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Panasonic Viera TC-P65V10 Review
The Panasonic Viera TC-P65V10
With their outstanding picture and sound quality, HDTVs easily transform watching movies at home on a Saturday night into an amazing theatre-like experience. This is especially true for the Panasonic Viera TC-P65V10, which boasts of 24p Cinematic Playback, a THX display and Digital Cinema Color, among many other excellent features.
Design
Unlike the smaller models in the V10 series, the Panasonic Viera TC-P65V10 has a traditional design, with a sleek, black frame surrounding the screen instead of the revolutionary single sheet of glass design, and a non-swivelling stand. It is still a stylish piece, though, with a subtle silver accent at the bottom.
Apart from this, the remote and the on-screen menu are the same as that of the other V10 models. The clicker has a central cursor control and large buttons in different shapes and colors, making them easy to distinguish from each other in spite of the fact that not all of them are backlit. The straightforward menu offers the same yellow legible text again the blue background, with an additional Tools menu. Unfortunately, explanatory text is still not available.
Screen/Picture Clarity
Black levels is one of the strengths of the TC-P65V10. In fact, it produces not just impressively deep black levels, but infinite blacks, almost matching that of the Pioneer’s best but discontinued Kuro. This, combined with the excellent shadow detail and extremely rich colors, make the images come to life with a punch on the screen for a truly amazing viewing experience. The colors are generally accurate, too, especially in the THX mode, although videophiles will notice some red and green tinges in other modes.
As mentioned earlier, one of the top features of the TC-P65V10 is 24p Cinematic Playback. This means that 24p sources are displayed at four times the speed, with a refresh rate of 96Hz, eliminating the problematic flicker of previous models and the hitching motion associated with 2:3 pulldown. It successfully de-interlaces both film-based and video-based sources as well, and delivers every line of 1080i and 1080p content.
Features
Aside from the highly touted THX mode, the Panasonic Viera TC-P65V10 has four other adjustable picture modes and a Custom mode, along with a dedicated Game Mode and other picture settings, though not as many as other HDTV models. It also offers Viera Cast, which allows viewers to access Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube videos, Picasa picture files and news updates from Bloomberg and the usual Viera Link. Connectivity is not bad either, with four HDMI inputs, two component video inputs, a VGA input for your computer and an SD card slot which makes sharing your pictures easier.
Indeed, the Panasonic Viera TC-P65V10 is an excellent centerpiece for your home theater and a great HDTV overall - something you should keep in mind when you pay for its hefty price tag.
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I received my 65V10 about 2 weeks ago and am very satisfied with the picture set on THX mode. I was able to find this review on the 50V10 which is very thorough [...].
Perhaps one of the best features is the THX mode. By selecting this setting I can pretty much rest assured the TV is at near peak settings. This means no calibration necessary which appeals to a low Video tech guy like me. My engineering degree is not in that field.
Also, if one Googles WHITE PAPER PLASMA one finds an excellent independent comparison of plasma, LCD and DLPs funded by Pioneer. I am moving up from a seven year old 57″ Hatachi DLP. There is a significant step change in clarity, detail and color. I believe a LCD or even a DLP is brighter than the plasma but the plasma is sufficiently bright for my interior room. As they say the blacks are indeed very black.
With my DLP upgrade, I actually found the 65V10 used less space when one considers that all components can be placed under the TV while some components require side placement with my old DLP. The 65″ does not look particularly big for my nominal 15′ by 20′ room with corner installation.
I am a little miffed with the TV’s internet capability since I can get there anyway with the PS3 I purchased specifically for Blu-Ray, a choice I do not regret for a primarily non-gamer family. The PS3 has wireless capability right out of the box. Suspect I will understand the 65V10’s capability better as time goes on and I have a chance to add a wireless receiver to the TV (it requires a hard connection to tap the internet connection)
The colors and detail are extraordinary are amazing and as I say I am very satisfied.
Based on the reviews and blogs I believe the burnin concern is a non issue. I am treating the TV like I normally would, a little running of games, watching programs including bars (to a point on this one, can’t miss World Series and FOX News) and generally not babying it. No ghosts to date. I believe some people have lttle to do, sorry guys.
I almost went with the 77UM sharp LCD but am not looking back. I’m sure it is a good TV also.
