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Official Panasonic 2011 TC-PxxST30 Thread [No Price Talk] - Page 238

post #7111 of 8349
2/1/12 at 8:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DM2006RI View Post

I can't offer a comparison to the GT30 but I've owned prior Panny plasmas and I think the ST30 is for the money the best value at the moment, especially now, before they roll the new models out. As long as you know about the FBR thing you'll be fine. I think most folks have said in terms of sheer PQ there's not much reason to go with a GT instead of an ST but again I'm just going by what the consensus is around here.

And I'm not telling you anything you don't know but I would definitely look for a good calibration setting which you can find in this thread. The TV as you might expect ships with a lot of video settings you'll want to turn off (cats, motion smoothing, contour and black shading etc.). Once you do that you'll be good.



I think Amazon will only match their in-house pricing; not positive but I don't believe they'll match a 3rd party seller. What model are you interested in? The 55 is as low as it's been (I kept checking because it went down $100 from when I bought it originally and they credited me the difference), but I know the 46' just went up from when I bought it, and the 42' has been out of stock for a while.

You are right, I think ST has a better value PQwise.
Should be able to pull the trigger pretty soon on this baby. Aiming at 65". if it's still below $2000. But then again, 60" is whooping 20-25% cheaper.
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post #7112 of 8349
2/1/12 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KAD08BULLITT View Post

Has anyone heard about the ST60 at Costco? I won't say the price, but it's very good. I'm going to jump on one. Could they be older units? Would that matter? They could just be updated with the latest right?

I got one the other day. Was built in November. Crazy price.
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post #7113 of 8349
2/1/12 at 9:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bd2003 View Post

If I was spending someone else's money, I'd obviously buy the more expensive one.

Well so would I lol I would get a 120 inch TV. But seriously though what would you do...downgrade in size to the 42ST30 cause it is better or go with a 50S30 at a great price and from what I hear still has a good pciture especially for the price. Im not home alot but would like a nice PQ to come home too as well as a quality TV. So i wont be spending hours with it everyday...mostly using for gaming and Blu Rays
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post #7114 of 8349
2/1/12 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bd2003 View Post

I got one the other day. Was built in November. Crazy price.

Amazon has just officially matched the Costco price, I just posted about it in the "deals" area.
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post #7115 of 8349
2/1/12 at 9:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SeLfMaDe111985 View Post


Well so would I lol I would get a 120 inch TV. But seriously though what would you do...downgrade in size to the 42ST30 cause it is better or go with a 50S30 at a great price and from what I hear still has a good pciture especially for the price. Im not home alot but would like a nice PQ to come home too as well as a quality TV. So i wont be spending hours with it everyday...mostly using for gaming and Blu Rays

I have the 50" S30. It isn't the same picture as the ST30 but it's not as different as some would have you believe. Biggest differences I've noticed in 2D PQ:

ST30 has vastly superior filter to reject ambient light-- makes the set appear darker in everything but a fully dark room where the distinction disappears.
ST30 has higher peak luminance, an assumed perk of it needing to drive 3D, which also helps in a lit room but can also benefit dark room watching.
The S30 has some uneven-ness in it's grey scale towards the darker end of the spectrum which can introduce some false contouring in darker scenes. The ST doesn't suffer this.

Of course, BOTH sets suffer from the green blob / pink tint issue so it's a wash there! :P

Overall I will always go size. This runs contrary to most forum members but assuming the picture flaws aren't especially egregious then I will always side with the display that offers the more cinematic presentation-- and size is a BIG part of enjoying cinema! That being said-- the S30 feels like an 'old school' plasma in that is a truly awful solution for a well-lit room or primarily day-time watching. I don't watch tv during the day as I'm never home so this isn't an issue for me.
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post #7116 of 8349
2/1/12 at 9:55am
I purchased this set about a month ago off of Amazon. I have never owned a plasma and really wanted one. I did a bunch of research and settled on this set because of its apparent balance between picture quality and value. I'm sorry to say it's going back to Amazon. I really wanted to love it, but found a few issues with it.

1. Buzzing

My 46" unit buzzed enough that I could hear it at normal listening volumes while sitting approximately 8 feet away. I noticed it more at night after my wife went to bed and I was watching TV alone. While it wasn't super loud I found it unacceptable for a new TV. I've read that all plasmas buzz to some degree, and I would be fine if you could only hear it if you were really close, but it's a deal breaker. Maybe I just got a bad set. I don't want to hear buzzing in between dialogue during a movie.

