Panasonic TC-P46C2 46-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife and I were really planning on buying a 42" 1080p Samsung "LED TV" (i.e., an LED backlit LCD TV) when we came across this TV on sale for roughly 60% the price of the Samsung 42" LED TV. So I spent the best part of an evening researching LED versus Plasma, 1080p versus 720p and also the Samsung brand versus Panasonic. Details of my findings are in the Appendix at the bottom of this review.
With the required research behind me, we concluded that we couldn't go wrong with either choice. The Panasonic won because not only would it would save us a bundle, but we would also get a 46" TV instead of a 42", which would be perfect for our living room HD cable setup. We decided, therefore, to postpone our purchase of a 42" 1080p LED TV for our bedroom to the near future when the prices for LED TVs would drop even further.
Although the C2 series is the most basic of Panasonic's 720P Plasma lineup, the build quality is very nice and refined. It took less than 30 minutes to set up the TV and connect it to our HD cable box and digital receiver.
The only initial calibration we made was to set the picture mode to "Cinema". Quite honestly, we were stunned at the quality picture when we first tuned to a HD channel - which was an English detective drama on PBS. The color reproduction, clarity, and fine details were way above our expectations, easily on par with the best LED TVs we saw in the showroom . With its 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, this TV is able to produce an awesome level of gradual black levels, with no dithering artifacts to speak of.
This TV has a moving picture resolution of 720p. We watched the Hawaii Five-O remake premiere with disbelief. With its 600Hz refresh rate, there were very smooth image transitions in the action sequences, making for a very film like experience with none of the "digititis" with fast moving images that I was used to seeing on some LCD TVs.
Being the most basic in the current Panasonic Plasma lineup, this TV has a basic set of features - which is actually a good thing because the menu system uncomplicated and intuitive. Some of the menu features can be accessed through dedicated buttons on the remote. For example there is a button to toggle between aspect ratios - which is handy when you need to watch old non-anamorphic DVDs.
This TV also has "anti-image retention" features to prevent logos from being seared onto the surface of the Plasma display. For the first 100 hours or so, it is a good idea to watch 4:3 aspect ratio programs in "zoom" mode, to prevent retention of the black bars on the side, and to switch channels frequently to prevent "logo burn" from particular channels. Once the TV has crossed the "break in" period, you can resume normal watching.
I have not tried Blu-Ray yet on this TV, but it does a pretty decent of upscaling DVD movies from 480p to 720p through component video, though not perfect. But playing DVDs through upscaling DVD players, like the Panasonic DMR-EZ48VP-K 1080p Upconverting VHS DVD Recorder with Built In Tuner, through HDMI is another story. From a normal viewing distance of 8 to 10 feet, DVD movies look almost like HD. I watched the DVD of the movie Downfall and it was hard to convince me that I was not watching full HD.
The sound quality on this TV is pretty good and more than adequate for most program content.
As for hum, it's present only when I stick my head right next to the back panel where a very low volume buzz can be heard. But from more than a few feet away this TV produces no audible hum!
Cons:
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I can think only of a couple of downsides to this TV. The first is that the C2 model has no anti-reflective coating like the higher models in Panasonic's Plasma lineup. But, to be quite honest, the reflections were not noticeable or bothersome until we turned on some bright lights in the side in the direct line of reflection. Having said that, the front plate glass in all Plasmas are reflective and it is therefore best to set them up in an environment where you have control over light sources.
The second issue is that this TV has only a single digital optical audio output, which limits you to using a digital receiver for external sound.
Conclusion:
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This TV represents the best bang for buck for any TV out there. Although this is an entry-level Panasonic plasma, Panasonic has not skimped on build quality and the thing that absolutely matters most - picture quality! This TV packs the latest display technology of Panasonic, at a fraction of the price you would have paid just a couple of years ago. Sure, it does not have ethernet or in-built streaming video. But if your really want streaming Netflix or iTunes movies, why not spend just an additional $99 and buy an Apple TV - MC572LL/A NEWEST MODEL?
This TV is definitely in the "best buy" category and I have no hesitation in giving it a rating of five stars. Thank you, Panasonic!
Appendix:
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LED versus Plasma:
Both LED and Plasma TV's have excellent picture quality, colors and black levels as well a rated lifespan of 50,000 to 100,000 hours. LED TVs are thinner, lighter, "greener" in power consumption, have less reflective screen surfaces, can be viewed in bright daylight conditions and do not require a "break in" period for the first 100 hours of use. Plasma TVs, on the other hand, have excellent color accuracy and refresh rates that are hard to match, and they support wide viewing angles. Plasma TVs now come with 600Hz refresh rates, while most LED TVs still are in the 120Hz level. That, in itself is worth the price of admission for videophiles and video enthusiasts, given that the higher refresh rates have the effect of making the viewing experience pleasing, more film-like and easier on the eyes.
1080p versus 720p:
1080p versus 720p is not much of an issue if most of your viewing is HD broadcast, satellite or cable, which is pretty much 720p for the most part. But if you are serious about Blu-Ray, then 1080p is preferable since the difference becomes noticeable for larger TVs and at close viewing distances. But in most situations it is hard for people to tell the difference between the two formats even with a 46" panel.
Samsung's reputation versus Panasonic's:
Recent TV ratings from Consumer Reports indicate that Samsung has top ratings in the LED TV technology. But Panasonic Vieras still occupy the top spot in Plasma! (Samsung Plasma TVs are reputed to have an annoying audible hum or buzz from the rear of the panel, which the Panasonic Plasmas do not have).
Update: 02 October 2010:
I made changes to the white balance for the Cinema/Warm picture mode using settings described in AVS Forum, based on reference settings from member "D-Nice". The picture now is really natural and awesome. I had to get into the Service Menu for this. Please see the link in the Comments section of this review for more details.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic TC-P46C2 46-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

