Just bought a Panasonic 55" ST30, few questions

your sharpness setting is way too high, turn it down to 0. that should decrease A LOT of the graininess you are seeing.

How close is your viewing distance? Does it look better farther away?
Try warm1 for color temp.

I noticed this with the ST30 during some content, where it doesn't happen with other content (blu-rays, HD games) or other TVs. I've ordered an ST50 and have looked at several in stores and they do not appear noisy like the ST30 does (or at least some ST30s...2011 seems like it was a rough and inconsistent year for Panasonic Plasmas).

The correct sharpness setting is from mid twenties to lower 30's. Couple other tips make sure your 3:2 pulldown setting is set to "on", the auto setting doesnt work correctly, also I use motion smoother set to "weak"because it affects how many lines are resolved. Check out the "ST30 DIY" thread lots of good settings over there. Also the set will get much better after about 150 hours or so, if it is properly calibrated it is capable of producting an excellent picture. What picture mode are you using ? Custom and mid panel brightness produced the best picture for me.

Also turn off that AGC setting should be a 0 and gamma should be 2.2.

Try these settings. They are from a calibrated ST30!

Picture Mode: Custom
Contrast: 71
Brightness: 62
Color: 49
Sharpness: 15
Tint: 0
Color Temp: Warm 2
CATS: Off
Mosquito NR: Off
Motion Smoother: Off
Black Level: Light
24P Direct in: 60Hz
In Pro Settings Menu (White Balance)
W/B high R +7
W/B high G 0
W/B high B +16
W/B low R +7
W/B low G 0
W/B low B +4

Your old 720p Samsung definitely does not have better picture quality than an ST30, but one thing that might be happening is that a bigger screen size will expose flaws in the source or the content that wasn't apparent on the smaller screen and that does take some getting used to. And SD will suffer more on a larger screen.

What is your source? Some providers like Comcast or U-Verse have poor HD quality which is amplified on a larger screen, but FIOS or DirecTV HD should look pretty darn good.

Have you tried using other people's ST30 settings that have been posted in the ST30 threads? Obviously you're using Custom mode since you posted a Gamma adjustment, but have you tried Cinema mode?

A few key setting missing there, panel brightness ?, gamma ? White balance settings rarely translate from one set to another. Brightness seems too high unless Black extension is being used. Typically these sets come out in the 54 to 57 range for black level(brightness).

+1 For the above. I will tell you that sitting too close is another thing that you don't want to do for the same reason. I need to be two feet further from 55" ST30 than I am currently. I see "everything", which includes some things that I wish I didn't

That only applies for 1080i content, what are you using for your cable box settings ? for my cable I set everything to 1080i I find this delivers a sharper picture imo

I will agree with you on the grain that you are seeing. I believe this is called "dithering" but I still don't know that it is an accurate description. I see it on my tv as well, but it comes and goes with different sources, so I don't believe it is the tv.

Also, I will be the first to admit that my 720p DLP looked better with SD programming by far than does my ST30. This is because the DLP was both smaller in screen size and also seems that 720P tv's just do a better job with SD than do 1080P sets....probably due to pixel size.

Wow that is awfully close, that probably explains the majority of your issues. If i get within 6 feet or so of my set I start to see dithering etc.

I dont think you will be happy with that size set at that viewing distance, all plasmas are like that to a certain extent. Too bad because from the right viewing distance you can get an awesome picture.

You sit way to close which is why you are seeing so many problems with your big TV. I have a 42" in one room and a 60" in the other, both 1080p, and sit about the same distance you do from the 42" but I am 8+ feet away from the 60" and the 42" still looks crisper just because the pixels are smaller. Think of it as taking a small image on a website and blowing it up, you start to see the imperfections much more easily.

Sorry to echo earlier posts, BUT:

9 FT from a 60" Panel. Blu-rays & HDDVDs look GREAT.

Most "HDTV" shows (via Uverse) and SD DVDS (obviously "upconverted") look OK to Pretty Good, but others look HORRID - and nearly all shows in these last two categories look distinctly better from about 12 feet away.

