After searching for a suitable 1080p replacement for my older 720p Philips plasma, I first tried the massive Samsung PN-58B550 because it seemed like a great value, but--and since this isn't a review of that TV I won't go more into other than to say that for all I could do the colors were either flat or the blacks were grey and there was a constant buzz that is common with some plasmas that I just couldn't stomach for such an expensive and supposedly great device--given its shortcomings, I decided to have a second stab at a replacement. I selected the P50G10 for this and I must say that I am immensely pleased with that decision.
I first saw the P50G10 as a display at a local big blue electronics retailer and was instantly drawn to its look, even when powered off (and this is an important thing to me since most of the time that's how the TV is). I powered it on and was impressed at the dark blacks, vivid colors and smooth motion. As I compared it to one of the newest 1080p 240Hz LCDs hanging near it I realized that it was--even as mucked up as the controls had been--hands and feet above the other TV in terms of raw performance.
One feature I was certain I wanted in my next TV was network connectivity, whether for DLNA or straight internet feeds. The VieraCAST built into this TV is a little lacking in raw ability, but having YouTube, Picasa and weather close at hand is pretty handy; I'm hoping that the extra slot on the main screen that reads "coming soon" is filled with Netflix bringing Panasonic's offerings up to the LG & Vizio playing field. Fortunately, the TV is able to use this network connection to apply its updates without having to fiddle with USB drives and finding/downloading the right files... a huge time saver.
Many reviewers of this TV comment that the THX mode just makes the screen darker, and that is certainly one of the things it does, but in so doing the contrast is also popped to the max and a few other settings really make the colors more lifelike and vivid. I watched Wall-E as the first test of the new TV and I was amazed at how crisp and bright the colors were on THX mode; they looked great on standard and custom modes, but I felt that the specialized mode was the closest reproduction to when I saw the movie in DLP on the silver screen.
The only two complaints I have with the television are both relatively minor; first, it uses a non-standard power plug which was a bit of a pain for me as I like all of my cables neatly concealed on my TV stand and I've got enough cables running around that it's hard to add/remove them. Second--because my TV stand actually hangs the TV, I had to be very careful about the positioning of the brackets so I didn't block any of the necessary ports. Panasonic's having chose the 400mm mounting holes as a place to align video and audio connections proved a bit of a challenge and I ultimately had to mount the TV a little lower than I really wanted to be able to make the connections I needed.
Overall, I am incredibly impressed with this TV. While it would be great if it were a few inches larger, I have found that for all of its rich features (internet, THX, great color production, near-silent operation) this is the best TV I have found, and I'm sure I'll be happy with it for years to come.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment