 Panasonic tc-p58s1 |
| Review Date: September 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: warbler, Madison, CT |
I bought this TV from Amazon. That was a decision arrived at only after a long and meticulous research about plasma vs LCD-LED. I also did a comparison between Panasonic S1 and V10 models. I used extensive reviews of postings by owners at the AVS forums. I already owned a Panasonic 50" plasma, a Samsung LCD 52" so I have a pretty good idea of what I want and need.
First and foremost I want a TV which is reliable and free of defects. So in comparing Samsung and Panasonic plasmas, I have to say that the reports of buzzing noise from Samsung sets turned me off. About 34% of those onwers polled a avs forums reported the problem. Although this was based on only a few hundred people and thhe sample was not random and statistically meaningless, it does indicate a potential problem. So I ruled out the Samsung plasma.
The difference in price between the S1 and V10 Panasonic is substantial for me. You can see for yourself at Amazon depending on the size you prefer. In addition, the S1 has the same glass panel as the V10 being a 2009 model. What the S1 does not have is Viera Internet connection and more picture control in the menu. The V10 is also thinner and is reported by reviewers and owners to have a better picture.
Most people already have Pandora, Netflix, youtube etc... internet connection through their BD players or Tivo. So internet is really something I do not want nor need. I figure that with Service Menu (SM) adjustements, called offsets of the various parameters posted by professional calibrators, the S1 picture can be tweaked to about 95-98% of the V10 at a substantial savings.
I ruled out LCD-LED because of the size limitation.
So how did I make out.
1. Delivery was made by Pilot, two persons who helped setup the set and plug in the power to see if everything is working. I was very grateful and gave them a significant tip.
2. I used the breakin slided and turned down the contrast and brightness settings during the first 120 hours. Then I adjusted the SM offsets and the result is a picture a bright as my Samsung LCD and with far better black and color. No green or red push.
3. I have no use for Viera Cast available from my BD player. So S1 was the right choice for me.
4. I have windows facing the TV so there is reflection and glare.
5. The TV is 20% heavier than the Samsung for the same size, but it is really well built. No buzz. No dead pixels.
I am pretty content with my choice of the S1. the V10 is a better set but I did not regret my purchase.
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Hard to justify spending more for higher end models!
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| Review Date: January 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: speeddeacon, MS USA |
I purchased this set from Amazon after spending a month researching and viewing many, many TVs. After 10 well served years from my 65" Mitsubishi rear projection set, I decided to hand it down to my daughter and son-in-law so I could get a new TV with a smaller footprint. I have a dedicated home theater with a front projector and this TV is in our family room and is used almost exclusively for watching HD satellite programming TV. I do have a Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) connected but it's mainly just for the kids to watch movies on occasionally. 95% of what I will watch on this TV will be from an HD satellite source. That fact played a huge bearing on my decision regarding which TV to buy and the law of diminishing returns of the budget.
Pre-purchase research and choices:
Like almost all flat screen buyers I had to make the choice as to the LCD versus Plasma platform. Being in the family room, we have a relatively wide viewing angle requirement and since I'll be watching mostly in the evenings without a lot of external ambient light, I felt that plasma suited me best in the end. That took the Samsung UN55B8500 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz LED HDTV and Toshiba REGZA Cinema Series 55SV670U 55-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV with LED Backlight and ClearScan 240, Black, the LCDs I was considering out of the picture, so to speak. That left me with the various plasma offerings from LG, Samsung and Panasonic to narrow my search. For some reason I just didn't want a Sony so I didn't look at them. I did find a Pioneer Khuro Elite Pro still available at a BB Magnolia but it was still very pricey and I couldn't get a firm guarantee regarding any service and warranty for it. The high incidence of buzzing on the Samsungs steered me away from those models (I would be buying online or from a retailer 80+ miles away so returning the TV would be a massive inconvenience for me). I took a day and drove to my nearest metro area and took in most of the TVs I was interested in, either at a B&M, hhGregg, BB, or Sears. Honestly, they all looked fine to me. I know that the settings are usually set up to increase the "POP" factor so I tried to pay close attention to motion blur, viewing angle, black levels, etc. rather than just vividness of colors and contrast. I tried to appreciate the "halo effect" on the backlit LEDs but honestly didn't pick it up in the stores anyway.
