(June 11, 2010) Sony’s first production model “Full HD” 3D TVs arrived at Sony Style stores late this week. The HD Guru paid an extended visit to his local outlet to make an initial evaluation of its KDL-55HX800 55″ 3D ready TV, the only 3D TV model being demonstrated.

The Sony Style 3D demo loop includes trailers from Alice In Wonderland, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, clips from pre-World Cup Soccer, images of polar bears and pandas, and a number Playstation 3D videogame clips.

The HX800 features a dynamic edge lit LED LCD panel, Full HD 1080p resolution, Motionflow Pro 240Hz technology and is Wi-Fi adapter ready.The HX800 incorporates Sony’s striking deep black design. Powered on, the 55″ 3D TV provided sufficient brightness, despite being wall mounted up high and directly under a very bright store fluorescent light fixture. Unlike all the other flat panel 3D HDTVs on the market today, Sony does not build in the infra-red emitter into this TV, it was mounted below the screen bezel, disturbing the ultra modern look of the panel (the emitter is a required $49 accessory). Only Sony’s upcoming 3D LX series has the emitter built-in.

The Sony 3D glasses fit comfortably over my eyeglasses, but were full of fingerprints and who knows what other dirt and grime on the frame. Yuck! I cleaned off the lenses and used a hand sanitizer on the frame. Note to Sony Style and other retail stores, how about some lens cleaner and anti-bacterial wipes to clean the 3D glasses between demos?

An examination of the Sony active shutter glasses lenses revealed a mild amber tint, which slightly diminishes the amount of blue passing through them. Upon initial observation of the 3D demo loop, the colors appeared natural with the glasses level, an indication this Sony TV electronically color compensates for the amber tint when fed a 3D signal.

Except for the Alice trailer (a movie that was not recorded in 3D but was converted in post production), I am not familiar with the demo content having previously only seen it at Sony press and trade events during the past 10 months. Given that caveat, there was a limited amount of in-front of the screen scenes (called negative z-axis), making the 3D effect appear constrained to just a few inches out of the screen. This may be inherent with Sony’s demo material. We will have to wait for a test using our own 3D demo discs to learn if the Sonys’ are capable of a greater depth.

While previous prototype and pre-production Sony’s 3D TVs suffered from flickering, the production model appeared flicker-free. Unfortunately, there are new issues that challenged its 3D performance.

Viewing the HX800 with the Sony 3D glasses in place, we observed 3D without cross-talk (ghost images caused by leakage of the left eye image to the right eye and vice versa). However,  when slightly tilting my head, just a few degrees, the 3D image disappeared replaced by double-vision, the same image one would see if the glasses stop working (they didn’t) or removed while the TV is displaying 3D content. In addition, a slight rightward head tilt caused a significant red color shift! Tilt to the left and the colors shift to blue.

Imagine leaning slightly to reach the remote control and completely losing the 3D effect, then have it pop back when your head returns to the vertical position.  This effect does not occur with the other brands of Full HD 3D TV currently available, Samsung and Panasonic.

As soon as we can get our hands on a review sample, we’ll drill down on Sony’s 3D performance issues and provide precise measurements. In the meantime, we recommend potential buyers hold off purchasing a Sony 3D TV based on our initial observation.

The Sony Style store is currently taking orders on the HX800 models (40″, 46″ and 55″ sizes) for shipping on June 15th. Local independent Sony dealers surveyed yesterday said these models were originally scheduled to arrive this week but delivery has been pushed back to June 17th.

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(March 30, 2010) Samsung’s  55″ UN55C8000 ($3499 retail, $2849 Amazon) falls in the comfortable middle of its 2010 3D LED (LCD) line, though it has a higher rated contrast ratio than the upcoming more expensive, wafer thin (.3″) C9000 series.

The C8000s are the only Samsung 3D LED models to feature “Precision Dimming”, (commonly known as local dimming) and adds 240 Hz refresh and slim .9″ depth.  Due to a panel uniformity issue in our factory loaner test unit, we limit this first look to its 3D features and performance.

This 55″ set has a thin (1″) bezel with a brushed aluminum type finish. It includes a chrome finished swivel quad leg table stand and a backlit remote. All inputs are on the rear of the panel (four HDMI, one composite video with L/R audio, twin USBs and an Ethernet jack). Due to the thin panel design, Samsung abandons the standard Ethernet, analog audio/video, sub-D 15 pin PC and component video jacks, substituting miniature jacks and supplied connection “dongles.”

The C8000’s product sheet states it “Delivers 3D action and 240 Hz smooth motion,” but while the set includes both features, they are not active at the same time. With 2D sources the set refreshes with 240 frames per second using motion estimation/motion compensation to create interpolated intermediate frames from 24, 30 or 60 frame per second content. In 3D mode the C8000 displays 120 active images per second (60 per eye) with black frame insertion between active image frames. The sequence: left image, black frame, right image, black frame, left image etc.

Due to the dearth of 3D content with “Full HD” (1920 x1080 each eye), our source material consists of two Blu-ray discs: “Monsters and Aliens” and Panasonic’s 3D demo disc. Other available demo material features “Side by Side” 3D, which is half HD resolution (960 x1080) per eye and includes Cablevision’s 3D telecast of the Rangers vs. Islanders’ hockey game recorded on a DVR and series of clips from 3D Guy. The 8000 and all other Samsung 3D HDTVs accept 3D “Side by Side” content loaded on a USB drive via its USB port.

Samsung 3D displays incorporate new controls not found on any of its 2D displays, including 2D to 3D conversion (more on this later), 3D Auto View mode (sets 3D format if content is encoded with necessary meta data), Picture Correction (reverses left and right eye images if content was recorded reversed), and 3D Viewpoint (pushes forward or back the 3D effect, we call it horizontal parallax shift).

Normally this control is set to “0″; it has a range of -5 to +5. Increasing the control moves the image forward (at the cost of increased crosstalk, more on this later) while decreasing the control pulls it back. A potential use is to compensate for a 3D image mastered for a larger screen. Lowering the control may aid in reducing eye fatigue for the small percentage of viewers who have “stereo eye convergence” issues.

