Panasonic TX-P46G15 Plasma HDTV Review

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Reviewed by David Mackenzie
Months after their first appearance, the quality of Panasonic’s NeoPDP panels is still obvious. The TX-P46G15 is another Highly Recommended NeoPDP display.
Read the full review...
 
*POSTED THIS IN PLASMA SECTION TOO*

Thanks for the great review David. It's interesting to see how well it performed 'out of the box' against the G10. Quick question, in your experience, how much do Viera's vary in terms of their factory condition, i.e. is it just as likely you could have received a G10 with similar performance or do you think Panasonic are making extra efforts in light of the price difference?

TIA:)
 
It's probably the latter, but this is anyone's guess - the out of the box performance really surprised me.
 
Very interesting to see those small differences in PQ from the G10! Did you find the higher contrast vs more stable blacks/normal vs cinema correlations on the G10?

Would be interesting to get a second G15 set to see if the same test results are repeated, or if each set has slightly different greyscale and gamma characteristics.
 
Very interesting to see those small differences in PQ from the G10! Did you find the higher contrast vs more stable blacks/normal vs cinema correlations on the G10?
Yes, both feature this behaviour.
 
The software on these TVs can be updated.

I hope it is possible Panasonic can add colour and gamma controls.
 
I asked them, but no luck. Panasonic probably have the same attitude to most Japanese companies with regard to adding features not originally part of the TV's specification.
 
Out of interest, how come the G15 gets an extra point for networking over the V10, surely they are exactly the same in this respect?
 
why can't Panasonic design a plasma with a stable black level? Is it really that difficult?
 
Hi,

Is it true that these freesat built-in tv's can pass through any (including external) 5.1 channel surround sound sources to an amplifier as long as the amplifier supports viera link and is connected to the TV via HDMI and optical connections?

Thanks.
 
Good review as usual.

I have had a 42V10 for about 5 or 6 weeks now and i am very very happy with it. I am however sad that they didn't do a 46" version. I am now considering replacing my V10 and purchasing the 46G15. Can anyone tell me if i can expect the same performance from this panel as my V10? on paper they are not very much different. i dont mind that the G15 hasn't got THX because i dont use it anyway. On paper it's the same Panle apart from THX, styling and ditigal cinema colour.
 
Well, hello all for my first post.

Onthe basis of what I read here, and indeed elsewhere I purchased a Panasonic TX-42G15 for £864 including delivery from Currys (£914 less £50 code voucher) which arrived yesterday and I must say that at this moment in time I am quite dissapointed with it.:(

This is replacing a Sony HD KDL LCD 2000 40" which the missus has now in the dining room and the picture on that is well up on the Panasonic.

Out of the box the picture is rather dull and I have tweaked all over the place and even in HD I cannot find a setting which is a patch on the Sony. Of course with the Panasonic there are nowhere near the tweaks one can made to Grayscale etc. which can be done on other tellies, without going into the service menu, which is not advised.

Can anyone please suggest settings which will get the best out of this set in normal living room conditions?

Perhaps I am doing something wrong, or I am possibly just spoilt with the lovely, clear pictures I get with the Sony?

I purchased the Panasonic mainly for the Freesat, but right now I give it 6 out of ten and am sorry I purchased it!!:confused:[-][/-]

Best Regards

Boozercruiser.
 
Well, hello all for my first post.

Onthe basis of what I read here, and indeed elsewhere I purchased a Panasonic TX-42G15 for £864 including delivery from Currys (£914 less £50 code voucher) which arrived yesterday and I must say that at this moment in time I am quite dissapointed with it.:(

This is replacing a Sony HD KDL LCD 2000 40" which the missus has now in the dining room and the picture on that is well up on the Panasonic.

Out of the box the picture is rather dull and I have tweaked all over the place and even in HD I cannot find a setting which is a patch on the Sony. Of course with the Panasonic there are nowhere near the tweaks one can made to Grayscale etc. which can be done on other tellies, without going into the service menu, which is not advised.

