Panasonic TC-P50VT20

Calibration Summary
Editorial Note: This is a review of the Panasonic TC-P50VT20. Test results are for this model, but should indicate the general performance of other sizes in the TC-PxxVT20 series. The TC-PxxVT20 series includes the following models: (N/A at time of publication. Sorry.)  Read here for more details on series differences.
• Custom mode used. • Calibration done using DisplayMate Software
	Viewing Effects	Page 7 of 18	Remote Control

Calibration

Below we've listed all the settings we've changed in order to calibrate the TV for our testing labs. Most people should be fine if they use our settings, but true cinephiles will want to splurge on hiring a professional to give them a custom calibration. That way the TV will be perfectly calibrated for your own unique viewing space.

And now for something special. At a reader's request, we have retested the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 with an alternate settings of their choosing. The reader's hypothesis, in summary, was this: our original calibration was doing a disservice to contrast ratio. If we raised the 'contrast' setting in the menu, along with some other tweaks, we'd get a better performance.

It's important to note that our standard calibration procedures many not be the same as those used elsewhere. Different approaches to calibration have different objectives. Some aim for vivid colors, while others aim for the highest contrast ratio possible. Our calibration approach looks for color fidelity first by avoiding clipping, then for contrast. We feel this provides the best possible calibration approach that can be repeated on any and every TV that passes through our door. This is the heart of our standardized testing that allows you, the reader, to make accurate cross-comparisons between any review on Televisioninfo.com.

So, that said, here were the alternate settings suggested by our reader.

First, you'll notice the difference in Picture mode. We opted not to use the THX mode because, when engaged, certain features are disabled (greyed out in the menu). That creates a kind of 'black box' situation where we don't know what the TV is doing. Of course, there's always some black box processing going on in TV, because manufacturers are cagey about their products, and a control's labels (i.e. 'contrast' and 'sharpness') don't necessarily mean what you think.

In short, the reader bumped up the contrast & sharpness and rolled back the brightness & color. The results were... fascinating.

Expect the unexpected, would be the watchword. The Black & White performance got worse, but the Color performance got better.

In the testing process, we found that raising the 'contrast' setting had a major impact on peak brightness. Even if the screen was filled with 100% white (zero contrasting pixels, in other words), adjusting the 'contrast' brightened the whites. This tells us that that setting actually tweaks both contrast and overall brightness.

Unfortunately, raising the 'contrast' setting had the negative effect of brighting the black level. You might think that the black levels would have been affected by tweaks to the 'brightness' setting, but this was not the case. The 'brightness' had absolutely no impact on the black levels, if kept within the range of about 40-80 (one thing to note about that 40-80 range: the numbers and scales in a TV's menu are completely arbitrary, and do not relate to a fixed scale or percentage). As a result of the downturn in black level performance, the contrast ratio took a big hit.

But, much to our surprise, the color performance improved. Our calibration process is guided primarily by making sure the colors look good, but this reader's settings surpassed our own. We saw marginal improvements to color temperature consistency and RGB color curves, but there was a whopping difference in the Color Gamut test, which measures the TV's ability to conform to the rec. 709 color standards.

It seems that when the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is in THX mode, certain processing is put into place that affects the color performance. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell what this processing is. The dozen or so visible settings don't account for leap in performance. Because the display does not allow you to determine what this processing is, we can't test with it. We can't create a standardized set of tests that use settings we can't tweak.

So, dear readers, there you have it. Life is full of little compromises, and so is this TV.

Video Modes

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 has five video modes for those that prefer a one-touch solution rather than fiddling with each and every setting. Panasonic once again managed to snag the coveted THX branding, which (by contractual obligation, no doubt) includes the humorously bombastic description. Most of the language below is borrowed from the instruction manual.

Other Models in the TC-PxxVT20 and VT25 Series
This is a review of the Panasonic TC-P50VT20. 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-P50VT25 50 inches	Panasonic TC-P54VT25 54 inches	Panasonic TC-P58VT25 58 inches	Panasonic TC-P65VT25 65 inches