Offering excellent picture performance, Panasonic's 46-inch VIERA TC-P46C2 Plasma HDTV features a 720p high-definition resolution and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity. This and other models in the C2 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements. And you'll get a long Plasma panel life of up to 100,000 hours--more than 30 years of viewing when watched 8 hours a day--before the brightness of the panel decreases to half.

Key Features Panasonic's VIERA C2 series Plasma HDTV.

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What's in the Box Panasonic C2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

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Panasonic TC-P46S2 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this television from Amazon & have lived with it for a couple of months.
I did a lot of shopping; finally deciding on this television & I am very happy I did. This TV is fantastic: Beautiful colors - 1080p - 600Hz Refresh Rate - 2,000,000:1 Contrast Ratio. The last two numbers make LCD's come up very short. In case you don't know: The contrast ratio is a measure of the difference between white and black. The higher the contrast ratio, the blacker the blacks & the whiter the whites. The deeper blacks make the colors really pop. This is where Plasma completely dominates LCD.
Sound & Vision Magazine rated these Panasonic Viera Plasma televisions right under the Pioneer Kuros. This is high praise considering that they had rated the Pioneers the best TV, of any kind - anywhere, for the last two years. Considering that the Kuros are 4 times the price, this TV was the obvious pick.
For the last years; the knocks against plasmas were the issues of Burn-In and excess heat compared to LCD's. The issue of Burn-In has been addressed. It is not a problem anymore. In addition, I have not noticed the TV giving off any abnormal heat. As a matter of fact, I don't notice any heat from it at all. Since these issues have been fixed, Plasma's should be much higher on everyone's shopping list.
A couple of side notes: 1) since I got it I have moved from cable to Dish. This has made a big improvement, & 2) the ability of take an SD card directly from the camera, insert it into the TV, and play the images is a nice feature.
I ordered direct from Amazon with the free shipping. The television arrived quickly and in perfect condition. The delivery people were accommodating and professional. They set everything up & were nice enough to even move some furniture around.
If you are considering a television in this price range, I think this is the one to get.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic TC-P46S2 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 46-inch VIERA TC-P46S2 Plasma HDTV features a new panel with NeoPDP technologies that provide the best balance of black and white under brighter environments while also offering higher energy efficiency. The new NeoPDP Plasma panel also further reduces reflections and creates sharper pictures with higher contrast in brighter environments. This S2 series model provides 1080p resolution, full-time 1080 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity.


