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Panasonic PX80 Owners Thread - Page 3

post #61 of 5765
2/29/08 at 12:33pm
Can someone comment on how the "new anti-reflective filter" compares to the anti-glare screens on last year's 77U models/the "old" anti-reflective screens on '07's 700/750U models? Matte or glossy? Diffuse or shiny? Thanks.
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post #62 of 5765
2/29/08 at 1:43pm
Does anyone know what might be the difference between the model TH50PX80U and the model TH50PX80UPK? I've seen it listed both ways but have yet to hear a definitive answer.
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post #63 of 5765
2/29/08 at 1:47pm
AIDANPENDRAGON...The filter on the screen does hash out more light..Even fairly noticeable in a retail store...

joluar78,BBY employees do not get spiffs or bonuses, as well they do not have any quotas they have to meet...
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post #64 of 5765
2/29/08 at 2:18pm
Wow these 80 series, especially the 42" are a heck of a bargain. At the moment, what site has the best deal with shipping going on? If you cannot post, please pm me.

Would love to get the 720p panny for my bedroom!

Thanks,
Brandon
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post #65 of 5765
2/29/08 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moman19 View Post

Does anyone know what might be the difference between the model TH50PX80U and the model TH50PX80UPK? I've seen it listed both ways but have yet to hear a definitive answer.

There is no such thing as a PX80UPK model. Some scammy bait-and-switch etailers add the PK to the end of a consumer model's model number and claim it adds some sort of "Pro Kit" but it's just a scam to get even more money out of you. This was discussed a few weeks ago so you must have stumbled onto the same websites as the other guys.

Who is the vendor with the "PK" model? Any vendor you see that uses this PK suffix on a consumer model is most likely part of the scummy group of etailers that go by the name of Pricemad dot com as well as many other names. They're all the same company, only with different storefronts.

Avoid these crackheads at all costs.
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post #66 of 5765
2/29/08 at 3:08pm
Pricemad is definitely one of the offenders, but I've seen the PK suffix elsewhere. This is not pretty and is turning the pleasure of on-line shopping into a painful gauntlet. It's difficult to imagine that others would also choose to add the same nonsense suffix. But that seems to be what's happening.

I wonder if the "PK" designates gray market goods intended for another country. Gee, this stinks. I'm almost ready to just pay full list at the closest big box store and be done with it.
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post #67 of 5765
2/29/08 at 3:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moman19 View Post

Pricemad is definitely one of the offenders, but I've seen the PK suffix elsewhere. This is not pretty and is turning the pleasure of on-line shopping into a painful gauntlet. It's difficult to imagine that others would also choose to add the same nonsense suffix. But that seems to be what's happening.

Well pretty much everybody who's tagging the "PK" suffix onto the end of a consumer model number is most likely part of the same group of etailers, and are probably all owned by one company anyway. Look at the various sites that have the "PK" model and you'll see similarities, like the same accessories and general website layout.

Quote:


I wonder if the "PK" designates gray market goods intended for another country. Gee, this stinks. I'm almost ready to just pay full list at the closest big box store and be done with it.

No the PK they add doesn't mean any sort of gray market plasma, they're just tacking on the PK suffix from the real Industrial models for whatever reason (P for Professional Series, and the K means black cabinet). It has no bearing on the consumer models though.

Since you're finding these scam sites it would seem that you're looking for the rock bottom lowest prices, so be advised that any place that has a price that sounds too good to be true probably is, and you should check the company's history on Resellerratings dot com, and also check the list of known fake or scammer websites there as well.

When the new models are released, there isn't much discounting going on and these scammers know it so they put up prices that are lower than anybody in order to suck you in. Be careful.
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post #68 of 5765
2/29/08 at 5:04pm
I just got back from my local best buy and found they had the TH-42PX80U up on display (oddly enough, they don't have any in stock, nor have any information when they would be getting some in).