2. Dim

Most reviews indicate that the set is just a bit dim, and I tend to agree. I certainly don't expect or need it to be as bright as an LCD/LED, but the set is in a room with quite a few windows and it just doesn't seem to perform too well in a light room. I have really enjoyed the picture for some of the movies we have watched. It's great in a dark room. The blacks and screen uniformnity are fantastic (even a non-videophile like me can appreciate them). But for sports and other things I need it a little brighter. Unfortunately, when I change the settings around to make it brighter the picture quality seems to degrade quite a bit. Cinema mode or the other popular settings found online, look dull, especially during the day, for regular TV watching.

3. Motion Artifacting

This is a big problem for me because I watch a lot of sports. I thought that plasmas were supposed to excel for watching sports, but I seem to get a lot of artifacting/mosquito-type noise around players (for example football and basketball players). They're just not very crisp or smooth looking at all. I think I enjoy the picture for sports more on my 32" Philips LCD. Very disappointing. I'm trying out a 46" Samsung LN46D630 and, while it's not perfect and there are times I wish I had the Panny still, I prefer it for watching sports and general programming. I've tried every different setting, and I just don't get that great sports watching experience I was looking for.

Given the endless glowing reviews for this set, what am I missing?
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post #7117 of 8349
2/1/12 at 9:59am
It seems most of the new 2012 line is starting to roll out at the end of this month...so I think I am going to grab the 42x3 (great price its like 450$ at best buy..and heard has a great picture and performance for price) until the new Tv's come out this will hold me over till then. From what I have read the new 2012's(which look fantastic btw but wont be for certain until reviews roll in after a few months of owning)will be starting to come out End of Febuary-end of april so its alot sooner than I thought. Anyone know what the actual release dates are? Or is this all we have right now.
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post #7118 of 8349
2/1/12 at 10:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wfwalsh View Post

I purchased this set about a month ago off of Amazon. I have never owned a plasma and really wanted one. I did a bunch of research and settled on this set because of its apparent balance between picture quality and value. I'm sorry to say it's going back to Amazon. I really wanted to love it, but found a few issues with it.

1. Buzzing

My 46" unit buzzed enough that I could hear it at normal listening volumes while sitting approximately 8 feet away. I noticed it more at night after my wife went to bed and I was watching TV alone. While it wasn't super loud I found it unacceptable for a new TV. I've read that all plasmas buzz to some degree, and I would be fine if you could only hear it if you were really close, but it's a deal breaker. Maybe I just got a bad set. I don't want to hear buzzing in between dialogue during a movie.

2. Dim

Most reviews indicate that the set is just a bit dim, and I tend to agree. I certainly don't expect or need it to be as bright as an LCD/LED, but the set is in a room with quite a few windows and it just doesn't seem to perform too well in a light room. I have really enjoyed the picture for some of the movies we have watched. It's great in a dark room. The blacks and screen uniformnity are fantastic (even a non-videophile like me can appreciate them). But for sports and other things I need it a little brighter. Unfortunately, when I change the settings around to make it brighter the picture quality seems to degrade quite a bit. Cinema mode or the other popular settings found online, look dull, especially during the day, for regular TV watching.

3. Motion Artifacting

This is a big problem for me because I watch a lot of sports. I thought that plasmas were supposed to excel for watching sports, but I seem to get a lot of artifacting/mosquito-type noise around players (for example football and basketball players). They're just not very crisp or smooth looking at all. I think I enjoy the picture for sports more on my 32" Philips LCD. Very disappointing. I'm trying out a 46" Samsung LN46D630 and, while it's not perfect and there are times I wish I had the Panny still, I prefer it for watching sports and general programming. I've tried every different setting, and I just don't get that great sports watching experience I was looking for.

Given the endless glowing reviews for this set, what am I missing?

Have you tried any of the suggested settings from folks here? Professional calibration would be best.
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post #7119 of 8349
2/1/12 at 10:34am
Yes, RedOctober. I have tried many different settings on here. I did not do the panel prep but I did try the settings for that as well (which look very similar to Cinema to my eye). Regardless of what I do, I just don't get the nice picture for motion.

