Official Panasonic GT50 Series Discussion Thread [No Street Price Talk] - Page 57

The ST50 has 2 modes that can be calibrated.

One of those modes has bad gamma. No one will say that Cinema can be calibrated to be as good as or better than the ones offered by the GT50. What is said is that it can produce a satisfying image.

Were you trying to make ARC work on your setup while using those 270 degree HDMI adapters? I ask b/c there are several reports that the cheaper versions (Amazon, Monoprice) do NOT pass ARC.

Yea wirelessly is no problem. It's hooking the HDD to the TV via USB. I just tried using an optical cable but no dice. It's weird, audio plays through the AVR using ACR/Optical while viewing the thumbnails before selection. As soon as I start the movie....nothing.
I would go back to wirelessly but file sizes are getting bigger & bigger *ahem*

Gamma will probably be slightly lower in Cinema, but still "satisfying" according to some who have calibrated that mode. Saying it only has one great mode is a little misleading IMO, but worth mentioning I guess.

Randy, have you tested if these pass ARC and 3D? There are some reports on another AVS forum thread that many of these from Amazon/Monoprice do not pass one or the other. Just wanted to confirm before I order.

"Satisfying" to one calibrator who doesn't own it and the another one bought the GT50.

I think it's misleading to insinuate that the only thing a GT50 has to offer over a ST50 is a "better out of the box" image.

The gamma on the ST50's Cinema is low which will result in washed out blacks. The big draw on these panels is better blacks.... Some people may only need one mode, heck there was a time when that's all anyone ever needed. If that's all a body needs and they want to take the saved money to have the tv calibrated then the ST50 is the One. If a person is a videophile then the VT50 is The One. But if you want an image that makes you wonder if calibration is even needed and you watch in different lighting conditions and/or have a different preferences than others in your family then the GT50 is IT.

Another thing is that one review compared the ST50 to the VT30 saying how similar they are. I think so, the complaints on the ST50 threads, here and elsewhere, seem to say to me that the ST50 may have a similar IR problem too- not as bad as the VT30 but certainly seems far worse than what we experience with the GT50.

The biggest problem reported on this thread seems to come from ex-lcd people whose expectations are not met.

Edit: change audiophile to videophile - thank you djperfectTrip.

^^^Why would you say the VT50 is for audiophiles?

Oops! I meant videophiles. Thanks for pointing out my error.

Ha, I figured that's what you meant I was just checking to see if you stumbled upon something crazy about the TV =^P

Naw, I've just been looking at avrs most of the day.

Satisfying to one of the most respected calibrators in the industry... I'd say that's saying something.


A lower gamma will result in a slightly more washed out picture, but it won't make black levels any worse. Seeing as how you nor I have seen a calibrated Cinema mode, all you can say is, comparatively it's washed out, but not washed out in it's own right. And this is all of course if they need a second picture mode. Saying it only has one good mode to calibrate is more misleading than anything, but to each their own I guess...

You're taking it way too far. There are benefits of the GT50 (albeit few). Considering the individual stated "I care not for features and only for performance", there's nothing misleading about my recommendation.

The ST50 shouldn't have any more or less IR than the GT50 or VT50 because they share the exact same panel.

Have you also considered that the ST50 has more discussion, probably because it has the best value out of any of the models, so there's probably going to be more reports of issues for the simple fact that there are more owners of this model?

^^^

Wow

So what do you think that washed out black looks like -eh?

Until this year, no one ever suggested that low gamma was satisfying.

Gamma mostly affects shadow detail (higher gamma means less shadow detail is visible, lower gamma means more shadow detail will be visible), but MLL or ANSI black, for example, aren't really affected by gamma.

A lower gamma will make the overall image look washed out. But again, it may look more washed out by comparison, but seeing as how you haven't seen a calibrated ST50 in Cinema, how can you claim that it looks washed out?

I will admit that the GT50 gives you better options for day/night (probably why Chad B went with the GT50 over the ST50), hence why I said it's worth mentioning. I just thought that it was a little misleading to say that the ST50 only has one good mode to calibrate... no need to take it so personally. If you don't think that's misleading in anyway, then agree to disagree.

My new 55'' GT50 is getting delivered Saturday!

What model are the 3D glasses i should be looking for?

Where can i get them for the best price?

My trusty 10 year-old Mitsu WS-65869 65" Rear Projection CRT died for the second time in 2 1/2 years yesterday morning, and I've been in major catch-up mode trying to determine its successor.

