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The Official Panasonic TC-P50X1 and TC-P42X1 Owner's Discussion & Information Thread - Page 3

post #61 of 3174
2/28/09 at 2:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Injected Sin View Post

Really price driven here. I'm considering getting the 50X1 or a 1080p display. Does the 50X1 rival the low end 50 inch 1080p westinghouse? Both are priced similarly.

The x1 will destroy the westinghouse. It won't even be close. The westinghouse will have poor blacks, contrast, color saturation, viewing angles, uniformity, you name it.

Assuming the x1 has slight improvements over the px80 (but still very similar overall), the x1 does everything very good all around.
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post #62 of 3174
2/28/09 at 3:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrimeTime View Post

I guess that's the $3,000 question right now.

Ten bucks says the 589-watt-rated 50G is no brighter than the 497-watt PX80U. But that won't be a sales issue because the new showroom baseline will now be the P50X1.

Only on the Plasma Forum is brightness a fightin' word. Every place else -- RPTV, DLP and that other tech that begins with "L" -- mo' brightness is considered to be mo' better. And on the Front Projector forum it's pretty much the Holy Grail.

C'mon. It is very likely improvements in power consumption that have been implemented across the line in panasonic tvs that have nothing to do with 5 lumen tech (NeoPDP). The x1 series could easily have these improvements implemented. Of course these would have far less benefit than the full increased lumen efficiency, but they could still easily explain the reduced power draw.

The association to front Projection is meaningless. Many FPs struggle to reach 16 ftL (movie theatre brightness). FP brightness is nowhere near that of a plasma. Plasma brightness is suitable for nearly every environment except for outdoors. Most turn down the brightness significantly. FPs are suitable for very limited application. Brightness is a major part of FP, but it is minor for flat panels with their inheirently good brightness.

While like you I hope that the x1 does improve in every category, your grand statements that the px80 is better than the full year newer x1 are getting tiresome. Common logic and panasonic's past would easily state that they will be at least as good. Even if peak brightness were slightly lower, any improvements in black level/contrast would trump this. If brightness is more important than blacks to you, a 120 ftL lcd in torch mode would be best.
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post #63 of 3174
2/28/09 at 3:11pm
Just looked at a 42px80 side by side with the 42px1 at my local BB. I was able to put both units into standard and cinema picture mode. Unfortunately, the only source material available was a cable feed of either golf or college hoops. Well fwiw, the only difference I could see between the two units was with the aforementioned stock picture settings, the 42px1 had more pronounced greens. With the lighting and the source material it was tough to make any call on blacks, but the overall brightness of the two units seemed to be about equal.
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post #64 of 3174
2/28/09 at 3:55pm
Steve,

Do you still have the Samsung PN50A450 on display, next to the P50X1?
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post #65 of 3174
2/28/09 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ercc View Post

While like you I hope that the x1 does improve in every category, your grand statements that the px80 is better than the full year newer x1 are getting tiresome.

Ok, ok. You want positive. I get it.

How about this: If adman is on to something, then maybe Panasonic made the green primary more accurate.

What I do know is this: In three different setups, I've seen the A450 next to the P50X1. The A450 just draws my eyes away from the X1. (But not from the PX80, when it was around.) That's my opinion. so I'll sign off for awhile and let others chime in with theirs.
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post #66 of 3174
2/28/09 at 4:57pm
Thanks for your opinion Prime Time! I would love to get the 50PX80U with all the great reviews.(committed to Sears) . I think I will wait a little while to make my decision after more research.
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post #67 of 3174
2/28/09 at 5:11pm
I was just in sears looking at both the x1's.

I was totally going to but a samsung ln40b530 1080 lcd.

But after seeing the panny 42" I think I'm sold. I had the salesman put on an sd channel and I was very impressed.

Although I then went to best buy and did notice the fact that it looked much dimmer then all the other entry level plasmas but I hadnt noticed it in sears.

It bothered me so much I asked the salesman if it could go brighter or if that was it.
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post #68 of 3174
2/28/09 at 5:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by D-Nice View Post

My local BBs are out of stock right now. I don't deal with HHGregg. Hopefully I can get one next week. However, I am debating whether to or not to skip the X1 series.

I don't care for HHGregg either. But right now they're deals are better than BB. Check the website.

I'd get the X! but I want 1080P. Still interested in the reviews though.
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post #69 of 3174
2/28/09 at 5:46pm
The X1 is awesome, and now people are jumping on the bandwagon. About time =]
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post #70 of 3174
2/28/09 at 6:00pm
Let me start off by saying that i read these boards often and just very rarely post. I recently purchased the X1 and noticed how dim it is... I recently sold my ln40a550 to purchase the X1. Prior to that I had a sammy plasma (s4253) which had little blue sparkles and i finally sold it to my parents.

