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175 of 175 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and Natural, September 30, 2009
This review is from: Panasonic TC P58V10 - 58" plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV (Electronics)
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 acceptable 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.
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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very happy with my choice, September 18, 2009
This review is from: Panasonic TC P58V10 - 58" plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV (Electronics)
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.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
VERY impressive HDTV, August 25, 2009
This review is from: Panasonic TC P58V10 - 58" plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV (Electronics)
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.
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