Plasma TV Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Panasonic Plasma’

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

High definition is more than mere pixels. It’s all about visual quality. Plasma TV offers higher contrast and deeper color than LCD screens. With a screen at a class of 65″, you’ll observe a new concept of HDTV entertainment that rivals anything else. Why go to the movies when you’ve got this Viera TV! The Panasonic TC-P58S1 65″ Class Viera S1 Series Plasma 1080p HDTV brings a giant 64.7-inch class (diagonal) wide screen to bring sports, movies, and TV into your home with in-your-face realism. LCD is lighter in weight and a little more energy efficient but, when it comes to visual quality, most LCD screens seem pale in comparison. That’s why, when it comes to appreciating the qualities of HDTV and Blu-Ray, this Panasonic Viera plasma TV is a better buy. There are also some distinct features worth appreciating. 600Hz technology lets you view superb full-HD motion and still images with 1,080 lines of resolution (per APDC). For even greater clarity with motion images, Panasonic uses its own unique image-analysis technology. This technology converts the motion in each scene into data. And each frame is practically displayed for a shorter length of time than in previous systems, to reduce aftereffects. 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 card into VIERA to display photos on the large screen. You can also choose from among 3 types of background music and 4 display effects. It’s much more fun when you can view them on a large-screen HDTV with family and friends in 1920 x 1080-pixel high definition and a wide 16:9 aspect ratio. Pixel Pitch (H x V) 0.747 x 0.747 mm Moving Picture Resolution 1080 lines Shades of Gradation 6,144 equivalent HDTV Display Capability (1080p, 1080i, 720p) EDTV Display Capability (480p) Aspect Control Normal, Just, Zoom, Full, H-fill NeoPDP (Plasma Display Panel) New AR (A

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars I am never leaving the house!
I hooked up the satellite equipment, hooked up my stereo, plugged it in, and WHOA! I just sit there for hours staring at it. I can just imagine how it will look when I turn it on! JK! I couldn’t have asked for more. It is so beautiful. The picture is as clear as I could ask for. Sometimes it’s almost 3D. Honestly, I was dozing off and there was a show on about space exploration and for a second when I woke up I thought I was in the cockpit of the spaceship soaring through space. It took me a few seconds to get back to the reality that I was looking at the TV, lol. Blu-ray really shines on this TV! This is by far one of the most amazing things I’ve every owned.

5 Stars The Best Plasma TV Out there
I bought this TV on August 30 and got it delivered on Sept 10. It’s a big set that needs to be delivered on trucks, not UPS. The seller communicates via email to update the status of your order. A day before the delivery date, the truck guys will call and confirm the hours, typically a four-hour window for them to show up. Now, there is something that I think a prospective buyer wants to keep in mind. TV of this size is not easily transported. So it’s the policy of the vendor, and probably industry-wide (because I’ve checked several vendors and that they all said the same thing), that you CAN’T RETURN IT if you don’t fell like it. In other word, don’t just buy it because you just want to check it out. The vendor will take it back if and only if it is 1) defective or 2) broken. So it’s crucial that once it’s delivered and while the delivery guys are still there, please open it up. Plug it in and make sure it work. In other word, do a thorough inspection. Because once these guys leave, you pretty much own it for good.

Now, comes the TV. This is a great set par none for its price. A quick walk through your local Best Buy will tell you that. I’ve seen TV’s a lot smaller and much less sophisticated got sold for prices very close to this set’s. Some of those are not very well known brands. The TV is not that heavy at all. The listing weight, according to Amazon is 175 shipping and 145, is not correct. Although I don’t know its shipping weight, the set itself is 90 lbs (yeah..this isn’t a typo). I’m a fairly small guy (5′7) and my brother’s (5′8), and we both were able to pick it up and set it on the console without breaking a sweat. The hookup is straight forward. Just find the right connection and plug it in. Very much self-explanatory. The remote doesn’t look that intimidating either. I mean if you’ve played around w/ electronic equipments, you don’t need to read the manual. Play around w/ a few keys and you’ll get it. It’s realllyyyyyy simpleeeee. I had mine hooked up to Direct TV w/ the premium package (Football package). So I’m able to watch fairly large number of HD channels. And …yes….it is…………awesome..yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh…

