Official Panasonic UT50 Series Discussion Thread - Page 10

Yes, it lacks the Pro menu. Not sure about service menu calibration, but it seems like it would be possible if you're paying a good chunk of change to get a calibration.

The lack of a filter is sort of a dealbreaker for me. A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with PathofNeo, getting ready to buy the UT50 until I looked it at in a normally lit store. The screen excels in a dark room, does poor in normal ambience whereas the more expensive models seem to do just fine under normal lighting.

I know how to set the PS3 to full range but I'm not sure how to set the ST50 (identical menus as the UT50) to full range.

Settings have been updated. See post #3 on the first page.

I bumped the tone to +1. I either overlooked it or the set is just breaking in, as I've had it on all week. Either way this is what both calibration software discs are telling me is perfect. This is what I mean by triple checking things. So go ahead and do this and if nothing it should improve any reddish skin tones that you may encounter.

I came to the 3D settings to be as reference as possible. This means I'm not as interested in as bright a picture as I am accurate. I found what I ended up with very close to 2D settings, and simply stunning. Following the calibration discs in 2D-3D (which so far has been a good and cheap way to get some numbers on these sets) I spent about 2 hours on it.

Brightness is perfect at 58. Contrast was ever as tricky to get as 2D mode but I ended up in a ballpark of 91-93. Any higher is unnecessary and will only result in clipping those whites. I ran the patterns over and over and contrast peaked at 93. So to save your set, and avoid white crush I found 92 the best setting. Color was uneven at both 47 and 49 so it retains the original value of 48 and hue needed to be raised +2 due to the warmer picture. I decided to keep the temp at Warm 2. Everything was calibrated with *only* Warm 2 in mind and you just have to keep in mind that brightness will be sacrificed to get an accurate picture. The brightness is raised by default anyway when selecting 3D mode to compensate so I decided not to change the temp.

Moving on to motion smoothing.. OFF is probably where it needs to be but I found smoothing in this case to reduce crosstalk. As mentioned earlier I barely see artifacts when set to weak. Running motion tests in fact OFF/Weak appears identical. It's only when you switch to Medium is where obvious interpolation comes in. Still..I recommend OFF for 2D. 3D however seems IMO to introduce judder (that or makes me aware of it) and if your sensitive to it then your best off setting to weak. Purists may or may not like it but IMO it helps rid of extra judder that shouldn't be there. Beating a dead horse but I don't see the same judder present in 2D.

48hz vs 60hz is purely user preference. Some users report smoother motion with less crosstalk using 48hz, and I can understand why as your looking at proper film cadence. But with any source (patterns, 3D films including Resident Evil: Afterlife, Narnia, and Piranha) there is flicker present. Perhaps I'm extra sensitive but it's definitely there. Not only do I find 60hz more stable, but it also brightens the image ever so slight. I find no more crosstalk here than the ST30 it replaced.

Finally 3d adjustment I have turned on and set to -1. This is another one of those user preference things and you either like it or you don't. I tested several scenes here and come to the conclusion that by not using 3d adjustment...the picture is too flat. By turning it on and set to -1 increases the dynamic nature of 3D, offering a 'fuller' image, and I found it to have no more crosstalk versus set to off. I tested this with a bunch of patterns, lines, and paused scenes in 3D films. An adjustment of -1 is the only setting that produced a straight line. Anything else (including 0) had wavy lines, introduces noise, or some other caveat that would give you a headache and/or introduce crosstalk. So you can switch between them yourself and see what you like best. I find both off and -1 to be somewhat relaxing to the eyes. The tradeoff of using the adjustment is slight crosstalk in demanding scenes. The tradeoff not using it is lacking depth of field throughout the movie. I'd rather be impressed 90% of the time, but as usual everyone's mileage will vary.

It's an unfortunate tradeoff.

I just read avjunkie off that other board say that the 'dirty screen effect' some are seeing on the ST/GT/VT can be attributed to the filter and that they are working on improving it for next years models. so there's another 'plus' for the UT50!

Thanks so much pathofneo for all the time and effort you put into this. I guess I'm lucky 48hz in 3d doesn't bother me and that's with or without the glasses because at first I thought maybe the glasses were hiding the flicker. I can definitely see flicker in 2d though.

