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Official Panasonic S60 Series Discussion Thread - Page 2

post #31 of 1711
3/9/13 at 9:21am
The S60 50 inch is 729 at best buy....Had 80 bucks in Reward Zone points so I got it for around 650....The blacks wash out in a bright room but watching at night produces a better pic than the ST50, the panel is brighter by a wide margin than the ST from last year...
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post #32 of 1711
3/9/13 at 9:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lestat Phoenix View Post

The S60 50 inch is 729 at best buy....Had 80 bucks in Reward Zone points so I got it for around 650....The blacks wash out in a bright room but watching at night produces a better pic than the ST50, the panel is brighter by a wide margin than the ST from last year...
Just curious. Does the red LED power light still come on when the tv is on and go off when the tv is off?
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post #33 of 1711
3/9/13 at 9:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bond 007 View Post

Just curious. Does the red LED power light still come on when the tv is on and go off when the tv is off?

Yes, off when TV is off On when On..
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post #34 of 1711
3/9/13 at 9:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lestat Phoenix View Post

Yes, off when TV is off On when On..
Wow! mad.gif Thanks.
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post #35 of 1711
3/9/13 at 10:04am
No problem...
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post #36 of 1711
3/9/13 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lestat Phoenix View Post

The S60 50 inch is 729 at best buy....Had 80 bucks in Reward Zone points so I got it for around 650....The blacks wash out in a bright room but watching at night produces a better pic than the ST50, the panel is brighter by a wide margin than the ST from last year...


Brighter in cinema or custom mode? The thing with my previous panny 2012 X5,
is that the auto dimming would kick in at about 10 minutes whenever i would game in Game mode(then again, this happens
in every other mode as well) and that superior brightness and color gamut which it has over the 2011 S30
would completely vanish. It sucked half the brightness out of the picture basically which also dramaticly effected
the color...My S30 looks even brighter and more colorful once IT'S Auto dimming kicks in. I'ts nowhere near as agressive as the 2012 models...
It's like you get this 10 minute tease of a brighter & more colorful picture, but it fades and you're left with dull/uncolorful picture.
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post #37 of 1711
3/9/13 at 1:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaveBoy View Post

Brighter in cinema or custom mode? The thing with my previous panny 2012 X5,
is that the auto dimming would kick in at about 10 minutes whenever i would game in Game mode(then again, this happens
in every other mode as well) and that superior brightness and color gamut which it has over the 2011 S30
would completely vanish. It sucked half the brightness out of the picture basically which also dramaticly effected
the color...My S30 looks even brighter and more colorful once IT'S Auto dimming kicks in. I'ts nowhere near as agressive as the 2012 models...
It's like you get this 10 minute tease of a brighter & more colorful picture, but it fades and you're left with dull/uncolorful picture.

Can you elaborate on this? I'm new to plasma tech and considering buying one, and this is the first I've head of this particular weirdness. Why on earth would a TV display video "normally" for 10 minutes and then dim it, ruining the picture thereafter, throwing calibration out the window, etc?
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post #38 of 1711
3/9/13 at 2:17pm
Does anybody know why Amazons prices are so high on the new S60 models?
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post #39 of 1711
3/9/13 at 2:40pm
Hey guys i know i just registered but i've used this site as my go to audio video solution for years. Thought I'd let you know I just had my PO box call and they received my P65S60 yesterday. It looks like it is gonna be the best bang for your buck. I got it through the EPP link someone on here posted through RUSH medical university. I paid $1440 plus tax. Came to $1560 with shipping for 65" panny. Picking it up this week and bringing her back across the boarder (Toronto) smile.gif I'll let you guys know how she looks.

FYI Buying a TV through Panny's website is a royal pain the the A@@
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post #40 of 1711
3/10/13 at 3:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sawfish View Post

Can you elaborate on this? I'm new to plasma tech and considering buying one, and this is the first I've head of this particular weirdness. Why on earth would a TV display video "normally" for 10 minutes and then dim it, ruining the picture thereafter, throwing calibration out the window, etc?

