10/03/2010

Panasonic TC-P50S2 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

Panasonic TC-P50S2 50 inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
1080p HD Picture Quality: The picture presentation of the from the 50S2 is still very bright and with the improved black levels much improved. Black levels are deep and strong with an HD signal input through HDMI. While not the best we've seen lately, they lose the dark gray haziness that the S2 can display with a 480i signal. Color is plenty saturated and dark shadow detail remains excellent.

Picture Presentation from 480i signals: We always test every TV with a 480i resolution. It is a great test of a TVs upconversion and processing chip sets. The signal may be likened to what you would see with your normal digital cable or satellite signal.The TC-P50S2 series plasma contains the new an updated version of the NEO PDP (i.e. plasma screen) from Panasonic. This is the same screen used in some of the higher end Panasonic series which should make this model a good value if picture quality is your primary objective. We find the picture quality overall improved from the prior S1 series. The drives do a little better job of eliminating motion artifacts than the S1 series did. Color rendition is still with black levels being the primary progress area of the S2 series delivering more depth and solidity. As was the case on the S1 series, brightness is a strength of the these newer Panasonic plasma models.

Calibration Notes: Overall, calibration to D6500K was very easy with this TV. Though there are no white balance adjustments available on the menu without entering the service menu, the 50S2 calibrated so close to D65 from the start that it would have improved the TV inappreciably. We started our calibration from the custom setting in the Warm 2 color temperature position. The S2 series TV does not contain the THX picture setting option. Follow the following settings to calibrate to a nearly perfect D65. These picture settings are best viewed in a controlled light environment fairly dark room:

Picture Mode: Custom
Color Temp: Warm2
Brightness: +74
Contrast: +75
Color: +45
Tint: -2
Sharpness: +15
Color Mgmt: OFF
x.v.Color: OFF
C.A.T.S.: OFF
Video NR: Weak
Block NR: Off
Misquito NR: Off
Black Level: Light
3:2 Pulldown: Off
HD Size: 2

Black Level/Contrast: Black levels were an area that the S1 series needed a makeover on. They got it with this S2 series. These are not going to be the best black levels we see this year and we dont anticipate them coming close to some of the Samsung plasma black levels. However, Panasonic has brought black levels back into welcomed focus. Final ANSI contrast measurement was 1261:1 which is a nice improvement over last year but far from what we want. One of the TVs greatest strengths lies in its white brightness which measured an average luminance of 31.50. This result nears LCD TVs in brightness and points to Panasonic's desire to compete with LCD TVs in this area.

Dark Shadow Detail: Partly due to the high brightness of this plasma dark shadow detail is excellent. Panasonic plasma TVs have long been a favorite of ours in this important area.

Color Rendition/Color Accuracy: Color rendition is much more saturated with HD content. The TV excels with HD content and is much more subdued in presentation with lower signals. Colors can seem a little weak and hazy at times with lower end signals. I will give them the thumbs up on reality however.

Features: One of the key feature differences of the S2 series with the G20 series of plasma by Panasonic is the absense of The Viera Cast feature set, which enables online content via a web interface. As a result, there is also no Ethernet port. The included Viera Link feature allows the user to control other Viera link capable outboard equipment. Viera Image viewer is the Panasonic compatible technology which enables use of SD memory card viewing via the SD card slot.The S2 has discrete picture settings for each input as well as Panasonic's new "600 Hz" specification for blur reduction.

This TV is Energy Star compliant due to an energy saver feature option. Power consumption for the S2 has been reduced from the S1. This is one of the main feature differences aside from improved black levels. Panasonic started improving efficiency in their plasma TVs in 2007 and have improved it 400% with this S2 model. They are now close enough to LCDs in energy efficiency that is should not matter.

To see the overall ratings and full review of this TV head over to Plasma TV Buying Guide

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Product Description:
Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 50-inch VIERA TC-P50S2 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This S2 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.
This and other models in the S2 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote. This model also includes Panasonic's Clean Touch Bezel, which resists fingerprints to help keep the surface clean.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements. And you'll get a long Plasma panel life of up to 100,000 hours--more than 30 years of viewing when watched 8 hours a day--before the brightness of the panel decreases to half.


Panasonic's VIERA S2 series Plasma HDTV.

Key Features

NeoPDP: By redesigning the Plasma panel's cell structure and developing an innovative new filter, Panasonic has tripled the luminous efficiency (compared to 2007 models) of its VIERA Plasma HDTVS--resulting in stunningly beautiful images while also reducing power consumption.


1080 Moving Picture Resolution: With 1080 lines of moving picture resolution and integrated NeoPDP technology's high-speed drive performance, the display time for each image frame is shortened to minimize afterimages, making decisive calls in football matches and delicate motions in figure skating performances appear crystal clear.


