Panasonic ST30 DIY Calibration and Settings Thread - Page 37

Originally Posted by gremmy

One thing I noticed once I got my meter was that the color patterns (the SMPTE color bars and even the more modern test pattern on DVE) didn't even come close to producing anything near accurate color even on blue. And even with a TV that can turn off red/blue/green at will, the result was equally off. I think this has something to do with plasma technology; I'm really not sure. All I know is that those patterns don't work on any of my plasma televisions.

However, if your set has red push (for example) and you accurately calibrate the brightness of blue, then red will be way too bright. This sounds like what you are describing. This is one reason that separate RGB color decoding controls are extremely helpful.

Originally Posted by dtbreen76


I would have to agree with you on that. I have used DVE for all of my televisions and have never had a problem calibrating brightness, contrast and color. DVE's sharpness pattern is worthless for HD televisions. With this plasma, I need to pull color back to keep accurate skin tones.
I just know that I couldn't use Dnice's pro settings as it puts too much red into the faces. I chose to run Warm 1 and pull some of the blue out in the pro settings. I would love to get a meter and start getting serious about this, but I have reached a point where my picture is outstanding, and I wonder how much more I can squeeze out of it. My settings aren't terribly different than what Jimmy is using right now. It is only the "not knowing" that keeps me thinking about buying a meter....

Originally Posted by dtbreen76


I would have to agree with you on that. I have used DVE for all of my televisions and have never had a problem calibrating brightness, contrast and color. DVE's sharpness pattern is worthless for HD televisions. With this plasma, I need to pull color back to keep accurate skin tones.
I just know that I couldn't use Dnice's pro settings as it puts too much red into the faces. I chose to run Warm 1 and pull some of the blue out in the pro settings. I would love to get a meter and start getting serious about this, but I have reached a point where my picture is outstanding, and I wonder how much more I can squeeze out of it. My settings aren't terribly different than what Jimmy is using right now. It is only the "not knowing" that keeps me thinking about buying a meter....

Originally Posted by thevolumnus

Should I watch the first 100 hours in cinema mode (so it's not too bright) and then switch to the D-Nice settings?

Originally Posted by Jimmy

DT, did you get a chance to try the settings? Exactly? Still having too much red? Pulling color back from what? I have a hunch your settings are not that close to mine if you are using Warm1, having problems with skin tone and such. That would be square 1 from where we are now with just the +4 BE, the use of Normal temp, Graphics and color settings alone. Not to mention the hate to love -3 Tint.

Originally Posted by dtbreen76


I did not get a chance to to try them last night. I will be doing it tonight. I will copy your exact settings including Pro settings color adjustments and see what I find. I suspect Normal is going to look really blue on my set, but I will change everything and watch for a bit before reserving judgement.

Also, I am trying to determine if this is normal for plasma tv's, or if I am introducing some "noise" somewhere in my a/v set up. I have copied my description below. I saw this on my Samsung plasma as well, but I was using the same ps3 and reciever with it.

When I turn on my tv, but have not yet turned on any sources, it displays a perfectly black screen. When I turn on my reciever and ps3, and a blu ray is loading, for example, I get a black that contains some "noise."

It is kind of like watching "channel fuzz" only much much more mild and the picture is still black. You have to be pretty close to the tv to see it. It also seems to be present when the movie is playing and the scene is really dark. I believe this may be what is called "dithering," and normal for a plasma tv. I thought you might be able to shed some light on this for me.

I am not overly concerned as it is not too visible from a normal viewing distance. i just want to know if this is what they call dithering, or if it is normal.

Originally Posted by dtbreen76

I would have to agree with you on that. I have used DVE for all of my televisions and have never had a problem calibrating brightness, contrast and color. DVE's sharpness pattern is worthless for HD televisions. With this plasma, I need to pull color back to keep accurate skin tones.
I just know that I couldn't use Dnice's pro settings as it puts too much red into the faces. I chose to run Warm 1 and pull some of the blue out in the pro settings. I would love to get a meter and start getting serious about this, but I have reached a point where my picture is outstanding, and I wonder how much more I can squeeze out of it. My settings aren't terribly different than what Jimmy is using right now. It is only the "not knowing" that keeps me thinking about buying a meter....

Originally Posted by gremmy

Given that you say you have used DVE to calibrate color on "all of your televisions," did you mean to say that you "disagreed" with me?

The problem with the color test patterns is that there's really no way to tell how far off the resulting calibration is without a meter. I always thought those patterns were fine too until I measured -- turns out that on my TV the results aren't even in the ballpark.

Originally Posted by dtbreen76

No, I was saying I do agree with you. My LED, DLP and tube tv's all calibrated just fine using DVE. On my plasma, like you and I have both experienced, using the blue filter in the color test pattern, creates a setting where the colors are pushed too much.

Originally Posted by Snlfan

I just snagged a 50st30 on Saturday and I might be weird but so far I really like the CNET settings. I came from a PX60 which when I first set up the ST30 made me wonder what on earth I was thinking buying a new set.
I have tried all the other settings like DNice and Jimmy's but I find the white and red to push so far out it is almost unbearable to view. If I had came from a LCD I would probably love the all the red and white pop. Coming from my old plasma I find it incredibly eye straining.

Originally Posted by chunon


Those are fighting words around here, and don't even say you prefer cinema

Originally Posted by chunon


Those are fighting words around here, and don't even say you prefer cinema

Originally Posted by Jimmy

That's not true at all for those that truly embraces the intent of the thread. Good people, good intent, thick skins, like to know what makes things work, shared ownership, and valued. Just a bunch of AV nuts that would rather DYI. I see the thread as sharing. Some see it as helping. Some people don't like to be helped--and become frustrated when others seem to accept it and are grateful.

