Panasonic's ZT60 plasma has the best picture ever
Panasonic's ZT60 plasma has the best picture ever
3:49

Panasonic's ZT60 plasma has the best picture ever

TVs
Hi. I'm David Katzmaier, senior editor at CNET. And next to me is the Panasonic TC-PZT60. This is a 60-inch plasma TV. This series also comes in a 65. And this is hands down the best TV that Panasonic has ever made. It's also one of the best TVs we've ever tested. The picture quality on this thing is phenomenal, but of course, I'll wait till the end to talk about that. Starting off, this TV has really sleek design. Around the front, you can see it's all glass; one big sheet of glass across the front. There's also a really nice metal edge here. The stand is not swiveling. It's really kinda ugly-looking below the belt. It's got sort of this V-shape, all chrome plate and everything. But of course, if you can afford this TV, you're probably gonna wall-mount it anyway. Seeing from the side like most brand of plasma, it's also really thin. So, it's really not that much thicker than an LED TV. This is a high-end set, so Panasonic did throw in an extra remote. It's got a little Touchpad on it, so it's great for navigating the web-- this TV does have a built-in browser-- or just flipping around the menus a lot faster than a standard remote. Of course, the downside is there's not too many buttons on here. And it's not really gonna replace the standard remote that the TV does come with. One nice touch remote extra, though, is the voice control. You can speak into it and do a couple commands on to the TV just by activating your voice. You can also perform a couple of searches and activate some apps with voice. The remote is also Bluetooth, so you don't have to have line of sight to control the television. Panasonic Smart TV suite has some of the best content out there, but it doesn't have HPO Go. That's a Samsung exclusive this year. It does have Netflix, Amazon Instant, Vudu and pretty much every other app you want, however, including a healthy selection of audio apps. The app store is pretty nice. There's even some physical merchandise you can buy with this thing. And as we mentioned, there's a web browser. But if you want heavy use you can-- you wanna plug in a USB keyboard. Of course, the TV does work with standard third-party keyboards. That's a nice touch if you're heavy in the web browser. Unlike some high-end TVs, this does not include a built-in camera; that's actually reserved for the step-down VT series. The set also doesn't have the beefy speakers included on the VT, so its sound quality isn't quite as good. Another feature Panasonic throws in is two pairs of Active 3D glasses, so you don't need to buy separate glasses that retail for about 80 bucks. You get two in the box for free. Connectivity isn't quite as good as some of the other high-end TVs out. There's only three HDMI ports instead of two, and also a few USB ports, as well as an SD card slot and a component video input. Picture settings on the ZT60 are extensive. This TV does have the ability to adjust 10 points of grayscale and Gamma. There's also a full-color management system, as well as a couple of THX modes so you can zap this TV right into excellent picture quality with the push of a button. So again, the picture quality adjustments, pretty much as good as we've seen on any TV. That brings the picture quality, which is the main reason you'd want to pay extra for this television. The real benefit this TV over the step-down VT60 is not in a dark room. They actually have pretty much identical dark room picture quality including those super inky black levels that are good enough to challenge the Kuro, which long reigned as the black level champion. This TV's advantage is in bright room. So, when you turn up the lights a little bit, you'll notice that it preserves black levels just a little bit better than the VT and better than pretty much any other plasma you've seen. Of course, in a brighter room it's not gonna produce as good of a picture as some of the better LED TVs which can get a lot brighter, and it won't get as bright as the excellent Samsung F8500. So, if you have a very bright room, there are a couple of better options out there. Then again, for all-around picture quality, the ZT60 is the best we've seen, including those super deep black levels; it also has excellent color accuracy, superb video processing, and excellent off-angle and uniformity characteristics we expect from any plasma TV. In addition to all that great 2D picture quality, this TV is also an excellent performer in 3D, although not quite as good as some of the brighter TVs out there. So, of course, the ZT60 is not cheap. In fact, it's one of the most expensive plasma TVs we've ever seen. But for that, you do get superb picture quality-- again, the best we've tested. That's a quick look at Panasonic's ZT60 plasma TV. I'm David Katzmaier with CNET.

