Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P58S1 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black

I bought this TV from Amazon. That was a decision arrived at only after a long and meticulous research about plasma vs LCD-LED. I also did a comparison between Panasonic S1 and V10 models. I used extensive reviews of postings by owners at the AVS forums. I already owned a Panasonic 50" plasma, a Samsung LCD 52" so I have a pretty good idea of what I want and need.

First and foremost I want a TV which is reliable and free of defects. So in comparing Samsung and Panasonic plasmas, I have to say that the reports of buzzing noise from Samsung sets turned me off. About 34% of those onwers polled a avs forums reported the problem. Although this was based on only a few hundred people and thhe sample was not random and statistically meaningless, it does indicate a potential problem. So I ruled out the Samsung plasma.

The difference in price between the S1 and V10 Panasonic is substantial for me. You can see for yourself at Amazon depending on the size you prefer. In addition, the S1 has the same glass panel as the V10 being a 2009 model. What the S1 does not have is Viera Internet connection and more picture control in the menu. The V10 is also thinner and is reported by reviewers and owners to have a better picture.

Most people already have Pandora, Netflix, youtube etc... internet connection through their BD players or Tivo. So internet is really something I do not want nor need. I figure that with Service Menu (SM) adjustements, called offsets of the various parameters posted by professional calibrators, the S1 picture can be tweaked to about 95-98% of the V10 at a substantial savings.

I ruled out LCD-LED because of the size limitation.

So how did I make out.

1. Delivery was made by Pilot, two persons who helped setup the set and plug in the power to see if everything is working. I was very grateful and gave them a significant tip.
2. I used the breakin slided and turned down the contrast and brightness settings during the first 120 hours. Then I adjusted the SM offsets and the result is a picture a bright as my Samsung LCD and with far better black and color. No green or red push.
3. I have no use for Viera Cast available from my BD player. So S1 was the right choice for me.
4. I have windows facing the TV so there is reflection and glare.
5. The TV is 20% heavier than the Samsung for the same size, but it is really well built. No buzz. No dead pixels.

I am pretty content with my choice of the S1. the V10 is a better set but I did not regret my purchase.

I did a TON of research looking for the right TV, and after careful consideration I picked up the S1 58" Viera Plasma by Panasonic. Almost a month later and I am still thrilled to own it.

First of all, let me give you a little background (hopefully you gauge my rating credibiltiy here). I watch a lot of sports, love a good action movie (usually a love story if my wife is also watching) and I am an active gamer with my PS3. When I did my research, I wanted a TV that was great in every category, not just movies, not just gaming, etc.

The Panasonic S1 provides an amazing picture quality. The contrast is incredible, the color is everything you could ask for, and even the glare is minimal for a plasma. One other HUGE thing to look for, the Panasonic plasma scored superbly on -the Blacks. I was watching a show the other night and noticed the blacks were SO dark that I could not tell the difference between the border of the TV and black in the picture of the show. This is a huge advange over LCDs, and especially true on this TV.

Setup was very easy. There are so many HDMI inputs on the back of this you will want to go buy more stuff! There is only one digital optical audio out, so you may want to invest in a good audio receiver if you dont have one.

The TV is VERY HEAVY. I bought a decent wall mount on amazon for $25 bucks, works great. Just make sure you use the wall studs, and have at least 3 strong men help you lift the TV.

All said and done, I am extremely happy with this TV. I highly recommend it.

I use "awesome" in this review since that is how I feel about this purchase, awesome. O.k. So I did my research and when the promotion came up (Panasonic blu ray player and television combo deal) I waited till the last day and jumped on it. Out the door it was 1661 as I bought a couple of HDMI cables (neither the tv or the blu ray player includes HDMI cables).

