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126 of 128 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic tc-p58s1
I bought this TV from Amazon. That was a decision arrived at only after a long and meticulous research about plasma vs LCD-LED. I also did a comparison between Panasonic S1 and V10 models. I used extensive reviews of postings by owners at the AVS forums. I already owned a Panasonic 50" plasma, a Samsung LCD 52" so I have a pretty good idea of what I want and need...
Published on September 30, 2009 by warbler

versus
29 of 47 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic in litigation over Plasma Black levels
Urgent Update: March 9th

Panasonic is undergoing litigation over Plasma Black levels. The CNET website conducted their own test and concluded the black level prematurely highten or become grayer in a very short amount of time. What does this mean to the average Joe. Those gorgeous dark scenes on a movie such as "The Dark Knight" will gradually go away and one...
Published on February 1, 2010 by K. Brown


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126 of 128 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic tc-p58s1, September 30, 2009
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
I bought this TV from Amazon. That was a decision arrived at only after a long and meticulous research about plasma vs LCD-LED. I also did a comparison between Panasonic S1 and V10 models. I used extensive reviews of postings by owners at the AVS forums. I already owned a Panasonic 50" plasma, a Samsung LCD 52" so I have a pretty good idea of what I want and need.

First and foremost I want a TV which is reliable and free of defects. So in comparing Samsung and Panasonic plasmas, I have to say that the reports of buzzing noise from Samsung sets turned me off. About 34% of those onwers polled a avs forums reported the problem. Although this was based on only a few hundred people and thhe sample was not random and statistically meaningless, it does indicate a potential problem. So I ruled out the Samsung plasma.

The difference in price between the S1 and V10 Panasonic is substantial for me. You can see for yourself at Amazon depending on the size you prefer. In addition, the S1 has the same glass panel as the V10 being a 2009 model. What the S1 does not have is Viera Internet connection and more picture control in the menu. The V10 is also thinner and is reported by reviewers and owners to have a better picture.

Most people already have Pandora, Netflix, youtube etc... internet connection through their BD players or Tivo. So internet is really something I do not want nor need. I figure that with Service Menu (SM) adjustements, called offsets of the various parameters posted by professional calibrators, the S1 picture can be tweaked to about 95-98% of the V10 at a substantial savings.

I ruled out LCD-LED because of the size limitation.

So how did I make out.

1. Delivery was made by Pilot, two persons who helped setup the set and plug in the power to see if everything is working. I was very grateful and gave them a significant tip.
2. I used the breakin slided and turned down the contrast and brightness settings during the first 120 hours. Then I adjusted the SM offsets and the result is a picture a bright as my Samsung LCD and with far better black and color. No green or red push.
3. I have no use for Viera Cast available from my BD player. So S1 was the right choice for me.
4. I have windows facing the TV so there is reflection and glare.
5. The TV is 20% heavier than the Samsung for the same size, but it is really well built. No buzz. No dead pixels.

I am pretty content with my choice of the S1. the V10 is a better set but I did not regret my purchase.
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34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to justify spending more for higher end models!, January 3, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
I purchased this set from Amazon after spending a month researching and viewing many, many TVs. After 10 well served years from my 65" Mitsubishi rear projection set, I decided to hand it down to my daughter and son-in-law so I could get a new TV with a smaller footprint. I have a dedicated home theater with a front projector and this TV is in our family room and is used almost exclusively for watching HD satellite programming TV. I do have a Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) connected but it's mainly just for the kids to watch movies on occasionally. 95% of what I will watch on this TV will be from an HD satellite source. That fact played a huge bearing on my decision regarding which TV to buy and the law of diminishing returns of the budget.

Pre-purchase research and choices:
Like almost all flat screen buyers I had to make the choice as to the LCD versus Plasma platform. Being in the family room, we have a relatively wide viewing angle requirement and since I'll be watching mostly in the evenings without a lot of external ambient light, I felt that plasma suited me best in the end. That took the Samsung UN55B8500 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV and Toshiba REGZA Cinema Series 55SV670U 55-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with LED Backlight and ClearScan 240, Black, the LCDs I was considering out of the picture, so to speak. That left me with the various plasma offerings from LG, Samsung and Panasonic to narrow my search. For some reason I just didn't want a Sony so I didn't look at them. I did find a Pioneer Khuro Elite Pro still available at a BB Magnolia but it was still very pricey and I couldn't get a firm guarantee regarding any service and warranty for it. The high incidence of buzzing on the Samsungs steered me away from those models (I would be buying online or from a retailer 80+ miles away so returning the TV would be a massive inconvenience for me). I took a day and drove to my nearest metro area and took in most of the TVs I was interested in, either at a B&M, hhGregg, BB, or Sears. Honestly, they all looked fine to me. I know that the settings are usually set up to increase the "POP" factor so I tried to pay close attention to motion blur, viewing angle, black levels, etc. rather than just vividness of colors and contrast. I tried to appreciate the "halo effect" on the backlit LEDs but honestly didn't pick it up in the stores anyway.

