Sony W5500 vs Panasonic G15

Vincent Lheur
Updated: March 18, 2010

On the left, we have the Sony W5500, an LCD TV, backlit with fluorescent tubes, powered by the popular XrossMediaBar interface and one of most popular TV tests we published last year. When we first tested it, we gave it five stars, but it's since fallen back to four, something we explain later on.	\| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \|	Opposite it, the Panasonic G15. Because it uses a plasma screen, this TV should be able to offer great contrast and wide viewing angles.
Prices unavailable Recommended alternatives Editor's Choice Philips 46PFL8606H The Best 3D Plasma Panasonic Viera TX-P42VT30 Affordable 3D TV LG 47LW450U	\| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \|	Prices unavailable Recommended alternatives Editor's Choice Philips 46PFL8606H The Best 3D Plasma Panasonic Viera TX-P42VT30 Affordable 3D TV LG 47LW450U
LCD	\|	Plasma
1920 x 1080 pixels	\|	1920 x 1080 pixels
4 x HDMI	\|	4 x HDMI
available as: 32'', 37'', 40'', 46'' and 52''	\|	available as: 37'', 42'' and 46''
46'' version: 24 kg	\|	46'' version: 27 kg

THE BACKGROUND

This is one of the most talked-about televisions from the 2009-10 season. The W55000 has a great contrast ratio, an excellent range of inputs and several technical improvements that promise to deliver better results. It also comes in an 'eco-friendly' version, the WE5. We were planning on including it here, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to find in the shops.

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Rumours the death of plasma screens--which have been circulating for years--are greatly exaggerated. Every time we see a new plasma, we are impressed by the quality it offers, and Panasonic is known for producing high-end units that often leave viewers speechless. The number of Home Cinema fans who swear by the Japanese manufacturer's products should be enough to show just why plasma is a great alternative to LCD if watching movies is what you have in mind.

LCD or plasma? The debate still rages on, so to decide once and for all, what could be better than a fight between two heavyweights, one from each side? Let battle commence!

HANDLING, DESIGN AND BUILD: SONY WINS

With four HDMI inputs, both contenders have good connectivity. These are joined by traditional options like SCART, S-Video, composite and component video to plug in your older equipment. They're not identical though, and there are a few ways to divide them up:

Multimedia player: you can use either the USB port or the network connection available on the W5500 to play DivX files in HD. It doesn't support very large hard drives, which rather limits its use with video, though, and it can't play SRT subtitle files that aren't part of the DivX video. That's something the Panasonic G15 can do, but it plays DivX in SD, with only camcorder video available in HD. Instead of a USB port, it only has an SD card slot, which cuts down on the amount of storage space.

User interface: Sony's PS3 made the XrossMediaBar interface famous, and it beats all of its competitors hands down. It would be difficult to do better than this.

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Matte screen: the W5500 is finished with a powerful anti-glare treatment, which does a good job of absorbing light. The G15, on the other hand, has a glossy finish, which makes for irritating reflections if you use it in a bright room or too close to a window.

IMAGE QUALITY: PANASONIC WINS

A perfect image: that's the word that comes to mind when you look at the G15. The results it produces, with plenty of contrast, natural colours and detail, aren't lacking in any area.

Sony an all-rounder: because it's a plasma, you shouldn't really use the G15 with a computer. If it displays a static image for too long, it can end getting burned into the panel, leaving a visible even when you watch something else. Unlike earlier plasmas, though, it will be fine with a games console, as it is better at resisting burning than many of its predecessors were.

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Narrow viewing angles: although the quality produced by Sony just about matches Panasonic when you look straight at the screen, it still has very narrow viewing angles. That's an inherent weakness of LCD technology, which isn't shared by plasma screens, where the image looks exactly the same wherever you look at them from.

AUDIO QUALITY: A DRAW

Decent sound ... but that's it: this is one of the main problems with modern TVs. Because they're so thin, there isn't room to fit decent speakers, or for bass to resonate properly. Neither of today's competitors bucks this trend, and, while both produce acceptable sound, you'll need to buy some extra speakers if you want your ears to have as much fun as your eyes.

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ENERGY CONSUMPTION: SONY WINS

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Plasma as greedy as ever: if there's one thing you can criticise about plasma TVs, it's that they use a lot of energy, and the G15 is no exception. Using anywhere between 240 and 300 W while switched on, it easily trumps Sony's usage of just 100-170 W, depending on the settings you choose. (Settings measured using the 46'' versions).

VERDICT: PANASONIC FOR IMAGE QUALITY, SONY AN ALL-ROUNDER

If you want the best quality image above all then go for the Panasonic G15. It produces absolutely superb results, wherever it is in the room. You need to be more careful about where you put the Sony, as the viewers will all need to be facing the screen directly; the further you move away from the centre line of the screen, the worse the results.

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If you want to connect your PC to your TV, or spend a lot of time playing video games where one element remains in a fixed position on screen for hours on end, then you'll definitely want the Sony. It won't suffer from screen burn, a problem that only effects plasma screens. Although the G15 seems much less susceptible to this problem than many of its predecessors, it's not worth tempting fate.

Check your Sony: the W5500 displays a great image, as long as you don't have the misfortune to end up with one that suffers from clouding. This problem, which seems to effect this manufacturer more than most, creates glowing haloes around dark areas of the frame, especially around the edges. It's caused by light leaking out from a panel that isn't properly positioned, which serves to illuminate areas of the screen that are supposed to be dark grey or even black, giving them a blue tinge. If you are thinking about buying this model, try to get an assurance that you will be able to exchange it if yours is effected by this problem, which caused it to lose a star in our tests.

End of the line: manufacturers are all getting their spring 2010 televisions ready in time for the World Cup. That means there aren't many G15s, or Z11s (a high-end alternative), or W5500s or WE5s on sale at the moment. That makes it the perfect time to try and find a good deal and maybe even haggle.

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