Customer Reviews

Panasonic TCP58V10 58-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been looking to upgrade my old 42" plasma for over a year, and was tempted to get a current generation LCD because their images seem to "pop" in stores, whereas the latest plasmas appear dim by comparison. But after more than a year of research, viewing, and waiting, I decided to buy this set based on all the reviews I read online, especially on CNET and the AVS forums, which is where very knowledgeable audio-video consumers hang out. I could not be happier.

1. Before I get to my personal experience with this set, let me share a bit of my online and field research, which I hope is helpful. First of all, the general consensus on the AVS forums is that the the Panasonic V10 plasmas are among the top HDTVs--if not the top--in overall image quality and value of this generation, and that includes LCDs. Other online reviews, like that of CNET (for the 54V10) give them very high marks as well.

The alternatives I was seriously considering, including the latest and flashiest Samsung "LED" LCDs, were generating lots of complaints online about quality control and image problems. For much more money, the higher-end LCDs offer features like 240Hz processing and local backlighting or LED edge-lighting that try to catch up to the smooth motion and beautiful blacks of plasmas. But they can create other visual problems. 240Hz processing gives movies a "soap opera" look to them. I saw this in store on several expensive Samsung LCDs. Transformers did not look epic; it looked like it was filmed with a camcorder on a studio set. Local backlighting can lead to "clouding," where dark scenes are not evenly lit but have splotches of white (for the regions that are not locally dimmed in the scene). LED edge-lighting can led to a "flashlight" effect in dark scenes, where the sources of the edge lights appear from the corners of the the screen like flashlights. These lighting defects may not be visible in store lighting, but many purchasers have expressed dismay at seeing them in a darkened room at home.

So, for much less money, I got a plasma without any of these problems, and with beautiful colors and fluid motion that even the most expensive LCDs of this generation cannot match. The picture is gorgeous. Food Network HD looks so savory, and sports and gaming are amazing. Everything looks natural and pleasing, not plastic, too bright, or over saturated like many LCDs.

With blu-rays, the V10s can play movies at their native speed of 24 frames per second, which gives the same cinematic look that you see in theaters. As I mentioned, the higher-end LCDs, with their 240Hz rendering turned on, instead produce a "soap opera" look. In fact, many AVS forum posters recommend turning off this "premium" feature as a result. Watching Slumdog Millionaire on my 58V10 at times made me forget that I was at home rather than at the movies. Pixar films look amazing.

(Note: if you have a blu-ray player like a Playstation 3, be sure to allow it to output at 1080p/24Hz, and in the advanced picture menu on the V10 allow it to play at 96Hz (4x24Hz) and HD Size 2 to see blu-rays in true cinematic glory and 1080p resolution.)

2. A few words of advice about plasmas for first-time owners. First of all, don't be scared about burn-in or image retention. Burn-in is largely a thing of the past. However, on the safe side, you should turn down the contrast and brightness to 50 or below for the first 100 hours or so, when the phosphors are newer and more prone to image retention. The "standard" setting out of the box is fine for this, and looks quite nice, if a bit understated. You can find advice about how to "break-in" a plasma on the AVS forums. Basically, for the first 100 hours or so, dial down the settings, watch full screen HD, stretch standard definition (4:3) to fill the screen, vary your content, and avoid leaving on static images (e.g. CNN or ESPN logos, game stats, etc.) for too long.

Second, CNET has settings for the 50V10 that some swear by for bringing out the set's beautiful picture quality. You can start with those and adjust to your liking if you don't want to pay for calibration. For my part, after trying and tweaking the CNET settings, as well as some posted by other owners on the AVS forums, I returned to the standard settings and simply raised the contrast from 50 to 85. The result, in terms of color, contrast, and brightness, is very pleasing to my eyes.

Third, don't judge HDTVs based on what you see in stores. As noted, they crank up the settings like crazy to lure consumers, and LCDs cranked up have a lot more "pop" to them. But the lighting in your home is much different, and what may pop out at you in stores may burn your eyes over extended viewing at home. This is my second plasma, and I have a smaller Panasonic LCD at home as well. The plasmas look bright enough and plenty beautiful at home, and I prefer their natural colors and motions over the LCD. Think Venus de Milo versus Pamela Anderson. The latter certainly has more "pop," but the former has more staying power.

