Panasonic has been top of the picture-quality pile for the past five-plus years, ever since the Pioneer Kuro (now known as the "K-word") bowed out of the frame. Panasonic inherited technology and engineers in Pioneer's shakeup and has been inching toward beating the K-word ever since, but never quite got there. I would argue that 2013 is the year Panasonic has finally cracked it.
The VT60 is an excellent plasma with the best dark-room image quality you'll see this year not powered by light-emitting diodes. It is a shade better than the Kuro we've been using as a reference these long years, it beats the Samsung F8500 in critical dim-room viewing situations, and it's demonstrably better than the outstanding ST60. It boasts industry-leading black levels, illuminating shadow detail, and rich, saturated colors.
There are a couple of problems, however. The first is price: the VT60 is exactly twice the cost of the ST60, and its picture is by no stretch of the imagination twice as good. In other words, this is a TV not just for videophiles, but, like the Kuro and the F8500, it's a TV for relatively wealthy videophiles.
Another problematic decision looms for those who can afford it: Panasonic's own ZT60, a step-up model that outperforms the VT60 in brighter rooms. In dark rooms the two are dead even, but videophiles in this tax bracket who simply want the best picture quality they can get, money no object, won't bat an eye at the extra $500 the ZT60 demands.
The VT60 is the better value, however, and offers better features and sound quality, as well as availability in a 55-inch size. And its silver medal in the all-time picture quality Olympics is still no mean feat.
Editors' Note, November 15, 2013: Panasonic has announced that it will no longer manufacture plasma televisions after 2013, making these TVs the last of their kind. That fact doesn't negatively affect our buying advice; in fact, just the opposite. We have confidence Panasonic will remain a viable company, and continue to support its plasma TVs, for years.
Series information: I performed a hands-on evaluation of the 60-inch Panasonic TC-P60VT60, but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have identical specs and according to the manufacturer should provide very similar picture quality.
| Models in series (details) | |
| Panasonic TC-P55VT60 | 55 inches |
| Panasonic TC-P60VT60 (reviewed) | 60 inches |
| Panasonic TC-P65VT60 | 65 inches |
