Panasonic VIERA TH-P65VT30D Review

The pace of evolution of flat panel televisions is staggering. We’ve seen plain LCD TVs evolve into ultraslim LED backlight displays in under a decade. Plasma televisions have been around all this while, but customers haven’t really adopted them, due to a number of reasons. First, there was the price and the higher power consumption rate. Recently, we reviewed one of the best LED-backlit TVs around - the Sony KDL-55HX925. The biggest and the most happening plasma television TV around is the Panasonic P65VT30D. It’s being talked about all over the web and if you’re looking for a top-end plasma display, this should be in the list and we’re going to be reviewing it

Lightweight active 3D glasses

Earlier last year, we received the Panasonic P65VT20D - the massive 65-inch plasma television. Plasma televisions rarely offer the slim designs that one can find on LED-backlit and traditional LCD TVs. Plasma TVs are known for their sizes and this P65VT30D model is even more impressive than its predecessor. Of course, a plasma TV these days is more than just a TV. This particular P65VT30D model boasts of a number of features, including 3D in high-definition.

On Video: Panasonic VIERA TH-P65VT30D

The downward facing rear connectors

The physical controls for the TV are placed on the right side of the screen, facing the rear. All the input and output connectors are located on the left, at the back and these inputs and outputs are down and side facing. This enables one to mount the television against a wall and not have wires hanging outwards from the back. Connectivity options include a SD card slot on one side, a digital audio out port, USB ports and HDMI ports. The downward facing I/O options include the RCA connector for traditional cable TV connections, the ability to connect to the Internet via an Ethernet port, component, composite and other ports. Cooling has been taken care of by the four fans that are housed underneath the metal back panel. There is not much heat emitted from the television, in comparison to some of the other plasma TVs that we reviewed.

The stand of this TV is pretty large and like the rest of the TV, it too has a black glossy finish. The television remains stable on the stand and it ought to be, considering the size and weight. The remote control that came bundled with the television is littered with buttons. This is mostly the norm with remote controls that come with smart televisions. The quality of the buttons is good, and can withstand the wear and tear of daily usage over a considerable period of time. The television uses active 3D glasses and they look pretty stylish. The glasses aren’t very bulky, so those with spectacles can wear them without much problem.

Remote feels sturdy

Summing up the design and build quality, this is a stylish looking television, despite its big size. The build quality is quite good as well, but due to its glossy finish, one can expect a fair amount of residue from fingerprints on the bezel.

Features
The Panasonic P65VT30D uses a top of the line plasma panel - it’s being called a NeoPlasma panel. The advantage it has is that it consumes less power, as compared to other plasma panels. Panasonic claims that the panel offers better picture quality in 2D as well as 3D, better black levels and wider viewing angles. Considering its price, it’s bound to be an impressive panel, but whether it’ll perform better than a top of the line, LED backlit display, is to be seen.

The simple appearance of the interface

The interface of this television is pretty intuitive and the home screen features widgets, such as options for Viera link control, photo, video, music, Viera connect and media server. Everything has been streamlined - for example, plug in an external drive and a preview of the clips show up when you access the Videos section. It’s same with the Photos menu - a background tune plays when you’re browsing. Users can choose to disable this music, switch between three presets or select a user defined track. The settings of this television can be accessed via the menu button on the remote control and while in this main menu, one can tweak the settings of the picture, sound, timer and setup.

Then, there are the others found on any other high-end TV today - 3D support and for those who don’t have ready 3D content, there is an option to convert 2D to 3D instantly, on-the-go. One of the neat things about the TV is that you can switch between modes by pressing a dedicated buton on the remote control. Some other TVs require you to go through complicated menus to enable the 3D mode. Media playback has been taken care of well. The television can read both NTFS as well as FAT32 drives, which gives one the ability to view content easily on this large screen by merely plugging in the drive. HD 1080p content is supported across all formats.

The controls at the side are easily accessible

The TV can playback a range of media formats, such as Motion JPEG, MP4, DivXPlusHD, MKV, WMV, JPEG, etc. Apart from the above mentioned features, the TV also has capabilities, such as Viera Connect, DLNA, a refresh rate of 600Hz and Panasonic’s V-Audio ProSurround, which they claim provides clarity, rich sound as well as lifelike dialogue. Overall, the features of the Panasonic P65VT30D are very impressive.