Official Panasonic ST50 Series Discussion Thread [No Street Price Talk] - Page 287

Originally Posted by Bond 007 

Return it. That's way too much money to be unhappy. I returned 3 Samsung LEDs before I got my ST. Where did you buy from?

Originally Posted by whipit 

Not sure if you know about the optional gray side bars when watching 4:3 content. When the tv receives a 480i/p signal that's 4:3 it can automatically turn on the side bars if you want. In the setup>anti image retention area you can turn it on and it has a few brightness settings. This may help with aging the unused pixels and minimize the sidebar brightness difference on full screen content. I used this feature on my ST30 for like 6-9 months on med then low now I don't use it at all and have no problems.

Originally Posted by highlanderfil 

I just created a whole another topic for this, but maybe I should have just posted here...

I just got a new desktop computer for the living room for playing games and movies. Hooked up to the TV with an HDMI cable and I've just got to say that the picture leaves much to be desired. This is at the default "PC" setting for the TV. The text has a green tinge to it, is a bit fuzzy and just in general the picture doesn't look clean. Are there ways of adjusting either the TV set, the video card settings or both to make the picture look sharper and better? I realize that this isn't a high-quality LCD monitor I'm talking about, but there's got to be a way to make it look at least somewhat better than it is right now...

Thanks!

Originally Posted by HDTBill 

Here are some BUZZ and POWER measurements using the free AVSHD 709 calibration DVD.

BUZZ
To try to quantify the buzz, I took a RADIO SHACK 33-2055 Digital Sound Level Meter to the top rear of the set. One spot to measure is top center down about 2 -inches so you are on the solid sheet metal between the holes. The only way I saw to get a consistent reading was to place the microphone end right onto the metal with light hand pressure. If you hold your ear right up to the metal you can hear the buzz. I measured around 65 dB on the meter. This is on the Screen #3 of the BASIC SETTINGS which is mostly white. Also I get 70 dB on the AVSHD Main Menu screen, using a spot 3-in down and 3-in over from the the top the set, on the side with the HDMI inputs. Again by pressing mic end flush onto the solid portion of the sheet metal beside the holes. Unless I press the mic right onto the metal I do not get a reading or it is low maybe 50 dB. I use 55ST50 stand on a TV table (not wall mounted).

Note so far I am claiming this set is not bad for buzz (yet anyways, by my ear). However, back in '74 I did attend an ELP concert in Philly...ouch. My build date is like July_2012 even though it was delivered via AMAZON in Dec_2012.

POWER USE v. CONTRAST
Using Kill-a-Watt meter I looked at power consumption vs. CONTRAST. To do this you need a test screen with a mix of black/white levels. So something like the BASIC SCREEN #5 with the test patterns and blue overscan markers at the borders. I found power consumption rises rapidly up to 85 contrast and then levels off, and power consumption actually drops off above 95 contrast. Below 85 contrast the power consumption drops about 10-watts per unit of CONTRAST. So if you set CONTRAST for 80 vs. 85, your are probably saving 50 watts. For reference DNice settings are 76/78 CONTRAST and CNET is 82.

Anyways I am not claiming the best science here, just messing around a little. Just found the free AVSHD DVD yesterday, after one of you mentioned it recently in a post.

Originally Posted by wassa 

Hi Lads
Another refugee over from the audio section, and I’ve looked around this section but without luck so far. I’ve had a new TH-P60ST50A for a week (wanted a GT but Panasonic OZ decided no GT’s for 2012) and it has a great picture, but at start up but not always the screen as it comes on will have black spots (mainly in the middle I think) for about a second then disappear, never to be seen again until the next turn on and only if the unit has been off for numerous hrs. I’ve tried googling but I can’t find any reference to this issue. I don’t know if I should be concerned or not? I have a TH-50PZ700A and a TH-P42GT30A and have never seen this before. Any ideas be greatly appreciated, thanks

Originally Posted by wassa 

the screen as it comes on will have black spots (mainly in the middle I think) for about a second then disappear, never to be seen again until the next turn on and only if the unit has been off for numerous hrs. I’ve tried googling but I can’t find any reference to this issue. I don’t know if I should be concerned or not? I have a TH-50PZ700A and a TH-P42GT30A and have never seen this before. Any ideas be greatly appreciated, thanks

Originally Posted by Bond 007 

I've been following this thread since March and that may be the first I've heard of that one. Just for your reference.