Final Decision:
I read whole heartedly the various threads on AVSforum, cnet, etc., and picked the brains of others that have gone down this road. It was decision time and I was ready to make a choice. Normally I'm the kind of guy who is going to buy the best and the most technologically advanced product available, but for this purchase I knew that I really didn't need it and wouldn't be gaining anything by getting the step up G or V series Panasonics. The biggest G series was 55" anyway and I wanted least 58" so it was between the Panasonic TC P58V10 - 58" plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV and the 58S1. I tried to reason myself in to justifying the V10 by thinking into the future. Would it someday be my primary HT viewing source where the 24FPS capability from BluRay would be important? Oh, and the extra HDMI input, would that be a critical issue that I would have to grapple with in a few years? But most of all, the ability to custom calibrate so much more on the V10 was surely the straw that would break the camels back for me. But, the truth is, I'm not a videophile and the techno jargon I read about custom calibration was greek to me. There is no ISF calibrator within 80 miles of my house, and I am kind of a set it and leave it kind of guy when it comes to video anyway. And, in regard to it becoming my primary source for HT, I will replace my aging 1080i front projector throwing onto a 110" screen with a new technology model (2160p perhaps) before I will settle for a 58" anything. The 58V10s were also in short supply, but could be found but not discounted much yet. But the final decision was made when the price on the S1 in my Amazon shopping cart dropped from $1699 to $1469 the weekend after Thanksgiving. I just couldn't justify almost twice the price of the V10.

Results:
I've had the TV almost a month now and I just can't believe how great it is, especially for the money. I'm still letting it burn in, keeping the contrast and color low as pixels stabilize, but it is a joy to watch even now. Even my wife, out of the blue when we weren't even watching anything and were in another part of the house said, I am amazed at how good the picture is on your new TV. Wow, that is not something she would normally say, or notice for that matter.

I've watched standard and high def on satellite so far (haven't had time to watch much BluRay yet with the holidays but what we have has been spectacular). Football games have been dominating the viewing so far and I see no motion blur whatsoever. We sit about 9 feet from the screen at angles ranging from straight on to 50 degrees off axis. The sound is pretty adynamic, but with the money I saved I was able to upgrade my three front channels too. See my review of the the Klipsch Icon Series WB-14 - Speaker - 2-way - espresso for more info.

Delivery:
The delivery and set up were all very professional, although all the arrangements had to be made after the TV was purchased rather than before which bothered me a bit because of my irregular work schedule. They called me about a week later to schedule a delivery. In order to accomodate my schedule, they delivered in the evening. A pair of gentlemen took it upstairs, set it up, made sure it functioned properly, and told me to hold on the to box until I was satisfied that I wouldn't need to return it. I tipped them enough for dinner as I really appreciated not having to lug the thing into the house and up the stairs on my own.

Summary
If you are the kind of person who loves to tweak, surfs around the video forums and will really utilize the increased adjustments the V10 series provides, and just must have the latest and greatest, then you already know what nothing less than the V10 series will make you happy. However, if you just want a large flat screen 1080p plasma with a great picture and at a bargain price, you will be absolutely thrilled with this set. With good BluRay players available for around $130, you can be good to go for less than $1800 (much less if you time it right). I don't regret purchasing this set (and saving $1300 versus the 58V10) one bit. I would do it again, and again.

ADDED 2/9/2010

I've had the TV two months now and can comment further on my above review. Having a dozen people over to watch the Super Bowl, many of them commented that they wanted to watch on my 110" projection screen but the picture was just so fantastic on the Panasonic they didn't want to leave that room. Indeed, the picture is really that good and has broken in nicely. I'll start to experiment with the video adjustments as I've passed the 120 hr. break in.

