REVIEWS / PLASMA / PANASONIC INDIA PVT LTD

Panasonic VIERA TH-P50ST30D Review

16 Apr, 2012, 9:23 am IST | by Aaron Almeida | Plasma

Plasma

The stylish P50ST30D offering from Panasonic

The stylish P50ST30D offering from Panasonic
Base is very sturdy
The bezel is not very thick
NeoPlasma panel used with this TV
Extremely slim for a plasma television
VIERA branding located at the top left corner
No buttons located at the front
Loads of connectivity options here

PRICE IN INDIA

Free

TECH2 RATING

7.0

AVERAGE USER RATING

8.0

How we test

CONTACT

Panasonic India Pvt Ltd

 prdesk@npi.panasonic.co.in

 +91 124 4596 600

 www.panasonic.co.in


Performance
To test the performance of the TH-P50ST30D, we ran videos of Blu-rays, external hard drives, DisplayMate and a range of other tests. To start off, the remote control is extremely responsive and one need not point it directly at the television. We found that handling of the remote was good as it is ergonomically designed. The buttons are large and this plays a big role in navigating through the different menus. The speakers on this television are pretty good and are sufficient for a medium-sized home. One need not turn them up too high for it to be audible.

Extremely slim for a plasma television

Extremely slim for a plasma television

 


DisplayMate
We did not need to adjust the brightness or contrast levels at all as in normal picture mode, the words on-screen appeared detailed and the greys and whites appeared accurate. While checking the extreme grey scales with colour bars we observed that all basic colours had been properly reproduced. However, the seam between the blue and green bars was a bit soft in comparison to others. In the defocusing, blooming and halos check we observed that there was a lot of detail. In the reverse video contrast check all the characters had sharp edges and appeared uniformly. The colours in this test appeared accurate and all characters appeared in focus. While checking the primary colours, we noticed that all colours appeared natural except for yellow, which was dull, and green which appeared vibrant. In the colour intensity scales test we observed that all scales were visible and there was no bleeding noticed across all the bars.

SD Playback
During playback of standard definition content we observed  that image quality was really good and all skin tones appeared natural. During the tests we turned all the enhancements down and we observed that there was no extra smooth effects visible. With the enhancements on we noticed that though it appeared smooth, it did not make much of a difference overall. The black levels of this television are something that really stood out. With the lights turned down in the room, one can really enjoy watching dark scenes on this television. The TV handles external bright environments really well and even with the lights on, one can make out the deep black levels.

Base is very sturdy

Base is very sturdy

 


HD Playback
To test the high definition quality of this TV, we connected a number of Blu-ray players. There is a strange issue which occurs between Philips players when paired with Philips Blu-ray players wherein the disc starts playing but after that an error occurs on-screen and then none of the controls of the television can be accessed. This was prevalent with two Philips players. We also paired it with a Panasonic home theatre system and this error did not occur. Viewing HD content on this television is a thrill as one can certainly enjoy the movie experience. This can also be felt while watching HD files from a portable hard drive. All colours appeared natural and one can enjoy this television the best when the picture mode is set to Cinema.

3D Playback
Switching to 3D is as simple as a tap of  button. The television instantly switches on to 3D mode and the depth is apparent. Black levels while in 3D mode are really good as well and a notable mention regarding  this TV is that there is a very slight amount of crosstalk.

The stylish P50ST30D offering from Panasonic

The stylish P50ST30D offering from Panasonic

 


Verdict
The Panasonic TH-P50ST30D is sold in India at an MRP of Rs. 1,19,900. The television does well when it comes to its design and build quality. The features and performance is where the television really excels. There is nothing that is going wrong for this television at all except for maybe the price in comparison to the cost of LED LCD TVs nowadays. However, this television is also priced very attractively and given its features and performance, Panasonic have truly hit the sweet spot when it comes to the price, design and features. If one is in the market with a lakh and twenty thousand to spend and plasma is their choice of panel; then this model is a sure shot.

 

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Performance - Verdict


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Would you buy it?




 


How We Test

The Tech2 Labs receives many products every single week and each of them is tested with the utmost care and highest level of objectivity. There’s a constant effort to reduce and totally eliminate subjectivity. Each product is tested according to set test processes so the same test scenario is used.

Verdict
The ratings awarded to a product are derived from a number of tests and calculations, keeping certain important factors in mind. These factors consist of features, performance, quality and value for money. In case of software and some other categories, build quality might be replaced with ease of use or ease of installation. Products are compared with other products in a similar price range or product category.


Features
The features component of the score is rated based on the kind of features present on a particular product. Features are a big part of what people look for when they’re buying a new product such as a phone or a camera.

Performance
The performance score is derived from the benchmarks and tests run on the product. In case of the subjective scores, an average of the scores given by the group of reviewers is considered.

Build Quality
The build quality of a product is important so that it doesn’t fall apart after some use. The build quality scores from the way the product is designed and the kind of materials used in the product.

Value
Value for money comes from the fact that a cheap product is able to provide most of the performance of a higher priced product. Once again, value for money is judged by comparing pricing and performance of products in a particular price range or category. 

There are many other aspects of the product that are looked at such as the bundled software and accessories. All of these scores are aggregated together to form the final score.

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

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