Panasonic TH-P54VT2 takes plasma HDTVs into 3D territory
By Vlad Savov 
posted February 9th 2010 2:53AM
posted February 9th 2010 2:53AM
posted February 9th 2010 2:53AM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
i can see 3d being the biggest flop of 2010, but then again who knows. look at how well the wii is doing.
@atomhead your probably one of those people that said Avatar will flop....
@atomhead
It only will flop because its overhyped, It will be successful, there are people who want this technology. But it's not going to be a huge market for a few years. HD took at least 5 years to catch on, so will 3D. So it's not going to flop, it's just going to begin.
@atomhead
Why would anyone (other than closed-brain-pro-gamers) expect the wii to flop? It was not aimed for pro gamers...it was aimed at uncles and aunts, and do they love it.
@atomhead
3D as in a movie is different from 3D at home. When you go out for a movie, you probably wouldn't mind wearing glasses, but would people wear glasses every evening at home? How long would the glasses survive, would they get scratched easily or get broken or ..also would they give you a headache (perception ?), what if you like to multi-task - can you watch and cook at the same time wearing glasses? Lots of questions ....
@atomhead
Sorry to reference it but I think the iPad will flop worse then 3D in '10.
@atomhead I don't remember anyone expecting the Wii to flop. I went on ebay the day it came out and saw them sell for over $1000 to idiots who wouldn't stand in line.
@Bongo123 Actually i thought avatar was going to be awesome.. so awesome that i saw it in imax 3d twice.
Maybe it will be good until the black levels double overnight
@mnhthebest I knew someone would mention this. And I agree 100%.
@mnhthebest My 5 year old Samsung HD CRT has black levels probably 5x as high as they were new to get decent whites, and even then the whites are still dull when you turn them up to just below where blooming and geometry distortion starts. Aging LCD's have great blacks...but the color and whites start fading. TV's age. LED's will start fading eventually as well. The only possible exception is DLP projectors, where a new lamp is almost like a new set...but your blacks are mud to begin with so it doesn't really matter.
@mnhthebest
seeing as though these are using pioneer's plasma cell tech, id take a vt25 over most 2010 panels- even if it were to inflate up to .010 fL.
@limabird
I have had a Sony CRT for 17 years now and I can safely say that the color is the same now that it was when it was new. The white levels, as you say have not at all diminished.
@mnhthebest exactly. If they can't even get their 2d sets right, how will their 3d sets be any better?
I know this is a bit off topic, but can someone PLEASE help me.
I can't upload my avatar to the site, and I have no idea why it won't work.
is there something I have to do before it can upload?
@mtnDewFTW
Ask James Cameron.
Or ... perhaps email Engadget. ;)
@Meekermoloko Already emailed them, twice. No response :(
@mtnDewFTW
I've got the same issue as you... no change in avatar after uploading.
I also email engadget... no response.
As long as it doesn't requires you to get up.
"deep deep blacks" for all of 300 hours.
I will be waiting for something from Samsung since the rest of my entertainment setup is from Samsung with the exception of my PS3...
yeah...isn't Panasonic in deep, deep something else, because of the formerly deep, deep blacks?
It's troubling, but my G10 shows zero sign of degradation after 867 hours. Put it this way, it's about a billion times better than any LCD I've seen.
Did I read that correctly? One pair of glasses?
What kind of a joke is that?
Surely, a minimum of 2 pairs should be included.
I'm assuming this Japan 50 inch will be identical to the US version (TC-P50VT25). Yes?
Like others have asked, how long will the contrast ratio remain at amazing levels? I wouldn't take the risk and drop over $4k on something that may only look good for several hundred hours. Panasonic really needs to clear up this whole black level issue.
Hmmmm, should I buy the 72" LED 3D ready Vizio for $3,500 or this 54" Panny for $6000?
Decisions, decisions.....
@SNESimon America, F-yeah! Seriously, assuming you live on this side of the pond do you need to ask yourself that question? Moar screen!
@txphisher
I was being sarcastic. Way bigger screen for almost half the price?
