With the exception of Laser TV, recent display technology improvements have been more “painstakingly evolutionary†than revolutionary.
While plasma contrast ratio and black level performance improvements have been relatively modest over the past few years, average plasma TV performance significantly exceeds that of LCD, especially in terms of off-axis contrast and off-axis brightness.
That said, the improved picture quality of the 50†TCP50G10, Panasonic’s latest plasma entry, goes well beyond incremental. In addition to a much improved picture, the TCP50G10 features a more compact form factor, lower power consumption, increased image brightness, accurate colorimetry, better anti-reflectivity and improved signal processing.
Design
Shrinking the top and side bezels to about 1.5†compared from about 3.5†on the 2008 TH46PZ800, produces a more compact set measuring (48†wide x 30.3†high without stand).
The result? The shiny, black bezeled, curved bottomed 50†TCP50G10 is only about ¼†taller (on the included stand) and about 1†wider than the 46†TH46PZ800. The G10 might fit in a space a competitor’s 50†set might not. The compact form factor required a performance price most potential buyers will gladly pay: the G10′s downward facing, single driver, internal stereo speakers produce adequate, though unexceptional sound quality and are a step down from last year’s two-way speaker system (separate woofer and tweeter).
The new remote control adds hot buttons to access extra functions including Viera Cast (internet widgets and downloads), and Viera link (HDMI-CEC command and control of Panasonic sources such as a Blu-ray player). A Viera Tool button provides direct access to the “picture mode†function, Network security camera activation (optional), SD card functions and ECO/energy saving menu (auto power off, etc).
On-screen menus cover picture and audio controls, timer, SD card options, closed captioning and setup. New for 2009 is a toggle for 3:2 pulldown (conversion of film based 24 frames per second content to the TV’s native 60 Hz display function).
The TCP50G10 includes a fixed (non-swivel) table stand. The set’s rear panel houses two HDMI inputs, two component video inputs and one combo, S-video/composite video input, all with accompanying L/R audio inputs. A left side indentation houses an SD card slot (for viewing photos or AVCHD movies made on a camcorder), a composite video input with L/R audio and a 15 pin sub-D PC input that accommodates a variety of computer resolutions.
Features
The performance and feature packed “Full HD†(1920x1080p resolution) TCP50G10 is the least expensive 2009 Panasonic plasma set to include THX certification. What does that mean to consumers? THX originally created audio standards for movie theaters and later for home theater sound systems. In 2008 THX issued a set of home video display standards for its certification.
What are these standards? The question cannot be fully answered at this time. THX hasn’t released the complete criteria a display needs to meet for certification. However, it states a display must conform to the Rec. 709 HDTV standard color points. How closely, though, we don’t yet know.
“Neo PDP,†Panasonic’s name for the 12th generation panel within the G10, represents a remarkable advance in technologyâ€â€one that furthers plasma’s performance edge over competing technologies. Utilizing new phosphors and gas mixtures along with 600 Hz sub-fields, “Neo PDP†achieves lower power consumption, far higher light output capabilities and full motion resolution.
The TCP50G1 accepts 1080p/24 signals that may be displayed at 48Hz or 60 Hz. Like last year’s TH50PZ850 reviewed here, the 48 Hz rate suffers from image flicker and is deemed unwatchable. Use the 60 Hz mode.
The five aspect ratios include full, just (progressive stretch), and 4:3. The set offers a choice of HD content screen size: HD Size 1 produces 2.5% overscan. HD Size 2 has no overscan. The advantage of eliminating overscan (HD Size 2) is pure pixel for pixel resolution without “aliasing artifacts,†though on some broadcast channels you may see noise in the extreme top or side edge. Switching to HD Size 1 pushes the edge noise off screen. Edge noise is nonexistent with any other HD content, including Blu-ray discs, home video and downloads.