As with plasma TV, I’m sure we all know that it should be in a dark room because plasma screens tend to reflect light. Mine is a bit close to the window. Although I try to shut down all the blinds when I watch football on Sundays, a tiny bit of reflection is still visible. The best show is at night. Dim the lights and you will be amazed at its clarity. As for the speakers, don’t bother. You’re not buying this TV for its speakers. So why even bother to turn it on? All TV speakers sucks. Period. If you were willing to spend this much dough on a TV, do yourself a favor. Go big w/ speakers. Speakers nowaday are relatively cheap. You can easily get a decent pair of speakers for a couple hundred dollars. I currently have mine set up w/ the Yamaha speaker bar. It’s not the best, but decent enough for both regular TV reviewing and some action movies. The real nirvana will come when I save enough $$$ for a pair of Martin Logan.

Go ahead & Buy it. I guarantee you won’t regret. Be sure to buy it from Amazon. Their service is great.

5 Stars Bigger Is Better
I have had this plasma display for a week now. Great picture (particularly with blu-ray movies), and an amazing price. Don’t be fooled that LCD is better because it appears “brighter”. Plasma has a more cinematic feel to it.

Think 65 inches is too big? Think again. If you sit at least 8 or 9 feet away when viewing, this display will knock your socks off. To me it makes more sense to go big and get the real benefit of high definition. Just a few years ago a TV like this would cost $15,000+ and not look as good as this unit. Pull the trigger, and get it while the price is right.

5 Stars Great overall value and HD set!
Simple review… Amazon’s price was great (with free blu-ray player to boot), shipping was free, and it was white glove, right to my living room. The shipping company called and scheduled a delivery, showed up within the window, and I dropped them a nice tip. Now the set is a monster. If you have the room, get this set! Pic quality is outstanding, and the plasma blacks are great. By far the best value going right now for a 65″ hdtv. The v10 model of this has some nice features, but not worth $1200 more to me.

5 Stars Best value on the market
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!

Buy/More Info

Panasonic Viera TH 46PZ850U 46 Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Building upon the market and critical success of Panasonic’s previous Plasma models, the PZ850 series includes a number of step-up features that will further strengthen Panasonic’s leadership position.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars This May Be The Last Great Plasma Made!!
When this model first came out over a year ago I dreamed about owning it. At the time it was selling for nearly three thousand dollars, which was significantly more than I wanted to pay for “another TV”. The feature set was amazing and the spec were literally second to none – That includes Pioneer. After a year of continuous shopping the price for this TV dropped to twelve-hundred dollars on Amazon. that was less than the average Vizio. Looking at what they did to the newer models I doubt the good times will ever be back again.

1. The 850U model includes a Studio reference mode which is infinitely configurable. Few Plasma TV’s have this capability accept for the highest end models. To get this capability on the latest Panasonic models cost thousands more.

2. The 850U comes with an SDHC video card reader. This is huge. I plan on buying one of the latest HD camcorders which all output to the latest AVCHD format. Panasonic is the only manufacturer doing this, and the new models don’t offer this feature until you pay thousands more.

3. The 850U may be an energy hog, but i think all things are relative here. For me it may amount to another 1-2 dollars per month, despite being half as efficient as the newer models. On the up side, the older models look richer and can be turned up as bright as necessary. This is very important in bright rooms that have alot of reflection. The over-heating discussion is bogus. My TV is in an enclosed cabinet (with venting slits in the back) and it barely gets warm. Absolutely no big deal at all. In fact it emits less heat than my Pioneer that’s only 42″.

4. The picture quality on this set is much better than my Samsung that is also 46″ (LN-T4665F). The off angle viewing on the Panasonic is fantastic. There is no fading or distortion at all on the Panasonic. The screen is perfectly uniform. The samsung is way too faded from the same off-angle viewing positions. I will say that the blacks are about the same, but the overall color saturation on the Panasonic is much better.

5. All the little things like quickly getting to the proper input mode, back lighting for the remote, and saving settings are all much better on the Panasonic. Also, I LOVE THE FACT THAT PANASONIC HAS A FRONT PANEL SLOT FOR INPUTS AND ATTACHMENTS AND NOT THE SIDE OR BACK OF THE SET. my cabinet is 47 inches wide. I can’t insert anything on the Pioneer or Samsung because of this problem. twisting the sets all the way around to reach the back (in darkness) is too problematic. panasonic reolved this problem (huge benefit). I now have wall mounted the Samsung and the problem still exist. By the time you swing the TV 2.5 feet away from the wall the power chord and HDMI chord diconnect, because they are not long enough.

