The Official Panasonic GT30 Settings Thread - Page 32

I am as well.

The recently acquired 55GT30 is getting brighter and my original settings for "Vivid" mode are now too bright producing white compression.

The set has about 350hrs total and it is definitely getting brighter. So much so, that I have had to reduce the settings for the Vivid mode considerably.

Also I've found that when Vivid mode is selected, the panel brightness is set to "HIGH". You can see it for yourself by doing this;

1) Bring up the menu and select "Custom"; select "Pro settings" and scroll to "panel brightness". If you're using Dave_O's settings, you will see "MID". Change it to "High" and scroll back and forth between those settings while looking at the background (top right side of picture).

2) Now select "Vivid" mode check out the background; quickly scroll back and forth between "Custom" [with panel brightness = high] and "Vivid" and you won't see very much difference. You can change the custom mode back to "mid" and repeat the experiment.

I believe that's why many like this mode b/c it produces sharper images b/c of the HIGH panel bias.

So I changed my settings and they have been updated here. I've softened the contrast and brightness. Check them out and see if you like them better than the previous version.

It's now a toss-up for favorite mode . . Custom or Vivid. Anybody else see this??

I have a 65" GT 30 and I am currently using Dave_o's Low Panel Settings for tv. I have been using Game Mode settings at:
Video Game Settings
Contrast: 60-75
Brightness: 48-55
Color: 48-50
Sharpness: 25-50

I have installed the 2.1 update and I am usually in a an alsmost completly dark room at night, except for a small amount of light coming from bathroom. I cannot seem to find the correct calibration setting for playing video games (PS3/XBOX 360) The picture appears to bright and also it seems the graphics in-game seem smudge and not sharp.

Any suggestions?

The first thing I want to make clear; I’m in no way saying anything is wrong with Dave_O’s settings - before or after my calibration. Because so many on AVS use his settings it was a no brainer to use those as a comparison to mine. Secondly, all computer monitors are not created equal. The pictures do show a difference (lots of variables when taking pictures such as these, so they are not in any way scientific or represent true color accuracy), whether they’re to your liking or not is up to you. Whether you want or feel you need a pro calibration is your call. I show these pics only as a reference point and for the fun of it.

Instead of using the ‘white’ screen from The Sixth Sense as I did previously, I downloaded the ‘white’ D-Nice slide so it would be uniform across the entire screen. I took pictures of this yesterday before the calibration. There is a definite IR/burn-in bar just below the top of the picture and just above the bottom. You can see them in my previous post, #927, here. Until yesterday I hadn’t noticed the bars. I’m hoping its IR and not burn-in. I know where they came from so at this point I’m fairly confident they’re IR. So far the scroll bar hasn’t eliminated them but I’m just getting started on dealing with that issue.

ChadB, a well-respected calibrator, arrived this morning at 9 and was finished calibrating two HDMI inputs by 11. Not surprising, this 65GT30 was out of kilter. As you’ll see on the calibration results, the blue in RGB Balance was off the charts (you can barely see it at 20), and in Gamut Luminance it was very high. This is why I was seeing so much blue in post 927.

Chad prefers to use THX mode for both satellite and DVDs, especially in a dark room like mine. However, he was having difficulty adjusting gamma and had variances in grayscale so he switched to Custom where he had more accurate results, and where it remains for both inputs.

In HDMI Settings/Content Type, I had mine set to auto. Chad switched it to graphics, which improves color accuracy and gamma, and eliminates the caked on makeup so prevalent on stations like ESPN. I noticed a big difference.

I’m looking forward to channel surfing tonite to see what I can see and I’ll report back. As with any setting adjustments it can take time to acclimate, so for now I’ll leave well enough alone.

Before and after calibration results in the PDF.

 

Panasonic 65GT30.pdf 267.3486328125k . file

Left - my pre-calibration settings. Right - Dave_O’s.



Left – my pre-calibration settings. Right - after calibration.

Left - my pre-calibration settings. Right - Dave_O’s.



Left - pre-calibration settings. Right - after calibration.

Great to hear Alien....Glad Chad B did a great job.I have been on the fence about getting mine calibrated.Can you watch some baseball and NBA playoffs tonight and tell me how sports look...Thanks man.

You bet. Watching the Indiana/Miami game tonite.

First impressions. TV definitely not as bright. Guys who like vivid may not like this. Skin tones are exceptional! Very real like. More later.

Aliens, what a difference Chad makes. He did my GT30 and did an equally outstanding job on mine.

Congratulations on the calibration!

