Another TX-P50GT50 thread....Is there anyone happy with the TV?

[garybazza]

Hi all, ive been planning on buying a new TV for a while now to replace my 5 year old Panasonic plasma. Now the 50GT50 can be bought for £799 im almost ready to part with my cash, only thing holding me back at the moment is the problems that people on here have been reporting.

Just wondering if anybody on here is happy with theirs? Like alot of forums i guess you read alot more about the problems people experience than you do with people that are happy.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I'll say to you, what I said to a guy in John Lewis yesterday. For £800, it's hard to beat, but if you want perfection, it's not perfect.

The dse problem on the right hand side of the screen does exist, and is most noticeable during football.

Image retention is also a problem, especially with some of the bold channel logos that are on Sky. I've had my GT for 4 months now, and IR is still a problem, with the Sky Sports logo and game score staying visible for a few hours on light backgrounds.

Some have complained about buzzing, though I personally have had no problem with this.

If you have kids, or you are a gamer, I'd stay clear. If you can use it carefully, then it's definitely worth considering, and though it's not perfect, it's possibly as close as you'll get for a 50" under £800.

 

[strapped for cash]

Hi all, ive been planning on buying a new TV for a while now to replace my 5 year old Panasonic plasma. Now the 50GT50 can be bought for £799 im almost ready to part with my cash, only thing holding me back at the moment is the problems that people on here have been reporting.

Just wondering if anybody on here is happy with theirs? Like alot of forums i guess you read alot more about the problems people experience than you do with people that are happy.

I understand the temptation to jump in. I did exactly that and suffered four months of TV hell as a consequence. The vertical banding issue with the GT50 is widespread. I had three GT50s and each was affected to the same extent. Some may disagree, but I'd advise against buying a GT50, even at that price.

In your situation I'd wait a few months, save a bit more, and think about the GT60. The 50GT60 is already available for £1,249. I'm betting it'll be available for £1,100 or less by June. The VT65 seems to right all the previous generation Panasonic plasma's wrongs. Hopefully the same is true of the GT60.

There's some logic and research behind this advice. This year's budget Panasonic 3D plasma, the ST60, uses the same panel as last year's GT50 and VT50. User reports from the US and UK state that the ST60 has the same vertical banding. The GT60 uses the same panel as the VT65 (with a few differences), while reviewers report no problems with screen uniformity. Reviews don't guarantee anything; and it'd be wise to see how the GT60 performs in the wild. Nevertheless, I still consider the GT60 a safer bet.

Sorry if that complicates things. I'm simply being as honest as I can.

 

[garybazza]

Thanks to you both for the feedback. I think you have both confirmed really what my head is saying, and that is to wait and buy the GT60 if all turns out fine with the TV. I have been reading about the problems you have had Strapped and it did seem a nightmare for you!

I have always told myself that i wont pay over £1000 for a TV no matter how good it is (it was only the problems of the GT50 that stopped me buying it when in came down to £999 just before christmas) I would like a full HD TV asap so I think i may be able to layout another £300 if the the GT60 is better!!

Thanks again

 

[Robert090273]

Hi Garry,

The GT60 is worth the extra cash. Trust me I have been a GT50 owner & GT60 the 60 is well worth the extra money as it has none of the problems which I had with the GT50 visible on the GT60.

Good Luck

Robert

 

[garybazza]

I really do appreciate all of your advices about the GT50 and thank you for taking the time out to reply........but i have ordered one today :doh: My old chap used to say i never listen, really dont know what he is on about!!

The way i see it is the worst thing that can happen is i will need to return it if anything is wrong, get a refund and go back to the current TV i have. JL said that i have upto 90 days to return the TV if im not completly happy with it........plus they have agreed to price match it for £720, so in my eyes its worth a trial i think.

 

[GSB]

I have the 2011 model.the gt30 and have had no problems whatsoever,so fingers crossed for you mate

My only advice is to make sure the brightness and contrast are below half way for the first few hundred hours,pixel orbitor set to on,cats turned off,then get a calibration disk(£30)and you ''should''be amazed at the pq you have

 

[garybazza]

Thanks for your advice GSB. Should be delivered tomorrow so time will tell if i will keep it if all is good, or get a refund if any problems arise.

 

[simonali]

Pick mine up on Monday. I'll be more than happy with it, as I'm being given it for nothing!

 

[garybazza]

Just a quick update.

Well ive had my TV for a couple of days and every time i turn it on i cant help but smile. PQ is night and day compared to my 5 year old HD Ready 42PX80. Although i had a demo in the shop and i was happy with PQ,i really wasnt expecting the HD chanels to look so much better at home then in the shop!

As for blu rays.....i cant wait to re watch them all!

Media server does exactly what i wanted it to and the swipe and share is a added bonus, especialy when you can swipe the chanel you are watching on the in built tuners onto to your tablet.

Have to admit though the TV does buzz on some pictures (bright/white) which i can hear from 3m away, although it dosent really bother me to much at the moment, im hoping my ears will adapt to it so i want hear it as much in time.

Hopefully i wont be on here in the coming weeks to say that my TV has bad DSE......

At this moment in time (early days i know) i am happy with the TV and hope it long continues

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

On top of all my other problems, the DSE on my GT50 is getting noticeably worse.

The banding was initially just on the right hand side, it's now right across the screen, and I can no longer live with it.

Once the cartidge problem is sorted one way or another (hopefully within the week), I will be ringing John Lewis to either replace the tv, or fix it.

Message to Strapped.

If JL do grant me an exchange, do you think it's worth exchanging for the VT65 and paying the extra?