Up Next

Super Bowl TV Shopping? Here Are Our Favorite Picks
superbowltvs-00-00-05-01-still001

Up Next

Super Bowl TV Shopping? Here Are Our Favorite Picks

Best TVs of CES 2024
ces-besttvs-00-02-21-17-still001

Best TVs of CES 2024

The Hisense 110UX Could Be the Brightest TV Yet
240110-cnet-hisense-tvs-ces

The Hisense 110UX Could Be the Brightest TV Yet

I Saw C-Seed's $200,000 Folding TV
cseed-folding-tv-seq-00-09-21-18-still003

I Saw C-Seed's $200,000 Folding TV

This 115-Inch TCL TV Makes Your Screen Seem Tiny
screenshot-2024-01-08-at-15-35-59.png

This 115-Inch TCL TV Makes Your Screen Seem Tiny

LG's 2024 OLED TVs Cut Wires, Boost Brightness
ces-lgm4-00-00-15-19-still001

LG's 2024 OLED TVs Cut Wires, Boost Brightness

LG Transparent OLED Turns From TV Into Animated Art
240107-site-lg-tv-oled-t-first-look-v2

LG Transparent OLED Turns From TV Into Animated Art

Samsung Shows World's First Transparent MicroLED, 8K Wireless Projector
samsungces024

Samsung Shows World's First Transparent MicroLED, 8K Wireless Projector

Best TVs of 2023: From High-End to Budget, to the Price-to-Picture Sweet Spot
samsunglgcompare-v2-00-00-07-23-still002

Best TVs of 2023: From High-End to Budget, to the Price-to-Picture Sweet Spot

Samsung's 98-inch 8K TV Is Big, Bright and Really Expensive
samsung98in-2

Samsung's 98-inch 8K TV Is Big, Bright and Really Expensive

Tech Shows

The Apple Core
apple-core-w

The Apple Core

Alphabet City
alphabet-city-w

Alphabet City

CNET Top 5
cnet-top-5-w

CNET Top 5

The Daily Charge
dc-site-1color-logo.png

The Daily Charge

What the Future
what-the-future-w

What the Future

Tech Today
tech-today-w

Tech Today

Latest News All latest news

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories
screenshot-2024-03-22-at-17-41-16.png

Apple and Meta Are Competing for Your Memories

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies
240321-site-nvidia-project-groot-vs-tesla-optimus-v1

Nvidia's Project GR00T vs. Tesla Optimus: Competing Robot Strategies

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like
240321-site-apple-and-gemini-ai

What Google Gemini AI on the iPhone Could Look Like

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit
240321-site-doj-sues-apple-for-antitrust-on-iphone-v2

DOJ Sues Apple: Everything to Know About the Antitrust Suit

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here
240320-site-microsoft-surface-pros-first-look-v2

Microsoft Surface Pro 10, Surface Laptop 6 Are Here

Most Popular All most popular

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
innovation

First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
240123-site-samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra-review-4

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
circlesearchpic

'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
asus-preces-00-00-25-11-still003

Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
samsung-galaxy-ring-clean

Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
240111-site-best-of-ces-2024-1

Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024

Latest Products All latest products

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
pic3

Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
240320-site-nuro-r3-first-look-v1

Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
240304-site-nothing-phone-2-first-look-v3

First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
240229-site-best-of-show-at-mwc

Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
240225-site-lenovo-translucent-laptop-concept-v3

This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist
240225-site-motorola-rollable-concept

Motorola's Rollable Concept Phone Wraps on Your Wrist

Latest How To All how to videos

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
240311-site-windows-11-hidden-tips-and-tricks-v2

Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
VisionOS 1.0.3

Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
240216-site-galaxy-s24-ultra-tips-and-hidden-features-2

Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro
tiktok-on-vision-pro-clean

TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips
superbowl-tv-settings-thumb1

Get Your TV Ready for the Big Game: Super Bowl Setup Tips

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro
240202-site-spatial-computing-on-meta-quest-3

How to Use a Quest 3 Like the Vision Pro