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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

  • 3D Effect & Experience

  • 3D Glasses

  • 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

  • Other Comparisons

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Value Comparison

  • Blacks & Whites

  • Color Accuracy

  • Motion

  • Viewing Effects

  • Connectivity

  • Other Comparisons

  • Conclusion

  • Model Series Comparison

  • 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
  • 3D Effect & Experience
  • 3D Glasses
  • 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
  • Other Comparisons
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Value Comparison
  • Blacks & Whites
  • Color Accuracy
  • Motion
  • Viewing Effects
  • Connectivity
  • Other Comparisons
  • Conclusion
  • Model Series Comparison
  • Photo Gallery
  • Ratings & Specs

Introduction

The main problem with the TC-P50VT20 is it doesn't have great picture quality and its online features are pretty mediocre. If 3D is an important enough feature to you that these shortcomings don't matter, however, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is currently the better of the two available choices.

Overall Design

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After looking at the tremendous strides that Samsung has displayed recently in beautifying television design (followed at some distance by Sony), you have to wonder what Panasonic was thinking when it created its first 3D TV. Panasonic feels like a company of engineers. Samsung feels like a company of engineers with a fashionable sibling who steps in to help them dress for the big dance.

The TC-P50VT20 is an ugly hunk of plastic surrounding a very good display. The plastic looks cheap, and the buttons on the TV and remote look gawky and, well... also cheap. The whole thing looks cheap, except for the screen.

Front

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The front of the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is not the prettiest TV, and certainly no match for a looker like the Samsung UN55C7000. As you can see from the front, the bezel is rather thick for a TV of this price range, we think. The material is definitely low-styling as well – a semi-gloss dark grey plastic. Come on, Panasonic. Sell us on this whole 3D thing!

Along the bottom of the bezel is an area that contains the indicator lights and sensors for the remote control and 3D glasses syncing.

Back

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The back of the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is simple. All the ports are located in one corner, for easier access. The AC power cable plugs into the center, and through a handy bit of engineering, snaps into place so it can't accidentally be yanked out.

Sides

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As you can see from the pictures, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is not a particularly svelte television, but that is perhaps because the rising popularity of LED-backlit LCDs has created an shift in the desire for 'skinny' TVs. The Samsung UN55C7000, for example, is incredibly thin, and it's not even the thinnest that Samsung is releasing this year.

The extra inches on the Panasonic allow for some useful bits, though. On the left side, you'll find all the onboard controls and several ports, including the USBs and SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Stand/Mount

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The stand is a plain, ovular piece of plastic. We're pleased to see that the TV is able to rotate on its base, but Samsung has set a new bar for design with its 4-legged stand.

Controls

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All the onboard controls are located on the left side of the TV, mixed in with several ports. The buttons are strangely fat and cheap looking, but they do the job perfectly well. Performing no-look operation here is tricky because there's no clear separation between 'group of buttons' and 'group of ports.'

Remote Control

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The remote control for the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is not a thing of elegance either, but it gets the job done. It's essentially the same as last year's remote, but with white buttons for better illumination when you turn on the backlighting feature (always handy in a dark room). It fits nicely balanced in the hand, but the hard corners could have been made more comfortable.

In the Box

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 ships with a remote control, batteries, the stand, an instruction manual, and one pair of 3D glasses. This last part is crucial if you have any intention of trying out the 3D display. Of course, in order to see anything in 3D, you'll also need a Blu-Ray player that supports 3D, as well as a disc with 3D content.

The exact model of the TC-P50VT20 that we purchased was a Best Buy bundle including the DMP-BDT300 3D Blu-Ray player and a disc full of terrible but technically acceptable 3D content.

Black Level

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We measured the Panasonic TC-P50VT20's black level at 0.03 candelas per square meter (cd/m2). This is an excellent black level. Our benchmark for a great black level is 0.1 cd/m2, and this is three times as dark.

The one issue we saw, however, was the TV featured an automatic dimming feature that can't be turned off. We're really not fans of auto-dims, since it sacrifices some details in bright areas and can be distracting if a scene is hovering around the dim threashold. We're not sure why manufacturers insist on including this feature without a way to turn it off. More on how we test black level.

