Customer Reviews

Panasonic TC-P65V10 65-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Pros: 65" is a great size for my living room, and the picture quality allows you to feel that you're there. A seated newscaster looks the same size as if they were on the other side of a window. The custom pro pic adjustments make any source look great!

Cons: As with all plasmas, the light reflection can be annoying. It is certainly watchable in the daytime with the shades open, but a bit distracting. The THX mode default is "HD Size 2" 100% scan, which introduces some edge noise with some sources (cable)

Summary: I've been waiting for months for the 65 inch V10 to become available. Almost pre-ordered it online several times, but was leary of ordering before it was in stock. Happened into Best Buy on Fri Aug 21 and saw the 58" on display. Asked about the 65" and found out the store had just received one that day and intended to set it up for display the next day. After a short negotiation I had secured this first set for $3899 ($100 off MSRP) and had it delivered free on the following Tuesday. First thing I did after setting it up was to switch the picture setting from Vivid to THX and the picture was amazing. Flipped through a few channels and watched some dark scenes from shows on my DVR that I had been saving just for this purpose. The clarity in low light scenes better than I had imagined. I have played with the custom pro picture settings some, but haven't spent enough time to get it looking better than THX yet. I have enjoyed the Viera Cast features, especially the weather and YouTube. I was watching a movie on cable and started wondering what other movies had the same director. I paused the show, switched to YouTube and looked up the director's name and watched a few clips of him taling about the movie I was watching and a few others he had directed, then went back and watched the rest of the movie. It was nice to be able to do this without having to pull out my laptop. I was also impressed with the picture quality from YouTube, even when I put it on full screen (I don't think most YT videos are prepared to be displayed at 65", but it still looked pretty clear!) I haven't rented a movie from the Amazon download service yet, but I'll have to try it. I can't believe that the picture will equal BluRay though- which reminds me... For some reason it was nearly three days of watching this set before I remembered that I hadn't see a BluRay disk on it. I had been too caught up playing with the settings and Viera Cast and setting up my Harmony report (which is a little tricky to get set up for Viera Cast because I wanted the direction pad to control the DRV when watching cable and to control the TV when using VC, but I figured it out.) Anyway, I finally got around to putting in a BluRay disc and the picture went to a whole other level - like nothing I'd seen before. Going back to Comcast compressed 1080i HD signal after BluRay was like looking through a mist. Now I can't rent BR movies fast enough. I almost want to stop watching my favorite shows on TV and wait for the season to come out on BluRay.
Well, if you're still reading- I love this TV -I want to stop writing now, go close the shades and start watching.

