Flat Panels

Black: 0.005
White: 31.51
Full-On/Full-Off Contrast Ratio: 6,302:1

All of the measurements here were taken with the Panasonic in Cinema mode.

The color tracking (taken in the Warm Color Temp setting) was above average for a set out of the box, but it was slightly plus red. The after-calibration color tracking was much closer to an ideal result in which all three colors fully overlap. While it’s not the best we’ve seen, it should be equivalent to the eye for all practical purposes.

The color gamut is shown by the white triangle in the CIE chart and the Rec. 709 HD standard by the black triangle. Both green and red are oversaturated. I got a better (but not perfect) gamut plot (not shown) when I dramatically reduced the Color control. But this resulted in unacceptably washed-out colors. The only way to fix the color gamut, apart from a more accurate setting at the factory, is with a good color- management system, which the Panasonic lacks. Fortunately, the visible effects of the wider gamut shown here are much less obvious than you might expect. In fact, very few viewers will find the Panasonic’s color less than superb. Still, the curmudgeon in me can’t help saying that exceeding the standard HD color gamut at least subtly distorts the colors on today’s consumer program material.

The HD resolution was outstanding in both component video and HDMI at all resolutions apart from 720p. Full luminance (black-and-white) response was up to the maximum requirement for each format (37.1 MHz for HD). 720p was rolled off a bit at this highest frequency. It was still good in HDMI but only fair in component.

The set’s HD overscan was essentially zero on all sides in 1080i/p either in component or HDMI (with Display Size off). In 720p and 480i/p, it averaged 2.5 percent on all sides in both component and HDMI. (As noted in the review, the set will not accept 480i in HDMI.) A 2.5-percent overscan on all sides, generally considered an acceptable maximum, is a loss of about 10 percent in total picture area.—TJN