Panasonic - VIERA, 50" Plasma HDTV, Model TC-P50C2

Buying a new HDTV was one of the very last things I ever thought I would have to do, especially so soon. You see, just over 2 years ago, I dropped a months pay on a Samsung HDTV, which I figured would last me years and years to come. However, the dream machine clunked out, and seeing how it was out of warranty, it would have cost nearly the price of a new HDTV, so that's what I did instead.
I went and bought a more friendly priced HDTV, vowed to never again touch a Samsung, and so far, I'm happy with my pick. I went with the Panasonic Viera, 50 inch Plasma HDTV (TC-P50C2). For those interested, you can find my Samsung LN40A550 review here.

At any rate, the Panasonic Viera seemed perfect, a 10 inch upgrade from my old Samsung, a nicer high gloss screen which I always had a love for, and more. The downside was that my Samsung delivered full 1080p, while this model by Panasonic delivered video at 720p. To be honest with you though, I seriously found the Panasonic to deliver a better picture, even at a lower 720p. So yeah, there you have it. Save hundreds and go with 720p. You won't notice a difference at all.

Features:
 
With the TC-P50C2, I noted that the unit did not have 3 HDMI ports, which would have been nice, instead it only has 2. To add more you can get an HDMI adapter that allows you to plug in more than 1 HDMI cable. Sort of like a splitter, just to make life easier. It was annoying to have to buy one, but it was needed.

The HDTV has sharp dynamic 2,000,000:1 contrast and a 600Hz refresh rate, which all sounds nice in theory, but how does it look? For me the 50" delivered beautiful, stunning quality, with no interruptions, even during fast action scenes.

It also has 2 composite video, 4 audio (for video, 1 side) and 2 component video inputs. 1 digital output, and a nifty slot designed to slip in your SD video cards. That was a nice little addition that my Samsung did not have. I enjoyed the fact that I could view my photos on my HDTV just by adding the video card, and not having to pull out wires, or cables to view them as I did with my Samsung.
The Panasonic has a slew of other really mouth watering features, and frankly I think it will satisfy just about anyone.

Set Up:
 
Setting up the Panasonic TC-P50C2 was easy as pie. It required a screwdriver to screw the base into the HDTV, hook up your cables, hook up your HDMI cables, and wallah. You're done in just a few minutes.


Picture:
 
The picture clarity on the Panasonic TC-P50C2, plasma screen is flawless. My old 1080p looked pretty stunning, so I was shocked when the Panasonic at 720p delivered picture quality just as precise and stunning as the 1080p.

All in all, when it comes to picture quality, you won't be disappointed. With the lights out, and this HDTV on, you will feel like you are in your own mini movie theater.

Sound:
 
We've got a 5.1 surround sound system, which we hooked up to the TV, so using the TV's speakers was not needed, however for those who do not plan on hooking up surround sound, rest assured that this TV puts out really decent sound quality, so no worries in that department.

Issues?
 
Now there are a few flaws I wanted to mention, however rest assured that none of those flaws have to do with picture quality.

The first is that the unit only comes with 2 HDMI ports, which is fine and all, but a little annoying having to go out and buy an HDMI splitter in order to plug in all external sources, such as game consoles, blu ray players, and so on. It would have been nice to see 4 HDMI ports on a plasma this large.

The second issue I have is not necessarily a flaw, but its the odd, click, clicking noise the TV makes when you power it on. It click, click, clicks, making it sound like its having an outage. This noise is normal, but not one you'd expect to hear when powering on a TV.

Overall:
 
We snatched this HTDV up for under $800, and for the price, this HDTV is a damn good pick. It's large, but does not sacrifice picture quality.

If you are looking for a lower priced high definition television, than I would definitely recommend this one to you.