| Overall Rating |   |
| Picture Quality | |
| Value For Money | |
Panasonic TC-P58S1 Review
The Panasonic TC-P58S1
Aiming to buy a cheap HDTV can often bring disappointment. Rather, you should think about getting an HDTV that offers great value for its price. The Panasonic TC-P58S1 is one good example, offering breathtaking images sure to make your jaw drop without burning a hole in your wallet.
Design
The Panasonic TC-P58S1 may not stand out in terms of its design, which is just a plain glossy black bezel with curved edges and a thin silver strip at the bottom, but this means you will be able to focus on the images you’ll see on the screen. Indeed, the only interruptions on the frame are the Panasonic and Viera logos, the power button and the indicator light, which are easy to disregard.
The remote control is quite basic, too, although the texture and shape of the keys is something to appreciate, making the remote easy to use in spite of missing a backlight. The on-screen menu, with its blue and yellow lay-out, is also easy to use, though it’s pretty basic compared to that of other HDTVs, like the Samsung models, which still offer the best menu.
Screen/Picture Clarity
Picture quality is the strength of the TC-P58S1, with its very deep shades of black and impeccable shadow detail that make the images more realistic and the rest of the colors more saturated. Unfortunately, the colors are not too accurate - a problem which continues to plague Panasonic Plasma sets - but this does little to mar the overall superb quality of the images on the screen. Screen reflections are at a minimum, as well.
In terms of processing, the TC-P58S1 comes with a 600Hz Sub-field drive for excellent motion resolution, making it excel even more in an area where Plasmas already have the upper hand. It is unable to process images from a 1080p source properly, though. Still, this flaw is hard to discern, except for videophiles.
Features
The Panasonic TC-P58S1 lacks interactive features. Then again, it is not the only HDTV model in its price range to do so. It also offers a number of picture controls, like five picture modes, five aspect ratio selections and three color temperature presets. It even has features to combat burn-in and the Viera Link to control HDMI-compatible devices, while its Neo PDP panel reduces its power consumption, even if it still consumes more than LCD sets. Connectivity-wise, it offers three HDMI inputs for the best audio and video connection, along with two component-video inputs, and an SD card slot so you can share the files from your digicam and mobile phone easily, although lacking in a USB input, a PC input and an analog audio output.
In spite of what it lacks, the Panasonic TC-P58S1 remains a Plasma HDTV worth considering. After all, picture quality is the main buying point of HDTVs. Still, those who want more than that will have to look elsewhere and pay a bit more.
<< Click HERE to Read The Latest Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 User Reviews >>
Most TV’s in this series have a rapidly rising black level right around the time when the 30 day return period is up, between 250-500 hours of use. The blacks fade to a level similar to a mid level LCD from 2006. Follow this link to read up on it. [...]
After spending many hours studying the different TV models, I had narrowed it down to a Samsung LCD and a Panasonic.
I was familiar with both TVs, but the big thing that it came down to for me was price and size, as I thought both of them had completely acceptable pictures. When the Panasonic dropped down below $1500, the price gap was just too big and I could buy a 58 in Panasonic for roughly a 50 in Samsung. The picture quality I still marvel at a couple months later, and I am glad that I did not shell out any more money for a TV, as this one does everything I could possibly want. Not only do blue ray disks look great on it, but I think the upscaling on normal DVDs is pretty impressive too. HD Cable looks great for sports too, and I don’t expect to have to buy another TV for quite some time.
Minor quibbles: Many people have written about how they loved the white glove delivery. All they did for me was drop it off inside the door, and did not offer to set it up when my wife signed for it. I am really happy it worked well, as they never bothered to check. #2. The amount of electricity is pretty high, even though better than most plasmas. The backlights behind the TV flicker a little bit when I turn it on. We make sure it is off when not in use….we refer to turning the TV on as “firing up the death star”. #3. The slot for SD cards is really cheap, and the software is slow and bulky. Mine will not even eject the card, and I have to jimmy it every time. Since it is more a novelty than anything, I am fine with it. I think the settings for watching movies is a bit off. It is pretty easy to set up though, but it took a little while till I could adjust it a little bit more to my liking. The HDMI slots are all on one side of the TV, which was opposite of how I had it planned. It is really kind of an odd spot I think.
Barring that, this TV is simply incredible. For $1500, this is one of the best purchases I feel I have ever made.
Very pleased with this TV…I was a little unsure about going with a plasma over LCD or the new LED/LCD…just becasue of the usual concerns that come up w/ plasma…but I couldn’t be happier..no regrets!
I mounted it on the wall…and it looks great! At this point…for a TV this size..I think it’s pretty good bang for the buck!
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.
We installed this behemoth in conjunction with a Panasonic Blu-Ray 7.1 surround system just before Christmas and it is unreal. We’re bringing HD content from DirecTV and the quality is fantastic.
