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Official Panasonic 2011 TC-PxxST30 Thread [No Price Talk] - Page 15

post #421 of 8349
3/15/11 at 4:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nobl3 View Post

Looks great, but pictures can't really show what you are seeing. Seeing as readings so far are all over the place (D-Nice =.008mll, Chad= .013), how do the blacks look like to you? How do letterbox bars look?

My opinion I think the blacks look great! The letterbox bars are very black as far as I can tell. But I'm just your average Joe so what looks great to me may look dull to you.
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post #422 of 8349
3/15/11 at 4:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thisgsx View Post

Yes you are correct about that. I sit about 8-10 ft away when watching so it doesn't really bother me. Although I am hoping someone in the know how will post up their calibration numbers. Plus, it may have something to do with the video file I am playing. I think a lot of my HD movies are of lower quality since they're all mostly compressed to around 8-30gigs. I am not sure if that'll cause a significant reduction in video quality but from what I hear, if the compressed video format is around 8gigs and up it should be fine. I'm not sure if there's any truth to this though. I have it hooked up from my computer via dvi - hdmi from my PC.

it looks very similar to the gt25 i had as far as dithering ..

i noticed the dithering very plainly at my viewing distance of 7 feet ..

at 10 feet *all the way to the wall* it was not noticable accept with the worst of it ..

i take it this isnt a bluray disk factory copy of avatar ??

and as far as calibration goes the dithering is basically unaffected by any adjustments ..

if its there its there ..

i tried everything with my gt25 but nothing would cause it to improve ..

thx (cinema) however looked much better than standard or vivid ..

very similar to the gt25 i had indeed ..

where did you purchase it ??
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post #423 of 8349
3/15/11 at 5:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord_Spanky View Post

it looks very similar to the gt25 i had as far as dithering ..

i noticed the dithering very plainly at my viewing distance of 7 feet ..

at 10 feet *all the way to the wall* it was not noticable accept with the worst of it ..

i take it this isnt a bluray disk factory copy of avatar ??

and as far as calibration goes the dithering is basically unaffected by any adjustments ..

if its there its there ..

i tried everything with my gt25 but nothing would cause it to improve ..

thx (cinema) however looked much better than standard or vivid ..

very similar to the gt25 i had indeed ..

where did you purchase it ??

No it isn't a bluray disk but it is a bluray rip at 38gigs. The TV was purchased through Vanns.
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post #424 of 8349
3/15/11 at 5:57pm
I stopped by a Best Buy here in Dallas area that is a Magnolia and I was advised that the 55st30 should be in the store tomorrow, 3/16. I will try to stop by there this weekend to see if they have it on display on Friday. It also seems like they are showing other stores in the area to have them in stock now too.
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post #425 of 8349
3/15/11 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nobl3 View Post

Looks great, but pictures can't really show what you are seeing. Seeing as readings so far are all over the place (D-Nice =.008mll, Chad= .013), how do the blacks look like to you? How do letterbox bars look?

Actually we now have two different calibrators who have gotten readings of .008 on the ST30 so it seems pretty safe to say that for some reason Chad either got an anomalous reading or maybe his particular set was different than others.

So, since this is true there is a possibility GT30 will be .004 and VT30 will be .002.
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post #426 of 8349
3/15/11 at 6:54pm
First time poster here, though I've read many, many threads here in the past while shopping around for TVs and settings and such. I'd like to as a question about the ST30. I bought a 50"G20 last year and it crapped out within 3 months. I had the motherboard replaced, TWICE, and finally got the Panasonic rep out to classify it a lemon and order a replacement. Unfortunately, they had no more G20s at their warehouse so he said I could wait until April when they get the 2011 G30s. It seems that the G30 doesn't exist so he's offered me first a GT25, which I turned down largely because of reviews here and cnet. Now he's offering a ST30. Do you guys feel this is a fair exchange? 3D isn't really something I am looking for, but I am not opposed to it at all. My main concern by far though is the 2D performance. From what I've read here it seems like a comparable set to an un-faulty G20 but it's been hard trying to find anything online that directly compares the two.

I work in film/TV and I'm pretty particular (hence the plasma) though I am not overly technically savvy in actual video. I'm a lighting grunt, not a video engineer! Being a "good 3D TV for the price" isn't really applicable because it's a replacement so I'm looking for a little advice from the pros on whether that's a good deal for me or not. I really appreciate the input and I'm going to look at the ST30 at BB tonight. Also, if any of you have an opinion on the GT25 offer as well I'd appreciate them.

Also, also if any of you know of a good calibrater in the Los Angeles area I'd appreciate some tips too. Thx
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post #427 of 8349
3/15/11 at 7:01pm
@thisgsx
Hey pal, never use the "Vivid"-Setting on any TV.

