Official Panasonic VT50 owners thread - Page 215

I have been watching Hulu through the vt50 vierra connect and I am very impressed with the pq it puts out. This is my first time using hulu so I did not know what I was going to expect. I've only watched anime but the quality looked sharp and crisp and was very close to some blu ray anime shows that I have seen.

Ya, but when you consider everything the Basic package includes along with the specially designed travel case (very nice and HQ) that comes with the basic package for less money than Spectracal's OEM, it becomes a moot point. But I guess you already know this.

Anyway to tie this into this thread, I am looking forward to Calman 5, and what it will do for are VT50's. If what the guys at SpectraCal say that Calman 5 autocal can do for the VT50 turns out to be correct, that would be a nice plus for the VT50.
I will be giving Calamn 5 and autocal its day in court, and of-course comment on it.

For anybody reading this, imo hold off on buying Calman 5/autocal until there is some feed back on Calman5/autocal.
Calman 4/autocal was not very good, imo.

ss
Edited by sillysally - 9/1/12 at 1:38am

What I meant to say was that the European VT50 must be handicapped compared to US version, as it is nowhere close to produce a white that can rival an LCD, have updated the original post to highlight this. Sorry for the confusion, and again, I can only comment on what I have seen, and that is the European VT50. That said, I have never seen a plasma (VT50 or not) that has a white comparable to an LCD, and I have seen a lot of them in the shops and made sure they where in a "bright room setting". And at least based on European forum discussions, I am far from the only one that has came to that conclusion. But, I can only comment on what I have seen, so please take my comments for what they are, and I would guess that ALL plasmas are lightcapped in Europe due to power regulations.

I was thinking to get that meter also, is D a model version?

According to ChromaPure : "Excellent price vs. performance."

I suggest a i1Pro and used is fine.... I do recommend the Rev D. version

Also, see:

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1373556/i1-pro-or-d3-if-you-could-only-have-one-meter
http://www.tlvexp.ca/2012/04/do-calibration-tables-really-work-for-tri-stim-devices/

Speaking of which, have you seen this page yet? It's SpectraCal's Calman 4 -> Calman 5 upgrade path. So far it seems pretty generous. Those of us with CalMan DIY + the spectro add-on will automatically be getting the highest-end version of the Calman 5 HT (Enthusiast).

A greatly improved user interface
A vastly expanded help system, with extensive tutorials on calibration topics
A helpful new preset selection tool
The innovative CalMAN 5 dynamic range control
Printing reports
The greatest selection of charts and graphs available
Support for a large array of color meters and video pattern discs. (See the hardware support matrix.)
Email, forum, and Skype support
A greatly extended range of meters and pattern sources. (See the hardware support matrix.)
An expanded range of workflows
Direct Display Control access to supported panels and projectors, via direct controls and interactive charts
Autocalibration of supported displays and processors - including gamma, grayscale, and now unprecedented color gamut autocalibration as well!
The Meter Profile Editor
The Disc Player IR Editor
Advanced measurements, including
Gamut Saturation Ramps
Gamut Luminance Ramps
Color Checker
Color Cube measurements
Auto-generation of 3D Look-Up Tables (color cubes) for selected processors
Advanced charts allowing a 3D view of color data
PC calibration, including PC workflows and one PC client license
The Gamut Target Editor
The Levels Editor
Support of additional meters and processors not previously available at home (See the hardware support matrix.)
Design mode, allowing Enthusiasts to create their own layouts and workflows
Telephone technical support

CalMan isn't cheap, but SpectraCal deserves a lot of kudos for this policy as the "bang for your buck" with Calman 5 seems to be enormous. I don't know about you guys, but I'm holding off on any future VT50 calibrations until this launches.

I am wondering if anyone here who is from somewhere in Ontario Canada that has actually taken a trip across the border to Value Electronics and purchased a VT50 from there? If so, how much more did the tv cost once the border added on customs and taxes? The reason I'm asking this is because I am considering taking a drive across the border to purchase one and I'm hoping that even with the customs and taxes imposed at the border, I could still be saving a substantial amount of money. Thanks to all those that can reply!

Cheers,
J-Dogg

I have a vt25 and a vt50 mounted with these and they work great. Makes for a very clean look. No problems with them at all. Best part is they a so tight to the wall that you do not see any wires when looking from the side. This was important to me because each room I have them mounted in are laid out such that you can come around a corner and look down the wall they are mounted on. With these mounts they are so close you can barely see any light behind them when looking down the wall.

Sean

Those specifications are for the top and sides, not the distance out from the wall. The vents pull air from the bottom and it exits the top. There are no vents on the flat part that attaches to the bracket and is closest to the mounting surface.

Sean

Yes I sure have seen what Calman5 Enthusiast is offering, and yes I think it is just what we need and more. Kudos!

Just to be clear, I think Calman 4 is very good, I was referring to Autocal not being very good to use with my VT50.

So I guess there will be at-least two of us commenting on Calman5/autocal used for are VT50's.

ss

That's great to hear Sean! I really appreciate hearing that someone else actually has the same model that i have and is using it with the vt50 with no problems whatsoever! Once again thank you for commenting with some positive feedback about the usage of the ultra slim low profile wall mount with a vt50

Cheers,
J-Dogg

I just receive my VT50 couple days ago. Why is the reason for Autocal not being good with the VT50. Im very new to calabrating TV's so that feature will be used allot by me.

My new 55VT50 replaced a 10-year-old Sony plasma. The VT50 is of course an incredible improvement. But the old Sony had a nifty feature that I really miss.

