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Panasonic S30 Series (NOT ST) Picture Settings - Page 4

post #91 of 236
3/19/12 at 5:55pm
@MYHOMETHEATER

That would definitely be proof to the contrary! Thanks for the post!

This, however, brings up the question as to why Panasonic couldn't have given the S the ST custom advanced picture controls! That function on the ST makes it a far more versatile display as you can select panel brightness and gamma curve to more adequately match your viewing environment! I get that the S is the cheaper model and I even get why they would skimp on features like the viera apps on the S to make the move to the ST more attractive... But why take away something as seemingly innocuous as the advanced picture controls?
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post #92 of 236
3/19/12 at 7:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by toshibaman View Post


Sage what are your final settings

Sorry-- when I get home I'll post them.
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post #93 of 236
3/19/12 at 9:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sage11x View Post


Sorry-- when I get home I'll post them.

Ok thanks can't wait to try them out. One question i'm using cinema for satellite & gaming. Is this a wise choice to use cinema for gaming. My setting is

Cinema
Contrast 100
Brightness 48
Color 57
Tint +1
Sharpness 65
Temp warm 1
Everything is turned off
Hdmi auto
Content type auto
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post #94 of 236
3/19/12 at 9:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by toshibaman View Post


Ok thanks can't wait to try them out. One question i'm using cinema for satellite & gaming. Is this a wise choice to use cinema for gaming. My setting is

Cinema
Contrast 100
Brightness 48
Color 57
Tint +1
Sharpness 65
Temp warm 1
Everything is turned off
Hdmi auto
Content type auto

The answer to that question depends largely on who you talk to (and I say this because, invariably, when I start talking about lag the usual-suspects always come down to contradict me). For myself, I prefer to play in game as it assures me the best possible connection for low latency response. Almost any picture mode on a Panasonic will give you excellent results but there are differences with game-- it's not just a picture mode. Now, on the S, gamma is really messed up in game: it obscures dark areas and crushes white pretty bad. For a game like god of war, where I'm more interested in the spectacle than pwning noobs, maybe I play in cinema.

I'll be home in a few but I can't promise I'll look tonight-- tired. But a quick glance at your settings and I think I'm pretty far off. In cinema, I lowered contrast into the 60-70 range (I had kept it at 100 for my first 2 months). My brightness is close to default, I believe high 50s? Your color looks way high-- not a bad thing as it's personal preference. My color is less than the default 50-- I would have set it lower but this set already has issues with saturation. I actually leave color management set to ON as I find it helps boost the blue a bit. Blue on this panel is really muted...
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post #95 of 236
3/20/12 at 2:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sage11x View Post


The answer to that question depends largely on who you talk to (and I say this because, invariably, when I start talking about lag the usual-suspects always come down to contradict me). For myself, I prefer to play in game as it assures me the best possible connection for low latency response. Almost any picture mode on a Panasonic will give you excellent results but there are differences with game-- it's not just a picture mode. Now, on the S, gamma is really messed up in game: it obscures dark areas and crushes white pretty bad. For a game like god of war, where I'm more interested in the spectacle than pwning noobs, maybe I play in cinema.

I'll be home in a few but I can't promise I'll look tonight-- tired. But a quick glance at your settings and I think I'm pretty far off. In cinema, I lowered contrast into the 60-70 range (I had kept it at 100 for my first 2 months). My brightness is close to default, I believe high 50s? Your color looks way high-- not a bad thing as it's personal preference. My color is less than the default 50-- I would have set it lower but this set already has issues with saturation. I actually leave color management set to ON as I find it helps boost the blue a bit. Blue on this panel is really muted...

Have you tried doing your custom settings with the hdmi content set to graphic. It may solve the cinema gray issue. Just give it a try!
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post #96 of 236
3/20/12 at 2:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by toshibaman View Post


Have you tried doing your custom settings with the hdmi content set to graphic. It may solve the cinema gray issue. Just give it a try!

