Panasonic TC-P50C1 Plasma TV Review

If you have thought plasma TVs come only with hefty price tags attached, think again. Panasonic TC-P50C1 is one solution for you, the budget conscious consumer, as it comes with the necessary features one needs in a plasma TV, and all at an affordable price. For a 50 inch plasma TV, Panasonic TC-P50C1 may not be the trendiest around the block, but its overall performance imposes it as a reasonable choice when visiting online or brick and mortar stores. This Panasonic plasma TV is one step up from previous plasma models from the same manufacturer, while it cannot compete with newer series, like S1.

Note: This review only covers performance aspects. If you want to find out a bit more about features, design, connectivity and anti-glare performance, please also take a look at Panasonic TC-P42C1 Review.

Features

• Panel: G12 Progressive HD PDP (Plasma Display Panel)
• Resolution: 720p (HD-Ready)
• Contrast ratio: 15,000:1
• THX certification: NO
• 24p cinema mode: NO

Performance

One thing that clearly be said about this Panasonic plasma model is that, for the price, it surely delivers. Do not expect any fashionable features like THX certification, or 24p cinema mode, but rest assured that the picture quality and the general set of characteristics are not to disappoint. The panel the model exhibits comes from the last year’s stock, but that is to be expected from a low entry product like the one that is reviewed here. One aspect that may not sit well with those wishing for a plasma is its resolution: at 720p, it is obviously far from G10 or V10 models, and not exactly 2009 like for some tastes. Panasonic TC-P50C1 is not the only model from the manufacturer with 720p resolution, as it shares this particularity with the X1 series, which is still somewhat better.

Black Levels

What brings forward this model as a reasonable buy is the performance it sports in terms of black levels. Because the company was not stingy with implementing its newest technology in raising the quality of black levels in 2009 models, Panasonic TC-P50C1 enjoys the same care as its more expensive brothers. This means only one thing: that Panasonic TC-P50C1 is on par with V10 and G10, as long as this particular issue is concerned. As a result, its overall performance is above what one would expect from a low entry product, like this one.

Colors

Picture quality does not depend only on black levels, and it is a real shame that Panasonic TC-P50C1 cannot compete with more expensive models, when we talk about its color accuracy. It is not that the colors are not accurate enough, and maybe just a pretentious buyer could hold it against it, but there is an issue regarding the green dominance in the picture that cannot be easily overlooked. Plus, it has only half the contrast ratio X1 sports, which also makes it slightly weaker.

Video Processing

With only 720p resolution, and incapable of rendering 1080p content on its screen, Panasonic TC-P50C1 is mediocre at best, as long as its video processing capabilities are concerned. It can, however, deal with 1080i video content, but you need to have an outputting device knowledgeable of transposing 1080p content into 1080i format, in order to enjoy your plasma at its best.

Standard Definition (SDTV) Performance

Appearance of artefacts while watching standard definition content is, unfortunately, an issue with Panasonic TC-P50C1. At its best, we can say that you get what you pay for, as long as jaggies are still prone to appear on the screen, when the device is trying to upscale from a lower resolution.

Conclusion

The overall performance of Panasonic TC-P50C1 can be considered satisfactory, especially since you get to pay only a fraction of the price that costly competitive models demand of your wallet. While it is not the best plasma TV on the market, Panasonic TC-P50C1 can easily compete for the title of best low entry plasma on the market.