop out of the screen). We absolutely love it's looks.



3. DLNA - This is the first TV I owned with DLNA capability. I installed the Nero Home media essentials that came with this TV on my laptop and I was able to watch photos and videos that are on my laptop in no time. The video quality also feels upscaled and close to HD.



4. Plug and Play USB - I connected my USB hard drive and instantly there is a prompt on the TV to play videos music and photos.



5. Netcast and Widgets - The TV comes with Netflix Youtube Vudu Picasa widgets and it also supports the Yahoo widget gallery. I haven't yet tried Netflix or Vudu. But Youtube and Picasa were really good. The picture quality of the youtube videos was not great but it really is a matter of the video itself but not the TV. Yahoo widgets were good too. I especially use the Twitter widget a lot.



6. Games - The TV came with some games pre-installed. I haven't explored this feature much. But I tried Sudoku and it was simple to use.



7. No Buzz - Since I read in one of the earlier reviews about the buzz sound I tried hard to hear it from my typical viewing distance (about 10ft) and I heard nothing.



8. Ease of use - The menus and features are very easy to navigate and operate.



9. Remote - The remote is really slick and with big keys and very easy to operate. Also has decent short cuts to most of the frequently used features.



Cons:



1. Black Levels - Black levels are not as dark as I'd hoped for in a Plasma. In fact in some cases I tend to think they are not even on par with some of the latest better performing Sony and Samsung LCDs. I was a little disappointed with this. But hey you get what you pay for..!



2. Glare - Like any other plasma TV this TV produces a bit of glare. But this is much better compared to a lot of other plasmas I've seen and in most cases you wouldn't really notice it unless you are looking for it.



3. PIP/POP - I'd hoped that a 2010 TV comes with the basic PIP/POP features. But seems like this TV does not have it. It's not a deal breaker for me though.



4. Zoom - The picture zoom feature is a little cumbersome.



5. Typing - Netcast widgets use the number pad for typing. But Yahoo widgets (twitter) rely on the visual keyboard and entering each alphabet takes a lot of strokes. I wish LG offered a remote with QWERTY keyboard something similar to the one that comes with Vizio VF552XVT.



6. Video format compatibility - I tried playing several videos of different formats - divx divx HD mpeg mp4 wmv avi etc. It was able to handle all formats. But within a given format some videos were not recognized (videos that I have are even though of the same format are different in bit rate compression resolution etc). Sometimes it does not recognize the audio. I wish LG comes up with a firmware update to expand it's support.



One feature I haven't tried is the wireless connectivity. This TV is both WiFi ready and Wireless 1080p ready. But both of these optional accessories which I do not currently have.



I haven't played around with a lot of picture settings yet (Mostly because I didn't need to). But as I explore more I shall come back to update this post.



This may not be the best TV on market. But for a little over 1000 bucks you can not go wrong with this TV especially if you are not a videophile and picky about deep black levels.More detail ...

Panasonic TC-P54S2 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


I love this TV # SETTINGS UPDATE #5

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)

Contrast 36

Brightness 36

Color 29 (you will probably use this

Tint +1 and the tint control most often)

Sharpness 50

Color Temp = warm

CATS off

Video NR on

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-P54S2More detail ...

Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P46G10 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


Panasonic G10--Excellent Picture Quality and Price Combination5

This is based on my experience with the TC-P50G10 which is identical to P46 but with a larger screen. I bought it three weeks ago and am very happy with it. I did a lot of research and tried out a number of TVs before settling down on this one so I thought I would share some of the information and my experience with the TV and hopefully make your decision in choosing the TV a bit easier.



First thing first. According to my research the Panasonic G10 probably has the best picture quality among all TVs in mass production as of the time of this review (May 2009). Most importantly it has pitch dark black level scorching brightness high color accuracy and good motion processing.



I chose the Panasonic plasma over Sony and Samsung LCD for a few reasons. (1) Compared to 120Hz LCDs Panasonic is significantly cheaper than Sony and Samsung. (2) I think the G10 is better in handling motion than the 120HZ LCDs. (3) The colors on the plasma are more appealing to me than those on the LCDs. (4) It has superior viewing angle. It looks perfect from any angle you will actually watch the TV without washing out the color prserving the quality of the color.



The third point on color appeal is subjective and calls for description of subjective experience. There are lots of technical comparison of the colors on different displays on the internet but my perceptual experience is that the colors on the panasonic plasma is very vibrant punchy tantalizing and mesmerizing. The colors look like things in real life but they are more intense than real life. A friend said "it's prettier than real but not distorted. It is just like an enhanced colorful world." If you prefer high fedelity to real life colors you can use the THX mode to tune it down to be very faithful to studio color measures. LCD in comparison is also very vibrant but it doesn't look as realistic. It's more like computer graphics and less like colors of living things. Technically this may have to do with the deeper black level on the plasma than the LCD.



