Sep
3

Panasonic NeoPDP Plasma TV Review

Filed Under NeoPDP TV, Panasonic Plasma TV | Leave a Comment 

Large-size TVs have traditionally been the area where Plasma TVs have competed best against LCD TVs. The Panasonic NeoPDP Plasma TV  range is designed to take on LCD TVs in several key areas:

  • Reduced power consumption
  • Slimmer TV units
  • Good screen fast-motion handling

So how has Panasonic done with their NeoPDP range?

Panasonic-NeoPDP-PlasmaTV

They’ve done pretty well. The PDP range has slimmer lighter screens and the range topping Z1 is just 8.8mm thick.

They have also achieved a significant reduction in power consumption and the running costs are now comparable with LCD TV’s. You also have the interesting choice of either reducing power consumption or increasing screen brightness - useful for adjusting the TV for sunny days or late nights.

The European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA) has given Panasonic’s TX-P42V10 its best Plasma award for 2009-2010 which confirms that the performance of Panasonic’s high end plasmas is producing tangible improvements in overall screen performance.

Panasonic TX-P42V10 Review

The V10 is the second highest model in the current NeoPDP rang eabove the G10 and G15 and gets: ‘THX Mode’, ‘Picture in Picture’, an upgraded ‘Natural Vision Filter’, ‘24p Smooth Film’, ‘Digital Cinema Colour’ and ‘Deep Colour’.

Panasonic-TX-P42V10-PlasmaTV

Feature summary:

  • Screen: 42in 16:9
  • Tuner: Digital
  • Sound System: Nicam
  • Resolution: 1920 x 1080
  • Contrast Ratio (dynamic): 2,000,000:1
  • V-real 4 Picture Processing
  • 100Hz refresh rate
  • 600Hz sub-field drive
  • Sockets: 4 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, SD card reader.

The model above the V10 is the range topping, ultra slim (1in) Z1. This can transmit a full 1080p HD signal from its tuner box and also supports the Viera Cast feature wirelessly.

(Viera Cast provides internet access directly through the TV and pushing the Viera Cast button on the TX-P42V10’s remote takes you straight to Panasonic’s online content portal. Here you can choose from content such YouTube videos, the Picasa photo sharing web site, stock quote information, weather reports etc. The content is limited but growing.)

The TX-P42V10 delivers deep, rich blacks with absolutely no trace of ‘greyness’ and an impressive level of graduated detail across darker scenes. This adds realism and dynamism to scenes and with the added benefit of NeoPDP technology these darker scenes are brighter than just about any other plasma TV (except for the Pioneer Kuro).

The TX-P42V10 has advanced colour enhancingtechnology and facial tones are never anything less than wholly realistic and overall this screen is still well above the standard level of performance in terms of colour reproduction.

Motion handling on the TX-P42V10 is improved and again up with the class leaders (although not perfect). The improvement is most noticeable on faster motion sequences and although the TX-P42V10 still suffers from a small amount of juddering with fast camera pans, it’s is one of the best performers in this respect.

The TX-P42V10 delivers an above avarage Standard Definition (SD) performance and as expected, the 1920 x 1080 Full HD panel produces some of the best High Definition (HD) pictures we have seen todate where every nuance of detail is clearly rendered in vibrant colours.

The stylish, slim profile has been achieved at the expense of acoustic performance and the P42V10 has only average audio performance (although this problem exists with most slim, flat panel TVs). 

Summary

The TX-P42V10 Plasma TV marks an admirable achievement by Panasonic and is one of the best 42in TV’s money can buy.

Footnote:

LCD TV screen sizes and shipments are continuing to march ever upward and in July 2009 large screen LCD year-on-year revenues reached US$5.9 billion, up 11% sequentially and 6% on year, also marking the first time since July 2008 that there has been positive annual growth.

Based on the number of units shipped the leading companies were:

  • LG Display (LGD) was the leader with 24.7% market share,
  • Samsung with 23.4%
  • AU Optronics (AUO) with 16.8%.