Performance
This is where the G10 really shines. The TCP50G10 virtually nails the HDTV color standard (in the THX mode) with primary color points within .005 or less in the x and y axis of the Rec. 709 standard. In simple terms, many reviewers and videophiles feel compliance with the Rec. 709 HDTV color standard (used to master Blu-ray discs) is essential for excellent HDTV performance. The readings and 709 standard (for red, green and blue in parenthesis) are R= x.642, y.329 (x .64, y.33) G= x.299, y .605 (x .30, y .60) B= x .15, y.056 (x .15, y. 06). (Note the THX certified TH46PZ800 came close but was not as Rec. 709 accurate as the G10)
Another area of vast improvement over previous plasmas is its white level uniformity. The G10 brightness is far more consistent across the screen than the 2008 TH46PZ800 or Pioneer’s Pro 141FD (or many LCD flat panels). Ditto for white (color) uniformity. The Pioneer produces light pink tones in parts of the screen while viewing a full white raster pattern. The G10, though not perfect, only slightly deviates from pure white, a change that isn’t significant. You won’t be able to discern differences when viewing content such as a solid blue-sky scene.
Panasonic claims its NeoPDP panel design can output far higher light levels than previous plasma designs, so we put it to the test.
Using a 100 IRE window pattern, we verified Panasonic’s claim. In the THX mode with the user controls (including contrast) optimized, the TCP50G10 measured a very bright and comfortable 31 ft. lamberts. To achieve far higher brightness (needed for rooms with high ambient light levels) requires a simply change of the picture mode to Custom or Vivid mode and an increase of the contrast control.
With the contrast control set to 100% and the picture control set to Vivid, the G10 produced a retina searing maximum brightness of 92.2 ft lamberts (using the same window pattern). This is the highest level we’ve measured on any plasma and is comparable to many LCD models. Viewing HD content with the contrast control maxed out confirmed the G10 is capable of producing an image so intense, it’s uncomfortably bright.
In the past, LCDs were the only recommended flat panel technology for high ambient light environments, not any more. This display can provide high image brightness along superb motion resolution, wide viewing angles and excellent color.
Most LCDs panels use fluorescent lamps (called CCFLs) as the light source. To increase light output, the lamps output must be raised with the TVs backlight control, often resulting in muddy blacks and lower contrast ratios. Plasmas generates its own light (like a CRT), maintaining deep blacks while raising the light level. With arrival of the TCP50G10, you can use plasma in brightly lit rooms that previously required an LCD panel.
After resetting the user controls to their optimum position in the THX mode, signal processing evaluations were made using the Silicon Optix standard and high def HQV Benchmark test discs. The results? This Panasonic aced the 3:2 pulldown HD test (a first for a Panasonic consumer HDTV) as well as the SD 3:2 test, jaggies 1 test, noise reduction and 1080i deinterlacing tests, besting last year’s model and the Pioneer plasma as well. Here are the results:
SD Benchmark (@480i via composite video input)
Jaggies Pattern 1- 5 out of 5
Jaggies Pattern 2-5 out of 5
Waving Flag-   5 out of 10
Detail Enhancement- 10 out of 10
Noise Reduction (with NR activated) 10 out of 10
Motion Adaptive NR (with NR activated) 10 out of 10
3:2 Detection: 5 out of 10 (there are technical reasons why a set should take a few frames to lock in and this should not be considered a downgrade.
Film cadence tests passed except of the DV Cam (2-3-3-2) 8-7 anime and 2-2. These three non-standard frame rates are insignificant when measuring overall signal processing performance.
HD Benchmark
HD Noise Reduction 25 out of 25
Video Resolution Loss Test 20 out of 20
Jaggies Tests 20 out of 20
Film Resolution Loss Test One 25 out of 25
Film resolution Loss Test Two 10 out of 10
The G10 conquered the motion resolution test as well, scoring a perfect 1080 lines (Per Picture Height) using the FPD Motion Resolution test disc, again besting last year’s TH46PZ800 and the Pioneer Pro-141. Those plasmas measured just fewer than 900 lines (PPH). By comparison, 120 Hz LCD flat panels typically measure around 600 lines PPH.
Black levels on the G10, Z800 and the Pioneer’s 60†Pro-141 are below my test equipment’s accuracy. However, the Pioneer’s black is deepest, followed by the new G10 with the Z800 coming in last. The deeper blacks of the Pioneer come at a cost. The Pioneer obscures details in some dark scenes where the G10 revealed every nook and cranny using the same dark content.
An example, the interrogation scene in the Blu-ray disc, Quantum of Solace. At times, the basement’s stone walls details were buried into black when viewing the Pioneer, while the textures were always visible on the Panasonic G10.
A related area of dark detail concerns the anti-reflective (AR) filter. Pioneer’s monitor produces a purplish cast that tinges both reflections and dark detail, the Panasonic G10’s AR filter provided excellent attenuation of reflections while maintaining color neutrality. Score another plus for Panasonic.
White points were measured too. In THX mode the G10 measured 6698K at 30 IRE (x .309, y.329) and 6760K at 80 IRE (x . 308, y .329). One disappointment, a gray scale adjustment cannot be performed in the THX mode (using the HDTVs service mode) leaving the gray scale performance close, but not exactly conforming to the D6500K standard.
Topping the improvements over last year’s plasma models is reduced energy consumption. Using the new industry standard IEC test disc, repeating the 10-minute test sequence six times (with the G10 user settings optimized and in the THX mode), the Panasonic consumed only 230 watts in one hour.
This reading is comparable to findings of etailer Crutchfield, although they use different measurement methodology. You can find Crutchfield’s results at (Link). The 230 watt measurement places it in the range of the energy usage of many CCFL 52†LCD 2009 flat panels (according to Crutchfield’s tests). The days of electronics salespersons saying plasmas are energy hogs are over. Potential buyers can be assured the G10 is comparable to many similar size LCD flat panels.
Observing hours of cable and broadcast HD and SD content revealed excellent 709 color in the THX mode. Switching the Panasonic G10 to the wider color gamut “Custom†picture mode produced a distinctly different color appearance and pallet. It is very similar to the “Pure” picture mode of the Pioneer Pro-141 (post normal user settings adjusted color, contrast, brightness etc.).
Upconversion of SD content on the G10 provides a virtually artifact free, enjoyable experience. You can’t have the SD source look as sharp as HD, but one does not have to live with the distractions of image artifacts such as combing and jaggies. The G10 has top quality upconversion.
Don’t be lured by the lower closeout price of the last year’s PZ800, the superior performance of this new model is well worth the added cost.
Conclusion
The Panasonic TCP50G10 will meet the needs of anyone seeking very high HDTV performance along with a compact attractive design. At its new lower retail price of $1799.99, this Panasonic represents a real value as well. The HD Guru commends Panasonic’s engineering improvements and awards the TCP50G10 its highest ♥♥♥♥ rating.
HD Guru with Michael Fremer
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Hello
I can pickup a 50G15 for $1150. Are there any differences between the G10 and the G15 other than thickness.
thanks
No.
HD Guru
Good grief. “I bought the TV to never have black bars again.” REALLY?
You have walls of various colors that is definitely not going to be unobtrusive black behind your television, possibly an entertainment underneath, or around your television, possibly a black stand for your television to set on, thin black frame around your screen. Why do people obsess over black bars???? They are black. Neutral. Nonexistent to your eye when watching a the actual film shown between them. When you blow up the picture to get rid of black bars, you lose much of the framing of the film that was intended by the directors. Not only that, but PLEASE tell me you don’t stretch SD content. Nothing bothers me more than to go to a friend’s house and see stretched talking heads on their TV.
Oh muh lord with the black bars…
Motion pictures are filmed in a variety of aspect ratios, few of which conform exactly to the 16:9 standard of HDTVs. The black bars are there to retain the original aspect ration of the movie. You are not missing anything (unless you zoom in to crop the bars out!) If anything, you are robbing yourself of experiencing the movie as the director intended…
I found this when I was googling “how to get rid of the bars on the top and bottom of the G10 screen while watching a bluray disc” … and just to clear up the question raised above, I finally found the “Format” button on the TV remote which cut off the edges and blew up the center of the movie to full screen, which was much appreciated (despite cutting off the edges)… I bought the TV to never have black bars again.
