Frequently Bought Together
Technical Details
- 65-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; 1080 lines of moving picture resolution
- 600Hz Sub-field Drive technology for superb full-HD motion; 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
- VIERA Image Viewer for JPEG image slideshows directly from an SD memory card
- Inputs: 3 HDMI, 2 component, 2 composite, 1 digital audio output
- Includes removable stand; measures 62 x 40 x 16.4 inches with stand
Product Details
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Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 65-inch VIERA TC-P65S2 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This S2 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.
 This and other models in the S2 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote. Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements. And you'll get a long Plasma panel life of up to 100,000 hours--more than 30 years of viewing when watched 8 hours a day--before the brightness of the panel decreases to half.
|  Panasonic's VIERA S2 series Plasma HDTV. |
Key Features
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Key Specifications
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Connections
Dimensions
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What's in the Box
Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions| Series: | VT25 Plasma | GT25 Plasma | G25 Plasma | S2 Plasma | U2 Plasma | C2 Plasma | U22 LCD | X2 LCD | C22 LCD |
| Models: | TC-P54VT25 54" TC-P50VT25 50" | TC-P50GT25 50" TC-P42GT25 42" | TC-P54G25 54" TC-P50G25 50" TC-P46G25 46" TC-P42G25 42" | TC-P65S2 65" TC-P58S2 58" TC-P54S2 54" TC-P50S2 50" TC-P46S2 46" TC-P42S2 42" | TC-P50U2 50" TC-P42U2 42" | TC-P50C2 50" TC-P46C2 46" TC-P42C2 42" | TC-L42U22 42" TC-L37U22 37" TC-L32U22 32" | TC-L37X2 37" TC-L32X2 32" TC-L22X2 22" | TC-L37C22 37" TC-L32C22 32" |
| VIERA Cast |  | | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| VIERA Image Viewer | (AVCHD/MPEG2/JPEG/MP3 playback) | (AVCHD/MPEG2/JPEG/MP3 playback) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) |
| VIERA Link | webcam capable | webcam capable | webcam capable | | | | | | |
| NeoPDP Panel | -- | -- | | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| THX Display | | | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Contrast Ratio | Infinite Black Pro / 5,000,000:1 Native | Infinite Black / 5,000,000:1 Native | Infinite Black / 5,000,000:1 Native | Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 | Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 | Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 | Dynamic: 20,000:1 | Dynamic: 20,000:1 22": 15,000:1 | Dynamic: 18,000:1 |
| Moving Picture Resolution | 1080 lines | 1080 lines | 1080 lines | 1080 lines | 900 lines | 720 lines | -- | -- | -- |
| Anti-Reflective Filter | | | | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Display Capabilities | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 720p, 480p | 720p, 480p |
| 600Hz Sub-field Drive | | | | | | | -- | -- | -- |
| Game Mode | | | | | | -- | -- | | -- |
| Speakers | 3; 30W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total 22": 6W | 2; 20W total |
| Surround Sound | | | | | | | | | |
| HDMI input | 4 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) | 2 | 3 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) 22": 1 | 2 |
| Component input (Y, PB, PR) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Composite input | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) 22": 1 | 2 |
| PC input | 1 (side) | 1 (side) | 1 (side) | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB | 2 | 2 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ethernet LAN input | 1 | 1 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Digital Audio output | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| iPod Universal Dock | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | | -- |
| Energy Star | | | | | | | | | |
| Series: | VT25 Plasma | GT25 Plasma | G25 Plasma | S2 Plasma | U2 Plasma | C2 Plasma | U22 LCD | X2 LCD | C22 LCD |
Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?
 | With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get.
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Product Description
Our new VIERA S1 Series Plasma HDTVs are perfect for sports and cinema-quality movies. Our Neo PDP technology delivers sharp, detailed images, deep blacks and remarkable brightness, and all with lower power consumption.
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.
VIERA Image Viewer
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.
VIERA Link
VIERA Link allows interconnected operation of various AV devices using only the VIERA remote control, by simply connecting the devices to each other by an HDMI cable.