6. The Viera Cast is cool, particularly if they beef up the content in the future. Watching UTube on full screen is different. better to have it than not have it.

7. The single pane of glass makes this one of the nicest looking TVs on the market – no joke. I actually don’t think I noticed how thin the facing bezel is until I hung it on the wall. It looks great off – like a work of art.

8. Its now discontinued, but for the feature set and price, it has all the bells and whistles of the plasma’s that cost much more money. panasonics vision now is to find a way to make the energy efficient models look as rich as the energy hogs, which is going to drive the price much highr. No need to pay for their R&D when the set is not going to look any better on the screen. The other thing Panasonic wants you to pay for is the side thickness (from 4 inches to 1 inch). Admittedly it looks cool (only from the side), but you will pay more money to get the same features in a smaller case. The picture is not better, but the thickness is thinner. Again the cost is much higher.

I love this set. I now own the Panasonic, Pioneer and Samsung. My life is complete.

5 Stars Love it!
I was initially skeptical about buying Plasma because of the things I had read about them (e.g. high power consumption, short lifespan). I can’t speak of the lifespan of this tv (100,000 hours to 1/2 brightness according to Panasonic) since I have had it for only 2 months, but I have been monitoring the electrical consumption. There are 5 preset picture modes: Vivid, Standard, Studio Reference, Game, and Custom. Respectively, at widescreen and on factory settings, they consume approximately 400, 175, 250, 375, and 325 Watts. Thankfully, the picture modes are saved for whichever input you use; I keep the tv and game inputs set on Game, and the Blu-ray player set to Studio Reference. You can adjust each of these modes individually by picture, brightness, color, tint, and sharpness. The stock speakers were surprisingly good with coverage even to deeper bass however, it is extremely directional. After initial setup, I brought a pair of bookshelves on each side of the tv only to find that the audio sounded as if it were coming through a tunnel. This has no bearing on me since I have built a pair of external speakers for surround sound, though if you intend to use the standard speakers, just be sure to leave enough room on either side of the tv. Blu-ray playback is absolutely gorgeous! It is crisp and clear, contrasty, and quite bright. There is no ghosting, and the supposed 480 Hz technology is worlds better than the 120 Hz you see on LCDs, it looks natural and cinematic, and I am extremely pleased. On a final note, my Harmony remote has some trouble switching between the video inputs, so I keep the standard remote out just in case.

5 Stars THE BEST HDTV
I bought this TV at Best Buy and paid quite a bit more for it than what you see here. I am thrilled with this TV and is quite a bargain on Amazon. I have cable and a DVD with HDMI and it was a snap to connect and start watching from the get-go.

It is a beautiful TV, and now I am addicted to the larger size widescreen HDTV’s. The 800 series of this TV is excellent, and has the best sound ever. No need for a home theatre, DVD and Blu Ray plays BEAUTIFULLY. I bought the expensive calibration service which I think was a waste of money, as the TV is easy to adjust right out of the box. I have my own perferences, and after it was calibrated, I never even used the Custom setting (that is where they put the “calibrated” settings) and went back to my own “Standard” settings after the calibration. I turned off the NR setting, put the black level to “light” and turned off the C.A.T.S. settings on the “Picture” menu. Keeping the black level to “light” and turning off C.A.T.S setting makes a big difference in the clarity of the picture, and makes the adjustment of brightness and contrast more accurate. It takes a bit of fussing, but you can get a perfect picture, all by yourself. I love this TV, and plan to buy a 800 series in the 50 inch, also. Both these series are pretty future proof, and will probably be the last TV’s I buy.

I have read that keeping the Contrast and Brightness down to 50 for about 30 days before revving it up any higher will “prime” the TV and actually make it last longer. The 800 series of the Panasonic Plasma has my highest recommendation.

P.S. Be aware that there is some reflection issues with the larger TV, just because they are able to reflect things like lamps over a broader space. This is the nature of big screen TV’s I am afraid. However, I have a Sony LCD (the best) and I still prefer the Plasma..far better picture.

