Panasonic VT50 TX-P65VT50 65 Inch Flagship 3D Plasma TV Review

It's a hat trick of VT50s as Steve Withers takes a look at the biggest of them all

Introduction

The model we have for review is the Panasonic P65VT50B 65 inch Full HD 3D Plasma TV with a Freeview HD tuner and full UK specifications. Also available is the Panasonic P50VT50B 50 inch Full HD 3D Plasma TV and the Panasonic P55VT50B 55 inch Full HD 3D Plasma TV which have not been reviewed here but should offer the same features and a similar performance.

I've never really been interested in the Olympics but for some reason I found myself transfixed by the sporting prowess on display during at London 2012. This new found enthusiasm might be due to the fact they were taking place in London and Team GB did so well, it might also be because the BBC's coverage was so good but I also think the fact I was watching it on the Panasonic P65VT50 added to the enjoyment. There's no denying that when it comes to sporting events, the larger the screen, the bigger the impact. So the ideal solution is to get a projector but the reality is that not everyone has the space or the right environment for a projector. So if you want big screen action without the hassle of a projector, you need top consider a TV with a 60" plus screen size.

Although there are a few larger LED LCD screens around, at the moment the biggest remain the domain of the plasma, so where better to start than the P65VT50. We have already reviewed the 50" VT50 and the 55" VT50, with both becoming the first TVs to win Reference badges in over three years. Given its pedigree we would expect the P65VT50 to be equally as good but sometimes there can be differences between panel sizes and it's possible the larger screen might reveal problems missed in the earlier reviews. So let's put the P65VT50 through its paces and see if it has what it takes to join its illustrious brothers on the podium.

Summary

The Panasonic P65VT50 looks like the flagship TV it is, with a very attractive design and excellent build quality. The use of a single sheet of glass for a panel this big does make the display quite heavy but the ambient filter is very effective, minimising reflections. At the rear are a comprehensive set of connections but despite the P65VT50’s large dimension, the side facing HDMI inputs are still too close to the edge. Panasonic include two remote controls, their standard one plus the touch pad remote and they also include two pairs of their new light weight RF 3D glasses.

The P65VT50 uses the same menu system as all of Panasonic’s other 2012 displays and it includes a extensive set of calibration features, including two and ten point white balance controls, a parametric gamma control and a full colour management system. The combination of the P65VT50's sheer size and Panasonic's new 8 train speakers resulted in an audio performance that was actually very good and should please anyone thinking of using the built-in sound capabilities. The measured input lag was 47ms in Game mode, which should be low enough for all but the most hardcore of gamers and considering its size, the P65VT50 is reasonably energy efficient for a plasma.

Thanks to built-in WiFi, Bluetooth compatibility and DLNA certification, the P65VT50 can connect with other such devices and stream content over your home network. You can also access content via USB or SD card and from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The P65VT50 has dual core processing which makes VIERA Connect far more responsive than previously and that includes the new web browser. We also tried out the VIERA Remote app which was easy to connect and simple to use, providing an effective way of controlling and communicating with the P65VT50. Panasonic's new 'swiping' feature makes it easy to send content from your tablet or smartphone to the P65VT50 or vice versa - allowing you to continue watching TV on your tablet or smartphone, even when the TV itself is turned off.

Thanks to the excellent calibration controls, the P65VT50 is capable of an incredibly accurate picture, with the amazing dynamic range and excellent video processing, delivering wonderful 2D images. Regardless of the source, the P65VT50 was capable of delivering jaw-dropping images and thanks to the video processing even standard definition looked good on a screen this size. However, when the P65VT50 was fed a 1080p/24 Blu-ray the results were incredible, with a staggering level of detail from a picture that was clean and largely free of PWM noise. The motion handling was also excellent, especially on Blu-ray content, where images had a smooth film-like quality that was free from judder.

The black levels were superb, although we did notice that we got slightly better measurements in the THX mode than in the Professional modes. The THX mode was also brighter which effectively gave it a much higher contrast ratio, although this wasn’t apparent when watching real world material and there seemed to be more dither noise in the blacks. We had no problems with the 50Hz bug, even on the larger screen size and we were never really aware of it, unless we went looking for it. In fact the only problem that were really aware of was occasional dynamic false contouring, which the larger screen size obviously made more obvious. However, even then it certainly didn't detract from our enjoyment of the wonderful images being produced by the P65VT50.

