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Panasonic 60GT50 or 65ST50?

post #1 of 10
11/26/12 at 1:44pm
Thread Starter 
I've narrowed my search to these two sets. The 60GT is $1899 right now on Amazon, and the 65ST is $2145, also on Amazon. These are at the very top of my budget and I can't go any higher.

The viewing distance in my living room where this TV will be going is 11 or 12 feet. At that distance, would you recommend a 60 or 65? Mainly watching HD cable, with occasional Blu Ray and PS3 gaming thrown in, hence my concern with going too large to enjoy the compressed cable signal. We're in our late 20s and have great vision.

I've read all the reviews and info and know the advantages of the GT vs the ST. The THX modes would be nice (though I plan to do a simple calibration with the Disney WOW disc either way) and I like the aesthetics of the GT a bit more, but I'm not sure if it's worth giving up 5" of screen size or if 60" would actually be more appropriate considering what we watch most often. This is also a pretty bright/open room during the day.

Thanks for any input!
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post #2 of 10
11/26/12 at 3:11pm
Hard to say as only you can decide. Me personally? Normally I'd say go with the bigger set as PQ can be made identical between the two. I don't like the ST bezel so much so that I would go with the smaller (albeit 5") GT set.

Have you seen both in person? That would help your decision I believe smile.gif
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post #3 of 10
11/26/12 at 3:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbdan View Post

Hard to say as only you can decide. Me personally? Normally I'd say go with the bigger set as PQ can be made identical between the two. I don't like the ST bezel so much so that I would go with the smaller (albeit 5") GT set.
Have you seen both in person? That would help your decision I believe smile.gif

Thanks for the input. I have not seen both in person; I have seen the 60GT50 in person, as well as a 55ST50 and a 65VT50. Basically I'm able to see the aesthetics of the ST model on the 55, and apply that in my mind to the size of the 65VT, which sits right below the GT in the store that I am visiting. biggrin.gif
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post #4 of 10
11/27/12 at 7:49am
Perfect then! Which one are you leaning towards?

As with all my TV purchases through this life I always buy bigger than what "I think" will be the right size. If the ST bezel (the acrylic part) doesn't bother you than it is a no-brainer imo. Go with the bigger set! biggrin.gif
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post #5 of 10
11/27/12 at 7:59am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbdan View Post

Perfect then! Which one are you leaning towards?
As with all my TV purchases through this life I always buy bigger than what "I think" will be the right size. If the ST bezel (the acrylic part) doesn't bother you than it is a no-brainer imo. Go with the bigger set! biggrin.gif

I'm pretty sold on 65" now. I took my wife to look at them last night, and she wants 65 now as well. What's funny is we're jumping from a 46" LED in this room. At first the 60 seemed overkill, but now it looks a bit on the small side compared to the 65! Human perception is a crazy thing. We also plan on moving in the next year or two, and I can't imagine our room would get any smaller, only bigger.

I may end up biting the bullet and going for the 65GT50. What I really dislike about the ST is not the bezel design or looks, but its depth thickness. The distance between the actual screen and the front flat edge of the bezel has to be at least twice as thick as the GT and VT models. I'm referring to the distance the bezel protrudes outward from the screen when looking from a side profile, if that makes sense. The GT and VT appear much more flush.
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post #6 of 10
11/27/12 at 8:02am
Yup I'm with you that is /almost/ precisely why I went with the 65GT. I was set on the ST until I went and looked at them at BB. I want my TV to also look nice when it's off (if that makes sense).
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post #7 of 10
11/27/12 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 
I agree. Now I just need to wait for the GT to hit that $1999 price again like it did a month or so ago!
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post #8 of 10
11/27/12 at 8:11am
Thread Starter 
Sorry, the $1999 was for the ST. See how confused I'm getting? biggrin.gif
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post #9 of 10
11/27/12 at 8:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mvc753 View Post

I've narrowed my search to these two sets. The 60GT is $1899 right now on Amazon, and the 65ST is $2145, also on Amazon. These are at the very top of my budget and I can't go any higher.
The viewing distance in my living room where this TV will be going is 11 or 12 feet. At that distance, would you recommend a 60 or 65? Mainly watching HD cable, with occasional Blu Ray and PS3 gaming thrown in, hence my concern with going too large to enjoy the compressed cable signal. We're in our late 20s and have great vision.
I've read all the reviews and info and know the advantages of the GT vs the ST. The THX modes would be nice (though I plan to do a simple calibration with the Disney WOW disc either way) and I like the aesthetics of the GT a bit more, but I'm not sure if it's worth giving up 5" of screen size or if 60" would actually be more appropriate considering what we watch most often. This is also a pretty bright/open room during the day.
Thanks for any input!

I went through the same dilemma as you just recently. I decided to get the 65 GT50. I looked at it two ways: cost vs. value (1), and size (2). With my TV mounted on the wall I have (knew I was going to have) exactly 15 feet viewing distance from the screen to my head. Although my wife thinks the 65" is huge, at 15 feet distance its really NOT! lol. I'm actually thinking a 70 or even 80" unit would have been ideal for the distance we have. In your case, I would say 12 feet would be about perfect for a 65" to give you a nice big picture but by no means too big. Isn't the recommended (or is it minimum?) viewing distance 7-8 feet for a 65"? (screen to eyes).

Regarding the model, the one thing that stood out the most to me was the GT, like the top of the line VT series, has some 24k+ shades of gradation whereas the ST and lower panels have 12k gradation. The GT model is very close to what the VT is minus the single glass and hard core calibration tool. I'm not sure but does the ST series have the dual core Viera web processor in it? That's apparently a big advance in the GT/VT models - maybe the ST has it.
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post #10 of 10
11/27/12 at 8:30am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by stuckin96 View Post

I went through the same dilemma as you just recently. I decided to get the 65 GT50. I looked at it two ways: cost vs. value (1), and size (2). With my TV mounted on the wall I have (knew I was going to have) exactly 15 feet viewing distance from the screen to my head. Although my wife thinks the 65" is huge, at 15 feet distance its really NOT! lol. I'm actually thinking a 70 or even 80" unit would have been ideal for the distance we have. In your case, I would say 12 feet would be about perfect for a 65" to give you a nice big picture but by no means too big. Isn't the recommended (or is it minimum?) viewing distance 7-8 feet for a 65"? (screen to eyes).
Regarding the model, the one thing that stood out the most to me was the GT, like the top of the line VT series, has some 24k+ shades of gradation whereas the ST and lower panels have 12k gradation. The GT model is very close to what the VT is minus the single glass and hard core calibration tool. I'm not sure but does the ST series have the dual core Viera web processor in it? That's apparently a big advance in the GT/VT models - maybe the ST has it.

Thanks for your input, and I agree with everything you said. I'm getting more and more locked in on the 65GT50.

To answer your question, no the ST does not have the dual core processor like the GT and VT models.
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