Just wanted to give an (May 28, 2009)update on my opinion of this TV. It has stayed the same. I still love it. I have changed my mind about getting a calibration done, and I think it is worth the extra bucks to get a professional calibration. I was wrong about that, the TV does play better after a calibration. I bought a second Panasonic Plasma the TH 50PZ800U through Amazon, which was a great buy, and excellent white glove delivery. I wanted the 800U in the 50 inch for my living room and the reviews for the 800U (with THX) was higher than the 850U. However, I prefer the 850U model over the “certified THX” 800U, and I also prefer the 46″ over the 50″ size. The 850U has special professional adjustment features, and I think the picture is sharper on the 46″. So if you think bigger is better, that is not always so, but it always comes down to your own personal needs and preferences. I also bought a Panasonic BMP BD50 model of Blu Ray disk players. Blu Ray is excellent on both Panasonic models. The Panasonic Blu Ray player is very good, but I plan to replace it with a Oppo Blu Ray player when it is released. The Panasonic Blu Ray 1080p upscaling for standard DVD’s could be better, so I plan to replace with an Oppo brand.

5 Stars Great TV & Great service from Amazon
After much research & pondering about “justifying the expense”, I decided on the Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ850U. I really love this TV — it was easy to setup, & I “calibrated” it myself using the THX program on one of my “Star Wars” DVD’s. The picture is unreal with any sort of HD input. I’m a bit disappointed in the “standard TV reception”, even though I was warned to expect that. If I had to do it again, I might have waited until the new Panasonic TV’s were available because they actually have a THX Mode (so do the Panasonic PZ800U’s, but they also lack some of the features that the 850’s have).

The delivery from Amazon was exceptionally prompt — only took about 5 days from the time I placed my order (about 5 days ahead of schedule). The guy that delivered it assisted me in the un-boxing & getting it positioned. He didn’t leave until we were both satisfied that the TV was in good working order.

5 Stars great tv
great tv for the price, easy to set up on your own,using the xtras such as the viera cast requires some expertise

Buy/More Info

Cheetah Mounts APTMMB Tilt Wall Mount for 32 55 Plasma and LCD Displays

PRODUCT FEATURES:Fully adjustable 0-15 degree tilt angleUniversal design fits virtually all 32″-55″ modelsSturdy construction holds up to 150LBS

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Was Very Disappointed but now I am satisfied
I received my package in horrible shape. Upon examining the box I noticed that it was double taped, meaning it must have been opened previously and then returned (who knows why) and repackaged very poorly, and from my bad luck I am the one to get this defective box. I feel very bad, because the reason I bought this item is because it is rated highly by other users.

I feel cheated and deceived. Will never buy from this merchant ever again.

Shame on them for not doing the proper thing and shipping me a new unopened box, or at least a box in good condition.

Updated Sept. 3, 2009

This company’s customer service called me this morning, and after their fair and quick help, I am now satisfied with this order. I like how this company stands behind their products and help their customers.

5 Stars Best bang for the buck!!
Absolutely the best TV mount for the buck!! It was easy to install and fit my 52″ Sony Bravia perfectly!! Sony wanted $299. for their mount. I’m so glad I looked here before buying their’s, this mount works just as well as the Sony mount. Don’t be fooled into buying a high priced mount from your TV manufacturer, this mount is just as good, for a fraction of the cost!!!

4 Stars Worth the money
I bought my second Panasonic Plasma after about 8 months of using my first (and after my 15yr old Sony 25″ started acting up). For my first Plasma I had purchased a $70 wall mount. Since I was mounting to brick fire place, I wanted a good quality mount. I was pleased with it. For my new purchase it was going up on wallboard/wood studs. I came across the Cheetah, read the reviews and decided to take a chance.

The mount came with all hardware. Instructions are sparse. Luckily I’m a mechanical engineer so I really didn’t need them anyway. The thing is flimsy and not nearly as sturdy as my first mount. It is made out of stamped sheet metal. If you like high quality construction I wouldn’t recommend it. Since as far as I’m concerned as long as it stays up, and holds my 60lb TV, then I really didn’t care. I hung the bracket and tested it with my body weight. It held, so it has at least a 3x design margin on overload. With that test complete, I felt confident my TV would not come off in anything less than a 7.0 earthquake.