By the way, I failed to mention and someone has asked, the delivery was FREE as I'm an Amazon Prime member.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding TV, December 4, 2009
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
I was bouncing between this tv and one of the Samsung's (550/560) models, I was very concerned about getting a Samsung buzzer or having a greenish tint on the Panny I scoured the internet for all the reviews I could find. I was still having a tough time making up my mind on which one to go with. I made a couple of trips to the store and both brand's PQ looked great to me, but looking and listening to a tv in the store is not the same as having it in your own home. Anyway last week, Bestbuy put this Panasonic on sale for $1499 and my mind was made up for me. I am still on cloud9 with this TV, the picture is unbelievable, no greenish tint in any of the modes, although I have kind of settled on the Standard mode right now (still tweaking with custom). I can't comment on the sound as I turned off the speakers right away, which is a nice feature. PS3 games and Blu-ray on this tv are mindblowing! 1080i & 720p is also outstanding. This set replaced a 2yr old Toshiba DLP and the strides made in the last 2 years are just hard to comprehend. Also the case on this tv is beautiful, it just showcases the room, that shiny hi gloss piano black finish just grabs your eyes. Well hope this helps out others who may be twisting like I was, on picking a set. I also looked at the LED's but when you get in to the bigger real estate the price was just too much for me.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic First-Timer, November 11, 2009
By 
Aaron Hoover "Ah" (Saint Petersburg, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
I did a TON of research looking for the right TV, and after careful consideration I picked up the S1 58" Viera Plasma by Panasonic. Almost a month later and I am still thrilled to own it.

First of all, let me give you a little background (hopefully you gauge my rating credibiltiy here). I watch a lot of sports, love a good action movie (usually a love story if my wife is also watching) and I am an active gamer with my PS3. When I did my research, I wanted a TV that was great in every category, not just movies, not just gaming, etc.

The Panasonic S1 provides an amazing picture quality. The contrast is incredible, the color is everything you could ask for, and even the glare is minimal for a plasma. One other HUGE thing to look for, the Panasonic plasma scored superbly on -the Blacks. I was watching a show the other night and noticed the blacks were SO dark that I could not tell the difference between the border of the TV and black in the picture of the show. This is a huge advange over LCDs, and especially true on this TV.

Setup was very easy. There are so many HDMI inputs on the back of this you will want to go buy more stuff! There is only one digital optical audio out, so you may want to invest in a good audio receiver if you dont have one.

The TV is VERY HEAVY. I bought a decent wall mount on amazon for $25 bucks, works great. Just make sure you use the wall studs, and have at least 3 strong men help you lift the TV.

All said and done, I am extremely happy with this TV. I highly recommend it.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an AWESOME television!!!, November 6, 2009
By 
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
(Edit - I posted some pictures on Amazon's main product page with photographs of this set with 250+ hours on it. The black levels are super awesome and I am enjoying the set. Would purchase again.)

I use "awesome" in this review since that is how I feel about this purchase, awesome. O.k. So I did my research and when the promotion came up (Panasonic blu ray player and television combo deal) I waited till the last day and jumped on it. Out the door it was 1661 as I bought a couple of HDMI cables (neither the tv or the blu ray player includes HDMI cables).

CEVA delivery was acceptable. I ordered on 10/30, it shipped 11/2 from Texas, and was at my house in Southern California 11/6. Couple of glitches although nothing too big considering this has been the most expensive purchase I have made via Amazon to date. The tracking number for CEVA that Amazon provided was not accurate, it needed an "a" at the start of it. I had to call CEVA to get tracking information. CEVA was late by an hour and I had to call them after they were 15 minutes passed the time. The tv was not unpacked or put on the stand by CEVA. The box looked in good shape and I was in a hurry so frankly I did not ask as I had to leave. I has read that with CEVA not to expect the tracking to work, and to be proactive and call them. This seemed to work and the CSR's were helpful when called.

The television appears flawless. I had almost done too much research and was getting nervous after reading about color (green tints) and lack of deep black. Neither are any kind of issue at all on my television. The factory settungs look INCREDIBLE and I just viewed Master and Commander blu Ray and it felt like BEING there. The television has way more settings and inputs for cables then I could ever use.

The speakers are o.k., not an issue as I have a decent older Sony receiver with an optical in. The sound through the Sony via the Panasonic BD80 Blu Ray is awesome. The speakers in the tv would be acceptable for watching the news in the morning. In the end if you are purchasing a 58" HDTV with Blu Ray you are not going to use the television built in speakers anyway, so I think it's a nice extra that this beast even has built in speakers.
As far as LCD vs Plasma, well like I mentioned I did my research. First hand my 28" 1080p Hann-G looks great playing DVD's or iTunes HD rentals. I like the picture on the plasma better as I feel it's easier on my eyes, more "softer" for lack of a better word, really more like a cinema screen. Other's prefer the LCD and honestly I do acknowledge it's an apples vs oranges argument. Both work great.

