You cannot pretend anymore. Your television is completely out of date, even if you just bought it in December of last year. Why? Because 3D home televisions are finally here. The TC-P50VT20 is the first 3D model from Panasonic, and it manages to simultaneously impress and frustrate (and not just because it renders our old, 2D TVs obsolete).

Because 3D HDTVs came to the market so suddenly, there's a lot of confusion about them. The first thing to know is that 3D TVs do not only play in 3D. It's just a standard 1920 x 1080 HDTV, with this one new feature that can be turned on and off. The second thing that people are curious about is the glasses. Yes, you do need glasses, and they're quite expensive (approximately $130-$150, on average). The 3D glasses used for theatrical releases like James Cameron's Avatar produce a similar effect, but the technology in the TV glasses is much more advanced. Finally, people want to know if it looks good. In short, yes, but read on to know what you're getting into with this first-generation product.

The Panasonic TC-P50VT20, in essence, is a great display housed in a fairly ugly container. Pitted against the stylish Samsung UN55C7000, another 3D TV released in the same week, the physical differences are jarring. Panasonic clearly puts function over form, so consider that fair warning. Like most high-end HDTVs, it includes a comprehensive selection of ports for connecting to your home theater, including four HDMIs, two USB ports, an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot, and an ethernet port and WiFi-ready internet connectivity.

The internet content on the new Panasonics, at least at the time of this publication, is rather anemic. Beyond Amazon Video on Demand, there's very little here to draw your attention. By comparison, the 2010 Sony HDTVs feature over thirty streaming content providers, including Netflix. It can only be hoped that Panasonic beefs up its list of content partners over the course of the year.

The lackluster streaming content was just part of an unshakable feeling the TV wasn't ready for release. For instance, the internal software for media ports (USB and card slot) crashed halfway through our review process and recovered only after a long power-down period. Also, there's virtually no 3D content the TV can currently play. This issue will clearly be resolved over time, but we wouldn't recommend rushing out to buy this product.
 

Performance (Read the full lab performance results at Televisioninfo.com)

Let's discuss the traditional, 2D performance first. The Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is a 1920 x 1080 plasma television. As expected with plasma TVs, the black level performance is excellent, capable of getting even darker than last year's TC-P50G10. Conversely, the peak brightness scores were terrible, especially when compared side-by-side with an LCD television. The color performance, on the whole, was only middling. Expect to see some color banding, or less-than-perfectly-smooth color gradients. The motion performance, we're happy to report, was excellent, with virtually no artifacting or lagging.

Watching video in 3D requires the use of proprietary, active shutter glasses, and a pair came bundled with the TV. Because very little 3D video is currently available, our editors relied on an included Blu-ray disc of sample content. Overall, the effectiveness of the 3D illusion depends heavily on content. An underwater coral scene felt immersive, but a Grand Canyon scene felt like a starkly artificial composite of two images. How the original content was filmed has a great deal to do with its effectiveness.

Unlike some other manufacturers, Panasonic has no plans to offer 2D-to-3D upconversion on its sets. If you want 3D video, you have to seek out native 3D content. Expect more Blu-ray discs and some broadcast channels to come online later in 2010.
 

Comparisons (Read more in-depth comparisons at Televisioninfo.com)

To put the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 in perspective, we offer three comparison models. At the time of this publication, there is only one other 3D HDTV on the market, the Samsung C7000 series. The Samsung is a beautiful product inside and out, while the Panasonic is merely beautiful on the inside. As an LED-edgelit LCD, the Samsung is incredibly thin, and the brightness far outshines the Panasonic plasma screen. The streaming content features on the Samsung are just as bad as the Panasonic, so that's a wash. Because the Samsung's 3D glasses aren't available yet, we can't directly compare 3D results. Overall, the Samsung is certainly a better looking TV, and that counts for a lot with some people.

The Sony KDL-46EX700 is a non-3D LED-backlit TV. It might not support 3D, but it's a great performer in its own right. Lab test scores were among the highest we've seen, and Sony has completely nailed the streaming content feature, making it one of the hottest TVs on the market right now (granted, the 2010 models have only started trickling in). Finally, the Panasonic TC-P50G10 is a 2009 plasma TV, also a non-3D model. The black level performance was as good as the new TC-P50VT20, but the peak brightness scores were just as bad. For a plasma, the G10 is near the top of our list, and if you want to sit out on the first round of 3D TVs, it's a strong choice.

Overall, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is a good first try by Panasonic that plays its strengths as the leader in plasma displays. But the firmware failures, poor streaming content choices, prohibitive cost of additional 3D glasses, and lack of readily available 3D video make it an iffy purchase, at least for a few more months.