Our room is not darkened, but the monitor is very bright; completely viewable in the daytime. At night I like to turn off the lights for full effect. The rest of the room fades away and the brilliant colors wash over you.
Football is a real kick - you can read the tattoos on the players and the surround sound makes you feel like you’re in the stadium, only in a more comfortable chair.
I REALLY love the Veria link feature. It allows the TV to turn the surround system on and off, THEN DirecTV’s remote can be programmed to control the TV AND the sat box. so with one click the sat box, TV, and Surround come on - so handy for the wife!
Set-up was not bad, more challenges with the Internet to the Blu-Ray player, but I found you just need a router reshly reset to factory defaults to get it working (install security on the router of course after hook-up.)
All told, I got this unit as an open box, and the box wasn’t even open from Amazon warehouse and could not be more pleased. You’ll be surprised how big 58″ is when you put it in your living room. I was thinking about a 65″, but it was not necessary! My viewing distance is about 10ft from the screen and it’s like you’re at the movies.
Love it!
Bought this set on a Saturday and it was delivered and set up next day. Awesome TV. As to the amount of electricity utilized,on a net present value basis, you will need about 30 years on the 240hz 55″ LCD to get a pay back that offsets the price difference. Plus you have to factor in the the 100,000 hr screen. Black to Grey issue, seems relevant only if your in the $3,500 and up market. Next step, upgrade to the 65″ once the price drops in a year or two and place this one downstairs in the master…
I have not owned this set too long. I purchaed on 12/05/09. Thus far the set has performed as expected. The picture is vibrant and HD programming is very good. I have DISH Network. Keep in mind that some HD channels provide a better picture because of signal processing than others. FOX channel tends to have crappy transfer. Blu-ray movies look awesome for now…………
However, it has come to my attention that there could be a problem with hightend black levels that may arise after approximately 500 to 1000 hours usage. The plasma models in question include models that use the NEO-PDP (panel display). From reading various forums, these are the possible affected models S1/G10/G15/V10.
Hightend black levels will cause the deep blacks on your plasma to gray over time. Because I am past the 30 day return period, I am pretty much stuck with this set if a problem should arise. Panasonic would either have to A. fix the problem with some sort of software firmware; B replace a board on the set; or C provide me with a replacement set.
If this worse case scenario were to happen and Panasonic refused the resolve the issue, I would have to sell the set at a loss or seek legal action. I would hope it would not come to this. Best thing for Panansonic would be to step up and reslove the issue.
Various individuals who have posted on forums indicate that Panasonic customer service is aware of the issue and engineers are looking into it. Whether this means that there is a problem or if Panasonic would admit that a problem exists is yet to be determined.
Sorry about the bad spelling, I was in a hurry. Just wanted to get my thoughts down.
After doing much research and finally pulling the trigger and buying Panasonic’s V10 plasma model, I was shocked to recently find many widespread reputable reports that black levels on Panasonic 2008 and 2009 model plasmas may double or in some cases triple after approximately 1000 hours of use.
At this point I can only wish I had found this information before I made my purchase, so I’m passing it on to anyone else who may be considering any of these models.
My V10 picture is fantastic at the moment, but I can only wait in fear that I may have spent $2K dollars on something that will lose one of it’s best qualities after only months of normal use.
The issue is described and commented in detail here:
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Good Luck!!!!
URGENT UPDATE:
It is now official. Panasonic has indeed admitted that black levels in their Plasma sets will automaticly increase over time. This will cause your screen to become gray as instead of inky black. Click this link as proof….[...]
Some people may notice the change sooner than others, but this increae will occur. Until Panasonic comes out with a fix to remedy this increase, I can longer recommend this set. Major news outlets and internet forums have picked up on this story…This firt broke on the [...] and CNET took the story mainstream. [...], Engadget, Gizmodo are reporting. CNET may revise previous reviews and Consumer reports is just in the early stages of doing research. Again, it is not confirmed but these are the possible models affected.
The plasma models in question include models that use the NEO-PDP (panel display). From reading various forums, these are the possible affected models S1/G10/G15/V10.
I have not owned this set too long. I purchaed on 12/05/09. Thus far the set has performed as expected. The picture is vibrant and HD programming is very good. I have DISH Network. Keep in mind that some HD channels provide a better picture because of signal processing than others. FOX channel tends to have crappy transfer. Blu-ray movies look awesome for now…………
However, it has come to my attention that there could be a problem with hightend black levels that may arise after approximately 500 to 1000 hours usage. The plasma models in question include models that use the NEO-PDP (panel display). From reading various forums, these are the possible affected models S1/G10/G15/V10.
Hightend black levels will cause the deep blacks on your plasma to gray over time. Because I am past the 30 day return period, I am pretty much stuck with this set if a problem should arise. Panasonic would either have to A. fix the problem with some sort of software firmware; B replace a board on the set; or C provide me with a replacement set.
