This particular Plasma 3D Television was just this month named as T3′s TV of the year, beating better known TVs to the prestigious award with a unanimous judges vote. Named TV of the year for its fantastic visuals and range of features which is not just a triumph for Panasonic, but also Plasma TV technology as a whole. The TV boasts an almost ridiculous contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1 and if the professional judges are to be believed the best 3D performance of any set currently available, perhaps even more surprising is the fact that this was Panasonic’s flagship model that was launched early last summer, and was the first 3D Plasma available.
Plasma technology appears to have taken a bit of a back seat over its seemingly better looking, and certainly more popular LED lit LCD models, however this may all be about to change. Panasonic have remained firmly behind the technology releasing a number of models that is sure to delight even the most hardened LCD fan. The plasma is not quite as thin a TV as you may desire but at a depth of only 90mm is hardly the most cumbersome TV you will have ever owned.
As with most Plasma TVs this model offers amazing moving picture resolution, which was noted by the judges as the best of all the TVs compared for the award. This is no small feat when up against some seriously big hitters including the LG-47LX9900, the LG-47LD950, Samsung’s UE46C879, as well as Sony’s KDL-46HX903. The great moving picture resolution does not end at 2D, but also spills into the 3D arena where this particular model excels. The TV totally eliminates “Crosstalk” i.e. the occurrence of picture information meant for one eye accidentally being viewed by the other eye. The 3D experience will be one to remember and if your lucky enough to own one, enjoy for a long time to come.
The Glasses
Unfortunately the glasses are the big let down (they are slightly cumbersome and uncomfortable), but at least you get two pairs straight out of the box, something not apparently offered with the cheaper TX-P42GT20B. The glasses are of the active shutter variety.
Design
The design of this 3D Plasma is quite conservative, almost boring, but yet still very smart with a silver trim.
Connectivity & Online
Rear connectivity is great, and also incorporates a couple of Scart inputs, some component jacks along with matched up phono audio output, Ethernet port and 3 v1.4 HDMIs.
You will find additional inputs on the side, which include the CI card bay, SD card port, 2 USBs plus yet another HDMI.
This P50VT20 is just one of several brand new Televisions that allows standard programme recording onto an attached USB hard drive. Its use is minimal though. The hard drive must be registered to your TV set, and no other channel may be chosen whilst a programme is being recorded.
As with the smaller model you can either take your TV online with an ethernet cable or Wi-Fi dongle, where you will find Panasonic’s VieraCast content portal. You will also be able to easily stream You Tube, MP3′s, AVI’s HD MKV’s and Div X files from your network.
Dimensions
HEIGHT: 771MM
WIDTH: 1224MM
DEPTH: 90MM
WEIGHT: 27.5KG (without stand)
Tuners
Both Freeview HD & Freesat HD
Resolution
1920 x 1080
Audio
20W Nicam Stereo
THX Accreditation
The P50VT20 is THX accredited, which means a picture pre-set optimised for movie viewing, that eliminates over-scan as well as giving 1:1 pixel matching.
