Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've spent the last 2 months researching my next television purchase. I'm one of those people that over-researches the pros and cons of any major purchase. I specifically set out at the beginning of my research to purchase a television for my finished basement. Since I can easily control ambient light pretty much any display technology was on the table - Plasma, LCD, LED-LCD, DLP, etc. I love the picture quality of DLP sets but ultimately decided to rule out that technology mainly because of the size (width) and the fact that I would eventually need to replace a bulb. I decided against traditional CCFL LCD displays too despite owning a Sharp Aquos LC46D84U. That essentially left me with LED-LCD and Plasma technology. After going back and forth I finally ended up deciding to go with Plasma. I think ultimately the deciding factors for me were the overall picture quality and cost.
I've been using my TC65S2 for about the last 2 weeks and I'm absolutely floored by the picture quality. I'm actually surprised at how much better the display looks than my Sharp Aquos. Black levels are incredibly detailed, inky-black that leaves my Aquos' display looking like it can only generate gray instead of a true black level. Out of the box the TV came on 'vivid' setting which makes colors impressively "pop" on-screen, however, it somewhat distorts flesh-tones and makes people appear a bit orange. I used my DVE HD Basics calibration disc and calibrated my TC65S2 myself. It's probably not as good as a professional calibration but I feel satisfied enough with the results.
The TV comes with additional pre-settings such as 'Cinema' and 'Game'. I've used both and I'm happy to say that the settings are actually useful. I use a PS3 for both gaming and watching Blu-ray movies. The cinema setting on BD movie playback tones down the overall brightness and gives movies a 'warm' color setting similar to movie theaters. The 'Game' setting is impressive too and maintains a good black level while increasing the overall color levels. I can honestly say that after playing God of War 3 on my Aquos and again on this set, it's like playing a different game. There are many areas in GoW3 that are extremely dark and I'm now noticing details that just weren't there with my Aquos. Everything looks cleaner, more detailed and colors are more accurate.
Aesthetically, Panasonic seems to trail Samsung, Sony and Sharp. While those companies have invested significantly in the looks over everything from their bezel to the remote, Panasonic maintains a cleaner and simpler look. Personally I don't have a problem with the subdued look - I'm more interested in the picture quality than anything else. That said the TV does have a pleasant piano-black glossy finish. That continues with the rather simple wedge-shaped stand that is included. The remote unfortunately leaves something to be desired. Perhaps most importantly it is not back-lit. Simple things like adjusting the volume in a dark room are easy due to the shape of the particular key, however, changing the input for example is not. I believe that the G-2x & VT Panasonic plasmas do offer a better & back-lit remote. After the first week or so I finally had the time to program my Harmony for my new TV and I won't miss the Panasonic remote at all.
The included television speakers are adequate but nothing impressive. Honestly, at 65" I think most folks that purchase a set like this are doing so for a home theater and have surround sound. I used the included speakers for about a day before I switched over to my home theater speakers.
Feature wise the S2 might be called "bare-bones" by some. Personally I was on the fence about getting a G25 or jumping up to the VT (3D) series. Ultimately though I think 2 things swayed me to the S2. First the size; I wanted to create a home theater setting and the G25 tops out at 54". Panasonic does make a 65" VT25 that is full-HD 3D, however, that set is around the $4000 dollar mark. With such limited 3D offerings currently on the market I just couldn't justify the price. Second, the extra bells and whistles in the more expensive sets like the G25 and VT series are nice though I'm not sure how often I'd watch YouTube videos or listen to Pandora radio on my TV. The Netflix integration is probably the best feature, however, I'm already getting that with my PS3. For someone looking for a TV with a great picture and not really interested in peripheral features, the S2 is the way to go!
Lastly, for those not aware Panasonic was recently in a bit of a scandal - at least as far as AV enthusiasts go - with their plasma sets. It seems that after varying degrees of usage Panasonic plasma TVs started losing their deep-black level. There is a lot of discussion on various AV sites about the severity of the issue but as noted by CNET's reviewing editors it does happen and it is an issue with the 2009 and earlier sets. For the S2, Panasonic is using a new Neo-PDP panel and it remains to be seen what will happen. This was an issue that nearly derailed my purchase of this set. However, after reading more into the issue and the fact that the change is gradual - not something that happens overnight - I felt like I could go ahead and make the purchase. I'll follow up in the months to come to this review and make comments as necessary. I'm hoping that with the 2010 sets Panasonic was able to mitigate the problem. Time will tell.
Other information:
- In the box this TV weighs in at 165lbs! The TV alone weighs 123lbs and 137lbs with the included stand. Be sure to have adequate help when setting up this TV! Fortunately Panasonic designed hand grips into the back of the set to make is somewhat less unwieldy.
- I've noticed that when using HDMI directly to my PS3 I can utilize some of the Viera-Link features. For example when I switch my television input to my PS3 it automatically powers on my PS3. Kind of a neat feature that I thought was only compatible with Panasonic products that are Viera-Link enabled.
- This features 3x HDMI inputs and 2x Component inputs. There are additional inputs for composite and SDHC. The S2 series lacks a lot of the additional inputs that you gain with the G2x or VT series like USB, ethernet, RS232C, PC, etc.
- For such a large plasma television, the S2 does not generate as much heat as I expected. Even after recently watching a long movie and then a World Cup soccer match the TV wasn't hot.
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UPDATE 7/5/10:
One minor annoyance I just noticed today is that the volume controls are not unique to the input. Not a big deal if you're using a home theater setup as the TV volume wouldn't matter - just something that I noticed will tinkering around with my set.
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Panasonic TC-P65S2 65-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTVBuilding on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 65-inch VIERA TC-P65S2 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.
Key Features
Key Specifications
What's in the Box Panasonic S2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructions
Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?
Click here for more information about Panasonic TC-P65S2 65-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
