Panasonic Viera TC-P50S1 user reviews

Pros Color is probably the best I have seen other than the Pioneer Elite, even the custom mode has a great picture. 24p mode seems to work really well, no jagged picture from what I could see.

Cons Blacks are not quite what I call "infinite". Not many picture options available either.

Summary I hooked this TV up to a panasonic blu ray player (BD-30k) with 24p mode turned on. Planet Earth was the movie of choice and I was not disappointed at all. Even though the blacks are not as deep as the pioneer the color is amazing. There is not a THX mode but calibration would probably help a lot. I would recommend CNET reviewing this one (as well as the G series) because I think they would be impressed. As far as price for picture quality, it is the best I have seen so far. Looking forward to see what CNET thinks.

Pros Excellent black levels, great picture quality, connectivity options, mounting options, price. HD Picture quality.

Cons Colors not perfect, but damn close. No cable-card slot. Some noise. SD picture quality not so good, but not the worst i've seen.

Summary I got this TV on sale for $1, 1 9 9 at BB....was a great deal. It was between this and the more expensive Pioneer 5010FD (had an opportunity to get it for $2200). When comparing the two next to eachother, it was very difficult to see a difference. For the money, you cannot go wrong with this set. Identical to G10, minus ethernet connectivity...but that was a non-issue for me...i have a MCPC. Also, the THX certification is just silly. Everyone has their own preferences...not worth $300 extra dollars for that. Highly recommended.

Pros Great looking black detail in shadows and clothing.
Colors look vibrant and accurate after break-in period.
Smooth action on TV, games, and Blu-Rays.
Affordable Price

Cons You really should properly break-in this set before adjusting the settings.
Break-in takes a while and although it is easy, may scare some people off.
Sound is OK, but not terrible.

Summary I purchased this TV back in March and have been holding off on the review until the TV was properly broken in (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1128487 -- the first parargraph in the first post is the procedure) then calibrated to my liking. I must say I have been very pleased with the time I have spent with it. I was a bit worried when I read the CNET review about the color inaccuracy, but I think mine looks great. The picture is crystal clear and motion is smooth. Blu-Rays on the PS3 look awesome. While watching all the dark scenes in Spiderman 3, I can easily make out the details in the shadows and black clothing. This set really handles black well. I also have no complaints looking at flesh tones and whites. All the colors are vibrant and look spot on.

My primary TV is a Sharp Aquos I purchased 3 years ago, and this set blows it away for half the price I spent on the Sharp. I think that people are really pushing the G10 series and that is fine, but for $200 less, this 50S1 looks fantastic and I have no regrets that I purchased this set. My only suggestion would be to check out the above link and spend the time to properly break-in the set. It is not very difficult. All the phosphors break-in evenly and you only need to calibrate once. Trust me, this set looked a TON better after the 100 hour break-in period.

The sound and remote are passable, but not terrible. I think most people have surround sound now anyway. These are the only 2 things not fantastic about this TV.

Pros The blacks and contrast ratio along with the refresh rate gives the sets the sharpest natural color rich picture in 1080p I've ever seen and I see them all. No LCD comes close.

Cons If hooked up using the HDMI they are lightning prone. If you hear a clap of thunder you better unplug the HDMI if nothing else, and I recomend using a good surge protector.

Summary I own a TV Repair Shop and have been in the TV repair buisness over 30 years. I work on every brand made and I see Samsung, Sony, Pioneer and Sharp every week The Panasonics have the best picture without the big price tag. Today I only recommend 3 brands and I don't sell TV's so I have no dog in that hunt. If they want a LCD I suggest Sharp and Samsung, If they are looking for a Plasma I recommend Panasonic. If I have a Panasonic and a Sharp fixed, sitting side by side the custmers always prefers the Panasonics picture.