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  • Introduction

  • Overall Design

  • Front

  • Back

  • Sides

  • Stand/Mount

  • Controls

  • Remote Control

  • In the Box

  • Black Level

  • Peak Brightness

  • Contrast

  • Tunnel Contrast

  • White Falloff

  • Uniformity

  • Greyscale Gamma

  • Color Temperature

  • RGB Curves

  • Motion Performance

  • 3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

  • Resolution Scaling

  • Formats

  • Viewing Angle

  • Reflectance

  • Video Processing

  • Calibration

  • Video Modes

  • Ergonomics & Durability

  • Button Layout & Use

  • Programming & Flexibility

  • Connectivity

  • Placement

  • Audio Quality

  • Menu Interface

  • Instruction Manual

  • Internet Features

  • Local Media Playback

  • Other Media

  • Power Consumption

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Conclusion

  • Photo Gallery

  • Ratings & Specs

  • Introduction
  • Overall Design
  • Front
  • Back
  • Sides
  • Stand/Mount
  • Controls
  • Remote Control
  • In the Box
  • Black Level
  • Peak Brightness
  • Contrast
  • Tunnel Contrast
  • White Falloff
  • Uniformity
  • Greyscale Gamma
  • Color Temperature
  • RGB Curves
  • Motion Performance
  • 3:2 Pulldown & 24fps
  • Resolution Scaling
  • Formats
  • Viewing Angle
  • Reflectance
  • Video Processing
  • Calibration
  • Video Modes
  • Ergonomics & Durability
  • Button Layout & Use
  • Programming & Flexibility
  • Connectivity
  • Placement
  • Audio Quality
  • Menu Interface
  • Instruction Manual
  • Internet Features
  • Local Media Playback
  • Other Media
  • Power Consumption
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Conclusion
  • Photo Gallery
  • Ratings & Specs

Introduction

The TV has a MSRP of $1500, but if you shop around you can find it for much less.

Overall Design

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The TV certainly isn't ugly, but 2010 seems to be the year of the redesign. Many other manufacturers have decided to put design at the forefront, and they've made some gorgeous sets. The Panasonic looks fine, if unassuming, but its visage isn't anything that'll seduce you into a purchase.

Front

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25's 50-inch, semi-mirrored screen is housed within a glossy black plastic bevel.

Back

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The only notable feature on the back of the TV is the small cluster of ports towards the bottom right side.

Sides

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The left side of the TV houses a few ports and the on-set controls. The right side is boring because it doesn't have any features.

Stand/Mount

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The TV's stand is sturdy and swivels to allow easier access to the ports.

Controls

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The controls are located on the left side of the TV, along with some ports. The controls cover all the basic TV functions.

Remote Control

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The remote basically looks like any other Panasonic remote. It fits well in hand and its buttons have an intuitive layout for the most part. It feels like the menu button should be at the top of the d-pad as opposed to the side, but otherwise it's a solid remote.

In the Box

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The TV comes with a remote, batteries, and manuals.

The TV really wasn't hard to set up. All you have to do is screw the base on, which is pretty much the bare minimum for assembly

Black Level

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We measured the Panasonic TC-P50G25's black level at 0.04 candelas per square meter (cd/m2), which is incredibly deep. Our typical metric for a good black level is 0.10 cd/m2, and this is over twice as dark. Bravo, Panasonic. More on how we test black level.

