Panasonic continues to thrive in the HDTV market and, this year, released its economical plasma TVs – the Viera TC-PS1 series. The Panasonic Viera TC-P65S1 is the largest in the series with 65-inch screen size. Since it has been known that plasma displays consume gigantic amounts of power, Panasonic wanted to be different and, hence, created plasma TVs that are more economical and energy efficient. The company called their energy efficient models “Neo PDP”. The S1 series is the least expensive among these new set of display panels.

On the Outside

The first thing that will be noticed with the Panasonic Viera TC-P65S1 is its overall glossy black finish. Had the brand stickers and illuminating lights been removed, this plasma is an all-black gloss all around, including the stand. Even the quite large power button blended well with the sleek design. The speakers on this plasma model are hidden, which is now becoming a trend in HDTVs, which makes the sounds seem like coming from somewhere underneath.

Other than the plasma unit itself, the remote is also worth looking at. Although there’s not much difference from last year’s clicker, it’s definitely not better. A button trio is found on the remote – the Viera Link, Viera Tools, and SD card – which are most likely not to be accessed by many users. The Menu button, which should have been given more emphasis, is just secondary to these three buttons. Nonetheless, the remote somehow still stands out when it comes to distinction of the buttons – they are color-, shape- and size-differentiated, although not illuminated.

Diverse Features

Being able to save more power and having 1080p resolution are among the top features of the Panasonic Viera TC-P65S1. Also, Panasonic has ways to prevent burn-in, which is a common weakness of plasma TVs. A pixel orbiter, which can either be automatic or set by the user to occur periodically, swings the picture around the display.

In terms of connectivity, the Viera TC-P65S1 has ample amount of ports: three HDMI inputs, two component-video inputs, RF, an optical digital audio output, an AV input with composite and S-video, and SD card slot. The SD card slot allows play back of saved photos on the huge display.

No Non-Sense Performance

The most notable performance aspect of the Panasonic Viera TC-P65S1 is its deep black levels. It is nearly as close as the considered best in the market in terms of black levels. With this, the S1 is able to provide excellent shadow detail that makes images more realistic.

Color accuracy, on the other hand, is not as satisfactory. The primary colors are less than accurate and, sadly, cannot be adjusted due to the limitations of the picture controls of this series. For average consumers in which having a plasma TV is all that matters, this issue may come unnoticed. But for the keen-eyed, picky viewers, the color imperfection will probably be a disappointment. However, there are other picture modes, which can be adjusted, that may suit the viewers’ preferences.

The Panasonic Viera TC-P65S1 excels in being economical and practical with its energy-efficient design and its relatively low price. For those who are looking at having a basic plasma TV to start with, this model will definitely suit your budget.

Last year’s Panasonic plasma TVs were called out because of their inability to implement 1080/24p properly. This year, the company wants to redeem itself with the release of the V10 series that claims to have improved on this aspect of HDTVs. And, true enough, the Panasonic TC-P65V10 did not exhibit the issue.

Superb Points

Plasma TVs have been known to exhibit image retention, aka burn-in, but the Panasonic TC-P65V10 is not one to have this problem. Even with extensive images, videos and games, there are no “ghosts” to show up in this panel.

With the V10 series, Panasonic included the 24p Cinematic Playback that tries to eliminate the issue mentioned above. This feature allows the screen to refresh at 96Hz which will get rid of the flickering that happens when in the 24p mode. Also, another new feature added to this Panasonic plasma TV series is the Digital Cinema Color which further enhances the display’s color quality. More so, the Panasonic TC-P65V10, as well as the rest of the V10 series, is THX-certified which ensures fantastic movie-watching experience.

In terms of design, this huge, 65-inch display has glossy black frame all around and is amazingly thin for a plasma TV – only 2 inches thick. The TC-P65V10 comes with a swivel stand, but can also be wall mounted. Images can still be clearly seen even when watching from off angles as this display has wide viewing angles; no significant deterioration in quality even up to 70 degrees.

Panasonic’s Viera Cast is also included in this model which allows interactive features to the user’s enjoyment. With Viera Cast, users can check daily weather reports and even watch You Tube clips.

Although this V10 model has almost all the desired HDTV input and output ports, their location at the back could have been different. The ports are located on the groove at the middle of the back side of the display. Users need to have open access to the back portion in order to properly install the necessary cables. From the front or the sides, it is quite a challenge to reach up to the different ports at the back.

If the higher quality and screen size appeal to your taste, the Panasonic TC-P65V10 is one of the best choices (and deals – with price as low as $2,699 for 65 inch screen) among all the plasma TVs in the market.

