Panasonic pro plasma provides prodigious PQ

The Panasonic TH-50PF11UK is a professional monitor that can serve amateur viewers well.

(Credit: CNET)

Panasonic markets its professional monitors, like the TH-50PF11UK I just reviewed, to hospitals, TV studios, and airports, but these displays will serve just as well in your own home. In fact, in past years they've delivered better picture quality and better value than the company's line of mainstream "consumer" models.

That's no longer the case--the company's best consumer plasmas, like the TH-50PZ800U, performed better than the TH-50PF11UK we tested--but the pro model still has excellent picture quality. In addition, its styling is about as compact and unassuming as you can get and makes a stark contrast against the flashy, glossy black found on most of today's plasmas. The TH-50PF11UK also comes with more control over the picture than other Panasonic plasmas.

The downside, as you may have guessed from repeated use of the word "monitor," is that the pro model lacks a TV tuner. It's also short on inputs and missing a stand and speakers. To some buyers, however, that minimalist approach is a good thing.

Read the full review of the Panasonic TH-50PF11UK.

Below you'll find the settings we found best for viewing the Panasonic TH-50F11UK in a completely dark room via the HDMI input with a 1080p, film-based source. Your settings may vary depending on source, room conditions, and personal preference. Check out the Picture settings and calibration FAQ for more information.

Picture Mode: Cinema
Picture: 25
Brightness: 4
Color: -4
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 0
Color Temp: Warm
Color Management: Off
Advanced Settings: On

Black Extension: Off
Input Level: 0
Gamma: 2.2
AGCL Off

W/B High R: 1
W/B High G: 6
W/B High B: 3
W/B Low R: -7
W/B Low G: -5
W/B Low B: 0

Setup menu
Power Save: On

Signal submenu
3:2 Pulldown: On
Noise Reduction: Off

[MCNI]

One of the differentiating features b/w the PZ800 and the PF series is the refresh rate which can be set at 50 or 100 Hz on the PF series. The previous CNET review of the 50PZ800 commented that the 24p setting on the max 48Hxz refresh rate was "unwatchable" which frankly is the only factor keeping me from buying one. How does this TV fare with 24p content at 50 and 100 Hz (or is 24p content dsiplayed at 48 or 96 Hz with no pulldown adjustment necessary in this mode)?

[katzmaier]

Hi MCNI,

I didn't test this issue, beyond confirming that the display will accept 24p sources, mainly because it doesn't refresh at a multiple of 24 (like 48, 72, etc). But I will take a look and update the review and this post next week (I'm out of the office today), since it's an interesting question and I'm curious myself, now that you mention it. FYI, I believe the 50Hz option is mainly for PAL, but I'll check them both out with 20p sources anyway and let you know.

David

[katzmaier]

er, I mean check it out with 24p content.

[elmoizme]

I have a PS3 and a BD-35 playing 24P content via HDMI to this monitor, 3:2 pulldown off. At 50Hz, there is flicker. More noticeable on some material than others. Switching to 100Hz, there is no flicker issue.

[MCNI]

Hi David, just wondering if you had a chance to test the refresh rate settings and measure their impact on PQ and display of 24p content. Are the sets refreshing at 100Hz with 24 or 96 Hz? Many thanks in advance.

[elmoizme]

Would the primary color performance still be considered poor if measured against DCI standards? (www.dcimovies.com)
DCI Stan Red x .680 y.320
DCI Stan Green x .265 y.690
DCI Stand Blue x.150 y.060