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2M views 18K replies 1K participants last post by  rododoktolos 
#1 ·
This is the first review based on European/British model TX-P55VT65B:

Pros

Superb analogue looking images

Reference black levels

Incredible contrast ratio and dynamic range

Lack of PWM noise and clean looking images

Very good out-of-the-box greyscale

Reference greyscale after calibration

Excellent out-of-the-box colour gamut

Reference color gamut after calibration

Reference level 3D performance

Comprehensive calibration controls

Wonderful motion handling

Excellent video processing

Built-in WiFi, Freesat HD and Freeview HD

Excellent Smart TV platform

Highly effective remote app

Well designed menus and remote control

Attractive design and excellent build quality
Cons

Some DFC

Stand doesn't swivel

Fans might bother some




http://www.avforums.com/reviews/Panasonic-VT65-VT60-TX-P55VT65B-P50VT65B-P65VT65B-3D-Plasma-TV_507/Review.html
 
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#7,481 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidHir  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027557


You should NOT have to use any liquid at all (including distilled water although it's probably the safest) so long as your set is not being touched - and no reason for it to be. Using a microfiber cloth to lightly dust the screen is all you should ever have to do.

Hmmm, maybe in a sterile environment like the moon but not in my house in Arizona with pets, etc. I also discovered some hand prints from when we originally placed the TV. So, in my case, a de-greaser of some kind seems to be needed...
 
#7,482 ·
So, I will reach about 50 hours tonight on my VT60 running just the D'Nice slides. I had planned to run them for at least 100, but am itching to plug the sucker into the rest of my system and really see it in action (I don't consider last night's quick streaming of some snow scenes from The Grey on netflix to test whites in the snow to be "seeing it in action").


I still plan to continue running the slides at least through 150 hours, but I'm wondering how "good to go" I am to start watching anything with some letterboxing on it (2.35:1 content movies for example) as I have a few Netflix blu-rays that we need to get watched and sent back (don't actually know what format they are in). We'd probably be mostly watching HDTV through the cable box though, DVR recordings, over the next couple of days.


The main reason I'm running the slides is just to "break in" through the first 100 or so hours because I didn't want to have to be OCD careful with what I was watching. I won't actually be trying to decipher D'Nice's VT60 settings since I don't own the software required for it and instead will probably run either cinema, THX cinema if I decide not to use the pixel orbiter (still unsure on that), or CNet's settings until I get it professionally calibrated in a few months. I'm guessing I should just be patient since my old TV is still hooked up and working great. I just wanted to get some feedback.
 
#7,483 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by flyinion  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027594


So, I will reach about 50 hours tonight on my VT60 running just the D'Nice slides. I had planned to run them for at least 100, but am itching to plug the sucker into the rest of my system and really see it in action (I don't consider last night's quick streaming of some snow scenes from The Grey on netflix to test whites in the snow to be "seeing it in action").


I still plan to continue running the slides at least through 150 hours, but I'm wondering how "good to go" I am to start watching anything with some letterboxing on it (2.35:1 content movies for example) as I have a few Netflix blu-rays that we need to get watched and sent back (don't actually know what format they are in). We'd probably be mostly watching HDTV through the cable box though, DVR recordings, over the next couple of days.


The main reason I'm running the slides is just to "break in" through the first 100 or so hours because I didn't want to have to be OCD careful with what I was watching. I won't actually be trying to decipher D'Nice's VT60 settings since I don't own the software required for it and instead will probably run either cinema, THX cinema if I decide not to use the pixel orbiter (still unsure on that), or CNet's settings until I get it professionally calibrated in a few months. I'm guessing I should just be patient since my old TV is still hooked up and working great. I just wanted to get some feedback.

imho watching a full screen movie in between slides wouldn't hurt anything, however (and you're not going to like this) I would not watch anything with black bars during the first 100 hours or so. Reason being that you want everything to age as evenly as possible during the first 100 hours when the phosphors are running hot.
 
#7,484 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidHir  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027557


You should NOT have to use any liquid at all (including distilled water although it's probably the safest) so long as your set is not being touched - and no reason for it to be. Using a microfiber cloth to lightly dust the screen is all you should ever have to do.