Glad to hear all went well with the calibration. I was amazed at just how much better a 65GT30 could look after my calibration. My THX is for daytime and Custom is for darker conditions. For 3D content, that is also under THX. This monster tv will find the fault with any source. My 42X3 is so much smaller and only 720P, but it still looks very good at night. During the day, it is a bit dim and has some reflections. If anyone is on the fence about a calibration, just do it. You will thank yourself. The bigger the screen, I think the more of a need. If it is not in your budget, their are plenty of settings on this forum that should suit most people. Thanks.

Interesting that you had such a "blue-push" . . that's where you got all of your ftL! The luminance has really dropped after cal . . . and to me . . it's a bit too dark for my liking! In fact, I think your original settings or Dave_O's were better.

I'm not knocking ChadB's cal, it appears that he did the best he could do with your TV b/c of the blue-level. I'm just expressing my preferences. BTW your photos are great IMO since they show the relative brightness and color change before and after cal. Excellent work.

As you read, I too have 'softened' my Vivid settings significantly and after switching back and forth between Custom and Vivid, have almost abandoned it them in favor of Dave_O's Custom settings 'tweaked' a bit by yours truly. As I wrote, my TV is getting brighter . . . and the Custom setting is really nice.

Tnx for posting your pictures and cal data.

I'm not at all surprised to hear that, as you'll see.

Just a few observations after viewing in Custom mode last night. All just my opinion according to my preferences and eyes.

Brightness/Color – Vivid users will not like the Custom setting after a calibration. I don’t know if a calibrator would adjust your TV in Vivid mode or not, that is something you would have to ask them. If they would and you are firm on always using Vivid mode, then I would recommend it based on how out of whack mine was and the differences I see. Brightness is toned way down. Brightness was the first thing that jumped out at me when I purchased mine. Loved it. Still do. But how ‘real’ or ‘lifelike’ is it?

Chad calibrated my ’03 plasma 7 years ago. So when I received my GT30 in early February and saw the brightness, there was there was no comparison between the two. I assumed my ’03 had aged and new technology had made advances that these things popped. The colors and brightness on my old set looked dull, washed out, and subdued. Well, most of that is true, but after my calibration yesterday my old set isn’t looking so ‘old’ anymore. Not that my new plasma isn’t better, just that a calibration can tone down those bright colors; they become more ‘real.’ But it is an adjustment. And you can always tweak to suit your preferences so you aren’t locked into anything. I’m not making any adjustments this soon, if I do at all.

Because some do like Vivid, while I was channel surfing last night, I kept switching back and forth between that and Custom to get a comparison. You will not get the bleached white in Custom that you do in Vivid. It isn’t going to happen. The basketball court on TNT, from the paint to the hardwood floors, looked so much better in Custom. Vivid was pushing red on the hardwood and the yellow was way too intense. In Vivid, Dancing With the Stars looked like the colors were on steroids. I think that is my biggest complaint about Vivid, regardless of my adjustments. Custom really knocked those colors down to where they looked real. The Today Show looked awesome OTA this morning. Everything about it looked great.

Flash tones across the board are so much better. So much so, it’s much easier to see the flaws that were covered up by the ‘caked on makeup’ look. ESPN is one of the worst offenders. Simply put, flesh tones look natural.

Calibration isn’t for everyone and I understand money plays a part in that decision. But I would recommend getting your plasma in ‘line’ so that everything is more real looking, regardless of the mode you are using. I really liked the bright look when I bought my GT and still do, and this is going to take getting used to, but the longer you stay locked into a mode and don’t switch back and forth you really get a feel for the more balanced and ‘lifelike’ color after a calibration. Honestly, the flesh tones alone make it worth the money. Anyway, I just wanted to share some thoughts on my first night.

Enjoy your plasma in whatever mode you wish. Just enjoy it.

Aliens, it would be OK to up the contrast 5-10 clicks or so to get some more light output if you want. It wouldn't throw the calibration totally out of whack; it may have a slightly negative impact on grayscale tracking, but nothing major. It may be just the ticket to get some of the brighter look back and still have an accurate picture. The optimal brightness setting probably won't change with a 5-10 click contrast change, but you could check it with a test disc low APL pattern just in case. Nothing else will need changed.

Alien or Chad,I have a PS3 do you recommend I use for HDMI Content- Auto or Graphics?

The reason I ask is ,I had it set on graphic for Blu-ray on THX mode and it look great but then I put in a game (mlb12theshow) and put it on game mode and the colors were muted.I then switched it to HDMI Content auto and the colors for the game came back to life.

I'am just abit confused on where to leave it set at.

