[nathanbrand]

Let me start out saying that this is a pet peeve of mine, but I'll never understand why display manufacturers, in this case Panasonic, insist on using any color other than black for their display frames. The hallmark Pioneer Kuro had the right idea.The frame should be a deep, dark black. If these manufacturers truly cared about the customer experience they wouldn't even brand their company name on the front of the set, but put it on the back somewhere, or have it as removable transparent tape, like the features list. To me the whole thing is nothing but a poorly, conceived gimmick aimed at the uneducated consumer. End of rant

With that being said the TV I'm speaking of is the Panasonic TC-P50ST60. This display seems to be an excellent mix of features and value, but I'm not sure I can get beyond the reflective, pseudo-chrome plastic that borders the frame of the TV. They might as well have put a mirror around the display. I went and checked it out yesterday to see if there was any way to remove it without breaking the set, but it doesn't appear likely. Does anyone know if this is possible? I was hoping I would find some small screws somewhere, but no luck. It may just pop out given enough pressure, but I don't want to learn the hard way that it doesn't. I'm thinking that repair techs may need to remove it to service the internal parts.


Another thought I had was to cover it in black marker, but I'm guessing that may look worse. I could also try to cover the entire set in newspaper, besides the chrome border and spray paint it, but that would make me a little nervous about the paint sneaking into some place it doesn't belong.


Ideally, I'd just like the option to remove it, but, barring that, and not just buying a different TV all together, does anyone have any other suggestions....?

 

[crn3371]

I don't even notice it on mine. At night it's a total non issue. During the day, the shiny black bezel is more reflective than the chrome trim. Either live with it, or buy a different display as I would think anything you'd do would end up looking worse.

 

[jmck]

This will do the trick, on the shiny edges of the TV and on many other things as well. It makes reflective, eye-catching surfaces disappear, goes on perfectly and comes off years later without a trace. Indispensable... Hope this helps...

http://www.amazon.com/Shurtape-CP-743-Matte-Black-Permacel/dp/B000QC8HIE


Available in narrower widths too.

 

[Ph8te]

The safest option is to either live with it or buy a different set......

 

[steel]

If you can actually disassemble that part of the frame and remove it, I'd recommend just coating it in plasti-dip.

 

[montana girl]

Hey Nathan, I agree with you 100%. I hate the silver bezels, stands, etc., they are just too reflective, too gaudy. I love the matte black around my current TV, there are absolutely no reflections anywhere. I have even wrote emails to some of the company's about this but never heard back from them. The new Samsung F8500 is the closest thing to matte and it's the first TV in a while that I like the looks of. Maybe they really did read my email.

I looked into covering the silver up also, somewhere I read that you could use auto pinstriping but I never really looked into it any further. It would be nice if we could have a choice of either black or silver bezels and stands. Maybe they would sell more TV's if the consumer had a little more input and choices into what we wanted.

 

[Omni009]

My wife said something similar when she saw the ST60 LOL...


"That's it?...It looks like they put aluminum foil all around the outside"

 

[CruelInventions]



Quote:
Originally Posted by montana girl  /t/1468978/looking-for-suggestions-...-otherwise-quality-display/0_60#post_23223648


Hey Nathan, I agree with you 100%. I hate the silver bezels, stands, etc., they are just too reflective, too gaudy.

Not in love with silver bezels either but I'm even less enamored of the dominant cheap black glossy frames too. So tacky, reminds me of so much of the "modern" Italian furniture of the 80's and 90's (maybe even still). The glossy black frames look so out of place in so many living rooms. People lap them up though. Gotta be why 95% of manufacturers favor that style of frame design.


Also not a fan of wide frames, like those used on the Pioneer Kuros of the past. I prefer minimalism. Slender borders, like the professional/industrial panels that used to be the popular choice around here back a few years ago.

Quote:
Originally Posted by montana girl  /t/1468978/looking-for-suggestions-...-otherwise-quality-display/0_60#post_23223648


The new Samsung F8500 is the closest thing to matte and it's the first TV in a while that I like the looks of.

Yes, now that's (finally!) more like it. Haven't seen it in person yet, but from pictures it looks subtle and minimalistic. Dignified, classy. Doesn't draw attention to itself and will blend in better with most rooms than the loud and cheesy-looking glossy black frames.

 

[sawfish]



Quote:
Originally Posted by CruelInventions  /t/1468978/looking-for-suggestions-...on-an-otherwise-quality-display#post_23224195


Yes, now that's (finally!) more like it. Haven't seen it in person yet, but from pictures it looks subtle and minimalistic. Dignified, classy. Doesn't draw attention to itself and will blend in better with most rooms than the loud and cheesy-looking glossy black frames.

Pity about the absurd stand, though. Samsung really is out-failing themselves each year when it comes to stand design.

 

[RandyWalters]

Before i bought my GT50 i was very concerned that the silver surround would distract me, but it's pretty much invisible when watching TV at night and it looks good when the TV is off. The ST60's silver surround is very similar to my GT50's.


Model Airplane Hobby Shops (and Auto Parts Stores) sell black adhesive pinstripe tape that works well on that silver trim. It's available in 1/4" or 1/8" widths. I briefly applied some around the perimeter of my GT50 and it covered the trim well and looked great, but after a few weeks i went back to the silver trim look and i like it better. If you use this, just take your time while appling it straight and don't stretch it too much when pulling it off the roll nor when laying a length along the trim. If you take your time you can apply it perfectly straight along the edge, and wrap it around the edges as you go.