And with 1080p I wouldn't use any sharpening either.
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post #428 of 8349
3/15/11 at 7:08pm
@chadB
Does last years linebleeding still exist or did Panasonic get rid of it?
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post #429 of 8349
3/15/11 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by madsweeney View Post

First time poster here, though I've read many, many threads here in the past while shopping around for TVs and settings and such. I'd like to as a question about the ST30. I bought a 50"G20 last year and it crapped out within 3 months. I had the motherboard replaced, TWICE, and finally got the Panasonic rep out to classify it a lemon and order a replacement. Unfortunately, they had no more G20s at their warehouse so he said I could wait until April when they get the 2011 G30s. It seems that the G30 doesn't exist so he's offered me first a GT25, which I turned down largely because of reviews here and cnet. Now he's offering a ST30. Do you guys feel this is a fair exchange? 3D isn't really something I am looking for, but I am not opposed to it at all. My main concern by far though is the 2D performance. From what I've read here it seems like a comparable set to an un-faulty G20 but it's been hard trying to find anything online that directly compares the two.

I work in film/TV and I'm pretty particular (hence the plasma) though I am not overly technically savvy in actual video. I'm a lighting grunt, not a video engineer! Being a "good 3D TV for the price" isn't really applicable because it's a replacement so I'm looking for a little advice from the pros on whether that's a good deal for me or not. I really appreciate the input and I'm going to look at the ST30 at BB tonight. Also, if any of you have an opinion on the GT25 offer as well I'd appreciate them.

Also, also if any of you know of a good calibrater in the Los Angeles area I'd appreciate some tips too. Thx

Just based on Chad's review and D-Nice's comments I would go for the ST30. The GT25 suffers from the same floating blacks problem the G25 had and that alone makes the ST30 more attractive to me.
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post #430 of 8349
3/15/11 at 8:11pm
I'd pretty much eliminated the GT25 and I was hoping D's review would be up before I had to make my choice. Thx for the response.
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post #431 of 8349
3/15/11 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Turrican4D View Post

@thisgsx
Hey pal, never use the "Vivid"-Setting on any TV.

And with 1080p I wouldn't use any sharpening either.

How come? IMO I think it looks the best.
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post #432 of 8349
3/15/11 at 8:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thisgsx View Post

How come? IMO I think it looks the best.

Increased dithering/noise and possibly banding plus a gamma curve that is also possibly not optimal. That plus the colors are usually off and oversaturated in Vivid mode. Vivid is mostly for showing off TV's in a bright environment (such as a showroom at a store).
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post #433 of 8349
3/15/11 at 8:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof.Who View Post

Just based on Chad's review and D-Nice's comments I would go for the ST30. The GT25 suffers from the same floating blacks problem the G25 had and that alone makes the ST30 more attractive to me.

Do you own a GT25? I do and have not noticed any floating blacks. And I am sure I would have by now....
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post #434 of 8349
3/15/11 at 8:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nutdotnet View Post

Do you own a GT25? I do and have not noticed any floating blacks. And I am sure I would have by now....

I envy you.
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post #435 of 8349
3/15/11 at 9:14pm
Can somebody confirm whether the ST30 goes through 3 black stages when you power it on, like previous pannys? DO Samsung's go through 3 stages on power on as well?

Thanks.
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post #436 of 8349
3/15/11 at 9:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nutdotnet View Post

Do you own a GT25? I do and have not noticed any floating blacks. And I am sure I would have by now....

Nope, I had a G20 for a while, but I was planning on getting a GT25 and held off once I saw that GT25 suffers from the same problem. If you cannot see them, good, don't look for them. Once you see it, you cannot stop noticing it. It would drive me nuts while playing GTAIV
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post #437 of 8349
3/15/11 at 11:52pm
I have a G25, built in November and I have no floating blacks either.
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post #438 of 8349
3/16/11 at 5:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nobl3 View Post

I thought they only had a game picture mode?

AFAICT it only allows you to label inputs as "GAME" and has a GAME preset (preset controlling starting contrast/brightness/etc), there doesn't appear to be a game setting as such.

That said, I've played some GT5 (parallax 9, convergence 0.3) in bumper cam - too much for cockpit view (awesome), Super Stardust HD (eyegasm), WipeoutHD (dribbles). Excellent 3D throughout. Will be trying out Killzone 3 today.
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post #439 of 8349
3/16/11 at 5:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AzerPhire View Post

Has anyone tested the 2D->3D conversion yet? Is it implemented better than what Samsung/Sony offered last year?

Once I figured out how to turn it on (3D button on control, duh), I've been using it for all my non-native 3D viewing. Turned up the effect to max, turned off motion smoothing, looks great. Adds depth into the screen, not so much "coming out of screen" moments.

Only "artifact" I've seen so far in 2D-3D conversion is in The Blind Side, when the social worker guy is talking to Leanne about adopting Mike, the detail in the very narrow coloured stripes of his shirt cause a slight aliasing effect. Apart from that, no issues. I don't have experience with other 3D TVs to compare this.
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post #440 of 8349
3/16/11 at 5:13am
Can someone answer this please?