Can anyone please suggest settings which will get the best out of this set in normal living room conditions?

Perhaps I am doing something wrong, or I am possibly just spoilt with the lovely, clear pictures I get with the Sony?

I purchased the Panasonic mainly for the Freesat, but right now I give it 6 out of ten and am sorry I purchased it!!:confused:[-][/-]

Best Regards

Boozercruiser.

As you are coming from an LCD you may very well be seeing the difference in image quality between the two technologies. I suggest you put the plasma in cinema mode and colour temp warm, then use the [url="http://www.avforums.com/tv/index.php?videoid=54]video guides[/url] to set up the contrast and brightness. Plus give the Panasonic time viewing in this set up, i.e. a few days of watching various materials. You will soon see the benefits of Plasma technology in producing a natural image with good colours, deep blacks and image movement. This is a different type of image than that to LCD, which can look brighter and more in your face, but is not as natural and movement is not generally as good. If its an image that is as accurate as possible to showing material as intended, the Panasonic will do that very well. Give it time and follow the video guides I have linked too.
 
As you are coming from an LCD you may very well be seeing the difference in image quality between the two technologies. I suggest you put the plasma in cinema mode and colour temp warm, then use the [url="http://www.avforums.com/tv/index.php?videoid=54]video guides[/url] to set up the contrast and brightness. Plus give the Panasonic time viewing in this set up, i.e. a few days of watching various materials. You will soon see the benefits of Plasma technology in producing a natural image with good colours, deep blacks and image movement. This is a different type of image than that to LCD, which can look brighter and more in your face, but is not as natural and movement is not generally as good. If its an image that is as accurate as possible to showing material as intended, the Panasonic will do that very well. Give it time and follow the video guides I have linked too.

Thank you for your very prompt reply, and I will try all that you suggest. I do like quite a bright picture with plenty of contrast and the Sony KDL-40X2000 gives me that, particularly with all the tweak modes to play about with. Plasma is different to LCD though as you say, and is not so much 'in your face'. With the Plasma though I am finding more 'pixilation' around the characters than the Sony. We sit around 14 feet away, which should be enough. The Panasonic is lovely to look at and use with an easier Menu, but I do miss the Grayscale Settings missing a pain though, and I should have taken a hint from the review and not purchased it for that reason, if no other.

Still, as you say it is early days yet, and I can always change back to my Sony if all else fails:D

P.S. I understand that you should not go into the service mode, but if one did, does anyone know how to do it, and then reckomend a setting once in there without damaging the TV?
 
Hi,
I was just wondering if the test results posted here for 46" would be same/similar for 42". I know the difference in sizes makes for differences in panels. Any owners for a 42G15, your input would be greatly appreciated.:thumbsup:
 
Thank you for your very prompt reply, and I will try all that you suggest. I do like quite a bright picture with plenty of contrast and the Sony KDL-40X2000 gives me that, particularly with all the tweak modes to play about with. Plasma is different to LCD though as you say, and is not so much 'in your face'. With the Plasma though I am finding more 'pixilation' around the characters than the Sony. We sit around 14 feet away, which should be enough. The Panasonic is lovely to look at and use with an easier Menu, but I do miss the Grayscale Settings missing a pain though, and I should have taken a hint from the review and not purchased it for that reason, if no other.

Still, as you say it is early days yet, and I can always change back to my Sony if all else fails:D

P.S. I understand that you should not go into the service mode, but if one did, does anyone know how to do it, and then reckomend a setting once in there without damaging the TV?

Well, I am warming up to this set now, but because I like the pic quite bright my setting is Dynamic, which I gather is not really as it should be. BUT.. I am still experimenting:D
 
Keep us posted boozer cos I'm looking to sell my Bravia 40" this week to get something like the G15. I was a bit worried when I saw your first post ;)
 
Keep us posted boozer cos I'm looking to sell my Bravia 40" this week to get something like the G15. I was a bit worried when I saw your first post ;)

Hi, well like I said, out of the box I was quite disapointed as the picture looked rather dull compared to my Sony Bravia KDL-40X2000.

