Panasonic TXP58V10B First Impressions

[admin_exported]

Just taken delivery of TXP58V10 - and is it big once you get it up and running. Had Pioneer 43 inch before (HD ready only). Running with Sky HD and Sony BDP 550 Blu Ray player and Yamaha YSP 1000 sound bar plus REL Quake bass.

Nice loooking set currently in a corner awaiiting set up against a wall in 28x15 lounge. Very glad I was not tempted in getting the 65V10! Having done a lot of research into which model to buy and got down to two - the 58V10 or the Sony 55X4500. It was the price reduction of £1,000 to £2,995.00 with free delivery and 5 year Panasonic warranty plus 12 month interest free or pay later deal that swung it. Freesat is a bonus but I shall not switch from Sky HD until there are many more HD channels. Freesat not connected yet.

First impressions:

HD - Sky HD - Life from Sky Plus recording - utterley amazing - crystal clear and bright with excellent 3D depth across the whole screen. My wife says it exceeded what she expected and it was like you are in the room with the subjects - better than the cinema. I run Sky HD on dynamic setting. The Churchill War Years programme on BBC HD was watched live and was breathtaking in its clarity and depth. Other Sky upscaled programmes are good but nowhere near as good as true HD but programmes made in HD such as House are clear, detailed and dynamic to watch.

Blu Ray - Tinkerbell on normal setting was excellent but as soon as dynamic was set the brightness, clarity and depth increased markedly and was as good as the Samsung and Sony HD demos you see played in the shops. The Reader was also very good.

THX Setting - it may be me but this was not as good as I expected with HD sources. Compared with dynamic it was a little dull and flat. Maybe it is because I prefer the big bright settings of dynamic - or because I have yet to play a THX specified disc. Will this make a difference?

Normal Sky Channels - with such a large screen and non HD source a bit of compactness sometimes seems lost. However, the picture is still very good. Dynamic settings are far too bright and bouncy and leave, on poorer source channels, a hue or glow. I am currently experimenting with settings in normal and turning up the brightness and colour and playing with the sharpness seems to give a better picture and very good results.

Digital DVB Channels - much better than expected - but again dynamic too vivid. Normal setting adjusted looks better but this is all subjective to individual tastes. DVB guide feature is excellent.

Sound - very impressed with speaker but this does need to be adjusted to wall distance. Almost as good as sound bar without the bass!

I upgraded as I could not play True HD or Blu Ray at 1080p. The results have exceeded my expectations and both my wife and I are amazed at the clarity, depth and lifelike colours on 1080p sources. This is what we paid for and exactly what we got - plus I wanted a bigger TV for my 65th birthday soon! With this quality if you have the room for it go for the biggest you can!

Niggles - static dust seems to cling to corners but can be removed. With a Sony Blu Ray it is a pity when you play a disc it does not automatically switch to that HDMI port - as can be set for start up source - maybe I have not found the right setting!

Overall an excellent TV - and I am not saying that as I have just spent £2,995.00! If anyone has some suggestions about how I can maximise THX or has hints on improving normal TV and non HD Sky channel settings I would appreciate inputs.

Brook

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Brook.B

Glad you are impressed with the tv, it is one awesome piece of kit, we have had hands on experience with the 65" version and we were blown away.

In regards to you question about the THX mode,i had this similar problem too, i own the TX-P46Z1 which has the THX mode but i found the THX mode somehow a little better calibrated on the Z series, it wasnt as dark as the one on the V10 series or it could be me, but to answer your question, i put mine on THX and then changed some of the settings to my way, for e.g. i put more colour into it aswell as turned the brightness up a little bit, this seemed to make it allot better, plus i notched the sharpness up by one too. Give it a go and see what you think.

Regards> M

 

[Anonymous]

be careful with that dynamic setting , you are meant to avoid it for the first 200hrs , as it is unlikely , but it could cause screen burn , id stick to cinema , or thx mode until then , also , thx mode is really only useful in a darkened room , not bright enough for daytime viewing , nice tv by the way

 

[tvspecv]

good choice and good taste

the yamaha i regret getting as the price has now good down to £350!!!

but its cool enjoy your purchase

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks M and Max for your inputs - glad you pointed me in the right direction on THX as I was initially disappointed by the results here because of all the fine professional reviews! Take your point about dynamic and early usage - am now operating on normal a bit ratched up!