High Contrast (Native 40,000:1)
New VIERA models incorporate an improved panel production process and the new Real Black Drive system. A pre-discharge control system, the Real Black Drive system combines with NeoPDP technology to achieve next-generation black reproduction. When you're watching movies, VIERA renders images just the way the director intended, even in scenes where it's difficult to achieve a proper balance of light and dark.
Wide Color Viewing Angle
View breathtaking images with rich, vivid colors from anywhere in the room. Because plasma TVs are self-illuminating, images look beautiful from any angle. Black areas do not fade, and colors look virtua
Available Warranties or Services for This TV
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
284 of 289 people found the following review helpful
I've spent the last 2 months researching my next television purchase. I'm one of those people that over-researches the pros and cons of any major purchase. I specifically set out at the beginning of my research to purchase a television for my finished basement. Since I can easily control ambient light pretty much any display technology was on the table - Plasma, LCD, LED-LCD, DLP, etc. I love the picture quality of DLP sets but ultimately decided to rule out that technology mainly because of the size (width) and the fact that I would eventually need to replace a bulb. I decided against traditional CCFL LCD displays too despite owning a Sharp Aquos LC46D84U. That essentially left me with LED-LCD and Plasma technology. After going back and forth I finally ended up deciding to go with Plasma. I think ultimately the deciding factors for me were the overall picture quality and cost.
I've been using my TC65S2 for about the last 2 weeks and I'm absolutely floored by the picture quality. I'm actually surprised at how much better the display looks than my Sharp Aquos. Black levels are incredibly detailed, inky-black that leaves my Aquos' display looking like it can only generate gray instead of a true black level. Out of the box the TV came on 'vivid' setting which makes colors impressively "pop" on-screen, however, it somewhat distorts flesh-tones and makes people appear a bit orange. I used my DVE HD Basics calibration disc and calibrated my TC65S2 myself. It's probably not as good as a professional calibration but I feel satisfied enough with the results.
The TV comes with additional pre-settings such as 'Cinema' and 'Game'. I've used both and I'm happy to say that the settings are actually useful. I use a PS3 for both gaming and watching Blu-ray movies. The cinema setting on BD movie playback tones down the overall brightness and gives movies a 'warm' color setting similar to movie theaters. The 'Game' setting is impressive too and maintains a good black level while increasing the overall color levels. I can honestly say that after playing God of War 3 on my Aquos and again on this set, it's like playing a different game. There are many areas in GoW3 that are extremely dark and I'm now noticing details that just weren't there with my Aquos. Everything looks cleaner, more detailed and colors are more accurate.
Aesthetically, Panasonic seems to trail Samsung, Sony and Sharp. While those companies have invested significantly in the looks over everything from their bezel to the remote, Panasonic maintains a cleaner and simpler look. Personally I don't have a problem with the subdued look - I'm more interested in the picture quality than anything else. That said the TV does have a pleasant piano-black glossy finish. That continues with the rather simple wedge-shaped stand that is included. The remote unfortunately leaves something to be desired. Perhaps most importantly it is not back-lit. Simple things like adjusting the volume in a dark room are easy due to the shape of the particular key, however, changing the input for example is not. I believe that the G-2x & VT Panasonic plasmas do offer a better & back-lit remote. After the first week or so I finally had the time to program my Harmony for my new TV and I won't miss the Panasonic remote at all.
The included television speakers are adequate but nothing impressive. Honestly, at 65" I think most folks that purchase a set like this are doing so for a home theater and have surround sound. I used the included speakers for about a day before I switched over to my home theater speakers.
Feature wise the S2 might be called "bare-bones" by some. Personally I was on the fence about getting a G25 or jumping up to the VT (3D) series. Ultimately though I think 2 things swayed me to the S2. First the size; I wanted to create a home theater setting and the G25 tops out at 54". Panasonic does make a 65" VT25 that is full-HD 3D, however, that set is around the $4000 dollar mark. With such limited 3D offerings currently on the market I just couldn't justify the price. Second, the extra bells and whistles in the more expensive sets like the G25 and VT series are nice though I'm not sure how often I'd watch YouTube videos or listen to Pandora radio on my TV. The Netflix integration is probably the best feature, however, I'm already getting that with my PS3. For someone looking for a TV with a great picture and not really interested in peripheral features, the S2 is the way to go!