However, now that I have tweaked it..............my settings are..........

1. Dynamic 2. Contrast approx. 75% 3. Brightness 45% 4. Colour 45% 6. Sharpness 50% 7 Colour Balance Warm. Colour Management Off.

I don't think this set beats my Bravia yet, but it is a lovely picture in a slightly different way.

If you go to any dealer at the moment the set will come with a 5 year guarantee which Panasonic are offering. But you won't get as good a price as I got with Currys Digital. A search can get the set for just over £900 at the moment, which is a bargain anyway in my estimation.[-][/-]

I have been a member of a Satellite Forum (Google JKF Intersat) and am known as Boozercruiser there with a coupa thousand posts. You can gain lots of good inf there about all things satellite.

You can use this Panasonic to put a Cam in it which can give you lots of goodies if you go there for a read!!:D

Hope to see you there!!
 


This is my post on JKF Intersat..........Hope it helps, and you can see that I copied and pasted a bit from here!!...................

Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:20 pm Post subject: Panasonic's NeoPDP for plasma TV delivers on its technologic

Panasonic's NeoPDP for plasma TV delivers on its technological promise



Greeted with a certain amount of scepticism at launch, Panasonic's NeoPDP technology is proving to be a shot in the arm for flat screen plasma TV's.

As an indication of the importance they have placed on NeoPDP technology, Panasonic have categorized their high end Z1, V10, G15 and G10 plasma flat screens for 2009 as 'NeoPDP TV's'.

NeoPDP actually focuses on and improves the efficiency of three different components of screen performance - materials and processes, gas discharge and cell design along with electronic circuit technologies.

In a nutshell, the 'gas discharge and cell design' element of NeoPDP introduces larger plasma cells which emit more light using less power. Using the same amount of power, NeoPDD screens are 50% brighter. By reducing the residual light in each of the larger cells, contrast, or black levels, have been considerably improved (to a claimed 2,000,000:1).

The 'electronic circuit technologies aspect of NeoPDP introduces 600Hz Sub-field Drive which increases the rate at which plasma pixels refresh to improve motion tracking. It is worth noting that the figure is not directly comparable to an LCD refresh rate. Remembering that a video signal is actually a series of still images (frames) appearing so quickly that they trick the eye into believing we are watching a moving image (100Hz = 100 frames per second) - 600Hz technology adds an extra step to the process - a method used to display (or 'flash') the individual image elements (dots) on a plasma panel, 600 times per second (600Hz). Panasonic are actually employing some clever technology to 'interpolate' this extra data. The number of frames displayed per second in the case of Sub-Field technology has not actually increased to 600, which is a little confusing.

Lastly, the 'materials and processes' element has seen the introduction of a lead alternative in the manufacture of Panasonic's NeoPDP screens. In fact, through the whole manufacturing process, Panasonic has reduced CO2 emissions and the amount of harmful chemical processes and materials.

Realizing the benefits of the various elements of NeoPDP, the technology has paved the way for slimmer lighter screens - Panasonic's range topping Z1 is just 8.8mm thick. While the overall picture performance of plasma has always compared favourably to LCD, relative power consumption of the competing technologies exposes plasma's Achilles heal in significantly greater running costs. A significant reduction in power consumption places NeoPDP equipped plasmas on a level playing field in terms of running costs with LCD TV's. It is worth noting that NeoPDP implementations introduce the option of either reducing power consumption or increasing screen brightness.

NeoPDP has been billed as a technology which would introduce slimmer, lighter screens with improved picture contrast and colour accuracy. The performance of Panasonic's high end Z1, V10, G15 and G10 plasmas suggest that NeoPDP technology is producing tangible improvements in overall screen performance.

Giving credence to the claims made by Panasonic for NeoPDP, the European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA) has given Panasonic's TX-P42V10 its best Plasma award for 2009-2010.

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boozercruiser
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Status: Online Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 6:58 pm Post subject:

Yes, I just purchased the Panasonic TX-P42G15..........................

