Panasonic TC-P50U1 Plasma HDTV Review - Motion

Motion Summary
Editorial Note: This is a review of the Panasonic TC-P50U1. Test results are for this model, but should indicate the general performance of other sizes in the TC-PxxU1 series. The TC-PxxU1 series includes the following models: TC-P42U1, TC-P46U1, and TC-P50U1.  Read here for more details on series differences.
• Noticeable amount of motion artifacting • Testing done using DisplayMate Software
	Color Accuracy	Page 5 of 18	Viewing Effects

Motion Smoothness (6.5)

The Panasonic TC-P50U1 managed to provide quite a smooth look to objects in motion, depending on the content. For instance, the parts of our test that move color photos back and forth across the screen looked great, as did a color test pattern. However, the TC-P50U1 has some obvious banding issues with greyscale gradation, and those bands leaped into prominence when they're moving around the screen. 

Motion Artifacting (6.25)

The Panasonic TC-P50U1 did not perform exceedingly well in regards to motion artifacting. As we saw in related performance tests, the TV has a problem with high frequency detail, often creating distracting Moire patterns or a "visual buzzing" in some areas. There was also the issue, mentioned above, or problems with areas of greyscale gradation, in which banding became visually prominent when in motion.

Of course, it's important to underscore that the lab tests are meant to push these televisions to their extreme. Normal movie and cable viewing did not seem to make the problems quite so prominent.

3:2 Pulldown & 24fps (7.5)

The Panasonic TC-P50U1 has no problem with 3:2 pulldown. The motion was perfectly smooth, avoiding the creep-crawl that you see in TVs that do not handle 3:2 pulldown well. 

All Models in the TC-PxxU1 Series
This is a review of the Panasonic TC-P50U1. The other sizes of HDTVs in this series should be similar in terms of performance and usability. For details about any differences, click on the image to jump to the Series Comparison page.
Panasonic TC-P42U1 42 inches	Panasonic TC-P46U1 46 inches	Panasonic TC-P50U1 50 inches