CEVA delivery was acceptable. I ordered on 10/30, it shipped 11/2 from Texas, and was at my house in Southern California 11/6. Couple of glitches although nothing too big considering this has been the most expensive purchase I have made via Amazon to date. The tracking number for CEVA that Amazon provided was not accurate, it needed an "a" at the start of it. I had to call CEVA to get tracking information. CEVA was late by an hour and I had to call them after they were 15 minutes passed the time. The tv was not unpacked or put on the stand by CEVA. The box looked in good shape and I was in a hurry so frankly I did not ask as I had to leave. I has read that with CEVA not to expect the tracking to work, and to be proactive and call them. This seemed to work and the CSR's were helpful when called.

The television appears flawless. I had almost done too much research and was getting nervous after reading about color (green tints) and lack of deep black. Neither are any kind of issue at all on my television. The factory settungs look INCREDIBLE and I just viewed Master and Commander blu Ray and it felt like BEING there. The television has way more settings and inputs for cables then I could ever use.

The speakers are o.k., not an issue as I have a decent older Sony receiver with an optical in. The sound through the Sony via the Panasonic BD80 Blu Ray is awesome. The speakers in the tv would be acceptable for watching the news in the morning. In the end if you are purchasing a 58" HDTV with Blu Ray you are not going to use the television built in speakers anyway, so I think it's a nice extra that this beast even has built in speakers.
As far as LCD vs Plasma, well like I mentioned I did my research. First hand my 28" 1080p Hann-G looks great playing DVD's or iTunes HD rentals. I like the picture on the plasma better as I feel it's easier on my eyes, more "softer" for lack of a better word, really more like a cinema screen. Other's prefer the LCD and honestly I do acknowledge it's an apples vs oranges argument. Both work great.

What else? At this point I think it would be silly to pay for pro calibration or even a calibration disc. I just do not see how the picture could improve. As part of my research I went to Best Buy and Costco to view this set. It looked sub par compared to the other sets. That of course made me VERY nervous. I had read that the television would be set in "display" mode for the store (when you first plug it in and turn it on the easy to navigate setup welcome message pops up the first direction as "Is this for home or a store display?") so I knew that the television might not be at it's best or how it would look at home. My television's picture appears much superior to its twins at the brick and mortar. Reviews also are almost all glowing and with the Amazon promotion I just decided to go for it.

Other things...Another thing to keep in mind is anytime you put a 58" piece of glass (LCD, Plasma, CRT, etc) you just are going to have reflection. I have mine to the side of a large wall made of glass. So it's a mirror when there is light and no picture on the set, or it's a night sceen on the set and I had the drapes open in daylight. The brighter sceens have minimal reflection. IMHO the LCD sets I viewed in the brick and mortars had reflection also.

I would do this purchase over again in a heart beat. After a few weeks I'll post an update.

For the money this is the best plasma TV for it's size. Out standing picture Very easy to use remote.

I was bouncing between this tv and one of the Samsung's (550/560) models, I was very concerned about getting a Samsung buzzer or having a greenish tint on the Panny I scoured the internet for all the reviews I could find. I was still having a tough time making up my mind on which one to go with. I made a couple of trips to the store and both brand's PQ looked great to me, but looking and listening to a tv in the store is not the same as having it in your own home. Anyway last week, Bestbuy put this Panasonic on sale for $1499 and my mind was made up for me. I am still on cloud9 with this TV, the picture is unbelievable, no greenish tint in any of the modes, although I have kind of settled on the Standard mode right now (still tweaking with custom). I can't comment on the sound as I turned off the speakers right away, which is a nice feature. PS3 games and Blu-ray on this tv are mindblowing! 1080i & 720p is also outstanding. This set replaced a 2yr old Toshiba DLP and the strides made in the last 2 years are just hard to comprehend. Also the case on this tv is beautiful, it just showcases the room, that shiny hi gloss piano black finish just grabs your eyes. Well hope this helps out others who may be twisting like I was, on picking a set. I also looked at the LED's but when you get in to the bigger real estate the price was just too much for me.