I has a Panasonic TCP50S1 and it was just stolen a few weeks ago when my condo was broken into. Got the insurance check and went to BB to get the same thing since I was impressed with the set. They were out of the S1, since it came with Bluray player on a deal for $1099. Since I needed two of them they substituted the G10 in its place for me. So I just got two new G10′s. i was very happy since the G10 is quite a bit more in price. I have only had pne of them up for about a week now, but I love it. Works great with my PS3 too, no problems with fast moving action that I can see. I LOVE IT, just my two cents worth.
i was thinking of having it calibrated after a month or so. Does taht help alot? I was interested in the claim of quite a bit less power consumption more than anything. Any thoughts?
Well, I’ve had the 42PZ85U for about a year and I’m giving up on Panasonic. I mainly use my plasma for watching blu-ray material. The flickering is unbearable for me. All this time I thought it was my source material. I switched form compressed MKV’s to uncompressed blu-ray because of it. It can make reference quality material seem mediocre at times. Just bought the Samsung PN50B650 to alleviate this problem. Blacks should be on par with the older model Panny and colors should be better, from what I’ve read. And it also supports 24p native playback. That flicker has been a massive thorn in my side.
Paralysis by analysis.
Excellent dialogue and questions at this joint.
I believe it’s helped me to make m decision to go with the Pan. 46″ G10 or G15. (I can get the at the same price.)
The G15 is a little slimmer and IMO is nicer looking with a slimmer smaller silver strip along the bottom.
Hey “please help me fix my tv” sounds like you are in demo (store display) mode.
Unplug the TV, count to 10, plug it back in and select “home use” on the opening screen.
Enjoy your new Panny Plasma you lucky bum :)
I just bought an open-box panasonic TC-P50G10 today, and so far its not bad. I would enjoy it more if i could figure out how to get rid of this thing that pops up at least every 5 min!…
it says:
on the top center “Moving Picutre Resolution”
on top left “(1080* Lines)”
on top right “(conventional)”
on bottom left “*based on APDC measurement method”
and there is a black line down the middle.
i think its the demo? but im not sure how to get rid of it. It also resets my settings. please someone help i can’t find any info about it.
Have had my 50G10 for over 4-5 months now and it is awesome. My friends LG plasma has already had issues and does not even come close to mine. Everyone asks where I got it, they want one, how much I paid ect. Great TV. At the time Worst Buy(BB) had theirs for 1700+tax and a 30+day backlog.
A friend said to try Amazon.com and they had 3-4 new ones for 1400 no tax and free shipping…it was a no brainer IMO. Got the TV 7 days later and the rest is beautiful HD history….P3 games and BD are awesome…even SD looks good enough to not be annoying like alot of LCDs I see.
Thanks HD Guru….keep up the good work!
Is there a site to show the settings to achieve THX brightened, without losing the great colors?
Thx, Dave
HD Guru,
along with all the good information on your web site, would you consider adding a table or list of Plasma TVs (and others) and their respective fields for presence of cooling fans, how many, location -within the cabinet-, and minimum and maximum noise they produce when the set is minimally warm or at its hi-temp limit?
Thanks.
HD Guru,
would you include in your reviews -something no other review mentions- if the Plasma set has any cooling fans and if so, how many ?
Similarly, since such fans can be very noisy, could you include on your tests, to make the set run at its upper temperature limits -so the cooling fans have to run at their maximum rpm- and provide -with the review- noise measurements and details about the detectability (or annoyance) of the noise produce by the cooling fans?
Thanks.
I own the Panasonic TCP46G15 and the picture is phenominal with HDTV, BluRay – you name it. The problem is the audio – Bad, Bad, Bad. My first TV distorted so much that even the installers were surprised. Turned the bass down to “1″, turned off the enhanced bass, all surround modes – still does the same thing. Lots of distortion in the bass range above 250 – 400Hz. This includes low vocals, so the voices were distorting. The installer guys had me switch HDI cables – no impact when I switched. I just couldn’t figure out if it was the cheap speakers (Weren’t they downgraded from woofer/tweeter ones on the G10 to a singular all-in-one?) or the cheap amplifiers? Maybe they’re cranking these out too fast? My second is better; still has the same problem but to a lesser degree. I’ll be calling to arrange delivery & installation of my 3rd TV today! All of this goes beyond aggravating. To sum up – Picture is excellent, sound sucks.