Do 2011 Panasonics still go through 3 black level stages when powering the tv on?
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post #441 of 8349
3/16/11 at 5:24am
Just tried it with the front power switch, input is PS3 blu-ray, goes from fully black (off), two flickers (rez change?) and then it's into the blu-ray. The sequence is fast enough that I really couldn't tell you with accuracy.
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post #442 of 8349
3/16/11 at 7:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nutdotnet View Post

Do you own a GT25? I do and have not noticed any floating blacks. And I am sure I would have by now....

I also own a gt25, and have not noticed one hint of floating blacks. I think it was more of an issue on the g20. The Gt25 appears to be more in line with the vt25 from what I have read.
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post #443 of 8349
3/16/11 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thisgsx View Post

How come? IMO I think it looks the best.

The reason is that vivid screws up all the picture settings on the go to maximize vibrancy of colors, even if something wasn't filmed that way. Take some more nuanced material with natural skin tones instead of UFO lady cartoon colors. Something like Batman Begins is one I like a lot for testing. There are some nuanced skin tones in a number of scenes there due to lighting where a lot of displays have a hard time getting them down right.

There isn't anything wrong about liking vivid mode if you want to use it, but please take some photos in the real modes for anyone who's curious. Most people on avs hate vivid modes like it's the black death. The reason is that it almost always makes anything that's not a cartoon/animation look hideous. Avatar might be alright because so much of it is crazy UFO people and hyper-saturation even when you have "normal people" in it.
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post #444 of 8349
3/16/11 at 8:37am
Did anybody measure the power consumption on these? I know Panasonic made a big point about them using less power than the 2010 models so I'm curious to see what the numbers out of the box are as well as after calibration.
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post #445 of 8349
3/16/11 at 8:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dlplover View Post

The reason is that vivid screws up all the picture settings on the go to maximize vibrancy of colors, even if something wasn't filmed that way. Take some more nuanced material with natural skin tones instead of UFO lady cartoon colors. Something like Batman Begins is one I like a lot for testing. There are some nuanced skin tones in a number of scenes there due to lighting where a lot of displays have a hard time getting them down right.

There isn't anything wrong about liking vivid mode if you want to use it, but please take some photos in the real modes for anyone who's curious. Most people on avs hate vivid modes like it's the black death. The reason is that it almost always makes anything that's not a cartoon/animation look hideous. Avatar might be alright because so much of it is crazy UFO people and hyper-saturation even when you have "normal people" in it.

Well at least you and I can agree on something. Vivid mode looks like crap.
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post #446 of 8349
3/16/11 at 8:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

Well at least you and I can agree on something. Vivid mode looks like crap.

i wish i could just erase vivid and standard from the data presets so i dont have to cycle through them ..

its disgusting ..
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post #447 of 8349
3/16/11 at 9:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by thisgsx View Post

The picture setting used was one of the factory settings: Vivid

Quite honestly, those pictures using Vivid mode look horrible to me. I'll wait for pictures on a calibrated set (even though pictures still probably won't do the image justice).
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post #448 of 8349
3/16/11 at 10:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jmpage2 View Post

Actually we now have two different calibrators who have gotten readings of .008 on the ST30 so it seems pretty safe to say that for some reason Chad either got an anomalous reading or maybe his particular set was different than others.

So, since this is true there is a possibility GT30 will be .004 and VT30 will be .002.

I was reading HDGuru's article about these Panny's and someone mentioned Chad's mll measurement. He responded by saying the instrument Chad used was not accurate enough. Just an FYI, I'm not knocking Chad.

"The Trichomat-1 is a tri-stimulus contact probe. I am not aware of any of these types of products having a luminance accuracy of under .05 ft. lamberts (and many are only accurate to .1 ft lamberts). ~~HDGuru"
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post #449 of 8349
3/16/11 at 10:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sheshechic View Post

I suggest that anyone seriously interested in the ST30 read the threads at HDJ.

Yeah the ST30 feedback over there seems to be more positive than it is here
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post #450 of 8349
3/16/11 at 10:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HotBBQ View Post

I was reading HDGuru's article about these Panny's and someone mentioned Chad's mll measurement. He responded by saying the instrument Chad used was not accurate enough. Just an FYI, I'm not knocking Chad.

"The Trichomat-1 is a tri-stimulus contact probe. I am not aware of any of these types of products having a luminance accuracy of under .05 ft. lamberts (and many are only accurate to .1 ft lamberts). ~~HDGuru"

And D-Nice disputed what HDGuru posted about that probe. However, it does appear that for whatever reason, ChadB got a much worse result than what other calibrators have gotten.

Not a knock on Chad, just the reality of what could happen when being the first review to hit the interwebs.
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