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What's in the Box Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions

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Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P46S1 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered the TC-P46S1 from Amazon on July 6. TV was delivered exactly one week later by CEVA logistics. Fantastic service!
Now on to the set. I have owned two televisions in the past 15 years. The first was a 19" Zenith CRT. The second was a cheap 27" Apex CRT that I bought from Sam's Club about seven years ago. I had been waiting to buy a HDTV until a decent 1080p set was available for a price that I considered reasonable if amortized over ten years. Each person has their own definition of reasonable, but I felt that time had finally arrived.
I researched this purchase for about two months. Early on I decided I wanted Panasonic plasma. Plasma is currently the only choice for those who want the best possible picture at a given price point. The only question was which model and what size? There were three models in my price range when I decided to buy: the X1, the S1, and the G10. The X1 series is Panasonic's 720p line of plasmas. It comes in 42" and 50" sizes. For my viewing distance (10 feet), 720p was a definite possibility. The S1 series is Panasonic's lowest 1080p plasma line. The G10 is a step up from the S1 and includes a THX mode and Viera Cast, Panasonic's internet and video on demand service. A decent rule of thumb is that each step up in size is about $200 and each step up in model type is about $200. For example, the 42" G10 is about the same price as the 46" S1 and the 50" X1.
I created cardboard mock-ups of the 42", 46", and 50" sets and placed them where the TV would go to help determine the correct size. It quickly became clear that 42" was too small while 50" was too large for my personal taste. The 46" was perfect. Unfortunately, this eliminated the X1 series from contention as there is no 46" set in that line. I would have bought the X1 had it been available. That set is the best HDTV for the money that is offered right now, IMO. Still, 46" was the sweet spot for me, so I was going to have to move up to a better model. Now the question was should I go with the TC-P46S1 or TC-P46G10?
In my case, I was planning on buying the Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray player to go with the set. When I was ready to buy, Amazon was offering $150 off the BD player when purchased with an S1 set or $200 off when purchased with a G10 set. The price of the BD60 itself was $200, so that made the deal irresistible. The BD60 also offers Viera Cast, which would have duplicated that functionality if I went with the G10 set. So the decision came down to whether or not I wanted THX for an extra $150. In the end, I decided the cost was not worth it and went with the S1. I have no regrets about that decision at all.
The color and detail on this set is fantastic. Watching the BBC Planet Earth Blu-ray set in 1080p is awe-inspiring! This set paired with the BD60 is a match made in heaven and a much better setup than many others costing hundreds of dollars more. Colors look realistic (and can be made more realistic with some tweaking or a professional ISF calibration). The set has plenty of connections including three HDMI inputs; however, I've found that pairing this with a good AV receiver that has HDMI output makes the number of the connections on the set irrelevant. Even the onboard sound on the TV is decent, but if you're purchasing a TV of this caliber, you would probably want to hook it up to a decent sound system to fully appreciate the home theater experience. The set also has an SD card slot for viewing photos, so the TV can stand in as a very large digital picture frame if you are so inclined.
One of the knocks against plasmas are that they put off more heat than LCDs. Really, this is a non-issue, IMO. The amount of heat generated is far less than a much smaller CRT. Yes, it's warmer than an LCD, but are you really willing to live with all the faults of LCD (less contrast range, poor off-angle viewing, and poor black levels) just to have a TV that is a little bit cooler? Are you watching TV in your family room or a freezer? One consideration that is a possible concern is that the anti-reflective coating is not very effective. If you have strong reflections that you are unable to control, you may want to consider an LCD, although the best LCDs have glass panels instead of matte screens anyway. Overall, I don't think you can buy a better TV for the money (well, maybe the TC-P50X1). Highly recommended!


Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P46S1 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

46" Plasma, 1080p, NEO PDP Panel which is brighter, Full-time 1080p TV lines of moving picture resolution, 3 HDMI, Native contrast ratio 40,000:1, Dynamic contrast infinite black 2,000,000:1, Game Mode, Anti Reflective Filter, 600 Hz Subfield Drive

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Samsung UN46C6800 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Disclaimer: I actually purchased the UN46C6900 which is the exact same television with a different colored bezel, however all here applies to the 6800 as well.
After doing a great deal of research online and in the shops, this TV really seemed to make a lot of sense in terms of price vs. performance, and after my purchase I have to say I certainly agree. I am coming from a higher end 32" Samsung LCD from about 3 years ago, and have spent time with friends and their various Samsung, Toshiba, Sony LCDs and Panasonic plasmas. Hopefully this review will help you make a decision and also provide some insight into using it for various input sources, particularly with a PC.
The first question you need to ask yourself is if you want 3D... if you're like me, you'll find the added cost probably isn't worth it, particularly if you already have a Blu-ray player (given that you can get a better deal on 3D glasses with a Samsung Blu-ray bundle). For me it would have cost around $400-500 more to go 3D (for the added set cost of the UN46C8000 and two pair of glasses), and after seeing it in person, 3D will definitely get a lot better in the years ahead. Outside of the performance and illusion (which was pretty cool from my in-store demos), the two problems for me in particular were that the basic and advanced rechargeable glasses weren't comfortable with my prescription glasses, and the basic glasses use a non-rechargeable watch/coin style battery which sounds like a pain to deal with. That said I am definitely interested in 3D (particularly for games), in a few years I will likely upgrade looking closely at 3D sets to see if the quality and ergonomics have improved.
So anyway, actually on the topic of this tv! The main reason I chose this particular set was because I was interested in 120 or 240hz LED-LCD (mainly due to decreased energy consumption), and also some type of smart backlight technology to get better blacks. I've also had good success with Samsung sets, and they seem to offer the most models compared to Sony or Toshiba, so I could really dial in what features I wanted (or didn't want). So in terms of features, because many edgelit LED sets historically have been pretty horrible in terms of light uniformity, particularly in dark scenes, I was initially interested in the local dimming backlit LED sets such as the UN46B8500. Desire to save some expense and wanting to get a 2010 model year set (improved firmware considerations), I settled on this particular version given it's "precision dimming" functionality. Of course the challenge here is that the 6800/6900 set is edgelit, so while the same trickery in the B8500 was going to be impossible (turning off light directly behind the LCD), it pulls off a similar effect pretty admirably with a thinner profile and lot less cost. How this works is, first imagine a series of LEDs placed around the entire perimeter of the screen (picture a movie-star dressing room mirror with bulb lights all around it). These LED's can be turned on/off on the fly, dynamic to the content on the screen. For an extreme example, picture a game with a completely black loading screen, but with white text "Loading" in the lower right corner. In this scenario, all the perimeter LEDs are turned off, except for the ones in the corner, so the black areas are definitely black while the text is back/side lit. In some scenarios, where the solo text is in the middle of the screen, you get a bit of a projection of light from above and below, but this is very subtle and generally noticeable only from off center viewing. In dark scenes and places where pockets of black are on the sides of the screen, the precision dimming effect is really great. The design overall is a good compromise between the previous backlit LED sets in terms of price and form factor versus performance.
Regarding power consumption, I'll say I'm pretty impressed. Using a kill-o-watt meter on my complete system alternating both of my TVs (this and Samsung CCFL-LCD 32"), I did a test using identical conditions and watching the same video clip on my Playstation 3. While using this C6900, the system overall drew 80 less watts while watching the clip. I was especially impressed given that this set is quite a bit larger, so at most I was expecting the power savings from the CCFL would be offset by the increase in size. Actually saving power overall is a real bonus.
Regarding performance over different inputs... when using this set, I have the following items connected:
- Playstation 3 (via HDMI through Sony receiver STR-DN1000)
- Nintendo Wii (from component RGB to the Sony receiver, upconverted to 1080i and sent to TV via HDMI)
- PC (Windows 7 64-bit, slow fan spinning ATI Radeon 4850 via DVI to HDMI cable to HDMI1 port, designated for PC)
- Antenna (for over-the-air local HD, I don't have cable or dish, I generally just watch shows/movies through PC, Netflix streaming, Hulu, etc)
