Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I had researched new TVs for months prior to making this purchase, and judging from the first week of using this product, I feel confident in saying that I made an excellent choice. This TV represents a great combination of Picture Quality and additional features (VieraCast) that provides an outstanding value at this price point.
Being deployed to Iraq this past winter/spring, I had some time digest all of the available data and information without being tempted to make a large purchase before being really prepared to do so. In my months of periodic research, I changed my mind multiple times. At first, I was convinced that LCD was the way to go. Even though I have owned a 2nd generation 42" Sony Plasma for 5 years now, I fell into the LCD marketing-hype that said that Plasma was a "dying technology" and that LCD was the wave of the future.
After doing my own research, I will tell it to you straight...Plasma is NOT a dying technology. Plasma still has several advantages over LCD...including motion-handling, color accuracy, size, and off-angle viewing. Additionally, some of the legacy short-comings of plasma (image-retention and burn-in) have largely been addressed, and are no longer a major concern. For these reasons...I decided to go with another plasma. My old Sony plasma had treated me well, but it was only 1080i (no 1080p capability) and was feeling a bit smallish in my new living room.
Having researched the mid/upper levels of consumer plasma televisions, it became apparent that there are three primary players in the market: Pioneer, Samsung, and Panasonic.
PIONEER was the master of plasma televisions. Their "Kuro" series are quite expensive, but were widely viewed as providing the best pure picture quality of any HDTV. Unfortunately, I say Pioneer WAS the master because they have stopped making plasma televisions. Some are still available, but they will not last long...and I was a bit nervous about buying such a big-ticket item from a company that pulled the plug on their production line. Would it be difficult to get warranty work done on a Kuro if it were to be needed in the future? I don't know...but it concerned me. That uncertainty combined with the much higher price of the Kuro convinced me to look elsewhere. However, if you have money to burn, and are willing to take a risk to have the "best of the best", you may want to look at a Kuro.
SAMSUNG also provides a good picture. Depending on who you ask...Panasonic and Samsung are pretty much equivalent in terms of picture quality. However, looking through the various forums, there are alot of reports of Samsung plasmas having very noticeable "buzzing" and/or noisy fans which can detract from the viewing experience. I was also concerned about other reports of issues regarding general quality control and product support. So...I eliminated Samsung.
That left PANASONIC for me. All the reports I had read about the new Panasonics (G10 and V10 series) indicated that the picture quality was excellent (but not quite as good as the Pioneer Kuros) and there were no reports of any major issues such as with the Samsungs. The G10 and V10 were both much, much less expensive than the Kuros...so I decided to go with either a G10 (less expensive model) or a V10 (a bit more expensive).
The deciding factor for me between the G10 and V10 was the 96hz capability on the V10. Last years Panasonic models, as well as this year's G10 model do not have 96hz capes...only 48hz. Basically, for those of you who don't know...most movies are filmed at 24 frames per second. Having a TV that can process frames at a multiple of 24 (48/72/96hz on plasma TVs...or 120/240hz on LCD) allows these TVs to process what is called a "1080p/24" signal from Bluray players. This (in theory) allows the TV to provide a picture that is more accurate when compared to what you would see in a theater, and therefore more in line with what the director intended. The reviews and reports I read on the 48hz capability on the G10 and last years model indicated that 48hz resulted in a noticeable "flicker" that made it nearly unusable. The 96hz capability on the V10 apparently fixed this issue. Finally...I decided on the V10.
I purchased the 54" V10 from 6ave through Amazon on the first day it was available. "Team Worldwide" delivered the TV on time. The box was in perfect condition with no noticeable dents/scratches/compressions.
The Television comes with the pedestal not connected. Upon seeing this, I grumbled when I remembered what a PITA it was to remove/connect the pedestal to my old 42" Sony plasma. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to assemble on this V10 Panasonic. My wife and I assembled it in just a few minutes. The pedestal attachment is very well designed and so easy to install, that I'm sure a single person (of sufficient strength to lift the ~80lb tv) could do it themselves. The pedestal itself is rectangular with rounded corners. It does not swivel. If you need a swiveling pedestal...the smaller 50" V10 has one.
