I don't understand this. PCMAG is claiming that the Panasonic ET5 (IPS pane TC-L42ET5) is...

Not comments on off-angle viewing, but for this particular series (ET5) Panasonic uses LG IPS panels.

I've spent good half-an-hour at Sears today, looking at 55ET5, Sony 55EX645 (or was it 640?) and Sharp 52LE640U side-by-side. Maybe it was poor settings on the Panny (I tried Vivid & Standard modes). Maybe I just don't understand what good picture is, and oversaturated ones look good to me. But Panasonic looked dull and washed-out comparing to Sony, and to a lesser extent to Sharp. Especially, on contrast scenes, blacks on Sony looked much blacker vs Panny.
And earlier I had similar impression watching ET5 next to some LG
It's a pity, because money-wise 55ET5 could be a great choice to me. Passive 3d, decent size, etc. Specs are fine. I just don't like what I see in store.

I would take viewing any tv in store with a grain of salt. You just have no idea what's been done to the set to demo it or who has played with whatever controls are left enabled for the public. FWIW, I have a 2010 LG with and S-IPS panel and the colors are fantastic with excellent off-axis viewing. The pictures does wash out a bit at an extreme angle but it's at an angle that we would never be sitting at.

"Performance
We test HDTVs with DisplayMate test patterns, a Konica-Minolta CS-200 ChromaMeter, and Spectracal's CalMAN software. After setting the color temperature to Warm and performing a basic brightness and contrast calibration, the L42ET5 reached a peak brightness of 292.50 cd/m2 and a peak black level of 0.03 cd/m2, for an effective contrast ratio of 9,750:1."

Yeah right, an IPS panel with a CR of nearly 10,000:1!

A dynamic backlight feature must have been active during the black measurement. A native CR of 10,000:1 is (2012) Panasonic Plasma territory. Also, my Samsung S-PVA panel UN46EH6000 only does 2,700:1.

Sony uses S-PVA panels, which are way better for contrast ratio/blacks than IPS panels of any kind. IPS panels have wide H viewing angles but poor V viewing angles (at least 2011-2012 models do). They can have solid color, but this year's Panasonic LED-LCDs don't and if one is to believe the general consensus of reviewers, these sets are a huge disappointment. LG's 2012 models might be better, but still not up to par with earlier models.
Edited by PlasmaPZ80U - 10/16/12 at 1:13pm

If I were you, I'd compare the sets you are considering in-store after taking the sets out of store mode and buy from a local retailer that has a solid return policy that's at least 30 days. You may have to use the set in your own home for a couple of weeks before you can honestly know whether it's right for you or not. Reviews and forums will only get you so far and sometimes many reviews are misleading or questionable and can lead to more confusion instead of helping. Just be aware of panel lotteries if the sets you looking at participate in the panel lottery.

I don't think the current IPS panel Panasonics or LGs are nearly that good and even my 2011 S-IPS LK450 has poor vertical viewing angles, something you have stated your does not have. So, your set might be a lot better than current IPS panel LGs/Panasonics. Something to keep in mind.
Edited by PlasmaPZ80U - 10/16/12 at 4:03pm

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was speaking more to pq than off-axis viewing. Yes, you can certainly determine off-axis viewing even with not-so-good pq. And yes, professional reviewers are definitely a place to start but nothing compares to actual viewing of the tv for certain requirements in person.

I just wanted to make the point that not all S-IPS panels are bad. There are some who bought 2011 LGs and have been very happy with S-IPS panel performance and "look". But yes, you are correct in that the quality of S-IPS panels seems to have dropped somewhat since 2010 so that it is no longer a given that an S-IPS panel with have great color characteristics (even if the blacks aren't what we'd like) and off-axis viewing.

Yeah, I've read that contrast ratios can be very misleading to the point of almost being meaningless because of the non-standardized way that they can be determined.

Welcome to the world of uncertainties.

Stated specifics regarding picture quality, viewing angles, contrast ratio, etc are far from being cast in stone with many TV brands. One reason you can not even believe reviews, stated performance by the herds of TV gurus, and even current owners is many TV brands change or use different LCD panels during a model year. So no matter what anyone tells you or you read in a review from review websites and magazines, the TV you see and buy in a store may have different picture characteristics some of which may be detrimental. In other words. . . Your Mileage May Vary.

So you can possibly get some general impressions form websites, gurus, and even some AVS owner/members of a particular TV, but you need to see a TV in a store display, get the remote and tone down the settings, and judge for yourself. Note: There are even those who will tell you checking a TV out in a store is next to worthless. Believe your eyes in the store, get the TV home and road test it with proper Media Assisted Settings using a Calibration disc like AVS HD709 (Free here on AVS), and see how it performs. Always buy a new TV, not open box, and make sure the retailer has a good return policy.

My educated experience and 2 cents.

Seeing a TV in store is worth it (assuming the panel version/type on display is the same as on the one you actually get AND you can adjust the picture settings out of the dynamic/vivid mode) and evaluating the TV at home is by far the best option. Everything else may or may not help, as others have mentioned and I myself have found out personally when shopping for my Samsung LED-LCD. Buying a TV is simply not that easy nowadays, especially if you are picky and want the maximum return from your investment. Reviews (official or not) and forum advice can be both helpful and counterproductive at the same time since one source may say one thing and another may say the very opposite. In the end, you have to decide which TV is best for you and any advice you get must be taken with a grain of salt for various reasons, including but not limited to panel version/type, firmware, and build date.
Edited by PlasmaPZ80U - 10/16/12 at 4:18pm

Yes, contrast ratio numbers are no more reliable than they were a few years back when the claimed numbers were getting so high it was insane. Too many variables and the many review websites and gurus did not help.

There seems to be a never ending glut of redundant statements made regarding what has already been stated regarding your frustrations. Others also have experienced the erroneous claims, "facts", and opinions of some individuals and reviewers, and TV makers themselves using ever changing hardware, firmware and other aspects don't help the case.

Here's just a basic primer of what TV buyers must face these days:

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/gallery/things_to_know_when_shopping_for_a_tv/
Edited by Phase700B - 10/16/12 at 9:05pm

I've had the 55ET5 for 2 weeks now and this is my exact same observation. My old Sony KDL-52Z5100 looks so much better to my eye. I have tried to adjust every setting and even used the Disney WOW and could never get a picture I like. I've made up my mind to return the ET5. It's too bad cause the price was right, but if I have to look at an inadequate picture, then it's not worth it. I'm going to give the ST50 plasma a try and if that doesn't work out, I'm going back to Sony.

I have the ET5-55 and think the picture looks great and off angle looks good to me. Though I have had issues with this tv. My first one had a strange dark blob looking thing on the bottom left that made whites look kind of purple. Returned that and the second one was great until I noticed a dead pixel in the middle of the screen. I exchanged that and now my third one will be coming in tomorrow. If this one isn't good then I think I will go with the GT50-60 plasma.

if the weak blacks/contrast ratio of the ET5 bothered you, the ST50 should really impress you (it has the best blacks/contrast ratio of any flat-panel in that price range and obviously no viewing angle issues being a plasma)

Each TV tech seems to have it's issues. Including plasma. Speaking of "blobs", for instance, there were owners of some Panasonic plasma TVs that had "blobby" uniformity issues if you read some earlier thread posts for those TVs. An LCD TV with an S-PVA panel offers best black levels and also , depending on brand, good off angle viewing.

That said, the ET55 is a pricey set to not expect better performance.

I was on the lcd vs plasma post and got an infraction for stating that TV reviewer's are paid to say what they say.