Official Panasonic GT50 Series Discussion Thread [No Street Price Talk] - Page 104

I had my ST50 for two months. No gaming but plenty of espn news and other logo featuring channels. I used cnet settings mostly.
So maybe i was not looking carefully enough but I never noticed any IR, any rainbow effects, any banding or anything else. It could be that I don't have the same critical eye as others but the fact is that neither me and my wife ever noticed anything odd with the TV. Just wanted to share that. Now if i have had the problems some people described I would be concerned too.
I'm starting to wonder if we have a case of lacking quality control here, from Panasonic?

Ya me too ... many people have this issue and many people don't .... its kinda hard to pull the trigger on this and only have 30 days to beat it up to see if this happens.

I would hate 2 or 3 months down the road I watch a football game and then leave it on for a few hours afterwards and all the sudden have a faint logo burned inot my screen and then I'm screwed.

Just scares me and these sets seem like a hassle with all the banner running and ir washing of the screen etc. etc.

I just a want a dumb tv that has a great picture and I never really have to worry about.

Well I'd look into the Sony KDL55HX850. It got great reviews for being a LED but is a little pricey.

I think the IR issue comes down to people actually looking for it. Sure looking at 20 different color slides is bound to show something at sometime. But nromal viewing i highly doubt.

If you really are looking for a TV you can just plug in and have no worries about IR look at another LED. I am coming from an LCD and i love the picture this GT50 gives me. I baby it a little but not to the point that it hinders my enjoyment out of it.

Who knows what these IR complaints are coming from. I know a lot of people who love using torch settings so I wouldn't be surprised they would acquire some stubborn IR.

I tried to assure you that your analysis was right - plasma is not right for you. That was twenty four hours ago, and it seems to me that you've been repeating yourself since then.

I'm also someone who told you that the people who don't have IR problems are also the people who mix the types of content that they watch. They're also not the type of people who use different colored slides to see if they have have IR every time they use their TV. These two behaviors might explain why some people complain about IR, and others do not complain about IR.

By the way, it just might be insulting to post that owner's are lying about IR. In my case, I don't own a Panasonic, a Samsung, or a LG plasma. What I paid for our plasma, almost five years ago, has nothing to do with it's IR history.

You've written that you like your LCD TV now. Keep it, or get a bigger one. If you want a really big screen with absolutely no chance of ever having IR or burn-in, get a Mitsubishi DLP RPTV. With a DLP you would need some light control, and you can't sit very far off center, but DLP can be very close to worry free. They take up more space in a room, but even though you have to replace the projector lamp, in many cases they can be much cheaper to repair.

So how much to people like their new Panasonic TV? Sampling from amazon and best buy.

Amazon
ST50 4.3 out of 5 stars 101 reviews
GT50 4.6 out of 5 stars 47 reviews
VT50 4.7 out of 5 stars 43 reviews

Best Buy
ST50 4.5 out of 5 stars 31 reviews
GT50 4.9 out of 5 stars 31 reviews
VT50 4.6 out of 5 stars 32 reviews

Looks like most people are pretty happy. So why are people in the forum so concerned?

I wonder if are looking at a combo of

a) some sets will have defects. that is true of every product
b) the enthusiasts in this forum are looking for IR and other issues more (a little too much?) than an average TV user
c) maybe some extreme user patterns are playing in some people running their screens in what is commonly referred to as "torch mode"

I'll get my 55GT50 tomorrow (to replace my 65ST50 was destroyed) and I plan to just use it. In the first week I will be watching Blu-Rays, Regular DVDs, Olympics, Pre-season football, ESPN, sitcoms, SD/HD, a mix of Network and Cable, all over UVERSE.
And I have John Carter on 3D so will give that a go. And I will play some PS3 games.
I'll plan to start with the THX modes and then try some other recommended settings and see what I like best.
I'll report back in a week or so.

Anyone here have a PS3 and is willing to test something for me? I am having a problem with my ST50 in terms of upscaling 720p. I made a post in the last page about the oil painting effect. Can anyone help me with this? I want to see if this is a problem among ALL sets or if I have a defective unit. Basically, I want to determine if a replacement would suffice or if I would have to get a different TV.

Can you give me an example of a downloadable PS3 demo that you experience the issue with and I will try it tomorrow night when I have my GT50.

There's actually a very easy way to test it. All you need to do is put your PS3 in 1080p and view all the avatars of the people on your friend's list. Then put it back to 720p. If you have the issue you should notice a smuded/oil painting like effect on the icons. The icon for the Photo Gallery app is also a good way to test. The cat on the icon looks very smudged in 720p compared to 1080p. You can also view the wallpapers in the list of your downloadable games. The most obvious is the friends list/photo gallery app icon. I first noticed it in the Ratchet and Clank games. Ratchet's face looked very much like an oil painting.

I appreciate you willing to help!

Ok that is easy, I'll let you know.

Btw, you should read this page from the UT50 thread

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1406618/official-panasonic-ut50-series-discussion-thread/240

Looks like I have overstayed my welcome huh!

Just trying to get the facts .... it's a huge purchase and I would like to know everything there is to know and not from just one person bud!

