Panasonic Viera TC-P50G25

Black Level (9.99)

We measured the Panasonic TC-P50G25’s black level at 0.04 candelas per square meter (cd/m²), which is incredibly deep. Our typical metric for a good black level is 0.10 cd/m², and this is over twice as dark. Bravo, Panasonic. More on how we test black level.

Read Reviews of Comparison Products
Sony Bravia KDL-52EX700	LG 55LE8500	Samsung UN55C7000

Peak Brightness (5.55)

Plasmas have very low peak brightnesses due to limitations of their display technology: brightness creates a prohibitive amount of heat. The TC-P50G25 had a decent brightness for a plasma, though: 135.3 cd/m². A decent LCD could output between 300 and 400 cd/m², but the average plasma typically outputs about 100. For its display technology, the Panasonic TC-P50G25 is pretty bright. More on how we test peak brightness.

Contrast (8.27)

We measured the Panasonic TC-P50G25’s contrast ratio at 3382:1, which is pretty high for our measurements. A downright excellent contrast ratio would have been about 4000:1 or above, and the TC-P50G25 is just shy of that benchmark. Contrast ratio is important since our eyesight is based on contrast; you shouldn’t have any problem discerning fine details with the TC-P50G25. More on how we test contrast.

Tunnel Contrast (6.34)

We saw some significant dimming issues with the TC-P50G25. Its black level crept up steadily the less black was on the screen, but that creep turned into exponential growth when 10% or less of the screen was black. This means that, although the TV has a great black level, it won’t benefit any details that are surrounded by bright colors. More on how we test tunnel contrast.

White Falloff (7.40)

The TC-P50G25 had some issues with white falloff as well, but they weren’t nearly as severe as what we saw in our tunnel contrast tests. When most of the screen is white, bright colors will look noticeably dim, which isn’t anything new for plasmas. As less and less of the screen was white, the brighter and brighter the measured area became. More on how we test white falloff.

Uniformity (9.75)

We had no real complaints about the screen uniformity. We put up an all-white and all-black screen and couldn’t see any real issues with either. Both maintained an unblemished smoothness all the way out to the corners and edges.

One caveat: the picture is pretty noisy, regardless of the input source. This isn’t really an issue with screen uniformity per se, but since it’s consistent across inputs, we consider it a quality of the screen itself. If it gets on your nerves, play around with the noise reduction options: they help a bit. More on how we test white falloff.

Greyscale Gamma (10.00)

Greyscale gamma describes the curve along which greys darken to black and brighten to white. The TC-P50G25’s curve had a slope of 2.11, and our ideal slope is between 2.1 and 2.2. Expect a nice, even transition from white to black, without any significant jumps in the spectrum. More on how we test greyscale gamma.

Other Models in the TC-PxxG25 Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
Panasonic Viera TC-P42G25 42 in.	Panasonic Viera TC-P46G25 46 in.	Panasonic Viera TC-P54G25 54 in.