 

[openwheelracing]

The chrome surround was an issue. At Sears my fiance insisted that we get the S60 instead because she thought the chrome surround was too shiny. We got the ST60 set up and the surround is very subtle and now she loves it. She will forever allow me to choose electronics muahahaha.

 

[Moonchilde]

99% of the time I don't even notice the silver trim. What i notice more is the glossy black, which I feel should be matte instead, like the Sony CRT's of yesterday.

 

[CruelInventions]



Quote:
Originally Posted by sawfish  /t/1468978/looking-for-suggestions-...-otherwise-quality-display/0_60#post_23224206


Pity about the absurd stand, though. Samsung really is out-failing themselves each year when it comes to stand design.

Yea, I'm not so sure about that stand yet. I'll have to see it in person. From pictures, I'm not crazy about it.

 

[nathanbrand]

OK, I'm going to pick one up and give it a shot. I'm going to keep repeating to myself that "This cheapo, silver bezel is a good thing.This cheapo silver, bezel is a good thing...." And see how it goes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters  /t/1468978/looking-for-suggestions-...on-an-otherwise-quality-display#post_23224250


Before i bought my GT50 i was very concerned that the silver surround would distract me, but it's pretty much invisible when watching TV at night and it looks good when the TV is off. The ST60's silver surround is very similar to my GT50's.


Model Airplane Hobby Shops (and Auto Parts Stores) sell black adhesive pinstripe tape that works well on that silver trim. It's available in 1/4" or 1/8" widths. I briefly applied some around the perimeter of my GT50 and it covered the trim well and looked great, but after a few weeks i went back to the silver trim look and i like it better. If you use this, just take your time while appling it straight and don't stretch it too much when pulling it off the roll nor when laying a length along the trim. If you take your time you can apply it perfectly straight along the edge, and wrap it around the edges as you go.

Randy, I knew that there had to be others out there that felt the same way and would actually try and do something about it.

A few questions: Did you end up going with 1/4" or 1/8?" Did you have the TV on its stand and vertical when applying the pin-striping, or did you lay it on the floor? Do you know if the pin-striping is in danger of melting from the heat generated by the display?


Also, if you ever took any photos of how it looked with the pin-striping, it would be great to see them.


Thanks, -- NB

 

[ThrowingChicken]

If push came to shove I suppose you could build your own frame out of slats of wood. Then you could paint or stain it whatever you like.


Personally I wish they'd do edge to edge glass like the iPhone 4-5. It would still have a boarder but it wouldn't pop up like a frame.

 

[sawfish]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ThrowingChicken  /t/1468978/looking-for-suggestions-...on-an-otherwise-quality-display#post_23226088


Personally I wish they'd do edge to edge glass like the iPhone 4-5. It would still have a boarder but it wouldn't pop up like a frame.

You would have liked the Sony HX850, which had just about the perfect physical design. Too bad that was the only thing right about that set.

 

[wilma]

I couldn't agree with you more. We've wanted a Panasonic plasma for quite a while, but we just can't accept the fact that their cosmetic design is horrible. Over the years the wide glossy black bezels with acrylic and chrome accents have been absolutely hideous. Why can't they just provide a simple narrow matte black bezel and be done with it?


We just came back from checking out the S60 and ST60 at our local Sears and Best Buy. Of the two, the S60 is less annoying since it only has the chrome at the top and bottom. However it's as thick as a loaf of bread, which is ridiculous in this day and age. The ST60 was relatively thin (for a plasma), but the chrome surround was a real show stopper. The engineers did their job and produced wonderful displays with excellent PQ, but the product managers ruined it with their yearly fashion statement. Very disappointing.

 

[openwheelracing]

The chrome accent is not that shiny in our house. It acrually look very nice according to my fiance who is not easily impressed. It was very annoying on the show floor though.

 

[vic_0002]



Quote:
Originally Posted by wilma  /t/1468978/looking-for-suggestions-...on-an-otherwise-quality-display#post_23229205


I couldn't agree with you more. We've wanted a Panasonic plasma for quite a while, but we just can't accept the fact that their cosmetic design is horrible. Over the years the wide glossy black bezels with acrylic and chrome accents have been absolutely hideous. Why can't they just provide a simple narrow matte black bezel and be done with it?


We just came back from checking out the S60 and ST60 at our local Sears and Best Buy. Of the two, the S60 is less annoying since it only has the chrome at the top and bottom. However it's as thick as a loaf of bread, which is ridiculous in this day and age. The ST60 was relatively thin (for a plasma), but the chrome surround was a real show stopper. The engineers did their job and produced wonderful displays with excellent PQ, but the product managers ruined it with their yearly fashion statement. Very disappointing.

I agree totally...


I know picture quality is the #1 concern but when you're spending (what is to me anyway) a large sum of money you want to feel good about the entire product... I especially dislike the VT and ZT v-shaped chrome stands this year. The ST series would have been perfect if not for that cheap-looking silver strip around the entire bezel.


For me, the X60 is the best looking Panasonic TV this year... simple and no-nonsense.

 

[montana girl]

Maybe everybody should email them and let them know that they don't like the silver, it may help. I did email several of them and told them they needed women to design their TV's

I honestly think I could come up with a really nice design by keeping it simple but elegant, matte black of course.