3D

Viewing native 3D content requires Samsung’s 3D glasses, enabling the 3D mode on the TV and of course, native 3D source material, which for now consists solely of  “Monsters vs. Aliens” available exclusively in Samsung’s two pairs of glasses 3D starter kit (link).

The $349 starter kit is free with the purchase of a Samsung 3D HDTV along with the purchase of the BD-C6900  3D capable Blu-ray player or its 3D Home Theater System HT-C6930. To help Samsung 3D set owners obtain content, we arranged  for a download of 3D Guy’s “3D Girls” video and other samples through our sister website HDGuru3D (link, 3D Content button on top).  Copy the 3D demos to a USB drive, insert it into the USB port on the rear of the TV, choose the USB input as the source and the “side by side” setting on the 3D menu and watch. Panasonic 3D  sets do not support this USB 3D content.

We began our set evaluation with the motion resolution in 3D mode. The Samsung retained all 1080 lines of resolution in the presence of motion. We also tested image brightness in 3D mode. Only two picture setting modes are available when 3D is engaged: Standard and Movie.

Our tests indicate the Movie mode is closest to the ideal settings of the standard user picture controls. We found that without glasses the image brightness measured 44.67 ft lamberts in the 3D “Standard’ mode and 43.20 ft lamberts (w/o glasses) in the “Movie” mode. Activating the glasses and placing one lens in front of our Konica/Minolta  LS-100 light meter yielded a measurement of 14.60 ft lamberts (Standard) and 13.84 ft lamberts (Movie). All these readings are quite low for an HDTV and indicate the need for a dim viewing environment at the factory default settings.  Readers that insist on a brighter looking image can increase the level of overall brightness be resetting the TV’s “Gamma Control” from factory default center (2.2) to maximum, which will produce a significantly brighter image at some cost to accurate image reproduction.

Viewing 3D

Two new factors must be considered when evaluating 3D images: crosstalk and flicker.  Your brain creates the 3D illusion by combining a left and a right eye ‘view” that the set displays sequentially. Without 3D glasses the resulting picture appears as a blurry, double image.

The performance goal of a 3D display/glasses combination is to never allow the right eye image to be seen by the left eye and vice versa. Crosstalk, seen as an unintended ghost image, results when leakage occurs and the wrong eye sees the wrong image.

This phenomenon is most noticeable when high contrast occurs between objects in the foreground and background.  For example, a player or referee in a 3D hockey game wearing black against the white ice.

Flicker appears as pulsing of the image, especially in bright areas.

The good news is that, unlike Sony’s store demos of its LED LCD the Samsung UN55C8000 was flicker-free. On the other hand, we observed many instances of crosstalk. For example, at 3 minutes 54 seconds into “Monsters and Aliens” left and right ghosts appear of a black church against a sky backdrop (see photo of how it appears to one eye through the 3D glasses).

In the short “Bob’s Big Break” included on the “Monsters vs. Aliens” disc, crosstalk is often visible next to Dr. Cockroach’s antenna. We never observed crosstalk during our evaluation of Panasonic’s TC-P50VT20 (link).

We also sampled Panasonic’s demo disc and noted crosstalk in the coral reef segment’s underwater fish scenes (currently our favorite demo because the fish seem to be floating in the room in front of the screen).

Is crosstalk a byproduct of 3D LED LCD technology? Based on the evaluation and comparison of a single model we cannot draw such a conclusion; however, the Panasonic plasma produced a crosstalk-free 3D experience using some of the same content.

2D -> 3D

The Samsung 3D ready sets have the ability to convert normal 2D content into what we like to call “genuine simulated 3D”. The conversion adds depth to the image, though it is highly dependent on the material. Some content looks more impressive than do others. Our two favorites for conversion to date are the new Star Trek Blu-ray and the NCAA playoffs.  Both provide great depth from a flat image, although we have not seen any object appear in front of the screen ( which is called negative Z axis) and don’t know if it is possible.

The “depth control” produces the illusion of increasing the space between objects appearing at the screen plane and the background.   Overall we found  this feature adds dimension and immersion to 2D content, but it never appears as dramatic as native 3D content. I believe some owners will greatly enjoy the effect and use it often. We’ll continue to experiment with it and in the upcoming full review plan to list other programs that the feature improves.

Conclusion

The Samsung produces a fine 3D experience in terms of depth, clarity and immersion and we appreciate the 2D->3D conversion, however we found the crosstalk to be a distracting annoyance to an otherwise exciting experience. We’ll produce a full review incorporating our  full menu of  2D performance tests once we determine whether the uniformity issue is limited to our review sample or is endemic to the design, so please stay tuned.

Visit HDGURU3D.com for the latest news and articles on 3D.

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By Al Caudullo

Videographer Al Caudullo reviews Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GH1 digital camera with an emphasis on its HDTV camcorder performance.

Panasonic really did its homework designing the DMC-GH1. It uses the Micro Four Thirds System standard, which eliminates the mirror box and employs an optical viewfinder, replacing it with a high resolution LCD eyepiece.  The result, a compact package that feels comfortable and solid.  For the consumer looking for a step up from the pocket camera but doesn’t want a big DSLR, this is just the right choice.

The interchangeable supplied 14-140mm Leica Vario lens is significantly heavier than the body. Panasonic didn’t scrimp by trying to make a light body and light weight lens. And as any pro camera person knows, the lens is what can make all the difference. You can have a great camera body but put a cheap lens on it and there is no way to get good quality results.

So what to shoot to put the GH1 to the test? I thought about it a while and called a few friends and asked if they would like to help. After some, “no really Panasonic sent me this camera to test…” I managed to get a few Thai models to meet me at a roof top pool in the heart of Bangkok.

