GT50 (etc.) suitability as a 'regular' TV (Brightness/etc.)?

Hi;

I've been looking to replace my 17 year old 31 inch Panasonic CRT television (which seems like it just won't die despite daily use, so I plan on a forced retirement ). I want an all-around replacement that I can watch Cable T.V., play video games, watch movies, etc. in my 'normally' lighted living room without having to be concerned about special pampering.

I've looked at lots of reviews and forum entries, but I see what appear to be lots of contradictory conclusions...

I saw that the Panasonic 55GT50 plasma generally gets high ratings, but from the problems people list on forums (including here) it appears like this series might be best suited to a pampered, darkened environment. Is that correct?

The reason I ask is that I saw

A) Multiple people complaining about "Image retention" ranging from 'medium' duration issues caused by simply displaying a channel with a corner logo
to something lasting over 6 months from leaving a paused image on (accidentally) for several hours.

B) The only set from this series that I could see at a local store was an 55ST50 set up for 3D, and it looked very dim. (Sure, it was next to a Samsung LCD 55ES7100
which I imagine was cranked up, but it still seemed dim anyway, at least in the fairly well lit store).

I then saw that many reviewers calibrate this type of set to only about 70 nits/20 fl. This might be great for a darkened room, but seems dim for what I thought
would be 'normal' viewing, especially in the daytime.

The only reference I have are my computer monitors which I have calibrated to 140 nits/41 fl. This seems to be closer to what I've been getting
with my old CRT T.V. (at least judging from just looking at it in comparison).

So, as best as I can tell, it seems like 140 nits would be considered very bright for a GT50, and might be likely to lead to a higher chance of notable image retention/burn in issues.

Anyone use their set (GT50/ST50) around this brightness without issues (I.R., buzzing, etc.)?

Thanks;

> I was in your same situation, more or less, just before Christmas.

Thanks.

Can you say how the brightness is compared to what you used to have on your old CRT? Is the GT50 about the same as you used to have?

When I first got my old TV I remember using a DVD (whose name escapes me, but came with an optical filter) to set up the various color/brightness/contrast settings. At the time, this resulted in a relatively dimmer (but better) picture than it initially came with.

I wasn't sure if I would have to go further dimmer if I get the GT50.

> I've read reviewers were not able to hit their target 40fL and got about 30fl?

I would think that this meant that the peak white level they could achieve was only 30 'Foot-Lamberts' of light intensity (instead of the 40 they were trying to achieve). (This should be about 103 cd/m^2 measured on that scale).