All in all a wonderful TV but I think it is going to take a bit of time to get the settings right!

Still cannot work out how top get the TV to auto change to HDMI2 when Sony Bluray (on HDMI2) disc plays - presume it is because Sony does not talk top the TV. Have set AV to auto start on Sky on HDMI1 on start up which is good.

Thanks again Brook

 

[Anonymous]

Hi again Brook

Dont worry, im in the same situation with the HDMI switchover on other HDMI sockets apart from HDMI1, i have my Pioneer Blu Ray player on HDMI1 and switches perfectly, i have my xbox 360 on HDMI2, my FoxsatHDR on HDMI3 and finally my Sony PS3 on HDMI4 but none of them apart from HDMI1 switches? im kind of baffled too, i have top end cables in use, so its definately not them, im not too sure to the answer regarding this matter, if i find anything out, ill let you know straight away.

Regards> M

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks M - so I am not alone in this. The fitter did say you could programme the V10 to come on to any HDMI port or TV setting and I have set this to Sky as this is the most watched. However, he did check and show me that the Sony BDP 550 did work on HDMI 2 but said some DVDs do auto send a signal on play which can switch the V10 to the DVD HDMI. Alas, he said this appeared not to happen with Sony and Panasonic. Annoying especially as you cannot also programme the Sony to activate on Panasonic control - yes you can do volume!

Only solution is to get another Blu Ray player - a Panasonic with Vierra Link. If I come across any solution will let you know. I do not know whethr it is me but the V10 seems to get better as it runs in colour and sharpness wise! Thanks for the input.

Brook

 

[Anonymous]

Hi again Brook

Regarding the HDMI switching business, its one of those things that ill see if i can get a answer from my contact at Panasonic, im sure other people ask this question quite allot. In regards to you changing to a Panasonic blu ray player, its great that you want to use the Viera link function but i would not upgrade the player if that's the only reason, ive just got used to changing the AV on the tv first then getting the remote for the product your operating and take it from there, its upto you on that matter but the problem is that everyone has so many makes and models of product attached to a Panasonic tv and its hard to keep everything one brand.

Right, about the picture getting better the more you watch it.. that is correct, ive had Panasonic plasma tv's over the last 4 years and have upgraded nearly every year but always noticed the picture improve drastically the more you watch it, the tv settles in and ive found that picture noise reduces allot too.

Regards> M

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks M - I thought it was my glasses that needed changing but after 5 days the picture seems to have settled with more focus especially on faces and the hues and colours have become less in your face. Still adjusting the picture.

Regarding HDMI inputs having moved from a Pioneer with 1 HDMI I needed a QED switching box so with that control, plus the Pioneer, Sky, Sony Blu Ray and digibox controls (Pioneer did not have digibox) we had 5 controls on the table and that is not including the Yamaha sound bar. My wife was adamant that any new TV must have one control plus Sky so it looks like I might have to upgrade the Sony Blu Ray for a Panasonic in due course and plug that one into the Pioneer currently in bedroom for the grandchildren!

If you do find a solution please let me know and if you have any recomendations for Panasonic Blu Rays do let me know.

Regards Brook

 

[Anonymous]

Panasonic TXP 58V10 review now online at

LINK REMOVED for House Rules violation - Mods

A TV that revels in HD inputs.

Brook

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Brook

Right, ive got some news for you....

About the HDMI switching, my contact at Panasonic answered this question for me.. Panasonic only make HDMI1 the Master socket for switching, perfect for the main the piece of equipment that you use the most that you would like to switch on, use and then default back to TV when you switch off, as for the other HDMI's they are secondary slaves, meaning no switching facility, for the reason that if every HDMI had switching capability, everyone would have allot of equipemt switched on and the tv would not know what to default back to when switched off, we had this problem before when CRT tv's had all RGB switching scart sockets and allot of customers had sky box's, dvd players, games consoles etc and they used to keep all of them on and would not know how to get back to the tv's own tuner etc. So i think its logical to make HDMI1 only switchable to save us allot of trouble. Like you mentioned before, a good way is to get a Panasonic product and use the Viera link for the ease of use.

