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HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2012: Editor's Choice - Part 1

By Team HardwareZone - 29 Feb 2012

Best 3D Plasma TV

Best 3D Plasma TV

It has been a relatively quiet year for plasma televisions. And as things have been for a while, LG, Panasonic, and Samsung are probably the last of the PDP makers catering to our local market. Looking back at 2011, Samsung's flagship D8000 PDP received a bezel trim, while Panasonic worked at their Generation-14 panel with promises of  faster switching phosphors and a more responsive screen. LG marches on with their Borderless theme; a design which made its debut in 2010's Infinia range. For our Editor's Choice this year, we've called for the best 60-inch (or thereabout) plasma displays with 3D capabilities and a Full-HD screen for our tests' criteria.   

Nominees:

  • Samsung 64-inch Series 8 D8000
  • LG 60-inch PZ950
  • Panasonic 65-inch VIERA VT30S

And The Winner Is...

 Panasonic Viera VT30S - With an improved Viera Connect platform and a panel capable of gorgeous 2D and 3D pictures, the VT30S is our undisputed winner among the three PDP contenders this year.

Perfecting their NeoPlasma panels with each yearly release has been part and parcel of Panasonic's agenda. In its 14th generation now, Panasonic's flagship VIERA VT30 comes furnished with the Infinite Black Pro 2 panel which boasts of improved filters (to reduce glare and reflections) and brighter phosphors. Their efforts have paid off, judging by the concise picture detail and inky black depths this TV was capable of whether it is handling SD or HD content. Screen-burns (or image retention) did not pose a problem, while the same can be said about the TV's excellent screen uniformity and color accuracy too. However, there's still room for improvement with regards to the VT30's noise filters and cadence detection feature.

It is a pleasure to experience 3D Blu-ray films on the VT30. Stereoscopic pictures were nicely defined, plus the TV's processor and panel were able to create wonderful depths and images unburdened by crosstalk. Best of all, we didn't have to enable the TV's enhancements for optimal results. If you're on the lookout for punchy images with uncompromised black levels, the VT30 is the real deal. We did not perceive much changes to the VIERA Connect platform compared to last year's VT20 model, but we did notice that recording of digital broadcasts are now possible on both the SD card and USB-based storage options. The VT30 has an intimidating battery of connectivity options too, considering it has four HDMI slots and three USB ports to offer. Looks wise, the VIERA VT30 isn't as alluring as the D8000 but it is our undisputed choice when it comes to the most formidable 3D plasma display for 2011.

Scoring Breakdown
  Samsung 64-inch Series 8 D8000 LG 60-inch PZ950 Panasonic 65-inch VIERA VT30S
Physique 9.0 8.5 8.5
Features 9.0 8.5 9.0
Performance 9.0 8.5 9.0
3D Performance 8.5 8.5 9.5
User-Friendliness 9.0 8.5 9.0
Value 8.0 9.0 8.5
Total Score 8.5 8.5 9.0
Price $6,999 $3,999 $6,999

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

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