This year's TC-P55ST30 is a minor improvement over its predecessor in design appeal. The depth of the panel is just a little over 2" when including the bottom speaker area. It's only 1.5" deep in the top 90% of the panel so from the side viewing angel it looks a lot thinner than its peak 2.3". It will not win any awards for best design of 2011, but is "just good enough" in the looks department not to get a downgraded score in this area. The frame is 1.2" in width which is a big improvement over the imposingly wide bezel frames from last years Panasonic plasmas. It does not contain infinity glass over the top of the bezel frame. The TC-P55ST30 bottom left and right corners slope inward slightly to add a little design and keep the TV from appearing as a big rectangular box. When Panasonic set out to offer the most expansive plasma TV line of any manufacturer in 2011, the 3D-ready TC-P55ST30 is a perfect example of what they had in mind: world class picture and design at affordable prices. Up until recently, it would have been almost impossible to find a 55-inch full HD 1080p plasma TV for the small investment you can get away with today-certainly not one with the Panasonic brand on the front.
The Panasonic TC-P55ST30 features the very latest plasma technology. Short-throw phosphor technology is a good example. Panasonic has created the ability to return phosphors to an “off state” faster than a more traditional phosphor. This reduces or eliminates phosphor trails so common to poorly engineered plasma brands. The TC-P55ST30 is full HD 1080p, one of twelve 1080p HD plasma offered this year (along with three 720p models). It was not too long ago that 1080p was tremendously more expensive. If you have been waiting for the right time to buy a large screen plasma, opportunity is knocking. You might expect a 55-inch 3D plasma set from a respected manufacturer to put on a great show. In that regard, however, the Panasonic TC-P55ST30 might disappoint you. Sure, it has all the right features--Wi-Fi, a generous selection of Internet feeds, and multimedia via USB, SD, and DLNA. But the picture quality leaves much to be desired, and the audio will make your ears hurt.
The audio was considerably worse than the picture. With the volume turned all the way up, the sound was horribly distorted. At 50 percent (a far more reasonable volume), we still detected considerable distortion. When a singer in Phantom of the Opera (chapter 2) sang the word "indeed," I could hear the speakers straining with the high note. The simulated surround was acceptable but unexceptional. Panasonic does include a Wi-Fi adapter, so you can get network access even if you can't stretch an ethernet cable from your router to your TV. However you make the connection, the TC-P55ST30 provides a good selection of Internet content, including Amazon's and CinemaNow's pay-per-view services, Facebook, Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, and more. Another feature setting Panasonic apart is Infinite Black Panel Display, which adjusts luminosity while minimizing pre-discharge at the same time. You get deep blacks and a stunning contrast ratio. You could see this in action on the Asphalt Five game, for example when the cars zoomed into a cave or tunnel.
Panasonic's Internet suite seems much more robust this year. We were not crazy about the way the Internet menu folds out in layers. It's a bit difficult to navigate rather than seeing them all on one screen. The options include Netflix, MLB, NBA, AP news from different sources, Pandora Internet Radio, You Tube, Accuweather, Amazon VoD, Fox Sports, Facebook and many more. The Apps are much improved with choices ranging from free to $10, and consist mostly of games available for purchase through Viera Connect Market. Skype is an optional included feature if you purchase the TY-CC10W camera to support it.
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