Panasonic TC P50V10 - 50" plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV

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We purchased this television after looking at other Sony LCD and Panasonic plasma models (G10, S10). Even this higher end V10 is less money than a comparably sized LCD by several hundred dollars. I chose this model over the S series for its networking capabilites (renting streaming Amazon movies is pretty cool) and the G series for its 96Hz 24p film mode.

Picture quality is superior to my Sony LCD, with deeper blacks, vivid colors, and great off-axis viewing. I generally stick with the "standard" and "game" picture settings. The display seems more responsive than my LCD using my PS3 for games. THX mode also looks good with Blu-ray movies - not too dim, but perhaps a bit too green. We try to avoid leaving games paused too long to avoid burn-in.

The 4 cooling fans mounted on top of the unit are fairly quiet, I don't notice them. Our LCD does better in rooms with more sunlight and sound quality also seems better on the Sony overall, but the Panasonic may be more detailed.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, I am now having issues with "image retention" on my V10. Video games with static images, e.g. health icons, are still noticeable a day after playing! Hopefully they will go away over time, but I am disappointed and in hindsight wish I had known this could be more of an issue with today's plasmas.

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Before making my purchase I had narrowed down my choices to the Sony 52XBR9 LCD, the Samsung LN52B750 LCD, the Samsung PN50B860 plasma, and the Panasonic TC-P50V10 plasma. All had a superior picture, but I chose the Panasonic because:

1. The Sony & the Samsung LCDs' both had viewing angle issues. The pictures were superb from head-on, but definitely deteriorated as you moved to the side. The Sony was worse than the Samsung in this respect.
2. The LCDs' both had some motion artifact to my eye even with 240 Hz. The 240 Hz feature is after all an attempt to catch up to the plasmas, which have no motion problem at all.
3. Several online owner reviews on the Samsung plasma mentioned problems with buzzing and problems with Samsung's customer service. Also, several reviewers complained of the Samsung sound quality. There were no similar complaints with Panasonic. This steered me away from the Samsung plasma.
4. [..] and [...] both rated the Panasonic #1.

Now that I have the TV in my home, I can say that I am completely blown away by the picture quality. It is stunning. The sound is more than adequate. The TV itself looks great. You can see some reflection from the glass screen from certain angles, but only if you're looking for it. Panasonic's anti-glare screen seems to work fine. There is no motion artifact even with fast-moving sports like baseball and tennis. If you watch from an angle, there is no deterioration in the picture. I might mention that I put the TV on a BDI #9634 table, and the two look great together. I did a lot of shopping for tables too, and I thought the BDI tables were the best-looking and the best quality.

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Pros:

 

Cons:

 

We purchased this television after looking at other Sony LCD and Panasonic plasma models (G10, S10). Even this higher end V10 is less money than a comparably sized LCD by several hundred dollars. I chose this model over the S series for its networking capabilites and the G series for its 96Hz 24p film mode.

Picture quality is superior to my Sony LCD, with deeper blacks, vivid colors, and great off-axis viewing. I generally stick with the "standard" and "game" picture settings. The display seems more responsive than my LCD using my PS3 for games, however it isn't a good choice for gaming (due to image retention, see below). THX mode also looks good with Blu-ray movies - not too dim, but perhaps a bit too green.

The 4 cooling fans mounted on top of the unit are fairly quiet, I don't notice them. Our LCD does better in rooms with more sunlight and sound quality also seems better on the Sony overall, but the Panasonic may be more detailed.

Unfortunately, there are two important negatives I've discovered. I am now having issues with "image retention". Video games with static images, e.g. health icons, leave faint shadows weeks after playing! This is most noticeable displaying a blank screen, e.g. selecting an unused input. Hopefully they will go away over time, but I am disappointed and in hindsight wish I had known this could be more of an issue with today's plasmas. Also, the Viera Cast Amazon Video on Demand feature is sluggish at times - I've read Panasonic may be having trouble keeping up with the server load. Perhaps the TV needs a larger memory buffer.

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Pros:

 

Cons:

 

We purchased this television after looking at other Sony LCD and Panasonic plasma models (G10, S10). Even this higher end V10 is less money than a comparably sized LCD by several hundred dollars. I chose this model over the S series for its networking capabilites (renting streaming Amazon movies is pretty cool) and the G series for its 96Hz 24p film mode.

Picture quality is superior to my Sony LCD, with deeper blacks, vivid colors, and great off-axis viewing. I generally stick with the "standard" and "game" picture settings. The display seems more responsive than my LCD using my PS3 for games. THX mode also looks good with Blu-ray movies - not too dim, but perhaps a bit too green. We try to avoid leaving games paused too long to avoid burn-in.

The 4 cooling fans mounted on top of the unit are fairly quiet, I don't notice them. Our LCD does better in rooms with more sunlight and sound quality also seems better on the Sony overall, but the Panasonic may be more detailed.

Overall a positive experience, recommended.

UPDATE: I haven't experienced any "software" issues mentioned in a curious negative review here. I have found the menu system to be quite functional. This corroborates well with the glowing professional review from CNET.

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I'm writing this as the former owner of Panasonic's 46" 800U plasma.

This tv is fantastic. The picture quality is nothing short of amazing; [post break-in] image retention has been decreased significantly from last year's models; 96Hz 1080p/24 mode has eliminated flicker, and 48Hz mode is still selectable for those who prefer the cinematic look; MANY more settings to be adjusted (even though some whine about what they're called); energy-star compliant. I am surprised at just how much better the picture quality got from the 800u to the V10 series. My only complaint is that the speakers are not as good as the 800u...not that it matters, as I have other equipment to handle my audio.

