Update: we've now published our full and in-depth Panasonic TX-P50VT20B review
The Panasonic Viera TX-P50VT20 will be the very first 3D TV to hit UK shores and it's a masterpiece.
We got our first look at the £2,000 3D TV at Panasonic's annual launch event in Munich this week - it's certainly a great-looking set, and well-specified too.
Panasonic struck a panel-sharing deal with Pioneer at the beginning of last year – a deal which included a Pioneer promise to hand over the patents protecting its own market-leading but now extinct Kuro plasmas.
Rumour has it that these new 2010 NeoPDP plasmas are the first Panasonic TVs to come sprinkled with that Pioneer magic. Certainly, the 'Infinite Black Pro' label and a 5,000,000:1 native contrast ratio would indicate this.
3D TV features
The VT20 series, which also includes the super-expensive 65-inch TX-P65VT20 3D TV, comes with the already-established 600Hz sub-field drive 'Intelligent Frame Creation Pro' tech which uses interpolation to smooth over the motion judder that comes from most source material.
And other assorted features include a generous helping of HDMI inputs, DNLA-network access and Viera Cast web TV, as well as two USB slots which can be used to attach external storage not only for playing back videos and viewing pictures, but also for recording TV.
It goes without saying then, that this is a leviathan in the TV world – a genuine world-beating televisual monster. We haven't yet been able to view the TV in test conditions, but the pre-production samples at the brightly lit show oozed class.
Playback of high-definition video was beautiful as expected, but, of course, it's the 3D aspect which makes this TV so interesting.
The third dimension
If you spend the (minimum, maybe more than) £2,000 required to bag yourself one of these TVs, included in the box will be two pairs of IR battery-powered 3D specs. Panasonic's 3D TVs use a different 3D system to that you've probably experienced at the cinema.
Consequently, the 3D glasses will cost possibly as much as £100 each if you want to buy additional pairs.
Click to see full-res version
3D TV: What the pictures look like without the battery-operated 3D glasses
We found the 3D specs fairly uncomfortable, actually, and while they look stylish, the amount of light that creeps in from the sides can be distracting. And this is by no means our biggest complaint about 3D on the small screen.
We find watching 3D pictures, through 3D glasses, on TVs extremely awkward and uncomfortable. The novelty value of watching 3D on a TV is certainly compelling – but after a while it's just distracting, and it's punishing on the eyes.
If you suffer from eyestrain, you just won't like it. It's that simple.
What's more, our reaction was echoed amongst a good proportion of the other tech journalists who made the trip to Munich.
We were able to watch various sports in 3D, we played Avatar: The Game in 3D, we watched film and TV clips in 3D. But our opinion didn't really change – if we had owned this TV, we'd spend most of the time watching in crystal-clear 2D – it's just a lot more relaxing that way.
Other drawbacks, of course, include the fact that to actually make use of the 3D features, you'll need to drop more cash on either a 3D Blu-ray player, or pay for a subscription to Sky 3D (no word on how much of a premium will be added to this service yet).
In conclusion then, there's no denying that this TV is exciting. The consensus was one of admiration across the board.
However, our opinion about 3D TV is still one of scepticism. It would be unfair to criticise Panasonic for this though – the same applies to Samsung and LG and all the other TV manufacturers who've been experimenting with 3D.
Panasonic says that its 3D-ready sets carry a premium of around £350, so we'll be very interested to see just how many people think early adoption of 3D is a worthwhile investment.
Your comments (5) Click to add a new comment
3dgizmo
March 12th 2010
5. >or pay for a subscription to Sky 3D (no word on how much of a premium will be added to this service yet).<
Sky have said that 3D will be free, if you already subscribe to their top package.
Guy
http://www.3dtvreviewer.co.uk/
Alert a moderator
carl_d
February 19th 2010
4. really not convinced by the need for 3Dtv. I truly hope that the same spec tv's as available WITHOUT the 3d option so we dont have to pay the premium for something we dont want (but can still get access to high spec machines).
i really want this telly but dont want 3d... should be an optional extra in my book
Alert a moderator
ripsnorter
February 18th 2010
3. Gaming is definitely going to push 3D, and footy and wildlife docs, but I do wonder about the cost aspects. When you consider Blu-ray still lacks the killer application, as reported here on my favourite website without nekkid women, persuading consumers to take the 3D plunge is going to take a lot of doing. There needs to be large amounts of affordable content and you can bet Sky is going to charge a premium for its service, which places it in the niche/novelty category.
Alert a moderator
nicolasmerritt
February 18th 2010
2. That depends on what you are watching. I can see how 3D might improve football, giving a better sense of offsides and stuff like that. I can see how 3D might improve the immersive aspects of gaming. And the drama of wildlife documentaries. And maybe some movies, like Avatar, where the spectacle is as important as the story. But I agree it won't be the solution for everything. But to succeed, it doesn't have to be.
Alert a moderator
ripsnorter
February 18th 2010
1. I'm reserving final judgement until more photos are published or the set hits the shops, but it does appear Panasonic still hasn't got the hang of designing sets that look good switched off as well. But right now I see acres of plastic bezel and a light reflecting metal strip. Not good.
As you point out, to go properly 3D means dropping a considerable amount of money and I share your scepticism. How many people are going to throw out/upgrade existing systems?
I had a demo of Sony's 3D and yes, it was impressive in its this-is-a-demo way. But the glasses, which I wore over my normal ones, were also less than comfortable. And to bang the fmailiar drum, it's not about watching the technology, it's about good stories being well told and does that really require 3D? It hasn't up till now.
Alert a moderator
Tell us what you think
You need to Log in or register to post comments