I think this TV is not right for me you are correct ... just needed to dive deep to make sure.

Thanks for all the info 24 hours ago ... not so much for the new info though.

Thanks to all others who have helped me out with a few questions as well .... off to some other threads to see what new I can find.

Looking for some verification.........

So in a 'brightly lit room (sunlight)' is the GT50 likely preferable to the VT50? From various reviews I have the impression that the improved Louve in the VT50 is great for overhead light reflections but has no real effect with ambient light and indeed results in a slightly 'duller' picture. The GT50 gives out more light therefore would be a better choice?

Cost is not an issue here just trying to get the best daylight experience.

Thanks

Tolax

I wouldn't say that that there was no real effect, but it was very slight and it does dim/dull the overall image slightly.

I just put up my 65GT50 on friday. I had a LG 65 LED Cinema 3d that I returned. I can tell you the GT50 is much better with reflection than the LG was and I was very surprised at how well it looks in a brighter room. With the LG I couldnt turn on my over head track lighting it reflected so bad, with the GT50 it doesnt even show up. My kitchen light behind me does reflect but it really not that bad. The picture using the Cnet settings and the Middle setting on panel brightness gives a great picture for daytime/brighter room viewing. I am very amazed because this was my number one concern. It looks great. I do see softness when viewing less than adequate quality signals, but i turned my upconversion on in my Receiver instead of running "through" and it helped a lot. Over all I am very happy, I have been watching ESPN and some HD content with the side bars and havent seen any IR at all.
I have to admit this forum was making me very nervous while I was waiting for delivery of my set, but I can say in three days i am very very happy and it beast every LED i tried and I returned 3 of them total, the LG being the last one.

Enjoy.

Thanks for being willing to try it out! Much appreciated!

I did see that thread originally. It was what made me realize the "oil painting" effect wasn't a problem only I was having. The problem is that I tried this on a 1080p LCD and did NOT see this issue. I can totally understand a 720p image being "softer", but I don't think that is the same thing as exhibiting an "oil painting" effect?

I have a 55GT50 and when watching content in custom mode, for example HGTV HD, I notice that the screen movement (pan) is not smooth, looks un-natural.

I can switch to THX Cinema and it gets better, why is this??? Is there a setting that is causing this?

Thanks

Probably a different setting between the modes for "motion smoother" under the Advanced settings.
You can adjust it in each mode to your particular liking between OFF, Weak, Medium, or Strong.

Thanks for posting this.

My GT replaced an almost 2 year old LG. When I went to view the ST50 at the beginning of the year, I noticed that glare was an issue with most panels and it also seemed that fewer had really serious off angle problems like my LG did. I still have an even older LG lcd in my office that I watch nearly all day and it looks much better than the newer LEDs, even with it facing a window- albeit there isn't much direct light and there's a house about 50 ft away.

Have you noticed that your tv keeps looking better as time is passing? I haven't checked the hours on mine but it must be between 300 & 400. While watching Blade Runner on Syfy the image looked better than I ever remember that movie looking... maybe it was a remaster version.

The only people finding IR are the ones that are extremely paranoid and always looking for it. You are going to find it all the time if you look for it. The point is is that it will go away when you change the channel or watch something else. Burn-in rarely happens and you seriously have to try to get it.

Sorry meant to put in another thread.
Edited by strong island 1 - 8/6/12 at 4:53pm

I respectfully disagree. Pic shows My 50GT50 after 100 hours of break in followed by a week or so of playing the same game daily for two to three hours, with Panasonic's default game mode settings.. Then two weeks of zero gaming, and running hours of normal movies, and hours of pixel flipper often overnight, to try and get rid of it. It's most visible in the lower left hand corner, but it's also in the lower right hand corner, and about 2/3 of the way up on the right side.

Can you post a picture of it with regular content, like a movie or tv show?

But you have to realize you are saying that you took a very new set and for a couple weeks played video games a few hours a day with the default game mode settings which have really high brightness and contrast. If that was your plan you should have thought about a different technology.

I'm not trying to be mean but I think the people experiencing the burn in are not using the proper settings and also spending hours at a time with static images on the screen.

Just because you took breaks in between days of gaming doesn't really mean anything. The first 100 hours the phosphors are aging and playing the same game everyday will age the pixels in the area of the static images even though you took a break. So you are aging those pixels more than any of the other pixels so you are going to see some discolored areas. I would think this is not the set to get if you plan on gaming with the same game for weeks straight a couple hours a day with high brightness. To me that is asking for trouble especially in the first hundred hours. This makes me think the people experiencing IR are not taking the proper precautions. I'm also not saying it's there fault. The average consumer probably thinks using the tv's default settings shouldn't cause harm but sometimes you just have to be careful. Even though the tv allows you to do something doesn't mean it's ok. You can also go 200 miles an hour in a sports car and even though the car lets you do that you can still break it or injure yourself. Before buying a plasma you should research very carefully and take proper precautions.