 

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Aug
24

65″ LCD TV Reviews

Filed Under 65 inch LCD TV, LCD TV Reviews | Leave a Comment 

Here are two examples of 65″ LCD TVs - a Sony Bravia and a Sharp Aquos. As usual, the Sony TV is the most expensive, so it’s up to you to decide whether you think its worth the extra $$.

For a TV of this size and price, you definitely need to go along and have a look at it, so you can judge the picture and sound quality and the feature set provided.

At the other end of the price scale, at the time of writing you can buy a 65-inch 1080p LCD TV for only $2300! This particular TV is from Olevia, which probably isn’t the greatest brand, because its parent company recently filed for bankruptcy . . . but hey it’s cheap!

SONY BRAVIA KDL-65W5100 65″ LCD HDTV - Part Number: KDL65W5100

Price range at time of writing $4,6000-$4,900.

Sony-65inch-BRAVIA-W-Series-LCD-HDTV
The Bravia W Series 65-inch KDL-65W5100 1080p LCD HDTV features a 16:9 Full HD 1080p resolution panel, so you can take full advantage of Blu-ray Disc players that deliver 1080p content.

The TV incorporates:

  • Sony’s Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE) which uses real-time image processing to dynamically adjust backlight levels for improved contrast without masking details.
  • Motionflow 120 Hz technology that enhances sharpness and delivers smooth motion for fast-action pictures.
  • A BRAVIA Engine 3 technology fully digital video processor that uses a collection of enhanced algorithms to significantly reduce noise, enhance overall image detail, and optimize contrast. This is claimed to produce sharp, vibrant, life-like images.
  • BRAVIA Sync Technology allows the access and control multiple tasks and system operations with one button and the Internet Widgets feature means you can access news, weather, stock info.

It includes:

  • 7 HD inputs with 4 HDMI inputs that let you connect a games system, Blu-ray Disc player, or any other HDMI-capable equipment.
  • An HD component input and an HD combo input provides added HD-capable connectivity
  • A PC input so you can use it as a computer monitor.
  • Compliance with DLNA that allows BRAVIA W-series HDTVs to access digital photos, music, and video from DLNA-enabled PCs and other devices.

Sharp LC - 65D64U - 65″ LCD TV - 1080p (FullHD)

Price range at time of writing $3000-$3,300.

Sharp-LC-65D64U-65-LCD-TV

Sharp is an established leader in LCD technology, although they have not topped the sales charts for a while now. The AQUOS LC-65D64U is a slim-line design which reduces depth by 25% and establishes a new design standard for LCD TVs. It has a screen size of 65″ but fits this large screen size into an incredibly small footprint and includes side terminals for wall-mounting convenience.

The LC-65D64U uses Sharp’s proprietary Advanced Super View / Black TFT Panel with multi-pixel technology. This provides 10,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio with Enhanced Picture Contrast Technology and 4ms response time.

The LC-65D64U also features:

  • Built-in ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuners
  • 3 HDMI (version 1.3) inputs, compatible with 1080p signals
  • X.V. Color, a PC input and 2 HD component video inputs.

User reviews include comments such as:

  • “We found the picture and everything else about this HDTV nothing short of amazing. We shopped extensively and looked at many other large screen flat panels, and nothing compares to this for the money.”
  • “Buy this TV! It’s a great TV for the price. You won’t regret it. I had a Sony LCD, 4 years old, and this is a dramatic improvement, blacker blacks, contrast is incredible.”
  • “The Aquos 65 requires a bit more adjusting on colors (than a Panasonic), but I’m completely satisfied with the results. Using basic adjustments got to good quality, and the advanced adjustments should be enough for anyone to reach just the right results.”
  • “The picture is beautiful, but the fumes from the set are noxious. The odor gets overpowering and nauseating after the TV is on for a short while.” (A few people complained about the odor and this was the worst case).

Good shopping.

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