Official Panasonic 2012 Lineup and Information Thread [No Price Talk] - Page 47

Originally Posted by DoctorM

I was shocked to see Cnet's review of the UT50 panel.

They actually gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said it is pretty much identical to the ST50... as long as you turn the lights out while watching it.
Samsung's top plasma only got 3-1/2 stars.
I don't think I'd want to sacrifice the upgraded sound, the ability to watch in a brighter room and the extra HDMI ports, and I'm sure a bunch more features.
Just surprising though.

...we recommend that videophiles pay for the ST50 and use our calibration settings -- it's worth the difference in price.

Originally Posted by Dierkdr

The UT50 may well be the Bargain Panel of the year (and probably is - but not all of the 2012 sets have been reviewed yet), and CNet certainly gave it a glowing review.

However, do not think that one can safely "compare" the desirability of two TVs simply on the basis of how many "Stars" CNet gives it.

MEMORY tells me that they used to provide a Category Breakdown - something along the lines of Performance; Design; & Features: each of these received its own rating, and the Overall Rating was an aggregate of these sub-ratings (presumably not factored in equally...).

Thus two TVs could end up with the same OVERALL Rating - and yet one might offer better PERFORMANCE, whereas the other could lag in PQ, but "win" in Design & Features.

Cnet has now added a "VALUE" component to their Overall Rating - and factoring "Value" into the equation certainly has to help the UT50 as compared to many other 2012 panels, including the ST50.


Therefore, just because CNet ends up assigning "4 Stars" to a number of TVs, it does NOT mean that those TVs are Completely Equal and thus Interchangeable.

Please note that this analysis could apply to ANY HDTVs that Cnet reviews: the UT50 and ST50 are simply Examples.

Certainly, if I owned a UT50 (or was considering buying one) - I would take GREAT PRIDE (or ENCOURAGEMENT) in the CNet review.

At the same time, ST50 owners (or potential buyers) can take comfort in the following quote from CNet's UT50 review:



Sounds like two Excellent Choices, based upon individual preferences, viewing environment, and budget...

Originally Posted by curiousdude

Here is cnet rating based on picture quality - http://reviews.cnet.com/2733-6485_7-...opProds;seeAll

Originally Posted by chunon

So a UT50 smokes a 929? I find that hard to believe. One could assume the GT50 and VT50 will be in the top 5 once they are reviewed.

The extremely expensive XBR-HX929 shows some blooming artifacts, and its picture deteriorates more noticeably than usual when seen from off-angle...... When displaying 3D, the image flickers when dejudder is turned off, and it deteriorates rapidly when you tilt your head.

Originally Posted by chunon

^^^^ Excellent post ^^^^

Originally Posted by Dierkdr

The UT50 probably doesn't "smoke" the 929 - rather suspect that all of the sets listed would look VG to Excellent to MOST viewers. But the Sony is also not without its flaws:



Basically it becomes a game of Pick Your Poison, and CNet has generally preferred Plasma over LCD (and/or found Plasma's FLAWS to be less Objectionable than those of LCD panels...).

And, of course, as an owner of 3 Panasonic plasmas, I completely agree with their point-of-view!

Originally Posted by Dierkdr

The UT50 probably doesn't "smoke" the 929 - rather suspect that all of the sets listed would look VG to Excellent to MOST viewers. But the Sony is also not without its flaws:



Basically it becomes a game of Pick Your Poison, and CNet has generally preferred Plasma over LCD (and/or found Plasma's FLAWS to be less Objectionable than those of LCD panels...).

And, of course, as an owner of 3 Panasonic plasmas, I completely agree with their point-of-view!

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

CNET doesn't talk about how poorly the Sony does with SD and a below average feed...

Originally Posted by rogo

I don't mean to be harsh here, but are people really buying TVs for how well they handle SD? That seems so backwards at this point. I don't buy a car for its dirt-road performance, do you?

Originally Posted by rogo

I don't mean to be harsh here, but are people really buying TVs for how well they handle SD? That seems so backwards at this point. I don't buy a car for its dirt-road performance, do you?

Originally Posted by rogo

I don't mean to be harsh here, but are people really buying TVs for how well they handle SD? That seems so backwards at this point. I don't buy a car for its dirt-road performance, do you?

Originally Posted by rogo

I don't mean to be harsh here, but are people really buying TVs for how well they handle SD? That seems so backwards at this point.....

Originally Posted by RichB

They call it ARD (All Resolution Drive) and sometimes SD'ing

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

No but it's a consideration and subpar feeds abound in the real world on every provider on called HD channels. Unless you're just watching movies on DVD or BD I'd steer clear of the 929. I owned one briefly and couldn't do it so I returned it...

Originally Posted by sheshechic

I would if I still lived in Alabama or Alaska.

Originally Posted by Dierkdr

Probably not very many owners who frequent THIS board - or similar ones, for that matter.

All the same, we still know a number of people who own "HDTVs" and yet lack a SINGLE "HD" source.

