For BBB, Gel, and other GT50 owners

[strapped for cash]

Having investigated further, here are settings from GT50 full calibration reports for Professional and Normal modes:

Professional 1
[/b]

Contrast 39; Brightness 31; Colour 27; Sharpness 0 (I've set this at 1); Gamma 2.2

White Balance

R Gain -3

G Gain -1

B Gain +2

R Cut 0

G Cut -2

B Cut -1

Colour Management

R Hue -9

G Hue -5

B Hue 0

R Sat -2

G Sat -4

B Sat 0

R Lum +3

G Lum +1

B Lum +2

More Detailed Adjustments

Y Hue 0

C Hue +3

M Hue -1

Y Sat 0

C Sat 0

M Sat -3

Y Lum +1

C Lum -3

M Lum +7

Normal [/b]

Contrast 28; Brightness 30; Colour 27; Sharpness 0; Gamma 2.2

White Balance

R Gain -8

G Gain -5

B Gain 5

R Cut 6

G Cut -7

B Cut 0

I'm unlikely to keep the TV, but for now these both look better to my eyes that the Flat Panels HD Professional 1 settings linked to a while back.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Thanks Strapped, they do look good, but a quick glimpse at the football shows the dse is there as clear as ever. Also, the higher contrast makes me nervous about IR too.

I'm going to ring JL tomorrow and see where I stand. I'm sure I'm not in such a good position as yourself, seeing as I rejected the offer of the replacement set, but hopefully they'll be able to do something, or at least tell me my position.

Is your third GT as bad as the others?

 

[strapped for cash]

Is your third GT as bad as the others?

Not quite, but I remember the first two didn't look too bad to begin with.

I'll do as before, clock up hours on the TV as quickly as possible.

Incidentally, the US price for the Samsung 51F8500 is $1,999. At the current exchange rate, that's £1,330. Since prices tend to be higher in the UK, we could perhaps expect to pay £1,500-1,600. If this genuinely rivals the ZT65, I want one. I hope John Lewis will stock it.

Yes, definitely call John Lewis tomorrow. In my experience, the softly, softly approach works well (I'm not suggesting you'll go in like a bull in a china shop). They have a record of your problem, so hopefully you'll be good.

EDIT: Oh, and the F8500 goes on sale in the US later this month. Hopefully it'll be available in the UK at the same time or soon after.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Is your third GT as bad as the others?

Not quite, but I remember the first two didn't look too bad to begin with.

I'll do as before, clock up hours on the TV as quickly as possible.

Incidentally, the US price for the Samsung 51F8500 is $1,999. At the current exchange rate, that's £1,330. Since prices tend to be higher in the UK, we could perhaps expect to pay £1,500-1,600. If this genuinely rivals the ZT65, I want one. I hope John Lewis will stock it.

Yes, definitely call John Lewis tomorrow. In my experience, the softly, softly approach works well (I'm not suggesting you'll go in like a bull in a china shop). They have a record of your problem, so hopefully you'll be good.

I've learnt from experience that the polite, but firm approach works best.

My wife's been complaining about Korea today, something to do with a statue of buddha or something, so I don't think I'll be suggesting the Samsung for the forseeable future.

With me working away, and my wife's paranoia of damaging the GT with still images, the GT is hardly being used at the moment, so I think I'll start running the scrolling bar throughout the night on full brightness and contrast. Do you think that's a good idea?

 

[bigboss]

I've been put off Panasonic TVs after reading all these problems & Panasonic's attitude towards them.

 

[strapped for cash]

I've been put off Panasonic TVs after reading all these problems & Panasonic's attitude towards them.

I've been put off by experiencing the problems first hand. I have zero faith now that this year's models won't have a glaring fault that Panasonic refuses to acknowledge or take any action to rectify.

That's why I'm hoping there's a genuinely viable alternative this year.

I should probably start a dedicated F8500 thread. If you haven't read much about this TV, it's worth investigating. People over at AV Forums are getting quite excited, while HDTV Test's David Mackenzie says it's a shoot out this year between the ZT65 and F8500, having been granted an extended audition of both at CES.

 

[strapped for cash]

I've learnt from experience that the polite, but firm approach works best.

My wife's been complaining about Korea today, something to do with a statue of buddha or something, so I don't think I'll be suggesting the Samsung for the forseeable future.

With me working away, and my wife's paranoia of damaging the GT with still images, the GT is hardly being used at the moment, so I think I'll start running the scrolling bar throughout the night on full brightness and contrast. Do you think that's a good idea?

You should be OK using the Professional preset, since it has a brightness cap. If not, I'd say that alone is reason for complaint.

Running the scrolling bar at full contrast/brightness can't do any harm, but it doesn't sound a viable long term solution.

Maybe you could buy the F8500, nick a Sony badge and stick it over the top of the Samsung logo... :shifty:

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

She doesn't like Sony either.

Pioneer or Apple would be my safest bets.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

F8500 sounds like a winner, let's hope it delivers all that it promises.

 

[strapped for cash]

She doesn't like Sony either.

Pioneer or Apple would be my safest bets.

You're running out of options, then. GT60 and a prayer sounds your best bet.

That said, I've no reason to place greater faith in any other manufacturer. At least some have better customer service.

I haven't been able to watch any football yet. MOTD in 15 mins; that'll be the acid test.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

We're watching the final Harry Potter now.

If the F8500 is as good as they claim, as long as JL give me a refund, I'll buy it,happy wife or not.