Needless to say, shooting bikini models for a few hours to test the camera was a very fun way to go. The results as you can see above, were excellent (set the resolution pull down menu on YouTube to 720p resolution for the best view). The camera boasts a 12 megapixel sensor. It allows you to shoot in various formats including 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The auto focus is quick and features a follow me mode which is very helpful when shooting video. The ISO sensitivity is good but not great. Moderate and strong lighting conditions provide excellent results. The low light images do get a little grainy but acceptable. Image capture is stored on SDHC card, which make it very easy for transferring your images to your PC when shooting is completed. The kit comes with a 14-140mm Leica lens which covered me easily in all the shooting situations that I ran into. But it is nice to know that you can change lenses for any situation that you may run into.

With the stills in hand I turned to the real reason for testing the GH1, the HD video.

The one thing about all digital video cameras is the assortment of frame rates and codecs. It’s kind of like going into an ice cream shop and just asking for “ice cream”. The puzzled look of, “well, what flavor?” can be frustrating. Even with the pros, the debate rages on about which frame rate and codec is best. I won’t debate that here.

The GH1 shoots video in two different formats, AVCHD and Motion JPEG.

There are two resolution settings for HD video. In AVCHD the highest resolution is 1920×1080 (recorded at 24fps then encapsulated in the 1080i format for compatibility) , the same as Blu-ray. And you also get 1280×720, which is the same as ABC, ESPN, Fox and other broadcast and cable HDTV networks.

Motion JPEG offers 1280×720, 848×480, 640×480 and 320×240 all at 30fps.

Simply put, AVCHD is fast becoming the flavor of choice for prosumer and pro digital video. Motion JPEG is not as highly compressed as AVCHD but with the right software AVCHD is definitely the way to go for good HD. Motion JPEG is captured on an .mov format and plays back easily on QuickTime player in your computer. For my testing I did both the 1080 AVCHD and the 720 Motion JPEG.

As for frame rates, pros and film people love 24 fps 1280 x 720 (60 fps). It gives that “Cinematic” look. Broadcast TV on the other hand lives in a world of 30fps (or more accurately 29.97fps). As to which is better? I can only say, do you like vanilla or chocolate ice cream? The opinions are as varied as the answer to that question.

The well laid out camera controls makes the shooting process smooth and easy. The zoom ring can be a little tricky and you will have to practice to get a steady controlled shake free zoom. But with some effort you can achieve it. The autofocus and subject tracking works very well and keeps you out of trouble in that area. I am a very big fan of the live histogram. I have it on my Pro Camera and it is a fantastic tool to keep your shots looking good. I also liked the auto switch built in to the EVF (Electronic View Finder). It made it easy to switch between the flip-out swivel LCD screen and EVF just by putting the camera to my eye.

Look at the results in this post, noting you are viewing it over the internet compressed for that delivery format. My judgment is that this camera performs very well for the image sensor size. It gives very good, crisp HD video in most shooting situations. The proviso is the same mantra of any digital video camera. You must have three things, good light, good light and oh yeah, good light. Without proper lighting the image quality falls dramatically.

AVCHD uses a keyframe-based compression. That means that it records full image information only every so often. In between these “key frames,” only frame to frame differences are recorded. The GH1 uses a constant data rate of 17 Mbits/second, when there is a lot motion, significant amounts of data gets discarded due to the limits of AVCHD compression. But, if most of the image is stationary, with only a little bit of motion, detail remains very good. For an improvement with high motion subjects, choose the 720p in AVCHD mode.

The GH1 has a built-in stereo microphone, located on the top of the pop-up flash, which does a very good job. The 14-140mm kit lens (equivalent to a 35mm 28-280 zoom), is essentially silent when autofocusing.

There is also a sub-mini stereo mike input, and Panasonic makes a stereo cardiod mike, which attaches to the hot-shoe and plugs into the mic jack.

The audio is technically pro quality at 44 KHz/ 16 bit no matter which mic you use. However, the better the microphone used yields better sound quality.

The only real problem is that audio is completely automatic. There are no level controls, making the GH1′s audio ok for amateurs, but not great. There is no way to turn the Auto Gain Control (AGC) off, and also no way to monitor audio while recording (no headphone jack).

As an avid Nikon user I never really looked too far for a still camera. But after having some fun with the GH1 I have to tell you that I was impressed. The Micro Four-Thirds system is a big improvement over the previous systems. The still quality is excellent although the response rate of the camera is slow compared to its’ bigger DSLR cousins.

Although I would not use it in place of my Pro Cameras, it is a solid well designed camera. It made an excellent behind the scenes camera for my 3D shoot. It would most definitely give the average consumer a very high quality results whether still shots or HD Video. Coupled with the supplied Leica Vario lens the GH1 makes a sweet design earning a solid 4 out of 5 hearts ♥♥♥♥.

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(October 21, 2009) Panasonic recently released its top of the line plasma model, the 54” TC-P54Z1. It builds on the high performance of the V10 series models by shrinking the depth to just 1 inch, adding an outboard media center, wireless 1080p connectivity and removable “elephant ear” side speakers.

The Z1’s panel takes a cue from Pioneer’s Kuro by eliminating the top sheet of glass from the panel and bonding a very effective anti-reflective coating directly to the top glass, thus eliminating any internal reflections between the top two sheets of glass found on all other plasma panels.

A brushed aluminum-finished bezel flanked by black left/right vertical inserts distinguishes the Z1 from the rest of Panasonic’s 2009 plasma lineup. The TC-P54Z1 package consists of a media receiver, wireless transmitter module, wireless receiver module, a pair of speakers with associated brackets, a table stand and all connecting cables.

Because of the large number of parts, unpacking and setting up the Z1 consumed about an hour, far longer than any other HDTV tested to date. Most flat screens simply require the assembly and mounting of the table stand. Overall, the assembly went very smoothly and the complete system functioned properly immediately thereafter.

The monitor section has but one HDMI input plus a mini HDMI jack for connection to the wireless HD receiver. As an experiment, we connected a source component directly to the HDMI input, but were unable to get a signal to appear on the screen; hardly surprising considering that all switching, functions and user controls reside in the media center box rather than in the display.  Outboarding the switching and controls allowed Panasonic’s engineers to shrink the monitor’s depth to just an inch— thinner than Samsung’s LED LCD HDTVs.

