The Official PANASONIC PZ850u thread - All sizes (settings, feedback, etc...)

i asked this in a different thread, but I noticed my BB got an 850 in today, and i was curious if outside it's studio reference mode if it's common modes with the same settings would look the same as an 800u?

Heck, even the studio reference mode did look similar to the THX mode (the same brown hue one would see in a store environment), but i'm wondering if you once you go into the common modes if it performs pretty much the same pq wise as the 800's.

well yeah, i mean both specialty modes look crappy in the store, so that is very far from apples to apples.

i am wondering if the reason why the 48hz mode looks bad is due to some HD material not being mastered in 24fps. we have discussed converting 24fps to 60fps by 3:2 pull down however if the HD player meets material stored at 24fps which was mastered at 60fps it seems that frames would be lost at the source and this may contribute to the 'flicker' or 'rough' viewing experience. e.g. if an episode of 'the cosby show' was stored at 60fps and simply converted to HD by dropping frames to obtain 24fps, 60% of the frames per second could be lost. I am just speculating, so flamers beware

Is the 42PZ700u still considered the best plasma in the 42 inch size, or do any of the newer panasonics, such as the 72PZ85u, (I can't afford the 800 series) give it a run for it's money? Any input from 700u or 85u owners... or anyone else? For that matter, is there a plasma other than these 2 that I should be looking at ($1100 - $1300 price range)?

Thanks,
- Eagle-117

It wouldn't be that noticeable. The only difference you would notice after calibration is POSSIBLY (if ya got a good eye) the 20% wider color gamut ( digital cinema color ). The viera cast and avchd support are the extra $$$$.

Okay this tv is on my top list of sets to get.
speaking of calibration.
my local bb said they have a guy who would come out and calibration the set with his 30,000 machine...
cost is 200 bucks.
Should i do it if i buy this set ?

Nah, wouldn't bother. There's not that much you can do with Panasonic plasmas. The controls are limited, even in the service menu.

I thought the 850s even had controls in the user menu. The standard modles also can be calibrated just fine via the service menu AFAIK.

interesting that Panasonic would add something in their 850's like extra service menu adjustments that only a pro calibrator would likely see, yet they still beleive only their UK models should have a higher hz 24p mode.

I just bought the TH-50PZ800U from Amazon, and it's shipping in about 1 week. Where is the TH-50PZ800U owners' thread?

I'm still holding out hope that the Taiwan models will have 96p when they come this winter.

Is it confirmed that the UK models do indeed have 96p, or is it just a statement in a manual?

for whatever reason they do that, it doesnt change the fact that in some of their biggest markets, they have already NOT done that though....

Has anyone figured out the difference in functionality between the "24p Direct In" setting (choices are "60 hz" or "48 hz") and the "3:2 Pulldown" setting (choices are "On" or "Off"), with are both accessible from the "Advance Picture" menu?

Just put my order in for the 65 850U. Got the person I am dealing with to give me a 15 % off MSRP. Plus 0% interest for 2 years. I am putting this one in my theater room.
I would love to go with what Romo (Dallas Cowboy quarterback) got. He picked up a 100inch DLP for 33k. He was in the store with Jessica picking out stuff for their new home. Wow...was that amazing. I only got a tail end of them. Way to many people to really get close.
Anyway I plan to take delivery in about four weeks. First time I have ever bought a TV without viewing it, but I have a good dealer who I am sure would take it back if I was not happy.

Hope to give more details in a few weeks.

The 24P direct in setting simply governs whether material that is input to the set at 24p (read: a blu-ray player, PC, or quality DVD "upconverting" player via HDMI) is shown at 48Hz (a multiple of 24) or 60Hz.

The set's 3:2 pulldown feature, I believe, only applies to cadence detection of 480i 60 and 1080i 60 sources...I don't believe the set has a mode capable of inverse 3:2 pulldown, that is, recovering 24p material from a 60 Hz interlaced source.

In my experience with the 800U (only a couple of days) the 48Hz mode properly accepts and displays 24p sources, without any unnecessary "smooth motion" or interpolation. IMHO, it looks very good, and I only noticed the flicker initially on my Windows desktop (which is bright)...once I output 24p video material, the flicker was unnoticeable to me, and although the lack of 3:2 pulldown was unsettling for a while, I certainly grew to appreciate it...high motion appeared much smoother and more natural, and certainly not "processed" or "video like" as I've seen in several other manufacturer's interpolating algorithms. During panning shots, backgrounds appeared more...how can I put this...fixed? More real? I know I shouldn't perceive the lack of judder as an increase in detail, but that's the way it looked to me vs. the 60 Hz mode. They didn't blur as much during pans, and the only objectionable effect it had for me was in some CGI scenes, where the backgrounds and some CGI objects appeared a little less real to me, perhaps because my brain was expecting the slight judder during pans.

Short answer yes. Unless someone is willing to buy both sets and tweak the 850 to match the 800 THX at home no one will really know. Using the THX video test on Fox DVDs I was able to "calibrate" my 850 pretty close to a THX mode.


Why not just set the display to 60hz? Then you will not see any flicker at all unless it is in the source like some Planet Earth scenes.

Do anyone know how open box warranty work from BB and do they deliver open box plasmas? My BB has an open box Panasonic 800 50" for $1800 with an addition 10% off, so do anyone think that is a good buy?

Have you ever heard a buzzing noise coming from your tv or green ghosting?

I've heard buzzing from the fans. One of them seemed to be making the case of the TV resonate. Grabbing the plastic bezel aroud the edges of the set and giving it a little squeeze cleared it up, though.

I see a little green ghosting when the screen is nearly all black with small amounts of white (like white text on black). But I can only see it if the TV is in my peripheral vision - so I don't see it in normal viewing.

I have heard buzzing from my 850 but is very rare and goes away in about 30 minutes, maybe I'll try squeezing it next time.

bump...

All Panasonic 850U owners, whatever the size, let's make this our thread.

Update: Still breaking in my 58", but have switched from the DVD to the SD card image slide show to save wear and tear on my BR player.

Hey folks!

850 comes tomorrow! Are the settings in post 1 of this thread still the latest and greatest?

I shouldn't apply these settings until after the break-in, correct?

What should my settings be during break-in?

Do I literally run the break in DVD for 200 hours straight?

Thanks!

Looks like the 850 series is stating to get more plentiful. Even our local Boonie outpost of a BEST BUY said they should get them next week.

Has anyone done a comparison? For the past few days I have been visiting local stores and can easily notice that the 850 whites are MUCH better than the Pioneer Kuro.

Has anyone ever noticed this?