electronicsme - Electronics / Televisions made easy

Print this page

Panasonic TC-P50C1: Review

Posted to Televisions 2010-02-07

The Panasonic TC-P50C1 is a new 50" widescreen plasma HDTV from Panasonic. The set features full 720p HDTV, a 600Hz sub-field drive for crisp, focused images and Panasonic's VIERA Link for communication with other VIERA Link devices over HDMI. The unit has a native contrast ration of 15,000:1 and 2 HDMI inputs.

The TC-P50C1 also features VIERA Image Viewer, which lets you view images and videos from your digital camera or camcorder using the built-in SD card reader, a 16:9 aspect ration and a dynamic contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. Other features include a native resolution of 1366 x 768, 2 full range speakers with simulated surround sound and an integrated ATSC tuner. Inputs include an analog audio input, 2 composite video inputs, 1 S-Video input and 2 audio inputs.

Rating:

3.6 out of 5

Value

The TC-P50C1 represents an excellent value at its current street price when compared to the competition. In fact, it is one of the most reasonably priced 50" HDTV sets on the market, regardless of technology. The TC-P50C1's Plasma technology produces a brighter image and wider viewing angle than an LCD set, so placement and seating is not a problem. And Panasonic didn't scrimp on features to achieve this price, either, as the TC-P50C1 feature set compares favorably with the competition.

Features

The TC-P50C1 has an excellent feature set. One of its strong points is legacy I/O support, which is excellent, especially for a unit at this price. You should have no problem incorporating this set into a home theater system that includes your existing components. The VIERA Link feature is nice, too, meaning that the unit plays well with your other Panasonic components. About the only thing to complain about here is the lack of network support, which is rapidly becoming a standard feature for large screen HDTVs.

Summary

The Panasonic TC-P50C1 is a real bargain at its current street price, so if you're in the process of building a home theater system, or just replacing the set in your existing system, it deserves to be on your short list. It's a full-featured set, despite the low price, and delivers excellent performance. All in all an excellent offering from Panasonic.

Pros

50" widescreen Plasma HDTV
Full HD 720p resolution
Excellent legacy input support
2 HDMI inputs

Cons

Lacks network support

Recommended accessory:

Monster Cable MP HTFS 1000 : 2-Outlets Surge Suppressor with Exclusive Tri-Mode Plus circuitry