The media receiver includes a built-in HDTV over-the-air tuner as well as an Ethernet connection for Panasonic’s Viera Cast internet content providers that include Picasa (photo uploads and downloads), YouTube, Amazon Videos and Bloomberg News. There are four HDMI (3 rear/1 front) and two component video inputs, as well as two composite video/S, a 15 pin sub-D for a PC (front) and RS-232 serial connector (for remote control systems such as Crestron). Also included is a front SD card slot for on-screen digital photo viewing. The front inputs are located under a swing down door (see photo).

The wireless transmitter and a mini “DC” terminal connector attach to the media receiver box via an HDMI cable (see photo).

The accompanying wireless receiver attaches to the back of the monitor panel by two screws and connects via an HDMI cable and another “DC” (Display unit Connector).

The receiver adds about an inch to the overall depth when attached to the back of the display. However we don’t see any reason why one couldn’t mount it beneath the screen ann.

The user interface is similar to the one used on the V10 series (review link). The Z1 has the same features including Digital Cinema Color, a user control for adjusting white balance, 96 Hz display for 24 Hz sources (Blu-ray discs and select DirecTV HD movies) and THX certified viewing mode.

The wireless system, designed by Sibeam (link), sends source signals (up to 1080p) a distance of up to 30 feet from the transmitter to the receiver. Panasonic recommends pointing the transmitter module towards the receiver attached to the monitor.

Unlike competing systems, such as the one Sony offers with its XBR10, the Sibeam 60 GHz (gigahertz) system claims to work within an enclosed cabinet. We put it to the test by placing the transmitter within a Stormcase type thick plastic PC case and latching it closed. From a test distance of 12 feet, the system worked flawlessly, delivering perfect 1080p images to the screen!

The ability to connect wirelessly is a real boon to potential purchasers living in residences with plaster or concrete walls. Now you’ll only just an electric outlet at the panel to wall mount the Z1.

Performance

Primary Color points (red, green, blue) measured in the THX mode were found to be close, but not quite at the HDTV rec. 709 standard. The results are as follows with 709 standard in parentheses R= x.629, y.332 (x.64, y.33) G= x.313 y=.591 (x.30, y.60) B= x.152, y.065 (x.15, y.06).

The Z1 is capable of producing intensely bright images. The factory “Vivid” mode designed for showrooms and not recommend for home use came in at a blazing 80.35 ft lamberts. In the THX factory setting, the level measured 33 ft. lamberts, a brightness perfectly suited for low ambient lighting levels found in many home TV viewing rooms. In the calibrated “Custom” mode, the image brightness read 40.46 ft lamberts, a level that is more than adequate for any normal day ambient room light conditions.

The Z1 produces very deep black levels. Using our new Konica Minolta LS-100 meter we obtained a minimum black of just .009 ft lamberts, a number that beats most LCD displays and produced a very deep shade of black. How does this compare to the Pioneer Kuro Pro-141FD? The now discontinued Pioneer still beats it, coming in below the accuracy of the meter, which is at or below .003 ft. lamberts (according to Konica Minolta). We did not have an opportunity to compare the Z1’s reading with a V10, however we plan to do so in the near future and will update the review accordingly.

Motion resolution measured a full 1080 lines without the artificial video look seen on all 120/240Hz LCDs tested to date (see the V10 review for more on this phenomena).

Using the HQV standard and high def test discs, we checked out the media box’s signal processing. The Z1 aced the HD and SD deinterlace and 3:2 pulldown tests but fell short on the jaggies tests, smoothing just two of the three moving lines with both standard and high definition tests. According to a Panasonic spokesman, the media box uses the same signal processing as the V10 plasma models, creating a mystery as to why we obtained different results (the V10 passes all the tests).

Gray scale in THX mode measured close to the 6500K standard out of the box with a reading of 6325K at 80 IRE and 6016K at 20 IRE in the Warm 2 color temperature mode. In custom mode, before calibration (in Warm 2) measurements were 6159K at 80 IRE and 5827K at 20 IRE. Post calibration resulted in near perfect readings of 6621K at 80 IRE and 6546K at 20 IRE.

The side speakers are a vast improvement over the downward firing speakers found in Panasonic’s V10 series models and many competitors’ < 2” thin LCDs. They provide far better overall range and clear high frequencies. They can also play really loud without audible distortion.

Energy consumption using the IEC standard test disc measured 192 watts in the THX mode and 240 watts in the calibrated “Custom” mode, the same measurement as the 54” TC-P54V10. The media box with the wireless transmitter uses 30 watts.

Viewing

With the user controls tweaked, we sampled HD and SD content using source material from Verizon FIOS, DirecTV and HD movies from Blu-ray discs via Panasonic’s DMP-BD80.  The deep black level and bright whites consistently produced images with punch; undoubtedly due to the real world high contrast ratio the Z1 is capable of producing. Although the Z1 didn’t ace the HQV jaggies tests, we noticed no problems with any source material we threw at it.

The Sibeam wireless circuitry worked flawlessly and transparently, never calling attention to the fact that no physical connection existed between the media box and the monitor.   As economies of scale kick in, the price delta for this wireless solution will eventually diminish to where the need for any long HDMI cables between the display and the source may be totally eliminated.

The TC-P54Z1 currently retails for $5499.99 making it $2100 more expensive than the TC-P54V10 with internal tuner and inputs.

Conclusion

The TC-P54Z1’s thin profile, outstanding color, contrast and deep black levels coupled with its perfect motion resolution without associated artifacts seen with 120Hz/240Hz LCDs, combined with plasma’s inherent ability to provide superior off-axis images, place the TC-P54Z1 at the top of the HDTV market. While pricey, if your viewing environment’s construction prevents you from wall mounting a flat panel, the additional cost may be justified.  The HD Guru awards the Panasonic TC-P54Z1 ♥♥♥♥♥ our highest rating.

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Panasonic’s recently introduced V10 series, the next level up from its well received G10 plasma line (recently reviewed on this site), uses the same NEO PDP panel but adds significant features including three color modes (up from two), user-controlled gray scale setting, 96Hz refresh rate for 24Hz sources and a thinner profile. The set is now available in 50,” and 54″ diagonal screen sizes, with the 58″ and  65″ versions due sometime in August.