Some things I noticed:

1) In torch mode, it is significantly brighter than other plasmas nearby (this includes the Kuro, Panasonic 77u, and some off-brand plasma. Not as bright as an LCD, but bright enough it didn't look awfully dingy in super bright store.
2) Normal mode, imo is about the same brightness as other plasmas torch mode.
3) I read from somebody saying this plasma looks butt ugly. It's no beauty queen, but looks nice enough.
4) The source material playing at Best Buy was bright outdoors / snow skiing, so I wasn't able to compare blacks. The blacks I did see look competitive, but not better than the Kuro.
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post #69 of 5765
2/29/08 at 7:01pm
Do you see any real improvement or did they just turn up the brightness in torch mode to compete better against the LCDs? I wouldn't expect its blacks to surpass a Kuro. Hopefully it's a bit closer but probably not better.
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post #70 of 5765
2/29/08 at 8:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moman19 View Post

Do you see any real improvement or did they just turn up the brightness in torch mode to compete better against the LCDs? I wouldn't expect its blacks to surpass a Kuro. Hopefully it's a bit closer but probably not better.

Actually, I just got back from Best Buy and having them special order it. It should arrive Tuesday. I think its a smoking deal compared to other LCDs and Plasmas available. Not to mention Best Buy's 90 day price match (which ends saturday).

I checked the px80u settings in store, and default was vivid with 50 brightness (out of a 100). At 100 brightness, the blacks were washed out (no duh), but could compete with the phillips (and other) LCD(s) right next to it in terms of brightness.

It is tough to compare picture quality because the source material at best buy is split up so many times. I have 30 days to return it if I don't like it.
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post #71 of 5765
2/29/08 at 9:36pm
I spent some time tonight at BB where they had the 42PX80 right next to a Pioneer 4280 Kuro. I was there last week looking at the Kuro and had adjusted it so it would look normal (as in whites looking white, deep blacks, more accurate color temp, etc) and to my surprise, it was still set this way tonight. At first, the PX80 looked more washed out and way to bright. After putting the color temp on warm, turning down the contrast and brightness, cutting the color level a little, making sure all dynamic modes and NR were off, the picture was almost identical to the Kuro. The Kuro still had a slightly deeper black. In the setup menu on the PX80 there was a setting for black level which I could not access (it was in the menu but was greyed out). If I could access that adjustment and possibly set it to 'darker' from the 'lighter' setting that it was in, it might give the PX80 the extra black that the Kuro had. No one knew how to adjust the set and a manual could not be found, so I may be wrong about this.

What was interesting was during the time I was adjusting the sets, a few people came to inquire what I was doing (both sales and customers). When they saw how much better the sets were looking and how they compared to the LCD's that were around them they all stated that plasma was the better in picture quality. I even adjusted a LCD set next to the PX80 to see how black it could get (a Sharp model) and one could really see just how 'dark grey' LCD's blacks are compared to plasma's.

At $400 less than the Kuro, the 42PX80 is a bargan (even at list price) and will be my next purchase!
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post #72 of 5765
2/29/08 at 9:48pm
Careful, keyoctave!! You might be giving the masses the idea they don't have to accept how displays look in most showrooms!!!
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post #73 of 5765
2/29/08 at 9:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by moman19 View Post

Gee, this stinks. I'm almost ready to just pay full list at the closest big box store and be done with it.

Swing by the Post Office and get a Change of Address kit. 12% off all Panasonic TVs at BB good until May 31. I just used one to get the PX80U at BB Tuesday night. Just picked it and up set it up tonight.

I was pretty impressed with it right out of the box. In the store it was really close to the 4280 on stock settings but I could tell a difference. I am sure with some adjustments as mentioned above it could be better. I did watch Ghost Whisperer tonight and the blacks seemed really good of course Jennifer Love Hewitt might have biased my opinion some. I will play with some settings tomorrow as this is my first plasma. Anyone got some good settings yet?
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post #74 of 5765
3/1/08 at 3:20am
Is there any word on how this set handles 1080p24 signals?
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post #75 of 5765
3/1/08 at 4:34am
The first thing the tv asks you when you plug it in is whether its going to be in a store or home. Pretty similar to what keyoctave said...I turned to warm setting for color and moved most of the settings down into the middle 30's. By default everything is set at 50 and its way too bright. Simon Cowell had a nice glowing scheen to his forward...thus I started adjusting. As for the black level the manual says:

"Selects Dark or Light. Valid only for external input signals. (Dark/Light)"

Now that the weekend is here I finally get to do some playing. Finally whats this about the tv being ugly? I think it looks great. Its solid piano black finish...how much better can you get? I don't know of too many tvs that have a sweet all over print with a fur hood attached to them..
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post #76 of 5765
3/1/08 at 6:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bengbeng View Post

Late at evening, lights dimmed or out in the living room, watching a movie, deep blacks are very nice. Thé X-Factor. It's imo much more important than bright LCD like whites (which is only handy if you have no light controlled environment during daytime).