As far as other possible problems were concerned, we had no issues with image retention or flicker, although the latter can very much depend on the individual. Panasonic plasmas have always been very good when it comes to image retention and even after leaving a high contrast multi-burst pattern up for a minute, any retained image was gone within minutes. We didn't see any line bleed, nor did we experience any colour flashes although people who are susceptible to rainbows might. We also didn't have any problems with screen uniformity, green blobs, brightness pops or floating blacks.

Unsurprisingly the larger screen size of the P65VT50 really allows it to deliver some impressive and immersive 3D images. The 3D produced by the P65VT50 was excellent, with well defined depth and a sense of solidity to the objects on screen. The P65VT50 was able to detect and correctly display 3D images regardless of whether it was a frame sequential Blu-ray, a side-by-side TV broadcast or a 3D game. There is a dedicated 3D menu for users to customise their 3D experience and the 3D modes can be calibrated separately from the 2D modes, although the THX mode seemed to offer the best compromise in 3D.

The Panasonic P65VT50 certainly makes for a tempting package, combining a large screen size with attractive looks and a reference performance. So if you're looking for some big screen TV action, it should definitely be at the top of your list.

Scores
Contrast ratio/dynamic range
Black level
Colour reproduction out of the box
Colour reproduction calibrated
Greyscale out of the box
Greyscale calibrated
ISF or calibration controls available
Video processing SD/HD
3D performance side by side
3D performance sequential
3D performance crosstalk
3D Glasses comfort/performance
Networking/DNLA/internet/audio video streaming
Features
Ease of use/menus/remote/settings
Sound quality built-in
Value for money
Overall

Design and Connections

As with the VT50s we have already reviewed, the P65VT50 employs Panasonic's 'metal and glass' design, resulting in a very attractive display. The single sheet of glass on the front gives the P65VT50 an elegant appearance, with a black bezel under the glass and a silver trim around the outer edge. This bezel measures 3cm at the top and sides and 5.5cm along the bottom and the actual panel starts about 5mm from the bezel's inner edge. At the centre bottom of the panel is a Panasonic logo that doesn't illuminate, to the left of this logo is the infra-red receiver and at the right hand edge there are some basic controls. Although the P65VT50 uses a glass front, we never found reflections to be an issue, even on a screen this large. Clearly the ambient light filter is doing a good job but as with any TV we wouldn't recommend placing it opposite a window.

The rear of the P65VT50 is made of black metal and as with all the other Panasonic TVs we have reviewed this year, the build quality is excellent. We couldn't hear any buzz when the P65VT50 was on but it does use cooling fans and these could be audible, especially during very quiet passages in movies or TV shows. Remarkably, despite the 65" screen size, the P65VT50 is only 4cm deep but even with these svelte dimensions the entire display weighs a hefty 43kg, no doubt thanks to the glass front. At the rear are standard fixing points for wall mounting and the provided stand is rectangular in shape, with a two-tone gunmetal grey to silver finish and a silver trim. The overall design of the P65VT50 is both contemporary and tasteful, with a solid construction that perfectly compliments its flagship status.

The P65VT50 uses Panasonic's new upgraded remote control, which whilst still made of plastic, has a rather attractive gloss black finish and feels very comfortable in the hand. It is well made, sensibly laid out and easy to use, it even includes a backlight for use in the dark. The P65VT50B also includes the new Touch Pad Controller which includes a simple assortment of buttons and the eponymous Touch Pad that dominates the top half. The pad allows users to tap, slide and scroll their way through menus and web pages and works reasonably well. There’s no doubt it makes the navigation of the internet far easier but it does lack a degree of fine control that can make using the on-screen keyboard frustrating. Owners can choose between a sensitivity of Min, Mid or Max and we found the higher sensitivity setting our preferred choice.