Both the TC-P54V10 reviewed here and the 50” model use an attractive one-sheet front anti-reflective glass, that extends from edge to edge covering the bezel to produce a very slick appearance. The V10s sport a silver accent along the display bottom. The TC-P54V10 has a stepped rear panel that is about 1″ deep at the top and 3.3″ in the middle,  almost an inch thinner G10’s 4.2″ overall depth.

The V10’s jack pack adds a fourth HDMI input (side mounted) compared to the G10’s three, plus two component video inputs with L/R audio; one S video with L/R; two composite AV inputs (one side-mounted); RS-232 control jack for Crestron Type remote control systems and a side mounted sub-D PC input. There is also an Ethernet port for connection to Panasonic’s Viera Cast  Internet functions.

The remote control is similar to the one found with the G10 and easy to use, though it lacks a backlight. The On Screen menu uses a typical layered structure with the more advanced features (described below) in sub-menus. However, there is a Viera Tools button that allows direct access to a number of functions including picture mode (such as THX). The 54″ comes with a fixed non-swivel stand. Like the G10, it has downward firing oval coned speakers that provide adequate volume but not high fidelity sound.

Features

As previously noted, the V10 adds a number of performance oriented features the G10 series lacks, including Digital Cinema Color (DCC), which emulates the color gamut of the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI).  While the HDTV standard used on Blu-ray movies and theoretically broadcast HDTV (usually not though, because of a number of variables in the broadcast chain) has a restricted  gamut called Rec. 709, Blu-ray discs (and Sony Playstation video games)  have the ability to display a wider color gamut via meta-data as part of the HDMI 1.3 standard called xvYCC. Unfortunately, no discs to date have it, but if they ever do, the TC-P54V10 will be able to use the data to map out the colors as the film studio intended. In the meantime, you can choose to have the V10 simulate a wider color palette by engaging the DCC feature. The TC-54V10 features two other color modes: standard and THX. The THX mode closely follows the Rec. 709 HDTV standard (see the Performance section for details).

As with the G10 series, the TC-P54V10 has effective noise reduction for analog (called Video NR) and digital based signals (Block and Mosquito NR). A control for Black level makes darker objects black or near black (choose the “Light” setting to avoid crushing black detail), while C.A.T.S adjusts picture brightness with the level ambient room light (we recommend leaving it in the off position).

Like the G10 models, the V10 can connect via an Ethernet jack to services including Picasa (photo uploads and downloads), YouTube, Amazon Videos and Bloomberg News. Unlike a number of other TV vendors, Panasonic’s VieraCast is upgradeable, meaning new services will be offered as they become available in the future.

Unique to the V10 series (and the single model TC-P54Z1) is 96Hz display. When fed a 24 Hz signal (movie film based content), from a Blu-ray player or (limited) DirecTV HD content, the V10 provides the option of choosing 48 Hz, 60 Hz or 96 Hz display. With 96 Hz, film based content is presented as 4-4, meaning film frame 1 repeats four times, followed by frame 2  repeated four times, followed by frame 3 repeated four times and so forth. Other plasma TVs and LCD flat panels use a less sophisticated system called 3-2 pulldown, which repeats (film based content) frame 1 three times, followed by frame 2 two times, followed by frame 3 three times and so forth. This uneven pace, (necessary to fit 24 frames per second into a 60 Hz display) sometimes produces jerky horizontal pans called “film judder.”

Technologies developed by LCD TV makers can also eliminate film judder, using higher refresh rates of 120 Hz and 240 Hz. Repeating film frames 5 times (120 Hz) or 10 times (240Hz) eliminates judder. However, most 2009 LCD sets also use a system called motion compensation/motion estimation (MC/ME) that makes motion smoother by creating synthesized frames between the actual film frames.

Unfortunately, the MC/ME circuits also create artifacts that make film based content appear as if it was recorded as video rather than transferred from movie film. There is a reduction or elimination of the appearance of film grain and other unwanted visible image changes. Some LCD HDTV makers claim this function can be deactivated while others brands and models don’t offer the choice. For example, the recently reviewed Samsung UN46B8000 continued to make film based content “video like” even though the ME/MC circuit was set to the “off” position. The video “look” has been called by some the “soap opera effect” or SEO.

Various home theater forum contributors opine about the effect, with some liking it and others (including the HD Guru®) not.  In our opinion, when displaying a movie (whether at a theater or home) the medium should preserve the film look, including the grain associated with chemical photography. The V10’s system eliminates film judder while maintaining the film look. To date, LCD displays with MC/ME frame insertion don’t.
LCDs need 120 or 240 Hz to reduce motion blur. 60 Hz LCDs display about 300 out of 1080 lines per picture height (PPH) during motion, while 120 Hz LCDs max out at around 600 out of 1080. The V10 reproduces full 1080 PPH motion resolution, confirmed using the FPD test disc.

Performance

With the G10 setting new plasma standards in energy consumption, out of the box color accuracy, white level uniformity and image brightness, the expectation was for similar performance with the equally spec’d TC-P54V10.  This was confirmed in our video processing trials with the V10 also acing the standard definition HQV Benchmark tests and the HD Benchmark’s Noise Reduction, Video Resolution and 3:2 tests. (See the G10 review for more details Here)

Taking primary color points measurements in THX and Custom modes (with DCC on and off), the results are as follows, with the Rec. 709 coordinates for red, green and blue in parentheses. THX R= x.634, y.333 (x.64, y.33) G= x.305, y=.613 (x.30, y.60) B= x.153, y.064 (x.15, y.06). These numbers mean the V10 closely reproduces the HDTV standard when set to THX.  Custom with DCC “Off” measured R= x.664, y 3.23; G= x.280 y=.644; B= x.151, y.057. With DCC “On” R= x.669 y.321; G= x.257 y.671; B= x.151 y.057

Image brightness was excellent. Maxed out (factory default) “Vivid” mode measured a blazing 87.9 ft. Lamberts.  With all the user settings calibrated for maximum accuracy “Custom” mode measured a very bright 47.6 Ft Lamberts—a level comparable to many calibrated LCD flat panels. The THX mode came in at 33.5 ft lamberts, bright enough for most viewing environments, but not as punchy as when viewing in the brighter “Custom” mode.

