Panasonic TH-50PF9UK: Viewing Evaluation
I’ve been impressed in the past with the performance of the Panasonic plasmas. To really put this one through its paces, I viewed the set at 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i across component (HTPC) and 480p, 720p, and 1080i across DVI (from the OPPO 970HD). Other than increased clarity, the TH-50PH9UK performed similarly at all resolutions.
Author’s Note: The pictures of the display below do not do the display justice. There are obvious problems of taking a picture of an image on a direct-view pixel-based screen that’ simply are impossible to overcome (the reasons why images are always simulated in advertisements).
Crank
Jason Statham first crossed my path in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Of course he went on to star in the two Transporter movies as well. While his choice of scripts hasn’t been exactly to my liking, I have enjoyed his performances. When I saw the previews for Crank I immediately put it on my Netflix list. I was sure it would be a popcorn flick (all action, little substance), but I have a soft spot for such flicks. Hey I’m a guy.
As thin as the plot was (must have been from all the holes) the picture quality was really the most disappointing. The directors seemed to rely on MTV style Digital8 blurring action shots. I guess we’ve all got the Blair Witch Project to thank for that. The Panasonic TH-50PH9UK did the best it could with some mediocre material. The girlfriend’s dress, an impossibly colorful shirt at the end, plenty of textures… it all looked spectacular.
24: Season 6 Premiere
I couldn’t help but pick up this disc. For those of you living under a rock, 24 is arguably the best show on TV… perhaps ever. Never mind the neocon name-calling – that’s just a jealous competitor station’s way of getting some attention. Having two children (under the age of 4), I wasn’t exactly in the position to watch the 2 night, 4 hour premiere live (it started at 8pm, far too early for my young’uns). I DVR’ed it but I have standard cable. The picture quality is OK (once you get used to all the artifacts) but the sound really bites. Fox wants to make sure they give every possible person the chance to watch the hit show, so, in a marketing coup, they release the 4 hour premiere on DVD the week it was aired (TNT, USA, SciFi, and the like don’t do this, they just replay the same episodes over and over and over again for a weekend/week/ever). I was interested in the increased picture quality (of course) but mostly I wanted to enjoy 5.1 surround sound… Well, fat chance. Apparently they are saving surround sound for the official DVD release. This was in 2.1. Quite disappointed.
If nothing else, plasma’s do one thing well – blacks. The Panasonic TH-50PF9UK did not disappoint. 24 is full of vibrant colors, quick motion, and dark, dingy scenes. On all counts the TH-50PF9UK performed flawlessly. I so no evidence of macroblocking, banding, or other artifacts. Noise reduction is nowhere to be found, but with the right source, this will be reduced as well. I found myself transfixed by the clarity of the image. From 8 feet away, I could easily see pores, beads of sweat, and the amount of mascara they were wearing – and this from a standard definition DVD. During the outside scenes, I was particularly impressed with the color reproduction. Impossibly green grass, vibrant fabrics, and beautiful explosions kept you cognizant of this display’s abilities despite all the beiges and dark scenes. What was really funny was that I was watching the President watching his men on the same TV I was watching him on… Wait, I think I just sprained my brain.
Burn-in
I’ve said in the past that these Panasonic plasmas are fairly bulletproof. I got an Xbox 360 for Christmas so my plan was to play 6 straight hours of Halo 2 over Xbox Live. Well, that got nixed by the wife and her irrational need to use our home theater to watch TV and stuff. So it was on to my backup plan. I disabled the screensaver on the HTPC, put a menu up on the screen, and went to bed. A MCE screen that was mostly blue with bright white text dead center. If something was going to burn in, this was it. Six hours later, I’m up (I got to sleep in – yea!) and not a hint… not an iota of burn-in. Now, do I think you should do this? No. But I don’t think you should worry if you leave the weather channel on while you’re eating dinner either.