The P65VT50 ships with two pairs of Panasonic's new RF 3D glasses and although the included glasses use batteries, there is also a rechargeable version that can be bought separately. These new glasses use RF (radio frequency) rather than IR (infra-red) to sync with the TV and as such, we never had any problems with syncing. The new glasses are incredibly light - at 26g - and so comfortable to wear that you quickly forget you had them on. The glasses themselves have quite large lenses that fit over regular glasses, provide a suitably wide field of view and are very neutral in tint. There is a switch at the top of the frame above the bridge of the nose where you turn the glasses on and off, they sync automatically and will switch off if they don't receive a sync signal for 5 minutes.

The layout of the connections on the P65VT50 are identical to the other two VT50 models but, despite having a 65" screen size, the side facing HDMI inputs are still only 10cm from the edge. There are four HDMI inputs in total, of which HDMI 2 is marked as the Audio Return Channel (ARC) but will only take Stereo back to your AV receiver from anything other than the internal tuner. Also facing sideways there are three USB sockets, with USB 1 designated for HDD recording, a headphone socket, a SD card slot and a Common Interface (CI) slot. In addition, there are inputs for various legacy connections and these use supplied breakout adapters. The AV2 connection doubles up for both component and composite video and the AV selection menu lets you manually select which type of signal is being sent, whilst the AV1 input is exclusively for SCART sources. The connections for these breakout adaptors are facing downwards, along with the aerial and satellite inputs, an optical digital out and a LAN socket for those without a wireless network. Overall this is a comprehensive set of connections and our only comment would be that the absence of a RS232 serial connector might cause problems for custom installers, although at least the P65VT50 uses a detachable three pin plug with a right angled connector to aid in wall mounting.

Menus

The P65VT50 uses the same menu system found on all Panasonic's TVs this year and it remains a well designed menu system, that is responsive, easy to read and intuitive to navigate. The menu now has five primary sub-menus Picture, Sound, Timer, Setup and a new one called Network We have covered the menu system in detail in both the reviews of the P50VT50 and the P55VT50, so we will concentrate here on the Picture sub-menu.

The Picture sub-menu offers a series of Viewing Modes including Dynamic, Normal, Cinema, THX Cinema, THX Bright Room and Game. There are also two Professional modes that need be activated in the Settings menu and can be locked by professional calibrators as isf Day and Night settings. This sub-menu also includes all the usual picture controls such as Contrast for adjusting the luminance of the video signal, Brightness for adjusting the black level, Colour control and Sharpness.

There is Vivid Colour which boosts the saturation of the colours and C.A.T.S. (Contrast Automatic Tracking System) which is used to adjust picture contrast according to ambient light in the room but this can cause fluctuations in the image and is best left off. There is also a P-NR (Noise Reduction) function that is designed to reduce compression artefacts but we found this control to be of no real benefit so turned it off. Finally there is a Colour Balance option (also called Colour Gamut or Colour Space) that gives the user the choice of Remaster (a wider colour gamut) or three industry standards - Rec.709, SMPTE-C and EBU.

Also within the Picture sub-menu there are the Advanced Settings where you will find the 16:9 Overscan. It is important to ensure that the 16:9 Overscan function is set to Off and the Aspect Ratio is set to 16:9 and not Auto, otherwise the display will scale high definition content which will reduce the resolution of the material you are watching. Here you will also find a new control called 1080p Pure Direct that promises to pass a full 4:4:4 video signal over HDMI, allowing for slightly enhanced chromatic resolution. The acceptance of 4:4:4 is new ground for Panasonic PDP and another sign they’re taking the enthusiast market seriously.

There is also a control for Intelligent Frame Creation or 24p Smooth Film (when the content is encoded at 24p) which can be set to Off/Min/Mid/Max. The Clear Cinema mode is for film cadence detection and is best left on. The DVI Input can be set to either Normal or Full, where Normal represents video levels (16-235) and Full corresponds to PC levels (0-255) but if the input is straight HDMI – rather than a HDMI to DVI connection – the VT50 will automatically operate in Normal mode. There is also a 3D Refresh Rate control, which we will cover later in the review. Finally the Side Panel control increases or decreases the brightness of the side panels, whilst the Pixel Orbiter and Scrolling Bar functions are designed to reduce image retention.