This is a wonderful TV. I used to have a 65″ LCD (LC-65D93U) for the past two years and 10 days ago I upgraded to TC-P65V10. I used a set of break-in slides for 180 hours (to age the color phosphors and get it ready for professional calibration). Finally, it was calibrated today and WOW!!!! The picture quality is unbelievable. Maybe the best A/V purchase I’ve ever made.
Pros: 65″ is a great size for my living room, and the picture quality allows you to feel that you’re there. A seated newscaster looks the same size as if they were on the other side of a window. The custom pro pic adjustments make any source look great!
Cons: As with all plasmas, the light reflection can be annoying. It is certainly watchable in the daytime with the shades open, but a bit distracting. The THX mode default is “HD Size 2″ 100% scan, which introduces some edge noise with some sources (cable)
Summary: I’ve been waiting for months for the 65 inch V10 to become available. Almost pre-ordered it online several times, but was leary of ordering before it was in stock. Happened into Best Buy on Fri Aug 21 and saw the 58″ on display. Asked about the 65″ and found out the store had just received one that day and intended to set it up for display the next day. After a short negotiation I had secured this first set for $3899 ($100 off MSRP) and had it delivered free on the following Tuesday. First thing I did after setting it up was to switch the picture setting from Vivid to THX and the picture was amazing. Flipped through a few channels and watched some dark scenes from shows on my DVR that I had been saving just for this purpose. The clarity in low light scenes better than I had imagined. I have played with the custom pro picture settings some, but haven’t spent enough time to get it looking better than THX yet. I have enjoyed the Viera Cast features, especially the weather and YouTube. I was watching a movie on cable and started wondering what other movies had the same director. I paused the show, switched to YouTube and looked up the director’s name and watched a few clips of him taling about the movie I was watching and a few others he had directed, then went back and watched the rest of the movie. It was nice to be able to do this without having to pull out my laptop. I was also impressed with the picture quality from YouTube, even when I put it on full screen (I don’t think most YT videos are prepared to be displayed at 65″, but it still looked pretty clear!) I haven’t rented a movie from the Amazon download service yet, but I’ll have to try it. I can’t believe that the picture will equal BluRay though- which reminds me… For some reason it was nearly three days of watching this set before I remembered that I hadn’t see a BluRay disk on it. I had been too caught up playing with the settings and Viera Cast and setting up my Harmony report (which is a little tricky to get set up for Viera Cast because I wanted the direction pad to control the DRV when watching cable and to control the TV when using VC, but I figured it out.) Anyway, I finally got around to putting in a BluRay disc and the picture went to a whole other level - like nothing I’d seen before. Going back to Comcast compressed 1080i HD signal after BluRay was like looking through a mist. Now I can’t rent BR movies fast enough. I almost want to stop watching my favorite shows on TV and wait for the season to come out on BluRay.
Well, if you’re still reading- I love this TV -I want to stop writing now, go close the shades and start watching.
Let’s start by asking why you want this tv? LCD tv’s are lighter, use less energy, costs have come way down, no screen burn in to worry about. However, Plasma tv’s are still cheaper, have greater viewing angles, and produce vastly better picture quality. LCD’s have come a long way, but they can not reproduce the deep, rich blacks of a plasma. I waited thru a back-order status to get this. Everything I read said that the Pioneer Elite is the best plasma you can buy(for $7000!). Not wanting to spend that, the second best was supposedly this tv. However, I still would not pay $4000. That’s why I was shocked to see that my local big-box retailer had it for $2900!! For that it’s worth every penny. LCD tv’s produce pictures that are bright, crisp, and sharp. Well, I don’t like that. Real life is not sharp and crisp, but soft and textured. The picture produced by LCD’s seems fake to me. Most often, you’ll find LCD’s displaying animated films in store demo mode. The reason is b/c animated films are supposed to be sharp and creased and bright, and are good matches for LCD’s. I like films, and plasma’s do a much better job displaying them. So, why should you buy this model, and not a lower model? What are the main differences? Well, this model is capable of displaying 1080P 24fps(frames per second) at 24hz(the refresh rate of the pic), lower models do not have this capability. What this means, is that it is a perfect match for Blu-ray. Most films are shot in 24fps 24hz. If the tv can’t display that, it must “convert” the signal to it’s native resolution to display the film. That can mean less smooth motion, and can introduce “noise” into the picture. Broadcast tv doesn’t run at 1080P 24 fps, only Blu-Ray films. So, this tv is for serious movie buffs only who will be playing plenty of Blu-Ray films. If you only want to watch tv, or dvd, you can easily get a lower model, such as the G10. This tv is not for the tech inept. It is loaded with features, and is capable of so many adjustments that non-pros can easily get lost. The remote is pathetic. It’s non-universal, and won’t control any other components, unless they are also Panasonic, and have the proprietary Viera Link. For a tv this expensive, it’s expected you’ll have a