Also, anyone with a large collection of SD DVDs - and a limited budget - probably cares how BOTH their TV AND their DVD Player handle "upconverted" programming.

We fall somewhat into that latter category, although with the "fallback" of a 1366x768p 50" Pan plasma that handles SD DVDs Very Well....

Originally Posted by rogo

I guess I just don't buy the notion that poor handling of SD on a current TV is important. I don't believe it's really relevant enough to care about and if someone is needing a tiebreaker on two otherwise equal sets, fine... use that. But to move one choice over another? SD performance is something you just shouldn't be worrying about. Everything else matters more.

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

No but it's a consideration and subpar feeds abound in the real world on every provider on called HD channels. Unless you're just watching movies on DVD or BD I'd steer clear of the 929. I owned one briefly and couldn't do it so I returned it...

If you own a 929 and you like it then great, it's a good set and BD looked pretty solid. But it in no way stood out from my Pioneer and on most material it was handling the content poorly in comparison. So bad that my wife was making comments before I was and she doesn't usually give a flying **** about PQ

Originally Posted by roigen

Hiya.

My Panasonic TX-P42G10 got scratched up a few days ago (in an unfortunate cat meets dog, dog loves cat and wants to cuddle, cat tries to escape by jumping through my TV scenario).

Now, I'm getting some insurance money out of this and plan to buy a new Panny, because I was happy with what I had. I have whittled my choices down to either the TX-P42ST50 or the TX-P50G30 with extensive research. Both cost 999€ in the cheapest local store I can find. I realize that there shouldn't be a 42" ST50 available, but multiple stores claim to carry one in stock (Panasonic TX-P42ST50Y).

I sit currently at about 6 ft 4 inches from my TV, and have occasionally wondered how much a bigger TV would add to my enjoyment, even if I have been mostly happy with my set. However, when we move in around 2 years time to a house from our flat, I reckon the 50" might feel small for the new living room anyway.

I don't care about 3D at all.
I do care about motion performance, color accuracy and black level.
I have a PS3 and a 360, and watch mostly Blu-rays and HD-programming.

Which set should I go for?

Originally Posted by roigen

Hiya.

My Panasonic TX-P42G10 got scratched up a few days ago (in an unfortunate cat meets dog, dog loves cat and wants to cuddle, cat tries to escape by jumping through my TV scenario).

Now, I'm getting some insurance money out of this and plan to buy a new Panny, because I was happy with what I had. I have whittled my choices down to either the TX-P42ST50 or the TX-P50G30 with extensive research. Both cost 999 in the cheapest local store I can find. I realize that there shouldn't be a 42" ST50 available, but multiple stores claim to carry one in stock (Panasonic TX-P42ST50Y).

I sit currently at about 6 ft 4 inches from my TV, and have occasionally wondered how much a bigger TV would add to my enjoyment, even if I have been mostly happy with my set. However, when we move in around 2 years time to a house from our flat, I reckon the 50" might feel small for the new living room anyway.

I don't care about 3D at all.
I do care about motion performance, color accuracy and black level.
I have a PS3 and a 360, and watch mostly Blu-rays and HD-programming.

Which set should I go for?

Originally Posted by htwaits

Our OPPO BD player does a fine job of converting SD DVD sources to 1080p. I understand that Panasonic's 2012 players do too. Our Comcast box outputs 1080i, but we almost never watch a SD channel.

Our calibrated Kuro display deinterlaces input from the Comcast STB. That's it. Otherwise it accurately displays all the source material as presented. There are many outstanding DVD transfers that are so good I forget that there is less detail in the original 480i material on the disk.

The channels we don't watch, like the entire SD range, are seriously lacking in detail and contrast. Comcast's HD offerings vary widely in quality but all of them are watchable if you ignore the content.

In observing friends behavior, they almost always assume that any thing bad they see on a TV is the TV's fault. There is no hope. We are all lost.

Originally Posted by sheshechic

I'm not sure what you mean by extensive research, did you read the threads on those models too? I skipped buying a tv last year because they had serious issues and I'm so glad that I did. IMO, buy the ST50 from Amazon.

Originally Posted by sheshechic

I would if I still lived in Alabama or Alaska.

Originally Posted by dsmith901

While I agree HD performance comes first, superior SD performance IS of concern for some of us. As a bit of an audiophile who probably spent 10 times as much on his audio over his video, I greatly enjoy recording and watching music videos I copy off Comcast and burn to DVD-R, which of course is SD. So, until I am able to do the same in HD I will have to consider SD performance as part of the equation. Fortunately, Panasonic plasmas have usually led the pack in SD performance.

Originally Posted by Ray**W

Hopefully this will last for a bit. Newegg has a deal on a 60GT50 that is just too good to not know about, so I'm sticking this note in. It's been going on for a few days and I don't know how long it will last. I put it in the Great Deals Found Thread, but given it's probable short remaining time, I put it here too.

And no, not a marketing or spam post. I have no affiliation with Newegg, just a desire to let the folks who are shopping know about a great deal.

Ray