Peak Brightness

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Plasmas have very low peak brightnesses due to limitations of their display technology: brightness creates a prohibitive amount of heat. The TC-P50G25 had a decent brightness for a plasma, though: 135.3 cd/m2. A decent LCD could output between 300 and 400 cd/m2, but the average plasma typically outputs about 100. For its display technology, the Panasonic TC-P50G25 is pretty bright. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast

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We measured the Panasonic TC-P50G25's contrast ratio at 3382:1, which is pretty high for our measurements. A downright excellent contrast ratio would have been about 4000:1 or above, and the TC-P50G25 is just shy of that benchmark. Contrast ratio is important since our eyesight is based on contrast; you shouldn't have any problem discerning fine details with the TC-P50G25. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast

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We saw some significant dimming issues with the TC-P50G25. Its black level crept up steadily the less black was on the screen, but that creep turned into exponential growth when 10% or less of the screen was black. This means that, although the TV has a great black level, it won't benefit any details that are surrounded by bright colors. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff

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The TC-P50G25 had some issues with white falloff as well, but they weren't nearly as severe as what we saw in our tunnel contrast tests. When most of the screen is white, bright colors will look noticeably dim, which isn't anything new for plasmas. As less and less of the screen was white, the brighter and brighter the measured area became. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity

Greyscale Gamma

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Greyscale gamma describes the curve along which greys darken to black and brighten to white. The TC-P50G25's curve had a slope of 2.11, and our ideal slope is between 2.1 and 2.2. Expect a nice, even transition from white to black, without any significant jumps in the spectrum. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Color Temperature

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25's color temperature was pretty good overall. It didn't have the most consistency, shifting from being a bit too warm to a bit too cool, but these changes weren't perceptible enough to really matter. More on how we test color temperature.

RGB Curves

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The TC-P42G25 didn't have the best color representation. In order to maintain colors, we would have had to drop the TV's contrast down considerably, so much so that it would have resulted in a significant reduction in overall performance. As it stands, the main issue with the TV's color representation is peaking: those flat lines towards the intense end of the spectrum represent a total lack of differentiation between adjacent shades. On top of this, the curves themselves aren't particularly smooth. The TC-P42G25 didn't put up the worst test results we've seen, but it certainly won't be entering its initials into our list of high scores. More on how we test RGB curves.

Below we've graphed the TV's color performance—separated into the individual red, green, and blue channels—along with the performances of a few competing TVs.

Motion Performance

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Motion Smoothness (8.00)

With its Blur Reduction feature on, the Panasonic TC-P50G25 didn't have many issues with motion blur. Some fine details were lost when a still image panned around, but the picture otherwise looked sharp. We had no real complaints here.

Motion Artifacting (5.50)

Here we had complaints. First of all, you should definitely switch on the Blur Reduction feature if you want to avoid artifacting issues. Without it, we saw some significant false coloration issues, primarily that areas of high contrast were highlighted in yellow. These issues are there regardless of the Blur Reduction setting, but flipping it on reduces their severity from 'obnoxiously obvious' to 'mild annoyance.' Aside from the false coloration, the other issue we saw with a shudder effect. The shuddering isn't bad, but it can cause fine details to flash as they move across the screen. More on how we test motion performance.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

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The TC-P50G25 had some issues with 3:2 pulldown. Even with the 3:2 pullldown mode enabled, we still saw flashing in fine patterns, and those that didn't flash either turned into flat patterns or rolling gradients More on how we test 3:2 pulldown and 24fps.

Resolution Scaling

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Since your TV won't always be displaying content in its native resolution, we test it in the other big resolutions. Since the TC-P50G25 is a 1080p HDTV, this section covers its performances with 480p (standard definition), 720p (DVD), and 1080i (broadcast HD) content. More on how we test resolution scaling.

480p

The TV didn't really have a problem with 480p content. There was a 2% overscan we couldn't get rid of, but we didn't really see any moire interference, the picture had good clarity, and we didn't see any increased artifacting issues.

720p

The TV had some significant moire interference when displaying 720p content. When a fine pattern first appeared, it flashed while the TV tried to come to grips with what it was displaying. After a second or two, the flashing died down, either to a significantly more subtle flash, or a still image. Aside from the flashing, we saw a lot of false coloration (mainly yellows), some patterns were replaced by other patterns, some patterns were underlaid with vertical bars: it wasn't pretty. Fortunately, these were the only issues the TV had. Images were otherwise clear and we didn't see much resolution lost.

