The Panasonic TCP54G25 54 Inch Plasma TV - surprisingly good! I was an early adopter of HD TV with an LG Plasma TV. The contrast between the new HD TVs and the old Cathod Ray Tube sets was a stunning leap forward. We were into new relams of picture brightness, sharpness, clarity and vibrancy of color. But there were problems in those early Plasmas.
For example, screen burn was a major issue, the sports channel frames are now well burnt into the screen of my very first LG Plasma TV! There was also a major issue with light reflection. It always used to irk me that when I was watching hockey or soccer I could see the reflection of the small window that sat at the back of the room slightly to the side of the TV!
So, it was in eager anticipation of seeing my brother-in-laws new Panasonic Viera 54 Inch Plasma as we set off for our Christmas trip to see him and his family in Vancouver. The burning question (pun totally intended) was...why Plasma?
I just couldn't understand why he had gone Plasma with the price of LEDs dropping all the time. LED perfromance is accepted as the best and I was all too aware of the inhenrent Plasma problems. And, there isn't the 3D option wth Plasma. I was also a little worried that he'd gone too big on screen given the size of his viewing area.
However, when I saw this TCP54G25 in action I needn't have worried. Our first exposure was Inception via Blu Ray. And despite my potential prejudice I am delighted to say that the Viera produced a stunning performance. Inception is a pretty good movie to demonstrate the finer points of any TV, but I was genuinely surprised at how well this Panasonic 54 Inch Plasma TV performed.
Panasonic will tell you that their new NeoPDP technology is responsible for the great definition between blacks and whites and the amazing contrast on colors. They'll also tell you that the full 1080p HD with "600Hz resolution sub drive" will give you the best motion clarity. And I agree with that, the HD picture is as close as anything I have seen to LED on a non LED set.
I was also a bit worried that I'd notice a degree of picture degradation watching so close to such a big screen. However the set performed superbly well with a crisp and clear picture, even when the action was break-neck followed by stills (Inception has a few scenes like this). And the colors were bright with deep contrast.
My first Plasma is definitely on the wane. It's five years old now and has had a lot of use, so to be expected. However this new Panasonic has an amazing screen life of 100,000 hours (quoted on an average vieweing day of 8 hours - which is hopefully an over-estimation of the amount of viewing we actually do). Panasonic suggest this model will last 30 years before the picture quality has halved. If that is true it is definitely good value.
On hearing those figures I did a bit of research and found out that Panasonic recently brought Pioneers advanced Plasma technology. That new technology is in this model. Certainly the tech boasts are backed up by the performance I saw, only time will tell on screen life.
The TV itself is feature rich boasting features you normally see on much more expensive sets. It has the ability to play online content via a direct ethernet link. As with most HD sets if you want wi-fi you need to buy a separate adapter. This has become a bit of a bug bear of mine as I really think an HD set should include integral wi-fi!
However you do get the advanced picture technology, the infinite black technology, THX mode, Viera Link (which allows you to interlink attached devices) and an oustanding game mode. The nephews are BIG gamers (they have every console) and I have to say watching their latest addiction (one of the Halo games) it boasts one of the best game modes I have seen. They were also playing a hilarous skateboard game and it really was stomach churning watching some of more outrageous moves.
The connectivity on this set is basic, indeed there are only 3 HDMI ports, when 4 seems to be the norm on most sets today. Panasonic argue that Viera Link ensues 3 is all you need!
During our stay in Vancouver Graham's new Panasonic 54 Inch Plasma provided us with plenty of great entertainment. After all those winter nights up there are so dark and wet! Coupled with some nice red wine (so very expensive in BC) my preconceived prejudices were blown away.
Seeing a big Plasma up close and personal has definitely made me mellow towards Plasmas in general. I wouldn't have given a 54 inch Plasma a second glance before seeing the TCP54G25 in all honesty. Add to this the fact the price is mid range and therefore very attractive for such a large screen size and you have an exceptional deal. And I am pleased to see sets like this closing the price v performance gap with LEDs.
There are some really good deals around on the Panasonic TCP54G25 54 Inch Plasma TV, click this link to check them out!
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