As with the other sets in the PH10UK line, the 58-inch TH-58PH10UK from Panasonic is a professional display that lacks the features necessary to make it worth considering for home use. While the smaller sized 37-inch and 42-inch models could be worth considering, this 58-inch model comes up a bit short, unless you absolutely need the larger size panel--but in this case the set might just make it all too apparent on what you're missing.

The first and arguably the most important consideration is that this set is without an internal tuner. That's not a huge problem if you rely on a satellite or cable set top box. But if you do get any HD programming from an over-the-air signal, than this most certainly isn't the set for you.

The TH-58PH10UK has a very sleek appearance that could be easily compared to an oversized PC monitor, and with the lacking tuner this is a very fair comparison. Like most monitors, this set doesn't feature internal speakers either. While we always like to recommend an external system for oversized sets, the lack of speakers mean you'll have to fire up the external receiver just to watch the news. Panasonic does offer an optional speaker package, and while this would be acceptable if the savings amounted to something, the set doesn't offer the most bang for the buck.

This set features a native resolution of 1,366x768, and thus comes up short of some similarly priced 1080p models. The TH-58PH10UK does a very good job with 480p and 720p content, and downscales 1080i and 1080p source material accordingly. The picture is very good, both with true HD content and standard definition TV. As with other Panasonic models, the TH-58PH10UK produces very deep blacks, but with a bit of a green hue. The result is that some colors seem a little unnatural.

There are plenty of options for adjusting the colors, including selectable color temperatures and multiple picture modes. The set features independent memory per input, but there are issues--which we'll get to in a second. We can't say we were pleased with the HD ratio adjustment options. As with the other models in this series there is no way to adjust the ratio of HD programming, so you're left with the options from the HDTV receiver instead. On the plus side, there are four aspect-ratio modes for SD content.

For a set of its size, this 58-inch model is pretty light, but that's because of what's missing (including the aforementioned speakers and tuner). But the set also lacks input options too, which is really what detracts more than anything else. Out of the box the set features a single component input, and while there are hot-swappable inputs for S-Video, component and HDMI, this set is clearly meant for retail displays and single applications.

All things considered this set lacks too much to be considered a viable option for HDTV viewing. It is a good-looking panel for retail and other professional uses, but it isn't very friendly for the home theater environment.

Pros: Great black levels, super thin set
Cons: Colors tend to skew towards too much green, speakers optional, lack of input options, professional sets not really geared to the home, expensive

Warranty
1 year