Before the G10 I had the Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ80U 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV. Both TVs have very appealing colors but I returned the PZ80U and got the G10 because the G10 has a number of important improvements over the PZ80U: it has a brighter plasma display has a VGA PC input lower energy consumption and more accurate color. Also its frame is more compact so I can fit a 50" G10 into the space that would only hold a 46" PZ80U. In fact the G10 is brighter and more contrasty than last year's top model Panasonic TH-50PZ850U 50-inch Viera 1080p Plasma HDTV.



What else do I like about the TV? It is very bright for a Plasam TV. According to tech specs and online reviews it is the bightest plasma ever made. In Custom Mode it is more than bright enough to watch in my room with direct sun light (sun light in the room not on the TV). In Vivid Mode "you should prepare to put on your ski googles". In fact it's too bright and overly constrasty and saturated for regular viewing. However it is quite useful in displaying low resolution and low quality online video such as YouTube or Netflix Instant Watch. The extra boost in brightness contrast and saturation make the low quality online video look much more appealing and lively.



VieraCast is kinda cool. Not a deal maker but certainly not a drawback. I used third party firmware DD-WRT to set up a Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G Broadband Router as a wireless bridge. So the TV can get online without running a cable to my main router.



I find this TV fits my needs perfectly. But no TV is perfect at least not for the technically savvy.



So here are the cons:



(1) The sound is mediocre. It is fine to watch a TV show but lackluster to watch a good movie or music show.



(1.2) True Cinema 24-frame mode flickering is perceptually disturbing because the refresh rate is set to 48 Hz in the mode. It is a pitty because motion does look much more life like and less video like in True-Cinema mode. Wish the TV could run at 72 Hz.



(2) My PC only has VGA out but no DVI out. (This point does not matter for those with DVI out on their computer. A DVI to VGA cable will work fine) The VGA input on the TV does not support 1080 HD. It only supports up to 1280x768. Panny should not cut corner here. Although this problem doesn't really matter for video contents because most computer video resolution is less than 1280x768. And the pixel interpolation effect on the Plasma is more like a CRT and less like an LCD. So the set is reasonably good at displaying contents with resolution lower than its native res.



(3) VieraCast needs improvement. The content is still limited. The search function of Youtube on VieraCast is not as easy to use as on a computer. The Amazon video on demand price is way too high (but this is not really Panny's problem). I would kill for a firmware upgrade that enables Netflix streaming.



(4) The remote is not as well laid out as the one on PZ80. The 3 big buttons above the directional keys are occupied by the rarely used VieraLink VieraCast and VieraTool. The commonly used Menu key is moved to a small key. Totally wrong choice of ergonomics.



(5) VGA PC input is paired with RCA audio input. I wish it is a 3.5mm (1/8 ") mini jack instead which will allow a single cable cable integrating VGA video and mini jack audio. Now I have to use two cables.



(6) The stand does not swivel.



Regardless of the above drawbacks overall I find this TV to have the best picture quality and price combination. The pros by far outweigh the cons. The picture quality of this TV is truly amazing as such some calls it "The New King of Plasma." Anyone seriously considering an HDTV should take a look at this one now that the Pioneer Kuro exited the market.



I highly recommend it.More detail ...

LG 42PJ350 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV


Value performance quality - this LG TV delivers5

Let me start by saying that I am not a videophile but when it comes to purchasing a television I can be very picky. I went through the whole LCD vs. Plasma dilemma 3 years ago when I bought my Samsung 5084 (one of the best non-Pioneer plasmas at the time). That said I was ready to supplement that unit this year with a 'smaller' LCD for the bedroom (didn't want to sweat IR horizontal line bleed etc). Needless to say LCD options in the 'budget' range lack features that alleviate some of their drawbacks forcing you to suffer through motion blur clouding and terrible black levels if you choose a set for ~$800).



Enter the 42" plasmas. For the sake of comparison I decided to investigate the plasma alternative once again. This essentially brought me to the Samsung C450 due to my positive experience with the 5084 and glowing reviews for the C450. Unfortunately users reported an audible buzzing noise from the Samsung (a noise I know full well from the 5084 and did not want to deal with on a bedroom set).



