AVS Roundup of the Best-Reviewed Flat Panel TVs of 2012 - Page 4

I do too.

87% of the time.

LOL......sorry. Completely by accident----I orignally had "the OP", but decided to put your name down. {forehead slap}


Sure. Not a surprise at all, like I said.



And also better than their first tries. It mystifies me a bit frankly as to how they [LG] got rid of the scanline[y] look, given the every-other line nature of this variant of passive.....I read some 3rd hand reports as to what they did.....but my imaging background argues with it. But not my eyes.

My sincere hope is that Sony's R550A line has as smooth a rendition of passive. LG managed to make the 3D clean at amazing angles (though their general PQ suffers off-angle, if you understand my clumsy wording), and even vertically on the LM7600 I couldn't get the technique to crosstalk until far further than I thought possible. Really good. To me the sony VA panels somehow have the magic dust of wonderful off-angle viewing *exceding the 2012 IPS implementations substantially* and I hope hope hope hope HOPE that they nail both these techs for the R550A line for sensible (2K) prices.
Edited by tgm1024 - 3/3/13 at 12:25pm

The whole concept of TV's for "dark room only" watching is silly. If my room was dark all the time why would I get TV in the first place, no matter how good? That's what projectors are for.
I can only think of one reason why I haven't got VT50- and that is mirror-like screen. So instead of I got ET5. Even ET5 produces some reflections- I don't want even to think about having VT50 in my room. It would drive me nuts.

TV makers should seriously consider adding some sort of ant-glare feature. The screens on new iMacs show that it can be done.
Edited by giedrys - 3/3/13 at 7:54am

Scott - love having you here to share your reviews and inputs. Been watching you for a while on Leo's show. Just got the last Elite 70" from BB in the Denver Area. The fact that it is in my family room and I can not control the light makes this TV a superstar.

Plasmas aren't for dark rooms only, that's just the setting in which they look their best. Dark rooms are where virtually every TV--including LED--looks its best. And all plasma makers do have anti-glare features. Some are better than others. i'm typing this on a new iMac and its anti-glare LED screen isn't any better than my 5 year old Samsung plasma screen which is worse than what you'll find on today's Panasonics.
Edited by repete66211 - 3/4/13 at 6:23am

No doubt and the better LCDs aren't just for daytime bright light viewing Some can look spectacular in a dark room. I sat down and watched Twilight Saga Part 2 with nothing but two candles burning in the room. What awesome pic quality. The forest and night scenes with that great contrast ratio is spectacular.

Rick

Congrads It's a spectacular display and the size makes it even better.

I am bummed to see yet another high-end display discontinued as should anyone that appreciates a great picture be it plasma or LCD. What a shame .

I am glad I bought the Elite. I won't need to fuss now until a 75 or 80 OLED or 4k LCD comes along. Can't go backward in size that would be impossible for me. I won't even have to say wait as its nice to sit down and be content and enjoy the movies again.

Enjoy your display. It is one of the best yet. I hope Sharp does not abandon this segment completely. Perhaps things will turn around in a couple of years and the Elite 2 will be better and badder than ever.

Just to hate see another top-tier set be killed.

Rick

Abt Tv is offering the Panasonic TCP65S60 plasma for $1799. Does this model plasma offer the " Panasonic flagship picture quality?" If not, what is the lowest cost Panasonic plasma that does?

I don't believe anyone has conducted any sort of comparisons in Panasonic's new models but the ZT60 is Panasonic's flagship in 2013. It's not due for release until the end of May so it may be a while before we see any comparisons. The VT60 is next in line, followed by the ST60 and the S60. The manufacturer's website isn't always accurate or up to date, but a comparison between the ST and S models indicates there are a few differences. Although since it says the S weighs more than twice as much as the ST I think you should take some of the data on that site with a grain of salt. What you could probably count on is the S is 2D only, lacks some of the features found on higher models (i.e. fewer HDMI ports) and has a picture quality perhaps as good as but no better than the ST60.

I took the plunge because I did not see any tv in the q coming down the road that was close in performance and price. I think Sharp has decided to specialize in the 4K technology like everyone else and the price will take a few years to get down into US$7-8K region for 70"

I suspect that OLED will be like the old plasmas with the issue of the display dimming to 50% brightness after a few years. That technology always seems to be several years away. On the other hand it probably offers the best performance future - ignoring the cost, manufacturing issues, and reliability

agreed ..

