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Panasonic TC-P50S1 Review

The new Panasonic TC-P50S1 Plasma TV

One main reason why people go for LCD HDTVs today is because they use less electricity compared to their plasma counterparts. But with the Panasonic TC-P50S1 from the Viera S1 Series, Panasonic aims to reduce the electricity consumed by plasma HDTVs to about the same as LCD HDTVs.

Design

The design of the Panasonic TC-P50S1 is similar to past models of Panasonic except that the corners and edges are more rounded. Its screen is surrounded by a black glossy frame that is only interrupted by the Vierra and Panasonic logos, an indicator light and the power button. But these hardly distract you from appreciating its simple and elegant design. The speakers are cleverly hidden, adding to the TC-P50S1’s appeal.

The remote control that comes with the TC-P50S1 is not illuminated like other brands, but its buttons have unique shapes that allow you to easily tell the difference between each button without having to glance at them. The system menu is pretty much the same as the previous models with some minor adjustments, but still retains its simplicity, making it very easy to find and toggle between various options.

Screen/Picture Clarity

The Panasonic TC-P50S1 produces some of the deepest blacks you’ll find among plasma HDTVs. One downside, though, is the not too accurate colors which, unfortunately, cannot be adjusted too well with the system menu. Despite this drawback, the picture quality of the TC-P50S1 is still very good compared to other models.

Another feature which boosts the picture quality of the TC-P50S1 is the Full-Time 1080 TV Lines Moving Picture Resolution. When dealing with fast moving pictures, some HDTVs reduce the number of lines it displays to help cope with the pace. The downside to this is that the picture becomes blurry during fast moving scenes, but with the Full-Time 1080 TV Lines Moving Picture Resolution, the Panasonic TC-P50S1 is able to display the full 1080 lines during fast moving scenes, giving you crisper pictures throughout the whole show.

Features

The main feature of the Panasonic TC-P50S1 is the reduced power consumption. Compared to other plasma TVs, the TC-P50S1 uses much less electricity, which means more savings on your electric bill. It also comes with three HDMI connections and several other popular connections like s-video, standard AV inputs and even an SD card slot which you can use to showcase your photos straight from you digital camera. It does not come with a VGA or PC input connection, though, so you may need a converter or a computer with HDMI output to connect your computer.

The Vierra Link is another feature of the TC-P50S1, which is Panasonic’s way of integrating all your HDMI capable devices so that you do not have to go through the trouble of turning on each device and setting up each one. With the Vierra Link, all you need to do is push one button and your HDTV, Blu-Ray player and high definition speakers all turn on and are ready for use. All you have to do is pop in your favorite movie and get some popcorn.

Despite the less than accurate colors and lack of PC input, the TC-P50S1 is still a very good choice for a plasma HDTV. Its low power consumption, great picture quality and full 1080 lines during fast moving scenes are enough to make this plasma HDTV worth considering. These features, combined with the option to control your high definition home theater with just a touch of a button, definitely make the Panasonic TC-P50S1 a worthy competitor in HDTVs.

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