The ST50 handily outperforms its predecessor, with deeper blacks, more accurate color, and an improved bright-room image. The picture is so good, in fact, that it scored the same as the flagship VT30 I lauded last year, and in person it's tough to tell the two apart.
Read the full review →Conclusion: We like it
Like its more expensive siblings, the GT50 and VT50 series, the Panasonic ST50 is an outstanding plasma HDTV, and performs very well in 2D and 3D modes, has the expected range of smart TV functions, and comes close to the higher-end models in terms of black levels, motion handling, and color matching. Its hardware design isn't as sleek as the more expensive models; if you're looking for the slimmest bezel around, you'll have to look elsewhere. It also has just 3 HDMI ports, compared to 4 on the GT50. Like its big brothers, it has a few issues, including two that are common to most plasma sets: high energy usage, and somewhat washed out colors in brightly lit rooms. Overall, however, the ST50 is an excellent performer, and at $1,349 (for the 55-inch model), it's about $600 less than the VT50.
Critic reviews
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Panasonic’s TC-P55ST50 makes a solid case for giving a plasma a shot at the living room, especially for viewers who like their black levels inky and their colors resplendent.
Read the full review →The Panasonic P50ST50's in many ways outstanding pictures deliver a salutary reminder in these LED-dominated times of why plasma was first invented. It also reminds us why, for us, a top-notch plasma TV continues to produce the most natural and certainly most cinematic pictures the TV world has to...
Read the full review →It’s a rare case of an HDTV which we’d recommend to just about anyone.
Read the full review →...an absolutely fantastic mid-range plasma, offering an impressive level of image accuracy and some of the best blacks we have seen, especially at such a competitive price point.
Read the full review →If you’re a serious movie fan, the Panasonic TX-P42ST50 is a quite brilliant TV for its money. Dim the lights and you’ll get HD pictures to die for, with stunning contrast, rich and natural colours, bags of detail and superb motion clarity.
Read the full review →Based on picture performance alone, this could just as well be Panasonic’s flagship model.
Read the full review →
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How it stacks up
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Panasonic Smart VIERA ST50 Series 89 from $1049 -
Samsung UN55D8000 92 from $1599 -
Samsung ES8000 82 from $1848 -
Sony BRAVIA XBR-84X900 -
Panasonic Smart VIERA VT50 84 from $2125