Panasonic DLP TV Review

Model: Panasonic PT-50DL54 DLP Television
Description: 50-inch HDTV Rear-Projection DLP TV/Monitor, Widescreen 16:9 Format
Resolution: 1280 x 720 (WXGA)
Includes: Built-in 30W audio system, dual 181-channel NTSC tuners, integrated low profile DLP TV stand, and universal remote control
Color: Silver with black framing element around DLP TV screen
Reviewer: William Becker
Date: 11-15-04

INTRODUCTION

The PT-50DL54, utilizes Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology to deliver high-resolution images by coupling Texas Instruments's step-up HD2+ Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) chipset with original Panasonic optical structuring. DLP is an exceptionally bright technology and the technology can suffer somewhat in the darker scenes of picture images. The new technology that Panasonic has incorporated is focused on improving upon previous DLP efforts of other manufacturers, especially with regard to dark area processing and gray scale gradation settling.

PICTURE: 93/100

DLP technology has a number of inherent advantages over CRT-based RPTVs: more light output, always-perfect convergence, impeccable image geometry, and superb light/color uniformity across the screen. All these advantages of DLP display technology were in full evidence during our test drive of Panasonic's brand-new 50-inch DLP TV, the PT-50DL54. But more than just a big-screen picture, the PT-50DL54 proved capable of producing images that exhibited excellent contrast ratios (752:1 by our measurements), bolstered by sufficient blacks, and spot-on coloration. In fact, the greens on this Panasonic DLP unit were good enough to merit extra time spent screening sporting events like European club soccer matches and NFL football games.

The Panasonic PT-50DL54 has three preset picture modes (vivid, standard, cinema) and three color temperature settings (cool, normal, warm). Unfortunately, this Panasonic unit lacks a user-defined mode, which forces the viewer to tweak one of the existing picture modes. Doing so automatically adjusts another setting within this menu screen, the normal setting, which changes from set to no when the global picture presets have been altered. To restore the factory presets, highlight normal and then choose set.

Note: It is worthwhile jotting down one's numerical picture preferences, as Panasonic does not allow those particular settings to be saved as anything other than derivatives of vivid, standard, or cinema factory settings.

As expected, the primary difference between standard and vivid picture modes was their respective contrast settings (53 on a 0 to 63 scale for standard, 63 on a 0 to 63 scale for vivid). Aside from contrast settings, the standard and vivid settings were identical: brightness = 31 (on a 0 to 63 scale), color = 31 (on a 0 to 63 scale), and tint = 31 (on a 0 to 63 scale). In general, we found both picture modes to be slightly warm in terms of white balance and to tend toward gray-ish black levels. We found the cinema mode to be closest to our own Video Essentials-assisted calibrations, with brightness = 36, picture = 43, color = 24, and tint = 31. Set this way, and with color temperature set at normal, the PT-50DL54 looked its very best, with its deep, rich blacks stealing the show while imparting a punchy, natural, three-dimensionality to images -- something that DLPs with lesser black levels simply cannot achieve.

As soon as the opening scenes of Pirates of the Caribbean began to rush onto the screen of the Panasonic PT-50DL54, we were literally awed by its color fidelity. The colors were great, with near-perfect reds, blues, and greens closely matching the industry standard. The slightly bluish red of Jack Sparrow's bandana was spot on, as was the blood-shot pink quality of Captain Barbossa's beady eyes. Especially compelling was the coloration of Johnny Depp's sun-scorched, leathered face, which proved a stark contrast to the exquisite, maidenly pallor of Keira Knightly's porcelain face.

Panasonic has equipped its PT-50DL54 DLP TV with a lot of edge-enhancement circuitry. As a self respecting videophile, I turned it off, by adjusting the DLPs SHARPNESS function setting all the way down to 0 (on a scale of 63). I recommend you do the same to avoid this "POP" technology which really only serves to make the display literally pop on the showroom floor.

We tested different sources beginning with a DVD-originated signal at both 480i and 480p. The quality of this Panasonic's deinterlacer was apparent, as scaling artifacts, such as "scalloping" on moving objects as they cross horizontal lines, were absent. At 480p, there were occasional -- and largely inexplicable -- instances of false contouring, where gradations of color show up as discreet bands of color, the effect being not unlike that of looking at a topographical map. There was not much rhyme or reason to these episodes, though. With particularly tough scenes for fixed-pixel displays (like fog scenes, or images of the sky), the PT-50DL54 performed better than expected. Yet with a routine image like a face, the false contouring could be distracting. There were admittedly few appearances of such image artifacts, and they primarily occurred with 480p material. Images from X-Men, which we screened at 1080i, were artifact-free.

Naturally, the PT-50DWD54 looked its very best with 720p HDTV signals, which match up perfectly with its native resolution. NFL football (broadcast at 720p on Fox) exploded off the screen with an in-your-face type of realism and scale -- right down to the texture of the pigskin itself and the minute splaying of dirt by the players' cleats.

This Panasonic DLP's will perform as a computer monitor. It accepts the usual RGB signals (VGA, SVGA, and XGA), all of which looked pixelated on the PT-50DWD54's big screen. I preferred an SVGA signal to the others, mostly for its ease-of-viewing quotient. The arrow from the mouse was free of motion lag. The bright, scan-line free picture made working with and reading from electronic documents bearable, as did bumping up the unit's sharpness setting a bit, to about 45. My only disappointment was that I could not change the aspect ratio to widescreen for surfing the Web, since aspect is not an option with RGB signal inputs.