As Scott Oakley pointed out, pets can cause issues (and I mentioned it being a pet issue in my original post). I've noticed since we moved to our new house and the living room/etc. is a slightly different layout I think I've only had to wipe down my current TV's screen once due to the dog. The other house he'd drink a bunch of water in the kitchen, walk into the living room right in front of the TV, and shake letting who knows what fly out of his mouth onto the screen. Drove me nuts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DasRetroKid  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027646


imho watching a full screen movie in between slides wouldn't hurt anything, however (and you're not going to like this) I would not watch anything with black bars during the first 100 hours or so. Reason being that you want everything to age as evenly as possible during the first 100 hours when the phosphors are running hot.

No problem on the black bars, I figured that would be the case and should be pretty easy to avoid. I'll have to take a look at what I actually have from Netflix and decide what to do. Of course all the DVR stuff is full 16x9 TV shows on various broadcast & cable channels. I've been watching the channel bugs lately (never been an issue with my crt rptv) and noticed most go away after a minute or two or are tranparent. They do still have me a little nervous during the first 100 hours though and so that was one of the reasons I considered just continuing with the slides for a couple more days.
 
#7,485 ·

Hey Everyone,

  Long time reader, 1st time poster - 

 

Little background - I am a AV installer for a company who only deals with multimillion dollar homes / customers.  Basically if you are a celebrity, you are going to know who we are.  I do actual full blown theaters including IMAX.  I've done calibrations and just about every TV along with the sound systems.  I have seen the best of the best when money is no object and btw the 84" + TVs are quite heavy to put on a mount :). I've installed projectors that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars with scalers.  

 

I've been waiting a long time to buy a TV as I usually wait until black friday / cyber monday.  I currently have a 40" sony LCD thats done "ok" as far as PQ but also bought it before I started in AV.  Now the LCD and calibration options bug me quite a bit as you could probably imagine.  I've been watching the LED prices come down but really wanted a plasma as they cannot be beat.  If I were to pick the best brand in my opinion it would be panasonic so that's what I was after this year.  I was looking at the 65" and up sizes on Amazon this past Monday.  I noticed a stellar deal on the VT60 series and was immediately glued to my screen to pour through the specs.  As I checked my own "dealer" pricing for the exact same TV, I said WOW amazon has it beat.  I couldn't pass up this "reference" TV at such a good price and well 65" sounded about right :D.

 

I look forward to my delivery later this week.  Already checked on CEVA's website and my info is there.  

 

Best thing to do when doing a inspection is to use a bright LED flashlight to check for hairline cracks.  I've seen DOAs, cracks, dead pixels, dead HDMI ports...you name it.  You HAVE to check EVERYTHING and I cannot say this enough to anyone who recently bought a TV.  We had trucks made to move TVs specifically and I personally took them off a semi to put them in my truck.  Took them out of the box at the clients house and seen issues despite the box being in MINT condition.  

 

If anyone has any questions on mounts or TVs, let me know!
 
#7,486 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaffin  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027791


Hey Everyone,

  Long time reader, 1st time poster - 


Little background - I am a AV installer for a company who only deals with multimillion dollar homes / customers.  Basically if you are a celebrity, you are going to know who we are.  I do actual full blown theaters including IMAX.  I've done calibrations and just about every TV along with the sound systems.  I have seen the best of the best when money is no object and btw the 84" + TVs are quite heavy to put on a mount
. I've installed projectors that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars with scalers.  


I've been waiting a long time to buy a TV as I usually wait until black friday / cyber monday.  I currently have a 40" sony LCD thats done "ok" as far as PQ but also bought it before I started in AV.  Now the LCD and calibration options bug me quite a bit as you could probably imagine.  I've been watching the LED prices come down but really wanted a plasma as they cannot be beat.  If I were to pick the best brand in my opinion it would be panasonic so that's what I was after this year.  I was looking at the 65" and up sizes on Amazon this past Monday.  I noticed a stellar deal on the VT60 series and was immediately glued to my screen to pour through the specs.  As I checked my own "dealer" pricing for the exact same TV, I said WOW amazon has it beat.  I couldn't pass up this "reference" TV at such a good price and well 65" sounded about right
.


