TV Reviews

Price and Performance

LCDs are now soaking up a larger and larger percentage of the market, and it’s been hard slogging for plasma displays. But that doesn’t faze Panasonic. As the sole remaining major Japanese plasma manufacturer, it offers a huge range of models. Yes, Panasonic also does LCDs, but only in smaller sizes. If you see a Panasonic HDTV that’s 46 inches or larger, it will be a plasma.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

Panasonic is well known for its high-quality, high-value plasma TVs, but how good can its $1000 50-incher be? Really good, as it turns out. The TC-P50S30 offers nearly identical performance to the highly rated TC-P50ST30—the only real difference is that the S30 has no 3D capabilities. If you're looking for a 50-inch flat panel with only $1000 to spend, look no farther.

Plasma Brings the Juice

For many reasons, not the least of which is the sheer brightness that grabs eyeballs on the showroom floor, LCD HDTVs now outsell plasmas by a significant margin.

For a time, there was Kuro, and Kuro was king. Kuro made other TVs envious of its awesomeness. Then. . . there was no Kuro. TV reviewers wept; everyone else bought LCDs. Under-intelligenced “pundits” foretold the end of plasma TVs — but Panasonic, Samsung, and LG quietly coughed and politely said, “Umm, we still make plasmas.”

While Panasonic plasmas traditionally excel on the picture-quality front, they’ve lagged a bit behind other flat-panel TVs when it comes to style. Take last year’s VT25 series. The picture on those sets was hard to fault (the 50-incher we reviewed won our 2010 Video Product of the Year award), but when positioned alongside new, ultra-slim plasmas from companies like Samsung, the Panasonic’s 3-inch panel depth and thick gloss-black bezel rendered it caveman-like by comparison.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Superb SDR and HDR picture quality
Low input lag and Game Bar
Attractive design, easy assembly
Extensive and responsive smart TV features
Minus
Peak brightness could be higher
A bit pricey for a 32" display

THE VERDICT
The Samsung Odyssey OLED G80SD is a premium, 32-inch 4K smart monitor that is a feature-packed, state-of-the-art visual powerhouse with a slick, modern design. It looks fantastic, supports a variety of sources, and delivers exceptional picture quality.

Simply calling the G80SD a monitor doesn't do it justice because it offers so much functionality, it is very TV-like. It is also a gamer's dream machine thanks to its support for up to 240Hz refresh rates and VRR (variable refresh rate). It comes with a convenient remote as well as support for Alexa and Bixby voice assistants.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Significantly brighter HDR peak luminance than 2023
Great gaming features
Attractive design, nearly invisible bezel border
ATSC 3.0 over-the-air tuning
Attractive and snappy smart TV interface
Minus
Screen picks up room reflections when using stand.
Continued dearth of native 8K content
Lacks codecs like VVC likely to be used with future 8K content
No Dolby Vision support

THE VERDICT
Samsung's QN75QN900D Neo QLED 8K TV impresses with bright HDR, smart features, and AI game mode, offering stunning visuals from 4K and Full HD sources. Its speed and responsiveness make it a top choice for gaming, appealing to those willing to invest in premium 8K technology.