Lastly, for those not aware Panasonic was recently in a bit of a scandal - at least as far as AV enthusiasts go - with their plasma sets. It seems that after varying degrees of usage Panasonic plasma TVs started losing their deep-black level. There is a lot of discussion on various AV sites about the severity of the issue but as noted by CNET's reviewing editors it does happen and it is an issue with the 2009 and earlier sets. For the S2, Panasonic is using a new Neo-PDP panel and it remains to be seen what will happen. This was an issue that nearly derailed my purchase of this set. However, after reading more into the issue and the fact that the change is gradual - not something that happens overnight - I felt like I could go ahead and make the purchase. I'll follow up in the months to come to this review and make comments as necessary. I'm hoping that with the 2010 sets Panasonic was able to mitigate the problem. Time will tell.
Other information:
- In the box this TV weighs in at 165lbs! The TV alone weighs 123lbs and 137lbs with the included stand. Be sure to have adequate help when setting up this TV! Fortunately Panasonic designed hand grips into the back of the set to make is somewhat less unwieldy.
- I've noticed that when using HDMI directly to my PS3 I can utilize some of the Viera-Link features. For example when I switch my television input to my PS3 it automatically powers on my PS3. Kind of a neat feature that I thought was only compatible with Panasonic products that are Viera-Link enabled.
- This features 3x HDMI inputs and 2x Component inputs. There are additional inputs for composite and SDHC. The S2 series lacks a lot of the additional inputs that you gain with the G2x or VT series like USB, ethernet, RS232C, PC, etc.
- For such a large plasma television, the S2 does not generate as much heat as I expected. Even after recently watching a long movie and then a World Cup soccer match the TV wasn't hot.
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UPDATE 7/5/10:
One minor annoyance I just noticed today is that the volume controls are not unique to the input. Not a big deal if you're using a home theater setup as the TV volume wouldn't matter - just something that I noticed will tinkering around with my set.
I've been using my TC65S2 for about the last 2 weeks and I'm absolutely floored by the picture quality. I'm actually surprised at how much better the display looks than my Sharp Aquos. Black levels are incredibly detailed, inky-black that leaves my Aquos' display looking like it can only generate gray instead of a true black level. Out of the box the TV came on 'vivid' setting which makes colors impressively "pop" on-screen, however, it somewhat distorts flesh-tones and makes people appear a bit orange. I used my DVE HD Basics calibration disc and calibrated my TC65S2 myself. It's probably not as good as a professional calibration but I feel satisfied enough with the results.
The TV comes with additional pre-settings such as 'Cinema' and 'Game'. I've used both and I'm happy to say that the settings are actually useful. I use a PS3 for both gaming and watching Blu-ray movies. The cinema setting on BD movie playback tones down the overall brightness and gives movies a 'warm' color setting similar to movie theaters. The 'Game' setting is impressive too and maintains a good black level while increasing the overall color levels. I can honestly say that after playing God of War 3 on my Aquos and again on this set, it's like playing a different game. There are many areas in GoW3 that are extremely dark and I'm now noticing details that just weren't there with my Aquos. Everything looks cleaner, more detailed and colors are more accurate.
Aesthetically, Panasonic seems to trail Samsung, Sony and Sharp. While those companies have invested significantly in the looks over everything from their bezel to the remote, Panasonic maintains a cleaner and simpler look. Personally I don't have a problem with the subdued look - I'm more interested in the picture quality than anything else. That said the TV does have a pleasant piano-black glossy finish. That continues with the rather simple wedge-shaped stand that is included. The remote unfortunately leaves something to be desired. Perhaps most importantly it is not back-lit. Simple things like adjusting the volume in a dark room are easy due to the shape of the particular key, however, changing the input for example is not. I believe that the G-2x & VT Panasonic plasmas do offer a better & back-lit remote. After the first week or so I finally had the time to program my Harmony for my new TV and I won't miss the Panasonic remote at all.
The included television speakers are adequate but nothing impressive. Honestly, at 65" I think most folks that purchase a set like this are doing so for a home theater and have surround sound. I used the included speakers for about a day before I switched over to my home theater speakers.