What else? At this point I think it would be silly to pay for pro calibration or even a calibration disc. I just do not see how the picture could improve. As part of my research I went to Best Buy and Costco to view this set. It looked sub par compared to the other sets. That of course made me VERY nervous. I had read that the television would be set in "display" mode for the store (when you first plug it in and turn it on the easy to navigate setup welcome message pops up the first direction as "Is this for home or a store display?") so I knew that the television might not be at it's best or how it would look at home. My television's picture appears much superior to its twins at the brick and mortar. Reviews also are almost all glowing and with the Amazon promotion I just decided to go for it.

Other things...Another thing to keep in mind is anytime you put a 58" piece of glass (LCD, Plasma, CRT, etc) you just are going to have reflection. I have mine to the side of a large wall made of glass. So it's a mirror when there is light and no picture on the set, or it's a night sceen on the set and I had the drapes open in daylight. The brighter sceens have minimal reflection. IMHO the LCD sets I viewed in the brick and mortars had reflection also.

I would do this purchase over again in a heart beat. After a few weeks I'll post an update.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Price/Performance Ration, December 13, 2009
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
I was enamored by the LCDs, especially the Samsung and was ready to get one, but decided to do some background research before decision and was disturbed by the reviews of motion blur even with 240hz and edge blurs on even the best backlit LCDs. Then read a lot of review where people complained about service and power system problems with Samsung and how they returned LCDs and exchanged for Plasma. I then tilted to plasma. I read some good reviews about Panasonic TC-P58V10 and other higher Panasonic models with THX that were reviewed in many reputable HD Home Theatre and technology sites and went to Best Buy to check it all out.

Best Buy's Magnolia Theater had the Panasonic TC-P58V10 which was a $1000 more than TC-P58S1 but one look at it and we freaked out. ESPN-HD was on and the text/numbers on the basketball player's shirts were blurred with pixelated edges and the overall resolution of 1080p was worse than my 7yo DLP 1080i. We almost decided to quit all purchase.

I was then directed to the TC-P50S1, the 50" version and was amazed how clear it was. And infinitely superior to TC-P58V10 and its THX upgrade models. I was tempted to get the 65" model, but the $1000 more from 58" did not add up. At $400 more for a 65" we'd have jumped at it, but I think Panasonic deliberately priced it this way - its an old pricing trick. We're very happy with the 58" model.

Like all Plasma, this one is best used in dark rooms. If you have a very sunny and bright room then stay with LCD as you'll only burn out the plasma on full power brightness and contrast. If you mostly use the tv for night time viewing then you're fine with this one in any kind of room. Don't be fooled by how good the LCDs look in the well lit showrooms, this Plasma is a real killer when you bring home. We use a dark home theater room so I actually had to reduce the brightness whether the room was dark/unlit or dim-lit. The tv comes with multiple visual settings that can all be reconfigured from default. The Cinema mode is green cast on default but can be tint adjusted, contrary to another review here on amazon that it cannot be adjusted. The Vivid and Game modes are very bright and not suitable for dark room viewing. The colors in 'Normal' has good skin tones but may seem a little brownish for some. 'Cool' is blue tinted and may suit most people who like certain crispiness and flashiness to their football HD shows. 'Warm' is too yellow/brown for any taste and is useless. There is also a Custom setting where you can create your adjustments. I sometimes have to switch between 2 modes when I flip from bluray to cable-HD. The THX optimized setting for several gray shades are too blooming and bright for most cable news and shows which does not contain the subtlety you'll find on good dvd films.

Save the money on expensive HDMI cables and get some regular ones at reasonable price. Save the money on calibration and get an old dvd such as Cars, Bug's Life, Indiana Jones or look up the THX certified list from http://thx.com/home/dvd/search.html that shows which dvd has THX Optimizer and run it. Some bluray dvd have THX Optimizers too. Look for the THX symbol on the back of the dvd case. The only thing that really needs adjustment is gray scales (that THX certified costlier models have) that'll take some time to configure. The colors are great out of the box and did not need any adjustment. Don't use the latest Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for testing as the movie is inherently dark toned and not good for calibration - same with Dark City. Latest J.J.Abrams Star Trek is excellent for testing as it contains many dark-light compositions and fast motions along with several shades of skin colors with various color casts on skin tones as they walk around the spaceship with bright colored lights flashing on the actors, as well as sunlit skin and natural outdoor lighting scenes. Animation movies are excellent for clean crisp edges and are very useful for calibration. Also use an old b&w film like Casablanca or Maltese Falcon to test b&w settings.

