Panasonic Plasma Television
Lineup of 'Consumer Plasmas' for 2006
The Panasonic TH-PX60U Series of
HDTVs
The
TH-PX60U series of Panasonic plasma television
sets released during the last few weeks represent an update over last year
extremely popular TH-PX50U series
of plasma HDTVs. The TH-PX50U proved to be a great performer at a relatively
affordable price. The new 2006 line-up of consumer plasma TVs promises even
more at an even cheaper price tag ...but how does it compare? Discover more in this plasma TV review
article.
The
Panasonic
TH-PX60U Series:
The latest line-up of Panasonic Plasma TVs for the serious HDTV buyer
Panasonic has always been considered one of
the top leaders in the field of plasma display technology. Since 2001,
Panasonic has managed to maintain
a competitive edge with respect to image quality; in particular, black-level
and gray scaling performance of its plasma display panels is something other
top manufacturers are still struggling to achieve.
It is therefore no surprise that Panasonic
plasmas have always been an extremely popular choice with the home theater
buyer. It is more than just the historically good performance that
makes Panasonic plasma televisions a preferred choice among the serious HDTV
buyer - there is also the aggressive pricing policy adopted by Panasonic to
deliver high quality products at an extremely competitive price tag.
This year lineup
of consumer plasmas is no
exception to the excellent image quality and affordable pricing Panasonic
plasma displays are renowned for. In fact, the new TH-PX60U series of
Panasonic plasma television sets promises even improved performance using Panasonic
latest (9th generation) plasma display technology at a list
price that is substantially lower than that of last year line-up of consumer
plasmas.
At present, the TH-PX60U series
of Panasonic plasma televisions comprises three models - all of which share
basically the same feature
set except for a different screen size and display native resolution.
The largest set in the series is
the
Panasonic
50" TH-50PX60U Flat-Panel HD Plasma TV ;
this set has a pixel native resolution of 1366x768.
The other two models, the
42" TH-42PX60U Plasma HDTV
and
the
37" TH-37PX60U Plasma HDTV,
both come with an almost identical resolution at 1024x768 and 1024x720
pixels respectively.
Panasonic also announced that it will be adding a fourth larger model - the
TH-58PX60U - to this series in early summer (2006). This is a 58" model that
comes with a screen native resolution of 1366x768-pixels.
Prices online vary from the
$2,200 for the smallest set in the range to $3,500 for the 50" model.
The 58" TH-58PX60U is expected to sell at under $5,500, while the most
popular size plasma in the range - the
42" TH-42PX60U Plasma HDTV -
is
presently selling at just under $2,400. This means that the two most
popular plasma sizes in this series of Panasonic plasma televisions, the 42"
and the 50", are practically selling at a price tag that is some $500 lower
than that of last year models.
The only real competition
the TH-PX60U series of Panasonic plasma televisions faces when it comes to picture quality,
is from
within Panasonic itself - more specifically from the company's industrial
lineup of plasma display panels, the TH-PHD8UK range.
Mind you, all Panasonic plasma televisions in the TH-PX60U
series are capable of solid performance in just
every aspect, and deliver substantially superior
results to those of most plasmas from other manufacturers. In our
opinion, the Panasonic TH-PX60U is the range to go for if in addition to an excellent
picture, you are also looking for additional features such as integrated
speakers, built-in tuners, and a comprehensive range of inputs to suit your needs.
Panasonic TH-PX60U Series - A
Detailed Analysis
Look and Feel
The
look of the Panasonic TH-PX60U series is reasonably stylish though some may
find the
amount of silver finish below the screen a bit
distracting at times.
The display features a black alloy frame surrounding the
screen's glass. This black frame around the display area helps the eye
perceive stronger contrast than the silver frame most models employ. And
aesthetically, it results in a more appealing design.
Panasonic has maintained the same approach as in the TH-PX50U series when it
comes to positioning of the speakers; these are mounted below the screen rather than on the left and right
sides. This explains the smaller footprint associated with the TH-PX60U
series of Panasonic plasma television sets - something which may be
considered of an advantage by some. At the same time, if your plasma is not
connected to a home theater receiver, than most probably, you would prefer
side-mounted speakers. The support stand and the speaker grille below the screen are finished
in silver.
Dimension wise, these sets are among the most compact presently available,
with an overall width that is almost 2 inches less than that of previous
Panasonic plasmas in the consumer lineup. But it is not just the overall
width that has been reduced - Panasonic has also managed to substantially
reduce the weight of these plasma televisions.