I guess it's just inherent to the technology, with some models being less noticable than others. There should at least be an option to turn it off in the menu, OR the service menu. I"m guessing the ABL is a way to extend A Plasmas life?...Still,
it's extremely annoying....Maybe the 2013 models aren't as harsh, but i wouldn't hold my breath. My S30 is a lot less noticable, the dimming happens, But the X5's is easily 3x worse.
Edited by WaveBoy - 3/10/13 at 6:12am
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post #41 of 1711
3/10/13 at 6:51am
Anyone know if Best Buy will sell the 42" S60?
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post #42 of 1711
3/10/13 at 8:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mnc View Post

Anyone know if Best Buy will sell the 42" S60?

I seem to remember AVJ saying the 42 incher won't be available in-store, but they might offer it online.
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post #43 of 1711
3/10/13 at 8:56am
Thanks, I hope so. If not, I guess Amazon has it.
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post #44 of 1711
3/10/13 at 3:54pm
Still looking for an answer or any help understanding my earlier question "Posted on the other thread for when s60s start shipping, figured I should post here instead.

Looking at the eHelp pdf posted above. According to wikipedia, Panasonic calls it's motion interpolation "Intelligent Frame Creation (IFC)" but I don't see any reference to that in the s60 eHelp.

I see under advanced picture you can select 24p Direct, which I suppose works if watching Bluray films but what about DVD or non hi-def TV/movies?"

Does this TV have IFC? Can it be turned off? Is smoothing going to be an issue?

And now this question about the screen automatically dimming? Can anyone else speak to this feature? I'm pretty confidant I'd never want to watch a TV where dimness changes on it's own.
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post #45 of 1711
3/10/13 at 4:14pm
The auto dimming can be disabled.
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post #46 of 1711
3/10/13 at 4:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bond 007 View Post

The auto dimming can be disabled.

Huh? eek.gif

Aren't they talking about the ABL? Which of course can't be disabled.
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post #47 of 1711
3/10/13 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Widmark View Post

Still looking for an answer or any help understanding my earlier question "Posted on the other thread for when s60s start shipping, figured I should post here instead.

Looking at the eHelp pdf posted above. According to wikipedia, Panasonic calls it's motion interpolation "Intelligent Frame Creation (IFC)" but I don't see any reference to that in the s60 eHelp.

I see under advanced picture you can select 24p Direct, which I suppose works if watching Bluray films but what about DVD or non hi-def TV/movies?"

Does this TV have IFC? Can it be turned off? Is smoothing going to be an issue?

And now this question about the screen automatically dimming? Can anyone else speak to this feature? I'm pretty confidant I'd never want to watch a TV where dimness changes on it's own.

Motion smoother is completely optional. As for the automatic screen dimming, that's the ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter). It's a built in feature on all plasmas and can't be disabled. Depending on the overall brightness output of the screen, it will decrease the total light output. It's most noticeable on a full white screen, but it shouldn't have much of an impact on normal viewing.

Here's an example of the ABL.
Edited by JSpectre88 - 3/10/13 at 4:45pm
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post #48 of 1711
3/10/13 at 5:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSpectre88 View Post

Huh? eek.gif

Aren't they talking about the ABL? Which of course can't be disabled.
I dont know. I just read it quickly and thought of the CATS option.
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post #49 of 1711
3/10/13 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSpectre88 View Post

Motion smoother is completely optional. As for the automatic screen dimming, that's the ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter). It's a built in feature on all plasmas and can't be disabled. Depending on the overall brightness output of the screen, it will decrease the total light output. It's most noticeable on a full white screen, but it shouldn't have much of an impact on normal viewing.

Here's an example of the ABL.

I didn't see where to disable motion smoother in the S60 eHelp as posted above. Does it use a different name?

Auto dimming sounds terrible. What if you are watching a movie with a bright white scene? People put up with that as a necessary feature?
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post #50 of 1711
3/10/13 at 5:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lestat Phoenix View Post

The S60 50 inch is 729 at best buy....Had 80 bucks in Reward Zone points so I got it for around 650....The blacks wash out in a bright room but watching at night produces a better pic than the ST50, the panel is brighter by a wide margin than the ST from last year...

Great news if indeed the S60 produces a better picture then the ST50
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post #51 of 1711
3/10/13 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Widmark View Post

I didn't see where to disable motion smoother in the S60 eHelp as posted above. Does it use a different name?

Auto dimming sounds terrible. What if you are watching a movie with a bright white scene? People put up with that as a necessary feature?