Hi. I wanted to thank you for a great review. I ordered this TV today (European model) and i cant wait to have it delivered! Keep up the good and clean site!
You wrote”
“The TCP50G10 accepts 1080p/24 signals that may be displayed at 48Hz or 60 Hz. Like last year’s TH50PZ850 reviewed here, the 48 Hz rate suffers from image flicker and is deemed unwatchable. Use the 60 Hz mode.”
Does the 60 Hz mode in any way adversly affect the viewed picture?
Thanks, Marlin
G10 or G15? Are they exactly the same except for the thickness of the TV?
I am going to answer my own question. the 48hz is there. I had to change my Blu Ray player settings to see it.
I was seeing yellow flashes like crazy on this tv. I felt pretty bad about it. I was mostly watching Pixar at first and did not see it. when I watched Gran Torino they were everywhere.
It turns out that I had not set my Blu Ray player to output 24p. I ha it hooked up to a tube 1080i previously. The flashes are 99% better now. I am going to re rent Gran Torino and a few other movies I have watched recently and see if they look better.
Right now I am basing the improvement on the opening credits to Mad Men. The flashes are gone from that sample.
@ Matt:
I have seen NO phosphorus trails on this TV. And the motion, no issues at all. May want to check your TV settings.
Hi all, just wanteing to add to topic here. After waiting and watching for 3.5 years, going into this year firmly thinking LCD, then I came across the panasonic 2009 G10 models, it more than than shifted me to the plasma due to the superior picture and all the “old issues” that have gone away, as well as the price. No buzzing, low power, very hard scratch resistent screen, doesn’t get sig hotter than an lcd screen, etc.
After all the research and waiting, we just got the G10 54″, and are, well, blown away. We have a new pioneer blue-ray player as well. BD-Jaw dropping. The 24p playback on this TV is fantastic, smooth. Don’t notice any greenish tint. Would 96hz be even smoother, maybe, but while I’m looking for a very high quality HD, I don’t consider myself a videophile. Plus, I’ve heard the 2p cinematic playback adds frames and may not be what it’s cracked up to be. And to me, not worth the extra ~$800 to step into a V10 with a glass screen. But I’ll leave that to the experts here.
Just wanted to say, we love this TV, no green tint, SD upconvert is automatic, and looks fantastic, true HD content is simply stunning. Just watched Quantum of Solice, we sat there with our mouths open.
Now I’m just looking for any finer tweaks in this and other groups to see if we can make a stunning pic, even better.
Thanks for the great review HDGuru.
This is slightly off topic but has anybody been to Panasonic’s HDTV page? It’s very poorly laid out in my opinion, I can’t even easily tell which catagories have the best and worst TVs.
And I’m currently deciding between an Elite Kuro and the Panasonic. I don’t want to spend too much money so I’m leaning towards the Panasonic…
hey Guru, Im confused which will be a right choice to see in HD, Sports and Movies! and my budget is 1800$ tops. but online is a lot of information about HDTV that really confuse people. anyway my question is: IS THIS THE BEST OPTION on the market right now?? for 50″ or 54″ HDTV over plasma ???
Please I Need a Answer!
PS: Nice web site by the way!
I own this tv. I put in the settings the guru posted pics of and the tv looks great. I am curious about one thing. I have never been able to get the tv out of 60hz. Did it look so bad that Panasonic took away the 48hz feature?
My new G10 came the other day; so far its a nice improvement over my 4 year old TH-50PX50U.. That one had served us well for many years but I was able to sell it on craigslist for $525 and put the cash towards the G10..
Now one question about the G10, what is up with optical audio out being PCM only? I’ve hooked up my Tivo S3, XBox 360 and PS3 to the TV via HDMI (all of them put out dolby digital) but the TV down converts them to PCM? I guess i’ll just have to run optical audio from all devices to keep the dolby digital..