For a DLP TV, the Panasonic PT-50DL54 has exceptionally obtuse horizontal viewing angles -- in the neighborhood of 100° by our estimates. This is considerably wider than the 80° viewing angles most of us have grown accustomed to with DLP TVs. Vertically, the PT-50DL54 is best viewed within about 25-30° of eye level. Any more, and the contrast drops off noticeably, muting the otherwise bright screen.

The aspect button on the remote, which enables users to switch between viewing modes, is not available with 720p or 1080i input signals, or with RGB or HDMI inputs. Aside from the aforementioned computer display mode limitation, we were not troubled by any of the others. Presumably the affected signals and inputs (720p, 1080i, and HDMI) would have been in 16:9 formats anyway, except, perhaps, any 480i signal coming through an HDMI input, though one could easily transfer that signal through another input (component or even composite), thus circumventing the problem altogether.

What was a bit more troubling, though, was the dearth of display modes in general. There are only four: 4:3, zoom, full, and just. zoom expands 4:3 pictures uniformly to full screen width and then reposition the picture vertically (i.e., center it). full shows pictures at full screen size, which makes it especially good for watching full-screen anamorphic pictures, like the ones on DVDs. just stretches the right and left edges of a 4:3 picture to fill the screen, leaving the center of the picture untouched. This mode is only available with 480i input signals (i.e., SDTV). While the options are limited, the quality of the algorithmic scaling was impeccable, as image distortion (compression or elongation, for example) was minimal with zoom, full, and just display modes.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: 92/100

The Panasonic PT-50DL54 is quite similar to the Toshiba 52HM84, looks-wise, which is to say stylistically understated, with a monochromatic fascia and little in the way of flashy badges or front-panel lighting. It seems that Panasonic has adopted a middle-of-the-road tack in its DLP product design. The PT-50DL54 neither goes for an uber-futuristic look nor does it settle for a CRT-type throwback look. Instead, the styling of this DLP is at best simple and straightforward, not unlike much of the very highest-end electronic equipment on the market today.

Despite its imposing a 50-inch screen, the Panasonic DLP TV is astonishingly svelte for an RPTV, a mere 15.3 inches deep. Its speakers add to the PT-50DL54's overall width, which is nearly 56 inches.

This DLP TV ran fairly quietly, with just a slight humming noise emanating from its cooling fans on either side of the lower left- and right-hand sides of the unit. At the appropriate viewing distance (i.e., 6 to 8 feet), one will not be able to hear this DLP TV; however, up close, its mechanical whirring is a little louder than some of the DLPs we have had in recently.

In any case, whatever running noise this set produces will be drown out by the PT-50DL54's ample audio system, which consists of four separate speaker units (2 woofers + 2 tweeters) combining to produce 30W of sound. The mid-range tones sound especially good coming out of the PT-50DL54, which makes this an ideal option for dialogue-driven television content. It is not that the bass here is inconsequential -- because it is plenty deep for explosions to have some resonance -- just that these speakers cannot realistically compete with a surround-sound setup, since the speakers have the advantage of being spatially distinct from one another. Even so, the audio system included with this unit is extremely capable and will be more than adequate for viewers, who watch a balance of TV and DVD content. With the BBE viva 3d feature enabled, though, one does get the semblance of surround sound hassle-free, as it were. To enable the BBE virtual surround-sound feature on the PT-50DL54, select the sound portion of the on-screen menu, scroll down to viva 3d, select it, then select on.

The PT-50DL54's remote is more attractive and more functional than many DLP TV remotes, mostly because its face has been plated it a chrome-like material. Also noteworthy is Panasonic's battery configuration on this remote control. Rather than the usual horizontal alignment, they have gone with a vertical one -- end to end instead of side to side. This makes the remote far less bottom-heavy, and thus easier to balance when "choking up" on the remote, like when one changes the input selection, for example. The remote is fully backlit as well.

The PT-50DL54 comes with a bevy of connections, including 3 component inputs (rear); 3 composite inputs (2rear/1 front); 3 S-video inputs (2 rear/1 front); VGA/RGB input (rear); HDMI, HDCP-enabled digital interface (rear); an SD Memory Card slot (front); and a PC Card slot (front).

VALUE: 93.5/100

With an MSRP of $3499, the Panasonic 50DL54 is an excellent value, which affords videophile-quality images and coloration at less-than-videophile prices. Along with the Toshiba 52HM84, this Panasonic unit is one of the very best performing DLPs I have evaluated. The street price for this 50-inch DLP TV is approximately $2999, which makes it an astonishing value -- high-quality, high-definition pictures for about $60/in2! Comparable units include the Toshiba 52HM84, Optoma RD50, and RCA HDLP5063W.

Panasonic's PT-50DL54 is powered by a high-output florescent lamp, part # TY-LA2004. The lamp lasts from 6,000 to 10,000 hours, depending on usage tendencies. It is easy to replace, and a replacement bulb can be had for $299 + SH at Panasonic's Parts & Service Center.


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Panasonic DLP TV Review

INTRODUCTION

PICTURE: 93/100

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS: 92/100

VALUE: 93.5/100

OVERALL RATING (with Picture Double-Weighted): 93.4/100