Energy consumption was low. Using factory default home “Standard” mode the TC-P54V10 requires just 216.5 watts using the IEC industry standard DVD test material. Calibrated in “Custom” mode consumption came in at 240 watts, which is not at all shabby for a 54″ display.

Gray scale was measured in THX mode with the “Color Temperature” user setting at “Warm 2″ (there is no other adjustment for THX mode). Measurements recorded were 6626K (20 IRE) and 6594K at 80 IRE. Custom mode allows gray scale to be-user calibrated. Again, using Warm 2 color temp mode, post calibration at the 20IRE level recorded a color temperature of 6448K and 6424K at 80IRE.  Skin tones appear quite natural.

The Gamma user control, set to its numerically highest level (“Normal”), measured 2.25 average. There is no service level or user gamma tracking adjustment available, an omission we would like to see remedied in a display of this caliber. Blu-ray discs are mastered for a 2.5 gamma display.

The TC-P54V10 really excelled overall in visual contrast, consistently creating more “pop” to the image than our reference Pioneer Elite Pro-141FD monitor.  The Pioneer Elite is still the champ when it comes to black level, with deep inky blacks, which is most noticeable in a completely dark room. However, the Pioneer sometimes obscured dark details that the Panasonic presents. For example, the clouds of smoke clearly visible on the Panasonic during the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks broadcast in high definition on NBC, sometimes melted into black on the 141FD.

Most surprising was the significantly lower black level of the V10 when compared side-by-side with the TC-P50G10 (see photo). Even though the two have the same contrast ratio specifications, the V10’s blacks were far deeper than the G10′s. Too low to measure with our meter, we guesstimate the blacks are about one half as dark on the V10, which is a significant and worthwhile improvement.

Black Level Comparison-TC-P54V10 Top TC-P50G10 Bottom

Conclusion

The TC-P54V10 is Panasonic’s best plasma HDTV to date.  Dealers and videophiles have been lamenting  Pioneer’s withdrawal of the revered KURO plasma HDTVs from the market. Panasonic’s V10 provides comparable or better performance in nearly every criteria of image quality, at less than half the retail price (50″ vs. 50″) and can be regarded as a worthy successor.

Readers have been asking whether they should purchase a G10 or V10. Both are superb displays and either (under reasonable room ambient lighting conditions) will provide overall a more accurate image with far wider viewing angles than any LCD tested to date.

The TC-PV10 betters the G10 in black level, “pop”, judder free film reproduction and user accessible gray scale adjustment (though one needs an expensive meter to obtain accurate results). HD Guru believes the relatively small cost differential ($400 retail/~$300 street) is well worthwhile, especially for  viewers interested in obtaining the most accurate home movie experience. The TC-P54V10 retails for $2599.95.

The TC-P54V10 so significantly raised the performance bar, HD Guru feels it necessary to widen the rating scale from this review forward from four to five hearts.

The HD Guru awards the Panasonic TC-P54V10 ♥♥♥♥♥ its highest rating.

-HDGuru® with Michael Fremer

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Copyright ©2009 HD Guru Inc.  All rights reserved. HDGURU is a registered trademark.  The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.  The content within is based upon information provided to the editor, which is believed to be reliable.  Data within is subject to change.  HD GURU is not responsible for errors or omissions.

This new Premier plasma panel retails for $9999 and boasts the highest contrast and lowest black levels of any Panasonic HD display with a rated contrast ratio of 60,000:1. In addition, Panasonic has increased its signal processing to 18-bits for 7,160 equivalent steps of gradation. Panasonic widened the color gamut as well, to a rated spec of 120% of Rec. 709, the HDTV standard. A Panasonic spokesperson said the improvements within the panel when compared to its top consumer model the TH-PZ850U include improved glass filters for lower reflectivity and an increase of the residual discharge of the panel from 1/3 of the “idle” level of previous generation levels, to 1/6th the “idle” level with the VX100, resulting in the best black level performance in Panasonic plasma history. A Panasonic engineer said this was aided with the addition of a new magnesium oxide layer within the panel as well as thinner cell walls to increase the “aperture” making more of the surface area active (being able to emit light) for higher light output. This combintion of darker blacks and brighter whites produce a higher contrast ratio.
The TH-65VX100’s feature set reflects Panasonic target audience, high on performance and low on ordinary TV functions, with the first being the omission of a built-in HDTV or analog tuner. As mentioned above, this is a monitor. Other TV “omissions” include standard definition source inputs, namely composite and S-video. The TH-65VX1000 has four HDMI jacks (all rear), one component video, and one PC input (VGA). There is also a RS-232 jack for control for automation systems by Creston, AMX and other remote control companies. The inputs are mounted into removable boards (two HDMIs per board). Panasonic plans to offer other input boards including one with HD SDI (most suited for broadcasters and production studios), one with a DVI input and another with S-video and composite standard definition inputs.

The TH-65VX100 is finished black with a dull black brushed aluminum bezel to avoid screen or room reflections on the frame. The panel 61.181” (W) x 36.417” (H) x 3.897” (D). A table stand is an extra coast option.

The user interface allows separate settings (color, brightness, tint etc.) for each input as well as 8 locking memories to prevent unwanted adjustments of image parameters. There are also user adjustments for gamma as well as drives and cuts for white balance adjustments.

Panasonic boasts a new improved image processor not found in its consumer panels, as well as a full bypass mode for buyers that would prefer an upgraded external scaler that’s built into some top line surround sound receivers and pre/processors or a separate scaler such as the Flexible Picture Systems HQV Insight with the Silicon Optix Realta chip.