The P65VT50 has an extensive selection of calibration controls including a ten point parametric Gamma control. This Gamma control allows for selection of a specific curve of either 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.4 or 2.6, as well as an S curve. There is also a parametric control for fine tuning the gamma curve at specific IRE points. Last year this control introduced artefacts when used but hopefully things have improved this year.

There is also a two point White Balance control for a basic calibration of the greyscale. However there is also a far more accurate ten point control, which should allow a professional calibrator to fine tune the greyscale at specific IRE points, hopefully resulting in a reference performance.

Finally, there is a full six axis Colour Management System (CMS) which will allow the user or a professional calibrator to adjust the luminance, saturation and hue of the three primary colours (red, green and blue) and the three secondary colours (cyan, magenta and yellow). This level of control should allow the colour gamut on the P65VT50 to be calibrated to a reference standard.

Audio and Features

The increasingly thin nature of modern TVs has had a detrimental effect on the audio quality they are capable of producing and because of this we generally pay less attention to the sound produced by the TVs we review. However the combination of the P65VT50's sheer size and Panasonic's new 8 train speakers resulted in an audio performance that was far superior to most TVs we hear these days. Obviously the sound quality won't surpass that of a dedicated 5.1-channel setup but for the majority of our viewing we found that the P65VT50 was capable of delivering an audio performance big enough to match its screen real estate. The stereo separation was undoubtedly improved by the increased size of the display and the added weight helped deliver more low end than you would usually expect. In fact overall, the sound field the P65VT50 could produce was actually quite impressive, with clear dialogue, precise localisation and an ability to go reasonably loud without distorting. We certainly the audio more than capable of keeping up with the images and, as we watched the Olympics, the roar of the crowd filled the room. We would still recommend anyone buying the P65VT50 to consider investing in a sound bar or, better still, an AV amplifier but if you decide you just want to use the built-in speakers, you won't be disappointed.

The P65VT50 has as extensive a set of smart TV features as you are likely to find anywhere and thanks to built-in WiFi, Bluetooth compatibility and DLNA certification, it can connect with other such devices and stream content over your home network. You can also access content via USB or SD card and from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The P65VT50 has dual core processing which makes VIERA Connect far more responsive than previously and that includes the new web browser. We also tried out the VIERA Remote app which was easy to connect and simple to use, providing an effective way of controlling and communicating with the P65VT50. Panasonic's new 'swiping' feature makes it easy to send content from your tablet or smartphone to the P65VT50 or vice versa - allowing you to continue watching TV on your tablet or smartphone, even when the TV itself is turned off. For a full review of all the P65VT50's Smart VIERA capabilities, please follow the link here.

Picture Quality - 2D

The P65VT50 is the third VT50 we have reviewed this year, so we had a good idea of what to expect in terms of picture quality and it didn't disappoint. Thanks to the comprehensive calibration controls the P65VT50 was able to deliver a reference quality picture, with a perfect greyscale and colour gamut. As a result, regardless of whether you were watching standard or high definition content, the images always had a natural appearance. Once you added the clean and detailed picture that was largely free from PWM noise and the strengths of the P65VT50 became obvious, especially on such a large screen.

The excellent video processing meant that standard definition material looked very good, which is important on a 65" screen, and high definition content was just breath-taking. When we put on a Blu-ray, the P65VT50 produced incredibly detailed and film-like pictures with smooth judder free motion that delivered wonderful big screen entertainment. The P65VT50 also showed superb levels of shadow detail, which was all the more remarkable because these details were being retained whilst still delivering some of the best blacks we have measured.

Thanks to all these factors, the P65VT50 could deliver wonderful images that did full justice to the BBC's remarkable coverage of the Olympics. The stadium shots were bristling with detail and the close-ups of athletes showed every bead of sweat. The colours and vibrancy of the opening ceremony was perfectly replicated and, in the evening, the night skies looked suitably black. The P65VT50 handled all the fast motion equally as well and regardless of which sport you were watching you never missed any of the action. The glass front was never a problem, even when watching during those occasional sunny days and the off axis performance was rock solid, which was handy when keeping one eye on the action from the kitchen.

