Panasonic TC-60AS530U Review

It seems as though most new HDTVs fall into one of two categories: connected and costly, or bare-bones and inexpensive. Panasonic's 50AS530U series of LED-backlit HDTVs attempts to buck that trend. For $799.99, the 50-inch TC-50AS530U comes loaded with Web apps and online services, and costs a good deal less than many other connected sets this size. Unfortunately, that price is still a little too high to justify an average picture, just two HDMI ports, and unwelcome pop-up ads. The TC-50AS530U is a solid set, though you can get an even better deal buying something less connected and picking up a media hub. You can get the 48-inch Sharp LC-48LE551U and an Amazon Fire TV($69.99 at Amazon), for instance, for $100 less than the TC-50AS530U.

Editors' Note: This review is based on tests performed on the Panasonic TC-50AS530U, the 50-inch version of the series. Besides the screen-size difference, the $1199.99 60-inch TC-60AS530U is otherwise identical in features, and while we didn't perform lab tests on this specific model, we expect similar performance. The slideshow below depicts the TC-50AS530U.

Design
Unlike many other budget-minded sets, the TC-50AS530U( at Amazon) features a refreshingly sleek design. The look is ultra-minimal, with a trim 3/8-inch shiny black bezel framing the 49.5-inch diagonal display. A Panasonic logo sits on the bottom. The set itself measures just 2.1 inches thick, though with the pedestal attached it measures 27.5 by 44.4 by 10.3 inches (HWD). Like the bezel, the pedestal is made of shiny black plastic, but manages to look slick thanks to its trim design. An indicator light at the bottom left completes the look. It's a handsome set that will look good in any room.

The connections sit on the back left of the screen, somewhat difficult to access except for the two USB ports, which are slightly recessed on the left edge. Behind those you'll also find a cable/antenna connection, an Ethernet port, a component input, and just two HDMI ports, which is disappointing. The controls can be found on the right edge of the display, and feature standard Power, Channel, Volume, and Input buttons.

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The remote is a serviceable but unexciting 8.5-inch plastic stick with raised, unlit rubber buttons. The buttons are large, clearly labeled, and easy to press, though a bit crowded. There's a dedicated Netflix button, but you'll need to navigate through the onscreen menus to access any additional Web apps.

Features
The TC-50AS530U has 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and had no trouble connecting to our wireless network in the PCMag Labs. Once you're set up, the set offers plenty of apps and online services. All of the usual suspects are here, including Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, plus other video-on-demand options like Target Ticket and Vudu. You can comment on shows as you watch them via built-in Facebook and Twitter functionality, and if you purchase an additional camera accessory you can even video chat with Skype.

There are a couple of different online stores onboard. A Panasonic product store lets you order physical accessories and other gadgets straight from Panasonic, while the app store offers a good selection of downloadable free and premium apps and services. You'll find everything from Pandora and TuneIn Radio in the Music section to a selection of porn apps in the questionable After Hours section. That section requires a password to access, but seems slightly out of place given the otherwise wholesome content.

If all those apps aren't enough for you, the TC-50AS530U also features a decent, Bing-based Web browser. Unfortunately, while the browser itself is speedy enough, it's difficult to do anything quickly via the standard remote, which clearly wasn't designed with the Web in mind.

A major downside to being connected are the TC-50AS530U's annoying pop-up ads, the most egregious of which occasionally appear at the bottom of the screen when you change the volume. Thankfully these can be turned off, though doing so is unintuitive and buried under the Settings menu. Other ads will still appear on your various home screens, and there is no way to disable them, which is unfortunate. I prefer commercials to be the only ads my television serves me.

Performance
We test HDTVs with a Klein K-10A colorimeter, SpectraCal's CalMAN 5 software, and DisplayMate test patterns. After a basic dark room calibration, the TC-50AS530U put out a decent 237.13 cd/m² peak brightness. Its black levels are roughly on par, reaching 0.05 cd/m² with a dark screen. The resulting 4,743:1 contrast ratio is fine for the price range.

Color accuracy is an issue for the TC-50AS530U. By the numbers, with the HDTV set to the warmest color temperature preset out of the box, colors are slightly off. As seen in the chart above (the dots indicate measurements, while the squares indicate ideal levels), the measured blue, green, and red levels are all somewhat oversaturated. You can easily see this in films. I watched The Tree of Life, and flesh tones look nearly orange across the board. Other details, like the grass, sky, and trees are all exaggerated to the point where they look somewhat cartoonish.

Black levels are somewhat disappointing as well. While watching the gala scene in Black Swan, all of the black tuxedos lacked detail and texture, along with some of the darker costumes and hair colors throughout the film. This type of performance isn't a big surprise for a large display less than $800, but you can still get a better picture in this range.

The TC-50AS530U does a nice job with power consumption. It consumes a modest 75 watts under regular viewing. With the screen's Energy Star mode turned on, that reduces to 62 watts. That's less than the 55-inch Vizio E550i-B2, which consumes 103 watts and features no appreciable energy-saving settings. It's also lower than the smaller, 48-inch TCL 48FS4690's 90-watt Standard and 84-watt Eco modes.

Conclusion
The Panasonic TC-50AS530U is a highly connected 50-inch screen for well under $1,000, and that alone will appeal to many potential buyers. Its sleek design and modest power consumption sweeten the deal, but average picture quality, frustrating pop-up ads, and too-few HDMI ports actually make this HDTV feel slightly overpriced.

The TC-50AS530U is still a good choice if you're looking for connectivity out of the box, but you can get an even better set by going à la carte. If you don't mind sacrificing a couple of inches, our Editors' Choice, the 48-inch Sharp LC-48LE551U, will get you much more accurate colors, better shadow and highlight detail, and an additional HDMI port. It's also anywhere from $200 to $300 less expensive, so you can pick up a media hub like the Apple TV($69.00 at Groupon), Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, or Roku Streaming Stick($99.68 at Amazon) and still have some money to spare for a new Blu-ray player.