Panasonic ZT60 Plasma at CES 2013 - Page 7

Believe Tom Petty may have had it right, "Waiting is the hardest part...."

Too much time to fill and not enough hands on information to fill it....

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THANK YOU

Scott - Will Panasonic make the ZT's available to qualified reviewers for for actual testing prior to their commercial release? While the specs that have been given by Panasonic and those who saw the panels on display at the CES are certainly impressive, I, and many of the others here - the ones who aren't axe-grinding, are genuinely interested about what the actual numbers are so that we can make better decisions as consumers.

Nothing, I wanted to get a Front Projection but I also wanted a bigger screen than 50"

The ZT60 must really impress me however, otherwise my Kuro is absolutely stunning...We shall see

I do not. Does using an upconverting AVR make a big difference with the 50 series Panasonic plasma's? I guess my point is, even if it does should we really need one to get better PQ?

Yes...true. But I am even talking about some HD channels. Depending on the broadcast some can look amazing but some can look very average. I do realize there is a huge difference in broadcast quality from station to station but I have seen many other TV's do an overall better job with showing consistent PQ (in terms of resolution only).

Honestly, I'm not sure, which is why I was asking. I agree with your point, though.

It can make a difference. If your source, a cable box for instance, can output the original signals, without deinterlacing or scaling them, then either an AVR or the TV can do the job. If the AVR is better at deinterlacing and scaling than the cable box or the TV than the picture quality will be better. If your cable box is directly connected to your TV, then which ever device does deinterlacing and upscaling better will give you the best picture quality. All three devices will do the job. The quality of the job will depend on the quality of the device. In general I would expect the TV to be better than any cable box deinterlacing and upscaling. At some point up the price scale I expect most AVRs will be better than TVs. Some folks go one step further and add a separate video processor for even better picture quality.

In theory, the above thoughts apply to SD sources, not to Blu-ray sources. All HDTV sources must either be scaled (720p to 1080p) or deinterlaced (1080i to 1080p). In my setup, shiny discs are processed in our Blu-ray player which outputs 1080p from both Blu-ray and DVD disks. I'm lazy, and don't worry about TV picture quality, so I have the cable box outputting 1080i for all channels. The TV is doing the deinterlacing. For HDTV I would have better picture quality if I switched the cable box to output HDTV 720p from ABC, Fox, and ESPN. That would cause another problem because the TV has to readjust to any change in resolution. That adjustment takes some time and it's ugly.

Of course, what you "need" is an individual and highly subjective matter.
Edited by htwaits - 2/21/13 at 1:01am

That statement is true. I just know (and i hate to even say it but...) my last Samsung plasma, although the overall PQ was not as good as my GT50, did a better job with resolving HD cable. Sometimes It made HD cable look almost as good as blu-ray. Having said that, I would not have traded my GT50 (until it broke) for any Samsung, I just wish that the Panny looked as good as I know it can all the time. If that makes any sense.

I wasn't clear in my question; what I meant was exactly what you responded with. I'll just have to cool my jets, as it were, until the ZT's are commercially released. No matter how stoked I am about the reports out of CES. I look forward to what is is you'll have to say at that time. Thanks.

Here are the tech specs from the Panasonic Site, just in case you missed it:

Tech
SpecificationsReviewsAccessories
PICTURE QUALITY
Display
Panel NeoPlasma black 3000
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Panel Drive 3000 FFD
Picture Mode Vivid/Standard/Home Theater/THX bright room/THX cinema/Custom/Cinema/Professional 1 (ISF Day)/Professional 2 (ISF Night)
Contrast １：6,000,000
Filter Sudio Master Panel
Shades of Gradation 30,720 gradation steps
1080 Pure Direct yes
DCI 98% Color Space yes
Super Clear Resolution yes
Dot Noise Reduction yes
THX Mode yes (3D/2D)
isf Mode yes
24p Playback (3:2)/24p Smooth Film yes/ yes
Hexa-Processing Engine yes
3D
3D Type yes (Active)
3D 24p Cinema Smoother yes
2D-3D Conversion yes
3D Motion Remaster yes
Dedicated 3D Eyewear 2 included
Sound Quality
Speakers Speakers x 2, Woofer (75 mm) x 1
Speaker Output 20 W (5 + 5 + 10)
Surround Mode VR-Audio Pro Surround 2.1
EASY OPERATION
my Home Screen yes
Camera Integrated option
Voice Interaction yes
Voice Guidance yes
Touch Pad Controller yes
Electronic Touch Pen Ready (option)
eHelp yes
Product Support Center yes
NETWORKING
VIERA Remote2
VIERA Remote2 (Smartphone App) yes
Swipe and Share2.0 yes
Browse and Share yes
Remote Play yes
App Launcher yes
Smart Calibration yes
VIERA Connect yes
Online Movies -
Web Browser yes（with Flash）
Skype on TV yes
Media Player
Media Player (Picture/Movie/Music) yes
Support Format AVCHD 3D/Progressive, SD-VIDEO, / MKV/MP4/M4v/FLV/3GPP/VRO/VOB/TS/PS, / MP3/AAC/FLAC/Apple Lossless/WAV, JPEG/MPO
DLNA yes
Bluetooth Compatible* yes
VIERA Link yes
Wireless LAN yes
ECO
Eco Navigation yes
C.A.T.S. yes
Energy Star -
DESIGN
Design Concept One Sheet of Glass
TERMINAL
HDMI
HDMI Input 3 (3 side)
Support Feature Audio Return Channel (Input 2)
Component Video Input shared with Composite RCA phono type x 1 (lower)
USB2.0 3
SD Card yes (SDXC)
Ethernet 1 (lower)
Digital Audio Output (Optical) 1 (side)
Headphone Jack -
Service Port -
GENERAL
Power Supply 1 AC 120 V, 60 Hz
Screen Size Diagonal (inches) 64.7
On mode Average Power Consumption TBD
Standby Power Consumption TBD
Off mode Power Consumption TBD
Display Resolution 1,920 (W) x 1,080 (H)
Dimensions (W x H x D) (w/o stand) TBD
Dimensions (W x H x D) (with stand) TBD
Weight (w/o stand) TBD
Weight (with stand) TBD
Wall Bracket TY-WK6P1RW
Operating Temperature 32°F - 104°F (0°C - 40°C)
Safety Standard US: UL60065/FCC Parts15; CANADA: CSA C22,2/IC BETS-7
Carton Dimensions (W x H x D) 75.8" x 40.5" x 14.1"
Gross Weight (with stand) TBD
Warranty yes (1 year)
FURTHER SPECIFICATIONS
NOTE * HID (Human Interface Device Profile) compliant keyboards are available. A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) compliant audio devices are available.

