VT30 vs D8000 - Which one should I get?

[Oldboy]

WHF disagree with that and so do i!

The THX setting is VERY yellow from the presets and just looks wrong to me, it wouldn't be so bad if you were given the option to change the colour temp from the THX preset but sadly that option isn't given so it's just too yellow in colour but it is a very good image for movies.

For all other viewing i wouldn't use the THX preset as it just looks wrong so perhaps use it with movies and then set up others such as Game Mode and Normal for games and tv respectively, that's what i have done but i prefer the Cinema preset for movies as after a THX calibration it looks better with a more natural colour pallette. I can't say i use the THX preset very often but i'm still getting used to the GT30 and the VT30 may have a different preset so it's just a case of seeing which you prefer when you get the tv as it comes down to personal taste really.

I'm also still in my run in period so the THX preset won't be at it's best but my tv is going back soon anyway due to a loud buzzing coming from the tv so my run in period will have to start all over again when i get the replacement which is annoying.

If you are happy with the THX preset when you get the tv then stick with that but do bear in mind what i said in my earlier post that ambient lighting and differences in manufacture mean you can't guarantee that the settings will be correct for your own use.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Just for info: My room is pitch black basically.

So when I get the TV, what settings should I change till the running in of 200 hours approx.

Should I use the auto calibration feature of the TV?

I still don't know much about calibration and what the TV offers (what's in the box) to calibrate it myself. Is there some kind of DVD with it?

First things first... what I need to know is... What should I do when I get the TV? What should be tweaked and what not?

Thanks

 

[bigboss]

First things first... what I need to know is... What should I do when I get the TV? What should be tweaked and what not?

Just make sure to keep the "dynamic" mode turned off for the first 200 hours.

 

[Anonymous]

Back from work... and been reading on calibration...

1. Will D-Nice's break in settings work in European panasonic model? (Cause he said it's for american models)

2. I was reading up on the ISF auto calibration feature of the VT series. I was thinking of buying this kit and auto calibrate it with this software, since I can't find any pro calibrators in my country. The reviews about the auto calibration seem very good... well they are good for me, it's miles better than not having it calibrated at all. What do you think about this?

Also, do you know where I can buy the ISF auto calibration kit of calman with panasonic?

Thanks for all the help so far, this is a great community here!

 

[Oldboy]

Hi,

Just for info: My room is pitch black basically.

So when I get the TV, what settings should I change till the running in of 200 hours approx.

Should I use the auto calibration feature of the TV?

I still don't know much about calibration and what the TV offers (what's in the box) to calibrate it myself. Is there some kind of DVD with it?

First things first... what I need to know is... What should I do when I get the TV? What should be tweaked and what not?

Thanks

Even if your room is pitch black, as i have explained already, that is no guarantee that other peoples settings will work in your room as calibration MUST be tailored to your own viewing conditions. I have no idea how accurate the auto calibration is or indeed how it works but i would assume that it has a sensor built into the tv and is activated via a menu on the tv as this seems logical and has to be a good place to start.

At the risk of repeating myself yet again it's contrast and brightness that you have to be careful with when running the tv in for the first 200hrs, calibrate the tv when you get it then take both contrast and brightness down by at least two notches for the initial run in period (colour is not as much of an issue at this point). After 200hrs calibrate again and get it as accurate as you can with whatever method you choose (including colour this time) and after that you will need to calibrate about once a year just to check for varying black levels.

You can buy various calibration discs but none will come with the tv, the most widely used are the free THX optimiser found on alot of dvd's (you probably already own one!) and the DVE basics bluray calibration disc but there are others. Even ISF have their own calibration disc which you can view by using the links i have already provided and go to the home page, what you use is up to you but i would suggest starting with the tv's calibration and see how you get on as that is free and requires no additional outlay!

You should always calibrate the tv straight from the box or as soon as you can but remember that it's not until after the 200 hour run in period that you will get the best results, and all the picture modes that you are going to use will need to be calibrated, it's not a matter of doing it once and job done....all the picture modes (normal, cinema, THX, game etc) will need to be calibrated.

+1 for avoiding the 'dynamic' mode....don't use it atall as its far too bright!

 

[Anonymous]

If you are lazy like me, just leave it on THX for the run-in period. If your veiwing room is very dark you can ueasily turn down contrast and brightness a bit like oldboy said. Alternatively use the THX optimizer and let it run in. Do not run it in with any image that has static element (CNN or games with healthbars etc).

Dynamic mode is useless almost in any condition, I can think of no circumstance where that mode could possibly be used except in a showroom. It is also faar too bright with bright areas but leaves dark parts intact so the perceived contrast is higher, but there's no real middle ground in dynamic so everything looks very unnatural.