NOTE: If you are using a PC with this set there are many special considerations that I have discovered. As with many 1080p sets, to get perfect 1:1 pixel mapping at 1080p resolution, the TV and PC require proper configuration when using HDMI (or in my case DVI-HDMI).
First off, the PC should be connected to HDMI port 1 (labeled for DVI devices). Once you have the PC connected, turned on, it must be set to 1920x1080 resolution (note that if you have an ATI video card, you will also need to set the Overscan Ratio to 100% in Catalyst Control Center, with Nvidia or Intel graphics this is not required).
Second, the TV must be configured properly. There are two ways to achieve perfect 1:1 mapping (or close to it) that require separate settings on the TV and each have their own pros and cons. Both require changing the "label" of the HDMI1 input within the Samsung TV menu:
Method 1: Use the DVI-PC label. This method will provide perfect 1:1 pixel mapping and the sharpest possible picture from a computer. However, I have discovered the big downside is that in this mode, most the TV's bells and whistles are disabled including "precision dimming" and "auto motion plus" (the polarizing smoothing effect introduced with 120/240hz sets). Losing precision dimming sucks (particularly 4:3 content such as videos and emulated games) because you essentially get glowing bars and generally poor blacks, essentially making this TV in PC mode look like the Samsung C6500. This condition also exists when using the PC-VGA port, you lose most of the control over the set and most processing effects are disabled.
Method 2: The DVI Devices label. Initially this method scales the screen funny and does not appear to provide 1:1 mapping, but does enable all the whiz bang effects afforded by this TV (precision dimming, etc). However, much to my delight I recently discovered that by using the screen mode function (the method to toggle the screen between 16:9, 4:3, 4:3 zoom, etc), you can select a "screen fit" mode that effectively scales the 1920x1080 resolution to the total screen size with no over or under scan. The method provides an image that is probably only 98% (read: hard to notice) as sharp as method 1, but in my opinion getting precision dimming back well more than makes up for it. It looks great using this configuration with the PC when playing games (iRacing, Dirt2, colsole emulators), web browsing (text is plenty sharp enough in this mode), watching videos, etc.
Ultimately, because you need to configure the set in this way to get the most out of the PC connection (changing the input label), it becomes impractical to connect the PC via a receiver with all of your other gear connected to the TV via one HDMI cable. I was little disappointed by this initially, but running two separate HDMI cables and occassionally switching inputs on the TV is a pretty easy compromise. You COULD run just one cable, and change the label of the input each time you would switch between PS3 and PC for instance, but the way the TV menus are setup, it becomes a pain, particularly because each input type may have special contrast/color settings. In the end, I have found two HDMI inputs configured independently is substantially easier to deal with.
With all that out of the way, the other inputs via my PS3 and Wii via the Sony receiver look just as fantastic, I couldn't be happier. The color is great and the crispness is there particularly with HD signals. Since I'm a huge Wii gamer (Big props to Sin and Punishment 2, No More Heroes 1/2, Mario Galaxy 2, Zack and Wiki, Metroid Trilogy, and lots of awesome WiiWare games, Cave Story, Light Trax, You me and Cubes), I will concede I'm used to resolution compromises, so I bit the bullet with my old TV and got an upconverting receiver which takes the Wii component signal and upconverts to 1080i to the TV via HDMI. Obviously this doesn't do miracles to the 480p signal (or 480i in some games), but it produces a significantly sharper image than using direct input via component on this TV. Edges are sharper, but yet smoothed out quite a bit, and the colors really pop... Mario Galaxy 2 and Sin and Punishment 2 are particularly striking). I hightly recommend going this route if you're a Wii gamer who wants the most out of the systems's image quality. PS3 of course looks gorgeous via Blu-ray movies and various games I play such as GT5 Prologue, Street Fighter IV and Wipeout HD.
So far so good then, right? Well, the one small criticism I will levy towards this TV is that the viewing angles are not quite as good as was hoping for. I will say that my older Samsung 32", while not having the same black levels and brightness certainly, did hold it's image consistency better from an angle. If you're on center, it looks gorgeous, but move a couch cushion to the right or left (from 7' away), and...Read more›

Click Here to see more reviews about: Samsung UN46C6800 46-Inch 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV (Black)

Samsung LED HDTVs combine breakthrough picture quality and advanced connectivity options that will keep you entertained 24/7. This UN46C6800 LED HDTV also makes it easy to be green, and will save you some green, by being ENERGY STAR compliant.

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