Enter the PJ350. I only became aware of this set after seeing it next to the Samsung at the store. From a design perspective it tops the Samsung with an ultra thin bezel very thin chassis and no 'touch of red'. Furthermore I heard no buzzing from the LG floor model while the Samsung sounded like someone was digging honey out of a beehive. Since it is a brand new model I had no reviews to rely on but I took the plunge.



Picture quality from this unit is superb for any sub-$1k TV much less one at this price point. This 720p set rivals my 1080p plasma in most respects most notably black levels. I have only had it for a few days now but setting the TV on 'cinema' mode at 70 contrast and 50 brightness is really impressive (I recommend switching those two numbers for several weeks to break in the unit). If you place your head behind the unit you can hear the typical plasma 'buzz' but this is completely inaudible at any reasonable viewing distance. While this goes without saying all the benefits of plasma are apparent with this TV: cinematic quality motion (none of that chincy 120hz movement) 24p bluray playback consistent backlighting etc. I have noticed a tiny amount of false contouring but less than my Samsung - hardly an annoyance. OTA video quality is of course superb. The reviewer who stated that colors are not as vivid clearly didn't recognize that picture settings are independently adjustable for each input. This TV does offer a settings wizard to help set the picture based on your unit and environment but I prefer manual adjustment to suit my personal tastes.



If you're worried about not having 1080p don't be. At this size you will not detect a difference anywhere outside 4' from the unit. The screen is quite reflective but if glare is your primary concern then you surely can settle for the inferior picture quality of a cheap LCD. While I have limited experience with my LG I can honestly say that I am very pleased thus far.More detail ...

Samsung PN50C450 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)


great tv for the money5

I got this tv on sale the day after it arrived in stores for only $720 and I could not be happier with it. The picture is fantastic right out of the box. As with all plasmas make sure you take the break in period seriously by turning down the contrast and brightness a bit for the first 100-200 hours. I've also been running the anti-burn in scrolling feature for about an hour a night when I go to bed and have yet to notice any sort of image retention although I haven't played any video games on it yet.



There's a lot of chatter about these Samsung plasmas having an annoying buzzing sound coming from them but I have yet to notice it. Maybe I just got lucky with mine but it runs very quietly.More detail ...

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


Blows LCD away5

This pannasonic G25 is amazing. Clear Crisp Picture. Colors are amazing unlike an LCD. You never would know the difference unless you saw a plasma. Unfortunatly plasmas got a bad rap years ago and people shy away from them. This model (as do others including samsung) have built in image retention elimination devices. Follow the break in for the first 100 hours and you have nothing to worry about. The sound levels arent bad you probably have a surround system anyways so it dont matter. This picture gets better and better as it breaks in. All store demos are pretty crappy and usually the plasmas are off to the side. If stores used a good setup and dialed in the sets its unbelievable how many they would sell but most people drift to the big bright LCD or LED. This tv is bright and colors are unmatched. Hockey games and fast paced sports are crap on lcd but on plasma when the hockey players stop you can see every sliver of ice fly through the air. Plasmas are less money and better picture the an lcd why buy an lcd? I looked at the samsung however they have a realllly bad rep for buzzing. Get it dial in your settings and you too will be blown away.



More detail ...

Samsung PN42C450 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)


Fantastic set!5

Just received the TV today! It arrived a day early which was a pleasant surprise. Once I fired it up I was ecstatic with this set. The quality is amazing for the price the picture blows away a top of the line 42" 1080p LCD display that I've seen. Deep rich colors high contrast fluid motion...there is nothing not to like! Streamed Spartacus off Netflix and compared to my old little 22" LCD it really came to life.(Even if the writing is really bad)



It was able to find some basic cable channels in HD which is awesome and Modern Warfare 2 looks simply astounding (again much better than on aforementioned 42" and 22" LCDs.)



The sound is decent it's actually better than I was expecting. It's obviously no Home Theatre but I was impressed. It's got a few connections which aren't listed on Amazon...the 3 HDMI 1 PC 1 USB 1 Component 1 Dual Component/Composite Audio In 1/8" Audio Out 1/8" Optical out and cable. The menu is very easy to navigate and adjust and in it you can turn off it's startup/shut down sound if you find it irritating. It's kinda soothing though.



One negative I've found is that the audio running out isn't controlled by the televisions volume I guess that's pretty standard but it means my cheap computer speakers aren't much good. (No remote) Also when installing the base stand it felt like I was about to destroy the thread on the screws that are used...They aren't easy to get in there!



It's very elegant and looks great in my living room. It's not super bright which I love (LCD panels hurt my eyes after a while) All in all for the money it's a fantastic TV. I was looking for quality affordability and style.More detail ...