The table below gives the relevant dimensions and weights for each of the
models in the TH-PX60U series of Panasonic plasma Television Sets:
|
Model |
Width
(Inches) |
Height
(Inches) |
Depth*
(Inches) |
Weight
(Pounds) |
|
TH-37PX60U
37" Panasonic Plasma Television |
36.1" |
25.4" |
3.7" |
57.5 |
|
TH-42PX60U
42" Panasonic Plasma Television |
40.2" |
27.8" |
3.7" |
65 |
|
TH-50PX60U
50" Panasonic Plasma Television |
47.6" |
32.2" |
3.7" |
89.5 |
|
*
Without stand; depth of unit complete with stand is 12.5" |
The
remote control accompanying this year product range is again logically laid
out and very easy to use, with large numeric keys compared to previous
remotes. The only thing we did not like about the remotes is that contrary
to the 2005 series, the TH-PX60U remotes are not backlit - making use in a
darkened home-theater environment somewhat difficult. A positive note
however is that the accompanying remotes with the 42" and the 50" models are
universal remotes that can be used to control other devices in your home
theater setup.
Product Feature Set
General: These sets make use of
Panasonic 9th generation plasma panel technology - which
represents substantial improvement over the previous generation of panels
when it comes to displayable colors, shades of gray and contrast levels.
It is not that the eye is capable of perceiving the billions of
colors supported by the new display technology, or a 10,000:1 contrast ratio at a single point in time (check our
article on contrast ratio implications for
more information on this subject). However, the overall result is improved
picture quality, improved color representation, with smoother color
transitions and improved rendering of detail in all dark and in all bright
scenes.
Key differences between 8th and 9th generation
Panasonic plasma display panels:
|
Video
Panel Specification |
8th Generation |
9th Generation |
Displayable Colors
(maximum in scenes with low brightness) |
8.5 Billion |
29 Billion |
|
Shades
of Gray |
2,048 |
3,072 |
|
Contrast Ratio
|
3000:1 |
10,000:1 |
As already indicated, except for the 50" model
- which has got a native resolution of 1366x768, the other two sets in the
series support a native resolution of 1024x768 pixels for the 42" model and
1024x720 pixels for the 37" set. This means that though
all models qualify as HDTVs, yet the 37" and 42" sets still
wouldn't show all detail in a fully resolved 720p HDTV source. At
the same time, it is worth keeping in mind that at present, there aren't any
plasma TVs in the sub-43" category that support a native resolution of
more than 1024x768 pixels.
Supported digital TV standards include
480p/720p/and 1080i. The TH-PX60U scales all incoming material,
including 1080i and 720p HDTV, DVD, and standard-definition TV, to fit the
available pixels on the screen.
2:3 pull-down is included in the video
processing to help combat motion artifacts for film-based video from
standard-definition cable, satellite, and antenna sources.
Independent input memories allow for one of
the three picture preset modes, 'Vivid', 'Standard', and 'Cinema', to be
customized for contrast, brightness, and the like; these settings remain
associated with the last-used input. This means that you can pre-set three
different inputs.
Selectable color temperature
settings - 'Warm', 'Normal', and 'Cool' - is also possible on all models.
Sound: The TV's internal stereo
speakers provide 10 watts per channel of quality sound. Channel separation is
very good. Special surround processing
creates spacious 3D effects from stereo speakers and a selectable audio
leveler automatically adjusts the volume level on your TV to prevent wide
variations in sound between different TV stations and types of programming.
Other features: Other features include
V-Chip Program lockout, on/off sleep timers, a remote control, and
closed-caption decoding.
Connectivity:
From a connectivity perspective, this series of
Panasonic plasma televisions do come with more than an adequate list of inputs and
outputs:
-
3 x Composite video/audio input (RCA phono x
3) - (2 rear, 1 front)
-
3 x S-Video input (4 pin mini-DIN) - (2 rear,
1 front)
-
3 x Audio input for S-Video - (2 rear, 1
front)
-
2 x Component video input (RCA phono x 3) -
(2 rear)
-
2 x Audio input for Component Video - (2 rear)
-
1 x Composite video/audio output (RCA phono x
3) - (rear)
-
2 x HDMI-HDCP
Interfaces 19-pin HDMI type A - (rear)
-
1 x Analog Audio input for HDMI - (rear)
-
Slot provided for 1 SD memory card
Feature Set -
Pros & Cons:
Unfortunately, Panasonic failed
to include a PC-style VGA input, nor does it include the CableCARD slot
found on last year series of consumer lineup of Panasonic plasma
televisions. The latter is not much of a big loss when considering that
first generation CableCARD cannot handle pay-per-view services. The lack of
a PC connection is in our opinion more of a serious limitation (though you
can always consider investing in a PC video card that comes with an HDMI
port) if you are the type that would like to fully integrate your PC
with the rest of your home entertainment system.