I look forward to my delivery later this week.  Already checked on CEVA's website and my info is there.  


Best thing to do when doing a inspection is to use a bright LED flashlight to check for hairline cracks.  I've seen DOAs, cracks, dead pixels, dead HDMI ports...you name it.  You HAVE to check EVERYTHING and I cannot say this enough to anyone who recently bought a TV.  We had trucks made to move TVs specifically and I personally took them off a semi to put them in my truck.  Took them out of the box at the clients house and seen issues despite the box being in MINT condition.  


If anyone has any questions on mounts or TVs, let me know!

GREAT info from a type of source not often heard from. Thank you.

Scott
 
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#7,487 ·

Hi everyone I've been debating purchasing the VT65 or the 8500 Samsung for a few weeks now... went to BB today, saw they had a VT 65 hooked up. The Direct tv box was open to the public so i switched the TV to NHL network the TV had been on the channel for no longer then 1-2 mins and I saw some of the worst Image retention i have ever seen on a plasma. The NHL network logo at the top right was their as bright as day. It seems about about 10 mins or so it went away. I was wondering if anyone had IR last that long on these models... I'm going to be watching a lot of sports on the set i decide to purchase..  I know all plasmas have some IR but this was bad...
 
#7,488 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by billabong12789  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24028006


Hi everyone I've been debating purchasing the VT65 or the 8500 Samsung for a few weeks now... went to BB today, saw they had a VT 65 hooked up. The Direct tv box was open to the public so i switched the TV to NHL network the TV had been on the channel for no longer then 1-2 mins and I saw some of the worst Image retention i have ever seen on a plasma. The NHL network logo at the top right was their as bright as day. It seems about about 10 mins or so it went away. I was wondering if anyone had IR last that long on these models... I'm going to be watching a lot of sports on the set i decide to purchase..  I know all plasmas have some IR but this was bad...

Just a guess but probably it's due to the set being in nuclear store display mode. Otherwise you would not even be able to navigate the menus in the TV if that was the normal operation of the set.
 
#7,489 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by flyinion  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24028032


Just a guess but probably it's due to the set being in nuclear store display mode. Otherwise you would not even be able to navigate the menus in the TV if that was the normal operation of the set.

Yep. Vivid (torch) mode, with brightness cranked. Thus the IR. The reason they do this is they believe brightness and over saturated colors sell. Honestly, they're right. That's why the uninformed are attracted to LCD displays like bees to honey.
 
#7,491 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jconjason  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24028077


Yep. Vivid (torch) mode, with brightness cranked. Thus the IR. The reason they do this is they believe brightness and over saturated colors sell. Honestly, they're right. That's why the uninformed are attracted to LCD displays like bees to honey.

Right. People are attracted to bright shiny objects -- like dogs and cats.



Larry
 
#7,492 ·
I'm in the minority here but I bought the 55" and I'm going to stick with it unless something happens to force a return (defect or failure -- furiously knocking on wood right now).


I'm staying with my cousin right now between apartments and his display is an 82" Mitsubishi DLP. It sounds silly but after getting accustomed to this set everything seems small so I'm not really concerned about size. Also: most of the television I watch still looks awful on too big a screen. My father has a 60" st50 and it's gorgeous-- but it is also fairly dominating no matter what the room. As I'm looking towards an apartment or modest condo I feel 55" is more than big enough.


Just my 2 cents. Really I just want to say I own the best 55" panasonic ever made-- something I wouldn't be able to say about the 60" vt!
 