About what Blu Ray movies look good on the tv, ooh this is a tough one! i have about 400 blu rays and still counting, im a big movie buff but its hard to pick out which are the best for picture and sound, but i will name you a few that look awesome: Gladiator, Casino Royale, Wall-E, Transformers 1 & 2, Braveheart, Batman Begins, Batman the Dark Knight, Terminator 2 (Skynet Edition)..... thats a few to name, they all have great pictures and sound on blu ray and the Terminator 2 Skynet Edition is a great example for a old film with a great transfer to blu ray if you fancied a classic. The one's to show off your tv and sound system is the Batman Dark Knight, Gladiator and Transformers, they are awesome on the picture side of things aswell as great HD sound to back them up.

Regards> M

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks M for taking the time to look at this for me. As we use Sky the most the master HDMI 1 is set to that. Having re-read the manual the only way to avoid having to change the HDMI port when using DVD is to connext a HDAV4 compliant Blu Ray player which means either the Panasonic BD 60 orv the BD 80. This should ensure when it is switched on or played the port changes automatically and changes back when switched off.

As I promised my wife on upgrading the plasma to get rid of the 5 controls we had, I fear that I might get in my Xmas stocking (paid for by me of course!) a Panasonic BD player. As we are having difficulty finding a wall bracket with shelves to take the 58V10, Sky and Blu Ray player box plus a Yamaha Sound Bar I might look at the Panasonc SC BT 200 Blu Ray player and home cinema which would get rid of the sound bar and replace the Blu Ray player with one that talks to the TV. Is the Blu Ray player in the BT 200 the same as in BD 60? And I have checked that the BT 200 is HDAV4 compliant so would operate the same as a Panasonic BD player and switch automatically. I shall be visiting a Panasonic Shop soon - Truro or Exeter.

Regarding BD movies Tinkerbell and Wall-E really show the 58V10's capabilities - and I will look at the ones you mention as Blu Ray DVDs are now getting as cheap as normal DVDs and many now include with the BD version a normal DVD as well.

The 58V10 is bedding in well and seems to get clearer and more focused as it runs in - I am very pleased with it especially the True HD performance as this has exceeded my expectations.

Regards Brook

 

[matthewpiano]

Panasonic Store - Its really good to see Panasonic's Sony Centre equivalent contributing so positively. Welcome to the forums.

 

[kena]

brook,

Don't bother with a Panny Blu-ray , Invest in a Harmony One remote. I have Vierra Link switched off as I use my One to control Virgin V+ and TV and Blu ray & Home cimema system. It switches between inputs fine tho Harmony support wrote a special script for the input switching . I also have dish used to get ITV HD.

Bottom line is my Harmony 1 replaced 4 remotes and they are gathering dust in a cupboard, never had to use them since getting One.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Brook

Clever thinking regarding integrating the Blu Ray and Home Cinema elements by a purchase of the brilliant SC-BT200, however would you or your wife be ok going back to the 5.1 setup instead of a one speaker soundbar? i was like yourself and had a 5.1 setup 2 years ago, i took the plunge and gave the Yamaha YSP1100 a go and i have never looked back, aslong as you have arrangements of sticking the 5.1 speaker setup back into your living room, then im 100% behind it as the SC-BT200 is one of the best cinema kits ive seen Panasonic create in a while. Have you also had a look at the SC-BTX70? this is Panasonics alternative to a 2.1 Blu Ray home cinema system for the person lacking space, i have to say regarding the reviews, its a great alternative to consider, sounds great, i would recommend having a listen at one through one of your Panasonic shops you mentioned. Oh yes, in regards to your question about the blu ray playback quality if the SC-BT200 had the same player as the DMP-BD60 built into it, well the answer is yes, it has everything that the BD60 has from having a SD card slot to having Viera Cast built into it too.