1080i

We saw all the same issues in 1080p as we did in 720p. Be wary if you tend to watch a lot of 1080i or 720p content.

Formats

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25 has a native resolution of 1080p, which is currently the highest HD format available. It doesn't, however, do very well with nonnative resolutions, as we discuss in our resolution scaling section.

Viewing Angle

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We measured the TC-P50G25's viewing angle out to 80° off-center and the TV still had about 80% of its highest total contrast ratio. You shouldn't run into any issues with the TC-P50G25's viewing angle.

Reflectance

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For this test, we shine an array of LEDs at the screen from different angles, to get a sense of how the TV reacts to external light. In our experience, plasmas tend to have a more reflective screen than LCDs, and the TC-P50VT20 isn't shaking up that paradigm. On a dark screen, pretty much any external light is going to wash out the display (although if the light is hitting the screen at an especially shallow angle, the effect won't be as noticeable). On a white screen, we could still see the room around us reflected on the screen, but it wasn't nearly as bad. Overall, we weren't impressed.

Video Processing

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has a handful of processing features. The color management feature is like a Vivid picture mode that mainly focuses on blues and greens, which makes sense since the reds are so oversaturated to begin with. The video noise reduction feature works as advertised, for the most part. We're going to run a few of our tests again with C.A.T.S. mode, to get a sense of how accurately it lets the TV calibrate itself, but our initial impression is: not very.

Calibration

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Below you'll find the settings we used when testing the Panasonic TC-P50G25. If you use our settings, you should be pretty good, but if you want the best possible picture quality, you should hire a specialist to come to your home and calibrate your TV for your specific viewing environment.

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All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

](http://www.displaymate.com/)

Video Modes

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25 has five video modes for those that prefer a one-touch solution rather than fiddling with each and every setting. Panasonic once again managed to snag the coveted THX branding, which (by contractual obligation, no doubt) includes the humorously bombastic description. Most of the language below is borrowed from the instruction manual.

Ergonomics & Durability

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The remote control that ships with the Panasonic TC-P50G25 is the same as the one that comes with last year's TC-P50G10. It's certainly not the best or most attractive remote we've seen. By comparison, the Samsung UB55C7000's remote is a work of art. Panasonic skips the art and focuses on function. Unlike the Samsung, we had no problem with no-look operation. The feel of the buttons are distinct enough. With its hard edges and 'unique' scooped-out bottom, the Panasonic remote is not terribly comfortable in hand. It is, however, lightweight and easy to maneuver.

Button Layout & Use

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The button layout on the remote control is pretty good. We may have been a little hard on this remote the last time we reviewed it. Once you get a feel for it, you can operate it without glancing down. However, the remote is not without its frustrations. The internet features button, called Viera Cast, is located right next to the Menu button, and you're likely to hit it by accident with regularity. But it takes ages for the Viera Cast to load. Long enough for you to hit the Exit button again and again, shouting, 'No! I was watching something!'

Programming & Flexibility

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25 remote can control other Panasonic devices, but cannot be programmed for anything else.

Connectivity

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Input Ports (6.0)

The Panasonic TC-P50G25 has a number of ports on its large body, certainly enough to get you going with a home theater system and beyond. There are three HDMIs, two composites, two components, and more. In addition, there's a whole group of multimedia ports – USB, media card slot, and ethernet – which are described in more detail further down the page.

The ports are located on the side are placed for quick access. The ports on the rear are intended for more permanent fixtures.

Output Ports (2.0)

The Panasonic TC-P50G25 has just one output port, a digital audio output. Unlike many HDTVs, there is no analog audio output. Panasonic has abstained from these on nearly all of its recent plasmas. Before you buy, make sure your home audio system has a compatible digital audio input.