I certainly agree that the stock Vivid mode is really bad . . . . . . but did you try my current settings (including the SM changes)? Link to my Vivid settings: here

I do understand that there's a big difference between Dave_O's custom settings and my Vivid settings.

My only point is this: if you wanted to 'pop' the picture (for a daylight party watching football for example) compared to your present cal), you could make the changes to Vivid mode and still have your cake and eat it too! Any changes made to Vivid will NOT effect your present calibration in any way.

Also as you've already read, I too thought (as Chad B has commented) that you could kick the 'contrast' up (5 - 8 clicks) with little or no consequences. Have you tried that?? That should give you some material change in the present calibrated Custom mode's brightness.

Peter,

Sorry, I can't help you.

Chad,

For now, I'm going to leave it as it is. I did a quick try going up 5 clicks but decided I needed an adjustment period to give the current settings time to sink in. As you know, it makes a difference what you're watching. Most things look spectacular as is, and a few others look like they lost some of that edge. But all in all, I prefer everything after the calibration than before even if the brightness is toned down at bit. BTW, I'll take back my comment yesterday about not getting the bleached white look. I finally saw a white shirt last night and this morning and it was definitely white, maybe not bleached like in Vivid, but they did look great.

JForge,

No, I didn't try those settings. I'm not really interested in going into the menu, especially now that I've had it calibrated, even though, as you say, it wouldn't affect my Custom settings. Also, being as you've spent the time and effort to tweak those Vivid settings, in addition to the hours viewing in that mode and are now abandoning them in favor of Custom, I see no need to go there. As far as switching between modes: I like to set it, and forget it.'

Could you post a picture with the contrast up 5 clicks for comparison?? Since your pics shows "changes", unlike most others, it would help all to show what the difference is.

Absolutely. I love doing this kind of stuff.

I’ve added a new subject: the lovely Milla Jovovich. Lots of changes to see in these, but the biggest contrast is between 75 and 85. Notice the difference from 75 and 85 just under her right ear.

Both series start with Contrast at 75 and progress upward. 75-80-85. All shot in pause mode. I can’t tell any difference from pause or ‘live.’

Alien,nice pics....Can you compare THX mode with settings Contrast/75 Brightness/53 and Color/47 with sharpness at 23 to your new calibration mode, to see how far off THX is to a calibrated mode...Thanks buddy...

My pleasure.

Custom left - THX right.

On my monitor I'm seeing more red in THX.

Thanks Alien,so THX has a bit of a red push?

I don't see any color-difference-change between default (75) and highest setting (85) as Chad B suggested for your "sixth sense" pics.

For me, and lot of others, that's very good to see since even if a calibration produces low(er) ftL, a slight tweak of the contrast can bring back a lot of luminance!

Tnx for that . . what do they say . . a picture is worth a thousand words. . . is no less true in this case!

It’s interesting. The red is much more noticeable on the right side of the pic where the housing and louvers are cleaner and brighter. In Custom, the color of the housing on both sides of her head is very close in color. In THX, I’m drawn to the right because the color from one side to the other is very noticeable. It looks like the right side was taken with an added flash. Flesh tones are redder. The left side of her hair is also brighter. You can see how the red is making the pic brighter just below her right ear, just like the above pics when I changed the Contrast.

She has ears ?

I think the primary difference is in shadow detail. Like most things in this neck of the woods; personal preference.

Alien what is your color setting for THX.Many say 47-49....But since you just had yours calibrated what color setting was recommended to you.

Chad set mine in Custom. He had problems with THX and decided that I would get better results in Custom. So I'm an exclusive Custom guy.

Contrast - 75
Brightness - 54
Color - 45
Tint- 0
Sharpness - 23

How long did you run those slides to get rid of your IR? I'm currently running the Disney WOW pixel flipper in Vivid with contrast set at 100.

Alien,a few hours a day for a week or so.It will go away but patience is key.I first wanted to put a bat to the tv but remained calmed.I enjoy my set very much.

So you recommend color set at 45 for THX?

Oh ,remember to use standard default with color 36-40 for msnbc and sportscenter or anything with massive text or icons.

My THX color is set at 47. But don’t forget, it wasn’t calibrated for THX and I don’t use THX.

Anyway, I played around to see if I could tone down the red in THX that I posted in pics for you last week. I’m looking at these pics with an LCD, so when I position them in the center of the screen I get less red with color set at 42. Both sides of the housing look more uniform in color to me. How this would look on your Panny I don’t know, but you could play around and see if 42 is taking away too much color.

Color in THX set at: 42-47

new update for gt30, Nothing major just some viera connect updates