Panasonic VT30 Deals Thread - 55VT30 and 65VT30 Only - Page 2

it just went up on amazon again. lol

So, honestly, i dont want to turn this into a Led vs Plasma debate. We all know they both have their pros and cons but the only thing holding me back from getting this is my desire to have a 70". Im on the fence between this beauty and the sharp 735. Ive read nothing but great things on this set and for under $2500, it seems like a steal but idont want to regret not going larger. Also being so close to christmas, ces, and super bowl, im concerned the prices will drop further. Im sure some of you are in the same boat.

does amazon have financing available? I know Best Buy has 0% for 36 months if it's over a certain amount (like $500-800ish not sure but these will definitely qualify) so I'd rather buy from them. Problem is, first I'd have to get them to match Amazons price but before that I'd have to get Amazon to match US Appliance price right? Just seems like a lot of work but I'm wiling to do that to get the best deal possible

Or will BB match US appliance?

lol none of that would work.

1. bestbuy will not price match amazon.

2. you cant price match a price match. lol.

3. i'm in a similar situation as i want financing. amazon offers 24 month financing on the gt30 and st30 along with a bunch of others, but not the vt30. i contacted them today and was told my query would be passed along to their promotions dept; hopefully they act quick.

they do offer 12 month financing on the vt30 though i believe; all purchases of $599 and up or something like that.

i'll wait til the price drops to around $2800 and they offer 24 months, and then i'll bite.

haha can't hurt to try

He may have been mistaken, in that US adds $90 for white glove shipping, bringing the total to $2587. I just rechecked this a little while ago, and then proceeded to get Amazon to price match. Had no hassles, but it did take a while as they called US to make sure of the price.

New TV on the way! Yay!!!!

Not mistaken . . . Did not have to pay the $90 white glove equivalent to amazon on my order . . . White glove service was not required on us-appliance site this afternoon at the time Amazon verified their price and matched it straight up for me . . . $2497 delivered. Ordered today and on the way.

I am guessing,there will be a lower price after mid January when the 2012 Pannys are revealed and start shipping thereafter, if not before then in some last day Christmas deals or New Year's deal. No, I have no evidence; just the way I have seen it go the past few years.

I am happy with the deal I got today and am now ready for the bowl games and the Superbowl. :-)

Now just have to figure out a second set of 3D glasses for the wife.....the 65vt30 only comes with one pair....and I am not sure if those are even third generation glasses.

Great price on the 65VT30...can it really drop much more?

This is exactly the question which brought me here... I know the prices of these tvs fluctuate a lot, and sometimes by huge margins... I am trying to update my 3d display from a 46' to a 55vt30 or 60GT30, and something tells me that if I wait till after Christmas, I shall be able to save a couple of hundreds or more on whatever I buy... If I remember correctly, there were very impressive price drops all over the place on 3dtv bundles after Christmas last year... I hope the same thing happens again this time around.... The only problem is that I can't keep my trigger finger from twitching nervously any time I see what looks like a slightly great deal on one of them... I keep placing them in and out of shopping carts so often that I feel like tying up my clicking finger whenever I visit Amazon.com or another similar site. Sometimes I wish I could just stop the window shopping altogether until after Christmas, but what if the price drop I am anticipating happens before Christmas? Who knows?

In the meantime, the self-torture continues.

Im looking the 65ST30 as well, I have noticed a great almost daily price fluctuation. I read a lot of things that say prices come down quite a bit following the Super Bowl. Primarily because everyone wants to have a new big TV for college bowl season and the NFL playoffs...then things quiet down a lot and stores drop prices to boost sales and to clean out inventory to make way for the 2012 models which would be hitting stores shortly after that. Can anyone validate the accuracy of that from past years?

It will be hell waiting until mid February to buy a new TV but could be worth it, especially if the new wave of 2012s are revolutionary as some have been saying

Of course the 2011 models will come down in late winter (February or so) after the 2012 models start into the pipeline....but then, you won't want the 2011 model anymore, so you will have to have the more expensive 2012 model so that you can be a part of the new "2012 OFFICIAL NEW MODEL THREAD!".

But then, you will have to wait on a better deal than the cost of the 2012 model in February and will have to wait on a sale .... In and out of the amazon cart....by then it will be December of 2012....and you will have to wait until February 2013 when the new models come out and . . .

