Panasonic TX-P42GT30 or TX-P46GT30 Quandary

[Squonk]

I’ve finally decided we need a bigger TV, my question though is how big?

We currently have a 32in LCD, a Pana TX-32LXD700 and have realised that there’s so much detail in recent blu-rays, ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’ and ‘Cars 2’ in particular, that we’re missing.

The room is 14ft 5in (4.4mtrs) x 13ft 1in (3.99mtrs) with the TV in one of the corners and we sit 9ft 8in (2.95mtrs) from the screen and reading various literature, including the What Hi-Fi? May 2011 supplement, we should be buying a 50in screen, which to me seems too big!

I have decided though to get either a 42in or a 46in screen and am torn between which size to get. I’d hate to get the 42in and sit there thinking “I wish we’d gone for the 46in” but conversely, I don’t want to buy the 46in and then sit there thinking it’s too big!

My other concern is the quality of SD broadcasts on 42in or 46in screens, do they appear, what I would call, “blocky” or pixelated? This isn’t really an issue with my current 32in but would I really notice it with the bigger screens? Of course in an ideal world I would only be watching HD broadcasts so this wouldn’t be an issue but I suppose the truth is that the majority of the programmes are still broadcast in SD.

The two models I’m torn between are both Panas, the TX-P42GT30 or the TX-P46GT30.

So, which size do you recommend I go for?

My final question is, is now a good time to buy a new TV? Are there any new developments in the TV world, just around the corner, that I should be waiting for? I’d hate to buy now only to find Panasonic introduce something spectacular next year….

Sorry to ramble on a bit but I would be really grateful for any advice.

Cheers

 

[laserman16]

On the subject of size if your torn between 42 and 46 inch go for the 46 as it will only look huge for about an hour.

What sort of feeds are you having into the set, SD and HD broadcasts and Bluray? Quality of SD pictures to an extent is dependent on the quality of feed you get from your Aerial/Sat Dish.

Another good trick is find out the overall size of the sets you are interested in and cut out a couple of cardboard templates and just hold them where the new TV will go, it will give you a bit of an idea on what each set will look like.

 

[bigboss]

Go for the bigger screen. I'm sat 9 feet away from my 50-inch TV. It's perfect. New TVs keep coming every year claiming superior performance over its predecessors. I don't see any point in waiting. Replacement for the GT30 is at least 6 months away. Who knows, with Panasonic's cost cutting measures, the quality may even drop.

 

[Anonymous]

Definately 46", when most people are asked what they would change about their new TV, the answer is they wished they got a bigger one.

 

[Squonk]

That’s brilliant, thank you all for your advice

On the subject of size if your torn between 42 and 46 inch go for the 46 as it will only look huge for about an hour.

LoL!

What sort of feeds are you having into the set, SD and HD broadcasts and Bluray? Quality of SD pictures to an extent is dependent on the quality of feed you get from your Aerial/Sat Dish.

Feeds into the set will be Freeview SD and HD, Sony BDP-S760 blu-ray and finally a Panasonic DMR-ES20D DVD recorder.

Correct me if I’m wrong though, the number of pixels on a 32in screen is the same as that on a 46in, 1920 x 1080, assuming that they’re both Full HD of course, so it follows that the physical pixel size of a 46in set must be bigger than that on a 32in set. Therefore an SD picture on a 46in set will appear to have less detail than on a 32in set, hence me worrying about blocking or pixelating. I suppose another way of looking at it is that a 46in set will show up the limitations of SD far more than a 32in set.

Another good trick is find out the overall size of the sets you are interested in and cut out a couple of cardboard templates and just hold them where the new TV will go, it will give you a bit of an idea on what each set will look like.

Yep, done that , the 42in doesn't look too bad but the 46in looks huge, but then again, I am used to a 32in.

:cheers:

 

[laserman16]

Correct me if I’m wrong though, the number of pixels on a 32in screen is the same as that on a 46in, 1920 x 1080, assuming that they’re both Full HD of course, so it follows that the physical pixel size of a 46in set must be bigger than that on a 32in set. Therefore an SD picture on a 46in set will appear to have less detail than on a 32in set, hence me worrying about blocking or pixelating. I suppose another way of looking at it is that a 46in set will show up the limitations of SD far more than a 32in set.

AFAIK your correct in that the number of pixels should be same on either set. whether they are larger or further apart I don't know.

Blocking or pixelating can be down to a poor signal in that the TV is not getting the information it requires to correctly compose the picture. I would have thought that if signal is good the TVs upscaler will do the rest.

 

[Anonymous]

Squonk,

I had a similar quandry sitting 3m from my tv, and I went for the 46". Seemed big at first (lasted about a day!), but I am definitely glad I went for the 46".

I have recently posted a review of my new home cinema setup, which includes the Panasonic TX-P46GT30B, which may help you decide. The review is in the 'My System' forum and titled 'New Home Cinema Review' - find it here.

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[Squonk]

Well I've gone for the 46in, thank you all for your advice, it really is appreciated.

Cheers :cheers:

 

[laserman16]

Well I've gone for the 46in, thank you all for your advice, it really is appreciated.

Cheers :cheers:

Let us all know how you get on.

 

[Anonymous]

Well I've gone for the 46in, thank you all for your advice, it really is appreciated.

Cheers :cheers:

Enjoy!

 

[Squonk]

Let us all know how you get on.

Will do.

 

[Squonk]

Enjoy!

Cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

Guys,

Just bought the GT30 and must say I’m absolutely delighted so far. I’m not too far away from the 100 hour initial run in period and wanted to ask if someone could help re:- optimum settings for the set. I’m a bit of a newbie so and guidance you could give would be really appreciated.