Interestingly, I was in a bar the other day that had all Panny plasmas with college basketball on. I immediately took note of how nice the picture was, even pretty close up, and the great viewing angle. I was so impressed I actually asked the bartender how old the plasmas were. It looks like they're 2009 or 2010 models. Unbelieveable picture on those sets. And I doubt that the owner paid for a professional calibration. The brightness and related setting were probably turned way up too considering it was a bar. Saw none of the same artifacting. Makes my experience even more frustrating.
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post #7120 of 8349
2/1/12 at 11:00am
^Those are all on vivid. Seems like you are used to torch mode, which is the case for most new plasma owners. The noise around sports players is due to the compressed signal/source and not related to the TV. Some stations look better than others.
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post #7121 of 8349
2/1/12 at 11:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by wfwalsh View Post

I purchased this set about a month ago off of Amazon. I have never owned a plasma and really wanted one. I did a bunch of research and settled on this set because of its apparent balance between picture quality and value. I'm sorry to say it's going back to Amazon. I really wanted to love it, but found a few issues with it.

1. Buzzing

My 46" unit buzzed enough that I could hear it at normal listening volumes while sitting approximately 8 feet away. I noticed it more at night after my wife went to bed and I was watching TV alone. While it wasn't super loud I found it unacceptable for a new TV. I've read that all plasmas buzz to some degree, and I would be fine if you could only hear it if you were really close, but it's a deal breaker. Maybe I just got a bad set. I don't want to hear buzzing in between dialogue during a movie.

2. Dim

Most reviews indicate that the set is just a bit dim, and I tend to agree. I certainly don't expect or need it to be as bright as an LCD/LED, but the set is in a room with quite a few windows and it just doesn't seem to perform too well in a light room. I have really enjoyed the picture for some of the movies we have watched. It's great in a dark room. The blacks and screen uniformnity are fantastic (even a non-videophile like me can appreciate them). But for sports and other things I need it a little brighter. Unfortunately, when I change the settings around to make it brighter the picture quality seems to degrade quite a bit. Cinema mode or the other popular settings found online, look dull, especially during the day, for regular TV watching.

3. Motion Artifacting

This is a big problem for me because I watch a lot of sports. I thought that plasmas were supposed to excel for watching sports, but I seem to get a lot of artifacting/mosquito-type noise around players (for example football and basketball players). They're just not very crisp or smooth looking at all. I think I enjoy the picture for sports more on my 32" Philips LCD. Very disappointing. I'm trying out a 46" Samsung LN46D630 and, while it's not perfect and there are times I wish I had the Panny still, I prefer it for watching sports and general programming. I've tried every different setting, and I just don't get that great sports watching experience I was looking for.

Given the endless glowing reviews for this set, what am I missing?

I cannot speak for the buzzing, but it sounds like source and calibration issues. My ST30 is putting out 48 fl pro cal'd fr daytime....33-35fl for night time in dark room...I cannot imagine the need for more brightness except if you watch in a sun room of sorts. In addition, the ST30 has a very clean image. Make sure all of that motion settings, DNR, etc. is off and try watching a clean source (i.e. Blu-ray). Your 32" Philips likely has less resolution so it can hide artifacts from poorer source material. CRTs are actually the best display to watch a really poor source signal.
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post #7122 of 8349
2/1/12 at 12:03pm
Tfoltz, the TV's in the bar were brighter than the picture would be in my home, but I was impressed more by the nice motion and lack of artifacting. I assure you that Vivid mode on the TV looks horrible to me. I ran the TV mostly on Cinema, at times trying other settings. I just can't believe that the LCD that I just bought looks better from a motion/artifacting standpoint.

DavidHir, I did have all the extra settings off. I've found with my other TVs that those settings always take away from the picture more than they help. I will admit though that I have not tried a Blue Ray. But in comparing the 1080p LCD and st30, the LCD is much cleaner for sports.

Unfortunately none of this changes the buzzing issue! I'm afraid I'll get another set with the same issue.
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post #7123 of 8349
2/1/12 at 12:14pm
Just helped my father return his S30. He still has an ST30 60" sitting at the house... All exhibited the green blob / pink border to different degrees.

My advice to him: cut your losses. It's obvious to me that Panasonic has fallen prey to diminishing returns as the entire tv industry has and these sets are produced with very little by way of quality control. I WANT my 50" to replace my 46" pz800u but the simple fact is: any gains I make in PQ are entirely defeated by the discoloration evident in the greyscale.
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post #7124 of 8349
2/1/12 at 1:16pm
Has anyone tried running a PAL / 50Hz signal into a U.S. TC-PxxST30 on any of the inputs, and if so, with what results? I'm considering buying a PAL Playstation for a game that was never released in the states and it would be great if I didn't have to get some device (like below or otherwise) to do PAL to NTSC conversion due to the problems that would cause with motion etc.

