Panasonic TC - P50S1 - 49.9" plasma TV - 1080p (FullHD) from Panasonic in Televisions & Flat Panels

Pros: Reproduces deep black levels and excellent shadow detail; solid color saturation; uses less power than previous 1080p plasmas; adequate connectivity with three HDMI and two component-video inputs.
 
Cons: Less accurate primary colors and color temperature; skimpy picture controls; still less efficient than comparable LCDs.
 
Bottom Line: With deep black levels and generally excellent picture quality, the more eco-friendly Panasonic TC-PS1 series of plasma TVs strikes an appealing price/performance balance.
 
Photo gallery: Panasonic TC-PS1 series
 
For HDTV shoppers who recognize that burn-in and product lifespan, two bugaboos that have plagued the public perception of plasma TVs since their introduction, are largely not worth worrying about today, one potential hurdle on the path to plasma remains: power consumption. Plasma has always used significantly more power than LCD. Panasonic aims to narrow that gap with a new plasma display panel it calls, naturally, Neo PDP. The least expensive of the company's numerous 2009 plasma models to boast the new panel is the TC-PS1 series.

In our testing, we found that the S1 series model does indeed suck less juice than before. Its picture quality is also very good, starting with deep black levels that nearly rival the all-time champ in that department, Pioneer's Kuro models. Picture quality nitpicks include less-than-accurate color, which thanks to the company's minimal user-menu controls, cannot be adjusted. Despite these issues we… Read full review

Panasonic's S1 series of plasmas TVs offer great bang for the buck by providing excellent picture quality at an affordable price. The TC-P50S1 delivers very deep black levels that rival most other HDTVs. While this HDTV lacks the THX mode found on the step-up G10 series, overall picture quality is still very impressive, especially for the... Read full review

Panasonic is now enjoying the fruit for the bold decision to stick on the plasma display industry. Most of the best selling plasma display panels in this season is from… Read full review