Plasma TVs are known for the superb entertainment experience due to the realistic images they are able to reproduce. Of course, the great features come with a price. Samsung has been one of the major players in the plasma television industry, and so far, they are still keeping up with the market. This could be attributed to the continuous improvement of their products and offering them at reasonable prices.

The Samsung PN50B650, in particular, is the latest offering of Samsung in the Plasma TV arena. As usual, this model is packed with remarkable features, yet the price can be less expensive than other LCD TVs or LED-based LCDs from the same brand. The PN50B650 is the 50-inch version of this series; a 58-inch model is also available and the features of both sizes are just the same.

The Looks

Those who are fond of red color will definitely love the Samsung PN50B650. This plasma TV series has glossy black frame with a subtle touch of red on top and bottom portion of the frame. Like other Samsung TVs, this model is surrounded by transparent border, and at the bottom, supported by a transparent cylindrical stand that allows the screen to swivel to either side. The base has glossy black top which adds to its overall sleek and stylish design. The glossy finish though, like most Samsung models, may not be much appreciated when watching in a brighter room because of the reflection it makes.

The red accentuation extends to the menu system having the same color for its borders. Samsung maintained its menu system layout with its large and legible text set on transparent background, as well as brief description of what the selections are about.

The Works

Color accuracy is where this Samsung PN50B650 is big at. The model’s color decoding functionality works perfectly which provides excellent colors saturation. Both the primary and secondary colors appear very much realistic, almost perfect. When it comes to black level, this Samsung model is not left behind. Black levels are deeper compared to other LCD TVs; however, comparing this to other Plasma TVs in the market like the Panasonic or Pioneer models, the B650’s black levels are not as impressive.

Despite the reflection this model makes, it still performs better than other plasmas in terms of preserving the deep black shade even under bright lights. When it comes to video processing, the Samsung PN50B650 worked well also with 1080p/24 sources. Samsung claims that this plasma model uses 600Hz video processing, which does not really get noticed by most viewers since there are only few who are sensitive enough to the blurring effects of the images.

Other Features

Other than the superb viewing experience, users can also enjoy the interactive features included in the Samsung PN50B650 such as Yahoo widgets that has news, weather, stocks, Twitter, and Flickr photos. There are also other built-in content such as games, recipes and slideshow of high-def photos. These are great diversions from regular TV viewing; however, these applications are quite sluggish.

The Samsung PN50B650 also abounds in connectivity ports with four HDMI ports, a couple of USB, PC input, Ethernet port, and the normal video and audio ports. The only thing missing, though, is the S-video which seems to be the trend now in most televisions.

Priced at around $1300, the Samsung PN50B650 Plasma TV may be quite pricey on that fact alone. But if this will be compared with the new LED-based LCDs and other standard LCDs of equal performance, PN50B650 can also be a good choice because it is less expensive than those, and one can buy it for even $1139 at Amazon.

P42H401 is an interesting option for people that want something more than 720p but cannot afford a full 1080p solution, this HDTV is a 1080i and one can get it for just $1,098.00 (27% off).

The screen has 1280×1080 resolution, so it has the same number of lines as in 1080p screens but the length of the line in pixels is smaller by 680 pixels. It is well suited for HDTV 1080i signal or for 720p one, which is additionally upscaled and cleared to reduce grid which results in a nice picture quality. For the higher resolution signals the processing unit of P42H401 performs noise reduction giving an almost perfect image comparable to 1080p models. The TV allows also to select many different aspect ratios for the received signal. And BTW, many people have complained that the picture quality and sound is not perfect when they received the P42H401, then you should check the manual and reset the TVs settings to factory ones.

Connectors that Hitachi equipped this model are: three HDMI connectors, S-Video input, four (!) A/V inputs. Outputs include digital audio, S-Video, A/V monitor output. It also has an ATSC/NTSC tuner included which enables users to switch between channels transmitted in different technology seamlessly. More over, this HDTV has three picture setting that can be changed to accommodate the lighting conditions in the room without manually tuning brightness, contrast etc.

Speakers give an average sound, but it will be ok for average rooms, if you got a larger home theater place then you should also buy a speaker system.

To sum up, it is bargain for every one that wants a HDTV with better picture quality than 720p and at the same time don’t want to give to much money for full 1080p. With the processor that enhances the overall quality of signal and a good power saving features this Hitachi plasma should be taken into account by anybody.

Learn more about Hitachi P42H401 42″ HD1080 Plasma HDTV

Another fine plasma from Panasonic, but this time it is has 50 inches aiming at customers with bigger home theater. The price is quite compelling – $2,999 and here it is just for $2,243.77 ($756.22 off).

As most of todays HDTVs this size the TH-50PZ700U is a 1080p capable (the usual 1920×1080 resolution) with maximum of available colors around 68 million , the contrast ratio is not the highest 5000:1 but probably unlike other companies it might be the true contrast not artificial one, because the screen looks very good. Panasonic equipped this plasma with a video noise reduction that increase the quality of the image displayed.