One of the technical reviews had concerns about black-white management, and since we watch everything from oldest film to latest I was concerned as we have a huge collection of b&w. So, I got Buster Keaton's The General on bluray and it was absolutely stunning. Better than going to the movie theater, although it was also an excellent transfer from original negative. There is not a single problem with large white areas with small moving dark objects, such as artic scenes from Planet Earth, as some technical reviews suggested. We've seen several Film Noire and the shades of black and gray are excellent. You'll get far superior black from this Plasma than even backlit LCD or LED. Plasma is inherently superior with no motion blur and the 600hz is just tagged on for comparison to LCDs and has little meaning. You won't see any motion blur on this plasma.

I don't have anything to say about the tv audio since I use analog 7.1 from the bluray player and do not use the tv's audio. You're not buying this tv to hang above the table at the nearest McDonalds or drunken Bar, so spend $300-700 and get yourself a 5.1/7.1 HTIB - home theater in a box. Don't waste on expensive speakers unless they are all of the same brand. Do not mix and match brands as the speakers won't have same frequency response. Audiophile speakers are not appropriate for home theater and are really only for purist stereo music in a room that's also acoustically designed with purist furniture, floor, ceiling and walls. Such expensive speakers are usually just stereo in conjunction with another set of speakers for 5.1/7.1 movie use. You can get great performance from HTIBs and they have well balanced speakers. There are some advantages to getting a Panasonic HTIB as it will reduce juggling remotes and auto-control with Viera between tv & HTIB. Sony and Onkyo have good HTIBs too. I'm not fond of Samsung's dvd player due to problems I once had so I am not recommending that brand.

Don't get carried away with high end Home Theater Plasma models that are reviewed by snooty upscale review sites. I was genuinely surprised by this model. Save the extra money and do yourself a favor with several bluray dvds instead.

Overall:

Excellent Color/Contrast/Blacks/Whites, clarity and richness
Excellent Price/Performance ratio among all Plasma - Unbeatable.
Absolutely Best of Class
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Veria system plasma is the bomb., January 23, 2010
By 
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
We installed this behemoth in conjunction with a Panasonic Blu-Ray 7.1 surround system just before Christmas and it is unreal. We're bringing HD content from DirecTV and the quality is fantastic.

Our room is not darkened, but the monitor is very bright; completely viewable in the daytime. At night I like to turn off the lights for full effect. The rest of the room fades away and the brilliant colors wash over you.

Football is a real kick - you can read the tattoos on the players and the surround sound makes you feel like you're in the stadium, only in a more comfortable chair.

I REALLY love the Veria link feature. It allows the TV to turn the surround system on and off, THEN DirecTV's remote can be programmed to control the TV AND the sat box. so with one click the sat box, TV, and Surround come on - so handy for the wife!

Set-up was not bad, more challenges with the Internet to the Blu-Ray player, but I found you just need a router reshly reset to factory defaults to get it working (install security on the router of course after hook-up.)

All told, I got this unit as an open box, and the box wasn't even open from Amazon warehouse and could not be more pleased. You'll be surprised how big 58" is when you put it in your living room. I was thinking about a 65", but it was not necessary! My viewing distance is about 10ft from the screen and it's like you're at the movies.

Love it!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, Love it, Love it., January 10, 2010
By 
J. Maher (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
After spending many hours studying the different TV models, I had narrowed it down to a Samsung LCD and a Panasonic.
I was familiar with both TVs, but the big thing that it came down to for me was price and size, as I thought both of them had completely acceptable pictures. When the Panasonic dropped down below $1500, the price gap was just too big and I could buy a 58 in Panasonic for roughly a 50 in Samsung. The picture quality I still marvel at a couple months later, and I am glad that I did not shell out any more money for a TV, as this one does everything I could possibly want. Not only do blue ray disks look great on it, but I think the upscaling on normal DVDs is pretty impressive too. HD Cable looks great for sports too, and I don't expect to have to buy another TV for quite some time.