-t
I am with Andrew and want to know how the 09 generation HDTVs (G10 in particular) handle gaming. I play Halo 3 a lot and the only HDTV I own (Vizio, won in a raffle) has good picture, but is terrible for Halo due to the input lag, I still play on a CRT for this reason. Now I am getting ready to buy my first HDTV, and I need to be sure the input lag is not a factor for high pace games like Halo. Please tell me I am worrying about something that no longer exists in this era of HDTVs.
the v series plasma are now available at online retailers. 50 inch for 1900, 54 inch 2500
Real Joe,
I have read this artical, unfortunatly it’s from the UK, I’m in Canada and I don’t belive the same specs apply. For instance it would seem that DLNA and DiVX are only avalible in the UK. Can anyone confirm this?
Cheers,
@Andrew:
Here’s an e-Zine that lists the differences between the G10 and G15:
Coming in 2 sizes (the 42-inch Panasonic TXP42G15 and the 46-inch TXP46G15), the Panasonic G15 series is the next step up in Viera’s plasma hierarchy. The Panasonic G15s offer the following advantages over the G10s:
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/panasonic-txp42g10b-txp42g15b-20090307138.htm
* Slim chassis design (2-inch);
* Viera Cast which lets viewers access certain Internet content on the Panasonic Viera HDTV;
* An extra HDMI input (four on G15 vs three on G10);
* DLNA media streaming capabilities, allowing you to view photos, listen to music, and even playback DiVX videos from compatible networked devices; and
* V-Audio Surround Pro (vs V-Audio Surround on G10).
At the same price, the G15 is a marginally better set, but you may not actually have any real-world personal use for the extra features.
Cheers,
The REAL Joe
I have a choice of either purchacing a 46-G10 or a 46-G15 for the same price. I have been trying to reserch the G15 and am finding little info on this set. It also seems that only limited retailers are carring the G15, is there a reason for this? Given the choice which TV would you recommend? Thanks for your help.
For those of you still debating the Pio vs Pan,etc,Invest in the Pioneer KURO,you will not be disapointed, the KURO’S are and will remain the standard by which all other tvs regardless of technology will be compared long after the the sun sets on the KURO’s. LCD’S continue to be plagued by motion blurr, off axis viewing and poor blacks. LED’s produce acceptable blacks but still suffer from moition blurs and off axis viewing limited to 15 to 20 degs.
@Matt
I have the TC-P50V10 (higher-end version) and I see no phosphor trails.
I purchased this TV about a month ago, and I must say I’m not as impressed as I thought I would be. I anguished for months trying to select the right TV (plasma vs lcd, etc.). My main concern was motion blur and response time, especially watching sports. This TV definitely has phosphor trails…and lots of it. Watching a bright color move around the screen is like watching a shooting star. Horrible. Plenty of phosphor trails lagging behind the movement.
With that said, I have not had my TV professionally calibrated, but I did adjust the picture controls for a break in period, and now I have them set on the settings recommended above. However, as of now, I can’t say I would recommend this television.
@REAL Joe Blow
Actually the Kuro display panels were produced in-house by Pioneer.
Pioneer was going to use Panasonic panels for the 10G Kuros to cut cost but then Panasonic demanded Pioneer give up their “trade secrets” regarding their image processing. Pioneer said no, Panasonic said “Okay you’re not getting our panels then!” Pioneer then decided to just exit the market entirely.
@Robert Gallo,
The SCREEN ITSELF only is produced by Panasonic. All of the other electronics, controls, processors and processing algorithms, etc. are designed by Pioneer and are unique to their products. The two are vastly different finished displays, with very different picture characteristics.
Your flawed logic would be similar to saying “Why would you want to buy a Cadillac for X-times as much as a Dodge Neon, when they both use Michelin tires”? Doesn’t make much sense, does it?
I find it interesting when people compare the Pioneer Kuro’s to the Panasonics and claim the Pioneers to be superior. Pioneer does not make either their Kuro Plasmas nor their Kuro Projectors. In fact, the plasmas are produced for Pioneer by Panasonic and the projectors are produced by JVC. So the real question is, do you want to pay nearly twice the price for the same product?
