Panasonic's new VT20 series of televisions is picking up where its top of the range Z11 family left off last year.
These new TVs come with a plasma screen that uses active 3D technology, and are available in 50'' and 65'' versions. According to Panasonic, its Infinite Black Pro technology should allow them to reach a contrast ratio of 5 000 000:1.
3D Glasses
To get the full 3D effect, everybody who's watching will need a pair of glasses that are compatible with the TV in question. And the good news is that, unlike the Samsung UE46C7700 that we tested recently, the VT20 comes with two pairs of battery-powered glasses. If there are any more than two of you, though, you'll to buy some more; they cost around £150 a pair.
At that price, we'd expect some pretty solid glasses, and although they're a notch above Samsung's, Panasonic's still don't have the flexible rubber arms that are more comfortable to wear. You can expect them to pinch in above your ears, especially if you have a large head.
No 2D to 3D conversion
For the time being, it's still too early for a lot of 3D content readily available, which is why some manufacturers have devised a system of 2D to 3D conversation meaning you can watch TV programmes, DVDs or regular Blu-ray discs in 3D. For a lot of people, this is currently the main source of 3D content.
Panasonic didn't think the time was right to include this system on its first 3D TV though. According to the manufacturer, on-the-fly 2D to 3D conversion isn't yet a mature technology, but the VT20 is a very capable 3D Ready television: what it does do, it does well!'
And it's true that we encountered some problems with this type of conversion on the VT20's rival from Samsung, where a few details from the background ended up brought too far forward. In a film, we noticed one example where a character's right eye was pulled right out of the frame, as if it was sticking out, producing a very odd effect. Even though a majority of viewers are glad to have this workaround to watch in 3D, not everybody likes it, especially over the long term. Still, Panasonic could easily have included it and allowed users to activate it when they wanted.
3D Quality and Problems
For home use, manufacturers have plumped for active 3D technology. In this system, the 3D effect is created by showing alternate Full HD 1080p frames for each eye, with the glasses automatically covering the eye that isn't supposed to see the current frame.
The DMP-BDT300 Blu-ray 3D player
Panasonic lent us its DMP-BDT300 Blu-ray 3D player and a Blu-ray 3D test disc to try out with the VT20. As with the Samsung UE46C7700, the results are impressive, and the 3D effect is as convincing as it is when you try it at the cinema. Things jump out the screen and you really get a sense of depth of field. However, Panasonic still has a few little problems, and we noticed some crosstalk in our tests. This is a type of interference between the signals for the left and the right eye and is visible when some objects appear to be doubled.
Our side-by-side test card
To really see this problem, we used the test card above in side-by-side mode. The frame is actually divided in two, with the left-hand side going to the left eye, and the right-hand side going to the right eye.
The second problem with 3D on the VT20 is that wearing the glasses reduces the brightness. We measured a drop in brightness of around 75%, compared to just 60% using Samsung's. Plasma TVs are already less bright than LCDs, so if you want to watch a 3D film and get the most out of it, you'll need to make sure you're in a dark room.
Build Quality and Design
Although we're glad to see an effort on Panasonic's part, the glossy screen still suffers from reflections. You'll need to be careful about where you put the TV to make sure that no direct light sources are hitting it.
Design is clearly not this TV's strong point. The 50'' version of the VT20 measures nearly four inches from front to back. The frame--which is rather chunky for our liking--is in glossy black plastic and it sits on a rather boring looking base. Looking at it, we had a hard job convincing ourselves this was Panasonic's latest top of the range offering. Another disappointment came with the remote control, which hasn't had a serious redesign for years. We would have liked it to have had a nicer finish and backlighting.
Videoconferencing over Skype is built-in, but everything else matches the specs of Panasonic's 2009 range of TVs: four HDMI inputs, a network port to access online content, motion blur reduction, THX certification and a multimedia player. This last element is less attractive than it might seem though: only storage devices formatted as FAT32 and a handful of video file formats are supported, with no NTFS!
Recorder built in
In a welcome addition, the VT20 includes a feature that turns it into a digital recorder, a bit like Samsung's PVR-Ready system. Once you've added some storage like a USB key, you can format it for use with TV programmes you record. During this phase, the external storage device is tied to the TV using DRM to prevent you from sharing the files you've recorded.