That's kinda what I was getting at with my review. Just like flicker in which case some see and some don't...some may never be bothered by the 'dirty screen effect'. I like watching in a dark room to maximize a particular set's contrast ability and I'm not paying more for the same/less performance. Bright rooms and daytime users should benefit no doubt though.

pcgeek543- If you don't notice the flicker too bad in 3D then that's awesome. I wanted to like it but I can't get past the flicker. After watching 3D in 48hz for an extended period the flicker does reduce (eye gets adjusted) but I still see it on windows, skies, and really bright objects. The good news is 48hz and 60hz performs like a champ with our set. The negative talk about 3D in the set is unwarranted. I don't find the UT50 any inferior to the ST30, but that's just me. In fact I like it better as it seems to hit brightness well.

Allow watching a movie or two for my settings to adjust. I really did get the outcome as close to matching 2D as I thought possible. I let patterns do the talking for brightness/contrast to minimize guesswork and color by eye through the blue filter, and go to the extreme of taking snapshots to evaluate on my FW900 monitor. That's hard to do but I can see dots in either the upper/bottom of the bars that shouldn't be there when they don't match up. I'm kinda paranoid but this is my obsession afterall. lol

I'm kind of confused by one thing. If I set my BD player to 1080/24p, then that means the player is doing the pulldown, but if it's at 60hz, then the TV is doing it? Is that right or do I have it backwards? Which one is preferred?

Thanks for all the time and input Neo. You're...the one.

Note about brightness for 3D: Since every panel/size is different there's something you need to do to for correct brightness. Yes this means get up off the couch.

With 2D-3D enabled get up close to the screen with the remote in hand and glasses on face. I'm talking nose to the screen. Look carefully at a black screen, or no input signal, and see if you see dithering ie dancing pixels. You will need to look carefully because unlike 2D where 1 click is the difference of extreme dithering or none...I found 3D actually had 2 clicks to get rid of them.

60 for me showed massive dot crawl, 59 still showed minor dot crawl, and 58 cleared it up. Your set may not start reducing dot crawl until 59, minor at 58, and cleaned up at 57. You'll know when you won't see a single dancing pixel in 1 click. There you have your brightness. A simple change between 57-58 won't impact the rest of your settings.

It's in the picture settings. You go down for more options, it is on "page 3" under HDMI settings. Set the content type to graphics (this one might be your problem) and change the color range to full to see if that helps (default is auto so it may not do anything).

You might also want to turn off all the smoothing and NR stuff that is there while you are at it.

Mine doesn't completely get rid of it until 51. And then if I look without the glasses I see red dancing pixels that don't clear until 39,I guess the red ones should be there so 51 it is for me. Used resident evil afterlife thats why they're red lol. Thanks, as I could always see that when walking near my TV.

I definitely wouldn't call the negative talk about 3D "unwarranted". It is, after all, pretty clear that Samsungs in general are better 3D performers than Panasonics. I prefer the 2D picture of Panasonics, but for 3D it clearly goes to Samsung. Even my 720p 3D Samsung has a better 3D picture than this Panasonic. And it's not as if I'm saying that it's just this model in particular. I'm just saying it about Panasonics in general. There's simply more crosstalk on Panasonics than other brands. A lot of people might not be able to see it, but I definitely can.

Well if you can stand the very slight flicker of 48hz in 3d mode crosstalk is almost non existent. The flicker is nowhere close to as bad as in 2d. And what pathofneo is saying is it's not any worse than last years Panasonic plasma tv's.

That's why I didn't purchase the UT50. Of all the programming we watch, only 1-2% is 3d, so I opted to not watch 3d on my panny, and went for the U54, which looked just as good as the UT in 2d viewing.......I had them side by side, and it was a wash as to which looked better.

Nevermind,58 was perfect on other content. Resident evil has a red tint in the credits and I don't recall but underworld prolly has a blue tint. Resident evil's dot crawl didn't go away until 51 on the brightness. So is it proper to have that at the setting of 58 or should it be dropped to eliminate it aswell?

Okay I think I gave bad instructions. Different films will have different results and I should have known that. So instead look at a black screen (or no input) using 2D-3D with your glasses on and see what you get. Either 57 or 58 should be it. The same rule applies for 2D. Look at a black screen and see what you get. 57-59 is where pixels dance and you just need to back it down 1 click till there gone. Remember this procedure is best done in the dark.

Sounds like your enjoying your U54. These U/UT set are amazing values.

I get what your saying. To me I hardly see crosstalk so I think it's more user than tv. But reviews are saying Samsung has better 3D so you have a point. I guess I just don't want one to 'overlook' this set because of what others (including Cnet) have to say about this tv. For example they claim the ST got darker but that's not quite true as they both have a similar MLL (nod to UT even). Get em in a dark room and you'll see. The same goes for 3D. I have to question their setup, how they set up the player/tv, and also I mentioned in my 3D review to separate left/right eye using 3D adjustment. Only those that are OCD are going to spend extra time dialing this in...but once done so expect better performance than factory defaults. That's all I'm trying to say.