@thinman,
You’ll be waiting a *loooooong* time. 7.1 over either optical or coaxial SPDIF is technically impossible, the design of the standard never allowed for it. You can get 5.1 AC3, 5.1 DTS or 2.0 PCM, that’s it, there will never be 7.1 over SPDIF by any manufacturer.
See the technical discussion by Valex for more detail at:
http://ac3filter.net/guides/ac3filter_spdif
Cheers,
The REAL Joe
Thanks for the great review.
I just found your site today after I had ordered the Pany from Crutchfield. Just trying to avoid “Buyers remorse”, I guess…
Most of my viewing is Diretv HD and a PS3 for Bluray.
Anyway, it looks like a good decision, and I can’t wait until it’s delivered!
If you are looking for a 2″ cabinet, but don’t need the other features of the V series…..Check out the G15. It is exactly the same as the G10, except it has a 2″ cabinet. Retails for about $100 higher. This is a regional model, so you will see it at HHGregg, and other non-national accounts!
Thanks for the excellent review. How does the Panasonic G series and V series compare to the new Samsung plasmas that also have many of the same features, lower energy consumption, brighter panel, AR screen, etc.? Also, I know many people use external audio equipment for serious movie watching but for most TV viewing, the quality of the unit’s audio is also important. It would be great if you could include audio quality in the reviews. Thanks again.
@Sammy: Here’s piece of a press release from THX about Panasonic
“THX works closely with display manufacturers from early design concepts to product rollout. Displays are sent to THX laboratories from the prototype stage, where they run through a series of THX performance tests, including front-of-screen testing and video signal processing analysis. These tests ensure that each display can present all HD and standard definition content to the maximum resolution with correct color and luminance levels.”
Question: if THX hasn’t released the criteria a display must meet in order to be THX certified, then how do engineers design a display to be certified? The “engineering process is the design of something to a set of requirements. If you don’t know the requirements, you have some difficulty in the design.
You can go to http://www.panasonic.com and see for yourself. The V10 50″ is tagged at 2199$ and should be available in June.
I’m waiting for the 54″ :)
If the V10 is over you budget, don’t worry, the G10 is more than good enough. I’m not even sure the 24p feature is worth the extra $$. I think it targets videophiles. So if price is a major factor then go with the G10 and you won’t regret it I promise.
Thanks for the reply Jeff. Any idea how much the 42-50″ V10 are going to cost and when are they expected to be on the market?
@Steve P.: If you can afford the V10, then wait for it. You’ll get a 2″ deep TV (not sure it matters though) that finally supports 24p. Plus you’ll get the one sheet of glass design which looks really nice.
In my opinion there are no better sets for that kind of money.
HELP!
I am buying my first HDTV and this looks like the one. I am looking for a 46-50″ plasma that will blow my socks off for +/-$1500…..
Is this the one or should I wait for the Z1 line or the V10(?) from Panasonic in June/Aug?
I am looking to buy in the next 30 days, unless I should wait for some reason…
In comparison to the price I am looking to pay vs he G10, are there better sets out there for the $$ considering this sets quality?
@thinman: I don’t understand why this would hold you back.
The only thing holding me back from buying the 54″ G10 right now is the lack of 7.1 surround optical out.
HDGURU-
1) Do you recommend turning on all noise reduction settings for HD content, or just analog & SD?
2) Are your suggest settings in the pictures specific to SD broadcasts?
3) Is there any purpose to enabling 3:2 pulldown for television or gaming, or is that exclusively for watching movies?
Thanks!
Andrew- this plasma is rated for computer use has 600hz refresh and anti image retention settings… In other words, this set handles gaming better than any other plasma I’ve seen.
Heynow- 1) glare is there but it is minimal… I’ve seen worse, but I’ve seen better too. Basically, if you have a lot of light coming in or a window facing your tv, I think you should stay clear of plasma in general. 2) For extremely noisy DVD’s- I set video nr to strong, mosquito nr to yes, and block nr to yes, and it cleaned them up tremendously.
for those who have the G10 ,
is there much glare in the screen ?
i know the review said its not bad.
also if i have noisy DVD’s is there good noise reduction controls to cut noise?
thanks