 

[Oldboy]

Back from work... and been reading on calibration...

1. Will D-Nice's break in settings work in European panasonic model? (Cause he said it's for american models)

2. I was reading up on the ISF auto calibration feature of the VT series. I was thinking of buying this kit and auto calibrate it with this software, since I can't find any pro calibrators in my country. The reviews about the auto calibration seem very good... well they are good for me, it's miles better than not having it calibrated at all. What do you think about this?

Also, do you know where I can buy the ISF auto calibration kit of calman with panasonic?

Thanks for all the help so far, this is a great community here!

1. See my last comment and earlier comments regarding the settings from D-Nice you have found...don't use them.

2. From what you said earlier i assumed that the auto calibration was a feature of the tv and not an optional extra as you seem to say here...what is the truth here i wonder?? If the tv comes with an auto calibration tool built into the tv as i first thought then you shouldn't need any additional software or discs, you will need to contact Panasonic to clear this up i think as it's a little confusing. I know tv's have started to come with auto calibration tools built into the tv's software but i have no idea if the VT30 is one of them i'm afraid but as i stated earlier if that is the case i would start with that to calibrate the tv.

I don't know of any ISF auto calibration kit...all i have seen is the ISF calibration disc which i mentioned in my last post and that is a disc with various patterns, pictures, tests and directions on it that guide you through the calibration process from disc and are not an auto calibration option. Go to the ISF website from the links i provided earlier and go to the home page, you should be able to search for what you are looking for from there but it's something i'm not aware of so if you do find it i would be really interested to see what it does and how so please post the results of your search.

Hope that's of some help to you?

Best reagards.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks,

For the Auto ISF calibration thing... it is the first time and the only model with which this is possible is the VT30.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mwphqjqcsg

The above video shows exactly what I am referring to.

Apologies if we are not allowed to post links.

Sorry for the repeated questions but this is my first plasma, and with my previous LCD I never calibrated it (nor do I know if it needs to), so essentially I never calibrated a TV!

 

[Oldboy]

Ok i understand now how you got confused!

Right first things first they are using a colour meter which is the peice of kit that hangs over the tv and detects the brightness, contrast and colour levels of the tv. The specific model is not mentioned but by going to the spectracal website you can find their diy entry level calibration kit for $425 which contains the V4 software they refer to on the video, that's expensive in my opinion but you can have a look for yourself by clicking on the consumer tab on the site and then calibration packages (i can't provide a link to this, against house rules).

Don't worry about the many questions i was exactly the same! I still don't fully understand every aspect of calibration but it's what i've been researching for some time and i intend to buy a colour meter very soon to do a full calibration for my tv so i have some understanding of what is required. All tvs should be calibrated and it doesn't matter if they are an lcd, led or plasma screen as the settings out of the box are never correct.

There are cheaper ways of acheiving the same results as you see on the video via a cheaper meter such as the Eye One and free software that is readily available over the net but none of them are a one button solution and require you to adjust each element of the picture manually until you get the required results and often take 1 - 2 hours to complete (this is what i'm looking to do).

It's up to you what you want to do mate...there are many options out there it's just a case of how far you want to go with it, the video you have found is ISF levels of calibration and you therefore pay a premium price for that option but remember you will only use it a few times so it's up to you if you want to pay alot of money for something you will get little use from?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help!

The panasonic with spectracal package contains the following according to the site:

"This Panasonic Only Dealers special offer includes an Expert Edition of CalMAN software and a CalMAN M2 Colorimeter"

In reality, according to the video posted above, the calman V4 software connects to the VT30 via IP.

And since the package has got the software and colorimeter alone, I think basically any colorimeter will work (auto calibrate like in the video) if you've got a VT30 and Calman V4 software.

Am I right in assuming this?

Also, I don't mind spending the money, if I will get the best out of the VT30, since we have no other option in Malta it seems. Also, I will use it once every 6 months to recalibrate it so I think it is money well spent.

Since the panasonic deal from spectracal is only for dealers (hence I doubt I will be able to get it since I am not a retailer), can I just buy the parts seperately and use them?

Meaning I buy the Calman V4 software and a good colorimeter. This should work I think... or am I mistaken?

Either way can you suggest some good colorimeters and/or what other tools I need to do the ISF auto calibration and maybe a manual calibration down the line?

Thanks

 

[Oldboy]

Well as it's a dealer only package could you not get a dealer in Malta to perform the calibration for you? It's a long shot i know but may be worth investigating.

You are correct to think that any coloimeter will work with the software, they are interchangable between software but of course some are better than others. The two most commomly used for home calibration are the Eye One and Spyder and there are many models of each that are tailored to different needs and price points, a quick search on Amazon or the like is all you need to do to find them and then it's just a case of which one you get...as a rule i would try to get the most recent version of either and make sure it's compatible with a plasma tv as some are just for lcd/led.