Image Quality: Factory Settings
Image Quality: THX Mode
Fortunately, the 'THX' mode gets rid of most of these problems. However, we found that it produced a rather dark result. We suggest you turn the contrast up to 60, its maximum setting. Once we did that, we found the VT20 produced the best contrast ratio we've ever seen on a TV. On two separate test cards made up a dark background and 1% and 35% white, it reached 27 000:1 and 3000:1 respectively, or an average contrast ratio of just over 15 000:1. Colours, meanwhile, are compltely workable, without being absolutely perfect. One small detail: the ambient light detector is switched on permanently in THX mode. That said, it doesn't actually cause very big fluctuations in brightness.
Our final verdict is that with such deep blacks, natural colours and wide open viewing angles, this is a great plasma TV!
Upscaling SD sources to HD is a little too lightly done, which introduces a little bit of blurriness. On the other hand, if you start with a native HD source, the results are absolutely perfect. When you move to THX mode, the IFC system, which makes movements appear more fluid, is deactivated. When it is in use, it does its job well and movements are perfectly fluid. On the other hand, artefacts are introduced and are sometimes visible. Despite this small problem, the image quality is absolutely excellent. The VT20 isn't far from being the perfect television.
Audio Quality
It's rare that we find a TV with great quality sound, but the VT20 is the exception that proves to that rule. The audio is largely better than what we're used to hearing. Of course, it's still nowhere near good enough to replace a dedicated Home Cinema system.
Energy Consumtion
At just 0.1 W on standby, the energy consumption of the VT20 is very low and equivalent to most of its direct competitors. However, it's the amount of power that plasma screens use wen they're switched on that's their big problem. Our equipment recorded a leap up to 302 W--a lot more than an LCD TV.
These new TVs come with a plasma screen that uses active 3D technology, and are available in 50'' and 65'' versions. According to Panasonic, its Infinite Black Pro technology should allow them to reach a contrast ratio of 5 000 000:1.
3D Glasses
To get the full 3D effect, everybody who's watching will need a pair of glasses that are compatible with the TV in question. And the good news is that, unlike the Samsung UE46C7700 that we tested recently, the VT20 comes with two pairs of battery-powered glasses. If there are any more than two of you, though, you'll to buy some more; they cost around £150 a pair.
At that price, we'd expect some pretty solid glasses, and although they're a notch above Samsung's, Panasonic's still don't have the flexible rubber arms that are more comfortable to wear. You can expect them to pinch in above your ears, especially if you have a large head.
No 2D to 3D conversion
For the time being, it's still too early for a lot of 3D content readily available, which is why some manufacturers have devised a system of 2D to 3D conversation meaning you can watch TV programmes, DVDs or regular Blu-ray discs in 3D. For a lot of people, this is currently the main source of 3D content.
Panasonic didn't think the time was right to include this system on its first 3D TV though. According to the manufacturer, on-the-fly 2D to 3D conversion isn't yet a mature technology, but the VT20 is a very capable 3D Ready television: what it does do, it does well!'
And it's true that we encountered some problems with this type of conversion on the VT20's rival from Samsung, where a few details from the background ended up brought too far forward. In a film, we noticed one example where a character's right eye was pulled right out of the frame, as if it was sticking out, producing a very odd effect. Even though a majority of viewers are glad to have this workaround to watch in 3D, not everybody likes it, especially over the long term. Still, Panasonic could easily have included it and allowed users to activate it when they wanted.
3D Quality and ProblemsFor home use, manufacturers have plumped for active 3D technology. In this system, the 3D effect is created by showing alternate Full HD 1080p frames for each eye, with the glasses automatically covering the eye that isn't supposed to see the current frame.
The DMP-BDT300 Blu-ray 3D player
Panasonic lent us its DMP-BDT300 Blu-ray 3D player and a Blu-ray 3D test disc to try out with the VT20. As with the Samsung UE46C7700, the results are impressive, and the 3D effect is as convincing as it is when you try it at the cinema. Things jump out the screen and you really get a sense of depth of field. However, Panasonic still has a few little problems, and we noticed some crosstalk in our tests. This is a type of interference between the signals for the left and the right eye and is visible when some objects appear to be doubled.
Our side-by-side test card
To really see this problem, we used the test card above in side-by-side mode. The frame is actually divided in two, with the left-hand side going to the left eye, and the right-hand side going to the right eye.
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These two photos are both available at full resolution. Click on them to view them fullscreen.
Although the crosstalk is less than it is on the Samsung UE46C7700, it's still there.