The software is fine. The picture is the best you'll get now that the Kuro is dead. Unless you can afford Panasonic's Z1, buy THIS TV!!

ETA: HD Guru has just deemed the V10 the King of HDTVs. Long live the King!

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I've owned the TV for about a week and a half now and I can't wait any longer to write a review. The bottom line is that the picture quality looks absolutely amazing out of the box. HD content looks absolutely incredible. I'd give it six stars if it streamed Netflix (or maybe even if VieraCast had another interesting option) and if it looked a little sharper on Standard Definition content (oh, yeah, and if Amazon let me give it six stars :-). But at the end of the day, if you're dropping this kind of money on a TV, you probably have a Blu Ray player and HD cable and you're going to be blown away by the experience. And I do mean experience -- because watching high definition content on this TV is tantamount to a religious experience.

Let me first mention that this is not the TV that I wanted. I wanted the Samsung PN50B860. It is less expensive, it has better streaming options (important for me because I only have Internet service, no cable TV) and it looks a hell of a lot cooler. But I couldn't get past one review after another that lamented the horrible buzz of the Samsungs and the fact that every independent comparison that I read more or less said that the Samsung's picture quality was not quite awesome and that this TV was more or less the 2009 king of HDTV. After spending a good deal of time sifting through reviews and staring at screens in the electronics stores, I couldn't get away from the fact that the picture on the Panasonic TC-P50V10 was not disputed. No one claimed it was less than the best. I should say that I think the styling on this TV is almost downright ugly. It doesn't hold a candle to the way the Samsung looks. The "one sheet of glass" thing doesn't do it for me at all. But, my girlfriend gave me the push I needed when she asked me one rhetorical question: Which is going to matter more -- the way it looks when it is turned off, or the way it looks when it's turned on? Sold.

As I don't have cable television or a Blu-Ray player, my first move was to use VieraCast to watch an HD movie or two (or 7 or 8) via Amazon on Demand. Contrary to the one negative review on here, I found the content to load quickly and the menus to be simple to navigate. I may suggest some changes on Amazon's end -- but nothing I would change on Panasonic's end. I take that back -- there are TWO things I would change on Panasonic's end. The reason I just decided to change "ease of use" to 4 stars is because of the fact that they grey out some menu options in some playback modes. Why is there not a timer available when the TV is in VieraCast mode?!?? I really want to speed up this first 100 or 200 hour break-in period and it would be really helpful if I could rent a movie and leave it to play and use a timer so it will go off. I'd also like to be able to fall asleep watching a movie now and then as this TV is currently in my bedroom. That is probably my only major complaint about this TV. But that problem is likely not something that will concern most people thinking about buying this set. The other small grievance I have is that when you spend almost seveteen hundred smackers on a TV, can't it just come wireless out of the box? I still haven't picked up a wireless access point, so I'm running a stupid ethernet cable up the wall and upstairs to where the TV is. Dumb. But in no way a dealbreaker.

More importantly -- picture quality is absolutely superb. I don't know if I can say enough about it. When I first looked at TVs in a store, the pop of the colors on an LED screen looked really cool to me. Once someone pointed out the terrible exaggeration of the colors (blue smoke coming from a volcano....and pink lava), I realized that the constant brightness might get old after a while. Now that I have this TV, I absolutely realize that this was a correct analysis. I like looking at a bright LCD in the store....but you absolutely can not beat the cinematic quality of the pic

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After almost a year of indecision I finally pulled the trigger and bought the 50 inch panasonic V10. Purchased online from 6th Ave Electronics. UPS killed the first one sent to me. Never even made it to the house, just a tracking message saying it was damaged in transit and could not be delivered.A replacement was shipped out the following week without problems.(Didn't use UPS this time) After about a month of use I feel the picture is great. Football in HD is truly fantastic. The sound is only so-so. But as most have said if you spend this kind of money on a HDTV you will surely have a being audio system to go with it. My only complaint is the reflections on the screen. I use the TV in a darkened basement but with any lights on at all the reflections are noticeable with a dark background scene. For me this is a minor annoyance but in a room with large windows or natural light I think it would prove bothersome. I would recommend this TV to anyone who wants the best they can get for the money. Just be sure you have the right viewing area for the set.

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I have been looking around for a tv for a long time and googled best tv. This brought me to Cnet's review of tv's where this tv was an editors choice. I will be honest with you, I would have been happy and impressed with pretty much any of the sony's or samsungs as well, but I am very happy with this tv for the last 2 months. The picture quality, as expected, is phenomenal.

I live in a one bedroom apt and the tv and its sound is perfect for the living room despite some people worrying about it. I tried listening for the fans, I couldnt hear them. The ability to purchase amazon dvd's and bluerays online from the tv and access to youtube is cool although I use the latter rarely.

I also just bought a ps3 slim and you can control it using this tv's controller using the viera link button and allowing for the link in the slim. That for me is probably the best thing about either the slim or this tv...not having to worry about that awful ps3 remote. I bought from wholesale av and they were good without any complaints, but any of the online sites are probably comprable. I wouldnt buy from best buy or any bricks and mortar store as you pay so much for nothing extra.

I was worried about spending [...] bucks on this but I am glad I did. I am not a tech junkie so I will likely have this for another 5 years or so and right now I am very happy with that. My only worry is that my electricity bill went from [...] dollars a month to [...]. Small price to pay for this excellent tv.

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