Panasonic TC-P55ST50 3D Plasma HDTV Review

3D Effect & Experience

We can't slap the ST50 on its wrist for its 3D efforts, as they weren't any worse than Panasonic's earlier implementations, but they weren't much improved either. Subtle 3D effects look great, but the close-up foreground stuff still has major crosstalk problems.

Panasonic's current model of 3D glasses hold a nice charge, but it's a real no-no that consumers have to buy them separately. They're fairly comfortable over a long period of time, but don't leave much space to be worn on top of glasses. They're bulky and square and don't win any stylishness points.

3D Color

As you can see from the chart, the ST50's 3D visualizations suffer from color temperature error across the entire spectrum--some of this is minor, but some of it is visible, and you'll see it during content.

While the ST50 doesn't have perfect color curves even in 2D, its 3D curves are definitely even worse, as you can see from the chart below. We have to wonder if 3D's worth the trouble if it's going to screw with color production.

The 2D gamut, put up against the rec. 709, was decent though imperfect, but the 3D tested poorly, to no one's surprise. If you're really wowed by some kind of 3D content or are experiencing it for the first time, you likely won't notice this too much, but once the novelty wears off, it's the kind of problem to keep in mind if you're shopping specifically for the best 3D available.

3D Crosstalk

Like most 3D televisions from 2011 and 2012, crosstalk is a problem. It's not a huge problem with the ST50, but the usually culprits of same-hue background/foreground cause definitely noticeable crosstalk (which wrecks the immersion factor that 3D is going for in the first place), and of course, those 3D moments that are really pressing the limit of what they can get away with (the ones that make people avoid 3D entirely) cause some serious crosstalk issues.