Peak Brightness

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We measured the TV's peak brightness at 51.42 cd/m2. This is really dim, but not out of line for a plasma. Due to the display technology, plasmas simply can't draw enough power to maintain a decent bright level during bright scenes. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast

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Unfortunately, the inability to produce a bright white really hurt the TC-P50VT20's contrast ratio. We measured it at 1714:1, which is significantly lower than what we'd consider a good contrast ratio. Since our eyes are based on contrast, you might notice the fine details on the TC-P50VT20 aren't as defined as they should be. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast

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On our tunnel contrast test, we test to see if the black level remains consistent, regardless of how much black is on the screen. Overall, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 had a pretty even black level. The one caveat is the auto-dim feature, which activates when most of the screen is black. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff

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Plasmas typically have issues maintaining a peak brightness, since it draws so much energy. Fortunately, the TC-P50VT20 doesn't output much light at it's most intense white, so there isn't much to dim. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity

Greyscale Gamma

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We measured the slope of the greyscale gamma at 2.36, which is slightly aggressive, but not something anyone would notice. As you can see in the curve below, the line is flat and even, which means a nice, gradated transition from white to black to grey. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Color Temperature

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Panasonic TC-P50VT20 performed well on our color temperature test. The only issue we saw was a trend towards warm in the high end. Although it's noticeable, it isn't for a particularly wide spectrum. More on how we test color temperature.

RGB Curves

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The Panasonic's RGB curves weren't the most stellar we've seen. You can see how they get a bit squiggly and desync towards the high end. The jagged lines mean there isn't an even color progression, which leads to decreased detailing. More on how we test RGB curves.

Below we've plotted the Panasonic TC-P50VT20's above performance as a gradient. Any unevenness represents a loss of detail, and if the color darkens to black too fast, it means some of the darker shades might be crushed.

Motion Performance

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Motion Smoothness (8.75)

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 performed pretty well on our motion smoothness tests. The TV does have a blur reduction feature, but we didn't think it did much to reduce blur (what it does do is reduce minor artifacting issues). We didn't see any blurring issues on pictures that pan around the screen—not even around the eyes, which typically lose a lot of detail.

Motion Artifacting (8.25)

Without the blur reduction feature on, we noticed a halo of artifacting around areas of high contrast. With the feature on, however, a lot of the artifacting issues disappeared. The only other problems we saw were minor, such as fine lines appearing jittery. More on how we test motion performance.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps

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The TV had some issues with 3:2 pulldown. There is a 3:2 pullldown mode, but it's definitely not a cure-all: it removes some of the flashing that can occur in fine patterns, but the patterns themselves turn into thick gradients or bars. More on how we test 3:2 pulldown and 24fps.

Resolution Scaling

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Every TV has a native resolution and has to either up-convert or down-convert content to fit that resolution. This involves some processing, which can lead to artifacting or other unwanted issues.

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 performed well on our resolution scaling tests overall, but it did have some issues once interlacing came into play. More on how we test resolution scaling.

480p

We really didn't see many issues with 480p content. There was some light false coloration in fine patterns, but that was about it.

720p

There were a few problems with 720p playback, but the TV did well overall. The main issue we saw was with moire interference in fine patterns: alternating fine lines either turned into gradients or other patterns entirely.

1080i

The TC-P50VT20 had the most trouble with 1080i playback. The moire interference was at its worst, and none of our test patterns were displaying as they should have. The TV turned a series of alternating black and white lines into an array of blotchy squares.

3D Effect & Experience

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To test the 3D effect that the glasses produce, we spent some time watching the 3D sample disc that was supplied with the Panasonic DMP-BDT300 3D Blu-ray player that we used as a signal source. This footage included a mix of real life footage and animated content that provided a decent overview of the 3D performance. We found the performance to be a mixed bag: in some of the footage (such as a movie of a coral reef) the 3D effect worked well, producing a subtle 3D look that was very convincing, with a real feeling of depth. On other sample footage (such as a tourist video shot around Rome) the 3D feel felt like it was composed of a couple of layers; objects close to the camera stood out from the rest of the image, producing a fake 3D feel that felt unnatural. The 3D effect also broke down when watching fast-moving content: in a sample 3D movie that included a scene shot from a helicopter flying down the Grand Canyon, the effect broke down somewhat when the rocky outcrops flew by too fast. We also saw the same breakdown during the fast panning scenes of the 3D Astro Boy trailer that was another sample video.

