Panasonic's TC-P50G10 plasma nets a rave review from the HD Guru
By Steven Kim 
posted Apr 10th 2009 2:13PM
posted Apr 10th 2009 2:13PM
posted Apr 10th 2009 2:13PM
The percentage of sales people that recommend Samsung HDTVs.
Salespeople are also becoming less likely to recommend LCD sets over plasma sets, which goes against the industry trend.
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YES! Been waiting on a review of this panel.
Decision is complete. This will replace my 05' RPTV.
Glad I waited.
Panny uses a 48 Hz mode instead of 72hz for displaying 24fps content. Its either hit or miss in the last generation tv. Luckily it was a hit on my TH-58PZ850u. You'll notice a flicker here or there once and a while, but its the same thing you see when watching film off a reel. I noticed it 3 times total in Quantum of Solace, and it happened when changing from a dark scene to a light one. And it was one flick. No one else noticed it.
When I heard of Pioneer decision to quit plasma production I could'nt sleep until I managed to bring home a 60incher Kouro and I'm still very happy of my purchase; and this Panasonic , although much cheaper doesn't change my mind one bit.
From the very first time I looked at its minimal bezel, its astonishing thinnes, and its clean, zen like lines all my buyer's remorse vanished forever.
Panasonic can kiss my remote's batteries.
WOW... better than the 141FD... I would like to hear more about that...
Will a 58" version be available?
only the 54 so far...
Even fans of alpine skiing, classic.
So, would you rather have a 50" pioneer kuro or this TV based only on picture quality? (not price, not the bezel, not availability etc.) ?
I'm still tending to think the black level on the pioneer is much better, which makes the pioneer a much better picture. Plenty of talk about brightness... but what about black level?
The review mentioned black level as well:
"Black levels on the G10, Z800 and the Pioneer’s 60” Pro-141 are below my test equipment’s accuracy. However, the Pioneer’s black is deepest, followed by the new G10 with the Z800 coming in last. The deeper blacks of the Pioneer come at a cost. The Pioneer obscures details in some dark scenes where the G10 revealed every nook and cranny using the same dark content."
Honestly, I'd check it out in person before making any final decisions. But the even illumination, less tinted AR coating and energy efficiency might be enough to pull me over. That said, I imagine anyone in their right mind would be really, really happy with either set once they got it home.
The CNET review (http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-tc-p50g10/4505-6482_7-33497901.html?tag=centerColumnArea1.1) wasn't so flattering. Known issues with the G10: (1) SD display isn't very good; (2) despite acknowledging widespread criticism of the flickering in the 48-Hz refresh, Panasonic used it again in the G10 series, rather than the 96-Hz refresh that is implemented in the European G10 and G15 series; (3) the THX mode is defective and reported to be inferior to last year's implementation in the 800 and 850 series; and (4) Panasonic continues to refuse to enable fine-grained image control (grayscale, color balance, etc.).
@ Tzehdekh,
c'mon man, you cant compare cnet reviewers with HDguru! dont you remember how guru tore the sony xel-1 a new asshole? (or maybe youre a n00b) cnet's kinda new @ this. they didnt publish any in depth tv reviews til last year, way after gary merson's last 2 "resolution" articles. oh and have said themselves that they don't always perform full calibrations before testing a panel. see the g10 review : "A calibration that accessed the service menu could increase light output in THX mode, but we don't perform such calibrations as part of our TV reviews."
In the CNET review, light output wasn't the only problem with the G10's THX mode -- there were issues with color accuracy, too. The HDGuru review almost glossed over the 48-Hz refresh issue, while CNET explained it in more detail and pointed out that Panasonic does offer a an improvement -- 96-Hz refresh -- for which U.S. customers will have to pay a premium in the V10 series (but which is standard in the European G10). HDGuru said SD performance was great, whereas CNET described it as mediocre. Given two reviews, I'll always accord greater credence to the more negative one, particularly if it describes the problems encountered. I find that to be more helpful than a glowing review in evaluating a product.
ok, you'll trust a cnet editor over an HDguru... i'm done posting here!
I'd take a Panny plasma over Pioneer anyday.
thats cause yur not just a n00b buh yur a pro n00blet bcoz pioneer can rape ANy yes ANY tv out there panny can SMD! ^^ @ Video master 2
I think anyone that reads this or any-other info channel can agree that PLASMA is better, and when i look at it , the TV marts , it is always cleaner. But alas Beta was better D-VHS was great so lets just settle for good enough. Please stop making anything better because it doesn't;t matter any more. Shoot my BAD i try not to throw away my stuff, and buy Quality===better not use that word because that means less sales.
It's partially the plasma manufacturer's fault for plasma dying. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a plasma TV? Can you even think of one? Meanwhile the Samsung LCD marketing train is running full steam ahead with all their bullcrap marketing lingo and buzzwords. They are the "official HDTV of the NFL" after all. :rolleyes:
It'll be a sad day when plasma dies. I literally refuse to buy an LCD, guess I'll have to wait a while to replace my 3 year old VIERA with an OLED.
ya know, with samsung being the worlds largest and richest tv maker, they probably have enough dough and marketing power to single handely save the plasma biz. too bad they dont give a shyte and make a killing off their lcd joint venture with sony. although panasonic plasmas IMHO are the best on the market (sorry pioneer fanboys), they can't keep the biz alive by themselves.
Why does Engadget whine about price on everything they post about or review? Come on, it's an industry-leading plasma for less than $2k...do some real commentary instead of crying about price. Some of your readers have lots of money, and the ones who don't are generally willing to save up for gadgets.
"We recommend checking your credit card to see if it can survive a $1,800 bump..." is a complaint about price? Not really, and we've been consistent about plasmas offering very competitive pricing at the 50-inch and up category.