Feature wise the S2 might be called "bare-bones" by some. Personally I was on the fence about getting a G25 or jumping up to the VT (3D) series. Ultimately though I think 2 things swayed me to the S2. First the size; I wanted to create a home theater setting and the G25 tops out at 54". Panasonic does make a 65" VT25 that is full-HD 3D, however, that set is around the $4000 dollar mark. With such limited 3D offerings currently on the market I just couldn't justify the price. Second, the extra bells and whistles in the more expensive sets like the G25 and VT series are nice though I'm not sure how often I'd watch YouTube videos or listen to Pandora radio on my TV. The Netflix integration is probably the best feature, however, I'm already getting that with my PS3. For someone looking for a TV with a great picture and not really interested in peripheral features, the S2 is the way to go!
Lastly, for those not aware Panasonic was recently in a bit of a scandal - at least as far as AV enthusiasts go - with their plasma sets. It seems that after varying degrees of usage Panasonic plasma TVs started losing their deep-black level. There is a lot of discussion on various AV sites about the severity of the issue but as noted by CNET's reviewing editors it does happen and it is an issue with the 2009 and earlier sets. For the S2, Panasonic is using a new Neo-PDP panel and it remains to be seen what will happen. This was an issue that nearly derailed my purchase of this set. However, after reading more into the issue and the fact that the change is gradual - not something that happens overnight - I felt like I could go ahead and make the purchase. I'll follow up in the months to come to this review and make comments as necessary. I'm hoping that with the 2010 sets Panasonic was able to mitigate the problem. Time will tell.
Other information:
- In the box this TV weighs in at 165lbs! The TV alone weighs 123lbs and 137lbs with the included stand. Be sure to have adequate help when setting up this TV! Fortunately Panasonic designed hand grips into the back of the set to make is somewhat less unwieldy.
- I've noticed that when using HDMI directly to my PS3 I can utilize some of the Viera-Link features. For example when I switch my television input to my PS3 it automatically powers on my PS3. Kind of a neat feature that I thought was only compatible with Panasonic products that are Viera-Link enabled.
- This features 3x HDMI inputs and 2x Component inputs. There are additional inputs for composite and SDHC. The S2 series lacks a lot of the additional inputs that you gain with the G2x or VT series like USB, ethernet, RS232C, PC, etc.
- For such a large plasma television, the S2 does not generate as much heat as I expected. Even after recently watching a long movie and then a World Cup soccer match the TV wasn't hot.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE 7/5/10:
One minor annoyance I just noticed today is that the volume controls are not unique to the input. Not a big deal if you're using a home theater setup as the TV volume wouldn't matter - just something that I noticed will tinkering around with my set.
76 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this TV based on Raul's review. Thank you! I bought it on 8-20 and it was up and running in my home on 8-25. The delivery service was CEVA. They are a first class service, and sent two really nice guys to lug it upstairs and unpack it. The TV was not damaged anywhere, and they handled it with care.
I connected it to all my stuff, and the picture was great right out of the box. My calibration was a minor tweaking of some of the settings. The picture was bright and clear, with perfect color. Blu Ray movies are even better than I watched on my old Samsung 61 inch LED.
We are amazed at the picture, especially at this price. This is a true bargain.
Some people were disappointed by the 3 HDMI inputs. Well maybe one more would have been nice, but that problem can be solved with a receiver with multiple HDMI inputs or a lossless switch. Raul and others have done great reviews so no need to get into a lot of the technical aspects. I just wanted people to know who are considering this TV, to buy it. You don't have to be an electronics wizard to get a great picture.
UPDATE: After enjoying this TV for the past 5 months, a very loud pop occurred when turning it on. I've had this experience before with Panasonic Plasma TV's. It's usually a power transformer which renders the TV useless. While it is still under warranty, I found Panasonic often doesn't have the parts to fix it, or it takes weeks to get the parts when they can. I immediately called Panasonic service. I must say they were helpful and gave me confidence it might be different this time. On the front of the TV, there is a red power light. It now blinks in a sequence. They had me count the number of blinks which was seven. Apparenly there is a system when something goes wrong that these blink sequesnces tells them something about the problem. To their credit, they are coming out this Friday hopefully with parts to fix it. Needless to say, I am very disappointed and hope it can be fixed in a reasonable amount of time. I love this TV. Bumped it down to 2 stars due to a major break down in such a short period of time. After researching, apparently there is a well known problem with all Panasonic Plasmas called the "seven blinking lights of death"! It is always the faulty power boards. You can see for yourself on Yahoo or Google...Just search the seven blinking lights of death...I hope I will have something positive to report after my service call tomorrow. Come to think of it, the Panasonic customer service rep seemed to know exactly what the problem was once I counted the blinking lights for him. This problem from what I can see has been going on for several years. You'd think they would have found a fix for the problem.