There were also some obvious glitches in the effect: when the display first sends the signal to turn the shutter effect on, it seemed to stutter for a few seconds, which produces an odd flickering blue frame effect, and we also saw this happen occasionally during the playback of 3D content. But overall, the 3D effect worked well, and we found most of the sample footage to produce a convincing 3D effect. However, it is worth remembering that this footage was chosen by Panasonic to showcase the 3D, so we'll have to reserve our definitive judgement on the 3D effect until we can get more test footage in to view and test. We'll be especially interested to see how well the effect holds up with subjects like action movies that make more use of rapid pans, handheld cameras and other tricks of the filmmakers craft that might cause issues here.

3D Motion

On our limited testing of the sample footage available to use initially, we found that the P50VT20 produced smooth, clean motion that looked as good in 3D as it did in 2D. Because of the lack of 3D source material at the moment, we were not able to run our full suite of motion tests, but we did not see any significant difference between 2D and 3D, so it looks like the new 3D feature does not adversely affect the smooth motion that this display produces. That's not a surprise, as the 3D Blu-ray standard allows the display to show a full 60 frames a second to each eye, so the eyes get to see 60 frames a second if you are watching 2D or 3D video.

3D Modes & Controls

When viewing a 3D blu-ray disc, the TC-P50VT20 only gives you a ahndful of options: you can turn the glasses on or off or swap the fields over. Although this was useful for our Sansing 3D HDTV hack, it probably isn't something you will need to use much. There is also a diagonal line filter, which we didn't find made any difference.

Other 3D modes

As well as the 3D Blu-ray Full HD format, this display also supports the side-by-side and top and bottom 3D formats, which are used by broadcasters and standard definition DVDs that want to squeeze a 3D signal into an existing transmission format.

There is no support on this TV for converting 2D to 3D, unlike the Samsing UN55C7000.

How 3D HDTV Works

This HDTV can show 3D video because it includes the 3D glasses, and because we played back a 3D Blu-ray disc from a player that supports the new format. It works by showing two different frames, one for each eye. Your brain them combines them to create a 3D effect. Below are a series of images that show how this works.

Your brain uses the differences between the images to create depth, and that's what happens with a 3D HDTV: the glasses help the eyes and the brain create the 3D effect. In the example above, the balls in the performers hand appear to be closer, while the performer in red looks further away.

Some of the options in the 3D menu

3D Glasses

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 comes with one pair of TY-EW3D10 3D glasses. Additional pairs will cost you $150. These are active shutter glasses: each lens is an LCD filter that flickers on and off to create the 3D effect.

The 3D glasses come in a plastic box, with two nose bridges (one for glasses, one for without) and a neck strap. In use, we found these glasses to be reasonably comfortable: you certainly never forget that you are wearing them, but they don't pinch or squeeze the head too much. We did find that the weight of them on the nose got a little uncomfortable, though, making us feel like we had a bit of a cold.

There is a small switch on the left arm of the glasses that enables them: hold this down for a couple of seconds and the glasses start looking for the activation signal, which is sent from an IR emitter on the bottom left corner of the TV bezel. When the glasses detect this, they enable the shutter effect, turning the LCD filter on and off 60 times a second, alternating from the left to the right eye. The glasses seem quite particular about getting the activation signal: if you look away from the TV, the shutter effect turns off after a couple of seconds. This is probably a good thing, though, because the shutter effect is rather unpleasant when you are looking at a laptop screen or a fluorescent light (or any pulsating light source), as the strobing lights and shuttering glasses interfere with each other in a rather unsettling way.

Yes, you will look like a dork with these on

Formats

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has a native resolution of 1080p, supports 3:2 pulldown and 24p playback, and can also display 3D images (providing you're wearing the glasses, of course).

Viewing Angle

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As you move away from sitting dead center in front of the TV, the picture's contrast ratio will actually start to decrease. Typically our viewing angle test is supposed to find the angle at which the TV's picture will only appear to have 50% contrast. In the TC-P50VT20's case, you won't hit that point until about 80‚ off center. You're going to get a decent contrast ratio no matter where you're viewing the TC-P50VT20 from.