Delivered Saturday and I am pleasantly suprised to find that so long as you can feed off a motorised dish (It won't operate the dish itself) you can put all your usual Digi and whatever from other satelites.

Provided you have your Diablo or whatever Cam to insert into the Cam slot the usual decoding will take place.

In the Currys shop this set retails for £1,299 but I purchased it online for £864 using online voucher (Just gone up to £914).

You can get a review by doing a Google for AV Forum,
( avforums.com/reviews/Panasonic-TX-P46G15-Plasma-HDTV-Review. ) and there is lots more information there as well. The review highly recommends the TV.

PANASONIC TX-P42G15B Plasma TV Features
Feature Benefit
Colour BLACK
Dimensions Height=66.1cm Depth=9.7cm Width=102.9cm
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Years Cover included
Built-in freesat tuner This TV comes with a built-in freesat tuner which means that you dont need a separate freesat box in order to receive f reesat channels. Simply plug your satellite dish cable direc tly in to the TV for access to over 80 channels including HD programmes from the BBC. With freesat theres no contract o r monthly subscription. (satellite dish required)
2000000:1 contrast ratio This is the measurement of the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black. The higher the contrast ratio the better the picture quality.
Frame creation pro picture enhancement technology Picture enhancement technology improving the quality of your screen image
600Hz 600Hz delivers smoother pictures and reduces motion judder o n fast moving scenes like sports and movies.
1920x1080 pixel resolution Pixel resolution measures the number of vertical lines by th e number of horizontal lines which can be displayed by the T V. A TV with a higher pixel resolution will have more pixels on screen making images appear sharper and clearer.
0.001 ms Response Time Response time measures the time it takes for one pixel to go from black to white and back to black again. Its the speed at which the crystals in an LCD panel "twist" to block and allow light to pass. Longer response times display a blur ar ound farst moving objects resulting in fast-motion picture b lur on actions and sports.
SD card reader Includes an SD card reader to allow you to view digital phot os on your TV screen.
24p Technology Movies are filmed at 24 frames per second (fps), and are lat er converted to 50 fps to show on a TV screen. TVs with 24p technology supports these 24 fps sources through the HDMI in put, and is capable of showing scenes exactly as the directo r intended.
Optical connection An optical connection is a fibre optic connector that is use d for transferring digital audio signals (such as dolby digi tal) from a source device, like a DVD or Blu-ray Player. The optical connector is a high quality alternative to the trad itional red and white audio connectors.
Swivel Stand ALLOWS YOU TO MOVE THE SCREEN TO A 45 DEGREE ANGLE
235/0.7 watts :in use/powered-down power consumption Our Technical lab measurement in Watts of energy consumption of TVs, both in use and on standby. Based on European standard EN62087:2003 using manufacturer standard settings.
42 inches Television size Size of the television measured diagonally across the screen
Digital tuner with all Freeview channels This TV includes a digital tuner which allows you to watch u p to 40 digital Freeview TV channels with no monthly subscri ption or contract required. For more information on Freeview srevices visit Freeview - Home.
180 Degrees Viewing Angle Determines the optimum viewing angle
20 watts Audio Power Output (RMS) A larger output results in greater volume.
2 scart sockets The Scart connector carries analogue sound and picture signa ls in one cable. Scart is currently one of the most popular ways of connecting TVs to other AV equipment. For improved p icture quality you may want to consider upgrading to HDMI wh ich carries digital sound and picture signals.
2 RGB enabled scart socket RGB enabled Scart connectors provide better picture quality than a standard Scart connector as they break the picture si gnal down in to its red, green and blue components. This mai ntains a higher picture quality whilst the signal is sent be tween your DVD and TV.
S-Video connection S-Video us an analogue connection which carries picture sign als that have been split in to colour and brightness. for im proved picture quality you may want to consider upgrading to an HDMI connector which carries digital sound and pictire s ignals.
Component video connection The component video connection provides the highest picture quality of all the analogue connectors by splitting the pict ure signal in to three components: brightness, colour and oc ntrast. This results in reduced interference and improved pi cture quality.
audio and video inputs Audio and video inputs (also known as Composite connectors) carry analogue audio and video signals. For improved picture quality you may want to consider upgrading to an HDMI conne ctor which carries digital sound and picture signals.
Headphone socket Enables the use of personal headphones.
Can be used as a PC monitor This screen will receive RGB PC in signals
On/off timer Enables the television to be preset to switch on and off
16:9 widescreen format Widescreen format for viewing films in the format originally intended by the director.
8 days Electronic Programme Guide On-screen programme guide.
HD Ready HD Ready TV sets have a minimum horizontal resolution of 720 lines which means that they are capable of displaying high definition TV signals (like those from your Sky HD Box or Pl aystation3).
1080p HD Ready 1080p refers to the number of horizontal lines which can be displayed by the TV screen. In order to view high definition images from your Blu-ray Palyer or Playstation3 at their ve ry best you will require a TV capable of displaying 1080p im ages.
Plasma Television type .
4 HDMI connection(s) HDMI is a digita lconnection which carries sound and picture signals from peripheral devices (like a DVD Recorder or Hom e Cinema) to your TV. If you want to watch high definition p rogrammes (i.e. from a Blu-ray Player, Playstation3 or Sky H D Box) oyu will need to use the HDMI connection.
V-audio surround Sound System Type of sound available on TV, appropriate home cinema system might be required.
CI slot The CI slot allows you to upgrade to pay TV channels.