At this point I've been persuaded that the basic picture quality of Panasonic's better Plasma units makes this the way to go. I was originally going to get the TC-P60GT50 as representing the best "bang for the buck" but when at a local store this evening, I pushed them for the best price on the TC-P65VT50, and they discounted it pretty deeply. But it's still $1,000 more than a very aggressively priced 60" GT50.

I know this is ultimately an unanswerable question, and different people will have different opinions, but I would be interested in how others would approach it:

Is the 65" VT50 worth an additional $1k over the 60" GT50?

I realize the 65" GT50 would be an inbetween option, but I figure if I'm going to go half the way, I might as well go all the way to the VT50.

All perspectives appreciated.

I personally wouldn't pay the extra 1k, but that's just me...I plan on going with the 60gt50 myself.

Congratulations, you will love it. These is the model you need. I believe the new samsung 2012 active glasses work as well and are cheaper but cannot comment on performance. I lucked out and got a pair from ebay for cheap but amazon has a really good price for them. I'm still waiting for mine.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TY-E...8514301&sr=8-1

Wish they would ship these to Canada. My local BB here is charging $120 for a pair.

No. I have a Denon 4306 wonderful amp but ancient HDMI. So ARC is not even an option. I bought an Oppo BDP-93 for its duel HDMI ports as a work around also.

I did not think about compatibility with the adapters, you might want to contact mono price directly and see what they think.

They're 99.99 at Visions with free shipping. I think that's what the price is supposed to be here in Canada.
If you have a Visions nearby, you can probably get them a little cheaper, especially if you buy the TV from them.

You will not see much difference in picture quality other than that it will be 5" bigger. HD and Bluray will look Incredible in 65" but SD will look worse in 65" compared to the 60". Unless you are planning on getting the VT professionally calibrated I wouldn't pay an extra 1k on it. The GT is incredible close to the VT, picture wise. I would rather spend the extra grand on the Oppo 93 or panasonic 500 bluray player. Or take a nice Vacation. But that's just my opinion.

Frankly I think there are pros and cons to each, but price is a big one between the two. With the VT you not only have the upfront cost but I'm assuming you're also in for a pro calibration (The VT's primary selling point to me is ISFccc) which is an extra few hundred dollars.

I ended up choosing the 60GT50 because I knew I wouldn't be getting the set calibrated and wanted to test out the THX modes, and frankly I am not disappointed at all. The set has been stunning in both THX Cinema (which I mainly use) and THX Bright Room (occasionally use it in day time). The 60GT50 is the first big screen where I haven't needed to adjust anything yet, it's been that good out of the box.

If you're able to get a smoking deal on the VT and you're ok with that budget-wise then it's a no brainer but I think the GT offers a much better value especially if pro calibration isn't in your plans. Just my opinion.

I don't know about North America, but Cinema in other territories has a colour gamut outside of rec.709. That makes it less than an ideal preset because even if you get gamma and grayscale satisfactory, colour will still be wrong.

If that isn't the case this year, then I'm happy to hear it, but I have to agree with sheshechic's sentiments.

I guess that is a call for the buyer to make. Since I was the buyer, and require more than one really good mode, I found the ST50 unable to meet my requirements. Others may have the same requirements that I do and since this is the GT50 thread I believe that noting the weakness of the the ST50 is justified and not misleading in anyway.

Now, there are no reports to examine or compare when it comes to Cinema in the ST50, not shoot out between the ST50 & GT50, and so, IMO all reliable information is pertinent.

"I calibrated Cinema mode first, going into the service menu to adjust grayscale. However, there is no adjustment for gamma (brightness of mid tones) in Cinema mode in either the service menu or user menu, and measurements showed the gamma was not ideal. This gave Cinema mode a slightly washed out look, robbing it of depth and dimensionality.

Custom mode was next, and in that mode gamma and light output could both be improved over Cinema mode."

Tell me about it, that's why I looked elsewhere. You can find online retailers that will ship to canada too. Or like rahzel said, Visions has them just talk them down to lower the price.

That's better than $120 but still, the amazon price is amazing. I have a friend in Chicago who visits us a few times a year so I'm thinking I might get a few pairs from Amazon shipped to them to bring me on their next trip. I can essentially get 4 pairs for the price of two up here.

What do you expect for that extra $1k+? You do plan to have it professionally calibrated but someone better than Best Buy- right?

Outside of NA, you all have more tools for adjustment too.

Buy them on Ebay. What would customs tax be?