#7,493 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by skro  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027359



I use this one, and I've been happy with it:

Sanus Systems LL11-B1
http://www.amazon.com/Sanus-Systems-LL11-B1-37-Inch-Ultra-Thin/dp/B002E2N1XU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386106732&sr=8-1&keywords=sanus+flush
 
Hi skro, I have a question if you don't mind. Does the L shaped power cord fit flush enough to not protrude with the bracket? I want the TV snug up against the wall and the bracket seems just right but wanted your opinion. Thanks
 
#7,494 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jconjason  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24028077


Yep. Vivid (torch) mode, with brightness cranked. Thus the IR. The reason they do this is they believe brightness and over saturated colors sell. Honestly, they're right. That's why the uninformed are attracted to LCD displays like bees to honey.

Yup, damn shame.
 
#7,495 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Oakley  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027588


Hmmm, maybe in a sterile environment like the moon but not in my house in Arizona with pets, etc. I also discovered some hand prints from when we originally placed the TV. So, in my case, a de-greaser of some kind seems to be needed...

De-greaser on a sensitively coated plasma screen as needed?! Best of luck with that.
 
#7,496 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by TWD  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027356



The 50 was definitely brighter in my side by side comparison. Both were "65 inch. Reflections were definitely better on the 50, making it a better TV for daytime viewing IMO. The fans on the 50 were very quiet compared to the 60. The 60 also runs hotter.


I have to add a disclaimer here. My VT50 was calibrated by Chad. The 60 was not.


I ended up returning the 60.
Thanks for the reply. I also ended up returning my 60ST60 and kept my 60ST50. I did it for two reasons.

 

1. I realized that I wanted my next tv to be a 65 like yours.

 

2. I had trouble getting used to what reminded me of a slight soap opera look to the 60 series. You describe the 60 as a "more dimensional" look. (By the way, that is an outstanding, spot on description). For me though, I prefer the flatter-less dimensional, more film-like look of the ST50 (especially on old tv shows).

 

Someone else posted that it was more fluid in movement. I noticed this too. For me, this also was a minus. I know that a flat look and 24 fps slightly blurry/juddery film is about blu-ray movies, but I like my tv shows to have this film-like look too even though tv shows are 60hz which translates into 30 fps and not 24fps.

 

I associate the extra fluid look and the dimensional roundness to people and objects and the accompanying depth to something far from film and reminiscent of a slight soap opera look. Soap opera, I know has to do with motion interpolation, with the accompanying 3d look and overly fluid movement. But the ST60 for different reasons, had this look (to a much lesser degree of course).

 

The only way I could get my ST50 to even remotely approach that look of the ST60 was to turn motion smoothing interpolation on to the weak setting. But to my dismay, turning off all motion smoothing and NR on the ST60 still, to me, had the 60 looking like it had motion smoothing going on a weak setting. I sometimes wonder if Panasonic said, "Were going to make sure this tv is always super clear and super smooth - even with all enhancements turned off."

 

So for me, the ST50 looked "better" in a very different way I guess than most people want and I feel that it gives me more options as to how I want it to look. I can turn on motion smoothing and crank up the sharpness if I want, and even better, leave it all off and not get that look.
 
#7,497 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Oakley  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7470#post_24027561



None of my business, but I would read the three star reviews on Amazon, just so you have the caveats going in...does look like a good mount though.
Scott, I read them and nothing too bad, mostly good. Many of the 3 star's have TV's with cables coming out the back. How flush is the power cord on the VT60? That's the only one that would protrude out the back and usually has a notch but I haven't seen it. Any thoughts?
 
#7,499 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidHir  /t/1467563/official-panasonic-vt60-...hread-no-street-price-talk/7500#post_24028458


Sargon, I too hate the soap opera effect and it doesn't exist on the VT60 so long as those particular settings are turned off - I imagine that has to be the case with the ST60 too.
You might be right. It seemed to me that that 65VT60s I saw in different stores all had slightly less of that super fluid, prominent 3d look than the ST60. I can't comment fully until my 65VT60 comes in tomorrow! Only an owner who spends time with his tv knows for sure. So for now, I will defer to your opinion on your VT. I sure hope your right. Thanks.

 

By the way, I have consistently noticed that the budget friendly plasmas such as the UT50 (which I returned two of) and the S60 have an inherent motion processing that looks very "video". I also noticed that the high end Panasonic plasmas have a more natural look. So they probably shoved a little something extra into those VTs.
 
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