So if this can hardly be seen during normal viewing content then that makes this horrible IR OK??? LOL

Image Retention is just that obviously ... you would see this pop up right away during some commercial transitions, certain scenery, when using a media player in the menu or some service (via the app store) with a bright solid color menu (my WD Live has an all blue menu and this would stand out a bunch), I wonder if this can be seen on a black slide? what about during a bluray movie with black bars at the top and bottom ... can the IR from this tv be seen in that (I'm assuming not being black but not sure).

I keep coming back hoping to see something that would make me not worried about this issue and just give this TV a go .... Cause I can't Friggin Find ANYTHING else out there in this price range that fits the bill for a tv I am looking (size, PQ, looks, options, something NOT edge-lit, etc.).

If I saw this on my $3,000 TV I would be Livid!

Why is this happening to some sets, and why does it seem to not happen to others??? Does anyone know if certain screens are made by different manufacturors? I know thats the case on other electronics with digital screen some have issue and they find some are made by one provider and other by another ... thus some having issues due to bad provider.

Just a thought .... I TV shopped for hours today and found nothing ... came back to the thread to try and find a reason to just give this bad boy a try and then seen this pic ... now I am back at square one again.

LOL ... Game mode isn't the proper setting for playing a game???

He Said: "Pic shows My 50GT50 after 100 hours of break in followed by a week or so of playing the same game daily for two to three hours"

So he took the correct precautions in breaking this TV in for the first 100 hours Before playing his game ... What more do you need to do? Run this TV on the lowest brightness, contrast, and backlight setting possible and play a game in a dark room for 30 minutes at a time so you don't have to worry about this ... The excuses are running rampid in here ... this TV has IMAGE RETENTION PROBLEMS!!! It's obviously a known fact ... owners will always come to defend.

How is playing a game for 2 or 3 hours justification enough for not buying a plasma?

I'm still trying my hardest to wrap my brain around all this horrible logic.
Edited by falconman515 - 8/6/12 at 5:58pm

So if this can hardly be seen during normal viewing content then that makes this horrible IR OK??? LOL
Image Retention is just that obviously ... you would see this pop up right away during some commercial transitions, certain scenery, when using a media player in the menu or some service (via the app store) with a bright solid color menu (my WD Live has an all blue menu and this would stand out a bunch), I wonder if this can be seen on a black slide? what about during a bluray movie with black bars at the top and bottom ... can the IR from this tv be seen in that (I'm assuming not being black but not sure).
I keep coming back hoping to see something that would make me not worried about this issue and just give this TV a go .... Cause I can't Friggin Find ANYTHING else out there in this price range that fits the bill for a tv I am looking (size, PQ, looks, options, something NOT edge-lit, etc.).
If I saw this on my $3,000 TV I would be Livid!
Why is this happening to some sets, and why does it seem to not happen to others??? Does anyone know if certain screens are made by different manufacturors? I know thats the case on other electronics with digital screen some have issue and they find some are made by one provider and other by another ... thus some having issues due to bad provider.
Just a thought .... I TV shopped for hours today and found nothing ... came back to the thread to try and find a reason to just give this bad boy a try and then seen this pic ... now I am back at square one again.



You have to also see the part where he says he played the same game for a couple weeks a couple hours a day with very high brightness and contrast. This is not going to happen with varying content.

I agree with you and it's the only reason I haven't gotten this tv yet and I am considering the Samsung pne8000, but I was also just starting to think to myself about the settings some people are using to get the IR.

You have to also see the part where he says he played the same game for a couple weeks a couple hours a day with very high brightness and contrast. This is not going to happen with varying content.

I agree with you and it's the only reason I haven't gotten this tv yet and I am considering the Samsung pne8000, but I was also just starting to think to myself about the settings some people are using to get the IR.

If you can't see it with normal viewing, then yes, it's ok. Again, the people seeing it are the ones looking for it.

So whats he suppose to do just stare at his three thousand dollar TV cause he's can't play his game on his brand new TV ... AFTER he's taken the correct precautions of breaking in hit set for the 100+ plus hours before playing his game for 2 or 3 hours a day (which is less than many surprisingly enough)???

If I want to play a game on my new TV ... I should just be able to play on my new tv ... if there is a "Game Mode" on my new TV I'm gonna set it to that that mode to play my "game"!

He did everything he was suppose to cause he did a little research (more than many others I'm sure that have this CRAZY notion they can buy a tv and just watch tv ... little do they know they need to keep the setting low, not run the pre-set default settings cause there too high, do a full 100 hour break in period before raising the brightness etc. and even playing a video game, and make sure they don't leave a network on the screen for more than a few hours ... lol).

I never looked at plasma before in my past and now that I have it's it's pros for sure but good lord is there TONS of cons.

It's not horrible IR if you can barely see it with regular programing. There is worse and this will go away.

@Burned: Have you tried playing a colorful animated movie or two? The scrolling bar would have been more effective if you had used it after each session, it is slow and will take some time.

I find it funny that people will spend so much money and expect the tv to conform to them and have a fit when it doesn't. Care should be taken early on and some have reported that using the Game mode may not be best, at least not before 100 -200 hours have passed. There are tons of posts on how to care and feed your plasma.

What is so hard about not playing in torch mode, about feeding the tv a diverse diet, about running the scrolling bar after playing?