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 we've listed all the settings we've changed in order to calibrate the TV for our testing labs. Most people should be fine if they use our settings, but true cinephiles will want to splurge on hiring a professional to give them a custom calibration. That way the TV will be perfectly calibrated for your own unique viewing space.

| Setting | Default | Calibrated |
| Picture Mode: | Custom | |
| Contrast | 100 | 32 |
| Brightness | 50 | 74 |
| Sharpness | 75 | 0 |
| Color Temp | Normal | Warm 2 |
| Video NR | Weak | Off |
| Blur Reduction | On | Off |

And now for something special. At a reader's request, we have retested the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 with an alternate settings of their choosing. The reader's hypothesis, in summary, was this: our original calibration was doing a disservice to contrast ratio. If we raised the 'contrast' setting in the menu, along with some other tweaks, we'd get a better performance.

It's important to note that our standard calibration procedures many not be the same as those used elsewhere. Different approaches to calibration have different objectives. Some aim for vivid colors, while others aim for the highest contrast ratio possible. Our calibration approach looks for color fidelity first by avoiding clipping, then for contrast. We feel this provides the best possible calibration approach that can be repeated on any and every TV that passes through our door. This is the heart of our standardized testing that allows you, the reader, to make accurate cross-comparisons between any review on Televisioninfo.com.

So, that said, here were the alternate settings suggested by our reader.

| Setting | Our Settings | Reader's Settings |
| Picture Mode: | Custom | THX |
| Contrast | 32 | 65 |
| Brightness | 74 | 50 |
| Sharpness | 0 | 50 |
| Color Temp | Warm 2 | Warm 2 |
| Video NR | Weak | Off |
| Blur Reduction | Off | Off |

First, you'll notice the difference in Picture mode. We opted not to use the THX mode because, when engaged, certain features are disabled (greyed out in the menu). That creates a kind of 'black box' situation where we don't know what the TV is doing. Of course, there's always some black box processing going on in TV, because manufacturers are cagey about their products, and a control's labels (i.e. 'contrast' and 'sharpness') don't necessarily mean what you think.

In short, the reader bumped up the contrast & sharpness and rolled back the brightness & color. The results were... fascinating.

| Test | Our Settings | Reader's Settings |
| Black Level | 0.03 cd/m2^ | 0.06 cd/m2 |
| Peak Brightness | 51.42 cd/m2^ | 116.31 cd/m2^ |
| Contrast Ratio | 1714:1 | 1057:1 |
| Greyscale Gamma (slope of curve)| 2.36 | 2.50 |
| Color Temperature | 7.81 (final score) | 8.72 (final score) |
| RGB Color Curves | 7.70 (final score) | 7.83 (final score) |
| Color Gamut | 3.93 (final score) | 8.44 (final score) |

Expect the unexpected, would be the watchword. The Black & White performance got worse, but the Color performance got better.

In the testing process, we found that raising the 'contrast' setting had a major impact on peak brightness. Even if the screen was filled with 100% white (zero contrasting pixels, in other words), adjusting the 'contrast' brightened the whites. This tells us that that setting actually tweaks both contrast and overall brightness.

Unfortunately, raising the 'contrast' setting had the negative effect of brightening the black level. You might think that the black levels would have been affected by tweaks to the 'brightness' setting, but this was not the case. The 'brightness' had absolutely no impact on the black levels, if kept within the range of about 40-80 (one thing to note about that 40-80 range: the numbers and scales in a TV's menu are completely arbitrary, and do not relate to a fixed scale or percentage). As a result of the downturn in black level performance, the contrast ratio took a big hit.

But, much to our surprise, the color performance improved. Our calibration process is guided primarily by making sure the colors look good, but this reader's settings surpassed our own. We saw marginal improvements to color temperature consistency and RGB color curves, but there was a whopping difference in the Color Gamut test, which measures the TV's ability to conform to the rec. 709 color standards.

It seems that when the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is in THX mode, certain processing is put into place that affects the color performance. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell what this processing is. The dozen or so visible settings don't account for leap in performance. Because the display does not allow you to determine what this processing is, we can't test with it. We can't create a standardized set of tests that use settings we can't tweak.

