Panasonic TC-PVT30 review: Panasonic TC-PVT30

For the last couple of years Panasonic's best plasma has been the most highly anticipated TV review on CNET, and 2011 is no exception. The top-of-the-line Panasonic TV-PVT30 series is the most clicked-upon TV on our site and my most asked-for review on Twitter, and despite coming in No. 2 in our poll to the flagship Sony, we're confident that no other TV commands the same expectations.

8.7

Panasonic TC-PVT30

The Good

The <b>Panasonic TC-PVT30</b> has outstanding overall picture quality, with superior black-level performance, very good shadow detail and accurate color points in THX mode. It can handle 1080p/24 sources and bright rooms well and exhibits the nearly perfect screen uniformity of plasma, as well as very good 3D picture quality. It includes one pair of 3D glasses and a Wi-Fi dongle. Its Internet suite is simple to use yet content-rich, and its styling is understated and classy with a single-pane design.

The Bad

The VT30 is very expensive, and last year's Panasonic plasmas lost black-level performance over relatively short periods of time. Its color is not as good as the best current plasmas and it uses significantly more power than LCD TVs.

The Bottom Line

Superb all-around picture quality, anchored by the deepest plasma black levels of the year, make the Panasonic TC-PVT30 series the best-performing TV we've tested in 2011.

In nearly every way the VT30 lives up to the expectation. If Panasonic's claim about its black-level stability holds true, allowing it to outdo the 2010 models after a few months of age, the VT30 is the blackest plasma we've tested since the Pioneer Kuro (but the Kuro is still better). Other areas of this Panasonic's picture quality are also generally superb, although it doesn't stand quite as tall above the competition as last year's VT25 series did. The competition, namely Samsung's best plasmas, has gotten better, and the PND8000 we tested (review posting soon) outdoes the color accuracy of the VT30, although the Samsung falls short of the Panasonic in a couple of other areas. The Samsung is the better value, however, so if you want the best picture for your dollar, the VT30 is not the way to go. But if you want the best picture regardless of cost, the Panasonic TC-PVT30 series is our No. 1 pick this year.

Editors' note (September 1, 2011): The reviewed size of this TV is undergoing long-term testing, the results of which don't affect this review but may be interesting nonetheless. Click here for details.

Series information: We performed a hands-on evaluation of the 55-inch Panasonic TC-P55VT30, but this review also applies to the other screen size in the series. Both sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality.

Design

A single pane of glass fronts the screen and the black frame, creating a seamless look.

Photo gallery:
Panasonic TC-PVT30 series

The Panasonic VT30's main design improvement over the GT30 series is a single pane of glass that fronts the entire panel, eliminating the depth difference between the frame and the screen. We've always liked this look, and we appreciate the VT30's touch of extra classiness: a thin sliver of silver along the extreme edge to offset the glossy black. There's also a small speaker bulge along the bottom edge, but it's subtle and set back enough that the panel appears a perfect rectangle.

All told we like the design, but it might be a bit understated for some tastes, and we do wish the bezel around the screen was thinner, a la the GT30 or, better yet, the Samsung PND8000/D7000--both of which have a slight design edge over the VT30.

Panasonic's simple glossy black stand has a relatively large footprint, and we were a bit disappointed that it doesn't allow the panel to swivel.

The stand does not swivel.

Panasonic's menus and remotes are basically unchanged from 2010. The menu system looks and acts quite a bit less sophisticated than Samsung or Sony, and we didn't appreciate having to scroll through so many pages in the Picture menu. 3D Settings seems misplaced in the Setup menu, and on-screen support beyond basic explanations is nonexistent.

We like the remote more than Samsung's thanks to the better button differentiation, but not quite as much as Sony's slicker clicker. We missed having a dedicated Netflix button, and noticed that despite officially renaming its Internet suite for TVs "Viera Connect," the button on the remote still says "Viera Cast."

Panasonic's menu system is spartan compared to those of its competitors.