Fourth, read up on plasmas (and LCDs) on the AVS forums. It'll help you make a more informed decision, as well as point you to other reputable online retailers and deals.

Finally, don't worry about 58" being too large. My couch is 10.5 feet away, and it's just about the right size for that distance. The set is viewable (and indeed awesome) from 7-9 feet. 65" would have given me an even more impressive "home theater" feel from my couch. But then, it's much more expensive, and because it is bigger, has a lower "wife acceptability factor."

Of course, there are other good HDTVs out there, including the Samsung PN63B590 63-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, which I seriously considered. To some AVS folks, the Samsung has slightly better colors, while the Panasonic has better blacks. The Samsung is bigger and the bezel is sleek like a picture frame. However, many report an audible buzzing from the Samsung during viewing (all plasmas buzz slightly, but the sound is usually audible only within a few feet in a quiet room). To me, that's typical of the difference between Samsung and Panasonic: the former is flashier, but the latter is better quality.

So, in the end, I bought this HDTV, and am enjoying it immensely. For the great price and quality, you can't go wrong with this set.

I've had this Panasonic TC P58V10 for a little over 2 weeks now, and I'm extremely pleased with it. I was debating between the 58" and the 65" model, but I'm very happy with the size of this one. Originally, I had purchased the Samsung UN55B7000 55-Inch 1080p LED tv, but took it back after a week (similar to the other reviewer above). After a while, the Samsung was just unwatchable and looked cartoonish and uneven in the backlighting. Even after working with the settings extensively, I just wasn't happy with the picture and it was actually hard on the eyes after a while. Yeah, it's thin, but other than that, I didn't like it. Plus the Samsung's rendering of SD material (which I still watch sometimes) was just terrible.

I'm happy to say I have none of these issues with the Panasonic. The picture is just gorgeous and it does a fantastic job on everything from blu-ray to HD cable and a nice job upscaling the SD cable material too. The picture is jaw-dropping good, and the customization possibilities are very nice. The ONLY issue I have is that in THX mode, you get some edge noise on comcast cable HD stations because Panasonic won't let you switch the HD Size mode to get rid of the green edge band when using THX mode. So... I watch cable in "Custom" mode and I can switch to HD Size 1 to get rid of the edge noise. On DVD or Blu-ray, I can use THX mode and it looks fantastic. I wrote Panasonic about allowing the HD Size mode to be switched when in THX mode (it's greyed out and set to "THX" by default), but I haven't heard back yet from them. Note that this problem in no way will affect your enjoyment of the TV, other than the minor annoyance of switching between "Custom" mode for cable and "THX" mode for everything else (assuming you just don't leave it in "Custom" mode all the time).

I tried the Viera Cast stuff (You Tube,etc) and it's OK, but not something I would pay extra for if I had a choice. It's interesting for about 20 mins, and then the hunting and pecking to search for content gets annoying.

Overall, I love the TV and I'm glad this is the choice I made. I don't think there is a better flat screen between 55" and 60" on the market and I looked at all of them extensively.

UPDATE: 1/6/2011

I've had this unit for over a year now, and continue to be impressed with the picture quality. Also, the one small issue I had above with the edge noise in THX mode with cable input has been corrected - I just got a new cable box/DVR from Comcast (Motorola DCX3400) and tested THX mode with the HD cable input and the issue is gone, so it must have been the old Comcast box causing the issue, not the TV. In the past year Panasonic has added Pandora to the Vieracast, which is nice, and I also use the Amazon Video on Demand feature from time to time, and that's great too. But the best thing about this TV is the great picture. I see now you can get a 3D version of the V-series plasmas, but I'm not really interested in 3D, but some might be.

After returning 2 55" samsung LCD screens because of defects and poor picture quality I decided to try a plasma. I have been an LCD man for a few years now and have been scared away from plasma due to the reflective screen and burn-in issues. Well, the screen on the Samsung LCD was much more reflective than this plasma and with proper precautions during the first 100 viewing hours, burn-in is a thing of the past. I am very impressed with the motion hadleing and the clarity of the picture. The new 240hz LCDs have a strange "soap opera" look to the images and they are very uncomfortable on the eyes. This plasma is great at handling standard def programing and amazing with Blu-Ray. I have not had a televisoion in 10 years that I have been totally happy with....it always seems to be a choice between the least annoying problem. With this 58" Panasonic plasma I am COMPLETELY happy.