It had a "picture off" button on the remote. It blanked the display without powering off. So I could pause a Blu-Ray or DVR for as long as I wanted, hit "picture off", and feel comfortable that I would not damage the display. I think all flat panels should have this feature, or at least plasmas.

The best I can come up with now is to go to an unused input (like PC) on the VT50. When I want to re-start the content, I go back to the proper HDMI input. I do this with discreet codes on my universal remote, so it's a one-button press each time.

BUT --- I don't know what the display is doing on an unused input. What is the all black screen in that situation? Will it hurt the VT50 display over time? And the annoying "no signal" message won't go away. Is that just a simple notification that the TV is still on, or is it a serious warning not to leave the display in that mode because of possible damage?

The same thing applies to using audio services on my receiver that need the on-screen GUI to be displayed. This must be harmful to the display. I can't change the input in that situation because the audio service would close. A "picture off" button would save the day.

By default, the VT50 display will shut itself off after 10 minutes of no signal, which I discovered while attempting to charge the 3D glasses with nothing going on, on the screen.

That function can be disabled. Under the circumstances I described above, I would rather not turn the TV on and off frequently. I believe that is hard on the electronics.

I want to pause content and walk away for 5 or 10 or 15 minutes without turning the TV off and on.

Sean s ,

I know it's off topic , but since you have both the vt25 and the vt50 , how much improvement is the vt50 ?

I'm glad to hear the low profile mounts work well. I considered one but it's not an aesthetic problem in my room and I wanted to be able to reach the connections without taking the TV down.

I must point out that the specifications are clearly for the distance from the wall. From P. 5 of the Quick Setup Guide:
http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/TCP55VT50.PDF

Leave a space of 3 15/16” (10 cm) or more at the top,
left and right, and 2 3/4” (7 cm) or more at the rear.

Whether or not they really matter is another question. I'm sure Panasonic errs on the side of caution. To find out I ran white slides on my 65" VT50 for 30 minutes and measured the air temp coming from the vents. It was 110 F. The hottest area on the panel was 119 F. Nothing to worry about.

What ever happened to the idea of powering electronics on/off caused damage. I heard that long ago and because of that I have a 2-ch Parasound amp that powers my subs that has not been turned off for 15 years!

Whats is native refresh rate of tv50? Is that 24P or 60HZ?
Also is Panasonic 24P a 23.796?

AutoCal has not been popular because it's widely agreed that you can still get a better calibration by hand, at least on a VT50. That said, what we saw in CalMan 4 was apparently the first draft of AutoCal. The newer one in 5 is supposed to be much better, but the verdict is still out, especially since CalMan 5 hasn't launched yet for consumers- just business.

Any calibrators get to try AutoCal in the CalMan 5 Business edition yet (on a VT50 hopefully)?

Without look up the spec list, I believe (at least for the panel) it's 600 Hz, but it's very much a paper spec (vs anything you'd notice with your eye). When it comes to the displayed picture, due to the way plasma works (vs LCD), 24Hz isn't practical. You can still see a strong flicker even at 48Hz, which is why they offer 96 Hz for 24p content. Most people still run it at the standard 60 Hz with a 3:2 pulldown due to some perceptible flicker even at 96 Hz, depending on the content.

That's a pretty good question. I doubt it's a problem today, but I don't design these things so I have no idea. The reason for that original idea was due to the in-rush current causing stress on components during a power-on, but I'd imagine that problem has been largely solved (with regulator circuits). But again, I could easily be talking out of my ass here.

I've been busy testing 3D LUTs on the VT50 with the SpectraCal ColorBox and the Lumagen Radiance VP. If I get a chance I'll run an autocal with CM5.

Any idea why to use delta E76 for grayscale and not Delta E94?

Ok this may get me yelled at but... Does the motion smoother on the VT50 or GT50 have a soap opera effect. I happen to have a glitch in my brain that loves it. I love it so much it is a deciding factor in my tv purchase.I really want the GT50 and i realize from my own experience that a plasma has a superior picture.How ever if there is no soap opera effect I would rather go with the sony hx850. On another note I orederd a darbelet on friday aug 31st from AVS very excited about that.

I will take little SOE any time than judder and flicker on 1080p/24p content...its very minor

Autocal works quite well. I wanted to make a visual comparison to my other ISF mode so used the same high numbers I have for very bright room daytime settings - Contrast - 86, Color 50. & Pnl Brite - High I used an i1Pro Spectro so low end accuracy is questionable as always. Results were good. The gamma blip around 90% is normal for this high max output. Also, overall color luminance is a bit high visually but the picture was pleasing none the less. The only content I viewed was 1080i Atlanta Sprint Cup racing and I wasn't about to change the channel.





Back to the race....

The race is over. Congratulations Denny Hamlin.

The luminance thing - just occurred to me that the other ISF mode was calibrated at 75% color saturations instead of 100% because of less than stellar color tracking by the VT50. That explains the lower luminance (and better flesh tones) of my original calibration.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, and if you care to know, just ask and I'll post some graphs that will easily show you what I'm referring to.

Thanks for commenting. Dam looks like this may not be the TV for me.

Please explain I'm learning and about to get Calman5 when released. To me the VT50 picture looks amazing. Watch Good Morning Vietnam the greens look real not hyped. Watched Bengals football no stuttering effect . Smooth motion. Played NHL12! i play a season with another tv. And just WOW on Vt50 & NHL13 comes out next week. I need to find F1 in HD on my tv also. That will be very nice to watch,

And all this on Vivid mode .I know right. Still running Burn-IN every night, so have not gone crazy on settings. If it looks good not i cant imagine calibrated. First movie i watch is Legend of the Guardians Blue when finally calibrated.

I love this forum .....