600Hz Sub-field Drive: 600Hz technology lets you view superb full-HD motion and still images with 1080 lines of resolution. For even greater clarity with motion images, Panasonic uses its own unique image-analysis technology, which converts the motion in each scene into data. And each frame is practically displayed for a shorter length of time than in previous systems, to reduce aftereffects (see an illustration of 600Hz technology).


VIERA Image Viewer: View full-HD images with the integrated SD card slot, enabling you to view JPEG photos captured from your digital camera or camcorder on the big screen. Navigate your images via an easy-to-use thumbnail display.


VIERA Link: Allows the interlinked operation of various AV devices--from DVD and Blu-ray Disc players to home theater sound systems to digital cameras and camcorders--using only the VIERA remote control by simply connecting the devices to each other by an HDMI cable (see pop-up illustration).


Game Mode: With Game Mode, quicker image response increases the enjoyment of video games when a game console is connected to the TV. What's more, VIERA produces the dark images in video games more clearly. This mode works with the anti-image retention (wobbling) function, too.

Key Specifications



    Series: S2
    Screen type: Plasma
    Screen size: 50 inches
    Native resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
    Contrast ratio: Native: 2,000,000:1
    Shades of gradation: 6,144 equivalent
    Receiving system: ATSC/QAM/NTSC
    HDTV display capability: 1080p, 1080i, 720p
    EDTV display capability: 480p
    Speakers: 2 full range, 20W total power; surround sound capabilities
    Image viewer: JPEG compatibility
    Aspect control: Normal, Just, Zoom, Full, H-fill
    Optional wall-mounting bracket: TY-WK4P1RW
    Multi-lingual menu: English/Spanish/French
    Energy Star qualified: Yes

Connections


    HDMI: 3 (1 side)
    Component (Y, PB, PR): 2; each with audio input
    Composite A/V: 2 (1 side); each with audio input
    Digital audio output: 1

Dimensions


    TV with stand: 48 x 32.2 x 14.1 inches (WxHxD); 70.5 pounds
    TV without stand: 48 x 30.3 x 3.7 inches (WxHxD); 66.1 pounds
    What size TV should you get?

What's in the Box

Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

Panasonic 2010 VIERA Plasma and LCD Comparison

Series: G25 Plasma S2 Plasma U2 Plasma C2 Plasma U22 LCD X2 LCD C22 LCD Models: TC-P54G25 54"
TC-P50G25 50"
TC-P46G25 46"
TC-P42G25 42" TC-P65S2 65"
TC-P58S2 58"
TC-P54S2 54"
TC-P50S2 50"
TC-P46S2 46"
TC-P42S2 42" TC-P50U2 50"
TC-P42U2 42" TC-P50C2 50"
TC-P46C2 46"
TC-P42C2 42" TC-L42U22 42"
TC-L37U22 37"
TC-L32U22 32" TC-L37X2 37"
TC-L32X2 32"
TC-L22X2 22" TC-L37C22 37"
TC-L32C22 32" VIERA Cast
-- -- -- -- -- -- VIERA Image Viewer
(AVCHD, MPEG2, JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG)
(JPEG) VIERA Link
webcam capable NeoPDP Panel -- -- -- -- -- THX Display -- -- -- -- -- -- Contrast Ratio Infinite Black Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 Dynamic: 20,000:1 Dynamic: 20,000:1
22": 15,000:1 Dynamic: 18,000:1 Moving Picture Resolution 1080 lines 1080 lines 900 lines 720 lines -- -- -- Anti-Reflective Filter -- -- -- -- -- Display Capabilities 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 720p, 480p 1080p, 1080i,
720p, 480p 720p, 480p 720p, 480p 600Hz Sub-field Drive -- -- -- 120Hz -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Game Mode -- -- -- Speakers 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total 2; 20W total
22": 6W 2; 20W total Surround Sound HDMI input 3 (1 side) 3 (1 side) 3 (1 side) 2 3 (1 side) 3 (1 side)
22": 1 2 Component input (Y, PB, PR) 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 Composite input 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side) 2 (1 side)
22": 1 2 PC input 1 (side) -- -- -- 1 1 1 USB 2 -- -- -- -- -- -- Ethernet LAN input 1 -- -- -- -- -- -- Digital Audio output 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 iPod Universal Dock -- -- -- -- -- -- Energy Star Series: G25 Plasma S2 Plasma U2 Plasma C2 Plasma U22 LCD X2 LCD C22 LCD

Learn More


Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?


With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience.
If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get.

    Minimum size = Viewing distance/3
    Maximum size=Viewing distance/1.5


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