I would assume you could then just get the calman V4 software and calibrate the tv with the auto calibration method shown in the video, i've no idea if you can purchase the software as it's meant for dealers but i can't see why not...have you seen the software advertised for sale to consumers?

It's going to be far cheaper to buy an Eye One or Spyder meter and then the V4 software seperately and well worth the outlay BUT i do remember on that video that you had to input some sort of ISF code on the tv menu in order to access the feature so you had better research that first and try to find out what it is, i'm sure a quick google will get that for you!

Hope that's been of some help to you

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Thanks for that info...

The ISF Day/Night can be unlocked from the software (the code is in the software). Also connect to the TV via Ethernet or RS232 so that the software can connect to the TV via IP.

Now after all that... all I need is a good colorometer... I want a good one that can analyse good colors and give me an excellent picture!

Any ideas on colorimeters... Is chroma 5, spectral c6 any good? Or theyre too much? Sould I go for something less expensive? If yes which ones do you suggest that can do a good job?

Thanks

 

[Alantiggger]

I keep getting ''you are not authorised to comment'' what's that about ?

anyways as the picture seems clear... buy the Panasonic as it is a better tv. :shhh:

 

[Clare Newsome]

Sorry about the 'not authorised' thing - a few people have contacted us about that. Seems to be a site glitch - we'll flag it up to tech team. Apologies!

In meantime, Alantigger, I have suspended need fir word verification from your account, in case that was causing the problem

 

[Alantiggger]

Thanks for that Clare but it seems that I still have to log-in a few times ... anyway my answer was purely self orientated as I am planing on getting the Panasonic for myself having read all about both sets.

The only thing that annoys me is that I'm stepping up in class/quality from my Pana 42'' and am wondering whether to go for the Pana 46'' or 50'' ... argh ? ... I sit about 3 metres from the tv.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Tech team have been notified - why do these things always happen at weekends!!?

Anyhow... Re TV - if you're watching mostly HD with a touch of decent SD (not low bitrate digital tv channels and/or poor source) then go for the bigger set - it'll really come into its own with great movies/drama/sport

 

[Anonymous]

I will be watching a bit of SD as well... like TV and the occasional DVD... will they be that bad (unwatchable) on the 65"?

Also Claire I frequently get the you can't post... enter the form verification code thing... almost everytime I make a post!

 

[Oldboy]

Hi,

Thanks for that info...

The ISF Day/Night can be unlocked from the software (the code is in the software). Also connect to the TV via Ethernet or RS232 so that the software can connect to the TV via IP.

Now after all that... all I need is a good colorometer... I want a good one that can analyse good colors and give me an excellent picture!

Any ideas on colorimeters... Is chroma 5, spectral c6 any good? Or theyre too much? Sould I go for something less expensive? If yes which ones do you suggest that can do a good job?

Thanks

The choice is yours! All of the mentioned meters are suitable aswell as the two i mentioned earlier....if it was me i would get the eye one pro but thats just my opinion as from the research i have done it's the best value and most accurate although it does require some additional low light calibration but then that just makes it more accurate.

By all means research all four meters and choose the one that most suits your needs because what works for me may not work for you as we will have different requirements but the value of buying a more expensive meter is negligable, it's more about the software that's included than the meters themselves. As you aren't going to be using the included software then it's irrelevent to you, i can give you my opinion but only you can decide what's best for you i'm afraid.

Let me know what you decide to get.

Regards.

 

[f1only]

Hi Oldboy just to mention that disc i spoke to you about works with CalMAN, ChromaPure, ColorHCFR & has the test patterns required to set up an HD TV properly + a lot better than the discs mentioned below.

I've used the Monster ISF HD Wizard Disc purchased directly from Image Science Foundation in the USA & I may as well not have bothered, it was no better than the free standard THX patterns now found on many BluRay & dvd's, other than it walked you through with an audio video explanation. IMO not worth the money, you can get just as good results using the THX discs.

Regards ..Paul

 

[Alantiggger]

Tech team have been notified - why do these things always happen at weekends!!? Anyhow... Re TV - if you're watching mostly HD with a touch of decent SD (not low bitrate digital tv channels and/or poor source) then go for the bigger set - it'll really come into its own with great movies/drama/sport

Thanks for the answer Clare :dance:

Mind, now I'll have to say to my wife we are going to go for the bigger set as I was kind of trying to taslk her into the 46'' as I was wanting to upgrade to a bigger and better set (smart tv) than the Panasonic TH42PX70 which has been great and was recomended to me by both your good self and Andy.... thx for that, great picture. :cheers: