With Pioneer’s Kuro line now out of the running, Panasonic has become the top manufacturer of Plasma HDTVs. The Panasonic TC-P54Z1 is one of its best models, although it is also one of the most expensive.
Design
The design of the TC-P54Z1 easily stand out for two reasons – first, because it is the slimmest Plasma HDTV available at only an inch deep, and second, because unlike the majority of HDTVs that have a glossy
Panasonic TC-P54Z1
black frame, it sports a brushed silver metal bezel. It comes with a silver, round stand and matching, detachable speakers while a glimpse of its wireless tuner can be caught on the left side.
Its clicker is also more attractive and fully backlit, with RF capability and a glossy finish, while its yellow-on-blue interface remains straightforward in spite of the addition of a few icons.
Screen/Picture Clarity
While its black levels are not as inky as the Kuro, they are still impressively deep. They are certainly deep enough to make the overall image details sharper and the rest of the colors appear more vivid, although you might have to sacrifice a bit of the color saturation for color temperature accuracy. It makes up for this with its outstanding performance in bright environments, outdoing most Plasmas by keeping reflections to a minimum and preserving the stunning picture quality.
Like the V10 models, the TC-P54Z1 also has a 96Hz mode for properly handling 24p content, while processing other types of sources is not a problem.
Features
To justify its price tag, the Panasonic TC-P54Z1 comes with an extensive list of features, led by its wireless transmitter, which allows it to receive HD signals wirelessly. It also has a THX mode for reproducing the movie theater experience, Viera Cast, Panasonic’s interactive suite which now allows access to Amazon Video-on-Demand and in the future, Netflix; and various picture adjustments. It also has features to prevent burn-in and cut down energy consumption and for connectivity, provides four HDMI inputs, a PC input, two component-video inputs and an SD card slot – all located on its external, wireless tuner box.
All these provide enough temptation for consumers to consider the Panasonic TC-P54Z1, even in spite of its high cost. Indeed, while those who don’t want to spend too much on an HDTV will find many great alternatives, this Viera has enough excellent points to make those who can afford it forget about any other option.
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