 

[strapped for cash]

If the F8500 is as good as they claim, as long as JL give me a refund, I'll buy it,happy wife or not.

There's a storm coming...

I'm hoping John Lewis will stock the F8500. I'd like to buy from them again; honestly one of the best retailer experiences I've had. Plus, arranging an alternative purchase from the same retailer is less hassle than asking for a refund and buying elsewhere. There's also the issue of what happens to the freebies we got (BDP, glasses, 3D films).

By the way, I can clearly see DSE watching MOTD, though slightly less of the screen seems affected than with the last GT50, at this stage...

 

[steve iow]

Hi strapped for cash, thanks for these settings have just tried them looking good so far, had my 50 GT for nearly a year. Still looks amazing to me,hope you have better luck with your next purchase all the best Steve.

 

[strapped for cash]

Thanks Steve; and I'm glad you're enjoying your TV!

Sounds like you got one of those elusive, problem free GT50s. I'm envious...

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Cheers Strapped - appreciate it.

Still no luck with your third one? Keep us updated what you decide to do. Can't think of many suggestions at the moment.

 

[steve iow]

Not sure about that elusive part, someone like yourself with a good eye for these things would probably pick all the faults out. I'm just happy only a little DSE noticed on Game of Thrones, no buzzing. Coming from a 10 years old CRT this set is amazing.Steve

 

[strapped for cash]

only a little DSE noticed on Game of Thrones

So I take it you don't see the dirty screen effect when watching sport, especially football?

It's useful to get the views of someone that's owned the TV for a while. A year's certainly long enough for the TV to settle in. I'd be surprised if things change much (if at all) with your GT50 from this point onward.

I'd love to think the problem I'm having would vanish, or at least diminish, as the TV ages.

If you only see any problem with Game of Thrones, I reckon you've got a good set. I've read elsewhere about problems with this show, which many attribute to the broadcast rather than television.

What irritates me most is that the TV is genuinely excellent, apart from this one problem.

Cheers.

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

Strapped:

why two lots of settings? (Normal and pro).....is one better or is it s preference? And I take it that the big numbers are clicks up from zero?

will try these later to see how my second set looks...faces are all a bit odd at the moment and its seems a bit jerky, none of which I picked up on the first set....

 

[strapped for cash]

Hi Nick

The Normal preset has higher dynamic contrast than Professional (deeper blacks and no cap on peak white output). However, it only allows two point greyscale calibration (the white balance settings) and does not allow full colour management.

The Professional preset has a luminance cap and double the MLL (black level) of the Normal/Cinema/THX Cinema presets. In other words, blacks aren't as black and the picture isn't as bright. However, the Professional modes allow extensive adjustment of primary and secondary colours, meaning it's possible to dial greyscale and colours in more accurately than on any other GT50 preset.

As you say, it's a matter of preference.

Option 1: Go for higher contrast and slightly less accurate colours using the Normal preset (which also has in a noisier picture with more dithering).

Option 2: Go for the (in principle)* more accurate colours and more stable picture of the Professional preset, with lower contrast as a trade off.

I prefer the more stable Professional settings; though you may feel differently. One other thing, the Professional settings may help with buzzing, as the panel isn't being driven as hard to produce searing whites.

* I say in principle because these settings are taken from other calibration reports. The only way to check is by using a meter or hiring a professional calibrator. I'm working on the basis that there's some consistency from GT50 to GT50.

 

[bigboss]

Strapped, is it the case that your eyes are more sensitive at picking DSE up while others' aren't? Or you found it because you were carefully looking for it, and once you see it, it will obviously bother you?

 

[strapped for cash]

Strapped, is it the case that your eyes are more sensitive at picking DSE up while others' aren't? Or you found it because you were carefully looking for it, and once you see it, it will obviously bother you?

I couldn't say whether I have DSE sensitive eyes. I have generally good eyesight. I don't wear glasses; and I was told my eyesight's fine when checked last year.

I'm absolutely certain I would have spotted the vertical bands on all three TVs without prior knowledge. It might have taken a while, as they don't show up on all content. The effect isn't subtle, however, and became more prominent on my previous two GT50s after roughly 150-200 hours use.

Some may see the effect and not be bothered by it. Clearly it bothers me quite a bit, perhaps because my last TV (V20) had a perfectly uniform screen.

What's most frustrating is that I can see how great a TV this would be, if not for this one problem. Using the Professional settings* posted at the start of this thread, the picture is stunning. In fact the picture looks so good that I feel like celebrating; then the dirty screen effect shows up to spoil the party.

*I'm not naive enough to think copying settings will give me perfect greyscale and colour, but to my eyes this is a substantial improvement over the out of the box settings.

 

[Nick_Shepherd]

Thanks for the reply strapped, really helpful! :dance:

I definitely have sensitive hearing, so I guess I'm in need of the quietest end of the GT50 buzz I can find.....or, if the GT60 is the same, I can look at some sound damping actions as a last resort as it seems Sony won't be doing a 50' LCD....

 

[strapped for cash]

Nick, if you're thinking about switching the GT50 out for a new model, you should seriously look into the Samsung 51F8500.

I'm eagerly anticipating this TV's launch during the next few weeks.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Asked in JL today about the PS51F8500, but they had no idea if they would be stocking it, let alone the price.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

Hi Strapped, found something on the GT60, thought you might like to read it:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/panasonic-tx-p50gt60_TV_review

Sounds good.