PERFORMANCE

After making a minor calibration adjustment of the TV's Warm color-temperature preset (see Test Bench), I popped the Blu-ray Disc of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe into my player to check out how the Panasonic handled movies. Right away, the set proved capable of delivering a crisp, finely detailed picture. In the scene where Lucy (Georgie Henley) first encounters Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), for example, snowflakes clinging to the lamppost the girl hides behind were clearly visible, as was the coarse texture of her wool cardigan.

The set's black depth and shadow detail were also very good - not surprising, given my previous experience with Panasonic plasmas. In a subsequent scene in Mr. Tumnus's lair, where the tearful faun admits to trying to kidnap Lucy, deep shadows looked solid, and details such as carved furniture and gilded books in the bookcases that line the rough rock walls could easily be seen in the dark background.

But the striking thing about the Panasonic's picture was its color balance in THX mode. In a scene where the children enter Aslan's camp for the first time, the green grass looked exceedingly natural, while the red tents and flags managed to look rich without seeming too vivid. The set's subtle color rendition also highlighted fine skin-tone differences - Peter's sallow complexion and his sister's pale, porcelain face, for example.

Although the TV's 24p input mode mostly worked well, smoothing out picture judder in movie scenes with camera pans when the 48-Hz option was selected, it also caused the screen to flicker a bit. The effect could mostly be seen in shots with bright backgrounds such as snow or sky. Once I noticed it, the flickering was tough to ignore, so I decided to use the set's 60-Hz display option for all of my viewing.

The TV's upconversion of standard-def signals was good; regular cable-TV programs and DVDs looked mostly clean and solid, if just a bit soft. (False contouring could also be seen on noisier programs.) Panasonic's Video Noise Reduction processing helped to smooth out grainy images, although its MPEG NR mode softened pictures when switched on.

BOTTOM LINE

With the TH-50PZ800U, Panasonic continues its evolutionary progress toward making an ideal plasma TV. This set's THX picture mode delivers exceptionally natural-looking color without making you jump through lots of picture-adjustment hoops, and its deep shadows will make even fans of Pioneer's Kuro plasmas stand up and take notice. But the best thing of all has to be the Panasonic's price: Shop around, and you'll be able to bring home this outstanding TV for a song.