I recommend this for anyone looking for a low cost mount that is easy to install.

One word of caution. My bracket came with a level embedded in it. It was obvious that the machined hole where the level was placed was NOT square with the edge of the frame. They also packed a separate level with the unit (shown in picture). USE THE SEPARATE LEVEL!!! I suspect they had A LOT of complaints about the embedded level. DO NOT USE IT or you will be drilling 2 sets of holes in your wall (the second AFTER you figure out the the level is a piece of garbage).

5 Stars Small Price Big Value
Bought this mount based on the other reviews out there and the fact that I don’t like paying ridiculous prices for things that you can get much cheaper with the same quality. This mount was very easy to install (4 screws in the wall, 4 screws in the tv and you are hanging). The screws for my tv were included Samsung LN40B630 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Red Touch of Color. It is very sturdy (I think the wall screws are a bit overkill but get the job done) and the tv hangs nicely. Plenty of room for cables out the back. One recomendation is to tighten the tilt bracket most of the way to where you want it before hanging the tv. It gets pretty tight once the tv is up there and is a little difficult to tighten this piece at that point. Like the other reviewers, I ditched the included “level” and used a real one. One other note is that if you hang the tv and it is slightly crooked, the brackets on the back of the tv have some wiggle room so you can move one or the other slighltly up or down within the precut holes for minute adjustments. Overall, very satisfied. Great product.

5 Stars Great value, slight adjustment needed
It’s probably nitpicking but I had to make some repeated adjustments to get this perfectly level with the TV. Most likely it’s slight variations in the TV and the mount and how the bolts were laying but it did take me 6 tries to get the TV perfectly level. The TV in question is a Panasonic plasma, 54″ Viera G10.

That said … the product is great. Very strong, well made, tilts nicely, very narrow to the wall – as narrow as possible I think and still allow for tilting and connecting.

The product has a built in level, which is accurate, the TV was only 1/16″ off when I was done … but enought to fiddle with.

The product came with a generous amount of hardware to fit all typical TV mountings and I was able to quickly pick the hardware I needed. The TV is infinitely adjustable left and right, so with a little masking tape as a marker, it was easy to perfectly center the TV each time I took it off to adjust it slightly. In addition the putting on and taking off was very easy with all structural elements aligning as they should.

Fit and finish are nice, powder coating has no issues, tilt adjust hardware is nicely chromed and works well. Overall a great product.

Buy/More Info

Panasonic TC P50G15 50 VIERA G15 Series 1080p THX certified plasma HDTV

49.9″ screen (measured diagonally) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Perfect video, Terrible Audio!
This is one of the best TVs that you can get with a reasonable price. Colors, contrast, refreshing rate are awesome. It is much more better than the LCD and LED TVs. Youtube and amazon video connection is really handy. without buying an appletv you can watch stuff on youtube and rent HD movies on amazon.If it has a blockbusters or netflix connection that would be better tho. It has a build in network card and gets its own IP. It also gives you information about the stock market and weather forecast with this vierra function. In summary video capabilities are much more better than the other tvs on the market.( the ones under 3k) The only negative thing that I can count is the audio. Godddd!!! I dont know why the hell they put those piece of …t speakerphones in this wonderful tv but they are really horrible. My portable ipod speakerphone is definitely better than those.

There is no need to spend to more money on the other models. This is better and cheaper.GO FOR IT!!!

5 Stars Excellent buy on an excellent product!
I rarely take the time to write product reviews, but in this case I felt like it was really worthwhile. I spent a few months researching TVs and I am always reading in forums, checking showrooms, etc. There are some fantastic TVs out there on both Plasma and LCD sides (LEDs still too expensive in my mind). After countless hours looking at all my options, I narrowed it down to a Samsung LCD or a Panasonic Plasma. This TV was to serve as the main family unit in the living room. I have a Sony PS3 (Blu-ray & games) and DirecTV HD DVR receiver to connect to the TV. My friend has a Samsung 650 LCD that has really nice color and decent performance, however I notice some motion issues when watching fast sports or with the PS3 connected. I also think the Samsung’s colors are a little unnatural. Already owning a 2 year old 42″ Panasonic Plasma (700u model), I was able to do a pretty good live comparison between the two before purchasing the G15. The plasma’s blacks were better and the color was more natural in my opinion. Also, the plasma didn’t show any artifacts or motion issues no matter the content unlike the LCD. [Yes both TVs were calibrated, so please don't flame me for giving my opinion] The bottom line to me is both are great TVs and you have to choose based on your needs and your taste. I decided to go with the G15 Panasonic after seeing a calibrated unit at my local store. It was absolutely beautiful. After owning the TV for more than a month, I can tell you that it was the right choice for me. I was really proud the other day when my brother-in-law (Samsung owner), watched a HD NFL game on my TV and stated it was the best picture he had ever seen.