So, dear readers, there you have it. Life is full of little compromises, and so is this TV.

[

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-P50VT20 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-P50VT20 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-P50VT20 remote can control other Panasonic devices, but cannot be programmed for anything else.

Connectivity

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Input Ports (7.5)

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has a good number of options for connecting to other media. There are four HDMI ports, two components, two composites, and four analog audio inputs. This certainly trumps the Samsung UN55C7000, which, due its size, was limited in the number of possible ports.

Like most high-end TVs this year, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 includes a LAN port for internet connectivity. The USB ports also support an optional WiFi dongle (not included). However, the new Panasonic DMP-BDT300 Blu-Ray player we got does come with a WiFi dongle, and we can confirm that it works great on both the Blu-Ray player and the TV.

Because the Panasonic is a much thicker television than the Samsung C7000 series, it can place a number of ports on the side, making it easier to access them in a hurry.

Output Ports (1.0)

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has only one output port, a digital audio-out. Surprisingly, there is no analog audio out, which means that you won't be able to connect this to an old stereo receiver.

Other Connections (6.0)

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has an ethernet port for wired internet access. Using the USB ports, the TV is also WiFi-ready, but you need to purchase a dongle separately. The DMP-BDT300 Blu-Ray player happens to come with that very dongle, and it works well when you plug it into the TV. The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 also supports DLNA.

Media (5.0)

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has two USB ports that allow playback for photos, video clips, and music clips. Unlike the Samsung UN55C7000, the Panasonic cannot read hard drives. You're limited to thumb drives when using the USB ports. The TC-P50VT20 also includes an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot, located on the side. Gee, that's a coincidence, because all the Panasonic-branded cameras and camcorders use SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, too. How about that!

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Placement

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20's ports are conveniently placed on the edge of the back panel, as well as along the left-hand side. Because the TV can swivel on its stand, you shouldn't have a hard time reaching anything.

Audio Quality

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The audio quality of the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 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.

The TV includes several special audio processing features that can be a little confusing when you first encounter them. 'A.I. Sound' simply locks in the current audio settings across all the sources, rather than having a separate audio setting for each source. 'BBE ViVA' is a puzzlingly described audio setting that is supposed to increase audio quality. If this feature is on, then 'BBE' automatically turns on and the surround sound mode automatically turns off. What is the difference between BBE and BBE ViVA? We have no idea. They don't sound that different to our ears.

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The menu on the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 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.

Aside from little annoyances like that, the menu is easy enough to navigate. The main headers are left-aligned along a vertical axis. It can get a little confusing when you're required to use a completely different menu – the Viera Tools menu – to access content from removable media.

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.

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

Internet Features

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 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.

There are also plenty of games to download, free and paid, new and classic

Local Media Playback

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Boy, talk about a rush job. Panasonic and Samsung are sloppy right out of the gate with poor, crashy software for reading photos. Ideally, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 can display photos from either of its USB ports and the SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. The interface is the same for all of them. 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 (including cheesy pre-loaded music samples), and more.

The problem is simple yet confounding. The first time we put an SDHC card in the slot, it could read the content just fine. We were able to make all the slide shows we described above. But for whatever reason, the TV seems to have cached the data and held onto it with a bear grip. No matter what happened, the TV thought that the card with the original seven photos was still in the slot. We swapped out the card, changed the data on the card, plugged in thumb drives and card readers, etc. to no avail. Even stranger, there's a little blue light that illuminates on the TV when a card is inserted, and the light never turned back off. Even turning the TV on and of didn't help. It simply froze. All other functions on the TV continued to work normally.

The problem is simple yet confounding. The first time we put an SDHC card in the slot, it could read the content just fine. We were able to make all the slide shows we described above. But for whatever reason, the TV seems to have cached the data and held onto it with a bear grip. No matter what happened, the TV thought that the card with the original seven photos was still in the slot. We swapped out the card, changed the data on the card, plugged in thumb drives and card readers, etc. to no avail. Even stranger, there's a little blue light that illuminates on the TV when a card is inserted, and the light never turned back off. Even turning the TV on and of didn't help. It simply froze. All other functions on the TV continued to work normally.