More Plasma TVs
Panasonic plasma TV
Samsung plasma TV
LG plasma TV

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hotbird7
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Joined: 28 Dec 2006
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Status: Offline Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:08 am Post subject:

@ boozercruiser I,ve been thinking of getting one thanks for your views Rabbi and boozercruiser, could you let me know where you purchased you Tv from, if you can't say here could you pm me with details. thanks.



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boozercruiser
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Status: Online Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:36 am Post subject:

hotbird7 wrote:
@ boozercruiser I,ve been thinking of getting one thanks for your views Rabbi and boozercruiser, could you let me know where you purchased you Tv from, if you can't say here could you pm me with details. thanks.



I think that it is O.K. to say that I purchased mine from Currys Digital Online. None of the sposors sell TVs that I know of.

I paid £864, but there was a voucher situation which took £50 off the usual price of £914.

If you do a google of Panasonic TX-P42G15 (Or TX-P46G15 for the 46" model) then you will get some options at around that price.

Put in a google for AV Forums where there is a full review of it.

I am well pleased with mine now I have got the picture settings just as I want.

X-P46G15 Plasma HDTV Review
Although it lacks user control, the TX-P4615 still manages to be another solid NeoPDP-based display from Panasonic.

We've already reviewed Panasonic's G10 series NeoPDP Plasma in its 42" iteration, but just to mix things up a bit, we have the 46" G15 model in for review today. In true Panasonic tradition, there's not a lot of difference between these two displays on paper, but the G15 takes the solid G10 model and adds VIERA CAST and networking features into the package.

VIERA CAST is Panasonic's web-enabled TV service which grabs content from YouTube, Picasa, Eurosport, and other online sources, and brings them into your living room. Other than this, some minor cosmetic changes, and the additions of DLNA networking and DivX movie playback, the G15 would appear to be much the same as the well-received G10 model. Of course, that's no bad thing, so let's explore its performance to find out if this is really the case, or see if you get more for your extra cash.
Styling


Whilst the G10 series displays came with a glossy black stand, the G15 features the same "brushed silver" look as seen on the V10 series' base. Other than this, it's business as usual - the TV has the same well-built feel, and is framed by a sturdy bezel (in gloss black - groan). The entire screen is covered by a sturdy sheet of glass, which Panasonic claim can withstand smacks of up to four joules - the company's employees demonstrated said sturdiness for us at their convention in February by hitting the screen with a hammer (it came away entirely unscathed). More practically, this means that the display will be safe even in households with small children, or Nintendo Wii gamers with sweaty palms.

