Thomas J. Norton

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TV Reviews
Panasonic Viera TC-P50GT25 3D Plasma HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Mar 16, 2011
Price: $2,100 (3D glasses: $150/pair) At A Glance: THX certified for 2D • Accurate color and superb resolution • Near reference-level blacks and shadow detail

Deep Impact

Plasmas have gotten a bum rap in the market for all sorts of nutty reasons. They break when shaken? No, not unless you’re talking about dropping them off the delivery truck, or them falling off the wall in an 8.0 trembler. In either case, you can kiss any flat-panel set goodbye. They leak plasma gas and need to be recharged frequently? A big-box retailer reportedly started this rumor several years ago, apparently in an effort to sell a special power conditioner that was said to eliminate the need for regular plasma transfusions.

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TV Reviews
Panasonic VIERA TC-P50VT25 Plasma 3D HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jul 19, 2010
toppick.jpgPrice: $2,600 At A Glance: Precise color gamut in THX mode • Near reference black level • Sparkling 3D—and 2D—performance

Walking the 3D Talk

You might think that reviewing—and reading about—one flat panel after another would get boring, if not downright numbing. And it would, if the technology were static. Fee-fie-ho-hum, a new flat panel joins the scrum.

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TV Reviews
Panasonic VIERA TC-P58V10 Plasma HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Dec 07, 2009
Price: $2,700 At A Glance: Best blacks yet from Panasonic • THX certified • Excellent value • Superb off-axis performance

Plasma Brings the Juice

For many reasons, not the least of which is the sheer brightness that grabs eyeballs on the showroom floor, LCD HDTVs now outsell plasmas by a significant margin.

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Panasonic VIERA TH-50PZ800U Plasma HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Feb 17, 2009
This review is part of a four-way Face Off. Read the introduction and conclusions of the Face Off here.

The Panasonic TH-50PZ800U is one of the first HDTVs to earn THX certification. But you might ask, “Isn’t THX mainly into audio?” I can see where you’re coming from, but THX isn’t exactly new to the home video business. It has certified video software for years and has begun to do the same for projectors and flat-panel displays.

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Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ85U Plasma HDTV
Thomas J. Norton  |  Oct 06, 2008
The One to Beat?

While LCD displays may dominate that video wall at your local Best Circuit Shack these days, don’t dismiss the benefits of plasmas. No company has put more R&D into plasma development than Panasonic, and it’s paid off. People may disagree about who makes the best plasma sets, but no one will dispute that Panasonic is in the thick of the action. When it comes to the breadth of its product range, Panasonic is the champ.

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CES 2014
Panasonic's All In For LCD
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 14, 2014
In a dark cubicle, with no photos possible (or allowed), Panasonic demonstrated a prototype of a 4K flagship LCD/LED set planned for release later in 2014. Sited next to the now discontinued ZT60 plasma, it looked impressive. The LCD set had full-array LED backlighting, and appeared to have respectable off-center performance—as far as it was possible to tell in such a small space. One of the Panasonic reps said it had an IPS LCD panel—the LCD technology with the best off-axis performance.

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CES 2011
Panasonic's Glass Towers
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 07, 2011  |  Published: Jan 08, 2011
Panasonic came up with a nifty solution to the problem of demonstrating 3D with glasses. The glasses are fixed in the vertical supports shown, which easily slide up and down to fit the height of the viewer.
CES 2014
Panasonic's Stealth OLED
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 14, 2014
While some of the competition (particularly LG) went all out for OLED this year (though OLED was hardly the talk of the show, an honor reserved for 4K) Panasonic didn't make any OLED product announcements. But they haven't been sitting on their hands.
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CEDIA 2018
Paradigm and Anthem Go Anamorphic for CEDIA Demo
Thomas J. Norton  |  Sep 09, 2018
The demo in the Anthem-Paradigm sound room was impressive, using a pair of the new Paradigm Prelude 800F tower speakers (under $2,000/pair) for a two-channel demo and Paradigm’s upscale in-wall (on-wall in this demo) speakers for the AV presentation... So why the picture here of Panamorph anamorphic lenses?
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Subwoofer ReviewsSurround Sound System ReviewsTower Speaker Reviews
Paradigm Premier 700F Speaker System Review
Thomas J. Norton  |  Jan 31, 2019

Premier 700F Speaker System
Performance
Build Quality
Value

Defiance X-12 subwoofer
Performance
Features
Build Quality
Value
PRICE $4,700 (as tested)

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Crisp detail
Big, powerful sound
Minus
Tower unstable on thick carpet
Poorly designed grilles

THE VERDICT
The Premier range is far from the most expensive in Paradigm's speaker lineup, but the performance and build quality that it offers lets it compete with speakers twice the price.

The other day a friend who's neither a videophile nor an audiophile dropped by my home to watch a movie. A pair of loudspeakers I had just finished reviewing for Stereophile, our sister publication, were sitting in a corner, waiting to be packed up. When I told him their price—$6,000/pair—he appeared shocked. Even Paradigm's affordable new 700F speakers, then as now serving as the left/right channels in my system, are pricier than he would like were he to invest in a system of his own (unlikely!).

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