Custom
Contrast 69
Brightness 59
Color 48
Warm 1
Sharpness 58
Hdmi content graphics
Everything else set to off
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post #97 of 236
3/20/12 at 6:50am
Hey all ... I picked up the 50S30 over the weekend at costco and set it up on Sunday. Picture looked great and I watched about 3 hours or random programming (mostly college basketball).

Last night I was watching a NBA game and noticed the TV started doing something odd. Every 15 seconds or so (rough idea .. never timed it) the image would go from normal to quite a bit brighter all of a sudden and then return to the normal brightness. It was as if the brightness setting changed.

I thought it might have been due to the auto-brightness adjust feature on the TV (the room is a bit oddly lit with the light coming from the adjacent dining area -- our family room/dining/kitchen is one big continuous open area). So I turned off the feature, but it still kept happening.

Any ideas? Does it just need to break-in? I bought at Costco, so I have a full 90 day return period, but I'm concerned they won't have anymore in stock if I wait more than a few days (they only had 4 or 5 left on Sunday.)

Sorry for the thread hi-jack (but figured it was related to the same model tv).

Thanks for your help.

EDIT: Just re-read thread and noticed there is a firmware update. Will give it a try. Sorry for posting before reading.
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post #98 of 236
3/21/12 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by toshibaman View Post


Have you tried doing your custom settings with the hdmi content set to graphic. It may solve the cinema gray issue. Just give it a try!

Sorry I haven't posted my settings yet-- your post above has sent me down-the-rabbit-hole so to say! I'm trying I figure out how and why changing this option makes such a dramatic difference in my picture... Does this setting affect image processing? I'm not sure I'm glad or mad you posted this! Lol!
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post #99 of 236
3/23/12 at 5:59am
Ok so i ventured into the service menu last night, made 1 small adjustment that helped out a lot. With flesh tones. My question isthe what does Sub-brt control?
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post #100 of 236
3/23/12 at 6:11am
ok fellas i think I have some good settings!!

For xbox and ps3:
Game
Contrast 80
Brightness 62
Color 50
Tint +2
sharpness 65
color temp- Normal
hdmi content setting- graphics
everything else off

Movie and TV viewing

Custom
Contrast 80
brightness 62
color 50
tint +3
sharpness 50
warm 1
color management- on
hdmi content- graphics
everything else off
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post #101 of 236
3/23/12 at 8:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MYHOMETHEATER View Post

Ok so i ventured into the service menu last night, made 1 small adjustment that helped out a lot. With flesh tones. My question isthe what does Sub-brt control?

What adjustment did you make?
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post #102 of 236
3/24/12 at 3:28am
so far I only adjusted the tint from 00 to 03 and color from ?? to 3c (guess that is 2 adjustments not one) :-)
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post #103 of 236
3/25/12 at 6:42am
Could someone please explain what hdmi content type actually changes? It is set to off
by default. What does it change when set to graphics?
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post #104 of 236
3/25/12 at 7:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fshzin View Post

Could someone please explain what hdmi content type actually changes? It is set to off
by default. What does it change when set to graphics?

Trying to figure this out myself... I've spent the last week playing (when I get the chance) and am more perplexed than ever.

At this point I'm about to stop caring. I've had some major life upheavals and I've got a busy couple months coming up at work and I just want to come home and enjoy my set I stead of tweaking it every night. Maybe I'll pay someone to come calibrate me! Lol! 400 dollar calibration on a 600 tv right?
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post #105 of 236
3/25/12 at 8:30am
For now I set it to auto. Since I dont understand. I figured I would just let the set figure it out! (edited update!) Played ps3 with it set to auto and it just didnt look or feel right. Hard to explain,but ended up changing setting back to off. Could just be all in my head !????
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post #106 of 236
3/25/12 at 11:08am
Auto & off makes it to dark. It will give you cinema feel with better gamma. It also kills the gray look that cinema has. You still have accurate color just like cinema. I love this tv now and the picture is beautiful. I calibrated with wow disney blueray. Ps3 and xbox games are beautiful also, no more inky black and outrageous contrast. Give my setting a go! You might have to put your own contrast and brightness because we may have different lighting in our rooms.
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post #107 of 236
3/25/12 at 6:04pm
Well, I joined the club and purchased the 60" "S" version today. Was a floor demo at BB and got it for $799.Set looks flawless for most part.