No. 1 Son suggests we get an OPPO for the SD DVDs. Cheaper just to sit a bit farther back....

We ran 60" ST30s until just over a week ago, & now have a 60" ST50 in the same location: the newer panel might be a BIT better with the lower quality material, but "Garbage In = Garbage Out," and a Large HD display simply allows you to SEE it better!

Would also agree with the earlier comment about 720p panels: our 50" 1366x758 Panasonic seems to do a wonderful job with SD DVDs and "HD TV."
Might make a good, inexpensive "Bridge" panel until you find a different seating arrangement. (But AVOID a 50" 1024x768p set - as is the trend these days: the Screen Door Effect is terrible!)

I have a 50ST30 in the BR and the viewing distance is a measured 10'. When I get at 7' I start to see artifacts on lower quality stuff. I had avatar in the BD player and found I could get a lot closer, guessing 4-5'. I'm using D-Nice's settings and am using direct cable in. The HD cable around here is very good.

If you haven't figured it out yet, turn your input source off (cable box, BD player, whatever). Keep or turn on your TV, now you can access 3:2 pull down.

Lol! Someone should just make some kind of notice for every time someone posts an 'I just bought a fantastic new set and now everything I used to watch looks crappy' thread... Maybe something like this?

-----

ATTENTION: the image you are seeing is normal! Any deviation from prior experience is not a reflection of deficiency of quality with your new display. The image currently being shown is an honest and accurate portrayal of your sh*tty source. DO NOT PANIC! Please proceed to your official brand XX model YY settings thread and await further instructions. This message will repeat.

Sorry about the last settings I posted. They seem to be from a blocked source on here. Here are Cnets calibrated settings. Now these settings are no replacement for having your set calibrated by someone but they should give you a good idea of where to start.

Panasonic TC-P50ST30 picture settings
by katzmaier - 5/4/11 10:38 AM
Review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-34468791.html

Related products:
Panasonic TC-P42ST30
Panasonic TC-P46ST30
Panasonic TC-P55ST30
Panasonic TC-P60ST30
Panasonic TC-P65ST30

Calibration report using these settings:
http://scr.bi/jAKcpk

Below you'll find the settings we found best for viewing the Panasonic TC-P50ST30 in a dim room via the HDMI input at 1080p/24 resolution. Your settings may vary depending on source, room conditions, and personal preference. Check out the Picture settings and calibration FAQ for more information.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9996461-1.html

--Picture menu
Picture mode: Cinema
[All settings at default; click "reset to default" to gray it out to be sure. See the review for details on why we didn't adjust any settings in this mode. Note that even Video NR should be left at Weak since changing it to Off adversely affects color temperature.]

As noted in the review, we also tried calibrating the Custom settings but experienced worse results than with the above. We're including those settings here, however, in case you want to experiment. They might also produce a better image in bright rooms than Cinema.

--Picture menu
Picture mode: Custom
Contrast: +80
Brightness: +59
Color: +32
Tint: -1
Sharpness: +20
Color temp: Warm 2
Color mgmt: Off [grayed out]
Photo enhancement: [grayed out]
C.A.T.S.: Off
Video NR: Off

-- Pro settings submenu
Color space: Normal
W/B high R: -50
W/B high G: -49
W/B high B: -26
W/B low R: +6
W/B low G: +1
W/B low B: -6
Black extension: 0
Gamma adjustment: 2.4
Panel brightness: High
Contour emphasis: Off
AGC: 0

-- Aspect adjustments submenu
Screen format: Full
HD size: Size 2
H size: [grayed out]
Zoom adjustments: [grayed out]

-- HDMI settings: [no change from default]

--Advanced picture submenu
3D Y/C filter: Off [grayed out]
Color matrix: HD [grayed out]
Block NR: Off
Mosquito NR: Off
Motion smoother: Off
Black level: Light
3:2 pulldown: On
24p Direct in: 60Hz

Note: This post was edited by its original author. added link to Calibration report on 05/04/2011 on 10:45 AM PT

Note: This post was edited by its original author. removed repeated text, fixed link on 05/04/2011 on 12:59 PM PT