Features

Compared with the GT30, the flagship VT30's main step-up features are a dedicated 96Hz mode for 1080p/24 content and a single included pair of 3D glasses. Both models offer THX certification, which can be utilized via a preset picture mode available with both 2D and 3D sources. New for 2011 Panasonic has added dejudder processing to its plasmas. See performance for more details.

The new 2011 glasses are quite expensive at $179 list per additional pair. Improvements over the 2010 glasses, model TY-EW3D10, include an on-off switch to make it easier to determine whether they're powered up, a closed design and significantly lighter weight. We wish they used Bluetooth sync like Samsung's 2011 glasses. On the other hand we appreciate their prior-year backward compatibility; you can use Panasonic's 2011 glasses with the 2010 TVs, and the 2010 glasses with the 2011 TVs.

Panasonic includes a Wi-Fi dongle with the VT30, occupying a USB slot but happily allowing you to use a wireless connection with this TV without paying an extra $80 or more for a dongle.

The new 3D glasses, included, are rechargeable and slightly less-dorky-looking then their predecessors (provided you remove the USB charging cable before donning them).

Like Samsung and LG, Panasonic redesigned its Internet suite for 2011 TVs, adding an app store, greatly expanding content offerings and changing the name--it's now Viera Connect for TVs, although the old VieraCast moniker still applies to 2011 Blu-ray players.

Vudu video and Hulu Plus are still missing, and we could nitpick about the absence of Rhapsody since Napster gets a spot, but otherwise the selection is solid. Unfortunately the Netflix interface doesn't allow search and uses the old, horizontal scroll instead of the new tiled layout, but at least you get genres.

Notable apps include Shoutcast for Internet radio and one that works with the $159 Withings Wi-Fi body scale. We checked out the new Asphalt 5 racing app on the GT30 we reviewed earlier and although it was better than most TV games, we figure it's with $0.99, not $4.99. In addition to paid apps, the Viera Market also has actual merchandise, including 3D glasses, SD cards, gamepads and Logitech's DiNovo keyboard (everything is list price, unfortunately).

Overall we preferred the layout and simplicity of the Viera Connect interface to Samsung's significantly more ambitious, and more cluttered, Smart Hub. Panasonic seems to enforce a straightforward menu structure and default font in many of its app and widget designs, and as a result using them feels easier and more cohesive. We didn't miss having a Web browser or video search capability, and as with last year we liked the ability to arrange and reorder app tiles among the various screens.

On the downside response times were slower than Samsung in many cases, but not slow enough to be annoying. We also wish you could activate apps from within the market, as opposed to having to back out to the main Viera Connect interface.

Viera Market now has games. No, this one isn't worth $4.99.

The VT30 offers more user-menu control options than any other TV we've seen yet. New for 2011 Panasonic has added a 10-point grayscale adjustment, full-fledged CMS and, unlike any other TV we've seen so far, a 10-point luminance control to home in on gamma. Unfortunately these controls are only available in the Custom preset, not on any others; they were difficult to use and didn't produce the results we expected.

If you don't want to mess with controls, THX for 2D and 3D gets you pretty close. And if you want to pay a calibrator to mess with controls, for example to set up the ISF Day and Night modes, you might want to ask for someone who can take advantage of the Calman auto-calibration system built into this TV.

You also get full picture control with Netflix and other streaming services--the TV basically treats Viera Connect as a separate "input." Panasonic also offers 2D-to-3D conversion among its smattering of 3D settings, but it won't convert streaming video.

Custom mode offers numerous picture settings, including a full color management system. We wish it provided better results.

Like Samsung's slim plasmas and many company's LEDs, the input bay of the VT30 series is so slim that breakout cables are required for many of the jacks: component and composite video, stereo audio, RF, optical digital, the VGA input and the RS-232 port. The four HDMI ports and three USB don't need extra cables, so that's a plus.

The slim back panel offers up plenty of connections.