Minor quibbles: Many people have written about how they loved the white glove delivery. All they did for me was drop it off inside the door, and did not offer to set it up when my wife signed for it. I am really happy it worked well, as they never bothered to check. #2. The amount of electricity is pretty high, even though better than most plasmas. The backlights behind the TV flicker a little bit when I turn it on. We make sure it is off when not in use....we refer to turning the TV on as "firing up the death star". #3. The slot for SD cards is really cheap, and the software is slow and bulky. Mine will not even eject the card, and I have to jimmy it every time. Since it is more a novelty than anything, I am fine with it. I think the settings for watching movies is a bit off. It is pretty easy to set up though, but it took a little while till I could adjust it a little bit more to my liking. The HDMI slots are all on one side of the TV, which was opposite of how I had it planned. It is really kind of an odd spot I think.

Barring that, this TV is simply incredible. For $1500, this is one of the best purchases I feel I have ever made.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Panasonic Viera Plasma rules!, December 29, 2009
By 
John Coulter (Beavercreek, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
I've owned this item for a little over 1 month now and I am continually impressed by its picture quality. I cross shopped this item along with several current-gen 120Hz LCD's and the Plasma won out by a mile. Panasonic is legendary for their plasma picture quality and having owned a 1st-gen projection HDTV made by Panasonic, I was familiar with their build quality. The only missing item from this TV is the dedicated "THX" mode selection found in the G10 series, but I could not justify the jump in price to that model (especially due to the fact that both sets feature the same plasma panel). Adjustments for all picture settings are adequate and the set did not fail to impress right out of the box on "standard" mode.

Connectivity was a snap and everything has been working just fine. I have a PS3, Xbox 360, DISH HDDVR, component DVD player and a Pioneer receiver all connected to the set and controlled with my Logitech Harmony One universal remote. I'm running HDMI/component in with 1 optical cable out for audio. The set has performed flawlessly so far and I would buy another Panasonic product in the future.

If you are considering a BIG flat panel, do yourself a favor and compare this item to any LCD out there. I think you'll be very impressed with the picture quality and features for the price. Blacks are black as night and all of the colors really pop on this screen. Blu-ray is amazing on this TV (when you see "Cars" in Blu-ray on this set your jaw will drop!)

If you buy this set locally, opt for delivery/setup (or just buy from Amazon and select delivery/setup). The box this thing comes in is HUGE and the set is nearly impossible to maneuver around by yourself. The installation of the (foot)stand to the bottom of the TV is a 2 person job as well.

Sound quality from the TV speakers is adequate at best. Most people who have a set like this will probably have it connected to a receiver/home theater speakers, so that will not be a deal breaker. My old Panasonic had far better sounding internal speakers, but the base of that old projection set was large and heavy allowing it to house more powerful speakers. One of the many soundbar options may be a nice alternative to the typical receiver/home theater setup if space is an issue.

All in all I don't think you can do better for the size/picture quality/budget equation. There is a reason CNET rated this TV as the best big screen for the money in a recent review. [...]

Panasonic has kept another loyal customer!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great product, not such great service from Amazon., February 24, 2010
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This review is from: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black (Electronics)
I've had the TV for 1 day. I'm upgrading from a 5 year old Pioneer plasma 43 inch. I'm blown away by how great this thing looks. A major improvement over my last TV. Watched Star Trek on Blu-Ray. Can't imagine a better picture quality than this. The difference between 1080i and 1080p on Blu-Ray's is not a huge difference, but it is better. I wouldn't buy a new TV just to upgrade to 1080p, I mainly just wanted a bigger TV, and the superior 1080p is icing on the cake. Also, the black levels on this TV are great. If the screen is blank/black, it's really hard to tell weather or not the TV is turned on. One minor thing, the speaker quality doesn't seem to be as good as my Pioneer, it's fine but not as good, but I've got surround sound for the DVD's and for my favorite shows so that's not really an issue for me.

Now, about my ordering experience; I orginally ordered this thing on Feb 2nd being sold from Amazon. The first TV was delivered with a broken screen, so I refused shipment and called Amazon right away. They sent out another one but I didn't get it until 5 days after what the Amazon CSR estimated, and guess what? Broken again. This time the CSR said they were out of stock, so he scheduled a pick up and I will get a refund when they get the TV back.

In the mean time, I re-ordered the TV through Electronics Expo through Amazon.com, this time the TV arrived fast and undamaged. 21 days after my original order. Also about $50 cheaper than my first order from Amazon.

If you're in Northeast Florida, please watch out for Pilot Freight, the company that delivered 2 broken TV's to me.

Anyways, I understand things happen, and I will still order from Amazon because they are a great company and usually provide great service. But I just thought I should share my honest experience for this order.
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