Pros:

- Stunning picture quality right out of the box. Even better after slight calibration.

- Beautiful thin frame

- Great anti-reflective properties on the screen

- THX mode for movies (great at night)

- Very fast for games and sports

- Unbelievable blacks

- Natural and clean colors

- Plenty of connections

- Excellent DVD and gaming performance. New 1080p PS3 games look amazing as do Blu-rays.

- Works great with laptop connected as well

- Reasonable standard def performance (as good as most other sets that I have seen)

- Good remote

Cons:

- Sound is a little weak (pretty standard for most thin frame TVs). Best if you have a separate surround receiver.

- Not as many menu adjustments as some other TVs to dial in the picture, however it was so close out of the box that only minor adjustments were needed so this shouldn’t be an issue for most.

- Fairly heavy compared to similar size LCD.

- Uses a little more power than similar size LCD.

- Not quite as bright as LCD if using in very bright room. However, the screen is less reflective than most LCDs that I have seen.

I bought this TV on Amazon and got a great price as well as good shipping. The TV was delivered to my door in good packaging and without any damage.

If you are on the fence about this purchase, don’t hesitate to pull the trigger. If you prefer brilliant color over natural color then maybe the LCD is for you. I just can’t get past the motion issues with LCD even with the 120hz or the off-axis viewing issues. These are my opinions, so please check it out for yourself to make the decision that is right for you. I just can’t imagine a better TV for the price.

4 Stars Got it a few days ago
I looked forever for a new TV that 1.did not pixilate 2. fairly inexpensive, looked decent. I looked forever at lcd, leds, and plasma- I finally picked this one becuse a friend just got a LG plasma and it looked awesome. I took this one because it WAS on sale and had free shipping- plus the reviews were tops everywhere I looked. It shipped a little slower than I had hoped,(it was free so….) but arrived in one piece- he box was not damaged at all. Got it set up on the wall and hooked up. It looks great! The picture is fantastic. Of coure standard tv does not look great- but show me a lcd/led/plasma that does. HD looks super. I have had only the SLIGHTEST pixilation- by that I mean watching a football game with super fast pan- but that was over the air signal and the pixles were much smaller than and lcd I have seen. It just seems it does not do it nearly like a lcd. It does have a “partialy” matte screen. It is NOT shiny glass- but still have some reflection- mine is in a room with many windows/lights and I have had no issue- I DO think its lightly matte screen does help alot.

Cons: these are my isues with it- not enough to keep me from buying it again. The sound- good god, what the he11 was panasonic thinking, the sound is terrible. Down firing hollow/tinny speakers- obviously, most people use their own surround and this completley fixes the issue, but I am not set up for that yet so am stuck with crap for sound. Maybe its just me- it is OK, and very watch/listenable, but should be much better than it is. This may be better if it was on its stand and the sound reflected more than I am doing a it- its on the wall shooting down into a 24×24 room (our chairs are near the TV).

It does kick off some heat, but not as much as I expected. I think this one is rated somehow more efficient than previous ones

I give this TV a 4 ONLY for the sound- everything else is 5-star

5 Stars Best TV I have found, for both the quality, and for the money.
There were so many reasons that I was convinced I would never buy a plasma TV: 1. They run hot. 2. They use huge amounts of energy. 3. They last half as long as LCD-screen TV’s 4. The image burn-in ruins the display if you don’t watch it like a hawk constantly. 5. Plus, I live at over 6,000 feet above sea level and plasma sets are supposed to act strangely up here and make funny noises.

Well, after a GREAT deal of research of all kinds, I became convinced that, at least by 2009, none of this was true anymore. Still, I had had my heart set on a latest-generation Sony XBR for years, and it was just a matter of time before I got one. But that changed about six weeks ago.