As the similar 42″ model, this has a SD card slot which can be used to present the gallery of pictures from the camera, this feature iis not so common. There are two HDMI connectors, less than the most popular three, but probably it will be enough for most of the people. Speaking of HDMI, TH-50PZ700U (and other plasmas from the PZ700U series) has EZ-Sync which combined with other equipment connected by HDMI could by one push of a button e.g. turn on the TV, select the DVD, turn it on, start playing the movie and turn on the external speaker system with preset volume level.

The internal speakers are good enough for movies and they are barely noticeable on the sides of this HDTV so one can fit it current decoration.

Panasonic provides one of the richest features in their plasmas, one can say their are unique, and at the same time the screen quality is great, the same can be said about the external beauty of the HDTV, so if you want a 50″ plasma than you should seriously look into the TH-50PZ700U.

Learn more about Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV

This time we’ll have a look at a 50 inch Samsung product – FPT6084 Plasma HDTV. It is bigger than the most popular screens, but at the same time the price is not much higher. Suggested is $2,799.99, but as usually one can get this TV cheaper – $1,599 and with free shipping (that’s $1,100 less than in a normal store).

The FPT5084 is 1080p, meaning that it can display resolution up to 1920 x 1080. It does so while maintaining a good contrast ratio of 15,000:1 and a very bright screen. The astonishingly good brightness is achieved by the Ultra FilterBright which blocks the reflection on the screen caused by any source of light (sun, lamp etc). The quality of the picture is better than in some other plasmas, the cause of this is the DNIe technology which uses special algorithms to change and enhance the image before it is displayed on the screen (reduce noise, increase contrast), it results in an overall good image even for the standard TV. Adding more to the screen quality – colors are processed using 18 bits (normally one color needs only 8 bits are used) which makes the colors appear more natural than in HDTVs without this nice feature.

The connectors that Samsung added to FPT5084: 3 HDMIs (on on the side and two on the back), composite video, two S-Video inputs, two A/V inputs and a D-Sub for connecting PC. So, while watching TV one could connect a laptop or a main PC to the screen and do some work, the computer screen will be shown as Picture-in-Picture on the HDTV screen.

The sound is as good as one can expect from just two speakers on the sides of the TV, although one cannot underestimate the SRS TruSurround XT which really makes the sound three dimensional.

A commonly missed feature is the power saving, this 50 inch HDTV has a so called blue eye that controls the brightness of the screen based on the change of ambient light, Samsung boasts that it could reduce the power consumption even by 25%, it is quite possible, because the lighting of the screen takes large portions of the energy.

Summing it all up, it is a good Plasma HDTV with many picture enhancing features and good power saving, adding to it the $1,100 price reduction it should be seriously considered for every one looking for a plasma TV.

Learn more about Samsung FPT5084 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV

It’s one of the first Plasma HDTVs with 42 inches diameter and capable of displaying the format of 1080p! And what’s more it is available for only $1,459.00.

Let’s start with the main features of this Panasonic product:

• 1920 x 1080 Resolution
• 4096 Shades of gradation
• 2 HDMI Inputs
• Built-in SD Card Memory Slot
• GalleryPlayer Capable

TH-42PZ700U has almost 42 inches diagonal (actually it is 41.6″), and has quite good constrast ratio of 5000 to 1, although it’s quite a standard nowadays. It is even capable of displaying up to 68.7 billion colors! Also as the title suggests it is a 1080p – that is it can display full resolution of HDTV – 1920×1080, and it is equipped with a noise reducer as well as a digital comp filter that’s probably the reason why the screen quality of 42PZ700U is considered on of the top in its market. Adding to that sends signal to this TV will have it’s resolution up scaled to the 1920×1080, so e.g. if you connect your laptop that cannot display such big resolutions the image will scale to fill the whole screen (and you can view your Divx movies this way)

Some info about other features. If you own a digital camera you can use the built in SD card reader which enables viewing pictures stored on it – a very nice feature. The OSD includes three languages: English, French and Spanish.

Interesting functionality is the Panasonic EZ-Sync – if you connect the TH-42PZ700U to other EZ-Sync devices via the HDMI connector, you are able to control everything in your home theater with one button. For example clicking one button might do the following things: turn on the TV, select the DVD as the signal source, turn on the additional speaker system and set the appropriate sound level and in the end start the DVD playback – just one button instead of zillions that are used to setup the whole home theater thingy.

If you are wondering what to get for your family (and yourself) have a look at the bargain price on amazon or just check more data about this Panasonic product at link below.

Learn more about Panasonic TH-42PZ700U 42″ 1080p Plasma HDTV