universal remote. Only the Vol and Chan buttons are backlit. There are 6 “modes” to watch. Standard, Game, Vivid, Studio-Reference, THX, and Custom. I use Studio-Ref, as I find THX too sepia toned, Standard too washed out, VIVID and Game too bright(tho Vivid is useful for brightly lit rooms). There is a C.A.T.S system, which automatically adjusts brightness depending on ambient lighting. I leave this off. You’d think that in bright rooms it would get brighter, but it actually gets dimmer?! These days, plasma’s are less susceptible to burn-in, but jic, there’s 2 modes of anti-image retention. You can have a scrolling bar go across the tv, or have a “random pixel orbiter” to help. There’s an eco-energy saving mode, which puts a timer on the tv to turn-off if there’s no signal for a certain amount of time. You can set different levels of block noise and mosquito noise reduction. You can set different black levels from dim to bright, and there are 2 different sizes for HD. Sometimes, broadcast tv has digital info on the screen edges that show up as a “crawl” on the edge. Adjusting the size can eliminate that. There are multiple audio settings as well. There’s an automatic volume control that keeps the volume at the same level(sometimes commercials are louder-this prevents that). There’s also a simulated 3d sound field. Let’s face it tho, if you buy this, it’s expected you’ll have a surround set-up, and not rely on the tv’s speakers. There’s plenty of inputs;4 HDMI(including 1 on the side for ease in wall-mounting) PC inputs, sd card input, and plenty of analog. The worst con of this tv is reflection. This tv is supposed to have an anti-glare screen, but even when my small 25 watt lamp is on, I can see it reflected on the screen. Otherwise, the picture is outstanding. There is superb black level performance, great color quality, and smooth motion. With my Oppo BDP83, the picture is stunning. With regular tv, there is still false-contouring artifacts aplenty(best way to describe this is seeing “rings” of distortion when watching, say, a light in a fog bank). Watching HD Theater, a 1080i channel, the picture is amazing. There is very little “noise”, colors are accurately rendered, and there are deep, rich blacks. I recommend this to anyone who wants the best of what’s currently available. That means 1080P Blu-Ray movies, and HD TV, and surround sound with universal remote. If you just want regular dvd, and lots of TV, go with the G10 model, and save money. Oh, and I will definitely be having an ISF tech calibrate this, as it has so many adjustments that even a techno-phile like me is a bit overwhelmed.
Panasonic is widely known as a major manufacturer of some of the most popular plasma displays available. What is not known however is that this company is EXTREMELY cruel and has no regard for the customers that pump out thousands of dollars for their sets. It is becoming more and more public as each day passes that one of the MAJOR features of this set (the only one in my opinion that would set it apart from the remaining plasma competition) it’s black levels, are stripped away in an unacceptably short amount of time. Numerous long time members of enthusiasts website “AVS Forum” have posted results taken by actual light meters that their black levels had DOUBLED in as little as 200 to 300 hours of use. In addition, a feature that is a marketing gimmick to begin with also becomes even more of a non-feature when this bug in their software begins it’s reign of terror on the panel. I am referring to none other that the “infinite black feature”. Now you would think that this feature enables the T.V to display an infinite level of black in content viewed on the panel lending an unparalleled amount of depth, richness, and realism to the images. Um…no. All it does is drops an input with either no signal, or an image that does not require one pixel to be lit up to 0.00FTL. Which is essentially absolute black. Rest assured that if one lowly little pixel lights up, your infinite black 0.00FTL turns into 0.08FTL, which is not bad at all, but by no means infinite black. Hold on it gets better. This feature as useless as it is, is only available in the most useless of all AV selections, that’s right folks, Vivid. Try this on Custom, Game, Standard, or even the mighty (sorry I just threw up a little in my mouth) THX mode, and it’s a no go. Well, when the panel “Cancer” begins, one of the symptoms is that you may loose this wonderful feature. Essentially you will have an LCD with none of the perks of an LCD. The once rich deep picture becomes a washed out, uninspiring mess to look at. I hoped that I might be spared of this disease but as soon as I hit around 130 hours, my lush beautiful Panasonic plasma transformed into a 65″ LCD that only gets half as bright as an LCD and none of the pop either. Not to mention I get a free side order of severe image retention to go along with it. There is no way Panasonic does not know exactly what is causing this. The “leaders” of this company could have all of the people that know every inner working of this T.V assembled in a room within a day if they wanted (which no doubt they did) and have the issue explained to them as this is a necessary “job” for every display to do. However, Panasonic is the only plasma that compromises it’s black levels to do so. Voltages that charge the display’s pixels need to be adjusted to compensate for wear on the materials in the panel. Panasonic basically bought themselves a stretch Hummer made of platinum to compensate for the little winky in it’s pants. Basically I am saying that the voltage increases are way overcompensated. Sorry, I can be a little evil when I am angry. Anyway, this is the statement that Panasonic has released to C-Net.