Connectivity is rarely remarkable on HDTVs any more, because just about all of them do the job nicely. That's true of the P46G15 - there are 4 HDMI inputs, a Component input, analogue PC "VGA" input, 2 SCART terminals (both RGB enabled), and a Composite/S-Video pair on the side of the panel. What is more remarkable though is Panasonic's commitment to the Freesat brand - the TV has a built-in satellite tuner and can receive any satellite channel, including those marketed under the Freesat name. Since this is the only way to get free HDTV broadcasts in the UK, it's great to see that Panasonic are building the tuners in to their displays, avoiding the need or a separate decoder.

Also, there's Panasonic's usual support for their SD card media, with an SDHC slot. I slotted an 8gb SDHC card given to me by Panasonic to test their recent Blu-ray Disc Recorder with, and sure enough, all of the JPEG images and AVCHD camcorder videos stored on the card were viewable on the TV, too, which is some nice interoperability.

There is also the Ethernet/LAN port, so you can hook the TV up to your home router and use the VIERA Cast and DLNA networking functions.
Menus/Setting Up


The 46G15's menus are of the typical Panasonic variety: barren. In an unfathomably perfect world, we wouldn't need Greyscale and individual Colour Management controls to squeeze the most out of a television - but in reality, these aspects of the image need to be carefully adjusted, for various reasons. Panasonic are, at the time of writing, the only major manufacturer not offering such control. They're aware of how demanding users feel about this situation and we hope for good things in the future, but until that time, we have basic controls such as Contrast, Brightness, a single global Colour control, and Sharpness.

We can also pick one of three different "Colour Balance" options in an attempt to get the colour of grey as close as possible to the industry standard. "Warm" is the closest to correct, and the others add a blue wash to pictures, so don't use them. There's the usual option called "Colour Management", which doesn't let us manage anything (why do you tease us, Panasonic!)

Finally, our last two picture options are "Eco Mode" (self explanatory), and "P-NR", which is a spatial noise reduction filter. Spatial processing is incredibly ineffective in removing noise, but I find that any consumer-level noise reduction control is best left off, anyway, so it's not a big deal.

Calibration: Before and After

After setting the basic controls that Panasonic give us to set correct Brightness and Sharpness levels, I had a look at some BBC HD 1080i programmes. The Wimbledon games were playing, and were already looking very nice indeed. The NeoPDP panel was retaining a huge amount of clarity during motion: unlike on some slower LCD displays, the tennis ball didn't disappear mid-flight. Additionally, the detailed net in the middle of the stadium didn't flicker or shimmer too much during subtle camera movement, indicating acceptable quality deinterlacing of the 1080i signal.

Here's the detailed data which was read from the screen in this basic state:



The RGB Level Tracking chart indicates that the colour of grey is very, very consistent, and in our sample, was close to perfect out of the box already. This differs from the review sample of the TX-P42G10 we received earlier this year, which had an excess of blue. Panasonic don't feature a "Blue Only" mode on their displays to allow the "Colour" control to be set optimally by eye, so the above measurements indicate the slightly exaggerated colours.

Whilst the Continental European and North American models feature user-accessible Greyscale and Gamma controls, the UK version does not. This makes calibration a royal pain in the backside, because like on the V10 series Plasma, we have to enter service mode, make an adjustment, then exit service mode again to measure the result, because the readings between the two modes differed. We hope that Panasonic will join every other major manufacturer and add a control in the normal user menu on future models.

The only way to influence the Gamma characteristics on the UK version of the P46G15 is to change the top-level picture preset. "Normal" gives a richer look, but produces a fluctuating black level, whereas "Movie" gives a lower contrast appearance with no fluctuation.



