The Panasonic TX-P55VT65B is an utterly outstanding plasma television, which we have essentially no qualms about awarding a “Reference Level” rating to. The fact that this level of picture quality can be made this affordable, rather than being reserved only for the highest-end, is a true triumph of engineering. Basically every single box is ticked by the VT65 series: insanely deep blacks that are almost (almost!) too dark to measure with scientific-grade equipment, bright whites, high gradation, freedom from viewing angle restrictions, low input lag for gaming, and of course, a boatload of usability features like the slick, responsive Smart TV platform and dual tuners. Oh, and did we mention the potentially sublime level of colour accuracy?
The Viera VT65 is likely to be seen as a worthy upgrade over the GT60 by users who are looking for a premium plasma TV. The picture quality is not leaps and bounds over the cheaper model (such is the nature of high-end AV), and that’s no disappointment, because the GT60 is also an utterly brilliant HDTV which satisfied our requirements for a “Reference Level” rating. However, our TX-P55VT65 review sample produced black level quality that’s better still (while still satisfying us with bright whites), and features a slightly better anti-reflective screen filter. On top of that, there is also the sleeker design, integrated webcam, and dual tuner functionality.
We think it’s fair to say that if you like the outstanding picture quality of plasmas, and don’t have any aversion to this display technology, then you will love the TXP55VT65B as much as we did. We can’t recommend it highly enough – it’s a product that there is nearly nothing wrong with. If the reports are true that Panasonic are stopping PDP R&D but will continue to release new models using the existing technology, then we wouldn’t be too surprised, because given the quality of the VT series, we wonder if it can even get much better. We’ll see when we review the top-end, elusive ZT model later. What a year for Plasma 2013 is turning out to be!