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

On top of all my other problems, the DSE on my GT50 is getting noticeably worse.

The banding was initially just on the right hand side, it's now right across the screen, and I can no longer live with it.

Once the cartidge problem is sorted one way or another (hopefully within the week), I will be ringing John Lewis to either replace the tv, or fix it.

Message to Strapped.

If JL do grant me an exchange, do you think it's worth exchanging for the VT65 and paying the extra?

Strapped?

 

[Deleted member 2457]

How much did you pay BBB? I think you said £1000, so you are looking at least £470 more if you manage a price match. Probably worth it. I paid £1250 for mine (I think).

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Richer Sounds Milton Keynes now have the Panasonic 50VT65 on demo and it looks nice. The pictures in there were all very good for a change, they must have sorted themselves out.

 

[strapped for cash]

If JL do grant me an exchange, do you think it's worth exchanging for the VT65 and paying the extra?

Hi BBB,

Sorry to hear things haven't improved.

It's a much better TV, but it's not perfect. I have no issues with DSE/banding on the VT65. Straight out of the box there was one subtle right hand band, but this has now vanished completely.

The fan noise is a bit annoying; and my VT65 has very a minor screen uniformity issue, namely a subtle cyan tint toward the left edge. This is rarely visible. I can only see it on menu screens and in less than one percent of actual viewing. Compared with the banding on the GT50, this is a small issue.

Panasonic has developed a "foam fix" for the fan noise. A series of foam strips are installed around the fans, though there are mixed reports as to how effective this is. I haven't had the fix installed and I'm wondering whether it'll be worth it.

All that said, the VT65 produces a better picture than the GT50. You'll certainly notice the improvement, in depth and detail especially. I'm still blown away by how good the picture is, particularly after professional calibration.

In short, I'd say yes, it's worth the extra; and I'm far happier with the VT65 than the GT50, even if there are minor caveats to that statement. And if you get Gel on the case, I'm sure you'll find the best possible price match!

You might look at the F8500, too. Alternatively, you could cut your losses and ask JL for a refund, even if this means losing a bit of money. You could then consider the GT60, which has no fans.

Hope that's some help.

 

[theflyingwasp]

Had the gt50 since last feb never no probs getting it calibrated for the bedroom in October ,this TV is causing many problems for people ,if I had to return a set twice I would just get a different make the third time.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

If JL do grant me an exchange, do you think it's worth exchanging for the VT65 and paying the extra?

Hi BBB,

Sorry to hear things haven't improved.

It's a much better TV, but it's not perfect. I have no issues with DSE/banding on the VT65. Straight out of the box there was one subtle right hand band, but this has now vanished completely.

The fan noise is a bit annoying; and my VT65 has very a minor screen uniformity issue, namely a subtle cyan tint toward the left edge. This is rarely visible. I can only see it on menu screens and in less than one percent of actual viewing. Compared with the banding on the GT50, this is a small issue.

Panasonic has developed a "foam fix" for the fan noise. A series of foam strips are installed around the fans, though there are mixed reports as to how effective this is. I haven't had the fix installed and I'm wondering whether it'll be worth it.

All that said, the VT65 produces a better picture than the GT50. You'll certainly notice the improvement, in depth and detail especially. I'm still blown away by how good the picture is, particularly after professional calibration.

In short, I'd say yes, it's worth the extra; and I'm far happier with the VT65 than the GT50, even if there are minor caveats to that statement. And if you get Gel on the case, I'm sure you'll find the best possible price match!

You might look at the F8500, too. Alternatively, you could cut your losses and ask JL for a refund, even if this means losing a bit of money. You could then consider the GT60, which has no fans.

Hope that's some help.

Thanks for all the info Strapped. I'd like to start the ball rolling with JL now, but I'll be working away from the 23rd, so the chances of getting it all sorted before then are remote, so I'll have to wait until the London job is finished.

I won't be able to do anything before the beginning of November at the earliest, but if I can get JL to agree to an exchange within a few months of starting the ball rolling, there may well be some deals on the VT, so it could cost a little less than it would now.

The aim is an exchange, but I'll certainly not push for one until I've given JL the chance to sort the GT out.

From some info gained on another thread, I understand that it'll be best to report my problem within the first year of ownership, so this is what I'll be doing.

Thanks again Strapped

 

[strapped for cash]

In response to your post on the other thread, BBB, I've had a similar problem with my VT65, namely a subtle cyan tint toward the left edge and an occasional rose tint toward the middle of the screen.

I veer between thinking the problem is improving and getting worse, which probably means it hasn't changed and is more noticeable when viewing certain types of content.

I haven't done anything about this for two reasons:

1) I'm really busy and TV problems haven't been top of my list of priorities.

2) I'd need to sure that I'd be happier with another TV. (Experience has taught me that a replacement Panasonic leads to more of the same; and I'm done playing that game.)

Given the choice, I'd have my V20 back (which had perfect screen uniformity) and a full refund on the VT65. I'd have a TV without obvious problems and my bank balance would be healthier.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

It's so frustrating isn't it, and I just know that the guy I sold my Kuro too is still happy as Larry.

He'd had a Kuro, sold it, bought a Pana (I think), then hated it, and bought my Kuro. I should have known.

I don't have a major problem with the restricted viewing angles of leds, so as long as I can find one without any light bleed, I'd be happy, though the F8500 does look like an alternative choice, though not cheap.

Right, off to work for the week now.

 

[strapped for cash]

Right, off to work for the week now.

You have my sympathies. If I can think of anything more useful or inspiring to contribute, I'll let you know.