Some people like window shopping....it does not cost a thing and keeps you dreaming--it is great. But if you really want a new TV, research your model and buy it at the best price you can find today.

Just my 2 cents.

[quote=Rhetor;21340780]Of course the 2011 models will come down in late winter (February or so) after the 2012 models start into the pipeline....but then, you won't want the 2011 model anymore, so you will have to have the more expensive 2012 model so that you can be a part of the new "2012 OFFICIAL NEW MODEL THREAD!".

Well not necessarily: I know how to pull the plug on the endless fence-sitting and pull the trigger when I see a price that is irresistible... Believe me, it is how I have purchased my last 4 Denon receivers: always at half the original MSRP, or even less... Always brand-spanking new from Amazon.com... and always around the point when "next-year"'s models are rolling in... It is often very easy to overlook the modish appeal of the newer models because with a few exceptions, the differences between outgoing and incoming models are often not that great.. In fact, it is not unheard of, for the newer, "latest and greatest" models to come with weaknesses that are initially disguised as improvements, or more typically, to come with tons of new and unattractive "bugs" that take months and months to fix, that is if they are ever fixed (as with the "rising blacks" and the FBrs of the Panasonics, or the "peels" and "brightness pops" of the samsungs)... It is particularly with regard to examples such as the latter, that the strategy of "waiting to buy" makes sense, because you buy at the time when prices are lowest, and when all bugs with the product are known, and when those that can be fixed have already been fixed...

That said, I know the newest, shiniest, "latest and greatest" can also have some irresistible appeal, and often with good reason, especially when they come with truly revolutionary new features.. But how often are such "new features" truly "revolutionary."

Talking about "revolutionary" I am dying to learn about the renovations that will come with the 2012 Panasonic models... So I look forward to the January CES thing with eager anticipation... But believe me: if you show me an attractively priced 55VT30 or 60GT30 within the next couple of weeks, or months, I shall pull the trigger without one moment of hesitation.

So I'm considering the US Appliance price match w/ Amazon and basically am torn between holding out and just buying it. Just a few questions for you guys.

1 a.) My viewing distance from wall-to-wall is 10'. The distance will probably actually be closer to the 8' to 9' range with my space my head, the couch, and the TV stand/thickness will take up. If I guesstimate ~8' viewing distance, is the 65" too big? I know, crazy thing to ask, right? However, I am looking for immersive but not too overwhelming.

1 b.) If 65" IS too overwhelming at that distance, are there any similarly good deals on the 55VT30?

2) Kids & Games. I'm not a total gamer, but do play a moderate amount. I also have kids (one down, one on the way). I'm anal about stuff like not leaving it on a frozen screen or on the same channel with the logo on all the time (e.g. ESPN, Nick Jr., etc., etc.). I cannot guarantee my wife & kids will be although I will make a point of switching up the channels and break it in. Should that be a concern? I know burn in is statistically not a huge problem, yet I know it does happen to some and I do not want to have to obsess every time my daughter watches hours of station-branded kids TV.

3) How much more percentage-wise would we actually be likely to see these things drop after-Christmas or in early-to-mid February? I ask because I'm generally most comfortable waiting until things go on closeout, but the 65 is down to ~65% of MSRP (hence 35% off). Is there generally a cut-off as far as percentages these things drop down? I am fine waiting, however I know they are not eventually going to drop down to free or anything.

Thanks in advance!

-Cheers

Little kids like to sit close....since I am an empty nester, for me, bigger is always better....moving the 50" Pioneer to the bedroom and setting up the 65VT30 to the home theater. But with kids and your smaller room? Kids always have some unexpected need...might want to consider a 55" then, save some cash, and get ready for the next toy. :-)

The gaming guys can tell you more about the plasma and gaming.

Prices, sure they will go down a little more when the 2012 s come out and are in,the,delivery pipeline....close outs,will happen then.

We don't take big vacations...we use the same money for electronics....so the 65VT30 is our vacation/cruise this year....we will watch the travel channel! Since we only buy a TV about every five years, we always buy the biggest with quality we can commfortably afford as if we were going on a real nice vacation.

Just my 2 cents.