What convinced me to buy it for the most part was budget. I just refused to go over the price point that I set for myself.With that being said the picture on this set was freaking gorgeous in the store.For the 2 hrs(true) for real that we sat there and watched it,neither my wife nor I saw anything funny as to have been mentioned in some threads.I have not set it up yet,due to needing a few more cables,but I hope things continue to be great moving forward. I have seen some of the higher end sets and don't consider this to be a bad purchase at all!! I'm not a videophile but I do want a great picture, and in the store this set was awesome.It was PLENTY bright In the spot where Magnolia had it. Can't wait to get it setup and see what it does in the family room.

One thing that is funny..When I saw this model # at walmart awhile back I was not impressed and thought it was lifeless and dim. But whatever Magnolia did, they had this thing humming right along with all the higher end Samsungs,etc and it was holding it's own.So to sum it up, I think this is gonna be a love affair,I hope.Will post more when I set it up in next few days..

Was wondering though, I thought I saw it mentioned that you can record straight to a external hard drive thru this set, true? That would be awesome if correct,no need for Dishe's dvr.

brickie
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post #108 of 236
3/25/12 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by brickie View Post

Well, I joined the club and purchased the 60" "S" version today. Was a floor demo at BB and got it for $799.Set looks flawless for most part.

What convinced me to buy it for the most part was budget. I just refused to go over the price point that I set for myself.With that being said the picture on this set was freaking gorgeous in the store.For the 2 hrs(true) for real that we sat there and watched it,neither my wife nor I saw anything funny as to have been mentioned in some threads.I have not set it up yet,due to needing a few more cables,but I hope things continue to be great moving forward. I have seen some of the higher end sets and don't consider this to be a bad purchase at all!! I'm not a videophile but I do want a great picture, and in the store this set was awesome.It was PLENTY bright In the spot where Magnolia had it. Can't wait to get it setup and see what it does in the family room.

One thing that is funny..When I saw this model # at walmart awhile back I was not impressed and thought it was lifeless and dim. But whatever Magnolia did, they had this thing humming right along with all the higher end Samsungs,etc and it was holding it's own.So to sum it up, I think this is gonna be a love affair,I hope.Will post more when I set it up in next few days..

Was wondering though, I thought I saw it mentioned that you can record straight to a external hard drive thru this set, true? That would be awesome if correct,no need for Dishe's dvr.

brickie

Congrats, Brickie!

Yes the S is a superb set for the cash-- and, btw, the 60" for that price is insane! With 5 year warranty I paid only around 100 less for my 50"! With the exception of a few flaws that haunt the entire Panasonic 2011 lineup the S has a stunning picture when setup properly. Understand that part of the purpose of threads like these is to nitpick and complain a bit-- after all, everyone who is enjoying their set is too busy doing so to post on these forums!

If you feel like reinforcing your decision a bit, check out these two respected reviewers take on the value priced S30!

http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...30-plasma-hdtv

http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...ic-st30-vs-s30

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/panas...1112231578.htm
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post #109 of 236
3/26/12 at 10:50am
Thanks,actually have that issue of home theater mag on the coffee table right now...going to grab it and read it later.I thought the "s" model had been reviewed but wasn't sure.

As for the reinforcing,none needed. I have a Vizio50" 720p that has given me 6+ yrs of great service. And too me even though it's 720p,picture is awesome.Also got a 1080I Toshiba RP CRT, that is our main set for critical viewing(Epson 705 in bsmt is for kids and their gaming)The only thing that makes me even want to replace it down the road is lack of hmdi...I know there's ways around it,but at current prices,just don't know.Man rambling..LOL But my purpose is I always go with what I like.Just never gave a damn about much of what anyone else thought.Should only matter what our own eyes tell us.