Interestingly, these results are not the same as the G10 review sample we received. On that particular display, lowering the "Colour" control to tame the high Luminance levels would also desaturate the colours unacceptably, but on the G15, the Hue and Saturation of the colours were not affected as much. This meant that it was possible to get a much better balance between the two. Panasonic's trademark oversaturated green was still present, but most of the other colours were unusually close to their targets - an excellent result.
Video Processing

Panasonic's displays don't feature any sort of film cadence detection, and when fed with a standard-def interlaced signal, the result is quite soft. Jaggies in interlaced video aren't especially apparent, but this is probably more due to the softness rather than any sort of intentional diagonal interpolation. Yes, this is certainly "minimal effort" video processing here, but if it keeps the price of the TV down and lets Panasonic concentrate on high quality panel components, then I'm all for it, because it can be bypassed in most cases.

Something that frequently confuses people is the fact that the TV's SD video processing capabilities are irrelevant when you're feeding in an upconverted source to the TV. Remember that if you're using an AV Receiver, video processor, or upscaling DVD player, then the TV's SD processing is bypassed. This is why our reviews of Panasonic's displays still manage to be almost consistently positive, despite their poor performance in this area.

Of course, the TV's satellite and terrestrial tuners are internal, and therefore signals from these have to travel through the mediocre video processing before reaching the screen. In the case of 1080i HD from satellite, this is not a huge problem, because either no scaling, or only horizontal scaling, has to be done, depending on the channel (BBC's HD channel is actually 1440x1080, not 1920x1080). The high resolution of the original content also effectively masks any deinterlacing deficiencies.
Picture Quality

I pulled out the Blu-ray rerelease of Joss Whedon's Serenity for some more real-world testing of the P46G15. This is really, really nice demo material for just about any high quality display, as this beautifully shot film has been transferred and encoded in a way that retains maximum detail. It's full of high contrast scenes, strong, often colourful lighting (which is reproduced by the TV faithfully enough so that it doesn't become an eyesore), and fast motion. It looks wonderful, and thanks to the fact that the display handles the 24p input correctly, there's also no judder to take you out of the action.

Standard definition channels from the digital satellite and terrestrial tuners looked decent, but not amazing. Panasonic's video processor is not great at handling 576i material, but because this footage is rarely great-looking to start with, it's not a huge loss. One slightly annoying feature of this television is that when you have Subtitles turned on, the video display is forced to 16:9. That's no problem if you're watching a subtitled widescreen programme, but if you want to see subs displayed over a 4:3 broadcast, then you'll have to put up with a distorted video display. What's odd is that the TV doesn't even inform you of this limitation, and simply appears to ignore the command: it took me a good hour or so before I actually noticed why my button presses were having no effect.
VIERA Cast and Networking

I have to admit it: the VIERA Cast functionality has grown on me. Normally, I'm a bit cranky when it comes to features like this one, but I've found myself browsing YouTube on the TV more often than I anticipated. It's a little irritating that the Aspect Ratio control is unavailable in this mode (meaning that 4:3 YouTube videos are stretched to fit the 16:9 screen), but I can't imagine anyone will be watching online video for its picture quality, anyway.

The Media Server functionality will also find its fans. I've been informed that the version sold in shops comes with a code, allowing users to download software called TwonkyMedia Manager. I downloaded the 30-day trial version and, sure enough, I was able to browse through most of my JPEG, MP3 and AVI files on the TV on the first attempt. This surprised the living daylights out of me, because although I consider myself a computer nerd, networking never ceases to give me a headache. After spending hours and hours trying and failing to get similar functionality on my Xbox 360 (before my console died, that is), the first-time success I had with the TwonkyMedia Manger software and the VIERA TV was a complete relief.
Gaming Performance

As with all of the 2009 Panasonic Plasmas, there is no perceivable input lag, at any time. With an Xbox 360 connected, I was given the option of selecting a "Game" picture preset, but this simply appears to be yet another choice of gamma characteristic, and doesn't affect the already excellent responsiveness. Gaming is great fun on this display as a result of this – miles away from certain laggy LCD displays that I've recently used.
Energy Consumption

These measurements were taken while displaying a full black (0 IRE) screen, a 50 IRE screen, and a full white (100 IRE) screen, using the calibrated settings.

