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When I reviewed Panasonic's entry-level 2009 50-inch plasma TV back in April, the TC-P50X1, I mostly liked what I saw aside from one strange issue: the screen showed faint diagonal lines seemingly embedded in there. See the bottom of this post if you're interested in the full description from the review.

Fast-forward to late July, more than halfway through the product's lifespan, and it seems Panasonic has fixed the problem. The company sent yet a third TC-P50X1, and it didn't exhibit the diagonal lines.

That's all well and good, and Panasonic deserves credit for finally addressing the problem. But questions remain, and Panasonic has not been forthcoming.

On August 12, I asked the company a series of follow-up questions, including, "Exactly when did the change get implemented? Did the 42-inch model have the same problem? If so, was the same change implemented? Is there any way for a consumer who's shopping for an X1 plasma to tell whether the panel is an old one or a new one, aside from looking directly for the diagonal lines? Is there any sort of serial number cutoff? Can current owners who have the old, flawed panel exchange it for a new one? If so, how?" and, "Please provide an explanation of what the lines were and why they're present on the old one and not the new one."

What I've received in response after a week of waiting for a reply was pretty unsatisfying.

… Read more

In our review of Panasonic's G10 plasma we discussed how it competed for picture quality supremacy against Pioneer's now-discontinued Kuro PRO-111FD--still the best HDTV ever--and how ultimately it couldn't quite match the Kuro.

The same basic story stays true for the TC-PV10 series, but it's even better than the G10.

This Panasonic plasma has the same deep blacks that grace its less-expensive little brother, and adds a couple of key improvements: better video processing to handle 1080p/24 sources and more picture adjustments that allow it to transcend the limitations of THX mode. Its picture should … Read more

The Jitterbug phone was supposed to make it easy for anyone to call 9111. Seems they left out the people in remote rural areas. Oh, well. Nobody's perfect. It's not like lonely people in remote rural areas need emergency help, right? Also Zune HD is coming in fall and Vista SP2 is here now!

Zune HD gets official http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/05/27/zune-hd-gets-official/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10249364-56.html

Microsoft releases Vista SP2 http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10249913-75.html… Read more

CNET did not review the 42-inch Panasonic TC-P42X1, but we did review a larger model in the series, the 50-inch TC-P50X1. The two plasma HDTVs are identical but for screen size and native resolution--the 50-inch model has a resolution of 1,366x768, whereas the 42-incher's resolution is 1,024x768--although both are called "720p" (more info). We don't expect that resolution difference to have a major effect on picture quality.

In our review of the 50-inch model we did notice a pattern of faint gray lines across the screen. Unfortunately, since we didn't review the 42-inch … Read more

The capability of a TV to reproduce a dark shade of black is the number-one criteria for awarding a good picture quality score here at CNET. Often better blacks dictate higher prices, but in the case of Panasonic's newest line of entry-level plasmas, which includes the TC-P50X1, that's not the case. This HDTV reproduces superb blacks and excellent shadow detail, while costing a relative pittance for a big-screen HDTV.

Unfortunately, two major problems prevent it from earning higher praise, namely that it suffers from less than accurate color and the presence of faint onscreen lines that may be … Read more

Ever since we called the Pioneer Elite Kuro PRO-111FD the "best flat-panel HDTV ever," we've been comparing the most expensive challengers on the market directly against it, looking to see if any could topple the champ. When Panasonic announced the TC-PG10 series at CES, we immediately knew it would go up against the Kuro in our lab. What we didn't know is that Pioneer would stop producing HDTVs, leaving the hill wide open for anybody to claim the king's throne.

The Panasonic G10 series is the new king. No, it's not as good overall … Read more

The TC-PG15 series sits near the top of Panasonic's extensive plasma lineup for 2009. These three displays are very similar to the company's TC-PG10 series, aside from styling. The G10s have a silver fade along the bottom of the frame, while the G15s are all black, and the G15s boast thinner panels: 2.1 inches versus about 4 inches on the G10 models. The TC-PG15 series also lacks a 54-inch screen size, and costs about $100 more than the G10s. It's reserved for "regional retail" sales channels, while the mainstream G10 series is available nationwide.… Read more

For HDTV shoppers who recognize that burn-in and product lifespan, two bugaboos that have plagued the public perception of plasma TVs since their introduction, are largely not worth worrying about today, one potential hurdle on the path to plasma remains: power consumption. Plasma has always used significantly more power than LCD. Panasonic aims to narrow that gap with a new plasma display panel it calls, naturally, Neo PDP. The least expensive of the company's numerous 2009 plasma models to boast the new panel is the TC-PS1 series.

In our testing, we found that the S1 does indeed suck less … Read more

Our friend Gary Merson, aka the HD Guru, got his hands on some early pricing for certain Panasonic HDTVs--and now he's got some numbers for Panasonic's 1-inch thick plasma, the 54-inch TC-P54Z1. Not surprisingly, the "Z1" will set you back a pretty penny when it comes out this summer. Six grand to be exact.

Now, we love Merson, but we're not so sure his statement declaring the Z1 potentially "the hottest HDTV for 2009" is all that accurate. Yes, Panasonic's loaded the Z1 with lots of features and high-end specs--and it should … Read more