As far as any possible problem areas were concerned, we had no issues with image retention or flicker, although the latter can very much depend on the individual. Panasonic plasmas have always been very good when it comes to image retention and even after leaving a high contrast multi-burst pattern up for a minute, any retained image was gone within minutes. We didn't see any line bleed, nor did we experience any colour flashes although people who are susceptible to rainbows might. We also didn't have any problems with screen uniformity, green blobs, brightness pops or floating blacks. Whilst we can't guarantee that issues won't manifest over a prolonged period, we certainly didn't have any problems during three weeks of fairly heavy usage.

We also had no problems with the 50Hz bug, even on the larger screen size. Yes it was there if you went looking for it but during the hours and hours of Olympic sport that we watched, we were never aware of it. In fact the only problem that were really aware of was dynamic false contouring, which could become apparent on occasion, especially during hand held close-ups of the athletes. The larger screen size obviously made the contouring more obvious but given all the different coverage and the multitude of sports we watched, it was only visible occasionally and certainly didn't detract from our enjoyment of the wonderful images being produced by the P65VT50.

Picture Quality - 3D

As with its stable mates, the P65VT50 is capable of delivering some of the best 3D images available on the market. When it comes to active shutter Full HD 3D we have found that Panasonic’s displays have the edge over the competition in terms of both motion handling and crosstalk. Their use of high speed drive technology, high speed illumination and fast decay phosphors has clearly paid dividends and resulted in excellent 3D images. We ran a series of 3D test patterns in both frame sequential and side-by-side format and the results were superb with no loss of resolution or crosstalk.

Thanks to the inclusion of the THX 3D mode the P65VT50 is capable of delivering a reasonably accurate 3D picture out-of-the-box, with a bright image and colours that appear natural. There is a dedicated 3D menu that allows users to customise their 3D experience and there are separate settings for the calibration controls which means you can also calibrate the 3D picture mode if you so desire. The new glasses also helped with the performance because they're so light and comfortable that you forget that you're wearing them, there is no noticeable flicker to distract you or cause fatigue and the tint free lenses don't cause discolouration. Thanks to their use of RF instead of IR, there were also no problems with losing sync or any other issue that might take you out of the 3D experience.

However, the P65VT50 really has the edge over smaller screen sizes when it comes to 3D and thanks to the huge 65" panel, it could deliver an incredibly detailed and immersive 3D experience, especially with 3D Blu-rays. The P65VT50 handled the frame sequential 3D with ease, delivering smooth motion and detailed images that were almost free of crosstalk, even when watching all those black penguins against white ice in Happy Feet Two. There were very occasional instances of crosstalk but you really had to look for them and so they were never distracting.

Thanks to the BBC there has been quite a lot of side-by-side 3D content broadcast this summer, including the Wimbledon Finals and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics. We remain ambivalent about tennis in 3D because the camera angles make it difficult to follow the action but the Olympic ceremonies looked spectacular. The BBC also broadcast highlights of the games in 3D each evening and here it was more successful, especially in the swimming and track and field. Ultimately though, whatever the 3D content, the P65VT50 is another winner from Panasonic that can deliver a wonderfully engaging 3D experience.

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Key Features

Full HD NeoPlasma Panel

2500Hz Focused Field Drive

Infinite Black Ultra Filter

THX Certified for 2D and 3D

ISF Calibration controls

IFC Pro

Viera Connect/Market

Web Browser

Reference black levels

Dynamic range is equally as impressive

Lack of PWM noise and clean looking images

Excellent out-of-the-box greyscale

Reference greyscale after calibration

Excellent out-of-the-box colour gamut

Reference colour gamut after calibration

Comprehensive calibration controls

Reference 3D performance

Excellent video processing

Incredible motion, especially with Blu-ray

VIERA Connect is effective and responsive

THX Cinema and Bright Room modes are effective

8 train speakers work very well

Built-in WiFi, Freesat HD and Freeview HD

Well designed menus and remote control

Attractive design and excellent build quality

Very subtle instances of 50Hz break-up with fast pans

Occasional dynamic false contouring

Some dither noise in darker elements of the picture

Some users may suffer from image flicker

Slightly better blacks in THX Cinema than in Professional Modes

Professional modes could be brighter

HDMI inputs are too close to the edge

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