Thank you all so much for your reports and tips. I'm really eyeing the VT30, and this thread has made the temptation all the more achievable.

I have a 2010 model TC-P50G25. The picture is breathtaking, and its floating blacks have either lessened with time or I've just gotten used to them. Either way, the picture is amazing. But I've never forgiven myself for not spending the extra money at the time to get a set that had a 96hz option; 48hz on my G25 has beautiful motion but the flicker is just unbearable, and the 60hz option doesn't flicker but has the trademark 60hz hitching, which I'm sensitive to after watching how much better it is at 48hz (but alas, alas, the flicker).

Which is why I'd recommend jumping at a VT30 to anyone who's on the fence. Spend the extra cash now, and you won't be kicking yourself like I've been for settling for something less than what you wanted to begin with.

As soon as I've saved up a little more, I'm going to jump on a VT30. Because when I make a list of everything I want out of a plasma, the list contains, well, everything. And this set's got it.

Thanks again for all the tips and hints about getting the best deals. I'm going to wait a bit longer to build up a little more cash and hope these remain in stock long enough after the 2012s begin popping up. This is an awesome online community.

I second this (and it's why I haven't bought an ST or GT), the only thing I like about my Samsung LCD is the 5:5 pulldown. I can't go back to 3:2 pulldown on my next TV.

I live in New York City, so Amazon is kind enough to charge me tax upfront on all purchases. I'd prefer to buy the TV out of state in order to defer the sales tax. (Until I include the sales tax for all of my online purchases with my tax return, like you guys do, right?) What's the cheapest option for me? Has anyone had any bad experiences with US Appliance? Is it worth it to pay the tax to Amazon in exchange for the better "customer experience"? Figure a bit over $200. (Errr, I mean the interest on the $200, right Mr. Tax Man who may view this at some point?)

Sorry not trying to derail this thread but the viewing distance for tvs is always up for debate. Figure i should post this here incase the guy asking the question does not check out the other thread.
Cnet says times your tv width by 1.5. That's the min distance. Double that for your max. http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-buying-guide/
Crutchfield is about the same. The have a nice chart to look at if you don't want to do the math. http://www.crutchfield.com/S-eAGBh4m...placement.html

Will do, and thanks for the input (to you & Meers).

Keeping it on-topic, are there any similarly good deals on the 55VT30 at the moment?

-Cheers

Pulled the trigger...10 minutes on the phone... $2587 delivered..65VT30

Great deal! From where, Us-appliance or Amazon?

Fantastic! Details please.

I take it you're not taking 3-d viewing into account before making these estimates... In my living room, I sit approx. 12' away from the screen, all because of some advice about viewing distance given to me by a few circuit city sales reps about 12 years ago. I have alternately watched a 42 inch, a 50 inch, and a 46 inch from that same distance and all of those sizes seemed perfect, until I tried watching 3d tv from the same distance on a 46inch plasma! 3d viewing tends to make everything in the picture appear smaller, and hence much less impacting than they would from a 2d projeccrion: I mean you want Megamind to leap from the screen like a giant about to smack you in the face, rather than like some insect you want to wave away from the front of the screen with a fly swatter... In the light of this discrepancy in impact introduced by 3d signals, I think the industry recommendations you refer to are spot on.

Soooooooooooo . . . I ended up just going for the VT30. I have a Toshiba 55SV670u in our main room at >15' away in our looooooooooong narrow living room that I'll be swapping so the SV670 will be at the 8' viewing distance and the VT30 will be at the ~15' distance (couch is ~15' or more away, can't remember, the love seats on the sides are much closer which should be nicer for any gaming/3D experience).

As for details, you just call Amazon, tell them where the price match is, verify the model, and they enter the rest. When I called, they went through the procedure, came up with US Appliance's price, and then ran it through first at Amazon's normal price then adjusted it after the fact. Overall, it was ~10 minutes and the woman on the phone was very nice and easy to deal with. She even made sure I did not accidentally get two of them (my wife might have asked questions about that).

Anyway, thanks for the advice and the tip on the price.

-Cheers

Edit: FWIW, my total came to $2,497 shipped with their standard "FREE Super Saver Shipping."

Just completed the exact same order through Amazon on the 55VT30. Took all of 15 minutes. Thank you for saving me the time.

Louis