Other Connections (3.0)

The Panasonic TC-P50G25 has an ethernet port for connecting to the streaming content features, which are detailed in the Multimedia & Internet page.

Media (5.0)

The Panasonic TC-P50G25 offers not one, but two, USB ports. Both are located on the side for easier access. From these ports, you can use a thumb drive for viewing photos, audio files, and video clips. For more details, jump to the Multimedia & Internet page.

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Placement

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The ports on the Panasonic TC-P50G25 are well-placed and clearly labeled. The side ports are obviously no problem to get to. The rear ports can be trickier, but because the TV swivels on its base to make things a little easier.

Audio Quality

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The audio quality of the Panasonic TC-P50G25 was above average for a television. Panasonics generally have a good record in this category. The speakers are plainly visible through grating on the back of the TV, so it helps if you have a surface behind that will reflect rather than absorb all the sound. Overall, we though the bass was a little weak, but not muddy or fuzzy.

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The menu on the Panasonic TC-P50G25 can be a bit frustrating, but you'll get used to it soon enough. The problem is that the TV doesn't always respond like you think it should. For instance, when you select a particular setting, like Tint or Color, and hit Enter, nothing happens. Shouldn't a little submenu pop up at this point? No, instead you have to hit the left or right button to get a response.

Instruction Manual

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The instruction manual covers a lot of the questions you might have about your new TV, but not all of them. We always applaud any manufacturer that includes both a table of contents and an index, so if you can't get an answer to your question, at least you'll know quickly.

You can find the Panasonic TC-P50G25's manual online here.

A manual for so many TV models, they have to be further categorized by type.

Internet Features

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25 features Panasonic's 'Viera Cast' set of streaming internet content. Panasonic has been trying to expand its content partnerships, but it's still looking a bit thin. Out of the box, the TV can only pull content from YouTube, Amazon Video on Demand, Pandora music, Picasa, and Twitter. There's an image advertising Fox Sports as coming soon, but it's not here yet. Twitter is also coming soon. If you move on to the second page of apps you find Bild.de, a German-language tabloid paper, and Tagesschau, a German-language news channel, and Bloomberg stock price quotes.

Where's Netflix, we ask. Where's all the good stuff? Why are two of the three video content providers in a foreign language? If you want to see streaming internet on a TV done right, look at the new Sony KDL-46EX700. It features over thirty content partners with a ton of video. We're not sure why Sony seems to be the only one getting it right, but there's simply no contest right now. We only hope that both Panasonic and Samsung make some strides early this year to bulk up their features.

The YouTube playback is a wonderful thing.

Local Media Playback

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To access photos, plug in your thumb drive or memory card, then select either Viera Image Viewer or Media Player from the Viera Tools menu. Making slideshows of your photos is easy, and the TV offers a lot of options for customizing, including speed, transition effects, background music, and more.

The Panasonic TC-P50G25 can also play back video clips and audio files from the USB ports or its SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Other Media

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25 can connect with other Panasonic devices, including camcorders, through a feature called Viera Link. With this, you can sync with devices like a Panasonic Blu-Ray player or home theater system.

Power Consumption

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The Panasonic TC-P50G25, like just about every plasma we've reviewed, has a very inconsistent rate of power draw. On our test, the TV jumped between drawing 190 watts on the low end to over 350 watts a few seconds later. This dramatic jump in power consumption is entirely dependent on what's on screen: brighter scenes draw significantly more power than darker ones.

At about $54/year, the Panasonic TC-P50G25 costs about twice what the average LCD costs to maintain. Of course, the monthly cost for the TC-P50G25 isn't huge—just $4.5—but it's still an additional expense. If you're really looking to tighten up your budget, get a small LCD for a yearly cost under $20.

Value Comparison

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This match-up goes to the Sony unless you're really on a tight budget. The TV has better image quality, significantly better online features, and is 2 inches bigger. The Panasonic isn't a terrible option at $500 cheaper, but the Sony's added value makes up for the price gap.