Prior to making my viewing observations, I optimized the user controls and calibrated the TH-65VX1000 very close to d6500K ideal color temperature. All measurements were made after calibration. Image brightness using a 10% window pattern at 100IRE measured 30.5ft. Lamberts, a level comparable to top rated calibrated LCDs and plasma panels previously tested. Next primary color points were measured. The results:

Red x.666 y.323
Green x.265 y.660
Blue x.154 y.068

These results are close to the Digital Cinema Initiative Standard:
DCI Stan Red x .680 y.320
DCI Stan Green x .265 y.690
DCI Stand Blue x.150 y.060.

The primary color coordinates of red and blue were close the ones I recorded from the latest 50” Pioneer Elite Kuro HDTV and measured:

Color Space 1 Red x .670 y.322
Color Space 1 Green x. 269 y.654
Color Space 1 Blue x. 146 y.059

Next, internal scaler tests were performed. Using 1080i signal, I checked deinterlacing and 3:2 film conversion. The Premier passed both tests making it the first Panasonic plasma with perfect 3:2 HD processing. Static and motion resolution came in at 1080 and 850 lines respectively, slightly shy of the 900 line plasma record, but better than any LCD tested to date. The Panasonic has full bandwidth clear showing black and white sing pixel wide vertical lines. There are the usual aspect ratio controls including 1:1 that was verified to produce an image with no overscan.

A Panasonic spokesman said this is panel has a new signal processor chip, and it did a good job with HD sources and withg the Silicon Optix HQV HD jaggies tests. However, it did a poor job on the standard definiton (480i) Silicon Optix jaggies tests and only a fair job on the SD waving flag test.

With all adjustments and tests completed, I conducted a side by side comparison with the latest generation Pioneer Kuro 50”. The results proved interesting. The Pioneer won on ultimate black level, being a smidgen darker than the Panasonic. Both displays blacks were too dark to be measured accurately using my light meter. With the lights off, and 2:35 content on screen, I could not discern where the bezel ended and the panel began producing the black bars of the letterboxed 2:35 image on either display.
I compared a number of Blu-ray discs and HD cable fare with the two displays side by side. Both panels produced excellent images. However, the Pioneer’s anti-reflective screen coating proved more effective than the one Panasonic employs, in reducing in-room reflections. The extra effectiveness came at a cost; it adds a purple-reddish tint to the image that was clearly seen with both displays side by side. Calibration was not a solution; it is the nature of the KURO panel.

The other major difference between the KURO and the Panasonic Premiere is the way they revealed dark detail. The KURO takes a higher level signal to come out of black, which caused details in dark movies (think Batman Begins and Alien Versus Predator) to be obscured. The same content on the Panasonic revealed the dark details the KURO hid.

The conclusion? The new Panasonic TH-65VX100 is overall the best flat panel tested to date, and should be considered by anyone contemplating a flat screen display in the 60”-65” screen size range.

Copyright ©2008 Gary Merson/HD Guru® All rights reserved. HD GURU is a registered trademark. The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.

Mitsubishi’s soon to be released LASERVUE rear projection TV has been receiving a great deal of attention lately at the expense of its 2008 line of noteworthy LCD HDTVs.

Last year Mitsubishi introduced a line of full-featured 1080p LCD HDTVs featuring 120 Hz refresh rate, CableCARD, TV Guide and exceptionally thin bezels (less than one inch) that allow, for example, a 46” panel like the new set reviewed here, to fit in the same space as a 42” set with a standard bezel.

This year’s line retains all of last years hot features, while adding updated “judder-free” 120 Hz signal processing and a TV first: a built-in, 5.1 surround sound audio system.  You remember loudspeakers?  Those old-fashioned “thingies” that turn your favorite stunning high def movie into a “talkie” by adding dialog, music and sound effects?

Mitsubishi engineers managed to place a sound bar the company calls an Integrated Sound Projector (iSP) within the cabinet that effectively produces sound from the front, sides and rear—minus the wiring and amplification clutter that normally are required—from any of the set’s four HDMI connectors.

The LT-46149 ($2799 MAP) measures (inches) 29.9 H x 42” W x 4.8” and weighs 64.4 lbs. (without included table stand).  The remote control backlight made operation in a dark room easy.  The on-screen menu is a traditional layered structure.  My only complaint is the 5-second time-out, which occasionally is not sufficient to make adjustments and which then requires the re-entering of the menu selection. Mitsubishi should either lengthen the time-out or add a “10 second till menu disappears” option.

This Mitsubishi is among the most full featured LCD HDTVs available for 2008.  Many other top of the line LCDs incorporate 120 Hz, judder free display film conversion, variable backlight and 24 Hz input, but few include TV Guide Daily (a free program guide service) and CableCARD— a feature that permits viewing standard and premium subscribed programming without a cable box (on most cable systems).  Also included is a fully and easily programmable learning remote control.

The LT-46149 has a plethora of inputs including two antenna/cable input jacks (a rarity today: most 2008 HDTVs now only have one), the four aforementioned HDMI jacks, three composite video jacks, one S-Video input, three component video inputs and a USB jack for cameras and JPEG files.  There are also 5 pairs of analog audio inputs.

Performance

The out of the box brightness (white) level measured a blazing 88-foot lamberts—far too high for any sanely lit viewing environment.  Black measured at .22 ft. lamberts—too bright of a level for optimum viewing in a room that has low to moderate amounts of ambient light, as it produces gray looking blacks.

Changing the picture mode from “Brilliant” (showroom) to “Natural” (in-home) and lowering the “backlight” control from maximum to “25″ (around 30%) reduced the black level to 0.023 ft lamberts—a level comparable to many top-of-the- line LCD sets.  The calibrated image brightness produced 26 ft. lamberts—making a bright, snappy picture that can be viewed comfortably in most rooms.

Changing the color temperature setting from factory default  “High” to “Low” achieved neutral dark grays and blacks with, slightly bluish whites, and near-whites.  Utilizing the controls within the LT-46149’s service menu and a Photo Research spectroradiometer corrected these issues.  Finally, adjustments of the standard user accessible controls (color, tint, contrast etc) and the TV’s (user selected) Perfect Color Control resulted in a very pleasing, very accurate image.