Well, the ZT60 should be half as much (but only 65" unfortunately) and while the blacks may not be as deep, the viewing angles will be an improvement (not important of course if there are only 1 or 2 in your household who watch everything at approx 90 degrees).

Looks like there aren't that many well reviewed 70" panels? Other than the Vizio and Sharp Elite, which are options at the extreme ends of one's budget. As someone who's looking to upgrade from 55" to 70", it's a little disappointing.

Okay

How is the color decoding on some of these panels, esp. the Pannies? I'm not a fan of green (or red, or blue) push. 

 

My 2002 Sony CRT has some great features in service mode for fixing decoding issues, including red-only, green-only and blue-only modes, so no color filters are needed. And after a few relatively easy tweaks, it's color, hue and decoding adjustments are flawless. It also has nice inky blacks.

 

Hopefully these panels are either close to the same accuracy out of the box, or include similar features to correctly dial in color, hue and other decoder settings?

Edited by ADU - 3/5/13 at 6:22pm

I agree.
Our plasmas Samsung PN64D550 produces absolutely great colors, stunning contrast & sharpness, and last but not least, impressive up-convert 3D pictures. I wouldn't count on plasmas TV's are to be gone anytime soon.

I think I've asked this before, but for whatever reason I don't remember ever getting a clear answer:

What happens to these 4K 3D passive TVs once we get real 4K content in 3D (e.g. 3D Blu-Ray 4K)? Won't it just truncate the resolution like current 1080p passive sets do on 1080p 3D content?

I'm not sure what you mean by "real 4K content in 3D", but yes, the nature of passive 3D currently is to half the vertical resolution. So the UHD-3D will be 3840x1080. Which, by the way, is likely to be spectacular if done as well as LG did with their 1920x540 passive sets.

Yeah, I figured. I'm not a huge fan of current passive tech. It looks decent to me, but I can still see scan lines. Granted passive 3D on the 84" Sony looks grand...just not feeling it on 1080 sets

About to roll up on a year with my Panasonic 60" ST50. No regrets at all. After almost a year with the set I'm still in awe every time we watch a movie. Can't say I had the same feelings after buying the Samsung LNT4671f it replaced. I hated that TV within weeks of purchase, too late to return.

This should be sticky status. Fine job Scott.

Just about pulled the trigger on a VT50 thanks to this! Just going to wait a tiny bit longer to see if a VT60 is worth the extra cost, or if it makes the VT50 prices plummet even further. I guess the VT60 is supposed to help with improved motion tracking to address the blurriness some have reported on fast camera pans etc. Of course I'm sure either could blow my 6 year old Westinghouse LCD out of the water many times over.

I've been to Best Buy multiple times to compare the Panasonic VT50 and the Sony 950 (55) and the Sony just seems clearer. I know BB is not the best place to audition TV's but IMO the difference between the two is significant. Almost everyone here prefers the Panasonic Plasma but my vote goes to the Sony, to be honest I keep asking myself what am I missing because from Consumer Reports to the AVS users almost all prefer the Panasonic.

.

Well, how close are you viewing the sets? Dithering from the Panasonic may be affecting your impression.

I don't know enough about dithering to say that's the cause, it just seems to lack the rich colors of the Sony. The BB in Mission Viejo CA has the Panasonic display model in the least optimal viewing position for sure. I may try another BB for comparison.

don't forget to check you off angle viewing. the panny should have no issues with it, but the sony sure does.

That's a separate problem then concerning color (what you perceive as rich on the Sony might actually be oversaturated and wouldn't look as fantastic in the home setting). Dithering is visible noise in the picture, not typically noticeable from standard viewing distances (or even those conservative recommendations by THX).

Update:

Got a chance to see the Panasonic one grade below the VT50 at another BB. Clearly more vibrant and noticeably better in a side by side comparison with the Sony 950 using a Blu ray as source material. Still need to compare IQ on both HD & SD cable. Now it makes sense considering the $1000 difference in price.

.

I am approaching one year of ownership of my Panasonic 55ST50 and enjoying every minute I spend watching this set. Best purchase I ever made! Can't wait to try out Life of Pi this week. I previously had an entry level Samsung plasma and while happy with that one, this one leaps miles ahead in terms of picture quality and customer satisfaction. I did purchase it when the set first came out, and paid more than I was expecting to, but it has proven to be a good investment in the long run. I also wanted the 50 inch set but there were none in stock and had to jump up to the 55. HD satellite, blu-ray, dvd and media player all work well and provide a great picture. I will continue to stick with plasma displays for my main viewing.