Samsung PN50C550 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV (Black)


Not Only Excellent For The Money But Excellent Period.5

I had tried to buy the previous "B" model at close-out prices but I missed the boat. Thought I might be outta luck until the "C" version started showing up a day or so afterward and it turned out to be basically the same TV just about 25lbs lighter - only 2 people needed to wall mount - I was down with that and $[...] bucks still didn't seem too bad. I had already researched for some time and Plasma was it for me. The Panny G-10 had a similarly good picture too and although it offers much to consider I liked the Sammy's picture just a bit more but you may want to check it out as well. I received the set with zero problems or issues: no dead pixels or any buzzing whines or anything amiss at all. Outta the box the picture was quite good and showed me good resolution performance even with SD cable with no video noise issues (although initially I did find it necessary to use the 3 supplied ferrite choke magnets that snap onto the power cord. These not only eliminated the several horizontal noise bands in the picture but cleaned up the resolution on the overall picture with no downside - an easy fix that totally nixed the problem for me).



But tweaking the picture a bit is where this set shines the most. When researching I came across a site that offered a list of picture control settings for the "B" version. Since this is really the same panel I factored it into my buying decision accordingly. Especially since the settings were said to be obtained with a Sencore color analyzer (about a $10000 pro device for calibrating video displays and is the sort of thing used by the Imaging Science Foundation - ISF. They at least did pioneer and continue to legitimize the video calibration practice but more to the point it WASN'T done by any of the more lame imitators that have since cropped up (like Geek Squad Spyder and others) whom I feel exist to separate you from your money (at about $300 a calibration) while hardly giving you a better picture adjustment than you can get on your own with a $25 calibration DVD).



What this means to us is that the results of what I'm taking to be the equivalent of a $300 (legit) picture calibration for this particular set anyway have already been posted on the web for free - not an inconsequential consideration for anyone interested. I'm posting those numbers here for those who are:



White Balance Settings:

Red-Offset: 22

Green-Offset: 25

Blue-Offset: 12



Red-Gain: 33

Green-Gain: 25

Blue-Gain: 33



Picture Settings:

Picture Mode: Movie

Color Temp: Warm 2

Brightness: 56

Contrast: 90

Cell Light 8

Color: 53

Tint: G35/R65

Sharpness: 10

Black Tone: Off

Dynamic Contrast: Off

Gamma: 0

Colorspace: Auto

Flesh Tone: Off

Edge Enhancement: Off

Digital NR: Auto

HDMI Black Level: Low

Film Mode: Auto



When I tried these settings I noticed a very organic natural-looking picture one that offered me a few surprizes. This set happens to be inherently capable of showing a more-than-generous amount of color saturation without problem. I personally prefer a picture that's just slightly undersaturated if anything (but I expect this set will accomodate anyone's taste on that score if yours are different than mine). With all this what I found was that even when slightly undersaturated and I felt the picture was indeed realistic-looking whenever an unusually colorful object was displayed (like a particularly vivid piece of clothing or a brightly flourescent color - like some NASCAR colors for example) this TV displayed BOTH the less intense colors of the more mundane objects and the most decidedly vivid ones equally well in the same scene AT THE SAME TIME - never subduing the most vivid colors even when the overall color level looked 'properly' undersaturated to me on the more everyday objects. Nor was it unnaturally emphasizing them for that matter. The result was a TV that on any good HiDef cable feed regularly showed me a surprisingly wide (yet natural-looking) "dynamic range" of color intensity in the images. I could just about feel as if the TV itself were getting out of the way and showing me clearly (and more truthfully than I've seen in my home before) just what the camera saw. Very nice and as I say surprizingly convincing (and this with simply 1080i and 720p cable feeds - a Blu-ray player is definitely next!). This set after my preferred adjustments didn't make all the colors look too subdued like some plasmas I've seen have ended up doing nor all the colors too vivid like some LCD's. I felt like it walked the line beautifully - not merely a good compromise but it seemed truly the best of both in this regard. Black levels were great and with excellent detail - no complaints.



In the end I did opt to deviate from the settings above but only with respect to overall contrast/brightness and color level settings everything else was the same. This gave me an appreciable gain in contrast that suits me and my family's tastes in our well lighted daytime living room. Plasma is usually not as vivid in the contrast department as most LCD's or LED's but in the mid-price range ($1000-$1500 retail) it's a small price for me to pay for a picture that I feel (with adjustment) is otherwise decidedly sharper clearer more life-like and dimensional than anything else for the money. I haven't felt that any comparative lack of overall contrast has resulted in any buyer's remorse for me at all as no such notion has yet remotely entered my head anytime I've watched it.