Mode / 0 IRE / 50 IRE / 100 IRE
Calibrated, Eco mode off: 84 / 261 / 476 (watts)
Calibrated, Eco mode on: 84 / 288 / 457 (watts)

I'm as confused as you are about these results. "Eco Mode" does not simply curtail the light output of the panel, but causes it to behave in a way which is different, but not notably more eco-friendly across the board.
Conclusion

Months after their first appearance, the quality of Panasonic's NeoPDP panels is still obvious. Although the overall picture quality of the TVs they're fitted to is slightly curtailed as a result of the somewhat dumbed-down menus (something we hope Panasonic will fix on future models), this isn't enough to cancel out the advantages of NeoPDP Plasma display technology: high contrast, very deep black level, perfect viewing angle performance, and high motion resolution. Additionally, the G15 we received had absolutely excellent Greyscale and Colour characteristics, which helped picture quality tremendously after calibration. The end result of all of this is another Highly Recommended NeoPDP display.

Last edited by boozercruiser on Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:43 am; edited 2 times in total

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hotbird7
***Honoured VIP & Veteran Donator***


Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 258


Status: Offline Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 1:56 pm Post subject:

Thanks boozercruiser for all the info, you'd make a good salesman, you've sold the product to me. I've ordered one, should be here Monday. I will have to pick your brains on the online connection bit when I get it up and running. With regard to freesat connection is it possible to take the feed to the TV from the LNB out on the Foxsat HDR (Humax) receiver, or have you got to have a seperate feed direct from the LNB?? I ask this as all the outputs on my quad LNB are in use.



Humax Foxsat HDR
Humax 2000 HD sat receiver
Fortec Passion HD
Hivion Ultima HD
Technomate 6900 HD combo super
Homecast 5101 HD
Technomate 1500 super
Technomate 7755 2VA 2CI
Diablo 2.3 Light
Dragon Cam
Cas 3 plus
Various other cards and cams
1 metre dish H to H Mount
Sly + HD receiver (now redundant)

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I think I may pick one up (the 42") from Richer Sounds tonight for £989 with their 5yr warranty.
I spoke to Sevenoaks but they said the 5yr Panny warranty has stopped and Sevenoaks would give their own 5yr if I paid £1199.
 
I think I may pick one up (the 42") from Richer Sounds tonight for £989 with their 5yr warranty.
I spoke to Sevenoaks but they said the 5yr Panny warranty has stopped and Sevenoaks would give their own 5yr if I paid £1199.

Well done mate. Although I paid less, you have the 5 year guarantee which is well worth having, and I only have a year. Only time will tell if I have slipped up.:D

I purchased the latest issue of What Video and Hi-Def TV (Issue 351) today for £4.50 and there is a review of this Panasonic in it. They say that the approx. price is £1,150 and it gives the Panasonic TX-P42G15 FIVE STARS!!! and a brilliant review!!!. Acouple of comments..............

I'nky black levels, Super sharp HD pictures, Onboard Freesat tuners.

Features.......5 STARS.
Ease of use...5 STARS
Picture.........5 STARS
Sound..........4 STARS
Value...........5 STARS.

I would give it 5 STARS as well...............ENJOY:thumbsup:
.
 
thanks mate :)
I picked it up after work but only just got back from taking a mate to Southampton so I'll get in plugged in tonight and enjoy messing with it tomorrow :)
 
thanks mate :)
I picked it up after work but only just got back from taking a mate to Southampton so I'll get in plugged in tonight and enjoy messing with it tomorrow :)

Nice to see you in the JKF Forum M8. You will learn a lot there. :D
 
Hey there!

I'm planning on getting one of those before Christmas, but I had just one little worry.
I know some people bought the G10 series in France and had some problems with motion fluidity at the beginning, which was fixed by a firmware upgrade recently released by Panasonic.
Considering that I'm not going to use the IFC as I find the picture horrible with it, I just wanted to get some feedback from G15 users that there is no motion problem with BluRays (I have a BD35)
thanks in advance.
Raph
 

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