So I was watching a few BD's today and noticed that with 24p enabled, films had a slightly smooth look to them, almost as if the motion smoother was turned on, even though it wasn't. Switching back to 1080/60p looked "normal." Is this because I've gotten so used to the judder over the years that true 24p at home looks odd? When I have 24p enabled, turning 48hz on in the "24p Direct-In" menu produces quite a bit of flicker, so I keep it on 60hz.

Also, I've finally dialed in my settings. For me personally, much like I did with my PX80U, I've found that the custom settings are just too bright for a completely darkened room. I much prefer the look of the Cinema mode.

My settings:

Picture mode - Custom

Contrast - 77
Brightness - 52
Color - 47
Tint - +1
Sharpness - 25 (Not that there's any difference between 0 and 50)
Color Temp - Warm 2
Color Mgmt - Off
C.A.T.S. - Off
Video NR - Off

HDMI Settings

RGB Range - Auto
Content type - Off

Advanced

Block NR - Off
Mosquito NR - Off
Motion Smoother - Off
Black Level - Light
3:2 Pulldown - Auto

^
Try Content Type = Graphics in custom mode.
It defeats many enhancements so that custom mode looks like a brighter version of Cinema.

- Rich

QuiGonJosh- Your settings look good and if it's looks good to you then perfect. About the only thing I would change is the content type to graphics. In case you didn't know the OFF/Auto position actually brightens the colors. Pause on any scene and switch between them and you'll see that graphics actually subdues the colors. This is also probably the reason you reduced color to 47. You won't need to do this using graphics content type. Just something to consider.

Go ahead and switch between OFF/Graphics several times and you'll see the colors are overblown set to OFF (similar to Vivid mode). Much easier on the eyes (ala Kuroesque) using Graphics IMO.

But everything looks good. Every display is different and wouldn't be surprised if you came up with 77-78 for contrast. One thing for certain I'm not used to having such a bright display either so it's going to take getting used to.

My settings after 2 months of adjusting

Picture Mode-Cinema
Contrast-75
Brightness-58
color-49
Tint-+1
sharpness-0
Color Temp-Warm1
Color Management-off
CATS-Off
Video NR-OFF
HDMI Settings-Graphics
RGB-Auto

Advanced Picture
Block NR-OFF
Mosquito NR-OFF
Black Level-Light
3:2 pulldown-auto

Does anyone have an idea of what a faith type of streak running from top to bottom on a plasma might be. you can only see it on white-ish type screens, thus if t is a dark seen you can not see it.

I have never seen this before on any plasma I have had before so looking for ideas as to what it might be.

PathofNeo's settings rock, but if u r watchin' NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs try toggling the 'warm2' to either 'cool 1 or 2' the ice looks alot better/whiter.

Hey if that's what you like then go for it.

Warm2 is used because it's generally representative of true to life. You may not like 'true to life' with certain things and expect a bit more wow factor.

Lefty... I'm going to eventually get a hold of a U model and calibrate it. If nothing just to see the variance with our sets and to post them in your thread.

Warm 2 looks good on reg hd/blu-ray content, but NOT on NHL Playoff action(ice looks too beige). If any of u like hockey, try setting it to cool1 or 2, then after the game, return it to warm2

With that said, Go KINGS go! Only 5 more wins-to-go!

I did this in Cinema and Custom mode and in Custom I could see a difference in the colors, but I could tell no difference between Graphics and Off in Cinema mode. I was using Graphics when I was using your Custom settings and it looked great. I will try again today and see if I can tell any difference.

Could someone help me out with my question about 1080/24p and this set? Please.

Panasonic does such a good job at 60hz converting 24p to run evenly at correct cadence this year that yes this means by setting your bd player to 1080/24 is the right thing to do. You want to send it a 24p signal for the Panasonic to work it's magic. You don't wanna send it a mixed up mess only for your tv to work overtime when it gets it. Think of your set as having 72hz or 96hz. Of course you'd send it 24p since it's even multiple. Panasonic's 60hz mode is designed to do the same. Make sense?

My PS3 is set to 1080/24 with tv at 60hz and the movies look like their displayed at correct cadence.

These are some good settings. It's interesting to note your brightness set to 58. So this means there's some variation in our sets. 58 for me raises brightness on a black screen. Well I suppose +/- 1 click ain't bad though.

Hue at +1 should help with skin tones. Unlike Kuros or the GT/VT models where you can really dial it in to rid of reddish tones.. substitute here is pushing tone toward green. Disney showed it perfect there for me.