The only area where the Mitsubishi fell short (as a number of other flat panels do) was the primary color point of green, which measured a slightly towards blue and slightly oversaturated.  The primary points of Blue were “spot on” the HDTV standards; and red was within .002 (x&y).  The readings were (with the HDTV standard numbers in parenthesis) Red .x .642 (.640) y.332 (.330); Green x .256 (.300) y.632 (.600); Blue x .15 (.15) y .06 (.06).

Using the Silicon Optix HQV Blu-ray test disc to test signal processing I confirmed that the set properly de-interlaced 1080i content and displayed all 1080 lines of resolution contained within a 1080i signal.  The 3:2 film conversion test failed, producing noise at the edges.  Failure of the 1080i film test is something many other top-of-the-line 2008 sets have in common with this Mitsubishi.  The jaggies test produced few artifacts, earning an “excellent” rating.  The noise test revealed only a slight effect when selecting the “High” setting of noise reduction circuit to reduce random video noise.

The upconversion of 480i signals using the standard def HQV test disc produced mixed results.  The set’s processor passed the single bar “jaggies” test with a “good” rating, while failing the three bar, flag, and detail tests.

These issues can be bypassed when viewing DVDs by using an upconverting player with better internal scaling such as those equipped with the Silicon Optix Reon or Realta chips.  The set failed the 480i 3:2 film test as well.  According to Mitsubishi, the 3:2 works at 480i but the circuit activates too slowly for the HQV racecar test sequence.

The standard definition noise reduction circuit was excellent, with some of the best test results of any HDTV tested to date.  It does a tremendous job with the simulated noisy broadcasts and poor video test signals.

The Mitsubishi passed the 1:1 aspect and bandwidth test, proving this Mitsubishi can resolve all the fine detail within a top quality HDTV source,  down to a single pixel and display all of an HDTV image without cropping (“overscan”).

The set’s static and motion resolution tests provided a result which put it at the top of all the standard (CCFL) backlit 120 HZ flat panels tested to date, with full 1080 line “static” resolution (per picture height) and 620 lines of motion resolution.  Only LED backlit LCDs and Plasma flat panels have tested higher in motion detail. The ability to handle motion well is a necessity for watching any fast moving sports programs, especially football.

The dejudder circuit has three settings (“Off”, “Standard” and “High”).  The “Standard” setting reduced judder (seen as jerkiness on horizontal pans with film-based content, due to 3:2 conversion of 24 frames per second into 60 fps).  The “High” setting eliminated judder, but also smoothed the image to the point where all film based content appeared to have the look of video tape with no film grain visible. The image image that was reminiscent of viewing an HD episode of the video taped daytime drama “The Young and the Restless”. Full dejudder circuits on all of the other 120 Hz sets test produced the same type of artifact.  Some consumers seem to like the effect, but I feel it detracts from the film experience.

Audio

The 16 speaker integrated sound bar, aided with the “on screen” set-up guide produced an amazing surround sound effect (using the built-in test signals) which creating the illusion that the source was emanating from the center, left front, right front, sides and behind me.  The technology to pull it off is similar to the one used in Yamaha’s highly rated sound bars, though somewhat downsized to fit nicely beneath the 46” screen.  Once the iSP was optimized for the room, the LT-46149 delivered the promise of built-in surround sound.  My only dispute, the .1 designation, which stands for a low bass channel, and needs to have the frequencies handled by a subwoofer.  However, the LT-46149 has a subwoofer channel output (RCA jack) that can be connected to any powered subwoofer to add low bass response found in sources such as Blu-ray movie discs and many HDTV cable and broadcast programs.  I sampled a number of HDTV programs with and without a powered subwoofer connected.  The subwoofer added oomph to explosions and other sound effects as expected, though the lack of the subwoofer did not detract from the surround sound separation or clarity.

The sound pressure level peaked at an ample 97 decibels at 10 feet, without any audible clipping distortion (measurement was made without a connected subwoofer).  The sound that emanated from the iSP did not have the point focus or power of a full blown, expensive surround sound receiver with discrete speakers.  However, the iSP produced a far more satisfying sonic experience than the audio quality I have hear from lower end “Home Theater in a Box” systems with 5 separate speakers .

Simply stated, the LT-46149’s built-in iSP Dolby Digital surround sound provides the highest level of audio sound quality of any HDTV I have every tested!

A variety of Blu-ray discs were sampled.  A stand out was the opening color sequence of Casino Royale with its fast motion, fine details, and wide variations of lighting and effects.  When played with the iSP cranking, one clearly hears the gunshots ricocheting of the side walls. I felt engulfed by the crowd in Madagascar. Overall, the brilliant Bond soundtrack provided an enveloping smorgasbord of aural delights. It’s pretty amazing, considering all the sound heard was being generated by the built-in TV speakers directly in front of me.

The Verdict
Mitsubishi has created an HDTV first, combining a high quality LCD flat panel with a one-piece built-in surround sound system.  Considering this panel’s good color accuracy, fast motion sharpness, and fine HD bandwidth performance, even without the integrated sound projector, HD Guru  would rank it near the top of the LCD heap.  As readers will learn next month when the HD Guru publishes its 100 model HDTV test report, many other LCDs have inferior HD performance when measuring static and motion resolution and bandwidth.  The only HD area where the Mitsubishi LT-46149 did not excel was its black level, where it is average compared to a number of other LCD displays and not as good as some other top of the line models.

Which potential HDTV buyer should consider this Mitsubishi?  Anyone that is interested in superior audio without the wiring or complexity of an external audio system in a room or viewing environment that does not lend itself well to surround sound systems.  Immediately bedrooms, secondary rooms such as a den and rooms with brick, stone or plaster walls come to mind.

The LT-46149 overall image quality rates an HD GURU recommended ♥♥♥.  Add another ♥ for its groundbreaking, built-in surround sound system.

Copyright ©2008 Gary Merson/HD Guru® All rights reserved. HD GURU is a registered trademark.  The content and photos within may not be distributed electronically or copied mechanically without specific written permission.