The TV itself looks very good. The 50 and 54" V10s have a single sheet of glass design that results in a very sleek appearance. Panasonic is expected to come out with 2 larger versions of the V10 (58 and 65") in the coming months, but they will not have the single sheet of glass design.
Ok, finally on to the important stuff...the TVs performance:
Over the past week, I have watched a wide variety of both HD and SD (standard definition) material, including Bluray, standard DVD, HD and SD cable via Cox, and SD and HD (720p) material downloaded via a Roku Netflix player. All of it has looked OUTSTANDING. I continue to be amazed at how far superior the picture is on this V10 when compared to my 5-year old Sony plasma. The technology has come far. The Blacks are much, much blacker, and the colors are much more vibrant. The overall contrast is quite stunning for someone like myself who has been a few years behind the technology curve. I think probably the most impressive thing, however, is the shadow detail. With this TV, you will notice things that you may not have noticed before, especially in scenes that are dark or that have wide range of lighting.
The SD-handling on the set has really impressed me, also. I wasn't expecting the picture on my standard DVDs to improve all that much, but it has. I have a DVD player providing a 480p picture via HDMI cable...and the picture was always been very clear on my old Sony, but the colors and (again) the contrast on this Panasonic are just so much better.
Watching Bluray, however, is where this set shines. I've watched Planet Earth, 300, Dark Knight, Ironman and Twilight so far. It's just awesome. Such clarity and detail...it's difficult to explain unless you've seen a true HD picture. The 96hz capability I mentioned earlier works as advertised. The V10 allows you to switch between 48, 60, and 96hz when it receives a 1080p/24 signal...I've tried them all, and it is true...48hz is basically unwatchable due to the flicker. 96hz, however, works flawlessly. It provides a very cinematic feel. It's not a huge improvement over the standard 60hz capability...so if the price of the V10 is out of your reach, I'm sure the G10 would be a solid choice. The G10 and V10 are practically the same TV outside of the 96hz capability and the improved cosmetic look of the V10.
My expectations for the "Viera Cast" feature were low, but I was pleasantly surprised. The weather and stock-quotes functions are of questionable value since I can get them with my laptop more quickly than through the TV...but the Picasa function is really neat. My wife and I both have thousands of high-res photos from our travels in the military...and it's really cool to be able to set up a slideshow to show the photos on the bigscreen. The resolution and colors are, of course, superb. It's really great for entertaining family, also...instead of passing around a scrapbook or crowding around a small laptop screen...we can just sit around the TV. Very cool. Picasa allows you to upload up to 1gb of photos for free, but you can buy more storage. I purchased the 10gb plan for $20/yr. The Youtube capability is ok...but a bit cumbersome. It would work well for playing your own videos...but surfing youtube on your TV like you would on your computer is out of the question because of the time it takes to type in searches using your remote. I have not used the TV to download Amazon video-on-demand...so I can't comment on that. To use the Viera Cast features, you'll need an Ethernet connection to the back (no wireless)...so just keep that in mind.
Ok...it's been almost purely positive to this point...but there are a couple of small complaints:
1.I'm not a big fan of the THX mode. It's just too dark to watch during the day. I think a properly calibrated and adjusted "custom" mode is more appealing.
2.During the day, or when there is a lot of light in the room, the dark scenes tend to lose some detail.
3.Issues when connecting with Onkyo A/V Receivers. There seems to be some sort of a disconnect between Onkyo Receivers and Panasonic TVs. There are multiple reports of HDMI syncing issues between the two of them when a 1080p signal is being passed... and I'm one of them. My Onkyo 706 reciever and this V10 have issues syncing with a 1080p connection. Cycling the power on the TV or Receiver usually fixes the problem...but it's an irritant. If you already have an Onkyo receiver and plan to do 1080p...you may want to look elsewhere, or wait to see if the issue is resolved via firmware update.
Overall, however, this is an outstanding TV that I highly recommend. For a relatively decent price, you are getting one of the very best HDTVs on the market right now. I have not been disappointed, and I don't think you will be either.
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Viera® HDTVs' wide color gamut covers 120% of the HDTV color standard. This approaches the level of colors in cinemas and produces images with extremely rich colors.
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