It would look dimmer to an extent, we have grown accustomed to not having our eye balls scorched out. cool.gif

That's not to say it isn't a limit of the technology however, which it certainly is. However, according to what Lestat is saying, the TV is capable of staying brighter than 2012 models. If that's true it would be a huge plus, since the ABL has been getting progressively worse each year.
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post #52 of 1711
3/10/13 at 6:33pm
MENU INTERFACE QUESTION: I understand they have somewhat updated the menu interface, but ... Have they now provided program info when using an OTA antenna? Not really expecting it, because they historically have not done this in the past, unlike Samsung and LG. But when you press Info on the remote, does it provide the PSIP program description? Or just title like before? Just wondering, thanks.
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post #53 of 1711
3/10/13 at 7:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Widmark View Post

Auto dimming sounds terrible. What if you are watching a movie with a bright white scene? People put up with that as a necessary feature?

It is worrisome to hear about this. ISTR reading lots of complaints about the Panasonic 2011 plasmas, but the problem was said to be fixed with a firmware update. Was this fluctuating brightness issue the same as the "normal" ABL? If so, it would seem Panasonic backed off on it. My experience with LCD sets that dynamically lower the backlight to fake better black levels is that it is incredibly annoying, a showstoppper in fact, and I expect limiting brightness in bright scenes would be similarly annoying.
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post #54 of 1711
3/10/13 at 7:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sawfish View Post

It is worrisome to hear about this. ISTR reading lots of complaints about the Panasonic 2011 plasmas, but the problem was said to be fixed with a firmware update. Was this fluctuating brightness issue the same as the "normal" ABL? If so, it would seem Panasonic backed off on it. My experience with LCD sets that dynamically lower the backlight to fake better black levels is that it is incredibly annoying, a showstoppper in fact, and I expect limiting brightness in bright scenes would be similarly annoying.

Fluctuating brightness is not the same as the ABL. With fluctuating brightness you would actually see the screen get dimmer or brighter a few seconds into a new scene. You don't see the ABL dim the screen, but you are aware that the image you're now seeing is probably not as bright as it should be. It's really not that big of an issue, unless you are used to an LCD screen and demand an all around, overly bright picture. The only time the ABL has ever really bothered me on my GT50 is while watching hockey, but lowering the color temperature fixes that.
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post #55 of 1711
3/10/13 at 8:28pm
Thanks for clearing that up. As long as it isn't like the whole-screen dimming I've seen with some LCDs, or the edge-lit zone-dimming like the Sony HX850, it could be OK. What about floating black levels? Is that a problem with these or other recent sets?
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post #56 of 1711
3/11/13 at 7:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lestat Phoenix View Post

The S60 50 inch is 729 at best buy....Had 80 bucks in Reward Zone points so I got it for around 650....The blacks wash out in a bright room but watching at night produces a better pic than the ST50, the panel is brighter by a wide margin than the ST from last year...

Any noticeable difference in the blacks?
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post #57 of 1711
3/11/13 at 10:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sawfish View Post

Thanks for clearing that up. As long as it isn't like the whole-screen dimming I've seen with some LCDs, or the edge-lit zone-dimming like the Sony HX850, it could be OK. What about floating black levels? Is that a problem with these or other recent sets?

Well, the whole screen does dim, but it happens instantly with the scene change. For the most part it will stay bright enough that you won't notice it unless it's a very bright scene. The point was, that it occurs instantly while fluctuating brightness occurs shortly after the scene change. There's no problem at all with floating blacks. Also, don't discount the fact that the ABL might be superior in the new '13 models.
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post #58 of 1711
3/11/13 at 4:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by savage97 View Post

Does anybody know why Amazons prices are so high on the new S60 models?
It was probably an outside vendor or limited availability. Now that they have them, Amazon's price is the same as others.
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post #59 of 1711
3/11/13 at 4:48pm
Seriously considering picking this up vs the ST60. The only thing that has me wanting the ST60 is the anti-glare filter and the 3d + 2 pairs of glasses. Though I don't know if I can justify paying an extra $300 for the difference if the 2d quality is the same. I can light-control my viewing environment but from time to time I do watch sporting events in the day time with some lighting.
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post #60 of 1711
3/11/13 at 5:00pm
I know the S60 has wireless LAN, can anyone confirm this means we'll have access to apps such as Netflix through the tv?
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