2nd update...Panasonic repair was supposed to arrive today between 11 and 2pm. At 1:00 they called and said, duhhhhhhhhh, we can still come but we don't have the parts. We need to reschedule. I can still come if you like. As expected, we were sure they wouldn't fix this problem in an efficient manner.
3rd update Monday 1-31...TV REPAIR ARRIVED WITH only one of possible three parts to fix the TV. Two are on backorder and will take 1-3 weeks. They come from Japan. Could we get lucky and the part they brought fixes the TV? Of course not...This keeps getting worse and worse.
4th update..2-1...Called Panasonic..These are really nice people in service that get dumped on by angry customers. I put her at ease and told her in no way should anyone blame them for their company's lack of parts to repair TV's. She was grateful for that. In fact she said she was going to elevate my situation to a higher level and would receive a call shortly...Um, no call...I can't say I' surprised.
I will finish this up by saying Amazon is an honorable good place to buy almost anything. This TV is a great buy with a beautiful picture. Chances are you won't have the problems I've had, but I surely can't recommend it any longer or anything Panasonic.
2-4 Last update...Panasonic called me to say that my parts are now on backorder and it will take about 3 more weeks to get the parts, then send them to the repair place that is handling this. Bottom line..If something goes wrong with your TV, do you want to go through this? Panasonic sells more than 2,500,000 tv's a year in the US. Does it make sense that they usually don't have essential parts readily available here let alone Japan?
This TV now cost 500.00 MORE than what I paid. I have heard the newer model will be released in 4-11. This model is on it's last legs and at this price no longer a good buy.
2-15...Now the cost is 2999.00. That's a thousand more than what I paid, and 400.00 over retail!!!!
I connected it to all my stuff, and the picture was great right out of the box. My calibration was a minor tweaking of some of the settings. The picture was bright and clear, with perfect color. Blu Ray movies are even better than I watched on my old Samsung 61 inch LED.
We are amazed at the picture, especially at this price. This is a true bargain.
Some people were disappointed by the 3 HDMI inputs. Well maybe one more would have been nice, but that problem can be solved with a receiver with multiple HDMI inputs or a lossless switch. Raul and others have done great reviews so no need to get into a lot of the technical aspects. I just wanted people to know who are considering this TV, to buy it. You don't have to be an electronics wizard to get a great picture.
UPDATE: After enjoying this TV for the past 5 months, a very loud pop occurred when turning it on. I've had this experience before with Panasonic Plasma TV's. It's usually a power transformer which renders the TV useless. While it is still under warranty, I found Panasonic often doesn't have the parts to fix it, or it takes weeks to get the parts when they can. I immediately called Panasonic service. I must say they were helpful and gave me confidence it might be different this time. On the front of the TV, there is a red power light. It now blinks in a sequence. They had me count the number of blinks which was seven. Apparenly there is a system when something goes wrong that these blink sequesnces tells them something about the problem. To their credit, they are coming out this Friday hopefully with parts to fix it. Needless to say, I am very disappointed and hope it can be fixed in a reasonable amount of time. I love this TV. Bumped it down to 2 stars due to a major break down in such a short period of time. After researching, apparently there is a well known problem with all Panasonic Plasmas called the "seven blinking lights of death"! It is always the faulty power boards. You can see for yourself on Yahoo or Google...Just search the seven blinking lights of death...I hope I will have something positive to report after my service call tomorrow. Come to think of it, the Panasonic customer service rep seemed to know exactly what the problem was once I counted the blinking lights for him. This problem from what I can see has been going on for several years. You'd think they would have found a fix for the problem.
