Panasonic VIERA S1 1080p LCD HDTV Review

Panasonic’s VIERA S1 LCD series includes the 37 inch TC-L37S1 and the 32 inch TC-L32S1. The S1 models are very close to the specification of the recently reviewed Panasonic VIERA G1 series. Both the S1 models are 1080p resolution which is not the case with the G1 series which is a mix of 720p and 1080p.

Panasonic VIERA S1 LCD HDTV

The S1 is the 2009 Panasonic model to pick if you are not a big fan of sports or action movies as it does not include Panasonic’s 120Hz Motion Picture Pro3 technology which interpolates extra frames between existing ones to provide smoother onscreen motion for fast moving sporting broadcasts and action movies. The S1 models do however, incorporate Panasonic’s Motion Focus Technology which also improves fast motion video picture quality. This technology detects areas with motion and activates backlight blinking for only those areas which enhances resolution and hence the sharpens images.

Contrast ratio is one of the primary factors supporting picture quality and the S1 has a reasonably high dynamic contrast ratio of 12,000:1. It’s a figure which is notably higher than earlier model LCD HDTVs but, it’s not market leading when compared to LED backlit LCD HDTVs.

The Panasonic S1 models have a 8ms response time which is a little behind the current market leading 4ms. If you intend to use the HDTV for gaming, it’s worth noting that there is a game mode to improve responsiveness for when using gaming consoles. However, make sure you match the output resolution of your gaming console with the native resolution of the HDTV as this is the primary requirement for reducing any video lag when gaming.

With the proliferation of digital camera and portable AV devices Panasonic have made a smart move in including an SD card slot. It makes it simple to view images and playback video and audio on a much larger display. Video images are handled by the included VIERA Image Viewer which included 3 types of background music and 4 display effects for making image slideshows more interesting.

Connectivity options include 3 HDMI inputs. For simpler control of AV devices connected by HDMI with one remote, Panasonic have provided VIERA Link which is an implementation of the Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standard. There is a PC input for setting up the G1 models as large screen monitors.