In regards to your wall mounting and shelf options that you are looking for, i can recommend a company called Vogels, we have used them and their brackets are awesome, top quality and they are always making sure they are compatible with Panasonic and other brands all the time, also they do a clever floating shelf for holding av equipment which is nice and neat, its worth a look and here is the address: www.vogels.com i checked this minute ago and i dont know if its my computer or their webiste but the products were missing on the website, give it a go and hopefully you can see what they do.

The blu ray movies you have tried on your tv are great, i would recommend 100%, a good one to test black levels along with great visuals and sound would be the Batman: The Dark Knight blu ray, awesome movie, brilliant film quality in 1080p and sound is top notch too, a little hinter for you, there are some scenes in that Batman movie that are filmed using Imax and it would showcase your tv brilliantly.

Regards> M

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Matthew

Its also great to see other brands contributing too like youself and Sony Centre, its nice to see that there are people out there willing to help as much as they can.

Thanks for the welcome again!

Regards> M

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Kenna - have a Harmony 855 (which has been in drawer for 15 months!) but with so many controllers on the old system I never really bothered with it. Will try now I am down to 3 - plasma, Blu Ray and Sky. Thanks for input.

Regards Brook

 

[Anonymous]

Hi M - thanks for the reply. Will look at BD 60/80 and others next week and also look at Vogels site. Might stick with soundbar and change Blu Ray as cheapest option and when I have moved plasma use Alphason stand and reprogramme sound bar from corner setting to new square setting and see how it all pans out before changing sound system. Thanks for very useful inputs

Regards Brook

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 50V10 and have no trouble switching between HDMI 1 & 2, all my HDMI`s go direct to my Yamaha RX-V1900.

Then I go on the computer with my HARMONY ONE and I choose HDMI 1 for watching TV and HDMI 2 for watching blu ray or DVD, then I update the Harmony, test it on the TV and bobs your uncle NO PROBLEMO, works first time everytime.

Solution: get rid of all yer remotes and get a good universal, like HARMONY

greetings Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Stevefilmfreak - will try that first. Presume Harmony 855 (3 years old) has roughly the same functions as Harmony 1? Do you control your Sky box also with the Harmony? Many thanks for your input Regards Brook

 

[Anonymous]

Control everything with my ONE, plasma, blu ray, amp, dvd en HDTV DVR

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Brook

just joined this site, really fancy the Panasonic, where did you get such a cracking deal on your P58V ? Cant get one for that price and all the extras anywhere, can you help?

Kind regards

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Chris

The TX-P58V10 is a great tv and you should be able to get a good deal on it as the Panasonic Store's have a face to face price deal on the 58V10, the price's vary and you should be able to get one between £3000 to £3200 with a Panasonic 5 Year Warranty and some Interest Free Credit but remember the interest free and the Official 5 year warranty is available only at the Panasonic Store's (as far as i know).

Will have to warn you though... the tv is out of stock with Panasonic UK and we were told that it will stay out of stock until mid to end of January 2010, so if you see a deal you like with price, warranty and interest free then make sure you order it as otherwise you will lose some of the great benefits such as the official warranty as that is extended upto 10th January from Panasonic Store's, also the Interest Free Credit finishes too but on Christmas Eve sadly, they have not told us if they are extending this and last of all, the price, this face to face price deal could end too but i dont know when.

I hope this helps.

Regards> M

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

We can offer the Panasonic 5yg in line with all other independents and Interest free is always available. We also have limited stock available.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Happyhammers - got mine 8 weeks ago when Panasonic shops reduced their prices for 58V10 from £4,000.00 to £3,000.00 plus 5 year warranty. Local shop Woolacotts in Cornwall and Plymouth (they own the Panasonic Shop there) matched the price and provided free delivery and set up. When I bought they had 9 in stock.

Hope you find one and order before the VAT goes up. Also got 1 year interest free redit as well - a good deal. Very pleased with set and it is great on HD and Bluray. Happy Christmas.

Brook