Panasonic Viera TX-P50VT20B review

In all other respects, this is a top-quality TV. There are both Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners, the latter of which gives you access to iPlayer via either the Ethernet port or bundled 802.11n wireless adaptor. Quality from either tuner is fantastic from HD channels, while SD channels are neatly upscaled with many artefacts removed, while detail is kept. Again, we’re not massive fans of the EPG, as there’s no preview window and, instead, adverts are displayed.

Audio is provided by three 10W speakers. They’re loud and clear, but you’ll want an external sound system for the full range of audio provided by Blu-ray movies.

Four HDMI inputs make sure that you can connect all of the devices you want, and one has an audio return channel, so you can pump audio into your AV receiver. There’s the usual range of other inputs for connecting analogue equipment.

The built-in DLNA client means you can also stream content from a media server, such as a Windows 7 PC. We found that all of our sample videos played flawlessly, bar an unsupported WMV HD file. We found it easy to browse our photo collection and play music, too.

A similar set of playback options exist if you insert a memory card into the SDXC slot or connect a USB hard disk. Connecting a hard disk has the secondary advantage that you can use it to record TV programmes (you can’t switch tuners while doing so) and pause live television. It’s not quite as flexible as a PVR, but they’re nice features to have.

As with all of Panasonic’s latest TVs, the TX-P50VT20B has Viera Cast built-in. This online media portal doesn’t have that much on it, with YouTube, Picasa Web Albums and Skype (you’ll need the optional webcam) the standout features.

There’s no getting away from the fact that the Viera TX-P50VT20B is an expensive television, but then again it does absolutely everything and is a massive set. It’s also similarly-priced to other 3D sets. However, from the demonstrations we’ve seen of LCD 3D TVs, the TX-P50VT20B produces a better 3D image and higher-quality 2D images, making it the best TV you can buy. If you want 3D now, this is the one to buy; if you don’t care and just want high quality, the TX-P42G20B has very similar 2D image quality and costs around £840.