Blacks & Whites

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The Sony had the highest contrast ratio in this group of comparison TVs. The Panasonic had a deeper black, but since it was so dim, it's contrast ratio wasn't quite as high as the Sony's.

Color Accuracy

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The Sony's color temperature drifts towards too warm, while the Panasonic stays fairly consistent. The Sony had much more accurate color representation, however.

Motion

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The Sony has better motion processing overall, but the gap between the two TVs' performances on our motion blur test was virtually insignificant.

Viewing Effects

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The Panasonic has a much, much larger viewing angle than the Sony.

Connectivity

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Sony might have an extra HDMI, and the Panasonic might have an extra composite video and analog audio input, but the real separator here is online content. Sony has an incredible amount of online content available, and the Panasonic doesn't even have a lot of the basic content providers on board.

Value Comparison

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The LG costs more than twice what the Panasonic does, and frankly, we're not quite sure why. It didn't blow the Panasonic out of the water in any given area, with the possible exception of online content. The Panasonic did have a bit of noise in its picture, but certainly not $2000 worth of noise.

Blacks & Whites

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The Panasonic's black level was over ten times as tark as the LG's. The LG had a much brighter peak white, but with such a high black level, it still wound up with a low contrast ratio.

Color Accuracy

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The Panasonic's color temperature was slightly more stable than the LG's, but the Panasonic didn't have very accurate color representation overall.

Motion

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Both TVs had about the same performance on our motion blur tests. On our artifacting tests, the LG outperformed the Panasonic, but it wasn't a blowout.

Viewing Effects

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The Panasonic had a much wider viewing angle than the LG.

Connectivity

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The LG just has the basics for online content, which is surprisingly more than Panasonic offers. If you want big names like Netflix, the LG is going to look like a much more attractive option.

Value Comparison

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This match-up mainly comes down to how much you value online features and 3D. The Samsung offers both, while the Panasonic has neither but comes at less than half the price. In terms of picture quality, both TVs had their strengths: the Panasonic had better black & white performance, but the Samsung had more accurate color representation. If you're on a budget, the Panasonic is obviously the better option. If you're looking for the best overall picture quality, or you value online features and 3D highly, it's going to come down to your own personal preferences.

Blacks & Whites

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The Panasonic has a much deeper black than the Samsung. Even though the Samsung is more than twice as bright, it wasn't enough to compensate for its poor black level: the Panasonic has a higher overall contrast ratio.

Color Accuracy

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While the Panasonic has a much more even color temperature than the Samsung, its RGB curves are all over the place. The Samsung has better overall color performance.

Motion

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The Panasonic's motion processing was just a hair worse than the Samsung's.

Viewing Effects

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The Panasonic, as a plasma, has quite a large viewing angle. The Samsung's is tiny by comparison.

Connectivity

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The main advantage the Panasonic has is its SD card slot. The Samsung's main advantage is its breadth of online content, which absolutely dwarfs Panasonic's offerings.

Conclusion

The Panasonic TC-P50G25 is a decent entry-level HDTV. The TC-P50G25 has a great black level, high contrast ratio, and an incredible viewing angle. The TV had some issues with its color performance, though, and the picture was often very noisy.

The TC-P50G25 also has a few basic additional features, but they're not exactly shining beacons of functionality. The online content isn't very impressive impressive, and while the SD card media playback works, it's not exactly flashy or exclusive. Really, if you're buying this TV, it's because you want a better than average HDTV for a decent price.

{{photo_gallery "Front Tour Image", "Back Tour Image", "Sides Tour Image", "Stand Photo", "Controls Photo", "Remote Control Photo", "Connectivity Tour Image 1", "Connectivity Tour Image 2", "Connectivity Extra Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo"}}

Ratings & Specs

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Meet the tester

Mark Brezinski

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

@markbrezinski

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

See all of Mark Brezinski's reviews

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