Let's start by asking why you want this tv? LCD tv's are lighter, use less energy, costs have come way down, no screen burn in to worry about. However, Plasma tv's are still cheaper, have greater viewing angles, and produce vastly better picture quality. LCD's have come a long way, but they can not reproduce the deep, rich blacks of a plasma. I waited thru a back-order status to get this. Everything I read said that the Pioneer Elite is the best plasma you can buy(for $7000!). Not wanting to spend that, the second best was supposedly this tv. However, I still would not pay $4000. That's why I was shocked to see that my local big-box retailer had it for $2900!! For that it's worth every penny. LCD tv's produce pictures that are bright, crisp, and sharp. Well, I don't like that. Real life is not sharp and crisp, but soft and textured. The picture produced by LCD's seems fake to me. Most often, you'll find LCD's displaying animated films in store demo mode. The reason is b/c animated films are supposed to be sharp and creased and bright, and are good matches for LCD's. I like films, and plasma's do a much better job displaying them. So, why should you buy this model, and not a lower model? What are the main differences? Well, this model is capable of displaying 1080P 24fps(frames per second) at 24hz(the refresh rate of the pic), lower models do not have this capability. What this means, is that it is a perfect match for Blu-ray. Most films are shot in 24fps 24hz. If the tv can't display that, it must "convert" the signal to it's native resolution to display the film. That can mean less smooth motion, and can introduce "noise" into the picture. Broadcast tv doesn't run at 1080P 24 fps, only Blu-Ray films. So, this tv is for serious movie buffs only who will be playing plenty of Blu-Ray films. If you only want to watch tv, or dvd, you can easily get a lower model, such as the G10. This tv is not for the tech inept. It is loaded with features, and is capable of so many adjustments that non-pros can easily get lost. The remote is pathetic. It's non-universal, and won't control any other components, unless they are also Panasonic, and have the proprietary Viera Link. For a tv this expensive, it's expected you'll have a universal remote. Only the Vol and Chan buttons are backlit. There are 6 "modes" to watch. Standard, Game, Vivid, Studio-Reference, THX, and Custom. I use Studio-Ref, as I find THX too sepia toned, Standard too washed out, VIVID and Game too bright(tho Vivid is useful for brightly lit rooms). There is a C.A.T.S system, which automatically adjusts brightness depending on ambient lighting. I leave this off. You'd think that in bright rooms it would get brighter, but it actually gets dimmer?! These days, plasma's are less susceptible to burn-in, but jic, there's 2 modes of anti-image retention. You can have a scrolling bar go across the tv, or have a "random pixel orbiter" to help. There's an eco-energy saving mode, which puts a timer on the tv to turn-off if there's no signal for a certain amount of time. You can set different levels of block noise and mosquito noise reduction. You can set different black levels from dim to bright, and there are 2 different sizes for HD. Sometimes, broadcast tv has digital info on the screen edges that show up as a "crawl" on the edge. Adjusting the size can eliminate that. There are multiple audio settings as well. There's an automatic volume control that keeps the volume at the same level(sometimes commercials are louder-this prevents that). There's also a simulated 3d sound field. Let's face it tho, if you buy this, it's expected you'll have a surround set-up, and not rely on the tv's speakers. There's plenty of inputs;4 HDMI(including 1 on the side for ease in wall-mounting) PC inputs, sd card input, and plenty of analog. The worst con of this tv is reflection. This tv is supposed to have an anti-glare screen, but even when my small 25 watt lamp is on, I can see it reflected on the screen. Otherwise, the picture is outstanding. There is superb black level performance, great color quality, and smooth motion. With my Oppo BDP83, the picture is stunning. With regular tv, there is still false-contouring artifacts aplenty(best way to describe this is seeing "rings" of distortion when watching, say, a light in a fog bank). Watching HD Theater, a 1080i channel, the picture is amazing. There is very little "noise", colors are accurately rendered, and there are deep, rich blacks. I recommend this to anyone who wants the best of what's currently available. That means 1080P Blu-Ray movies, and HD TV, and surround sound with universal remote. If you just want regular dvd, and lots of TV, go with the G10 model, and save money. Oh, and I will definitely be having an ISF tech calibrate this, as it has so many adjustments that even a techno-phile like me is a bit overwhelmed.

This is a wonderful TV. I used to have a 65" LCD (LC-65D93U) for the past two years and 10 days ago I upgraded to TC-P65V10. I used a set of break-in slides for 180 hours (to age the color phosphors and get it ready for professional calibration). Finally, it was calibrated today and WOW!!!! The picture quality is unbelievable. Maybe the best A/V purchase I've ever made.

I received my 65V10 about 2 weeks ago and am very satisfied with the picture set on THX mode. I was able to find this review on the 50V10 which is very thorough [...].

Perhaps one of the best features is the THX mode. By selecting this setting I can pretty much rest assured the TV is at near peak settings. This means no calibration necessary which appeals to a low Video tech guy like me. My engineering degree is not in that field.

Also, if one Googles WHITE PAPER PLASMA one finds an excellent independent comparison of plasma, LCD and DLPs funded by Pioneer. I am moving up from a seven year old 57" Hatachi DLP. There is a significant step change in clarity, detail and color. I believe a LCD or even a DLP is brighter than the plasma but the plasma is sufficiently bright for my interior room. As they say the blacks are indeed very black.

With my DLP upgrade, I actually found the 65V10 used less space when one considers that all components can be placed under the TV while some components require side placement with my old DLP. The 65" does not look particularly big for my nominal 15' by 20' room with corner installation.

I am a little miffed with the TV's internet capability since I can get there anyway with the PS3 I purchased specifically for Blu-Ray, a choice I do not regret for a primarily non-gamer family. The PS3 has wireless capability right out of the box. Suspect I will understand the 65V10's capability better as time goes on and I have a chance to add a wireless receiver to the TV (it requires a hard connection to tap the internet connection)

The colors and detail are extraordinary are amazing and as I say I am very satisfied.

Based on the reviews and blogs I believe the burnin concern is a non issue. I am treating the TV like I normally would, a little running of games, watching programs including bars (to a point on this one, can't miss World Series and FOX News) and generally not babying it. No ghosts to date. I believe some people have lttle to do, sorry guys.

I almost went with the 77UM sharp LCD but am not looking back. I'm sure it is a good TV also.

I bought this via a different online store - it was a few hundred dollard less at the time. I paid $2500 shipped and I now see Amazon has it for the same price. Here are a few paragraphs about my Panasonic V10. I have owned it for 2 weeks now and will update this review from time to time as I get more hours logged with it.