Basically I went by my parents house to do laundry and was watching TV on my old sammy when i realized how much difference there is in the depth of color between my lcd and my old plasma. It drove me crazy, I have tweaked the settings on both sets via suggestions on these boards and was never able to duplicate the depth of color and decided it was time to go back to plasma.

My old sammy had IR issues along with the blue sparkles so I figured I would go with a panny this time around. I read the boards on this site almost religiously for a few weeks trying to make a decision. And i made one. I was to purchase the 42pz85u. I went to my local BB and 6ave and checked out the set at both locations and was impressed, then i saw that for only 125 more I could have the 46pz85u. So i researched it, red push and all, and decided on that set. Then i heard about the new X1 and figured if i could wait it out, i would save 300 dollars and purchase it. I went to BB and they had the x1 displayed and i saw no difference between it and the old 80x, but I think the look of the 80x is pretty ugly (just an opinion). I finally purchased the x1 after bringing in a PC Richard online ad that had the x1 for 699. BB matched it and i bought the geek squad stuff for 4 years on top (they warranty BI so how can you go wrong?).

I brought the X1 home and thought, this set is pretty dim, on my old sammy i could adjust the energy saver settings to change that but not so on the new x1. I couldnt get over how scenes on tv shows and movies that should be bright because its a sunny afternoon shot would look as though there was always some strong cloud cover. Finally i decided to adjust, and i find the custom setting to be perfect. I have made some minor tweaks but it really adds some great life to the picture without adding a ton of noise or contrast to light colors. Here are my settings, take them for what they are worth but this set is by far the best of the 3 that i have owned and one of the better looking sets I've seen for 7-800 bucks:

picture mode: custom
contrast: +78
brightness: +57
color: +53
tint: -9 (set has a bit of a green push and this helps balance it)
sharpness: +29

everything else: off
black levels: light
temp: normal

I have not seen a hint of IR (knock on wood) and i regularly watch MLB network in HD and ESPN for hours at a time. Try those out and let me know what you think.
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post #71 of 3174
2/28/09 at 6:11pm
^^^ Hey thanks for the info I think Ive finally made up my mind. And I really like how you compared it to the ln40a550 because I had my heart set on the new ln40b530.

I didnt know you could bring an online ad to BB. AWESOME thanks again.
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post #72 of 3174
2/28/09 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by outsidordinary View Post

Let me start off by saying that i read these boards often and just very rarely post. I recently purchased the X1 and noticed how dim it is... I recently sold my ln40a550 to purchase the X1. Prior to that I had a sammy plasma (s4253) which had little blue sparkles and i finally sold it to my parents.

Basically I went by my parents house to do laundry and was watching TV on my old sammy when i realized how much difference there is in the depth of color between my lcd and my old plasma. It drove me crazy, I have tweaked the settings on both sets via suggestions on these boards and was never able to duplicate the depth of color and decided it was time to go back to plasma.

My old sammy had IR issues along with the blue sparkles so I figured I would go with a panny this time around. I read the boards on this site almost religiously for a few weeks trying to make a decision. And i made one. I was to purchase the 42pz85u. I went to my local BB and 6ave and checked out the set at both locations and was impressed, then i saw that for only 125 more I could have the 46pz85u. So i researched it, red push and all, and decided on that set. Then i heard about the new X1 and figured if i could wait it out, i would save 300 dollars and purchase it. I went to BB and they had the x1 displayed and i saw no difference between it and the old 80x, but I think the look of the 80x is pretty ugly (just an opinion). I finally purchased the x1 after bringing in a PC Richard online ad that had the x1 for 699. BB matched it and i bought the geek squad stuff for 4 years on top (they warranty BI so how can you go wrong?).

I brought the X1 home and thought, this set is pretty dim, on my old sammy i could adjust the energy saver settings to change that but not so on the new x1. I couldnt get over how scenes on tv shows and movies that should be bright because its a sunny afternoon shot would look as though there was always some strong cloud cover. Finally i decided to adjust, and i find the custom setting to be perfect. I have made some minor tweaks but it really adds some great life to the picture without adding a ton of noise or contrast to light colors. Here are my settings, take them for what they are worth but this set is by far the best of the 3 that i have owned and one of the better looking sets I've seen for 7-800 bucks:

picture mode: custom
contrast: +78
brightness: +57
color: +53
tint: -9 (set has a bit of a green push and this helps balance it)
sharpness: +29

everything else: off
black levels: light
temp: normal

I have not seen a hint of IR (knock on wood) and i regularly watch MLB network in HD and ESPN for hours at a time. Try those out and let me know what you think.