Final Decision:
I read whole heartedly the various threads on AVSforum, cnet, etc., and picked the brains of others that have gone down this road. It was decision time and I was ready to make a choice. Normally I'm the kind of guy who is going to buy the best and the most technologically advanced product available, but for this purchase I knew that I really didn't need it and wouldn't be gaining anything by getting the step up G or V series Panasonics. The biggest G series was 55" anyway and I wanted least 58" so it was between the Panasonic TC P58V10 - 58" plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTV and the 58S1. I tried to reason myself in to justifying the V10 by thinking into the future. Would it someday be my primary HT viewing source where the 24FPS capability from BluRay would be important? Oh, and the extra HDMI input, would that be a critical issue that I would have to grapple with in a few years? But most of all, the ability to custom calibrate so much more on the V10 was surely the straw that would break the camels back for me. But, the truth is, I'm not a videophile and the techno jargon I read about custom calibration was greek to me. There is no ISF calibrator within 80 miles of my house, and I am kind of a set it and leave it kind of guy when it comes to video anyway. And, in regard to it becoming my primary source for HT, I will replace my aging 1080i front projector throwing onto a 110" screen with a new technology model (2160p perhaps) before I will settle for a 58" anything. The 58V10s were also in short supply, but could be found but not discounted much yet. But the final decision was made when the price on the S1 in my Amazon shopping cart dropped from $1699 to $1469 the weekend after Thanksgiving. I just couldn't justify almost twice the price of the V10.
Results:
I've had the TV almost a month now and I just can't believe how great it is, especially for the money. I'm still letting it burn in, keeping the contrast and color low as pixels stabilize, but it is a joy to watch even now. Even my wife, out of the blue when we weren't even watching anything and were in another part of the house said, I am amazed at how good the picture is on your new TV. Wow, that is not something she would normally say, or notice for that matter.
I've watched standard and high def on satellite so far (haven't had time to watch much BluRay yet with the holidays but what we have has been spectacular). Football games have been dominating the viewing so far and I see no motion blur whatsoever. We sit about 9 feet from the screen at angles ranging from straight on to 50 degrees off axis. The sound is pretty adynamic, but with the money I saved I was able to upgrade my three front channels too. See my review of the the Klipsch Icon Series WB-14 - Speaker - 2-way - espresso for more info.
Delivery:
The delivery and set up were all very professional, although all the arrangements had to be made after the TV was purchased rather than before which bothered me a bit because of my irregular work schedule. They called me about a week later to schedule a delivery. In order to accomodate my schedule, they delivered in the evening. A pair of gentlemen took it upstairs, set it up, made sure it functioned properly, and told me to hold on the to box until I was satisfied that I wouldn't need to return it. I tipped them enough for dinner as I really appreciated not having to lug the thing into the house and up the stairs on my own.
Summary
If you are the kind of person who loves to tweak, surfs around the video forums and will really utilize the increased adjustments the V10 series provides, and just must have the latest and greatest, then you already know what nothing less than the V10 series will make you happy. However, if you just want a large flat screen 1080p plasma with a great picture and at a bargain price, you will be absolutely thrilled with this set. With good BluRay players available for around $130, you can be good to go for less than $1800 (much less if you time it right). I don't regret purchasing this set (and saving $1300 versus the 58V10) one bit. I would do it again, and again.
ADDED 2/9/2010
I've had the TV two months now and can comment further on my above review. Having a dozen people over to watch the Super Bowl, many of them commented that they wanted to watch on my 110" projection screen but the picture was just so fantastic on the Panasonic they didn't want to leave that room. Indeed, the picture is really that good and has broken in nicely. I'll start to experiment with the video adjustments as I've passed the 120 hr. break in.
By the way, I failed to mention and someone has asked, the delivery was FREE as I'm an Amazon Prime member. |
Outstanding TV
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| Review Date: December 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Beetee, MI |
| I was bouncing between this tv and one of the Samsung's (550/560) models, I was very concerned about getting a Samsung buzzer or having a greenish tint on the Panny I scoured the internet for all the reviews I could find. I was still having a tough time making up my mind on which one to go with. I made a couple of trips to the store and both brand's PQ looked great to me, but looking and listening to a tv in the store is not the same as having it in your own home. Anyway last week, Bestbuy put this Panasonic on sale for $1499 and my mind was made up for me. I am still on cloud9 with this TV, the picture is unbelievable, no greenish tint in any of the modes, although I have kind of settled on the Standard mode right now (still tweaking with custom). I can't comment on the sound as I turned off the speakers right away, which is a nice feature. PS3 games and Blu-ray on this tv are mindblowing! 1080i & 720p is also outstanding. This set replaced a 2yr old Toshiba DLP and the strides made in the last 2 years are just hard to comprehend. Also the case on this tv is beautiful, it just showcases the room, that shiny hi gloss piano black finish just grabs your eyes. Well hope this helps out others who may be twisting like I was, on picking a set. I also looked at the LED's but when you get in to the bigger real estate the price was just too much for me. |
Panasonic First-Timer
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| Review Date: November 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Aaron Hoover, Saint Petersburg, FL |
I did a TON of research looking for the right TV, and after careful consideration I picked up the S1 58" Viera Plasma by Panasonic. Almost a month later and I am still thrilled to own it.