Originally Posted by fahrenheit 

Do you mean random splotches of black and grey that flash very quickly? Both my V10 and GT50 do this. I asked about it when my V10 developed it and never got an answer. Either way, its nothing to worry about.

Originally Posted by wassa 


thanks guys
No it dosen't flash and there isn't any grey either. Thinking about it more the best way to describe it would be that it looks like grit on the screen ( like it's dirty film, 8mm film), but it's gone so quick. the other weird thing is the smart viera splash screen before the TV screen fully lights up is also fine. Sorry about your issues fahrenheit but I haven't experienced those either

Originally Posted by matt3138 

I've looked through a lot of this thread over the past week (though not all of it because nearly 8600 comments is a ton). I think that the 50ST50 might be a good choice for what I'm after.

My wife and I currently have a 27" CRT in the living room that I'm looking to replace. We watch mostly SD TV content right now, with some DVD and Blu-Ray (our DVD player was dying so we went ahead and updated that already), with occasional video games (a few hours or so at a time every few weeks or so. I'm also an avid NFL fan, so there are days when I'd be watching a number of hours of football with the static elements on the screen.

Also, we're currently in an apartment but we plan to have a house in a few months, so I don't know exactly what the lighting will be like in the living room. I would assume that some combination of floor lamps and windows will be in play.

Given some of the concerns I've seen in this thread about IR and buzzing and what I'm looking for in a TV, would you recommend the 50ST50 for our living room use? Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by matt3138 

Anyone?

Originally Posted by by765 

Hi guys, is your ST50 made in Japan or China or Mexico？Thanks.

Originally Posted by matt3138 

Anyone?

Originally Posted by Raider4010 

I own an older model Panasonic 46pz85u and am thinking of upgrading to either a 55" ST50 or GT50 (still deciding). My old pz85u was in a smaller room and the heat it gave off would make that room feel very warm after an hour or so. My new TV will not be in a small room anymore - it will go in a regular sized living room but I still intend to sit close to the screen (5-9 feet) to watch movies and I am very concerned about the heat issue. Will the heat not be that bad since it's in a larger room?

Also, Regarding the ST50/GT50 - are there any defects that people are experiencing? I ask this because I just bought a 55" Sony HX750 LED and noticed immediately that it has spotlighting in all four corners in black or very dark scenes (I probably noticed it because I'm used to my pz85u plasma which had a great picture and was great with dark colors). I was told that this is a defect that can occur large screen LED TV's so I am probably going to exchange the set. I've browsed through the last few weeks of this thread and didn't see any major problems discussed?

Originally Posted by dmaul1114 

Only thing that would give me pause is the SD 4:3 content. You don't want to watch a lot of stuff with bars on the top or sides for the first few hundred hours as it will cause uneven panel aging and can make the letterboxed parts of the screen look different. So I'd only go plasma if you're going to upgrade to some HD TV service.

As for buzzing, I'm exchanging a 55UT50 as I couldn't stand the buzzing. But that's really just a crap shoot. Panels of the same model have different levels of buzz as some have posted comparing exchanged units side by side with the old one and getting one that's much quieter. Some are much more sensitive to hearing buzz (like me) and hear and get annoyed by it when others don't hear it or think it's distracting etc.

IR should be ok with your uses beyond the uneven aging if you watch too much 4:3 content. You can get some IR from gaming or watching ESPN for a few hours. But from my experience that went away pretty quickly (within a couple hours of watching other stuff). Now if it's going to be much longer sessions then you can get more stubborn IR that takes a much longer time to get rid of.

My general take on it--having bought and returned plasmas for other TVs is as follows.

If you're top priority is picture quality (i.e. you're a videophile) and you mix up content regularly (not playing the same game all the time, not having the TV on ESPN or other channel with static logo for hours every day etc.) then go plasma.

If you're not a videophile type and tend to have static things on the screen for long stretches and not mix content that much, then go LCD/LED. The picture quality just isn't worth the IR worries and having to change how you use your TV if you're not an a/v enthusiast. If you are a videophile, then you just have to way how much you want the PQ vs. having to worry about IR and change your viewing habits to limit it.

Originally Posted by jonnythan 

Good work on the sound measurement, but it would be a lot more interesting if you chose one exact spot/orientation and took measurements with the TV off, with the TV on with a dark screen, and with the TV on with a white screen.

It would also be helpful to have the actual values of power consumption. At 85, what were you measuring for watts?

Originally Posted by Wolowizard 

I've been playing Red Dead Redemption on my 65st50 for a couple weeks, but haven't noticed anything. I'll keep an eye out later and let you know if I notice anything.