Originally Posted by chunon

I just believe this is all so subjective there is no right answer, I appreciate all who share there preferances, knowledge and settings. But there are value judgements placed on some folks input and I think that goes against the intent of this thread. Alot of preferences and opinions are stated as facts, just my opinion guess we will have to agree to disagree.

Originally Posted by Jimmy

Sounds like dithering. I think the only thing normal about it is, if it happens, it's a plasma and some would say, especially Panasonic. I don't experience it with my source input, being cable box and BD player. Now that you mentioned though, my son runs a ps3 and I think I've seen the same thing. I will have to ask him. Maybe someone else on here will comment. You might not be able to see it from where you are sitting but it would bug me just knowing. I think I've read on here some have corrected a dithering problem by using different HDMI cables. I also remember some YouTube post on it. Might want to check that out.

Originally Posted by Jimmy

Sounds like dithering. I think the only thing normal about it is, if it happens, it's a plasma and some would say, especially Panasonic. I don't experience it with my source input, being cable box and BD player. Now that you mentioned though, my son runs a ps3 and I think I've seen the same thing. I will have to ask him. Maybe someone else on here will comment. You might not be able to see it from where you are sitting but it would bug me just knowing. I think I've read on here some have corrected a dithering problem by using different HDMI cables. I also remember some YouTube post on it. Might want to check that out.

Originally Posted by dtbreen76


Also, I tried your settings exactly last night. I was very surprised that the colors didn't seem pushed and I didn't see overly red faces. The color level might still be a click or two high for me, but I have to watch a few more movies/sources to know. I was also surpised it wasn't an extremely Blue tinged picture, especially in the whites. I didn't get a chance to spend any real time watching with those settings though, as it was late when I plugged them in. I put on Fight Club BD, and watched about five minutes of it. The only thing I regret doing was turning on the "superwhite" feature in my PS3 at the same time (which I had never done before.) So now I have to toggle that on and off to compare as well. Perhaps that was helping reduce the blue tinge to the picture that I expected to see on the normal temp.

Is your son using the PS3 on your tv or a different one?

Thank you for sharing your settings. I will spend some more time with them and give you better feedback in the near future.

Originally Posted by Jimmy

Yeh, you're going to have to experiment with the PS3 settings too. Don't be afraid to change the ST settings, in either direction, up or down, especially the color. Without a meter you have to trust your eyes. There is some talk on here that calibration disc don't work but the one I use has served me well, especially with saturation, hue and gray scale. Just don't worry about what the numbers are "supposed to be" or what somebody else is using. This thread kicked "Supposed to be" out the window long ago.

My son and his family use the PS3 for BD and gaming. He has a Panny, "U" model I think, that was calibrated by D-Nice a couple of years ago when he did my VT25. "D" was teasing me than how he had my son's "U" looking as good as my more expensive VT. But don't believe it! I'm glad I have the VT25 as my reference when tweaking the ST30.

Originally Posted by dtbreen76

I am fortunate that I have two co-workers with the exact same 55st30, so I will be able to go to their homes and verify whether or not this "dithering" this is normal.

I am not at all stuck on what the numbers "should be". I simply change them until I think it looks right. I have no problem with that. I need realistic skin tones, and to keep a crisp, sharp picture. This tv is able to supply that and wonderful blacks to boot, so I am happy. What you have achieved in custom is really nice, as I feel it was brighter than my previous effort. I will tweak what I need to from there if I don't feel something looks right on my set.

It seems to me that there is more than one way to reach the same picture, or at least nearly identical. Using Normal color temp seems to allow the picture to be brighter than warm 1. I could be wrong, as it might have been the "superwhite" option in the PS3. More playing around will tell me. I now have almost 300 hours on the set, so I think it is really starting to settle.

Originally Posted by gremmy

If you want to see "dithering gone wild," put the set on high panel brightness and then take a look at the a 10% (or lower) IRE window test pattern.

Originally Posted by Carey P

Similar to the Jimmy/DNice/Russell/Cobra combo:

--Picture menu
Picture mode: Custom
Contrast: +80
Brightness: +71
Color: +46
Tint: -3
Sharpness: +40
Color temp: Normal

-- Pro settings submenu
Color space: Normal
W/B high R: +8
W/B high G: 0
W/B high B: +10
W/B low R: +2
W/B low G: 0
W/B low B: -8
Black extension: 4
Gamma adjustment: 2.2
Panel brightness: Med
HDMI: Graphics mode

Originally Posted by sithjedi333

This is working awesome for me, thanks. I tried the last 4-5 setting lists posted in this thread.

One question - I don't have a Blueray player. How do I decide on the correct Sharpness setting? Seems like people have settled anywhere between 0-40 but I don't know what I should be looking for.

Thanks. Great thread!

Originally Posted by sithjedi333

I have a 65 inch ST30. This is working awesome for me, thanks. I tried the last 4-5 setting lists posted in this thread.

One question - I don't have a Blueray player. How do I decide on the correct Sharpness setting? Seems like people have settled anywhere between 0-40 but I don't know what I should be looking for.

Also, I saw some recommendations to use Custom/Mid during the daytime (I have a very sunny room), and Cinema for nighttime. For Cinema should I use the default settings, D-Nice's settings or is there something else you recommend?

Thanks. Great thread!

Originally Posted by gremmy

If you want to see "dithering gone wild," put the set on high panel brightness and then take a look at the a 10% (or lower) IRE window test pattern.[/QUOTE

LOL. That is funny. So what I am seeing is in fact dithering? I hate that my eyes see every damn flaw.....