Panasonic VIERA S1 Series

The VIERA S1 Series is Panasonic's mid-range line of plasma HDTVs and incorporates their 2009 NeoPDP technology though removes some of the extraneous features found in the high-end series. As a step-down from the G10 Series, the major feature missing from the S1s is Panasonic's VIERA Cast Internet connectivity, this comes along other more minor differences such as the lack of video playback of media stored on SD cards, and the presence of 3 HDMI inputs, instead of 4. However, when it comes to the display panel itself, the specifications are nearly identical with the same high contrast ratio, and full 1080 lines of motion resolution. These sets are positioned slightly above the S14 Series which has slightly worse display specs, and the X Series entry level lines which see a move to 720p native resolution.

Where to Buy

Panasonic VIERA S1 Series
MSRP $1,199 - $3,200
Release date March, 2009
Brand Panasonic
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Pros & Cons18
Reviews8
Details
Buy It55
Competitors
Comments1
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Pros & Cons

ProSCORE
8 reviews
77
negative
mixed
positive
6 positive
0 mixed
2 negative

[i] How is the ProSCORE calculated?

show me!

Pros:
Do you agree?
1080p, 600Hz
+5agreedisagree

Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas!
+5agreedisagree

great contrast
+4agreedisagree

identical screen as the higher-end G10 Series
+4agreedisagree

Full 1080 lines of motion resolution
+4agreedisagree

Very good black levels
+4agreedisagree

Very good shadow detail
+4agreedisagree

large variety of screen sizes - from 42 to 65"
+3agreedisagree

Good on-board speakers
+3agreedisagree

Very quiet, no buzzing or fan sounds
+3agreedisagree

Cons:
Do you agree?
Worse color accuracy than the G10 step-up line (inaccurate green, and red push)
0agreedisagree

Picture viewing through SDCard is very slow
0agreedisagree

leaves out the Internet connectivity and digital media features of the G10 Series
-1agreedisagree

No THX certification
-1agreedisagree

Could be thinner!
-2agreedisagree

no PC input (found on the G10)
-2agreedisagree

still uses double the power than comparable LCDs
-3agreedisagree

Slight green trails when fast motion happens on high contrast areas
-4agreedisagree


9 people added to this review by submitting or voting on pros and cons. Add your say!

Details

Specifications

  • 1080p native resolution
  • NeoPDP technology
    • 40,000:1 static contrast ratio
    • 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
    • 1080 lines of motion resolution
    • 600Hz sub drive
  • Game Mode
  • VIERA Image Viewer
  • VIERA Link
  • Inputs
    • 3xHDMI
    • Component

S1, S14, and X1 Series Features

VIERA Image Viewer - using the TV's built-in SD card slot you can view stored JPEG pictures directly on the TV without any intermediary devices or hardware.

NeoPDP - this is Panasonic's marketing name for their new plasma technology introduced in 2009. Specifically, Panasonic claims that they focused on improving black levels, contrast ratio, and motion resolution.

Black levels are notoriously important to videophiles and are something that plasmas do better with compared to LCDs. With the NeoPDP tech, Panasonic is looking to take Pioneer's claim of blackest black. Alongside the darker blacks is the higher contrast ratio with the native contrast ratio of 40,000:1 being one of the best that Panasonic has claimed.

The "full 1080 lines of motion resolution" means that when there is action going on in the video, the TV is able to display all the content accurately. This is a subtle point, because most people think 1080p means 1080 lines of resolution; however, most TVs released before 2009 while claiming 1080p resolution didn't actually display all 1080 lines of resolution when there was activity on the screen. This full motion resolution should result in a crisper picture than found on previous Panasonic displays.

G10, S1 and X1 Series Features

Game Mode - this display setting turns off all of the TVs image processing functions to reduce any lag between controller input and the game's display.

Features found on all 2009 Panasonic VIERAs

VIERA Link - this is the marketing name given to Panasonic's implementation of the HDMI-CEC standard, which lets you control your other compatible home theater equipment directly from your TV. Each manufacturer has their own branded name for this technology since only home theater devices from the same manufacturers are compatible with one another for direct control.

Models

The naming convention for this line is: Panasonic VIERA TC-PxxS1 where xx is replaced by the TV size.