2nd update...Panasonic repair was supposed to arrive today between 11 and 2pm. At 1:00 they called and said, duhhhhhhhhh, we can still come but we don't have the parts. We need to reschedule. I can still come if you like. As expected, we were sure they wouldn't fix this problem in an efficient manner.
3rd update Monday 1-31...TV REPAIR ARRIVED WITH only one of possible three parts to fix the TV. Two are on backorder and will take 1-3 weeks. They come from Japan. Could we get lucky and the part they brought fixes the TV? Of course not...This keeps getting worse and worse.
4th update..2-1...Called Panasonic..These are really nice people in service that get dumped on by angry customers. I put her at ease and told her in no way should anyone blame them for their company's lack of parts to repair TV's. She was grateful for that. In fact she said she was going to elevate my situation to a higher level and would receive a call shortly...Um, no call...I can't say I' surprised.
I will finish this up by saying Amazon is an honorable good place to buy almost anything. This TV is a great buy with a beautiful picture. Chances are you won't have the problems I've had, but I surely can't recommend it any longer or anything Panasonic.
2-4 Last update...Panasonic called me to say that my parts are now on backorder and it will take about 3 more weeks to get the parts, then send them to the repair place that is handling this. Bottom line..If something goes wrong with your TV, do you want to go through this? Panasonic sells more than 2,500,000 tv's a year in the US. Does it make sense that they usually don't have essential parts readily available here let alone Japan?
This TV now cost 500.00 MORE than what I paid. I have heard the newer model will be released in 4-11. This model is on it's last legs and at this price no longer a good buy.
2-15...Now the cost is 2999.00. That's a thousand more than what I paid, and 400.00 over retail!!!!
62 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
We got the TV a week ago, did the 100 hour burn in using software available for free online. Then, a day spent calibrating it to our taste and when all that was done, we had a spectacular picture, especially sing our BR player. We have owned a Panasonic Plasma for four years now, no burned out pixels, no quality issues at all, hopefully this one will be equally as reliable.
For those that want to use this with your PC, understand that this is a next generation TV and isn't going to interface to a normal video card. If your PC is current, it may well have an HDMI port on it and then this TV will work just fine. Or, if your Blu-Ray player is Internet ready, you will be able to download movies to it and watch them on the TV.
The sound quality from the TV is marginal at best, I'm not even sure why they put speakers in the set. I can't imagine anyone buying a set this size and not using a home theater setup with it. When played through our Onkyo system, who cares about the TV speakers.
If you're like me, you've probably researched LCD, LED, HDLP and Plasma and in sets this size, the transitional capability is much better than the other technologies in my opinion. No matter the level of the set, every LCD/LED set I previewed had momentary blurring in fast action scenes like sports. I get none of that on the plasma set. Although our media room allows for the proper viewing angle from every seat, you can get well outside the ideal range and the plasma picture is still accurate and bright.
There is some glare off the screen in bright light but again, in a dedicated media room application, it's not an issue. The price of this set has been dropping pretty steadily so it's quite a bargain at under $2K. Do check it very carefully when delivered, including using a flashlight at an oblique angle on the screen to detect any hairline cracks. It wasn't a problem with mine but have heard of screen being broken in transit and hard to detect small cracks in normal light.
I think Panasonic owns the plasma field and this is a another step up in what they offer.
Update 12/27/2011
Now had the TV for well over a year and it continues to perform flawlessly. Had a huge Superbowl party last year and people were blown away by this TV in a media room environment. Some of those same folks own LCD and LED sets and couldn't believe how much better the plasma was for sports.
Haven't had any of the issues described by others, colors remain very brilliant and have not had to recalibrate the TV at all. Of course, now there are 80" direct view monsters on the market so maybe in another year, this one will get relegated to the family room and a different set for the theater. It probably runs no more than 20 hours a week maximum and so it may have performed differently if it was on for hours and hours every day.
I noticed a couple of comments from folks wondering about the 100 hour burn in. If you go to avsforums.com, you'll find discussions about why you should do a burn in as well as the software to use. There are also instructions there on how to calibrate this TV to get the colors and blacks perfect.
For those that want to use this with your PC, understand that this is a next generation TV and isn't going to interface to a normal video card. If your PC is current, it may well have an HDMI port on it and then this TV will work just fine. Or, if your Blu-Ray player is Internet ready, you will be able to download movies to it and watch them on the TV.