Other Media

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 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, or use the big, 50-inch display to check on a network camera (or a whole series of network cameras). For more detail on this, go to http://panasonic.net/pcc/products/netwkcam/.

Power Consumption

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Plasmas draw different amounts of power depending on what's being displayed onscreen. In the Panasonic TC-P50VT20's case, a bright screen can draw almost twice as much power as a moderately-lit scene. Fortunately, the TC-P50VT20's power draw isn't ridiculously high even at its worst. Expect to pay around $36.45 per year, but if you're watching content that contains significantly more bright scenes, that figure can jump up by $3 or $4.

Below we've compared the TC-P50VT20 to a few competing models.

Value Comparison

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The Samsung UN55C7000 is a very good looking TV, in regards to both its aesthetic outer design and its display performance. The Panasonic is, well... just the latter. It's a big, ugly box on the outside. Putting these TVs side by side (which we're doing) is an interesting study in contrasts. The Panasonic is far darker, which made certain types of content, like horror films, look good. But the Samsung showed a lot more detail in the highlights. We imagine that the passing consumer might have a more positive first reaction to the Samsung, based purely on its brightness.

The final verdict is still up for vote, because we're waiting on the glasses for the Samsung to view its 3D content. One thing's for certain, we'd prefer the look of the Samsung in our living room.

Blacks & Whites

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 had a decidedly uneven performance in blacks & whites. Like the best plasmas, the black level was capable of dropping quite low, certainly better than an LCD television like the Samsung UN55C7000. But the Panasonic's white level was just terrible. We could have tweaked with the settings all day, but having these two TVs side-by-side was illuminating (forgive the godawful pun). The Samsung is so much brighter. The test data bore this out, as well. Because of the disparity between these two tests, the contrast ratio is nearly even, but the Samsung pulls out ahead.

Color Accuracy

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The Panasonic proved to have a more consistent color temperature than the Samsung, but only by a little. As you can see from the charts below, the both TVs warm as the signal intensity decreases, but the Samsung's error is more egregious. RGB color curves were more closely matched. The important thing to note here is that the Samsung, with its bright backlighting, will show more detail in the highlights. The plasma Panasonic has deeper blacks.

Motion

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The motion performance on both the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 and the Samsung UN55C7000 was good, which is something you should hope for on TVs this expensive. However, the Panasonic showed virtually no artifacting, at least when we applied a little of the special motion processing features. Even so, the Samsung is still quite good.

Viewing Effects

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is a plasma TV. There's no contest. It completely clobbered the Samsung UN55C7000.

Connectivity

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 and the Samsung UN55C7000 are both good fits for a home entertainment system, with all the necessary ports. In Panasonic's favor, it has more component and composite inputs, three more analog audio inputs, and an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Also, the ports are easier to access. On the other hand, the Samsung has the ability to interface with hard drives through one of the USB ports.

Other Comparisons

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The 3D video performance is clearly one of the most interesting comparisons about this TV. Unfortunately, we don't have all the information we need at the time of publication. Samsung didn't provide the necessary glasses with the UN55C7000. Panasonic did provide glasses. We'll have more about this soon.

Value Comparison

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The Sony KDL-46EX700 is going to be a cheaper television because it's not a 3D model and it's slightly smaller. If you don't need those extras, the Sony is a really good television. The Panasonic is the cutting edge of technology, which is both exhilarating and dangerous to buy into on a first-generation product. In the Sony's favor, however, is the outstanding streaming content feature set, which absolutely and completely trumps the Panasonic content packages (at least at the time of this publication date).

Blacks & Whites

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The Sony KDL-46EX700, as an LCD television, can never hope to match the black levels of a decent plasma TV like the Panasonic TC-P50VT20. But for an LCD, the Sony was not too bad. Conversely, the Sony was far superior in its peak brightness test. Overall, the Sony had a wider contrast ratio because of this advantage.

Color Accuracy

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The Sony scored better in the color temperature test, shifting very little as we make our way through the intensity range. In the RGB test, the Sony, with its bright backlighting, produced more highlight detail. The Panasonic, on the other hand, has better shadow detail. Take your pick.

Motion

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The motion performance of the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 and the Sony KDL-46EX700 are pretty evenly matched. They're both great televisions in this regard, so you can purchase without fear (at least in terms of motion performance).