Silly question but does the X1 have the pixel shifter or anti IR like the PX80U? or is this a non-issue anymore.(IR)
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post #73 of 3174
2/28/09 at 6:19pm
Yea they were pretty helpful with the pricing at BB (surprisingly). I think they only took the PC ad because its a major store and because I i purchased the extended warranty. But, the X1 is a great set. I did have a prob with the dim picture but the custom setting really took care of that and now I just love it. good luck!
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post #74 of 3174
2/28/09 at 6:21pm
I have the pixel orbiter on automatic., time: 1 min. 4:3 bars set to bright. But like i said earlier, i have had zero IR issues thus far.. bout a week in.
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post #75 of 3174
2/28/09 at 7:10pm
Good stuff my stupid tax return got fooked up with a messed up routing number for the direct deposit.

2-3 weeks more for the irs to mail a check

Arrrg I would have bought the 42" today for sure.

Hopefully I dont change my mind 10 more times before I get the money
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post #76 of 3174
2/28/09 at 7:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrimeTime View Post

Well -- this is a thread dedicated to the new Panasonic 768p televisions. So that's what people are discussing here.
Money is a bigger deal these days than it was last year, don't you think?

And yes, most of us here don't see the difference between 768p and 1080. If we did, we wouldn't be interested in this thread and would be awaiting next week's arrivals of the 1080 displays. (Like D-Nice.)

Thank You
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post #77 of 3174
2/28/09 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Good stuff my stupid tax return got fooked up with a messed up routing number for the direct deposit.

2-3 weeks more for the irs to mail a check

You're lucky you don't live in California. Arnold's keeping our State refunds until May.

Why?

Because....he can.....
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post #78 of 3174
2/28/09 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PrimeTime View Post

You're lucky you don't live in California. Arnold's keeping our State refunds until May.

Why?

Because....he can.....

lol I do live in cali, OC actually i got the I.O.U also
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post #79 of 3174
2/28/09 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by outsidordinary View Post

Let me start off by saying that i read these boards often and just very rarely post. I recently purchased the X1 and noticed how dim it is... I recently sold my ln40a550 to purchase the X1. Prior to that I had a sammy plasma (s4253) which had little blue sparkles and i finally sold it to my parents.

Basically I went by my parents house to do laundry and was watching TV on my old sammy when i realized how much difference there is in the depth of color between my lcd and my old plasma. It drove me crazy, I have tweaked the settings on both sets via suggestions on these boards and was never able to duplicate the depth of color and decided it was time to go back to plasma.

My old sammy had IR issues along with the blue sparkles so I figured I would go with a panny this time around. I read the boards on this site almost religiously for a few weeks trying to make a decision. And i made one. I was to purchase the 42pz85u. I went to my local BB and 6ave and checked out the set at both locations and was impressed, then i saw that for only 125 more I could have the 46pz85u. So i researched it, red push and all, and decided on that set. Then i heard about the new X1 and figured if i could wait it out, i would save 300 dollars and purchase it. I went to BB and they had the x1 displayed and i saw no difference between it and the old 80x, but I think the look of the 80x is pretty ugly (just an opinion). I finally purchased the x1 after bringing in a PC Richard online ad that had the x1 for 699. BB matched it and i bought the geek squad stuff for 4 years on top (they warranty BI so how can you go wrong?).

I brought the X1 home and thought, this set is pretty dim, on my old sammy i could adjust the energy saver settings to change that but not so on the new x1. I couldnt get over how scenes on tv shows and movies that should be bright because its a sunny afternoon shot would look as though there was always some strong cloud cover. Finally i decided to adjust, and i find the custom setting to be perfect. I have made some minor tweaks but it really adds some great life to the picture without adding a ton of noise or contrast to light colors. Here are my settings, take them for what they are worth but this set is by far the best of the 3 that i have owned and one of the better looking sets I've seen for 7-800 bucks:

picture mode: custom
contrast: +78
brightness: +57
color: +53
tint: -9 (set has a bit of a green push and this helps balance it)
sharpness: +29

everything else: off
black levels: light
temp: normal

I have not seen a hint of IR (knock on wood) and i regularly watch MLB network in HD and ESPN for hours at a time. Try those out and let me know what you think.

OK, so could it be that Panny screwed up the "neutral" settings (the zero settings) in order to achieve some lower "nominal" power consumption figure and thus look greener, while getting a better PQ needs a lot of ramped-up numbers which in turn crank up the power consumption ? Green gimmickry ?
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post #80 of 3174
3/1/09 at 5:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by otherda View Post

OK, so could it be that Panny screwed up the "neutral" settings (the zero settings) in order to achieve some lower "nominal" power consumption figure and thus look greener, while getting a better PQ needs a lot of ramped-up numbers which in turn crank up the power consumption ? Green gimmickry ?

