Panasonic 65in Pro-plasma offers stunning image quality, a screen for AV connoisseurs

Panasonic's latest 65ih plasma, the TH-65VX100E, ships into the UK with an £8000 price ticket. That's a hefty hunk of change by anyone's calculation - and it doesn't even come with built-in tuner or speakers as standard.

But you know what? We've started investigating extending our mortgages already. Credit crunch be damned!

The 65VX100E has been designed via Panasonic's Professional Displays division - hence the slightly dour but immensely robust black aluminium frame - to provide a no-compromise option for the custom installation market. Or anyone with a 'money's no object' approach to home cinema.

There are a number of ways in which the 65VX100E monitor goes the extra mile beyond the 65PZ800 model that currently sits at the top of Panasonic's normal consumer TV range, with the most significant innovation being the introduction of a new Dynamic Black Layer.

This sits at the front of the panel and reduces the pre-discharge to one-sixth that of conventional plasma models (soundiing a bit like Pioneer's Crystal Emissive Layer), resulting in what Panasonic claims is the industry's highest native contrast ratio of 60,000:1.

The 65VX100E also employs newly developed phosphor material process technology and an optical filter, which work together to deliver an extended colour gamut claimed to cover pretty much the same colour range used in digital cinema industries.
Next up is the 65VX100E's 18-bit digital signal processing, which should help the screen deliver more detailed light-to-dark gradations (7160 steps, number fans) and subtler, stripe-free colour blends.

Bulging with adjustments
The 65VX100E is absolutely bulging with adjustments, making it a dream come true for professional installers. But it's also a dream come true for home cinema fans thanks to the undeniable quality of its pictures.
It improves on Panasonic's already mighty fine plasma picture quality in almost every area, resulting in pictures which for my money actually better even those of Pioneer's mighty KURO models!

Black levels are sensational. Consider Batman Begins (Blu-ray). Dark scenes like the on in the jail cell where Bruce Wayne first meets Ducard look effortlessly natural, dynamic and intense thanks to the way black colours actually look black, without a trace of low-contrast greyness, blueness, or plasma's once-common tendency to introduce tinges of green.

Spectacular detail
The 65VX100E's fine detail response, meanwhile, is spectacular, revealing every trace of the glorious extra detail and texture that makes HD so lovable. What's more, there's no noise visible unless it's there in the source.
The 65VX100E nails colours in a way Panasonic has never managed before too, producing a vast gamut of colours that allow it to effortlessly mix ultra-rich tones with subtle skin tones, all within the same frame.

The screen's full HD resolution and 18-bit processing also ensure that colour gradations are immaculate.
The 65VX100E's pictures are considerably brighter and more vibrant than those of any previous big-screen Panny plasmas too, especially with the set's Auto Gamma Control feature active.

It's important to stress, too, that although it really bursts into life with hi-def, the 65VX100E is also a superior standard definition performer, upscaling even the dodgiest of digital channels from a Sky receiver with an unusually deft touch. Though if you'd prefer a separate scaler to do this work for you, the 65VX100E handily provides the option to turn its own internal scaler off.
The way the 65VX100E loves both the smaller and the most impactful things in picture quality life makes for a viewing experience so natural, immersive, stable and plain cinematic that it sets new big screen standards.
Is this enough to warrant the £8000 cost? Frankly that's a question only you and your bank manager can answer.

HCC verdict 5/5

Quick facts about this Pro-plasma…

This full HD 65in screen designed for the money's no object custom install market is Panasonic Professional’s premiere screen option. Unless you fancy the £50k 103in model!

The only other plasma model around right now that really deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the 65VX100E is Pioneer's PDP-LX6090, which is 5in smaller and Panasonic consumer’s own 65PZ800, which is roughly half the price.