Quote:
Originally Posted by BiotypE 
I currently have a pn59d7000 and an p55st30 sitting in my home. I have been going back and forth on these two sets for over two weeks now. Both are great sets. The ST30 in custom mode with the back-light set to mid or high gets very bright but at the expense of image quality and over-saturation of colors.
If you are not too sensitive to color accuracy and brightness is one of your main purchase concerns the ST30 would suite you better since you can bump the back light up to mid or high and get a VERY bright image although not the most accurate image.
If you set the ST30 back light to low, it has a very clean image but is not as bright as the movie mode on the d7000 with the cell light set to 20. The difference being the d7000 in the recommended viewing mode, movie, is noticeably brighter than the ST30 in the recommended viewing mode, custom, with the back-light set to low.
Both TVs get bright enough to want to turn it down a notch in a dark viewing environment.
I am stuck in an OCD loop with these two sets. I have about two more weeks to test them out and then one has to go back. Not sure where I will end up.
D7000 - Very nice, natural colors and balance in the image with very little noise in the picture. Does not get as bright as the st30 and "appears" to have a lower contrast ratio when comparing them side by side. Comparable black levels to the st30 if not very slightly better.
My set does have floating blacks and it is not really that big of a problem. I notice it occasionally but not really a big deal at all. it does have a very slight buzz but you have to listen for it closely to hear it.
ST30 - Great contrast when the back light is set to mid or high but that leap in brightness is at the cost of accurate colors and gamma. it is nice to have the option to make it brighter if you want to though. Nice black levels.
This set does not buzz at all until you press your ear up to the screen. I have not seen any instance of floating blacks on this set. There was a section in the movie the Pianist where I noticed this occurred on the d7000 and it did not occur on the ST30 when testing the same scene.
So after this entire post, I guess I am in the same boat as you. I don't know which one to keep and feel no matter which way I decide to go, there will be something about the other I will wish I had. I can say that the ST30 has been 100% glitch and bug free.
I currently have a pn59d7000 and an p55st30 sitting in my home. I have been going back and forth on these two sets for over two weeks now. Both are great sets. The ST30 in custom mode with the back-light set to mid or high gets very bright but at the expense of image quality and over-saturation of colors.
If you are not too sensitive to color accuracy and brightness is one of your main purchase concerns the ST30 would suite you better since you can bump the back light up to mid or high and get a VERY bright image although not the most accurate image.
If you set the ST30 back light to low, it has a very clean image but is not as bright as the movie mode on the d7000 with the cell light set to 20. The difference being the d7000 in the recommended viewing mode, movie, is noticeably brighter than the ST30 in the recommended viewing mode, custom, with the back-light set to low.
Both TVs get bright enough to want to turn it down a notch in a dark viewing environment.
I am stuck in an OCD loop with these two sets. I have about two more weeks to test them out and then one has to go back. Not sure where I will end up.
D7000 - Very nice, natural colors and balance in the image with very little noise in the picture. Does not get as bright as the st30 and "appears" to have a lower contrast ratio when comparing them side by side. Comparable black levels to the st30 if not very slightly better.
My set does have floating blacks and it is not really that big of a problem. I notice it occasionally but not really a big deal at all. it does have a very slight buzz but you have to listen for it closely to hear it.
ST30 - Great contrast when the back light is set to mid or high but that leap in brightness is at the cost of accurate colors and gamma. it is nice to have the option to make it brighter if you want to though. Nice black levels.
This set does not buzz at all until you press your ear up to the screen. I have not seen any instance of floating blacks on this set. There was a section in the movie the Pianist where I noticed this occurred on the d7000 and it did not occur on the ST30 when testing the same scene.
So after this entire post, I guess I am in the same boat as you. I don't know which one to keep and feel no matter which way I decide to go, there will be something about the other I will wish I had. I can say that the ST30 has been 100% glitch and bug free.
Very interested in your results. So the D7000 buzzes a bit more. What about heat...any noticeable difference? Not thrilled with my D7000 in regards to heat or buzz and thinking of switching sets myself.
I have no issues with buzzing at all it is super quiet! My blu-ray and dvr are louder than this TV. I did have some fluctuating brightness but I did the reset and turned off the eco setting. Nothing since. The black levels are very good better than I expected. No line bleeding issues and I have been looking for it. The heat output is comparable to my panny 58V10. You have to get within 4-5 inches to feel heat and thats after running it for 6hrs. straight. To me this set is very bright at least compared to my panny. I did notice floating blacks on one occasion not a big deal have not noticed anything since. Picture is very good after a few tweaks. For the size of this tv and the price I paid. I am Loving this TV!!
You'll see dissatisfaction in "something" as mmany people here are always looking for flaws that many folks would not notice or care about. The best thing to do is to go see the set in person and see if YOU like it. Remember most people don't come on the forums because they are happy with their product, they come because there is an issue with it.