Compared to the Samsung 3D TV that we tested, Panasonic's model suffers less from this problem. However, crosstalk means the final results are far from perfect. Part of the right-hand frame is visible on the left and vice versa. Our tests showed that this TV is most susceptible to crosstalk when it's showing a light object against a dark background. In the reverse case--a dark object on a light background--it's much harder to spot.Although the crosstalk is less than it is on the Samsung UE46C7700, it's still there.
The second problem with 3D on the VT20 is that wearing the glasses reduces the brightness. We measured a drop in brightness of around 75%, compared to just 60% using Samsung's. Plasma TVs are already less bright than LCDs, so if you want to watch a 3D film and get the most out of it, you'll need to make sure you're in a dark room.
Build Quality and DesignAlthough we're glad to see an effort on Panasonic's part, the glossy screen still suffers from reflections. You'll need to be careful about where you put the TV to make sure that no direct light sources are hitting it.
Design is clearly not this TV's strong point. The 50'' version of the VT20 measures nearly four inches from front to back. The frame--which is rather chunky for our liking--is in glossy black plastic and it sits on a rather boring looking base. Looking at it, we had a hard job convincing ourselves this was Panasonic's latest top of the range offering. Another disappointment came with the remote control, which hasn't had a serious redesign for years. We would have liked it to have had a nicer finish and backlighting.
Videoconferencing over Skype is built-in, but everything else matches the specs of Panasonic's 2009 range of TVs: four HDMI inputs, a network port to access online content, motion blur reduction, THX certification and a multimedia player. This last element is less attractive than it might seem though: only storage devices formatted as FAT32 and a handful of video file formats are supported, with no NTFS!
Recorder built in
In a welcome addition, the VT20 includes a feature that turns it into a digital recorder, a bit like Samsung's PVR-Ready system. Once you've added some storage like a USB key, you can format it for use with TV programmes you record. During this phase, the external storage device is tied to the TV using DRM to prevent you from sharing the files you've recorded.
Image Quality: Factory SettingsWith its factory settings, the VT20 uses 'Normal' mode, and, unsurprisingly, the results are more than questionable. The TV has been set up to produce the most striking image possible. The result is inaccurate colours with a very uneven luminosity curve.
By default, the colours are far from accurate
Image Quality: THX ModeFortunately, the 'THX' mode gets rid of most of these problems. However, we found that it produced a rather dark result. We suggest you turn the contrast up to 60, its maximum setting. Once we did that, we found the VT20 produced the best contrast ratio we've ever seen on a TV. On two separate test cards made up a dark background and 1% and 35% white, it reached 27 000:1 and 3000:1 respectively, or an average contrast ratio of just over 15 000:1. Colours, meanwhile, are compltely workable, without being absolutely perfect. One small detail: the ambient light detector is switched on permanently in THX mode. That said, it doesn't actually cause very big fluctuations in brightness.
Our final verdict is that with such deep blacks, natural colours and wide open viewing angles, this is a great plasma TV!
Average contrast ratio as measured in our lab: 15054:1
Upscaling SD sources to HD is a little too lightly done, which introduces a little bit of blurriness. On the other hand, if you start with a native HD source, the results are absolutely perfect. When you move to THX mode, the IFC system, which makes movements appear more fluid, is deactivated. When it is in use, it does its job well and movements are perfectly fluid. On the other hand, artefacts are introduced and are sometimes visible. Despite this small problem, the image quality is absolutely excellent. The VT20 isn't far from being the perfect television.
Audio QualityIt's rare that we find a TV with great quality sound, but the VT20 is the exception that proves to that rule. The audio is largely better than what we're used to hearing. Of course, it's still nowhere near good enough to replace a dedicated Home Cinema system.
Energy ConsumtionAt just 0.1 W on standby, the energy consumption of the VT20 is very low and equivalent to most of its direct competitors. However, it's the amount of power that plasma screens use wen they're switched on that's their big problem. Our equipment recorded a leap up to 302 W--a lot more than an LCD TV.
Pros
- Full HD 3D and good quality display
- Excellent contrast ratio: average of 15000:1
- Crosstalk less visible than on the Samsung UE46C7700
- Very wide viewing angles
- Good audio quality
Cons
- Glossy screen leads to reflections
- Glasses can get uncomfortable: no rubber tips
- Mediocre remote with no backlighting
- Slightly high energy consumtion: 302 W
- Ambient light detector can't be turned off in THX mode
Conclusion
The Panasonic VT20 produces a very good 3D experience, and in 2D, the image quality is absolutely exceptional. This is definitely one for Home Cinema fans!
OUR SCORE
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