I've been trying some of my older video game systems on my TC-P42ST30, and while input lag is not an issue thus far even on 480i sources via component and 240p via composite, the processing/scaling leaves room for improvement: I'm considering getting a XRGB-Mini (review link), but not sure I want to pay that much.
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post #7125 of 8349
2/1/12 at 1:18pm
Couple of things. First, I got the A board replaced and everything looks fantastic, Fbr is gone. Second, I never had pink or green tint before or after. I've read so much about it I just wanted people to know there are sets out there that don't have this issue. Throughout my replacement, Panasonic was great. Very courteous and professional. In defense of those with green and pink, I don't think I could live with it. Hopefully this issue can get resolved. I've now had three Panasonic plasmas, the only issue I've had with any of them was the fbr. I personally think these are currently the best plasmas on the market. To those weighing options, just get it, this set looks amazing. Plasma vs. LCD? No contest, plasma.
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post #7126 of 8349
2/1/12 at 1:45pm
The two 65ST30s I've had in my home haven't had green/pink tint either. Seems that we are in the minority.
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post #7127 of 8349
2/1/12 at 2:04pm
I just purchased the 60ST30 from Costco. I saw what appears to be scan flicker on the display model at Costco and thought it might be due to the lighting there, however I see it in the one I brought home also. Brighter, solid areas of the screen appear to pulsate very quickly in intensity. I also see this in the brighter colors using the D-Nice settings with the break-in slide show. If I turn the brightness way down, it visually goes away, but then the viewing looks too dark to me.

Is this something that will go away as it breaks in? The TV has a Nov 2011 build date.
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post #7128 of 8349
2/1/12 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddy C View Post

I just purchased the 60ST30 from Costco. I saw what appears to be scan flicker on the display model at Costco and thought it might be due to the lighting there, however I see it in the one I brought home also. Brighter, solid areas of the screen appear to pulsate very quickly in intensity. I also see this in the brighter colors using the D-Nice settings with the break-in slide show. If I turn the brightness way down, it visually goes away, but then the viewing looks too dark to me.

Is this something that will go away as it breaks in? The TV has a Nov 2011 build date.

Are you in 48hz mode?
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post #7129 of 8349
2/1/12 at 4:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DirkBelig View Post

I'm investigating possibly getting one of these ST30/GT30 sets and have been reading around here and am freaking out over the prep time before you get to use the set to watch anything. The D-Nice process isn't going to sit too well with my girlfriend whose place this set would be....

ME: "Hey, honey, listen...when we get this plasma set, in order to properly break it in, I'm going to have to run the set day and night for at least four days straight."

HER: "Can I watch shows?"

ME: "Um, no. You see, I have to run a loop of solid color slides to break in the panel."

HER: "Can these run when I'm not watching stuff?"

ME: "I don't think so. I think that you need to run the slides for 100 hours uninterrupted."

HER: "You're telling me that if you buy a plasma TV, I can't watch it for a WEEK because you're doing this break-in thing?"

ME: "Yeah."

HER: "And all this time, it's going to make the living room look like a room in a skid row motel with a neon sign outside the window?"

ME: "I guess."

HER: "Do all TVs require this? Did you do this with your LCD at home?"

ME: "No. Only plasmas need this break-in, but it gets better ima--"

HER: "You're not buying a plasma."

Our 8-year-old Sony RPTV blew its convergence ICs last Tues. - day after all the killer Cyber Monday deals, naturally - and she rejected my offer to get a 73" Mitsubishi DLP which would've been delivered Friday because it'd be too big and she didn't want a big set anymore. She's been suffering watching the ghosted image so far and it's bad enough that delivery may take a week more, so there's no way in Hades she's going to let me massage the set with a week of flashing colors on top of that. Not. Gonna. Happen.

How bad is it if you don't run the Patented D-Nice Break-In Process?

She's your girlfriend, not your wife. And its your money, so you should buy what you want.
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post #7130 of 8349
2/1/12 at 5:41pm
The importance of these slides is way overstated.
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post #7131 of 8349
2/1/12 at 5:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bd2003 View Post

Are you in 48hz mode?