Viewing Effects

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The viewing angle on any plasma TV is going to be better than an LCD, as exemplified here. In fact, the Sony was particularly narrow. If you need to service a wide room, we recommend the Panasonic.

Connectivity

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The Sony KDL-46EX700 and Panasonic TC-P50VT20 are both generous with their selection of ports, and both excellent choices for home theaters with a lot of components. The Sony has one less composite AV, and no media card slot, as well as only a single USB port.

Other Comparisons

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is a 3D television. The Sony KDL-46EX700 is not. There's a difference for you. How much are you willing to pay for this luxury? Of course, you can feel free to get a TV with 3D and never use that feature, but when you do want to use it, you'll need glasses for each viewer, and that can get expensive.

Value Comparison

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The TC-P50G10 is not in the same class as the new TC-P50VT20, if you run down the specs sheets. No, the G10 is a step-down model from the VT20. Of course, it lacks the 3D display technology, but other tests indicate that things like general motion performance are nowhere near as good. On the flip side, black & white and color performance are largely similar. If you want to save money, the G10 series is a strong contender in the plasma category. If you seek the latest technologies, you'll probably be more interested in the new VT20 series.

Blacks & Whites

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The Panasonic TC-P50G10 and the TC-P50VT20 performed quite similarly in the blacks & whites tests, for better or for worse. The black performance is great, and the peak whites are terrible. It's part for the course with a lot of plasmas, but these Panasonics seem particularly dim when you set them up next to a good LCD television.

Color Accuracy

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The older TC-P50G10 managed to outperform the new TC-P50VT20 in terms of color temperature consistency. The RGB color curves were more closely matched. These are similar televisions in many regards.

Motion

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While the color accuracy of the two Panasonics were similar, they're clearly not identical TVs. The motion performance was quite different, and we like the improvements we're seeing from 2009 to 2010. The new display technology is showing less artifacting and smoother motion.

Viewing Effects

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The new Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has a significantly wider viewing angle than last year's TC-P50G10, increasing from 64 degrees on either side of center all the way up to 80 degrees. That's an impressive leap.

Connectivity

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The Panasonic TC-P50G10 has one fewer HDMI port than the new TC-P50VT20, but it includes an S-Video and analog audio out that the new TV lacks. However, the new model includes two USB ports and WiFi-ready capability. All told, the new TC-P50VT20 is the stronger choice in this showdown.

Other Comparisons

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The big difference between these two is the 3D display technology on the new TC-P50VT20. Beyond that, the testing numbers and connectivity options indicate that the new model is simply in a different class and a better performer all around.

Conclusion

he Panasonic TC-P50VT20 ($2499 MSRP) didn't exactly wow us. It's picture quality was average, its online content was fairly sparse, and it's 3D experience doesn't seem particularly robust. Don't get us wrong: we're grateful you can actually watch 3D on it at launch, thanks to the glasses and 3D-capable Blu-ray player bundle they're currently offering. Unfortunately, the first examples of new technology are often lackluster, and that certainly seems to be the case with the first batch of 3D HDTVs as well. If you're looking for a new TV, there are better performers out there with a better feature set. If you're looking to jump on the 3D bandwagon, (TelevisionInfo.com's skepticism be damned!), the TC-P50VT20 is the best option as of this review. If you don't mind waiting, however, the Samsung UN55C7000 has somewhat better picture quality, promises a better line-up of online features (though we are, of course, not sure if they'll deliver on these promises).

Overall, we think the best decision is just to wait.

Model Series Comparison

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The Panasonic TC-P50VT_20_ is the Best Buy version of the TC-P50VT_25_ model in the VT25 series, though why the model name ends in VT25 is a mystery. All the models have a 3D display and come boxed with one pair of 3D glasses.

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Ratings & Specs

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Meet the testers

Richard Baguley

Richard Baguley

Contributor

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Richard Baguley is a veteran writer who has written about technology ranging from Alphabet to Zip file utilities. He has contributed to pretty much every major tech publication, including Amiga Format Magazine, PC World, Wired, CNET, Toms Guide, Forbes, and many others. He lives in the Boston metro area with his wife, dog, and an indeterminate number of cats.

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David Kender

David Kender

Editor in Chief

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David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.

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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.

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