3.8
9 reviews
77

Panasonic VIERA S1 Series


$648.00 Released March, 2009

Product Shot 1 The Pros:1080p, 600Hz. Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas! Great contrast.

The Cons:Picture viewing through SDCard is very slow. Worse color accuracy than the G10 step-up line (inaccurate green, and red push). Leaves out the Internet connectivity and digital media features of the G10 Series.

The VIERA S1 Series is Panasonic's mid-range line of plasma HDTVs and incorporates their 2009 NeoPDP technology though removes some of the extraneous features found in the high-end series. As a step-down from the G10 Series, the major feature missing from the S1s is Panasonic's VIERA Cast Internet connectivity, this comes along other more minor differences such as the lack of video playback of media stored on SD cards, and the presence of 3 HDMI inputs, instead of 4.

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However, when it comes to the display panel itself, the specifications are nearly identical with the same high contrast ratio, and full 1080 lines of motion resolution. These sets are positioned slightly above the S14 Series which has slightly worse display specs, and the X Series entry level lines which see a move to 720p native resolution.

Specifications

  • 1080p native resolution
  • NeoPDP technology
    • 40,000:1 static contrast ratio
    • 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
    • 1080 lines of motion resolution
    • 600Hz sub drive
  • Game Mode
  • VIERA Image Viewer
  • VIERA Link
  • Inputs
    • 3xHDMI
    • Component

S1, S14, and X1 Series Features

VIERA Image Viewer - using the TV's built-in SD card slot you can view stored JPEG pictures directly on the TV without any intermediary devices or hardware.

NeoPDP - this is Panasonic's marketing name for their new plasma technology introduced in 2009. Specifically, Panasonic claims that they focused on improving black levels, contrast ratio, and motion resolution.

Black levels are notoriously important to videophiles and are something that plasmas do better with compared to LCDs. With the NeoPDP tech, Panasonic is looking to take Pioneer's claim of blackest black. Alongside the darker blacks is the higher contrast ratio with the native contrast ratio of 40,000:1 being one of the best that Panasonic has claimed.

The "full 1080 lines of motion resolution" means that when there is action going on in the video, the TV is able to display all the content accurately. This is a subtle point, because most people think 1080p means 1080 lines of resolution; however, most TVs released before 2009 while claiming 1080p resolution didn't actually display all 1080 lines of resolution when there was activity on the screen. This full motion resolution should result in a crisper picture than found on previous Panasonic displays.

G10, S1 and X1 Series Features

Game Mode - this display setting turns off all of the TVs image processing functions to reduce any lag between controller input and the game's display.

Features found on all 2009 Panasonic VIERAs

VIERA Link - this is the marketing name given to Panasonic's implementation of the HDMI-CEC standard, which lets you control your other compatible home theater equipment directly from your TV. Each manufacturer has their own branded name for this technology since only home theater devices from the same manufacturers are compatible with one another for direct control.

Models

The naming convention for this line is: Panasonic VIERA TC-PxxS1 where xx is replaced by the TV size.

User Reviews (10)

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77
ProScore
Pros
  • 5

    1080p, 600Hz

  • 5

    Uses half the power needed to run all previous plasmas!

  • 4

    great contrast

  • 4

    identical screen as the higher-end G10 Series

  • 4

    Full 1080 lines of motion resolution

  • 4

    Very good black levels

  • 4

    Very good shadow detail

  • 3

    large variety of screen sizes - from 42 to 65"

  • 3

    Good on-board speakers

  • 3

    Very quiet, no buzzing or fan sounds

  • 1

    Very accurate color after calibration. You can get accurate color as accurate as G10 by going to service menu. Just google it.

Cons
  • 0

    Picture viewing through SDCard is very slow

  • -1

    Worse color accuracy than the G10 step-up line (inaccurate green, and red push)

  • -2

    leaves out the Internet connectivity and digital media features of the G10 Series

  • -2

    No THX certification

  • -3

    Could be thinner!

  • -3

    no PC input (found on the G10)

  • -4

    still uses double the power than comparable LCDs

  • -5

    Slight green trails when fast motion happens on high contrast areas

Comments (1)

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Sniffbox
Sniffbox: #panasonic_viera_s1_series Not sure if this does have THX certification. Panasonic's officla press release (http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/prModelDetail?storeId=11301&catalogId=13251&itemId=322752&modelNo=Content01072009012646554&surfModel=Content01072009012646554) says it does, but most websites that have this for sale don't mention THX either way. Mar 11, 09
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