Television News

If you believe them, Panasonic says their TC-P50GT25 Viera 50 3D Plasma HDTV will “create an all new viewing experience by putting you inside the action and creating a new world of TV viewing realism”. Pretty bold statement — can they back it up?

Overall Thoughts & Points From Misc. Customer Reviews:

According to Panasonic, Full HD 3D is the “third wave” in technological advancements with TV technology (with color being the first, and HD being the second). The TC-P50GT25 provides a 3D effect by using Panasonic’s Frame Sequential Technology. What this does is show alternating images for both your left eye and right eye at 60 frames per second (for a total of 120 frames per second). When you wear Panasonic’s 3D eyewear, they have little shutters that close (alternating back and forth between both eyes) in sync with the images being shown on the screen. The net effect is separate 1920 x 1080 full-HD being sent to each eye, resulting in 3D imagery.

Since each individual frame is being shown for only half as long as normal (1/120th of a second rather than 1/60th of a second), the luminescence time for each frame is shortened by 50%. Left as is, screen brightness would be greatly diminished. However, to combat this, Panasonic increased the luminscence intensity (i.e. — making it much brighter).

This television also houses a host of Viera features including Infinite Black Panel, which uses a different type of panel and improves cell discharge to improve color contrast and to keep blacks and other dark hues rich and full, even when in brightly lit areas. Thus, glare is greatly reduced. In addition, the display is THX-certified.

You can view all your full-HD images shot with your HD camera through Viera Image Viewer by simply inserting your SD card into the slot directly on the TV. Viera Cast gives you access to several internet apps directly on your TV, include youtube, Pandora internet radio, and even Twitter. There are USB ports for a keyboard and wireless LAN adaptor, and you can even use Skype to make voice/video calls.

Viera Link will also allow you to control any audio/visual component you own with just your Viera remote, as long as they are all inter-connected via HDMI cable.

Customer reviews at Panasonic’s website and Amazon.com were very positive virtually across the board, with 95% of customers giving it a 4 out of 5 or higher (75% of reviewers gave it a 5 out of 5).

By and large customers raved about how good the picture looked (both in 2D and 3D) and several made mention of the fact that they thought this was a great deal for the price.

Most folks felt the TV was fairly easy to setup, and settings right out of the box looked good, though if you took the time to tweak the settings, it looked even better.

A few customers noted that the speakers didn’t do the picture quality justice, but if you had a surround sound system, that it wouldn’t be an issue anyway. Do remember that if you want to watch media in 3D, you will need Panasonic’s 3D eyewear for each person watching, and to use Viera Link, you’ll need extra HDMI cables — both of which you’ll have to purchase separately.

As far as overall quality, ne customer from Panasonic’s site said he felt “like a kid on Christmas” and another from Amazon said it was “possibly the perfect TV”.

The Panasonic TC-P50GT25 Viera 50 3D Plasma HDTV comes with the TV itself, pedestal, Viera remote with batteries, and assorted paperwork/instructions.

TC-P50GT25 Details and Specifications:

Misc. Details:

THX Certified 49.9-inch plasma HDTV panel with full 1080p HD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio
Full HD 3D sends a separate 1920 x 1080 full-HD image to each eye, for sharp, crisp 3D images
Infinite Black Panel includes new filter technology for deep blacks and vivid images with minimal reflection
Enjoy VIERA Cast Internet TV services such as Netflix and Skype with wired (included) or wireless LAN connection
3 HDMI, 2 composite with audio, 2 component with audio, 1 analog audio, and 1 PC input; USB and LAN ports

Product Specific Specs:

Screen Size Diagonal: 49.9 Inches
Contrast Ratio: Infinite Black/5,000,000:1 Native
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Native Resolution (Number of Pixels): 2,073,600 (1,920 x 1,080)
Moving Picture Resolution: 1080 Lines
Shades of Gradation: 6,144 equivalent
Speakers: Full-range x 2 (L, R)
Number of Speakers: 2
Audio Output: 20 W (10% THD)
Surround Sound: Yes

Connections:

Integrated ATSC Tuner: Yes
HDMI Input: 3 (1 side)
Composite Video Input: 2 (1 side)
Audio Input (for Video): 2 (1 side)
PC Input: D-sub 15-pin x 1
Component Video Inputs (Y, PB, PR): 2
Audio Input (for Component Video): 2
Digital Audio Output (Optical): 1
HDMI Input-Support Feature: Audio Return Channel (Input 1) / 3D Input (All)
Analog Audio Input ( for HDMI/DVI): Yes
USB: 2
LAN Port: 1

Dimensions:

Dimensions (WxHxD): 30.3″ x 48.0″ x 3.5″ (31.9″ x 48.0″ x 13.2″ with stand)
Weight: 57.3 lbs. (63.9 lbs. with stand)
Shipping Weight: 80 pounds

Originally published here.

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