The Big Screen Store

Panasonic Plasma TV

Posted by Jason Brager in Panasonic TVs

If you’re looking for a Panasonic plasma TV in Maryland or Virginia, The Big Screen Store should be your first (and last) stop.

Most savvy customers out there are already well aware that the plasma technology has made a strong comeback in the consumer electronics world.  According to the NPD Group, which tracks sell-through data at retail, tracking of January through April data shows 25% year over year growth in unit sales of plasmas displays versus only 2% for LCD (including LED/LCD) displays.

Here are the facts:

The Panasonic VT30 Series

With the fastest refresh rates of any flat panel technology, plasma displays are the best for sports, games, or any video with high-speed motion.  Where even the best LCDs and LEDs will show motion blur, plasmas remain crystal clear.  I was in my Towson, MD store watching the finals of the Women’s World Cup finals on a Samsung UN55D8000 LED.  The picture was very bright, but every time a shot was taken or a pass was made, the ball looked more like a comet than a soccer ball.  I drove home around half-time and caught the rest of the game on my new TC-P65VT30.  No matter how fast the ball moved, it stayed crystal clear and distinct.

Plasma is the best technology for displaying 3D.  Size and speed are the two things that are most important for an immersive 3D experience.  Once you get above 55 inches in screen size, plasma TVs are much more affordable than LED sets of the same size.  And, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, plasma is a much faster technology than LCD.  Considering each eye only gets half as many frames as when you are viewing in 2D, the motion blur on LCD displays is that much more apparent when viewing in 3D.

Plasma displays produce the deepest black levels and most accurate colors.  I am naturally drawn to the brightness of LCD TVs just like many others.  However, when watching an LCD TV for a long period of time, I start to notice things like the grass isn’t the color of real grass or flesh tones are inaccurate.  On a Panasonic plasma, you can always be sure that the color reproduction is as true-to-life as you can get.

The stories of high energy costs, short life spans, and screen burn are stories of the past.  My new 65″ Panasonic, which consumes much more energy than the smaller sizes, came with an Energy Star sticker right on the front of it stating that it uses $32 of  electricity per year if viewed 5 hours per day.  Panasonic plasmas are rated for approximately 100,000 hours of viewing time before they reach their half life (when the picture will be half as bright as when the set was brand new).  That’s roughly 30 years at 8 hours per day of viewing!   All of the new Panasonic plasma TVs also have anti image retention technology, making the risk of screen burn almost non-existent.

I just got my new Panasonic plasma TV model TC-P65VT30 delivered to my new home in Baltimore, MD last week.  My installers from The Big Screen Store came out and hung it over my fireplace and it looks beautiful.  With its “glass to the edge” design, it looks almost as stunning when it is turned off as it does when it is turned on!

I can’t say enough about what a great job my installers from The Big Screen Store did.  My house was built in 1979 and was not wired for a TV or electric over the fireplace.  They fished the cable line from downstairs and ran electric off of an outlet on a neighboring wall without cutting a single hole in the drywall other than one right behind the TV!  Alright, enough about the installers and more about the TV…

I quickly and easily connected my set to my home’s wireless network and started taking advantage of all of the applications that Panasonic’s Viera Connect service has to offer.  I was instantly streaming Netflix movies, Hulu TV programs, and watching baby eagles in their nest on Ustream (you’ll see what I mean if you buy one).  I also had some fun on Facebook and YouTube.  I started to wonder if I even needed my Comcast service!

I haven’t purchased a 3D bluray player yet, so I went to the free On Demand 3D movies on my Comcast box and popped on the pair of 3D glasses that came in the box with my Panasonic TV.  I started watching Despicable Me and it was amazing.  I was surprised because my room is very bright and I thought the picture would be more washed out and I would have a lot of glare.  Panasonic’s claims about the Infinite Black Pro 2 panel and Louver filter are absolutely true.  I got deep blacks, vibrant colors, and almost no glare, even with full sunlight streaming through my windows.

I had fun converting my old photos to 3D images with Panasonic plasma’s 2D to 3D image converter.  I took the SD card right out of my digital camera, popped it in the side of the set, put on the 3D glasses, and there were my photos popping out of the screen!

I can’t say enough about my VT30 series Panasonic plasma TV, which comes in both 65″ and 55″ screen sizes.  In addition to everything I’ve mentioned before, it is THX certified, meaning you get the same experience when watching a movie in your home as you did when you saw it in the movie theater.

The Panasonic GT30 Series

If you’re looking for high performance and a slightly better value, check out Panasonics line of GT30 series plasmas.  It doesn’t come with a pair of glasses in the box like the VT30 series, but its Infinite Black 2 panel produces nearly the same image quality as the VT30 series and almost all other features are the same. 

Aesthetically you give up the “glass to the edge” look but the GT30 series is great looking compared to most others on the market and you can buy a nice sound system or credenza from The Big Screen Store to go with your new TV with the money you’ll save by stepping down to this model.  The GT30 series is available in 65″, 60″, 55″, and 50″ screen sizes, and all are available at the guaranteed lowest prices at The Big Screen Store.

The Panasonic ST30 Series

If you want great performance and 3D on a budget, check out the ST30 series.  You will give up the THX certification and the TV is a little bit thicker than the GT and VT series, but the picture is still excellent and certainly better than anything else on the market in its price range.

The Panasonic S Series

Finally, if you want the most bang for your buck and don’t care about 3D, checkout the S series.  At The Big Screen Store, you will find the Panasonic TC-P60S30 plasma TV on display for about the same price you would have paid for a 42″ just two years ago and the same price as most 40 to 46″ LED TVs today.

Come Visit The Big Screen Store

If you’re in the market for a Panasonic Plasma TV, stop into one of The Big Screen Store’s 14 locations to see one for yourself.  Or, fill out a contact form on our website and we’ll be happy to contact you by phone or email to discuss your options.

Remember, we always guarantee the lowest price and even show you our local competitors’ online prices before you buy! We also setup great package discounts when you purchase any of our super comfortable seating groups, beautiful wood credenzas, and/or incredible Bose sound systems with your new TV!  We hope to earn your business.

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