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  • Tour & Design

  • Performance Features

  • Connectivity & Media

  • Controls, Menu & Remote

  • Conclusion

  • Series Comparison

  • Tour & Design
  • Performance Features
  • Connectivity & Media
  • Controls, Menu & Remote
  • Conclusion
  • Series Comparison

Tour & Design


Panasonic doesn't mess around with the design of its HDTVs. The front of the TC-P54G25 is very simple and features a standard black bezel. There are no controls on the front of the TV (they're all on the left side), and the only text is a small Panasonic logo centered on the bottom portion of the bezel.

**

Back**


Panasonic had all of its TVs mounted on the wall at CES, so we couldn't get acess to the back of the TC-P54G25. We do know there are a few ports back there, but everything beyond that is a mystery.

**

Sides**


The left side of the TC-P54G25 has a set of controls as well as a few ports. The right side doesn't really have anything other than black plastic. The TC-P54G25 is fairly thin, but compared to some of the the ultra-thin TVs on display at CES this year, it doesn't look very special.

**

Stand/Mount**


As we said before, all of Panasonic's TVs on display at CES were all mounted on the wall, so we couldn't get a good shot of the stand that comes with the TC-P54G25.**

Aesthetics**


The TC-P54G25 has a no-frills design that is both unassuming and attractive. The glossy, black bezel makes its way around the entirety of the plastma screen, and it is roughly 1.5 - 2 inches wide (it's a bit wider at the bottom). There aren't any buttons on the front of the TV, and the only real light is a small, red LED that indicates power. If you're someone who wants a TV that has a simple elegance, then you should check out the TC-P54G25 series.

 

Performance Features

Display Size & Technology


The TC-P54G25 has a 54-inch plasma screen, which is the largest screen in the G25 series. Panasonic makes larger TVs in their VT25 sereis (with Full HD 3D support) as well as their S2 series (which is lower-end than the G25). The TC-P54G25 does not have 3D capability, so all of your movies and shows much be viewed in regular 2D on the television.The TC-P54G25 does, however, include Panasonic's Infinate Black display, Viera Cast media features, and video call capability.

 

** Formats & Resolution**


The TC-P54G25 is capable of displaying a Full HD pciture, which is to say it is a 1080p television. HD video should appear crisp and detailed when viewed on the television.

**

Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio**


With Panasonic's Infinite Black display the TC-P54G25 theoretically has a contrast ratio of 5,000,000 to 1. Unfortunately, this contrast ratio is probably not realistic. Manufacturers tend to inflate these numbers by taking their black and white measurements under mutually exclusive conditions. When we bring the TC-P54G25 into our labs we'll let our CS-200 ChromaMeter do the talking, by which we mean we'll give the television a thorough test with out equipment.

**

Color**


The TC-P54G25 we saw on display had good color rendering, although this judgement was based on limited viewing of the TV with our naked eye. We really have to wait until the TV comes into our labs for a test before we can comment on its color performance.

**

Motion & Refresh Rate**


Since it is a plasma TV, the TC-P54G25's 600Hz sub-field drive shouldn't be confused with a 600Hz refresh rate (which would be outrageous if the TV was an LCD instead of plasma). There didn't appear to be anything special about the motion on the TC-P54G25.

**

Viewing Angle**


The viewing angle was very strong on the TV, which is usually the case with plasma screens. We noticed little loss in color or sharpness when we viewed the TV at wide angles. We'll measure the TVs actual viewing angle using our specialized equipment when we bring the TC-P54G25 into our testing laboratory.

Connectivity & Media

Audio & Video Ports


According to Panasonic's specs, the TC-P54G25 has 3 HDMI terminals, a PC input, two USB ports, and an SD card slot. On the left side of the television, which is the only side that offers ports (other than the back), we also saw a set of composite AV inputs. The television is wireless ready as well—a key component to its Viera Cast and video call capabilities.

 

**

Media & Other Connectivity**


Panasonic's Viera Cast system is a primary component to the TC-P54G25. Viera Cast allows the television to acess things like Amazon Video, YouTube, Picasa, and weather services if you have the TC-P54G25 setup with a wireless internet connection. With Viera Cast, the television can also display a network-connected video camera that is linked to the same wireless network as the television. This is the only feature that is available on Panasonic's G25 series that is not present on the G20 series. With the SD card slot, you can use Viera Image Viewer to browse JPEG images or HD video, directly from the inserted memory card.

The TC-P54G24 also has video call capability using Skype software. You do, of course, need to purchase a separate webcam to really use this feature effectively.
**

Placement**


The left-side ports are placed quite well because they are easy to access while still being fairly hidden. We didn't get a good look at the TV's back-side ports, so we don't know much about their placement.**

Audio**


Panasonic didn't talk about any new audio features on controls on the TC-P54G25, so there's nothing for us to really comment on here. It should be noted, however, that the TC-P54G25 does have a decent set of built-in speakers, so it is capable of producing sound.

Controls, Menu & Remote

Remote


There was no sign of a remote control for the TC-P54G25 at Panasonic's CES booth, so we couldn't get a photo of it. Don't be discouraged, though, we'll have a complete breakdown of the remote control when we write our full review of the TC-P54G25 later this year.**

Controls**


As with the VT25 series from Panasonic, the controls for the G25 are located on the left side of the TV. We like that the controls are somewhat hidden, as this gives the front of the TV a simpler aesthetic. It is a bit annoying, however, that you need to turn your head around to the left side of the TV to read the control labels.

**

Menu**


We didn't get a chance to see what the menus looked like on the TC-P54G25 in our time spent with the television.

Conclusion

 

Series Comparison

G25 Series


The G25 series has basically the same features and controls as the VT25 series from Panasonic—excep the G25 models don't have 3D capability. In turn, the G25 series is almost exactly the same as the G20 series, except you can't view a network-connected camcorder on the G20 models.

There are four TVs in the G25 series, with the TC-P54G25 being the largest:

Meet the tester

Jeremy Stamas

Jeremy Stamas

Managing Editor, Video

@nematode9

Jeremy is the video expert of our imaging team and Reviewed.com's head of video production. Originally from Pennsylvania and upstate NY, he graduated from Bard college with a degree in film and electronic media. He has been living and working in New England since 2005.

See all of Jeremy Stamas's reviews

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