First off, let me say that I do not claim to be an expert in any way. Once I made the decision to move to a plasma from a lcd, I did do my due diligence and research into what the best product might be. I read every forum, review, etc and came to the conclusion that my two choices were the Samsung 860 and the Panasonic V10. After much thought and weighing of all the pluses and minuses, I came to the conclusion, like many folks that the Samsung was a beautiful HDTV, but had many reports of many different issues. The Panasonic did not seem to have any issues other that the one review on this site rating it a "1" Don't know where he was coming from other than maybe he saw a defective one in a store. I'm going to try to keep this short as all I want to do is help undecided folks become deciders!

Let me just say this: This tv exceeds all of my expectations in every possible way! The picture is just drop dead georgeous! And it has none of the many issues that lcd's have, especially with regard to motion sickness...Since I already own two Samsung LCD's, which both have very nice pictures, but do have motion issues at 60hz., they have been relegated to lesser usage in my bedrooms.

If one can love an inanimate object, I love this TV! Just for the record, I ended up with the 58 inch and although my wife thought that would be to big, even she now agrees that the size is perfect. Not to big, not to small. She too, is a very happy camper. Did I mention that I really love this TV's picture? I just don't think it can get any better than this, so what are you waiting for? Go get it!

I would like also to give an honerable mention to Vann's.com. While I bought this via Amazon, I really bought it from an Amazon partner. Vanns started processing the order the very same day that I placed the order through Amazon. and shipped it the next morning. During that process, I received emails at each point of the process pointing out what was taking place at a given moment. I appreciated that communication so much and give Vann's a big ***** rating. Amazon also did their part by getting the order to Vann's very quickly. The shipping company "YRC" also gets Kudo's as they got the TV from Montana to AZ in two days and emailed me at ever location stop. They too get a ***** rating! These two companies know how to do business the old fashioned way with great customer service!!!

Hope this helps someone as many of other persons reviews helped and influcenced my decision.

My TV arrived Friday and in the short time I've had it, Im extremely impressed. I've seen the latest samsung LED at a friends house, as well as LG's competing 60" at another friend's house and this Panasonic is clearly better than each (which I'll keep to myself). Im a big sports fan and football, baseball, ESPN looks absolutely amazing on this. The quality of the picture is clearly up to the source of the broadcast. I have not been able to watch any blu-ray on it yet, but just from watching HBO's HDTV sunday night broadcasts, this thing looks amazing.

If you like the animated look of some of the LCD/LED 120Hz then this TV isn't for you. Im not really into that and prefer the solid cinema look this TV has. I came from an older 50" Sony projection HDTV and have another panasonic 42px80 something or other and this blows that away too.

I would get it again. If you're considering getting it, do it.

I've had this set for about a month now. It is a fantastic plasma display. As far as I'm concerned it's probably the best current HDTV available because a) Pioneer Kuros are no longer being made, and b) LCDs don't compare to a good plasma. The resolution and clarity are superb, the colors are extremely accurate in THX mode, the Warm 2 color temp preset is reasonably accurate right out of the box, and it has great contrast. Picture uniformity is stellar as is overall picture geometry. The 24p/96 Hz option is great as this maintains the proper film cadence (as opposed to 60 Hz) but does not introduce visible flicker (like the 48 Hz option). When the set is fed a good 1080p signal, the image is phenomenal.

So why only 4 stars? Ironically (for a plasma) it's the black level. When the image has mixed bright and dim areas, the blacks look spectacular...the contrast is great. However, on a full field black signal, the best this display can do is a dark gray. Luckily, low contrast material doesn't usually make up most of a movie (Dark City being an exception) so this isn't too bothersome but the overall full field black level could definitely be better. If you already own a fixed pixel display (other than a Kuro or a local-dimming LCD) you're probably already used to this but I had a CRT RPTV before this and nothing compares to the black levels on those...black is BLACK (not gray). However, everything else about this TV blows my old CRT out of the water (including black levels on medium to high contrast images).

I got a sweet deal for this set on Amazon when it popped up one afternoon for about $600 less than the usual retail price. I understand they are hard to come by but they are worth every penny. The THX mode, fully adjustable Custom mode, and 24p/96 Hz option are worth the upgrade over the G or S series, IMO.