Right, but there's more to a plasma than blacks. What if your plasma is too dim? What if it doesn't have a coloration you like? What if it doesn't have as see-through a look/convincing look as the one with the better blacks? I know black levels are very important, but one has to look at a set as a whole to determine if one can get the whole package in one (including the black levels) or if one finds there is much more to a different set in spite the black levels aren't quite as good as the one the person does not like. We're talking about plasmas here, no mentioning of lcd please
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post #77 of 5765
3/1/08 at 7:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by keyoctave View Post

I spent some time tonight at BB where they had the 42PX80 right next to a Pioneer 4280 Kuro. I was there last week looking at the Kuro and had adjusted it so it would look normal (as in whites looking white, deep blacks, more accurate color temp, etc) and to my surprise, it was still set this way tonight. At first, the PX80 looked more washed out and way to bright. After putting the color temp on warm, turning down the contrast and brightness, cutting the color level a little, making sure all dynamic modes and NR were off, the picture was almost identical to the Kuro. The Kuro still had a slightly deeper black. In the setup menu on the PX80 there was a setting for black level which I could not access (it was in the menu but was greyed out). If I could access that adjustment and possibly set it to 'darker' from the 'lighter' setting that it was in, it might give the PX80 the extra black that the Kuro had. No one knew how to adjust the set and a manual could not be found, so I may be wrong about this.

What was interesting was during the time I was adjusting the sets, a few people came to inquire what I was doing (both sales and customers). When they saw how much better the sets were looking and how they compared to the LCD's that were around them they all stated that plasma was the better in picture quality. I even adjusted a LCD set next to the PX80 to see how black it could get (a Sharp model) and one could really see just how 'dark grey' LCD's blacks are compared to plasma's.

At $400 less than the Kuro, the 42PX80 is a bargan (even at list price) and will be my next purchase!

Sounds great...cannot wait to get my set. If this set can produce a picture I like...I may go ahead and pick up the 50px80u also.
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post #78 of 5765
3/1/08 at 7:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarcoptic View Post

The first thing the tv asks you when you plug it in is whether its going to be in a store or home. Pretty similar to what keyoctave said...I turned to warm setting for color and moved most of the settings down into the middle 30's. By default everything is set at 50 and its way too bright. Simon Cowell had a nice glowing scheen to his forward...thus I started adjusting. As for the black level the manual says:

"Selects Dark or Light. Valid only for external input signals. (Dark/Light)"

Now that the weekend is here I finally get to do some playing. Finally whats this about the tv being ugly? I think it looks great. Its solid piano black finish...how much better can you get? I don't know of too many tvs that have a sweet all over print with a fur hood attached to them..


How does the video processor seem in the set? It's the primary thing aside from the black levels that I noticed as the difference between the Kuro and other plasmas. The Kuro's processing simply looked way more "authoritative" and "composed".

I'm curious about the one person saying the Kuro's black levels and set as a whole is better than the Panasonic, but you are saying that they look the same when adjusted correctly.

BTW, dark gives a MUCH darker look. It's night/day in terms of the overall look. I always had my 700U or other Panasonics on dark and would switch to light depending on the content. Dark essentially turns the set into a very deep contrast/black level performer, but can also take away some detail (at least on the 700U if not adjusted accordingly).

Definitely find a way to get it to dark mode...
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post #79 of 5765
3/1/08 at 7:14am
anyone know if panasonic has EPP in canada?
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post #80 of 5765
3/1/08 at 7:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by audioexcels View Post

Right, but there's more to a plasma than blacks. What if your plasma is too dim? What if it doesn't have a coloration you like? What if it doesn't have as see-through a look/convincing look as the one with the better blacks? I know black levels are very important, but one has to look at a set as a whole to determine if one can get the whole package in one (including the black levels) or if one finds there is much more to a different set in spite the black levels aren't quite as good as the one the person does not like. We're talking about plasmas here, no mentioning of lcd please

A good point, audioexcels.

The other difference that I noticed between the PX80 and the Kuro (besides the black level) was that the Kuro had a slightly brighter white while keeping it's deep black. When I brought up the white level on the PX80 to match the Kuro, it lost a little of it's deep black. Of course, the calibration was by eye, in a brightly lit store (how many of us watch tv with mercury lights overhead!) and no test disc, so I would imangine that the results would be better with proper equipment and lighting. Professional calibration would bring out the best in this plasma.
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post #81 of 5765
3/1/08 at 7:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by videoaddikt View Post

Careful, keyoctave!! You might be giving the masses the idea they don't have to accept how displays look in most showrooms!!!