Picture Quality:

This is by far the most important reason for owning a large TV. We want to WATCH something, forget about the sound, the remote or any other aspect - everything else is secondary. I was concerned about the black level fade but I have researched and found this problem to be mostly with the smaller sized Plasmas. I can only hope that this set keeps the blacks as they are. Additionally, I have read that most people cannot notice the change in blacks. I will update when I hit 1000 hours. Plasmas still have the best picture reproduction and black levels or they display the blackest blacks very well. This Panasonic does an expection al job. I watched Batman Begins (MANY dark scenes)and Star Trek in Blue Ray. Just AMAZING.

SIDE NOTE:

1. Something I didn't know is that any Blue Ray that was filmed in a different aspect ratio MAY still have BLACK BARS, some DVDs and Blue Ray movies are not transposed to 16:9 and so their are still black bars. You can ZOOM on the Panasonic but then you get some of the picture cut off and the zooming can cause less than perfect picture. NOT the fault of the TV, it was just disappointing that we still can't get the FULL screen experience in WIDESCREEN with a WIDESCREEN TV. Why can't the movie industry get onboard and realize that everyone is WATCHING in 16:9 these days. Small annoyance on my end. I don't like black bars or Letterbox formats.

2. REGULAR, STANDARD Definition TV LOOKS LIKE CRAP! I watch more standard definition TV. NOT the fault of the TV, just means I need to look at upping my DISH Network package. I think standard looks WORSE on this set than on a smaller set - pehaps because it is blown up? Not sure. Too bad not all channels are HD yet. Wish it was just HD for the entire channel set and not just a few. ANd I wish it didn't cost so much extra.

Back to the review, DVDs look excellent as well. I have a Panasonic DVD/BLUE RAY (BD-60 or something) and it upscales nicely. I watch standard TV in Vivid with the color turned down a bit and a few other tweaks. I watch the movies and HD in THX with the brightness up a bit and add a bit more color and a few other tweaks.

The screen is massive and I really do enjoy the experience. I sit about 10 feet from my TV. I have it wall mounted. I wish this had a fully lit remote, other than that I think this is an awesome TV. No doubt it has the best picture I have ever seen and it is better than my brothers LCD Sony and WAY better than my old Sony 32 inch Standard. I will update when I think of any other review points that will help someone else make a purchasing decision. I think this model is being discontinued and 2010 should be the end of the V series. I think a new "model" is out now that is 3d and has a 5,000,000 infinate black ratio or contrast ratio... CAN you really tell? Happy viewing.

After about two months of research and extensive digging into reviews, stores and technology there were only two options, the Pioneer 60 inch Plasma (which I have to admit is a tad bit better) or this TV. There is nothing that even comes close if you want what TV's is for - picture quality. If you like the fake colors and railway station like huge bright screen then LCD might be the way to go, but this TV is classy, rich, vivid and crystal freaking clear. Its quite an upgrade over the S or the G models Panasonic makes and with the dropping prices is a great great buy. The only thing that is not right about it is a few bell and whistles about remote and that it aint free.

This is a killer set. I was going with a Pioneer Elite but as you may know,pioneer is out of the market and since Panasonic was making the panels I went with the TCP65V10. Blu-Ray is outstanding and even with my older Denon DVD player standard DVD's look great. The black level is the best I've seen and the colors are right on the money. All in all you can't go wrong. Using coupon WS920X5750 at Electronics expo you can get the set shipped for under $2900!

From out of the box, to hung on the wall, it worked with out a problem. The color needed no adjustments. The blacks are really black.It replaced a 5 year old Runco 61 inch giving much better colors, blacks and easer installation. A great product at a reasonable price. We do not need any re-adjustments after 120 hours. We have had large plasma and projector tv's since their inception (25 yr starting with Advent) and know great from marginal.

I am a study freak when purchasing a TV, the black levels are unreal, the picture quality is off the charts. I have a 42 inch led Samsung in my bedroom, and my new Panasonic 65 inch Plasma blows it away, and that's hard to do. If you are looking for a big tv, look no further.

I'll tell you I was a little hesitant to replace my Pioneer PDP 5010 plasma because of the excellent picture it has but I wanted a larger picture and I am not disappointed in the least. The picture is excellent and it hasn't even been calibrated yet. I said the same thing about the pioneer and after it was calibrated watch out the picture go even better and I am expecting the same from the Panasonic. If you are having any doubts about this TV... don't worry this is the best set out there is no doubt in my mind.