The TH-PX60U series do not support the
picture-in-picture feature found on many other TVs, so you can't watch two
programs at once. Again, this is not much of a limitation
A more series constraint relates to aspect
ratio management with 4:3 HD sources. Although the TH-PX60U series of
Panasonic plasma television sets do support aspect ratio management with HD
sources - a welcome addition over last year's models - offering a total of
five choices with HD and four with SD resolutions, including a zoom that you
can adjust for vertical size and position, yet when it comes to 4:3 HD
content, the TH-PX60U series simply fails in offering some flexibility.
Instead, models in this series simply put up
bright gray bars instead of scaling the incoming source properly, nor you
can select black or darker gray bars - say over a stretched image - should
you prefer so. This may be a handicap with 4:3 HD sources.
On a positive note, the TH-PX60U series
includes a built-in quality ATSC tuner for receiving off-air HDTV
broadcasts, a QAM tuner for cable, and an NTSC tuner for regular antenna
reception. The built-in tuner in these Panasonic plasma televisions utilize
what is referred to as graceful degradation. A tuner that gracefully
degrades will allow the viewer to continue to
see a picture when a small amount of interference in the over-the-air
transmission arises. A tuner that doesn't gracefully degrade, will suffer
total dropout if the signal weakens.
In addition, the introduction of front A/V
connections provide for convenient camcorder or video game hookup.
Performance:
Overall performance is very good. Video
processing is clean, and once properly set, the TH-PX60U series of
Panasonic plasma televisions can display a true-to-life picture that you
will enjoy for hours without suffering of eyestrain or headache.
Black level and grey scaling performance is astounding and
close to CRT level. This in reality is one of the areas in which Panasonic
plasma televisions have surpassed all competition. Deep black levels are extremely
important for home-theater viewing in dim light because they lead to better
color saturation, improved perceived contrast ratio and crispness. The
result is a picture with more impact.
Brightness tends to be extremely uniform
across the whole surface of the plasma screen. In addition, thanks to the
Panasonic deep black levels, the TH-PX60U series has no problem in
displaying bright images over a dark background.
Quite a number of brands fail in this
respect. Some companies simply increase the perceived contrast
by increasing the brightness level. However this approach tends to de-saturate
picture colors, increase low-level noise and video artifacts, and hence
lower the overall picture quality.
Concluding Remarks:
The TH-PX60U series of Panasonic plasma
television sets - like all plasma in the 'value' category - while not cheap, but
still come with an extremely affordable price tag.
It is true that these plasmas lack features
often found in cheaper models - like picture-in-picture, PC input, and a
CableCard slot.
However,
these nice-to-have features are almost irrelevant to normal TV viewing, and
not critical in the home theater environment.
If you want a quality plasma HDTV that
would not break your bank account, yet is capable of delivering great
overall performance with solid blacks and true-to-life colors, then the TH-PX60U series of Panasonic plasma
Televisions is surely worth considering.
However, prior to any decision, we advice that you do some research of your
own - in particular, take a look at what
other customers had to say about these Panasonic Plasma Televisions
following their purchase.
Just click
on the following links to access the respective Panasonic plasma television
product page at amazon.com;
then follow through the 'Customers Reviews' section on the same webpage:
A Final Recommendation:
Setup DVDs:
There is no better way to make the most out of your new
Panasonic Plasma Television, then to invest in a good setup
DVD. A must have is the
AVIA Home Theater Setup DVD
- an exceptional audio/video calibration and setup tool, suitable for both
the novice and the expert.
...or check our
Guide to Home Theater Set-Up DVDs for more
information of Set-Up Discs and possible alternatives that may be more
suitable for your needs.
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|
Last updated
on: |
12th
May 2006 |
...back to
Plasma TV Reviews
|