Ideally someone on this board would purchase both sets to compare the PX80 and X1, and return the one that comes in second after evaluation... but that is a lot of trouble to go through, assuming a person has the room to set up two sets side by side, etc.

On my 50PX80 I have the following settings:

Picture: 65
Brightness: 50
Color: 38
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 50

I find those numbers to be great for night viewing, but can be a little dim during the day, though I generally don't change it because it is still brighter with less reflections than my 1997 JVC 32" CRT. Overall I'm very satisfied with the PX80 and wouldn't hesitate to recommend anyone pick one up on clearance.

Still, I'd love to hear how the X1 compares. I have friends and relatives in the market for a big screen and once the PX80s disappear I'm hoping the X1 is as good or better.

Interesting how the X1 lost the rear L & R audio out, and the front S-video port... I'm sure there are a lot of people out there like me with camcorders that would use the front S-video in.
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post #81 of 3174
3/1/09 at 8:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by outsidordinary View Post

Yea they were pretty helpful with the pricing at BB (surprisingly). I think they only took the PC ad because its a major store and because I i purchased the extended warranty. But, the X1 is a great set. I did have a prob with the dim picture but the custom setting really took care of that and now I just love it. good luck!

So how is the glare on the screen? Is it an issue for you?

Have you tried it yet with a regular dvd? Blu ray? Standard def tv. Sorry I'm just real curious to see how this tv performs.
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post #82 of 3174
3/1/09 at 9:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

So how is the glare on the screen? Is it an issue for you?

Have you tried it yet with a regular dvd? Blu ray? Standard def tv. Sorry I'm just real curious to see how this tv performs.

I just set up the 50X1 yesterday for my Parents. I compared it to the 42PX600U there now and there is a nice reduction in glare. I could look into the PX and see my eyeballs. Not so with the X1
I still have it all zeroed out for break in so I can't comment on the PQ yet...
I at least hope the X1 PQ is equal to the PX.
I will say this, the speakers stink. But I'm used to the 600U's nice stock sound.
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post #83 of 3174
3/1/09 at 10:09am
Cool thanks for that review.
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post #84 of 3174
3/1/09 at 11:16am
So yesterday, QVC had a deal that I had to jump on. I ended up getting and LCD 52 Sharp Aquos, but when paid for getting the X1 for the media room upstairs. Or it may stay Downstairs
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post #85 of 3174
3/1/09 at 4:49pm
Nobody else has picked up one of these babies yet???
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post #86 of 3174
3/1/09 at 11:08pm
Hi all,

I just bought the p50x1 yesterday, and found this forum while searching for calibration settings. If there is anything anyone wants to know that I can help with, let me know.

In the meantime, it would be great if someone could calibrate the tv and post the optimal settings.

Thanks!
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post #87 of 3174
3/1/09 at 11:52pm
This is a owners thread stop spamming useless crap and arguing!

Some Pictures would be nice especially the design.
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post #88 of 3174
3/2/09 at 3:58am
Have now watched it several nights with the lights off, the black levels are very good. The 720/1080 debate is a non-issue as we sit 10' away. We don't watch this during the day, so I wouldn't comment on brightness. At night, it is very bright, our bedroom walls and ceiling is white so not the best for black levels but I am impressed. For a little over a grand, I am very pleased with this set.
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post #89 of 3174
3/2/09 at 6:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdog0411 View Post

Hi all,

I just bought the p50x1 yesterday, and found this forum while searching for calibration settings. If there is anything anyone wants to know that I can help with, let me know.

In the meantime, it would be great if someone could calibrate the tv and post the optimal settings.

Thanks!

Well if you could watch the HD and SD however you have TV connected (cable, sat, etc.) and let folks know your impressions in day and evening viewing for different programming i.e. sports (motion), movies (dark scenes) etc. that would be very useful.
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post #90 of 3174
3/2/09 at 8:13am
Thread Starter 
outsidordinary, thank you for the great post!

I have the P50X1. I've run the break-in images, plus normal viewing, for four days. This set looks great. Last night I saw letterbox Pineapple Express in Blu-Ray. I put regular TV on after and I'd say I saw IR (the top and bottom black bars) for virtually less than a second when switching.

The set has excellent back levels, but if you want brighter then turn contrast up. No big deal.

For less than a grand this baby rocks. My FIOS is 720p and 1080i and is most of my viewing, so at this point I don't need 1080p for the extra money. We also sit anywhere from 9 to 12 feet from the screen.

I've been wanting to get other's views on this so I could decide if I want to keep it or buy a 1080p set, but really, since 90% of my viewing is 720 then why spend the extra dough to get 1080p.

I think I'll order my MACK warranty today.
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