My Panny G15 50″ plasma has an absolutely gorgeous picture — particularly when viewing presentations at 1080p, especially Blu-Ray movies. Hi-def cable shows look great also. And no matter what you’re watching, plasma really does give you ultra-deep blacks and contrast ratios that LCD TV’s simply are not physically capable of matching. And image burn-in? Really, unless you go off and leave the set displaying a static, unmoving image for many hours (at least) you are highly unlikely to have any burned-in image.

The Panasonic plasma sets are made by Panasonic itself, and it is one of the very few manufacturers that actually makes its own plasma screens. Perhaps this has some bearing on why the quality is so good. My set has the Energy Star seal, and it is reputed to use only half the power that plasma sets used as little as three years ago.

There is no “high-altitude” effect that I can see or hear at all, and I notice that today, Panasonic plasma sets are rated for at least 60,000 hours of life, which is the same as the rating for Sony XBR sets (with a tube, not a bulb). Another thing you should know is that there is nothing at all flimsy about the support pedestal. I’ve read some reviews that suggest it would be easy to break the stand, or tip the TV over. You’d have to deliberately crash right into the G15 in order to break the stand or knock it over because it is very sturdy indeed.

Oh, there was another motivation for buying the Panny G15 over an XBR9 — I saved one thousand dollars, comparing a 50″ G15 with a 52″ XBR9. Price was not my driving motivation because I’d waited over five year to carefully select a widescreen TV, but, if you like the Panny’s display better, and you save a thousand bucks? Kind of a no brainer.

Yes, there is one thing I’m not thrilled about with the Panny, and others have written about it, too — the rather mediocre in-set speakers. This isn’t a big deal for me since I always port the audio to my home theater stereo when watching a presentation in which I even care very much about the audio. Still, yes, the speakers in my wonderful old Toshiba 36″ CRT set were quite a bit better.

Last bit of advice: DO NOT clean the screen of a Panasonic G15 except exactly as instructed in the owner’s manual! Do NOT use Windex or any product with ammonia. The G15 has an excellent anti-reflective coating and you don’t want to mess it up!

5 Stars Excellent HDTV, replaces the TC-P50G10
I’m ashamed to admit, then I never even inspected this TV in person before buying it. All the reviews were so good, I felt confident buying it. However, I was first going to purchase the Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P50G10 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, as the price difference wasn’t clear as to what was different. Fortunately, I waited a few extra days, and most resellers starting going out of stock on the G10, so I moved to the G15. And the G15 is actually cheaper now than the G10, which I’ve heard is discontinued.

The G15 is about 2″ thinner, and supposedly has an extra anti-glare coating. I’m amazed at how little glare there is for a plasma, and the ability to view it at extreme angles. I’m even contemplating not buying the full-motion mount, because I may not even need it.

The menu’s are easy to use and understand, nice big fonts. Only gripe, of which I’m hoping to find a solution, is that when watching 4:3 shows, the TV fills the sides with grey background color, instead of black.

Buy/More Info

Panasonic TC P46G15 46 plasma TV widescreen 1080p FullHD HDTV

Enjoy the Internet contents right on your TV Panasonic TC-P46G15. With VIERA CAST technology, you can enjoy online content such as videos, photos, weather and stock information through an easy-to-use web interface that’s built into the TV. No extra equipment required.Panasonic TC-P46G15 features THX certified display. THX reproduces movie images exactly as the movie’s creators intended them. In the early 1980’s, Lucasfilm, established the THX Standard to stipulate the audio and video quality criteria for cinema environments. The overall aim was to improve the experience of cinema-goers and faithfully recreate the audio and visual ambience that film makers intended. VIERA meets the high standards set by the THX Certified Display Program.This design embodies the concept: the blending of images and sounds. This smart VIERA form gives a nod to classic design schemes while bringing fresh styling to the large flat-screen TV.Panasonic TC-P46G15 features 600Hz sub-field drive. 600Hz technology lets you view superb full-HD motion and still images with 1,080 lines of resolution. For even greater clarity with motion images, Panasonic uses its own unique image-analysis technology. This technology converts the motion in each scene into data. And each frame is practically displayed for a shorter length of time than in previous systems, to reduce aftereffects.

Buy/More Info