***Feb. 9, 2010 Follow up:

Still no problems with rising black levels (yet). Have over 600 hours on set. 0 IRE window measures 0.009 ftL. Will update if this changes.

I did a lot of research before I bought an HDTV. This model got good reviews from Consumer reports and elsewhere. I bought it from Amazon for three main reasons. 1) They had the best price. 2) They didn't charge tax, which saved me 8.25%. 3) The shipping was free. The TV was delivered by an independent company. The box didn't have scatch on it. This was the model I wanted at the best price I found, plus I paid no sales tax. I couldn't beat this deal.

I have had the TV now about one month. The TV has an exceptional picture. It looks great in HD. I would recommend also purchasing a sound bar for it because the TV by itself has poor sound quality. The speakers actually broadcast to the back of the unit. However, with the surround sound system I have, it isn't an issue for me. I would defintely recommend it to others.

UPDATED REVIEW 03/05/2010
[...]

Be aware of this before purchase.

I have not seen it yet, but I am not near 1000-1500 hrs.

Original Review

I have owned this unit for about 3 months now and I have really put it through its paces.

Pros
- Picture quality is outstanding. The colors, contrast, black levels, and uniformity of this set are second to none. I have seen many Pioneer plasma models and I would put the PQ of this set right in line with those units.

- Features and settings. The 58v10 has a multitude of picture settings to tweak the unit to your viewing taste. I had the set professionally calibrated by one of the best on the east coast and he said the settings out of the box in THX mode were pretty close to perfect. He did do a little adjustment on the colors, but other than that he had nothing but great things to say.

- Other stuff. There are plenty of connections for all your components and there is also a SD card slot for viewing pics. I like the VieraCast for watching Amazon On Demand as the streaming is really fast if you have a broadband connection. Very cool feature and the Amazon HD streaming is much better than anything Netflix has to offer.

- I like the design of the set. It looks very sleek and the silver accent at the bottom of the unit is subtle and pleasing to the eye.


Cons

- The only real con I can give this unit is that there is a little issue of uniformity with the anti-reflective coating. It is very difficult to see and I really only ever notice it when there is a scene of a very bright sky or something similar. Its not a huge issue and it does not diminish from the quality of the picture, it is just worth mentioning here.

Great job Panasonic! I look forward to this unit serving my HD viewing needs for the next 4 or 5 years. A+

This is a fantastic TV! I spent a couple of months researching and comparing models in stores. I was torn about whether to go with a plasma or lcd. I am old enough to remember the VHS/Beta wars and did not want to get on the wrong side of the plasma/lcd battle. I don't know what the future holds in that regard, but after having watched my 58 inch Panasonic TC P58V10 for approximately 9 months, I don't care. I absolutely could not be happier with my purchase. The clarity, depth of color, subtlety of color and shading is astounding. I admit that I had not purchased a new TV for a number of years, but I have watched a lot of other people's new TV's. This panasonic blows them all away so badly that I am careful in my praise of my set out of consideration for others who might not have as good a set as they think. I don't do any gaming, so factors related to that don't enter into my evaluation. I do believe that the V10 model is a cut above the other panasonic plasmas. I unreservedly give this a 5 star rating. I'd give it 10 if I could.

I have had this TV since 3/25/10. The picture is nothing short of amazing. I have it connected to AT&T Uverse service. All of the LCD and LED TV's always have a slight outline of the objects in the picture and ghosting and blur during fast action scenes along with some pixelation and jagged edges which varies in degree across differnt models. But when looking up close on this tv there is absolute none of that. The picture is razor sharp, crystal clear with very accurate color and distribution. It has a very good black which provides a nice contrast. When I first turned it on and went to the settings menu, the video settings were all at fifty percent which surprised me because all of the channels had a pretty bright picture, so any adjustments were not needed. The only thing that I did change was the picture format when watching HD channels so they will cover the whole screen. Also, even the SD channels fit very nicely on the screen and any stretching is not that noticable unless you are paying attention to it.

Overall, I don't see how any more improvements could be made except for making it 3D with all of the bugs worked out. The speakers in the tv are quite average but I can't see why anyone would make use of them anyway as it only make sense to connect to a suround sound receiver. The built in vieracast feature I have not made use of yet and is used to access a small number of popular websites. This might be fun to play with but there is not much use for it.

I gave this TV five stars and consider it a very good deal for the money.