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This report was started January 20, 2009 at 4:23 pm by Omar
with the last edit occurring October 3, 2009 at 11:58 pm by tmoreau
This page has been viewed 8003 times, with 102 edits by 10 contributors.
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Buy It

Panasonic VIERA TC-P65S1

• Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P65S1 65-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black

• VIERA TC-P65S1 65" Plasma TV

UPC: 037988242337

EAN: 037988242337

MPN: TC-P65S1

Panasonic VIERA TC-P42S1

• Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P42S1 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

• VIERA TC-P42S1 42" Plasma TV

UPC: 037988242382

EAN: 037988242382

MPN: TC-P42S1

Panasonic VIERA TC-P50S1

• Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P50S1 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

• TC-P50S1 50" Plasma TV

UPC: 037988242368

EAN: 037988242368

MPN: TC-P50S1

Panasonic VIERA TC-P54S1

• Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P54S1 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black

• VIERA TC-P54S1 54" Plasma TV

UPC: 037988242351

EAN: 037988242351

MPN: TC-P54S1

Panasonic VIERA TC-P58S1

• Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black

• VIERA / 58" Class / 1080p / 600Hz / Plasma HDTV New

UPC: 037988242344

EAN: 037988242344

MPN: TC-P58S1

Panasonic VIERA TC-P46S1

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Comments

1.  avatar Sniffbox said:

Not sure if this does have THX certification. Panasonic's officla press release (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=322752&modelNo=Content01072009012646554&surfModel=Content01072009012646554) says it does, but most websites that have this for sale don't mention THX either way.
Mar 11, 2009 5:21pm
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Reviews

Sort by: Most helpful  •  Newest  •  Most positive

Yale

avatar
April 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
62
negative
mixed
positive
8 pros
5 cons
trustedtrusted
love itlove it
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • 1080p, 600Hz
  • Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas!
  • great contrast
  • identical screen as the higher-end G10 Series
  • Full 1080 lines of motion resolution
  • Very good black levels
  • Very good shadow detail
  • large variety of screen sizes - from 42 to 65"

Cons

  • Worse color accuracy than the G10 step-up line (inaccurate green, and red push)
  • leaves out the Internet connectivity and digital media features of the G10 Series
  • No THX certification
  • no PC input (found on the G10)
  • still uses double the power than comparable LCDs

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Omar

avatar
April 2, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
6 pros
3 cons
trustedtrusted
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas!
  • Full 1080 lines of motion resolution
  • Very good black levels
  • Very good shadow detail
  • Good on-board speakers
  • Very quiet, no buzzing or fan sounds

Cons

  • Worse color accuracy than the G10 step-up line (inaccurate green, and red push)
  • Picture viewing through SDCard is very slow
  • leaves out the Internet connectivity and digital media features of the G10 Series

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

password

avatar
February 19, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
83
negative
mixed
positive
5 pros
1 con
trustedtrusted
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • 1080p, 600Hz
  • Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas!
  • great contrast
  • identical screen as the higher-end G10 Series
  • large variety of screen sizes - from 42 to 65"

Cons

  • Could be thinner!

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

JKSonic

avatar
April 22, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
9 pros
0 cons
have ithave it
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • 1080p, 600Hz
  • Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas!
  • great contrast
  • identical screen as the higher-end G10 Series
  • Full 1080 lines of motion resolution
  • Very good black levels
  • Very good shadow detail
  • Good on-board speakers
  • Very quiet, no buzzing or fan sounds

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

imager

avatar
February 8, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
67
negative
mixed
positive
2 pros
1 con
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

  • 1080p, 600Hz
  • identical screen as the higher-end G10 Series

Cons

  • leaves out the Internet connectivity and digital media features of the G10 Series

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

dannyubc

avatar
September 23, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
100
negative
mixed
positive
10 pros
0 cons

Pros

  • 1080p, 600Hz
  • Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas!
  • great contrast
  • identical screen as the higher-end G10 Series
  • Full 1080 lines of motion resolution
  • Very good black levels
  • Very good shadow detail
  • large variety of screen sizes - from 42 to 65"
  • Good on-board speakers
  • Very quiet, no buzzing or fan sounds

Cons

Did not agree with any cons

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

tmoreau

avatar
October 3, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • Picture viewing through SDCard is very slow

Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

Sniffbox

avatar
March 11, 2009
approved
reviewer
ProSCORE
0
negative
mixed
positive
0 pros
1 con
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Pros

Did not agree with any pros

Cons

  • No THX certification

Comments

"Not sure if this does have THX certification. Panasonic's officla press release (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=322752&modelNo=Content01072009012646554&surfModel=Content01072009012646554) says it does, but most websites that have this for sale don't mention THX either way."
Did you find this review helpful?
Yes
 / 
No

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This product is also known as:

S, 1, S1