It's not just trimmings that make the picture look worse. Panasonic can't even get the basic core picture processing right this year without introducing dynamic contrast and black level anomalies!
It will insist on meddling!
2010 Panasonic plasmas have been suffering with floating blacks, where the black level is messed with during film or other material. This can raise the black level of bars on films and give an unsubtle flashing effect in dark scenes or darkly lit films.
The Z1 model was carried over into this year, and as such has current firmware revisions. It too hasnt escaped unscathed from this currently buggy software processing.
I applied the most recent 2.506 on my Z1, and it is in some ways worse than the last revision 2.503. I now get contrast spikes for no apparent reason, even in brightly lit daytime TV, and on BBC Snooker I get flashes or pulses happening randomly on the main table shot!
, all since the latest software update.
Why can't Panasonic leave contrast and black level alone in Cinema and THX modes? If THEY stop playing silly beggars with their processing, I may get a watchable picture!
Other anomalies that remain uncorrected are flashing occuring in backgrounds or in characters faces in dark scenes. Cinema, THX modes suffer, but not Normal or Dynamic (both unsuitable for critical viewing) picture modes.
I dont know that Panasonic listens much to customers after the sale.....