As soon as I totally confirm it's a keeper i'll throw a 4yr square trade warranty on it and be set. Stay tuned.

brickie
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post #110 of 236
3/29/12 at 2:03am
Heard good things about tv.Store has demo 42s30 for 450 plus tax.I thought it looked dim next to the lcds.Maybe been on shelf for a long time or is this normal?Had contrast ,brightness full.
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post #111 of 236
3/29/12 at 2:05am
Heard good things about tv.Store has demo 42s30 for 450 plus tax.I thought it looked dim next to the lcds.Maybe been on shelf for a long time or is this normal?Had contrast full,brightness quite bright.
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post #112 of 236
3/29/12 at 2:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fshzin View Post

Could someone please explain what hdmi content type actually changes? It is set to off
by default. What does it change when set to graphics?

I have been told that setting it to graphics will help with the color. I tried it myself and it did seem to help a little. It really isn't a big difference if you ask me.
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post #113 of 236
3/29/12 at 5:25am
The black level is better not color! The black level effect your color. Try my settings, you may have to lower your contrast a little. I'm the one who recommended the graphic option. Basically it is cinema mode without the dull gray look.
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post #114 of 236
3/29/12 at 6:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by toshibaman View Post

The black level is better not color! The black level effect your color. Try my settings, you may have to lower your contrast a little. I'm the one who recommended the graphic option. Basically it is cinema mode without the dull gray look.

Yeah, that is exactly what I experienced last night! That dull gray haze is the only thing that I don't like about cinema. I am going to spend a bit more time playing with Custom now. I want accurate flesh tones, and deep blacks without the haze that Cinema gives you...
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post #115 of 236
3/29/12 at 9:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dtbreen76 View Post


Yeah, that is exactly what I experienced last night! That dull gray haze is the only thing that I don't like about cinema. I am going to spend a bit more time playing with Custom now. I want accurate flesh tones, and deep blacks without the haze that Cinema gives you...

If you're trying to use custom you're going to need to drop color into the mid-low 30s to compensate for the god-awful red/green push on this set (and the ST) that absolutely obliterates skin tones and makes everyone look sunburn and sick. Unfortunately, dropping color to this point will significantly curb saturation and "pop"--but what can you do?

The 2011 S and ST have been lauded by reviewer who watch their test material in a dark/cinema style setting where these sets shine. Outside of that narrow purpose I hold to my opinion that the 2011 lineup is too dim for daytime/bright room viewing. Can you watch it in a bright room? Sure! You could also put hot sauce on your ice cream but I wouldn't recommend it!
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post #116 of 236
3/30/12 at 12:02am
Sage on hdmi content set to auto or off I agree you have to lower the color a lot. But when you switch it to graphic or photo that color oversaturation disappears. Having your color at 30 kills sports and the videogames picture. I play nba 2k12 on custom auto or off, the coaches with a black suit and tie, you can't even tell that he has a tie on due to the black crushing. Change the setting to graphics and you see the tire and coat perfectly. I'm not a know it all but I have been dealing with tvs for a long time and all this professionally calibrated stuff is bogus. You can get picture that satisfy you by yourself. For example most people use warm 2. Do I want my picture looking tinted toward red like that. Yeah certain scenes may look good but for overall and all kinds of viewing NO!! Do it look natural? Unless you are wearing some light brown red or green shades outside. I bet u can't find a better tv at this price range! Are the higher models better? Yes, but are willing to pay the price?
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post #117 of 236
3/30/12 at 12:47am
Thread Starter 
Sure has been a lot of activity in this thread lately. Ironically enough, this is the first search result that comes up in Google when you search for S30 buzzing issues.

Before I get to that, though, I would like to say that I've owned my S30 since I started this thread, almost a year ago, and the picture has been absolutely pristine. As I mentioned, I ran the D-Nice slides for 100hrs then used the follow up picture settings. I was concerned that since they were for the ST30 it wouldn't benefit me, but a year later I can tell you they worked like a charm. I consistently feel that I have the best looking TV out of all of my friends.

Unfortunately, that utopia was not meant to last, because now I have the infamous buzzing coming from the TV. Mind you, this is ONLY when there's an image of ANY KIND on the screen. Even the built in TV image that tells you there's no signal. If the screen is black with nothing on the screen, there is no buzzing. Volume doesn't affect it. It's very loud, and seems to be even louder when the image is brighter. Hopefully this doesn't affect my Game of Thrones get together on Sunday, haha.

