Baffling Pan X10 spec compared to LCD

[admin_exported]

Th Panasonic X10 has a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast and 20,000:1 (normal) contrast.

both a far higher then any LCD and yet i find the whites on the X10 are
"ivory" rather then "brilliant white" as on any LCD besides its.

everyone seems obsessed with blacks, but the only things holding me of buying one is the way "whites" are handled

anyone feel my pain?

 

[D.J.KRIME]

Where have you seen these sets side by side? on a brightly lit shop floor by any chance?

 

[Anonymous]

jayroc2k:Th Panasonic X10 has a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast and 20,000:1 (normal) contrast.

both a far higher then any LCD and yet i find the whites on the X10 are
"ivory" rather then "brilliant white" as on any LCD besides its.

everyone seems obsessed with blacks, but the only things holding me of buying one is the way "whites" are handled

anyone feel my pain?

Well, video white is not brilliant white. Film whites are not brilliant white. White balance levels for video playback are set for mastering and playback at 6500 Kelvin (or D65). If you are seeing brilliant white, you are not seeing the actual picture intended. Think of it like setting a white balance on a video or stills camera. If it is set to 6500K to capture the image, then the right colour for white (and everything else including fine detail and shadow details) can only be seen by replaying at 6500k. Obviously people will just go ahead and set up their TV pictures how they like them, but that's certainly not how they are supposed to be seen, or even accurate to the material. It's a bit like playing back your albums at 45rpm when they should be at 33 1/3.

The reason why this is not widely known or used is that both the general public and press have their own ideas of how things should look and the manufacturers follow suit to offer picture modes that look nothing like they are supposed to (bar a few brands that give a jot about quality). Simples. BTW, the X10 produces an excellent image that is very close to showing images as intended when in Cinema preset and Warm colour temp, with contrast and brightness set correctly for the room.

 

[drummerman]

There's an additional reason that Plasma pixels can not produce the brightness of LCD ones, thus making bright scenes look somewhat more muted. There are exceptions such as Kuro's or Samsung Plasmas, both capable of producing good, relatively 'clean' bright pictures though even they can't compare to an equivelant LCD.

I recently looked at a couple of Samsungs higher end LCD's, one of them an LED/LCD. A latest generation £1400 Panasonic Plasma (the 2'000'000 : 1 claimed contrast ratio you mentioned) in the same location looked dissappointingly lack lustre in comparison despite our attempts to get a clearer picture. It was incapable of reproducing clean whites and even lacked shadow/dark area detail compared to the samsungs. In addition the picture had a very slight yellowish/reddish tint which we could'nt adjust away. I have a good plasma and whilst that particular panasonic is probably not representative of their whole range I much prefer Kuros or even Samsung's Plasmas if a Plasma is what you want. Samsungs top LCD/LED's are very good too especially if you like a bright, punchy picture. In some ways it's easier to turn things down than the other way round.

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Whites aren't 'white' on my Panasonic LCD. They tend to look more grey.