First of all, let me give you a little background (hopefully you gauge my rating credibiltiy here). I watch a lot of sports, love a good action movie (usually a love story if my wife is also watching) and I am an active gamer with my PS3. When I did my research, I wanted a TV that was great in every category, not just movies, not just gaming, etc.
The Panasonic S1 provides an amazing picture quality. The contrast is incredible, the color is everything you could ask for, and even the glare is minimal for a plasma. One other HUGE thing to look for, the Panasonic plasma scored superbly on -the Blacks. I was watching a show the other night and noticed the blacks were SO dark that I could not tell the difference between the border of the TV and black in the picture of the show. This is a huge advange over LCDs, and especially true on this TV.
Setup was very easy. There are so many HDMI inputs on the back of this you will want to go buy more stuff! There is only one digital optical audio out, so you may want to invest in a good audio receiver if you dont have one.
The TV is VERY HEAVY. I bought a decent wall mount on amazon for $25 bucks, works great. Just make sure you use the wall studs, and have at least 3 strong men help you lift the TV.
All said and done, I am extremely happy with this TV. I highly recommend it. |
This is an AWESOME television!!!
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| Review Date: November 7, 2009 |
| Reviewer: W. Hoyt, Southern California |
(Edit - I posted some pictures on Amazon's main product page with photographs of this set with 250+ hours on it. The black levels are super awesome and I am enjoying the set. Would purchase again.)
I use "awesome" in this review since that is how I feel about this purchase, awesome. O.k. So I did my research and when the promotion came up (Panasonic blu ray player and television combo deal) I waited till the last day and jumped on it. Out the door it was 1661 as I bought a couple of HDMI cables (neither the tv or the blu ray player includes HDMI cables).
CEVA delivery was acceptable. I ordered on 10/30, it shipped 11/2 from Texas, and was at my house in Southern California 11/6. Couple of glitches although nothing too big considering this has been the most expensive purchase I have made via Amazon to date. The tracking number for CEVA that Amazon provided was not accurate, it needed an "a" at the start of it. I had to call CEVA to get tracking information. CEVA was late by an hour and I had to call them after they were 15 minutes passed the time. The tv was not unpacked or put on the stand by CEVA. The box looked in good shape and I was in a hurry so frankly I did not ask as I had to leave. I has read that with CEVA not to expect the tracking to work, and to be proactive and call them. This seemed to work and the CSR's were helpful when called.
The television appears flawless. I had almost done too much research and was getting nervous after reading about color (green tints) and lack of deep black. Neither are any kind of issue at all on my television. The factory settungs look INCREDIBLE and I just viewed Master and Commander blu Ray and it felt like BEING there. The television has way more settings and inputs for cables then I could ever use.
The speakers are o.k., not an issue as I have a decent older Sony receiver with an optical in. The sound through the Sony via the Panasonic BD80 Blu Ray is awesome. The speakers in the tv would be acceptable for watching the news in the morning. In the end if you are purchasing a 58" HDTV with Blu Ray you are not going to use the television built in speakers anyway, so I think it's a nice extra that this beast even has built in speakers.
As far as LCD vs Plasma, well like I mentioned I did my research. First hand my 28" 1080p Hann-G looks great playing DVD's or iTunes HD rentals. I like the picture on the plasma better as I feel it's easier on my eyes, more "softer" for lack of a better word, really more like a cinema screen. Other's prefer the LCD and honestly I do acknowledge it's an apples vs oranges argument. Both work great.
What else? At this point I think it would be silly to pay for pro calibration or even a calibration disc. I just do not see how the picture could improve. As part of my research I went to Best Buy and Costco to view this set. It looked sub par compared to the other sets. That of course made me VERY nervous. I had read that the television would be set in "display" mode for the store (when you first plug it in and turn it on the easy to navigate setup welcome message pops up the first direction as "Is this for home or a store display?") so I knew that the television might not be at it's best or how it would look at home. My television's picture appears much superior to its twins at the brick and mortar. Reviews also are almost all glowing and with the Amazon promotion I just decided to go for it.
Other things...Another thing to keep in mind is anytime you put a 58" piece of glass (LCD, Plasma, CRT, etc) you just are going to have reflection. I have mine to the side of a large wall made of glass. So it's a mirror when there is light and no picture on the set, or it's a night sceen on the set and I had the drapes open in daylight. The brighter sceens have minimal reflection. IMHO the LCD sets I viewed in the brick and mortars had reflection also.
I would do this purchase over again in a heart beat. After a few weeks I'll post an update. |
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