Panasonic VIERA TX-P55VT50B Pro Reviews

Let’s get one thing straight: the Panasonic TX-P55VT50 is a superb HDTV display, particularly for owners who do not intend to perform advanced calibration on the plasma TV either themselves or with help from a professional. Its out-of-the-box picture quality – with [THX Cinema] mode engaged – is pretty much unrivalled on the consumer market at this time of writing, thanks in no small part to class-leading black-level and contrast performance, as well as sufficiently accurate greyscale and colours. However, we have one complaint about the TX-P55VT50B, and it’s not an insignificant one given that our reviews are aimed at the video enthusiast audience who care about squeezing the last drop of image fidelity from their TVs. The measured black level in the [Professional] modes – the most calibration-friendly picture presets that can let us improve greyscale and colours to near-perfection – is nearly twice as high as that in [THX Cinema] mode which lacks the more advanced picture-affecting controls.

What is there left to say about the VT50 that hasn't already been said? Panasonic have finally delivered on their early promise and produced a TV that genuinely lives up to the hype that has surrounded the manufacturer since the last days of the Kuro. The P55VT50B retains the glass facia and slick styling that graced last year's VT30 and with its silver trim and solid construction, it certainly looks like the flagship TV that it is. Despite a screen size of 55", the P55VT50B only measures 4cm in depth, which might not be as ultra-thin as many edge lit LED LCDs but is still surprisingly narrow for a TV this big and is achieved without sacrificing image quality. The P55VT50B comes with just about every feature a modern TV can possess and also includes two pairs of RF active shutter glasses and an additional touch pad remote control.