Panasonic VIERA TX-P50S20B Pro Reviews

The Panasonic TX-P50S20B is an excellent Plasma HDTV which produces performance far beyond that of most budget displays. The only measurable inaccuracy is with its Gamma tracking, which means that material viewed on the TV will look very subtly brighter (at points) to the way the producers intended. Other than these minor issues, it’s a truckload of good news for this cost-conscious HD TV: excellent blacks, crisp motion clarity, perfect screen uniformity, fantastic colour accuracy, excellent greyscale tracking, and no input lag worth worrying about. Panasonic’s budget S20 series of Plasma displays is an excellent alternative to the cascade of lower-quality LCDs in this price range, and is a reminder that high quality Plasma performance is available to suit all budgets — not just to videophiles with deep pockets.

If you want a big TV at a great price, this Panasonic is well worth a look

The P50S20B is talented enough with HD material from Blu-ray, Sky or its own Freeview HD tuner to make it a likeable TV for a dedicated AV/home cinema room. But its potential as a main living room TV is hampered by its underwhelming standard definition performance. And I again have to say that nothing the P50S20B has done during this review has significantly reduced that now really irritating itch I have to get my hands on one of Panasonic’s G20 (or higher) models.