The sound quality from the TV is marginal at best, I'm not even sure why they put speakers in the set. I can't imagine anyone buying a set this size and not using a home theater setup with it. When played through our Onkyo system, who cares about the TV speakers.
If you're like me, you've probably researched LCD, LED, HDLP and Plasma and in sets this size, the transitional capability is much better than the other technologies in my opinion. No matter the level of the set, every LCD/LED set I previewed had momentary blurring in fast action scenes like sports. I get none of that on the plasma set. Although our media room allows for the proper viewing angle from every seat, you can get well outside the ideal range and the plasma picture is still accurate and bright.
There is some glare off the screen in bright light but again, in a dedicated media room application, it's not an issue. The price of this set has been dropping pretty steadily so it's quite a bargain at under $2K. Do check it very carefully when delivered, including using a flashlight at an oblique angle on the screen to detect any hairline cracks. It wasn't a problem with mine but have heard of screen being broken in transit and hard to detect small cracks in normal light.
I think Panasonic owns the plasma field and this is a another step up in what they offer.
Update 12/27/2011
Now had the TV for well over a year and it continues to perform flawlessly. Had a huge Superbowl party last year and people were blown away by this TV in a media room environment. Some of those same folks own LCD and LED sets and couldn't believe how much better the plasma was for sports.
Haven't had any of the issues described by others, colors remain very brilliant and have not had to recalibrate the TV at all. Of course, now there are 80" direct view monsters on the market so maybe in another year, this one will get relegated to the family room and a different set for the theater. It probably runs no more than 20 hours a week maximum and so it may have performed differently if it was on for hours and hours every day.
I noticed a couple of comments from folks wondering about the 100 hour burn in. If you go to avsforums.com, you'll find discussions about why you should do a burn in as well as the software to use. There are also instructions there on how to calibrate this TV to get the colors and blacks perfect.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
TV broke down 13 months after I bought it
Update:
Panasonic agreed to pay the $426 for parts if I pay the $200 for labor. Good enough.
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Until last week, I loved this TV. Read more
Panasonic agreed to pay the $426 for parts if I pay the $200 for labor. Good enough.
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Until last week, I loved this TV. Read more
Published 2 months ago by john w blackburn
Stay away from this
Stay away. This tv is perfect for the first few months you have it but there seems to be a problem with it after a couple of months. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mel
OK TV, dark movie scenes are terrible, ok proce
I will be honest I walked into the Best Buy last October 2010 and said "I would like the biggest TV you sell). Read more
Published 6 months ago by Kyle Daniels
Nothing beats a plasma
Any videophile will tell you that for the ultimate picture nothing beats a plasma, the blackest blacks and truest colors no rainbow effect as experienced on DLP no extra light as... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Miguel Lombana
Biggest and best TV for the price!!!!!
We purchased this model about 3 moths ago and absolutely love it! The blacks are black and the details and contrast are excellent. Read more
Published 13 months ago by C. Rankin
7 Red Blinking Flashes Of Death
TC-P65S2 is 9 months old. Got the ever dreaded 7 red blinking flashes of death last Friday. I get that electronics break. Read more
Published 14 months ago by 150FLAT
JUNK JUNK JUNK
Sorry to burst everyone's bubble.
I purchased this tv at American Electronics in Oct. 2010 for around $2000.00.
I was overall pleased with the purchase until Feb. Read more
I purchased this tv at American Electronics in Oct. 2010 for around $2000.00.
I was overall pleased with the purchase until Feb. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Sparklesstl
BEWARE: It's a nice TV...when it actually works
I experienced the EXACT same problem as Gerald Schoenburg. After about two months in service, the TV simply did not power on one day. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lumpydawg
Great price, fast delivery and the picture is outstanding
Panasonic TC-P65S2 65-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTVThe TV was delivered on time and was easy to mount on the stand. Read more
Published 15 months ago by S. Barron
AWESOME
I could not afford a $3,000 to $5,000 T.V. Wanted the best Big Screen that I could get around $2,000 or under. Researched for months every size and brand over 55". Every T.V. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Locksmith
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