I'll add that in my experience with LCD's vs. Plasmas Plasmas kill LCD's and LED's when it comes to motion - at least in the sets in this price range. Up over about $2000 and differences between the panel types start to get quite a bit smaller to me. But just before I settled on this Sammy I went to Wally World and dragged home a Vierra LCD mainly to see if 'taming down' an LCD picture to suit my tastes could possibly be better than trying to 'pump up' a Plasma. In this case a huge waste of time! What I saw was a 120-Hz LCD on sale at just under a 1000 bucks that just couldn't do motion very well at ALL. I popped in a SD DVD of Lawrence of Arabia and it looked like it was shot "live-to-video" perfectly goofy. I also found out just how bad a 5-ms response time can look on a 47" set. The 120Hz feature DID work as advertised and made fast motion MUCH better than without but any slow-speed pan or movement caused a nearly instantaneous defocusing of the area of motion until the motion stopped and the blurred area was able to snap back into focus. When watching a head shot of someone speaking for example their face would perceptably blur in the areas of facial movement while the face of another person in the scene next to them (not talking) remained in sharp focus - too disconcerting. And too much of a disconnect to the experience to NOT want to look at a person while they were talking(!). Plasma (600Hz or no) inherently has no such motion problems that require the consumer to spend money on to overcome. If that wasn't enough (and believe me for me it was) the somewhat artificial vividness to the picture proved at least on this LCD to be something I could never quite tame no matter what the settings.



For me to pass muster a flat panel must make no major blunders in the 4 most important performance areas of color contrast resolution and motion. To me this Sammy does all of that and at a very nice price - I don't know how I can do much better than that especially without another free video calibration. In fact the only Plasma that I'm confident could beat it hands down is the discontinued-but-still-available Pioneer Kuro 50" plasma. But then it should it retailed for a mere $4500 when new. But a few months ago it could be had on the web for only 1600 bucks. It's just that at the time I didn't have the scratch. Now the remaining ones if you can find 'em were the last time I looked hovering around $3000. Oh well I'll tell you one thing though; this machine at this price has certainly eased my pain...;) I know this isn't 3D or more colors than RGB or anything but I'm more than content now to wait all that out. Til the next round this will do me just fine!More detail ...

Panasonic TC-P50S2 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV


Panasonic TC-P50S2 Review by Plasma TV Buying Guide4

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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Samsung PN50C430 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)


Great value4

This was my first flat screen purchase so I did a lot of research. It paid off because this is a really nice looking set with a beautiful crisp picture. Haven't gotten a blu- ray player yet but I'm still stunned by the crispness of the picture at 720p. Previous reviewers claimed I would not be able to tell the difference on a 50" set between 720 and 1080 and I have to agree. So the roughly $600 savings i gained on purchasing this set gives me a cushion for the next generation 3d set I'll probably buy in 3 yrs or so. By the way the sound is very good as well. If you don't need the full surround sound theater effect with a booming sub woofer this electronically sophisticated sound system should make you happy.More detail ...

Samsung PN42C430 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV (Black)


So far so good!5

After researching HD plasmas for about a month I was all set on an LG model from a different website because it was the least expensive 42 incher with the best reviews I could find but then I came across this model on Amazon for a hundred and fifty dollars cheaper (This was onsale for under $500 then..I dont think it is anymore). This is the least expensive 42 incher I've been come across and I'm very satisfied with the quality. After watching a lot of movies with dark scenes I was concerned because if I increased the brightness the colors seemed to wash out - well after selecting the 'dynamic' picture setting instead of 'standard' that has been resolved - the colors are crisp and dark scenes are sharp and more visible.



I was concerned that this tv might have the ugly red stripe on the base of the tv like some pictures of other samsungs I've seen but thankfully it does not. The tv frame and base are a sexy piano black. My opinion on why it's inexpensive is because it has the fewwest inputs on it. It only has 2 hdmi inputs. Perfect for an hd cable box and a ps3. This tv also has 2 sets of component inputs which are ideal for a vcr or other video game system that isnt in hd (like a wii).



I don't have digital cable just a plain old basic cable service and the QAM tuner picked up all the digital channels but they're not in hd so I'm still thinking of getting a comcast hd box even though I despise the significant compression comcast utilizes with its signal. Compare comcast hdtv to a blu ray and you'll notice how compressed the comcast video signal is (tiling and pixelating and motion blur is evident from the comcast signal).



All in all at this price point this can't be beat.



Anyway feel free to ask any questions on this new model via the comments section and I'll be happy to respond.More detail ...

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