One last point. I have noticed that some have posted settings as a numerical value (ie. Contrast 50). On my set, I have only noticed a bar for each value with no numerical information at all.

 

[Anonymous]

jhmburns,

I think you only get a numeric setting when you select the Professional settings (rather than Normal or Cinema) - using the Advance Setting enabled.

Settings can depend on lighting environment and personal taste, but I use the Normal setting with Contrast around 75%, Brightness 50%, Colour 45%, Colour Balance = Cool, Sharpness 35%. I have everything else switched off.

Picture looks fantastic for both day and night viewing.

Hope this helps.

Paul.

 

[Anonymous]

Pauled,

Thanks for your help my friend!

On another note, I saw from the packaging that Panasonic are running a promo where you get the Star Wars Blu Ray set free with selected Blu Ray players. Well and good I thought but where was the much vaunted Avatar 3D offer which has been running for years?

I phoned panasonic customer services who told me it was still running. The guy pointed me to a very quiet paart of their website to download the redemption form. The offer now only applies to those who have bought a Panasonic TV, Blu Ray and extra 3D glasses but I thought I would point it out anyway!

 

[Anonymous]

jhmburns,

Yup got my 3D Avatar, but still waiting for the Star Wars on Blu-ray - been waiting 2 months!

Paul.

 

[Anonymous]

I got both of my sets pretty quick from what I remember, definately within 1 month. I watched Avtar once and then sold it on eBay for over £50, nice return on the investment of the player.

 

[Anonymous]

To calibrate it as close as possible you need to go into settings and enable ISF. Then go to a wel known HD TV testing review sites, Facebook page where they have posted the calibration settings for 3D & 2D in their "photos" section. From that point you can tweak it to suite your environment.

 

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have the link for the redemption form for Avatar 3D?

 

[bigboss]

Does anyone have the link for the redemption form for Avatar 3D?

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/get/params_W0_MThtml_Dattachment/8298864

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks bigboss

Much appreciated

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks bigboss

Much appreciated

 

[Squonk]

Well I’ve had the 46GT30 for about a month now and as promised I’d thought I’d let you know my thoughts. Overall I’m very happy with it but I do have some concerns which I’ll list below:

Firstly though I have to say that the picture from blu-ray is stunning with deep rich colours, a significant improvement on my old Pana TX-32LXD700 LCD TV. Obviously films look so much better on the bigger screen, so a big thank you to all who advised me to go with the 46” over the 42”, you were right, it looked big for about an hour and now looks completely normal.

Now for my concerns…..

The picture flickers, apparently. I say apparently because I can’t actually see it but my better half can. I think it was the second comment she made, after the obligatory “blimey it’s big”. She doesn’t complain so often about it now, but every now and again she’ll still ask me “can’t you see that flickering?” which I can’t!

My other concern is quite a big one, well to me it is, and that’s how the TV handles motion, or more specifically panning. I don’t remember noticing it with blu-rays but with Freeview HD broadcasts it’s really, really distracting. If the camera pans, the stationary objects in the picture have this horrible edge to them which is often a reddish colour, especially if it’s a face, making the object quite blurred.

The other motion issue is text, specifically text that runs from the right of the screen to the left, as in programme credits. If this text runs quickly, which it often seems to do these days, the credits are unreadable. In fact I would go as far to say that motion, specifically these two issues, were/are handled much, much better on my old Pana TX-32LXD700 LCD TV, a TV which is now over 4 years old, surely that can’t be right???!

I’d be extremely grateful if any GT30 owners out there could let me know their thoughts and if they’ve noticed any of these issues.

I suppose it could be that these issues were there on my old 32” and the fact that I’ve increased the screen size to 46” means that these issues have been magnified to a point where I now notice them.

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

The picture flickers, apparently. I say apparently because I can’t actually see it but my better half can. I think it was the second comment she made, after the obligatory “blimey it’s big”. She doesn’t complain so often about it now, but every now and again she’ll still ask me “can’t you see that flickering?” which I can’t!

A certain amount of flicker seems to be normal on plasma TVs, but some manufacturer's sets flicker more than others and some people seem more susceptible to it than others. I noticed it at first on my GT30, but rarely notice it these days.

My other concern is quite a big one, well to me it is, and that’s how the TV handles motion, or more specifically panning.

The other motion issue is text, specifically text that runs from the right of the screen to the left, as in programme credits. If this text runs quickly, which it often seems to do these days, the credits are unreadable.

IFC helps with motion issues - I have mine set to Mid.

 

[Anonymous]

Squonk,

Sorry to hear about your woes with what I consider to be a fantastic tv.

The flicker, as mentioned, can apparently be seen by some and not others so not necessarily a problem with the tv. I have never noticed any flicker issue with any of my plasma tvs and neither has my better half.

Motion: again, I have no issues with any type of motion and I have IFC switched off (never considered any improvement when playing around with it at the different settings). I watch only Sky+HD and Blu-ray, so could it be an issue with your Freeview HD broadcasts? Is the Freeview HD through the tv itself or through an external box? Personally, because I have a sat dish and a connection to the TV I only ever watch FreeSat HD but only for short periods because I switch to Sky after power on. If using Freeview HD on the tv itself, have you checked the quality of your aerial / connection? I had mine replaced last year including all cabling (to include connection to my sat dish) so I know I have the best possible reception - something I considered worth the investment as it is a one-time cost that should last my lifetime.

Hope this helps.

Paul.