Panasonic TC-P50S30

The Panasonic VIERA TC-P50S30 is part of the new S30 series of VIERA displays that were introduced in early January 2011 at the Consumer Electronics Show. This TV is proof that plasma technologies are still going strong today and even displays as large as 50 inches can still be affordable.

Panasonic TC-P50S30

Screen

The VIERA TC-P50S30 has a plasma display panel that is completely mercury and lead free which is a great step forward in making Panasonic’s products friendlier to the environment. It is also good in the long run when disposing these displays as they can be recycled without resulting to any negative impacts to the environment.

Cabinet

Although the TC-P50S30 is not a high-end TV, the bezel is pretty thin so the 50-inch display really shines making it a great centerpiece in any living room. It has that black finish all over so it can match many of the other home theater components.

Setup

Like other plasma displays, the TC-P50S30 requires some configuration before you can really make the most out of your display. This TV should work out of the box, but there are plenty of nice features that you can discover if you explore the options. There are also some essential guidelines that you should stick to when using the TC-P50S30 for the first 100 hours.

It is important that all of the pixels on the display are active. You can easily achieve this by watching content in full screen. Just be careful because many movies and some programs may look full screen but show black bars on the sides. This is not good enough because black bars prevent the phosphors and pixels from wearing in evenly.

It is also good to take advantage of the image retention tools that the TC-P50S30 provides to prevent unwanted burn-in. The Pixel Orbiter is an essential feature that should be turned on so any static images that appear on the display for too long won’t burn in. You will often encounter these images when watching certain channels where the logo is constantly shown on the corner of the screen.

You may also need to reset the pixels by activating the Scrolling Bar for a few minutes. This writes a gradient bar to the screen that should start from white to black. The Pillar Bar Brightener also changes the pillar bars to bright gray so image retention is prevented.

Picture

Like many other plasma displays released by Panasonic in the past, the TC-P50S30 features the 600Hz Subfield Drive which is responsible for the fluid motion even when high-speed visuals are shown. The technology quickly refreshes the pixels while avoiding any instances of ghosting, burning, or lag. Any high-speed action flicks or many sports programs benefit greatly from this feature. Watching feature films like The Dark Knight really show how fluid and blur-free the visuals are.

The picture quality is excellent for its price because it has many of the essentials that Blu-ray movies depend on like Deep Color so the color reproduction in titles like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader looked great with natural flesh tones and good contrast overall. The x.v.Color compatibility also adds to the vibrant color experience.

You can also increase the response time and eliminate delays while playing video games by activating the Game Mode function. It automatically selects the right settings that make all types of games look better resulting to clearer dark scenes and enhanced rendering.

Sound

The sound quality is pretty much what you would expect from standard displays. It features a pair of speakers that each pump out 20 watts but they support surround sound which can increase the sound output quality of plenty of movies. You may also consider integrating it to a home theater system or something like the the ZVOX 550HSD surround sound system which comes in a single cabinet. You will then be able to realize the full immersive experience of the TV.

Energy

Panasonic really did the right thing in holding on to its plasma technologies as the TC-P50S30 and other new plasma models feature improved energy savings. Older plasma displays had huge disadvantages regarding energy consumption but now the TC-P50S30 exceeds the Energy Star requirements thanks to improved technologies and up to 25% of energy reduction. This is enough for these plasma panels to run for about 100,000 hours.

Additional Features

All 2011 plasma models have an Ethernet port but the TC-P50S30 can use the connection to access a variety of Internet services through the Easy IPTV feature. Compared to the VIERA Cast and VIERA Connect feature found in high-end models, the Easy IPTV is quite basic but makes it easy for anyone to access popular services like Netflix, CinemaNow, Pandora, and Facebook. A USB port is provided if you prefer a wireless experience although you will have to purchase a special wireless USB accessory by Panasonic separately so the TV can connect to wireless routers.

The wireless connectivity is nice when connecting to DLNA-compatible AV equipment. This way, you can take advantage of its DLNA support by accessing movies, photos, and music remotely.

If you cannot take advantage of this feature, you can always utilize the SD card slot which is linked to the VIERA Image Viewer feature. Since this is a 1080p display, the TC-P50S30 serves as a nice HD digital photo frame where you can take out the SD card from any camera and display the images on the screen right away. It has a slide show function with an option to add background music for easy presenting. There is also a second USB port so it can read images in flash drives as well.

Conclusion

The Panasonic VIERA TC-P50S30 is a rather unique display because it lacks some of the fancy features but cleverly incorporates the image enhancing features that matter a lot. It also has some minimal Internet features that a lot of people should like but won’t have to pay a premium price for a TV with fully blown Internet features. Prices of TVs like this are also going down since the 3D displays are taking all the spotlight. As long as you won’t head towards the 3D direction, you should be more than satisfied with the features, design, and performance of the TC-P50S30.

Average User Rating:
Actual User Reviews:
• “I did my research before purchasing the Panasonic TC-P50S30and am extremely satisfied with the purchase. I am a strong believer that plasma is still a better technology than LCD/LED, and this TV proves it. Panasonic is still the #1 producer of plasma technology. The picture quality of smooth action, great detail, lively colors, and deep blacks can’t be beat. LED does provide a “brighter” picture and thinner screen (not by much), but that’s it. It was very easy to setup, as most new TVs are today. The only negative is the sound quality. However, I didn’t expect it to be good as you shouldn’t either. You need to purchase a home theater sound system like any other TV you buy. I bought the Bose Cinemate Series II 2.1 system and it is also amazing! ” – plasma lover (USA)

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• “I bought this TV about two weeks ago and absolutely love it. The picture quality is superb and the color differentiation is outstanding. I’ve watched a blu-ray disc and hooked up my PS3 and have been very happy. Also, I’ve been blown away at how crisp and detailed the images are when I watch sports. Using an HDMI is mandatory to take advantage of this TV’s graphics.

I have one criticism. The sound quality is not that great. I don’t think it’s terrible by any means, but more just adequate. I hook up most of my sound to go through my surround sound, but when the TV sound stands on its own, it is ok but I was hoping for more. I’d encourage you to look into getting decent surround sound. If you’re going to invest in this TV, might as well have some decent sound to match the awesome graphics.” – Rich (USA)

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