Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 review

The greatest plasma TV ever made, this TV will go down in history

Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 review
Editor's Choice
The Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 uses active 3D

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Usability

For the most part the Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 is laudably easy to use, considering what an exceptionally feature-heavy and sophisticated TV it is. Its My Home Screen smart TV interface is inspired, delivering the easiest to follow on-screen menus and simplest personalisation system we've seen from a TV to date.

The presentation is clear, the set-up system is comprehensive, and there's enough on-screen direction and help to ensure that not even the most technophobic user should ever feel confused.

The sheer volume of picture calibration tools could overwhelm the unprepared. But the technical stuff is sensibly tucked away out of sight of casual eyes, and even if you do seek the in-depth calibration tools out they're presented in quite a straightforward manner.

Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 review

The way you can use the calibration menus via your iOS or Android device rather than on the TV screen is superb, too.

Actually, the Viera Remote 2 app that contains the calibration features is generally excellent, enabling as it does screen sharing of what's on your TV with your smart device's screen, and 'casting' of what's stored on your smart device to the TV screen. The app interface for all these features is brilliantly intuitive, too.

The only bum note in the Panasonic TX-P60ZT65's interface, really, is the touchpad remote that Panasonic supplies alongside a more normal handset. The touchpad on this device is too small, too quirky in its responses and too circular to harmonise effectively with a rectangular screen.

Sound

Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 review

Pictures as big and brilliant as those delivered by the Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 clearly deserve to be partnered by some first-rate audio.

And while the Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 doesn't scale quite the same audio heights as the Sony KD-65X9005A, its front-firing speakers supported by a rear-mounted bass speaker combine handsomely to deliver much more power, clarity and soundstage size than the vast majority of flat TV speaker systems.

Value

Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 review

This is a tricky one. It's a plain and simple fact that the vast majority of people won't be able to even think about coughing up the £4,000 (around US$5,990 / AU$6,540) necessary to secure a Panasonic TX-P60ZT65. But that in itself doesn't make the TV bad value.

We guess you could also point to the outstanding qualities of Panasonic's VT65 series and ask if the Panasonic TX-P60ZT65 is really so good that it warrants spending considerably more money on.

But in the end, for us the Panasonic TX-P60ZT65's value situation simply boils down to this: it produces the absolute finest, most cinematic picture quality we've ever seen from a Full HD TV. And so far as we're concerned, this fact alone will make it worth every last penny of its £4k price to any serious AV fan who can afford it.

John Archer
AV Technology Contributor

John has been writing about home entertainment technology for more than two decades - an especially impressive feat considering he still claims to only be 35 years old (yeah, right). In that time he’s reviewed hundreds if not thousands of TVs, projectors and speakers, and spent frankly far too long sitting by himself in a dark room.