At its annual convention which is this year held in Hamburg, Panasonic has launched its top-end VT50 series of Smart Viera plasma TVs for the UK and Europe. The VT50 will be the Japanese manufacturer’s flagship product among all the twelve ranges (six plasma-based; six LED/ LCD-based) of HDTV displays unveiled this afternoon.
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| Panasonic TX-P50VT50 & TX-P55VT50 3D plasma TVs launched |
The Panasonic VT50 will come in three screen sizes for European markets: a 50-inch Panasonic TX-P50VT50, a 55-inch TX-P55VT50, and a 65-inch TX-P65VT50. The equivalent models that will go on sale in the United Kingdom are the Panasonic TX-P50VT50B, TX-P55VT50B and TX-P65VT50B – the “B” suffix simply denotes the 3-pin-plug British version. We have been informed that the VT50 won’t come in a 42-inch flavour, which means that those with limited space may have to settle for the step-down GT50 series.
At first glance, there is not much in terms of specifications that we do not already know about from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 in Las Vegas last month. The Panasonic VT50s will feature full HD resolution in both 2D and 3D, Infinite Black Ultra panel with Deep Black hues complemented by High Contrast Pro Filter, fast-switching phosphors, 2500 FFD (Focused Field Drive) and 24,576-step gradation technology, 2D-to-3D conversion, 2D and 3D THX certification, ISFccc calibration mode, minimalistic one-sheet-of-glass design, as well as Viera Connect internet-enabled platform with integrated web browser and WiFi.
A dual-core Pro4 processor on board allows for seamless multitasking between apps within the Viera Connect portal, and also unrestricted web browsing (i.e. websites with Flash can be displayed without any problem). The Panasonic TX-P50VT50, TX-P55VT50 and TX-P65VT50 will ship with a Viera Touch Pad controller and two pairs of the company’s latest active-shutter 3D glasses included with each package.
Prices have not been officially set yet, but Panasonic representatives have hinted at the event that they would range from £2000 for the 50VT50 to £4000 for the 65-incher. The Panasonic TX-P50VT50B is scheduled to hit UK shops towards the end of March, while the TX-P55VT50B and TX-P65VT50B should arrive early April.
Do the Plasmas still carry on with fans at the back? Also they mentioned at CES that their sets are now brighter, is there any evidence of that?
They do look much more attractive than last year’s sets.
@ David L
From what I remember there are still (almost silent) fans.
And yes, they are definitely brighter.
Are we likley to see price drops on last years models when these are released?
Yes, but you’ll have to be quick. They seem to be quite good at quickly clearing out stock of old models when the new ones appear.
Just wondering if there’s much difference between the GT and VT this year. I have been on the edge of purchasing a 42GT30 or a 42VT30 for ages now, I love the aesthetic of the VT, but there’s not TOO much difference in the feature set, yet it costs about twice the amount!
If the GT50 is a good looking as the current VT30, I might settle for that (perhaps the saving will pay for isf calib).
The 50 in seems to be cheaper than the 47in TX-L47WT50B, odd if they’re suppsed to be top of the range.
the p50 is a plasma, and the l47 is an lcd. production cost of big lcd’s is mutch higher, thats why the 50 is cheaper.
Are there any slight differences in spec between the 50″ and 55″ inch
Model???
OMG, I can’t wait for the arrival of 55VT50. My guts will explode because of excitement :)) I have a 3 year old 46″ Panny (PZ85) and it’s time to replace it. I even discard a chance of getting a Sammy 55D7000 for 50% price cut. (Yeah, I know that edge-lit LEDs suck due to clouding, screen unifotmity issues, backlight bleeding, motion processing,…bla bla bla… It has a fascinating bezel, though :) )
Every review talks about picture… but what about SOUND!!
A good programme or film is nothing without good sound and should not require a separate system to create it at this price.
Last year the GT & VT30’s were not hailed for thier sound quality.
What is the state of the sound this year.
I want to buy a big LCD TV.Around 1000 pounds.I dont need 3d or internet,i want excellent picture.I have sky hd, i want to use it with a blue ray, and i not want plasma.the room i have is pretty big and i will hang tv on wall.
So if anyone can give me advise on which tv to buy i would be so grateful.manythanks,David
@David D
I must dissagree there is i big difference between GT and VT (2011 series) but if you just look at the spec sheet you wont find much difference cuz Panasonic sucks on explaning the difference.
But if you se it in real life there is no question about it the VT is better. But for most of us it comes down to pure economics.
Whatever happened to the Voice Control and Voice Guidance features that was mentioned in two previous articles? I haven’t seen either feature mentioned in the specs or reviews.
Which is the best panasonic or visio ?
Vizio makes better TVs today than it did in the past but it still can’t compete with Panasonic when it comes to some important terms like picture quality, brightness,black levels etc. Plus,Panasonic still produces the best Plasma TVs in the market.
hi bro ? The approximate power consumption values??, what happens?
Panasonic has fantastic image quality! If you ask me what is the best tv, I would answer that with Panasonic anytime.
I`m so confused, I`m not really a tech person but I do like a good quality picture, I recently purchased Samsung UE55ES6540 LED HD, for the picture quality is pretty much perfect, I found that on the back black background I`m getting patches of cloud like spots more or less all over the screen, setting had been adjusted but no joy in removing the pathes , the good thing is the retailer is taking it back as I only had it for only 2 months it also judders slightly and found that the 3D isn”t really that great which on a whole a little disappointed with with the tv, I`ll be watching movies mainly and some gaming on the xbox. Going from I retailer to another I`m confused on what to buy as some say stick with LED and some say go for the plasma technology, I”ve been put off with LED or shall I give it another go again I was thinking on splashing out and getting Panasonic TX-P55VT50B Plasma or Sony Bravia KDL55HX853 or even the Samsung 8000. so my Question to you guys for around £2300 on a 55″ what`s going to be value for my money for that price range
What colour are those spots that appear on your black screen? You seem to be having a dead pixels or stuck pixels problem. Have you tried calling samsung customer service. I had a similar issue with my LG LCD TV. I called the service and they took back the LCD and sent me a new LED TV.
If you are planning to buy a new TV and want this for gaming mainly, check for input lag first.
Sometimes, a high priced TV can also upset you due to severe input lag.
I`ve spoken to Samsung even had there engineer come out, he said they could change it due to the clouding but it would be pot luck if the new one would even be any better. I`m going to use it for mainly watching movies and some gaming, I can live with the bright whites not been so sharp on a plasma but I seem to be getting this clouding and sometimes it does lag, the retailer I bought it from from is picking it up monday, it`s a shame I was warming up to the Samsung brand can`t really fault there customer service on there quick responce , still looking for the right tv, the panasonic vt50 range still looks promising, any other recommendations would be grateful