What!?........and get people to realize that snow is not really blue in color?
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post #82 of 5765
3/1/08 at 8:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aidanpendragon View Post

Can someone comment on how the "new anti-reflective filter" compares to the anti-glare screens on last year's 77U models/the "old" anti-reflective screens on '07's 700/750U models? Matte or glossy? Diffuse or shiny? Thanks.

Any definitive answer to this? I'm torn between getting last years 77U (with an "anti-glare coating") or this years 850/800U (with the "new anti-glare filter"). Can anyone give a direct comparison between the glare on these two?
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post #83 of 5765
3/1/08 at 2:26pm
I think Panasonic ditched last years matted light defusing screen because how much it effected perceived pop and contrast level. I would go with the anti-reflective screen like the current 50PX75U. I know I could tell a big difference.
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post #84 of 5765
3/1/08 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mburkhart13 View Post

Any definitive answer to this? I'm torn between getting last years 77U (with an "anti-glare coating") or this years 850/800U (with the "new anti-glare filter"). Can anyone give a direct comparison between the glare on these two?

The new 2008 models have a new Anti-Reflective filter, not Anti-Glare filter. Big difference.

I briefly saw a PX80U today and my quick impression is that it's just about as reflective as my PZ700U and the other TVs on the wall (maybe a little less so), so it appears that the new Anti-Reflective Filter is slightly less reflective than the 2007 models, and nowhere near as non-reflective as the Anti-Glare filter used on the PZ77U. I could see the whole bank of storefront windows reflected in the screen, pretty much like all the other plasmas on the wall (with the exception of the PZ77U). That's fine with me since i do not like the AG screen on the PZ77U.
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post #85 of 5765
3/1/08 at 4:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters View Post

The new 2008 models have a new Anti-Reflective filter, not Anti-Glare filter. Big difference.

I briefly saw a PX80U today and my quick impression is that it's just about as reflective as my PZ700U and the other TVs on the wall (maybe a little less so), so it appears that the new Anti-Reflective Filter is slightly less reflective than the 2007 models, and nowhere near as non-reflective as the Anti-Glare filter used on the PZ77U. I could see the whole bank of storefront windows reflected in the screen, pretty much like all the other plasmas on the wall (with the exception of the PZ77U). That's fine with me since i do not like the AG screen on the PZ77U.

Thanks for the observation Randy. I do not like the matte look anyhow so that is good news for me. I should be receiving my 42px80u some time this month.
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post #86 of 5765
3/1/08 at 4:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMR View Post

Is there any word on how this set handles 1080p24 signals?

Anyone?
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post #87 of 5765
3/1/08 at 6:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hi im drummer03 View Post

AIDANPENDRAGON...The filter on the screen does hash out more light..Even fairly noticeable in a retail store...

joluar78,BBY employees do not get spiffs or bonuses, as well they do not have any quotas they have to meet...

I couldn't believe they matched epp pricing. So my 1st thoughts were, it's the end of the month, maybe they have quota's to meet so that's why I got such a good deal.

My visit at BB was great. I usually don't buy from BB, but the rep who was helping me was great.

So far I'm loving my 42px80u, couldn't be happier
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post #88 of 5765
3/1/08 at 6:46pm
I noticed on the Panasonic website that the PX80U's panel type is a "G11 Progressive 1080p HD Plasma Display Panel."

Is this a typo? Because the PX80's resolution is 720p.
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post #89 of 5765
3/1/08 at 7:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt71 View Post

I noticed on the Panasonic website that the PX80U's panel type is a "G11 Progressive 1080p HD Plasma Display Panel."

Is this a typo? Because the PX80's resolution is 720p.

I noticed that last week, it's a typo
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post #90 of 5765
3/2/08 at 12:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KMR View Post

Is there any word on how this set handles 1080p24 signals?


IIRC 1080p24 signals are displayed at 60Hz using 2:3 pulldown. It appears that only the PZ800 and PZ850 lines will have the 48Hz 2:2 "24p Cinematic Playback" feature, although this won't be confirmed until those owner's manuals are released. The manuals for the PX80, PZ80, and PZ85 models are available on Panasonic's website.
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