Performance (How we test TVs)
The Panasonic TC-PVT30 is the best-performing TV we've tested this year. Its black levels are among the deepest we've seen, outdoing the competing Samsung PND8000 plasma, and its shadow detail is also superior. Color accuracy is very good, albeit not as accurate as the Samsung, video processing is excellent, and of course it enjoys the near-perfect uniformity of plasma. 3D picture quality was excellent as well in the THX 3D mode, although Samsung's flagship plasma and LCD were better at reducing crosstalk.

Picture settings:
Panasonic TC-P55VT30

As usual THX mode delivered the most accurate picture out-of-the-box, with Cinema too dim and Custom off in nearly every way. THX on the VT30 measured better than on the GT30, with improved gamma and grayscale, but it could still be better especially in terms of primary color luminance (see the Geek Box). This year, Panasonic seemingly provided the necessary picture settings to properly calibrate Custom mode, but when we tried them the result still came up short.

Our Custom calibration took a while and was hampered by poor menu design with excessive nesting and a need to back completely out of the menus frequently, but afterward our software and charts told us that the VT30's color was nearly perfect (see our Custom post-calibration chart here). Unfortunately, when we looked at actual program material, our eyes told us that colors were still inaccurate, with reddish skin tones and too much saturation throughout. We were mystified because the TV's colors measured extremely well (Delta errors of less than 3 across the board), but compared to other well-calibrated TVs in our lineup, we saw a different story that contradicted the charts. Rather than mess with Custom further to attempt to resolve the discrepancy, we settled on THX for our evaluation. We've contacted Panasonic seeking clarity on this issue and will update this review if we hear back.

We've heard of VT30 calibrations using Custom that supposedly achieved superior results, and perhaps expert calibrators with more time to spend could dial in those controls to outdo THX. There's also a new automatic ISF mode calibration available via Calman, our TV calibration software, which supposedly adjusts all of those controls automatically. The TV firmware supporting it is not yet available, however, and we doubt its results would be replicable via the standard menu controls, so we didn't try it for this review.

As for THX, since it lacks most controls our "calibration" consisted of simply increasing light output to our standard 40ftL and tweaking a couple of other basic controls. Afterward average gamma and a few other picture characteristics actually measured slightly worse than before we made any adjustments, due we assume to the increase in light output. Again, if THX offered better controls, or if the ones in Custom worked as well as they do on competing high-end TVs, we'd see better results. As with previous Panasonic reviews we've included both our Custom and THX picture settings (linked above) so you can see the differences for yourself.

For our evaluation we lined up the comparison models below and watched old favorite "Avatar" on Blu-ray.

Black level: The VT30 reproduced an extremely dark shade of black, outdoing the GT30, the LG, and the Samsung plasmas, although it still couldn't get quite as dark as the VT25, the Vizio or the Pioneer. Of course the VT25 (which we measured at 0.004 fL) only had a couple hundred hours on it; we its black level to worsen as it ages further, while according to Panasonic, the VT30's black levels won't change. If that's the case, then the VT30 is the new plasma black level runner-up to the Pioneer Kuro, but we won't know for sure until we can test how the VT30 ages.

The difference in absolute depth of black was quite subtle between the VT30 (0.0061 fL) and the Samsung (0.0071), not to mention the GT30 (0.0082), but between the three the VT30 produced the best picture in dark scenes like the nighttime forest in Chapter 10. While the VT30's gamma measurement was inferior to the Samsung's, the latter obscured details in shadows, such as the plants at 33:38 and the back of Jake's avatar's hair at 34:03. Such details were a bit too bright on the VT30 compared to our reference, but still closer than the other two. Black areas appeared inky and deep, lending the customary pop to every scene.

We looked for fluctuations in the level of black and gray but couldn't find any in "Avatar." We also checked both of the scenes from "Tron: Legacy" where the GT30 showed such fluctuations and they didn't occur on the VT30 (and didn't on the ST30, either).

Color accuracy: Although colors in THX mode looked very good on the VT30, with great saturation and accurate color points, the Samsung was superior overall in this area. The Panasonic seemed to have a slight greenish cast to many scenes when compared side-by-side with the Samsung and a few of the others, a difference that was visible primarily in skin tones--such as the face and arms of Jake as he wheels toward Quaritch's harangue in Chapter 2, or the faces of the cafeteria-goers in Chapter 12. On the other hand the VT30's THX looked better than that of the slightly redder GT30, but fell a bit short of the reference we expect from a very high-end TV.

