Which Plasma-tv ?

[Rethep]

Well , now i am ready for a plasma-tv. I looked around and found plasma much finer to the eye and much more "quiet" image especially on bigger screens. But which one ? I am doubting about a Panasonic TX-P50GT30 (looked very well) and a Samsung PS51D7000 (not seen yet, but good reviews). The price will be about the same here in Holland.

I heard a lot about problems on the Panasonic with green spots and bands of light and flickering. The Samsung just caught my eye and seems to do with less problems. The Samsung uses more energy and will thus get warmer which i never like in electronic equipment. Any remarks or experiences with these 2 tv's ?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

As commented on the other thread, I've had none of these issues with my 50GT30B, and I'm sure there are plenty of owners who feel the same (very rarely do people post when they are happy with something, but they are quick to shout when there is a problem). I owned a samsung 50B850 and 50c6900 prior to this set and both had far worse issues, IR, buzzing fans, engineers out to change drives, fans, etc. I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect TV. But I'm sure the new Samsungs will not put perform the Panasonic IMO.

 

[Tartan mackem]

I bought a panasonic v20 42inch around a year ago.It was by far te best plasma around at the time, which is how I justified the £1300 spent on it! I have not been dissapointed, the picture is EXCELLENT and I'm particularly critical on picture quality. The biggest upside is that the standard def picture is awesome, and is only a tad behind high def - so much so that skyhd is unnecesarry. Blu ray is stunning.

I've no real experience of Samsung, apart from auditioning them a year ago and deciding against, but I've not had any problems with my panasonic picture, certainly no green spots or flicker. My only regret is having seen a 70inch pioneer kuro I didnt go bigger than 42inch!

 

[Rethep]

I still read more about buzzing on to many occasions from the Panasonic and some problems with 50 Hz content which we have here in Holland. When you have standard 60 Hz content (like in the UK) then that problem does not exist. I am also very interested in the new Samsung PS51D7000 which seems to be very good.

 

[Anonymous]

FWI Broadcast material in the UK is 50 Hz too! Your choice though, your the one that has to live with it. Best of luck.

 

[strapped for cash]

I'd broadly agree that many of the horror stories you hear tend to reflect the experiences of fussy owners, whose complaints are magnified online.

That said, I understand your caution. It's a minor miracle that any TVs sell at all, with all the griping that goes on (and I've been known to complain myelf).

The perfect TV simply doesn't exist, so if you're looking for perfection (as many are) you'll inevitably feel disappointed, whatever you buy.

I'd be inclined to go with the GT30. As stated above, the so-called "50 Hz bug" is a factor here in the UK as well, and was widely reported on last year's V20 model (I own one of these). Extremely rarely you might notice the slightest judder, but compared with motion handling I've seen on many other televisions it's really not a problem. Besides, this is reportedly less of an issue on 2011 Panasonic plasmas than last year's models.

If you want to put your mind at rest then give the GT30 a thorough audition, with 50Hz material, for as long as you're prepared to, or as long as the store will let you.

 

[Rethep]

Unfortunately i see that the inner rim of the GT30 is silver colour which some people have complained about. Are these designers crazy or what ? As i do not care about 3d i could go for the G30 instead which is also about 200,- cheaper, and has no silver rim.

 

[Oldboy]

Well i have a 42GT30 and it was 3rd time lucky with my tv as i had 2 faulty tvs before i got a good example with one suffering from loud buzzing (see my GT30 loud buzzing thread) and one with a dark line down the left hand side of the screen. Despite the issues the tv i have now has none of these issues and out of the many tvs i auditioned (including the samsung you mention) the GT30 was by far the best of the bunch.

There are reports about the PSD7000 series suffering from differing black levels after it's initial run in when the blacks seem to go grey in colour and the GT30 has had reported issues with floating blacks and 50hz images. Both of these issues certainly exist but as previous posters have said you should take it all in your stride as people (i'm guilty as charged!) are more likely to complain than praise anything over the web.

I'm not saying that these issues don't exist as they obviously do but it's just something to bear in mind when making your decision and shouldn't sway you too much because as ever it's you that needs to decide and the only way to do this is to audition them for youself and know what to look for when you do. All i can honestly say is that the GT30 is a fabulous tv and the 50hz issue is far better than last year and i've not really noticed it, i'm very happy and beleive i made the right choice despite the issues i had

 

[Rethep]

Thanks Oldboy. A very clear post from you!

Last question: how about the image retention ?

 

[Oldboy]

IR is less of a problem with the latest generation of plasma but it can still rear it's head from time to time, the first GT30 i had showed some signs of it but the 2nd one and the one i have now have showed no signs of IR atall.

