What Hi-Fi? Verdict
It won’t quite set the world alight, but the ’G10 still proves a reliable, enjoyable big-screen plasma
Pros
- +
Deep blacks, punchy whites, and a rich colour palette
- +
reliably sharp and detailed images from any source
- +
Freesat tuner
Cons
- -
The very best offer greater insight and edge definition
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The new Panasonic TX-P50G10 boasts a Freesat tuner, 600Hz motion processing and an even greater contrast ratio than the some of its siblings.
Panasonic's website suggests these extras are worth a £130 premium over the Panasonic TX-P50S10, but shopping around throws up almost identical prices. In fact, at the time of writing, the 'G10 is the cheaper of the two.
Putting familial rivalry aside, it's extremely easy to enjoy the TX-P50G10.
Its auto-setup and channel-tuning is quick and efficient, and calibrating the picture is a doddle, thanks to clear menus and a reluctance to bombard the user with tweaky specs.
Only the Intelligent Frame Creation requires any real thought, but as that's a simple on-or-off setting, it won't take long to decide upon.
Deep blacks and punchy whites
Fed the There Will Be Blood Blu-ray the 'G10 immediately impresses. As one expects from a Panasonic plasma, blacks are nicely deep, but there's also enough insight to reveal the nooks and crannies of Daniel Day Lewis's first mining hole.
Perhaps more of a surprise is how punchy whites are. Near rivals do pip it, but there's still realistic brightness to the outdoor scenes.
Sharpness, detail and motion-handling are very decent in isolation, but when compared with the very best, this set lacks the absolute definition and three dimensionality to go beyond 'very good'.
This is a trait that continues when we switch to the excellent Michael Clayton on DVD.
Rich. natural colours
The image is deinterlaced and scaled without the addition of instability, while colours are rich and natural, yet we're left wanting more in terms of absolute detail.
There's little to choose between the Freesat and Freeview tuners. Both are controlled and clean, even with motion and difficult patterns. The big bonus of Freesat is HD, and Planet Earth is as enticingly vibrant as one could hope.
As for sound, we're not particularly keen on the V-Audio Surround feature, but the speakers deliver clean and well-balanced sonics, rounding-off a very solid and likeable all-round package.