Near-black on the VT30 was the best in the room, but the Samsung was also very good so the difference in color between the two wasn't as noticeable as during brighter scenes.

Video processing: Like the ST30 and GT30 series, the VT30 correctly handled 1080p/24 cadence in its 60Hz mode. Furthermore, we noticed the same kinds of false contouring artifacts in 96Hz mode on the VT30 that we've seen on earlier so-equipped Panasonic plasmas, like the VT25 (see that review for more details). For these reasons we decided to use 60Hz mode for our evaluations and calibration. There were some slight differences between the two in terms of black level and color, but nothing on the scale of, for example, CinemaSmooth on the Samsung PND8000.

On the other hand we did notice some artifacts from 1080p/24 sources in 60Hz mode that we didn't see in 96Hz. On the "Digital Video Essentials" test Blu-ray we noticed shifting lines and minor instability in the downtown Philadelphia buildings during an upward-facing pan. We didn't see any similar issues during "Avatar," but assume they might crop up. In short, neither mode is perfect, but both do the main job--correct film cadence--properly.

Otherwise the VT30's video processing tested basically the same as the GT30 and ST30. Panasonic introduced dejudder processing this year with a setting entitled "Motion smoother." It delivers two options, Weak and Strong; they looked very similar to our eye, although Weak left a hint of more judder. As usual we found both relatively distasteful.

The GT25 from last year had a "Blur reduction control" that, when engaged, delivered full motion resolution. That control has been dropped for 2011, but Motion smoother basically does the same thing: when it was engaged, either Weak or Strong, we saw an increase in motion resolution in our test pattern (see the Geek Box). It's worth noting again that THX doesn't allow you to turn on Motion smoother at all, and as usual any blur was impossible for us to discern with real program material.

The VT30 passed our 1080i deinterlacing test with 3:2 pull-down set to On, but not when we used the default Auto (and, despite what the menu explanation says, this setting does affect HDMI sources).

Bright lighting: Compared to the Samsung the VT30's screen was a bit more reflective, with brighter highlights when we turned on the lights. On the other hand it did a slightly better job at preserving black levels under bright lights, although the Samsung was still very good in that area. We ended up slightly preferring the bright-room picture of the Samsung, but the two were very close.

PC: The VT30 only accepts a maximum resolution of 1366x768 via VGA, so we don't consider it a good computer monitor. Text and other fine objects looked relatively soft.

3D: The VT30 is a very good 3D performer, roughly equaling the GT30, but it wasn't quite as good as the two Samsungs in our lineup at handling crosstalk. We added the Samsung UN55D8000 LED model for our 3D tests, and it was once again the best performer in the room.

During "Avatar," crosstalk was infrequent, but we saw it occasionally. Faint extra outlines appeared at edge of the weights and the vertical equipment rack behind Quaritch in Chapter 6 (21:16), for example, and they were more noticeable on the VT30 than on the Samsungs. The head of the rightmost spook talking to Jake over his brother's casket (2:42) also showed a stronger outline on the VT30 than either Samsung, especially the UND8000. The outlines appeared a bit more noticeable on the GT30 then the VT30, but the difference was subtle.

Between Movie mode on the Samsung PND8000 and THX mode on the VT30 we preferred the look of the Panasonic. It had better color accuracy, and skin tones and color looked a bit oversaturated on the Samsung. The Samsung's Movie did look a bit brighter and punchier, but it also seemed a bit too crisp and somewhat edge-enhanced. We assume the difference could be narrowed in calibration, but we don't calibrate for 3D at the moment.

Power consumption: We did not test the power consumption of the 65-inch TC-P65VT30, but we did test the 55-inch model. For more information, refer to the review of the Panasonic TC-P55VT30.

Panasonic TC-P55VT30 CNET review calibration results