It's in 60hz mode.

I'm probably one of the minority few that are susceptible to seeing plasma flicker. That explains why the Costco employee couldn't see it when I was pointing it out to him. My wife doesn't see it either.

When running the D-Nice break-in, the greens have the worst flicker to my eyes. I don't see any flicker in the blues.

Maybe I'll adjust to it over time.
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post #7132 of 8349
2/1/12 at 6:14pm
Can someone pm D' nice's seetings please. Can't seem to find them anywhere. Thanks
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post #7133 of 8349
2/1/12 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bd2003 View Post

The importance of these slides is way overstated.

Agree. The only reason I even perform this song and dance is to age the set past the period of most IR. You'll be fine watching tv just try to watch it full screen and keep the station logos to a minimum.
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post #7134 of 8349
2/1/12 at 6:24pm
Greetings All,

I’m a quasi newb helping a full-newb friend who just bought this unit. Fours years ago, I bought the Pioneer 5080 and used D-Nice's/Evangelo's burn-in disc and settings. (Could probably stand a tweak but my friends still watch its stunning 720p display in envy!)

So, just some basic questions concerns before I start on the set-up this weekend:

1. Evagelo's slides are different than his disc from four years ago, I assume. (The disc was about 45 minutes long.)
2. This break-in is done via card/flash drive.
3. D-Nice’s settings don’t require entering any sub-menus and tweaking sophisticated settings to achieve a great picture.
4. Have read about fluctuating brightness and green blob. Are either still an issue? Is there a build date after which either is not an issue and what might that be? Is FB inherent only to Mid setting or does it occur in Low and High?
5. Is there any mandatory/recommended firmware update and where is the best place to locate it?
6. Are there any issues to be mindful of?

Thanks to all who have walked before me here and are willing to take the time to help. It is extremely cool that y’all do this. Any personal recommendations/suggestions/ precautions/admonishments etc. will be greatly appreciated.
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post #7135 of 8349
2/1/12 at 7:08pm
The buzzing!!! GAAHHH!!! I don't want to return it, I've had it for almost 3 months now and I don't want to recalibrate/run the slides again. I'm willing to open it up, I think I saw something where you tighten something it fixes it? It buzzes randomly, sometimes turning it off for a bit reduces it. But sometimes it doesn't stop, I know its normal to have some buzzing, but it is very loud.

ANYTHING!!

*found this*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsicYOXVqDA

I'm going to try it. Wish me luck.
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post #7136 of 8349
2/1/12 at 7:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buddy C View Post

It's in 60hz mode.

I'm probably one of the minority few that are susceptible to seeing plasma flicker.

I too am extremely sensitive to 60 Hz flicker. I would walk into an open office area and all the monitors flashing would make my skin crawl (back when NO IT person knew about refresh rate, and also no wonder people had headaches all day sitting in front of that).

Having said that, I have not noticed an iota of flicker at all on my 60ST30.
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post #7137 of 8349
2/1/12 at 7:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkNessBear View Post

The buzzing!!! GAAHHH!!!

My 60ST30 has been deafeningly quiet. Not a peep of buzz from it.
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post #7138 of 8349
2/1/12 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by carpboy View Post

My 60ST30 has been deafeningly quiet. Not a peep of buzz from it.

Thank you! This helps a bunch.
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post #7139 of 8349
2/1/12 at 8:37pm
An update regarding my problem with my Picture quality.P50ST30
First 2 are on Vivid setting.
This one is with Cinema mode and settings from a member here.
And this is on Custom mode with my settings.

Maybe my tv is bad from factory?? Anyone encountered this problem or have seen this before?? I did the 150hrs process and was using dnice settings but I was still getting the same results. The parts that are supposed to be dark/black have red dots all over the place.
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post #7140 of 8349
2/1/12 at 10:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ocielz View Post

An update regarding my problem with my Picture quality.P50ST30
First 2 are on Vivid setting.
This one is with Cinema mode and settings from a member here.
And this is on Custom mode with my settings.

Maybe my tv is bad from factory?? Anyone encountered this problem or have seen this before?? I did the 150hrs process and was using dnice settings but I was still getting the same results. The parts that are supposed to be dark/black have red dots all over the place.

maybe you got my A-board which i screwed with the service menu settings before i sent it back to panasonic.

jk
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