I extended the warranty another 3 years earlier this year, thank god, so I plan to call Panasonic and see what I can do to get it fixed. has anyone else had any experience with this issue and your experience dealing with the tech support?
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post #118 of 236
3/30/12 at 2:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by toshibaman View Post

Sage on hdmi content set to auto or off I agree you have to lower the color a lot. But when you switch it to graphic or photo that color oversaturation disappears. Having your color at 30 kills sports and the videogames picture. I play nba 2k12 on custom auto or off, the coaches with a black suit and tie, you can't even tell that he has a tie on due to the black crushing. Change the setting to graphics and you see the tire and coat perfectly. I'm not a know it all but I have been dealing with tvs for a long time and all this professionally calibrated stuff is bogus. You can get picture that satisfy you by yourself. For example most people use warm 2. Do I want my picture looking tinted toward red like that. Yeah certain scenes may look good but for overall and all kinds of viewing NO!! Do it look natural? Unless you are wearing some light brown red or green shades outside. I bet u can't find a better tv at this price range! Are the higher models better? Yes, but are willing to pay the price?

Agreed completely. Sage, you need to try this. I have my color set in the low 40's after putting it on graphics. I was able to get a picture very close to Cinema in terms of color accuracy but a little brighter and without the haze of cinema. I use the custom setting for the day time and switch back to Cinema for night time viewing. I still would like to do some minor tweaking to the w/b settings, but other than that, I am really very happy with my custom settings at this point.
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post #119 of 236
3/30/12 at 4:16am
Got a question about audio..Trying to figure out the best way to get some "external" sound going on my 60S30...

First sound to me would be the one weakness of this set. Was actually hoping to just use internal tv speakers.In store they had set running without sound on set,but hearing it at home,it's a little thin sounding.My Vizio 6 yr old set has better sound,but I digress.Read manual but wasn't sure,but how does optical out handle DTS? I know there are some great sounding computer speaker setups(only interested in simple 2-channel),could they be an option with this set?

For reasons it would take to long to go into really want to avoid a sound bar,or adding even adding a stereo receiver to mix.The receiver with some REALLY small speakers could POSSIBLY work,but if theres a computer type speaker setup that would be better.Just need to know if the whole optical out would kill any chance for that.

brickie
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post #120 of 236
3/31/12 at 4:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by toshibaman View Post

Sage on hdmi content set to auto or off I agree you have to lower the color a lot. But when you switch it to graphic or photo that color oversaturation disappears. Having your color at 30 kills sports and the videogames picture. I play nba 2k12 on custom auto or off, the coaches with a black suit and tie, you can't even tell that he has a tie on due to the black crushing. Change the setting to graphics and you see the tire and coat perfectly. I'm not a know it all but I have been dealing with tvs for a long time and all this professionally calibrated stuff is bogus. You can get picture that satisfy you by yourself. For example most people use warm 2. Do I want my picture looking tinted toward red like that. Yeah certain scenes may look good but for overall and all kinds of viewing NO!! Do it look natural? Unless you are wearing some light brown red or green shades outside. I bet u can't find a better tv at this price range! Are the higher models better? Yes, but are willing to pay the price?

I see what you're saying about the black clipping but unfortunately the graphics setting doesn't solve the green/red push prevalent in skin tones.

I was *just* about settled on keeping this display but the new season of madmen has likely changed my mind. Simply put: mad men looks awful on this set in anything but cinema. I'm not sure if even the price I paid is worth it to keep such a narrowly focused display.

I want to like this set but after my experiences I'm close to giving up. For giggles I finally read David K's review of the ST30 over on cnet and was surprised at just how negative the review actually was! His conclusion is basically: fantastic in cinema in low light-- bad in everything else. This is my problem with the S. I think I'm better off getting my money back and waiting for something that is a bit more capable in a variety of environments. The 2011 line was not a strong year for Panasonic.
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