This new model, however, is a full-fledged TV set. The earlier model, the TH-50PHW3, was simply a monitor with neither an NTSC nor a DTV tuner the only way to hear anything from it was to connect it to an outboard audio system-and it cost $4000 more than the TH-50PX25U/P. I wouldn't call that fat, but the TH-50PX25U/P is noticeably more substantial than its predecessors. The last Panasonic 50-inch plasma I reviewed (favorably), in 2002, was 3.9 inches deep-typical for plasmas. To contain all this new hardware, the new sets are not quite as svelte as their predecessors: The TH-50PX25U/P's base (not its stand) is a silver panel almost 6 inches high, and the TV is thicker than earlier Panasonics or other plasmas I've seen. A Panasonic executive told me early this year that the company hoped it could meet that requirement by building the receivers into all of its plasmas. Panasonic was the first company to receive Cable Labs' certification for this feature.īeginning July 1, 2004, Panasonic and every other television manufacturer were required to build DTV receivers into 50 percent of all TVs with screens 36 inches or larger. All five sets also include a CableCARD slot so the TVs can receive digital cable programming without a cable box. All three models (plus two less expensive standard-definition panels) include both NTSC and ATSC high-definition tuners for reception (with an antenna) of analog and digital over-the-air programming. There are also similar Viera models at 42 inches ($5999.95) and 37 inches ($4999.95). The company has its own plasma research facility in New Jersey, which I once visited, and its plasma products stand comfortably among the top rank of companies in this field.Īs Sony has with its Wega line of high-end displays, Panasonic has invented what appears to be a largely meaningless but supposedly catchy moniker, Viera, for the line that includes the 50-inch set reviewed here: the TH-50PX25U/P ($7999.95). While I've picked at problems with the company's CRT TVs over the years, I've never found anything but near-complete satisfaction with its plasmas. I always look forward to reviewing a Panasonic plasma TV.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |