bigboss said:
john1000000boy said:
bigboss said:
Agree with HCC. Avoid. This is far better in performance, price as well as guarantee: http://www.hispek.com/panasonic/3d-televisions/panasonic-txp65st50b-65-full-hd-3d-plasma-smart-viera-tv-plus-2-free-pairs-of-3d-glasses-claim-free-5-year-in-store-warranty-pd-10999.php?gclid=CNixpcKdq7QCFXHLtAod3jQAXQ
That is a really good deal, this years model and is the top of the range too (same as the model as mentioned but this years) the 5 yr warranty for just over £500 makes it the same money too
Sorry is the vt not a higher spec than the st??
Thanks
John
What specs of the VT30 will you miss in ST50? ST50 is superior to the VT30 in performance. If you want more features, VT50 is an option but expensive.
Hello John,
I'm glad that you didn't buy anything in the immediate post-Christmas period! Like everyone else, I would steer well clear of a 2011 ex-display 65VT30. As bigboss says, you can't tell how it has been used. For similar money (even if the VT30 has been reduced by £500), the 2012 Panasonic 65ST50 is certainly the knees of the bees. You might want to read these two reviews of the 65ST50:
http://www.avforums.com/review/Panasonic-ST50-TX-P50ST50B-P42ST50B-P55ST50B-P65ST50B-65-Inch-3D-Plasma-TV-Review.html
and
http://www.trustedreviews.com/panasonic-tx-p65st50_TV_review
Note this quote from the first review "Minor niggles aside, for around £2,500 the P65ST50 is delivering truly large screen pictures of an extremely high quality with a price-tag that would have been unthinkable even five years ago. The only ‘problem’ we foresee for Panasonic is that it’s so good that it might take away sales from their 65inch VT50."
And note this quote from the second review "The depth and purity of the black level performance from the P65ST50 feels pretty much in line with if not slightly better than the black level performance of last year’s flagship VT30 Panasonic plasmas. Plus it beats the black level efforts of any LED TV into a cocked hat and even, yes, its blacks appear to get deeper than that of Pioneer’s final released KURO generation."
So, the black level of the 2012 65ST50 is slightly better than even the acclaimed black level of the 2011 65VT50, which everyone in mid-2011 said was so wonderful. And to answer bigboss's question
bigboss said:
What specs of the VT30 will you miss in ST50? ST50 is superior to the VT30 in performance. If you want more features, VT50 is an option but expensive.
directly : the VT30 had THX certification, more extensive picture calibration tools, and Freesat. I don't think the first two matter too much, and if you do need Freesat, you can buy a separate Freesat receiver or recorder for about £250 at most. Lastly in favour of the 65ST50 over the 65VT30, one factor that NOBODY ever seems to mention is
weight. The 65VT30 weighs 56 kg without desktop stand, or 63 kg with stand. The 65ST50 weighs 38kg without stand, or 43.5kg with stand. The 65ST50 is about 18kg lighter, almost the weight of an easyJet suitcase.
I'm not sure where in Scotland you are, but if you come to the capital, about 5 minutes' walk (even allowing for those accursed tramworks) away from Haymarket station you will find a very well-equipped shop which will happily sell you home cinema receivers, loudspeakers, and displays, including an ex-display Panasonic 65ST50 for £1799, with a five-year gurantee and four pairs of 3D glasses. I believe it's the last model that they have, until the 2013 models come out.
Make no mistake, if someone gave me the 65VT30 I would say "Thank you very much" but I wouldn't pay about £2,000 for a 2011 television. DO NOT buy it.