Reviewed.com: Panasonic's new TV is a winner
After a few days with this TV, I am simply blown away. The Panasonic VT60 looks incredible; it's a picture purist's dream. I was expecting very fine picture quality, but I'm also really impressed with Panasonic's new smart functions and feature-bent hardware. Finally, even that thing no one cares about anymore—3D—looks great, the best I've seen since early last year. With its smallest iteration—a sizable 60 inches—retailing for $2,999, the VT60 series is definitely a serious investment, but with such terrific picture quality, it's worth the high price.
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"The VT60 is every bit as handsome and imposing as its predecessor, the VT50."
One thing that may discourage device-fond cinema enthusiasts from Panasonic's 2013 plasmas is their three HDMI input limit. That might seem like griping over small potatoes in the grand scheme, but I've seen a number of discussions across the internet questioning Panasonic's choice. In total, users get three HDMI inputs, three USB 2.0 ports, a shared component/composite input, LAN (ethernet) in, digital audio out, and Panasonic's signature SD card slot. We've seen more connectivity options than this before, but really, we're torn on how to feel: How hard would it have been for Panasonic to add another HDMI input? But—how hard would it be to secure an HDMI splitter/amplifier on top of the three-thousand dollars you're already spending?
As far as design innovations go, the VT60 doesn't take a lot of chances: Its port placement and on-set controls are pretty much identical to last year's VT50. We've come to expect this, as innovation focus has shifted from the TVs themselves to their accompanying remotes over the last year or so. The VT60 comes with two remotes: the standard Panasonic backlit infrared, and the Bluetooth TouchPad remote, which resembles a small mouse. This second remote is great: Its touch pad is right in reach of the thumb, and its responsiveness is on par with a traditional mouse. It has all the buttons you need to navigate the most common features—like VieraConnect and the settings menu—and has great communication with the TV overall; you only need to point it at the IR sensor to turn the TV on or off. All of the other buttons work the way a Bluetooth device should.
"The real question is: Do they work? The real answer is: Yes, and how."
The bottom line is that Panasonic's VieraConnect platform is only as good as its hardware-based extensions: Our experience with Panasonic's ST60[4] revealed that, without the TouchPad remote and facial recognition, the Home screen isn't terrible flexible. Further, the actual content present in that series' out-of-the-box selection was pretty weak—or at least needed an update.
The long 'n short of it, though, is that—provided a proper wireless connection—the VT60's software all works great, especially the elements that rely on the hardware innovations unique to the VT60. The settings menu is stuffed full of picture and audio settings to be tweaked, and both remotes work fluidly. We do heavily recommend investing in a Bluetooth or USB 2.0 keyboard, though, if you plan to do a lot of typing. Neither remote is particularly fast in that regard.
"Right out of the box, colors are vivid... Shadows are chock full of detail, thanks to this TV's incredible black level."
In all seriousness, this TV looks incredible. We recently penned a new series detailing some of our experiences with content playback[5]; Panasonic's high-end plasma already looked great without any sort of tweaking or calibration. Right out of the box, colors are vivid, but have that "oil paint" appearance that comes from a well-balanced palette of luminosity and reasonable picture levels. Shadows are chock full of detail, thanks to this TV's incredibly dark blacks, which make even deep navy blues look rich and easily visible. Moving subjects remain remarkably crisp and well-detailed, without any sort of frame interpolation—you know, that setting that makes things look like General Hospital.
"... the deepest black level we've ever measured."
The hard data, science-based, $12,000 color meter part of our "interview" with this high-end plasma simply confirmed what we'd already seen with our eyes: The VT60 is one spectacular performer. Its color gamut matches up almost perfectly to the Rec. 709 standard, its color temperature consistency is perfect, and its contrast ratio is massive—thanks to the deepest black level we've ever measured. Conclusion If money is no object, this is the TV to buy. There are a handful of reasons not to buy a TV in the VT60 series. It's either A) too expensive; B) too big; or C) you work for Vizio. Otherwise, we really can't express just how great this thing looks. To be honest, there are better smart TVs out there. LG's G3 series[6] and Samsung's flagship[7] both do the smart thing with a little more flexibility and crispness than the VT60—though its pop-up camera and Touch Pad remote do make it a formidable competitor. Neither does the VT60 interface with cable content, which puts it a beat behind the aforementioned. You can see better 3D at an IMAX, too, though in my experience, the active shutter technology at work here is some of the best in years.
But... if you want a product that redefines what you thought possible of a television—buy this TV. If you want your screen to become a window that draws you into fantastic new worlds—buy this TV. If you want to glimpse the infinite minutia of any content in lifelike detail—buy this TV. If you want a product that is the result of decades of thought, work, and research—buy this TV. Just keep in mind, the smallest screen available is still a whopping three-thousand dollar, 100-pound, 60-inch beast, and the sizes (and prices) only go up from there. However, if you can afford it, this high-quality plasma is worth every penny.
A native Kentuckian—and Bostonian by choice—Lee tests and reviews electronics for Reviewed.com. His primary focus is on televisions and computer monitors. Outside of work, Lee is a classically trained guitarist and an ardent gamer.