Panasonic TX-P50G20 early review: Elegantly understated as ever
Us Brits appreciate a little modesty. And there's no consumer electronics company more discreet than Panasonic, both in its marketing and the cultured TVs it produces
Panasonic's new 50-inch TX-P50G20 is a terrific example of the company's natural modesty. We love its quiet, confident attitude to design and marketing that comes from its distinguished 92-year history of producing consumer electronics.
Although the P50G20 is as smart and understated as every other Panasonic Viera TV we've ever seen, this one has a new trick up its sleeve. The inclusion of a Freeview HD tuner means people in areas served by the new service can get BBC HD, ITV HD and from next month, Channel 4 HD.
You'll find a freesat tuner in there too, so if you've got a satellite dish sitting idle on your house, you can use that to get a few extra free channels. Panasonic doesn't make much of a song and dance about this functionality, but we're thrilled to have it along.
The company's VieraCast online service is also included, which you can access with the Ethernet jack on the rear of the TV, or via the optional Wi-Fi dongle that plugs into one of the two USB sockets on the side of the TV. Setting this up is really easy too. The TV will ask you what authentication scheme your router uses and guide you through the process.
It does a superb job as a TV too, funnily enough. The 1080/24p picture mode means movies will hit the right note, and Panasonic has also developed a 600Hz mode too, which it claims is especially useful for sport. The company's only really outrageous claim is that this TV can produce "infinite black". While we don't doubt Panasonic's new plasma-cell technology is impressive, 'infinite' seems rather optimistic. Still, if that's the only thing the company wants to exaggerate, we'll let it off.
The Panasonic TX-P50G20 is on sale now for around £1,400. We'll be donning a black suit and dark glasses to give it the thoroughly elegant review it deserves shortly. In the meantime, click 'Continue' for more pics and first impressions.