If this worse case scenario were to happen and Panasonic refused the resolve the issue, I would have to sell the set at a loss or seek legal action. I would hope it would not come to this. Best thing for Panansonic would be to step up and reslove the issue.
Various individuals who have posted on forums indicate that Panasonic customer service is aware of the issue and engineers are looking into it. Whether this means that there is a problem or if Panasonic would admit that a problem exists is yet to be determined.
Sorry about the bad spelling, I was in a hurry. Just wanted to get my thoughts down.
I also have two 46″ LCD televisions for about 2 year, one Sony Bravia and the other is a Mitsubishi, both have been great sets and were top of the line LCD at the time. However, both pale in comparison to this new Panasonic plasma for picture quality. I also hooked up this set to the panasonic home theater 1250w system. Picture and sound is amazing, blu-ray movies are as good or better than the theater. Both purchases were through Amazon and very pleased with both. As i have been with all of the items i have purchased through Amazon. Also like that the Amazon stock i bought a couple years ago has done so well.
I stepped up from a Panasonic 42″ to this 58″. I am pleased with my older Panasonic 42″, never having any trouble with it. I did a great deal of research of models and manufacturers before making this purchase. I especially researched pro’s and con’s of plasna vs. lcd. I decided to go with the plasma for a various reasons. This Panasonic had all of the features that I was seeking and at a great price through Amazon. The picture quality is awesome! The set integrated well through HDMI with all of my AV components. I highly recommend this Panasonic plasma.
I’ll make this quick. I’ve been in hundreds of homes, seen hundreds of LCD’s, LED’s, Plasmas. Most are just fine, very nice. This thing is incredible. The level of detail! The colors, the blacks, sports! Each blade of grass. Just unreal.
Don’t even think about it at $1,600. I waited two years for a set of this quality to hit this price point. To date, the most rewarding purchase I’ve ever made.
I’ve had the TV for 1 day. I’m upgrading from a 5 year old Pioneer plasma 43 inch. I’m blown away by how great this thing looks. A major improvement over my last TV. Watched Star Trek on Blu-Ray. Can’t imagine a better picture quality than this. The difference between 1080i and 1080p on Blu-Ray’s is not a huge difference, but it is better. I wouldn’t buy a new TV just to upgrade to 1080p, I mainly just wanted a bigger TV, and the superior 1080p is icing on the cake. Also, the black levels on this TV are great. If the screen is blank/black, it’s really hard to tell weather or not the TV is turned on. One minor thing, the speaker quality doesn’t seem to be as good as my Pioneer, it’s fine but not as good, but I’ve got surround sound for the DVD’s and for my favorite shows so that’s not really an issue for me.
Now, about my ordering experience; I orginally ordered this thing on Feb 2nd being sold from Amazon. The first TV was delivered with a broken screen, so I refused shipment and called Amazon right away. They sent out another one but I didn’t get it until 5 days after what the Amazon CSR estimated, and guess what? Broken again. This time the CSR said they were out of stock, so he scheduled a pick up and I will get a refund when they get the TV back.
In the mean time, I re-ordered the TV through Electronics Expo through Amazon.com, this time the TV arrived fast and undamaged. 21 days after my original order. Also about $50 cheaper than my first order from Amazon.
If you’re in Northeast Florida, please watch out for Pilot Freight, the company that delivered 2 broken TV’s to me.
Anyways, I understand things happen, and I will still order from Amazon because they are a great company and usually provide great service. But I just thought I should share my honest experience for this order.
This bad boy is BIG! I absolutely LOVE the picture! The TV is also very sleek and slim - it just screams high quality! Watch a Blu Ray on this with a good sound system and it is better than being in the movie theater. Contrary to what many other reviewers have said, I think the internal speakers are great but this is a moot point anyway, since I have it hooked into a surround sound system. The remote and menus are intuitive, visually pleasing and easy to use.
As if that wasn’t enough…the price is UNBEATABLE for what you get! The best value on the market!
I bought this set based on Panasonic’s reputation and excellent reviews in Consumer Reports and on-line sites. Have had it a month and it works fine. And then I stumbled on the CNET link below…
[...]
…which basically tells how Panasonic screwed up the stability of black levels and image retention on their 2009 plasma line and they are not going to do a thing about it since they designed the sets to get worse in use, so they are doing what they are supposed to do.
This totally kills Panasonic for me as a reputable company and I feel bad having caused at least four additional purchases of 2009 Panasonic plasmas by friends due to me recommending the brand.
Do not buy a 2009 Panasonic plasma and think twice before buying a 2010 “improved” model. Do you really want to support such a sleazy company that tells their customers to just live with design defects?
Bye, bye Panasonic. You are losing influential customers due to your sloppy design and arrogance.
I just hope Consumer Reports picks up on this as that will force Panasonic to fix their mess.