“Panasonic Viera plasma HDTVs deliver exceptional picture performance throughout the lifetime of these products. Various elements and material characteristics of all electronic displays change with use over time. In order to achieve the optimal picture performance throughout the life of the set, Panasonic Viera plasma HDTVs incorporate an automatic control which adjusts an internal driving voltage at predetermined intervals of operational hours.
As a result of this automatic voltage adjustment, background brightness will increase from its initial value. After several years of typical use, the internal material characteristics will stabilize and no additional automatic voltage adjustments are required. The Black Level at this stabilized point will yield excellent picture performance.
The newest Viera plasma HDTVs incorporate an improved automatic control which applies the voltage adjustments in smaller increments. This results in a more gradual change in the Black Level over time.
Need I say more. Additionally Panasonic CSRs have told many customers that the investigation is complete and there will be no fix because there is no problem. Many chats on Panasonic’s concierge chat feature were posted on the AVS Forum where they contradict themselves in the same chat over, and over again. Please google this issue and you will never buy ANYTHING with a Panasonic badge of shame on it again.
This TV is amazing and I LOVE it! Pass the LED and LCD TV up if your going above 50 inches, this 65 inch monster kills the competition. It has so many features and options you can’t go wrong and with a 600Mhz refresh rate you don’t see any blurring on screen during fast image changes. I did find that my eyes were straining a bit when I watched the tv for long periods of time in the dark room. So I purchased a product to light the TV up in the back, it really helps reduce eye strain, it’s called Illuminaire - See it here - [...]
“I have the Panasonic TC-P65V10 Plasma TV and i have to say that this tv has the best picture i’ve seen out of an hdtv. The blacks are very black and the whites are very white, with the dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000 to 1 this tvs blacks are pretty close to the now discontinued Pioneer Kuro which has 5,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio. The colors are so rich it makes me feel like im there and when hooked it up to my computer the colors looked even better on the tv than on the computer. The screen at 65 inches is perfect for movies or sports because of the 600Hz screen refresh rate. The Viera Cast feature is pretty kool i can watch youtube videos on it all day and in the near future there supposed to add Skype, Netflix, Pandora, and Fox Sports. I have this tv hooked up to an Onkyo SR607 Receiver and Polk Audio surround sound system which has 6 HDMI inputs and is 7.2 surround sound.I have my PS3, XBOX 360 Time Warner cable hooked up thru HDMI. The Onkyo and the tv have a pass thru feature so that if you don’t want to hear the surround sound you can just listen to the tv speakers, If you tweak the tv speakers right, they will sound pretty good. The Panasonic remote control works perfect with my PS3 and my Onkyo Receiver. This tv is THX certified so you don’t need to play with the tv settings that much because THX is pretty accurate in the picture settings department and is bright enough that you dont have to worry about having to close your windows during the day. So in summary this tv is well worth the money if you have it you will not be disappointed especially when watching bluray content.”
I’ll tell you I was a little hesitant to replace my Pioneer PDP 5010 plasma because of the excellent picture it has but I wanted a larger picture and I am not disappointed in the least. The picture is excellent and it hasn’t even been calibrated yet. I said the same thing about the pioneer and after it was calibrated watch out the picture go even better and I am expecting the same from the Panasonic. If you are having any doubts about this TV… don’t worry this is the best set out there is no doubt in my mind.