I'm with you I have a non elite 5020 and I'm hoping that the ZT can at least be close to it. There was just something about the VT50 that idk just turned me off. Well if anything ill have to buy used kuro...sucks beig spoiled and trying to conform. From what I've seen ad ears the ZT will be even better than the VT but I'm also hoping that the lower 60 series models will be great as well cuz my max will prolly be about 2K. I'm just very nervous with buying a used kuro..a guy has. A 141 for sale brand new for 6k which is absurd. Anyway summer can't get here fast enough. Even if they succeed te 8G KURO and are halfway to 9G Kuro specs them i will be a very happy buyer of a panasonic.

Thanks for the manufacturer's specs. I had already seen them when the initial CES reviews came out. They're what has piqued my interest in possibly spending the premium price these things will command. (At least until whatever it is Panasonic or Samsung and maybe even Sony or LG come out with next year.)

What I'm waiting for are measurements which trusted technical reviewers, without an axe to grind, come up with under the actual viewing conditions as they might exist in people's homes, using off-the-shelf ZT panels, not panels supplied by the manufacturer, for obvious reasons.

I intend to have my unit, assuming I'm buying a ZT, professionally calibrated so that the thing is putting out video that's the best possible for the conditions in the room where the thing will live. There's no sense in buying a top-end piece of equipment which has these apparently fabulous specs and capabilities and not having it tuned to it's best abilities. That being said, I'm definitely NOT going to spend the money if the reviewers combined comments point to a less than stellar piece of equipment.

While I appreciate the fact that the Kuro was an amazing piece of equipment a few years ago, the fact remains that they are no longer made, let alone supported by the manufacturer. Such is the reality of a marketplace which is unfortunately usually more interested in selling us snake oil which they assure us is a panacea for all that ails us but turns out to be far less then what they claim. I hope the ZT series live up to and exceed the hype and promise that the specs suggest and what last year's TC series showed us. If the promised improvements aren't truly what they claim, I'll be buying this year's version of a TC. Why spend a premium price otherwise?!

I would assume size wise, they will be roughly the same as the current VT.

By "measurements" I wasn't referring to screen size! I was referring to the reviewers measurement of the technical specification. It's one thing for the manufacturers to claim a particular set of measurements for a given thing a device is supposed to do; it's entirely another as to what the actual measurements are when the device is subjected to real-world testing under real-world conditions.

You know its been about 3 weeks since Panasonic sent out their email about more details coming soon. Anyone heard anything, or have any new scoops?

Nope :(

My family has pre-ordered two 2013 Panasonic TVs (ZT60 and S60) and not heard one word from them or the dealer—and it's March 12.

You shouldn't expect to hear anything about the ZT60 until late May at the earliest. The S60 should be landing before too long though.

Breaking News!

HD Guru have just posted the Panasonic 2013 Plasma HDTV Prices and Features Revealed with the MSRP.

So based on this $4,099, how much do you think the street price would be? (I wonder if I can pick one up from EastCoastTV for less?!)

I doubt East Coast TV will even get any.

I think the street price on higher end Panasonic's is nearly MSRP. There is a minimum advertised priced to avoid the whole race to the bottom. At least that was the case when the VT30's first came out they were nearly MSRP for quite some time.

I think that Abt had it for about $3500 before they took their preorders away.

I would gladly pay $3,500 anytime.

Price isn't too extreme, now if it can equal or surpass the Pioneer Elite Kuros that is what remains to be seen.

I thought the consensus was that Panasonic equaled and/or surpassed the Pioneer Elite Kuros with last year's VT series! Notice I say "consensus". This is, after all and in the end, an individual impression wrought by one of our senses, it isn't a sports contest and what may be an absolute for me isn't necessarily the same for another viewer. We can apply all the tests by equipment that we want, however, what will ultimately matter is the impression we have individually as well as collectively once we see the ZT series functioning in real-life situations. I have seen the VT series under real-life conditions in the homes of a few people I know, as well as in places which offer them for sale. My impression has been that they present the finest commercially available pro-sumer video reproduction currently readily available. (Leaving out those few 4K devices which are slowly making their way to the as yet unaffordable to most people for home use market.)

So I found the VT60 on Best Buy's site today for 3599.