I would say it's nothing to worry about (i'm not worried in the slightest) with the GT30 as there are two features built into the tv to minimise any issues, you get a pixel orbiter and scrolling bar options in the menu. Pixel orbiter slightly shifts the image from every pixel to minimise any IR from still images such as tv channel logos and such with no cost to picture quality as the human eye can't see it happening and the scrolling bar is a screen wipe in the form of a large white line that scrolls from left to right on a black background to wipe away any residule image.

Both of those features should almost eliminate any concerns over IR but of course i'm not going to say it will never happen but at least the tv carries the tools you need to minimise any chances of it occuring which is more than could be said for last years models, they carried no such features and the G20 i had suffered from alot of IR but so far my GT30 has had no issues atall.

Don't forget that any plasma will be more prone to IR untill after you have run the tv in for the initial 200 hours as the plasma cells are at their most excitable during this time but a little care with picture settings during this time is all you need, calibrate the screen and knock back the contrast a few notches for those 200 hours and you should have no problems and don't use the dynamic mode as it's far to bright!

Hope that helps, regards

Oldboy

 

[Rethep]

Another last question: how about this annoying silver-rim at the inside of the bezel ? I did not notice it in the shop but i can imagine it can be a problem. As i do not especially want 3d i could buy a 50G30 or is that totally other system ?

 

[Oldboy]

I can honestly say that the silver rim has not been an issue for me atall, i've never noticed it when watching the tv but it does add a touch of class to the finish of the tv and makes it look more stylish but to say it's distracting when viewing is wrong as it simply isn't! It doesn't distract me when watching any content from any source no matter if it's full screen, 4:3 or in 16:9 widescreen format, it's just a style choice from panasonic and one i agree with.

The G30 has been reviewed by WHF and i have seen it for myself. Don't be confused, the G30 is a very different tv to the GT30 and has a far bigger, chunkier footprint than the stylish slim size of the GT30 with a slightly inferior picture which i could see for myself when i auditioned one as it was right next to the GT30 and showing the same feed. It lacks a few of the extra features found on the GT30 and of course you miss out on 3d but with what you save in your wallet it's still a good tv and has got very favourable reviews, WHF like it but all the reviews i have read say that the GT30 is the superior tv.

If you don't want to future proof yourself or simply have no need for 3d or the little extras then get a G30 but from a purely personal point of view i would forever be wondering what i missed out on for the sake of a little extra cost but of course the choice is yours and only you can decide what your priorities are, either is a good choice imo but i still think it's best you venture out to look at them for yourself before you decide what to buy.

 

[Rethep]

Thanks again!

I am not looking for the perfect t.v., but 1000-1500 euro is still a lot of money to pay for something. I am already 2 years looking for the wright t.v. for me. It will be a big change since i am watching a 15" screen for the last 25 years or so. The one i am buying should serve me for about 10 years because i hate buying new things over and over. That's why i am critical about all aspects of my new t.v..

Also i still have the possibility to wait a little longer to afford a 50VT30. The sound is also much better then which gives less need for an extra soundsystem.

 

[Rethep]

Today i bought the Panasonic TX-P42G30E (the E will be for Europe or so ?!). After talking to a shopseller for the second time i decided on the spot this time. His advice to stay with 42" was good. It is really big on 2 to 2,5 m. I thought i saw some light greenish wash on 2 parts of the screen, but it seems not there every time so maybe it is not there or will be going away. Very soft buzzing to be heard at the back of the tv, only very light sound from the fans. So far so good it seems.

How to calibrate the image ?

 

[Oldboy]

Any THX dvd such as star wars contains the THX optimiser which is a great place to start and a list of those dvds can be found at THX.com, you probably own one already so you don't need to spend any extra money.

There are many other calibration discs out there to buy such as DVE Basics bluray, Spears and Munsil etc which should give even better results plus there is an open source calibration tool available over the internet which i used by burning to dvd (i can't name it here as it will break house rules) and can be found with a quick google search.

For a more profesional calibration you need to buy a colour meter and use software on a computer to get more accurate results, this is the most expensive option, the choice is yours it's just a case of how accurate you want to be and how much you are willing to spend.

 

[Rethep]

Many thanks man!

Do you happen to know which parameters are changed if i toggle the Eco-mode-setting from on to off ? I would like a little more brightness now in the evening but if i look at the parameters i cannot see big changes in the brightness/contrast-numbers, although the brightness clearly changes.

Do you think that calibrating makes much difference, as they say that default quality is very good ?

The SD-quality is already very good. The menustructure is very clear to understand. So far i am very satisfied with my choice!