Panasonic TC-P46G25

Panasonic Viera TC-P46G25 46-Inch Plasma TV

The plasma Panasonic Viera TC-P46G25 consumes significantly more electricity than a 46-inch LCD HDTV. And though the estimated price of $1100 (as of September 20, 2010) looks good, this television's image quality was inferior to that of the other three LCD TVs we tested alongside it. It might have been worse. At PC World Labs, we use professional equipment to calibrate each TV before conducting our image quality tests. But the TC-P46G25's fine-tuning controls didn't allow us to turn down the green to an appropriate level, throwing the colors off horribly. Luckily, the TC-P46G25 has a certified THX preset mode that fell within our parameters, so we tested the TV in that mode. In theory, a THX-certified HDTV like the TC-P46G25 should have superior image quality, and a THX preset mode should negate the need for professional calibration. But the image quality of this set was poor on a range of media. Our selection of broadcast, DVD, and Blu-ray clips showed too much contrast and occasional graininess. It had particular problems with the Phantom of the Opera DVD, in a test of the TV's ability to upconvert a 480p signal to 1080p.