F' YOU Panny. Besides I wouldn't touch Panasonic with a 54" Plasma right now due to their problems with the black levels. Let's see if they clear that up soon.
@SNESimon Honda or a Chevy?
@SNESimon
You dumb? The 54V25 is around $2,000, not $6,000...
Can we wear our 3D glasses naked?
@kj4gr
It is REQUIRED that you wear them naked or you won't see the 3D.
Why do you think they only include ONE pair of glasses with the TV.
@SNESimon
Now I understand why there's only one pair of glasses!
Thanks for clearing that up! :)
why not buy a couple of ptae 4000 projectors take the lenses out of some
passive glasses and attach one to each projector,
add a silver screen.
That should give you s decent 200" 1080p 3D image using passive glasses for about the same price.
@kevinp Want to come over and set that up, no cost of course?
@dougdeep I am guessing that it would cost me around the same amount to travel to your country.
Plasma is beautiful.
their cost in the US it's gonna be almost on pair of what 2009 V10 costs today...maybe a bit more...which for such an advanced TV is really good...Panasonic should address the black level issue on CURRENT panels if they want my money...did you hear me, Panasonic? otherwise I will look somewhere else when my Kuro asks for a bigger screen
Why is there no mention of the rising black levels in this article...as tech journalists, it's your job to get to the bottom of these CONFIRMED issues with the panasonic plasmas.
More importantly, even if they have fixed the issue in the 2010 models, their response to the issue with the 2009 models is totally unsatisfactory and mentions nothing about whether or not they will attempt to rectify the problem. As long as panasonic takes this stance with it's valued customers I can't reccomend them and you guys shouldn't either.
@invisible21 The article is about new 3D support in the new plasmas. Not a followup to a post that we've already seen.
@IanKen
Who cares? This is a company that is making a lot of people upset at this point by not giving a simple answer to the question "will there EVER be a fix?".
I've seen Engadget writers/editors make snarky remarks about omitted features or problem devices in articles about unrelated products from the same company all the time...I would have at least expected them not to mention the "deep, deep blacks" and then not mention that the same type of blacks were promised to its customers last year, and that those black levels are now changing and being called into question. It's like saying "hey, these guys are currently screwing over all of the people who bought into their superior black level claims last year, but there's no possible way that will happen again." All I'm saying is that there should be at least a MENTION of that problem in this article. I just don't want to see this get swept under the rug.
1) 120Hz is great for 24Hz, 30Hz or 60Hz content.
2) HDMI does not go faster than 60Hz for 1080p.
3) 1080p 3D will be 24Hz per eye.
4) So this will only work with specific connected 3D players that support the various HDMI 3D modes outlined in the 1.4 spec.
5) Since HDMI does not go faster than 60hz you are relegated to the dsipaly video processor to get the 120Hz goodness.
Me? I'll wait for their commercial units to support 120Hz and slap a dual link DVI board into one of them for true 120Hz support. If they do it. Paying for a consumer plasma is silly. Do you need their lame widgets and integrated tuner?
@Engadget,
You guys got the model #'s wrong. It's 54VT25, not 54VT2... and now everyone else is screwing it up too. Nice job :)
Also, why are you even bothering reporting the Japanese MSRP's when they're going to be vastly different from North American MSRP's?
Predicted MSRP for the 54VT25 is $2,499 - compared to the Japanese MSRP of $4,813.
Last year's MSRP for the 54V10 was $2,699. This is some pretty shoddy reporting.
If you buy this TV make sure to enjoy the black levels why you can. Panasonic said they fixed the issue with the 2010 models.
But then again, they also claimed the 2009 models had "Infinite Blacks". Funny, my blacks look more gray than "infinite".
If they make the glasses dark enough we might even get the "infinite" blacks we were promised :-)
I'm a TCP50V10 owner and will be very cautious about going Panasonic on my next upgrade unless they come clean on this issue.
This looks sweet and all, but i am already very much enjoying my Samsung PN50B450 50" 3D plasma, which you can buy today for $700 online. Been playing Arkham Asylum in 3D with 3D vision and it's awesome.