Panasonic TV Fans

[cheezemonkhai]

I've currently got a Panasonic TX42GT30...

 

There's nothing wrong with it at all and it's in good condition, but what with this being the last year of plasma I find myself wondering if I should go and get myself a GT60 or a VT60 to replace it?

 

So who has owned a GT30/50 and is the picture on the GT60/VT60 really that much better?

Also what sort of money do the GT30's fetch these days?

 

Ta

 

[VWD]

Bit OT, but I'm still running a TX 32PM1, a CRT  32 in ,posing as a lot larger flat screen model . Superb sound with a range of picture qualities. It's theif proof- it'd take three blokes to carry it out.

[cheezemonkhai]

32" rear projection TV?

[GentleGiant]

I also have a TX 32; tbh I cant tell the difference in picture quality between it and my mums expensive Plasma, even when they are watching a HD channel.

 

All the "Mega Tests" when LCD and Plasma were still new tech - and for years after - used to use a TX32 as their CRT comparison - and the TX32 used to win, much to the disgust of my step father who hates me having anything better than him.

[Neo_VR]

Ive got a 50GT50..

 

For you - id possibly consider getting a GT/VT60 when the prices drop if youve got money to burn.. however with the VT being mooted as "the new Kuro" and potential supply issues - prices will be kept artificially high.. 

 

Not sure if the panel-pot-luck is any better with the 60 range these days.. there were staggering numbers of people on the AV forums returning the 50 range for ghosting, crosstalk and green splodges etc.

 

TBH my TV has issues with crosstalk but im not that fussed about it.. as it wasnt flagged up in the AVforums review (my tv is the very same unit they reviewed) so if it doesnt bother them it shouldnt bother me lol.

[cheezemonkhai]

I think I've concluded i'm going to keep my eye out for a 50VT60 that hasn't been doing shop display duty.

 

If I find one great, if not, then i'm happy with what I've got.

[VWD]

32" rear projection TV?

No ,it's a standard TV, with so many optons for vision/sound etc ,as to make it far in advance of it's time. The picture quality is excellent, and if you watch things like us oldies do ,like TOTP ,switching on the music mode gives you top quality sound. -Like GG, I've seen flat screens ,ad ,with this there's no contest. it's old, it's a dead weight ( in itself a good point, as no crim could carry it away), but it's solid good old fashioned elaetronics.

[rwbaldwin]

The TX 32 was designed to rival the Barco reference monitors that broadcasters use. It didn't quite make it but for the price it was a great effort.

[Dallan]

Last year of Plasma??? 

 

i have a TX-P42G10b its nearly 5 years old now but still great, reason i bought it was built in freesat hd

[cheezemonkhai]

So how much is a TXP-42GT30 worth these days?

 

Condition is as good as new, with the box etc.

[Grizzle]

I have a TX-P50G20B had it 4 years i dont see me changing it for another 4-5 years, a Panasonic cinema kit is hooked up to it, i also have a 32inch panasonic LCD in the room.

 

Highly recommend a panasonic TV.

[Nick P]

I very very nearly bought a ZT65 just before Christmas. I ended up buying a Samsung F8500 and very pleased with that decision. The motion handling on any of the Neo PDP Pansonics still isn't quite right in my eyes, although improved from the hideous VT20 I had and returned because of:

 

http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr200/nwperry/vt20/IMG_3819-1024.png

http://i483.photobucket.com/albums/rr200/nwperry/vt20/IMG_3803-1024.png

 

I loved the older Panasonic plasmas. I had a PZ70 which was stunning.

 

I suspect Samsung will also pull out of plasma this year too and put PDP budget into OLED. Therefore if you want a new top end TV right now and don't want to be lumbered with an LCD turd or have to wait probably 4 years for OLED to mature and become more affordable, I can't recommend the Samsung F8500 highly enough.

 

Review: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/samsung-ps64f8500-201305012945.htm

 

I took mine off the curvy metal stand and put it on an Off The Wall Origin II. It looks great. Oh and it's way better in a bright room than even the VT and ZT Panasonic - the ambient light filtration is awesome and the screen goes searingly bright if you want it to.

[Lady Elanore]

I have a Plasma 55vt50 Panny and I love it. I even did a colour correction set up on it, just to set the Gamma and such like. It has black levels that rival my older Pioneer Kuro! The newer VT60 I gather, is based on the same screen as the VT50 but has a bit more processing in it's engine department. Overall it's a great tv and I am a seriously sad TV snob when it comes to image quality :(

 

I'd say grab one now, save up and in around 7 years time upgrade to a 4K OLED.

 

4K is definitely coming though. I am working on an R&D test broadcast of the Commonwealth Games that will be in 4K

[Nick P]

Hmmm 4k. I'd be much more interested in 1080p high bit rate satellite broadcasts right now rather than the utterly bit-rate starved 1080i/720p crud we have right now.

 

I wish the powers that be at Sky would grasp that this could be a great differentiator when faced with increasing iptv over fttc competition - and one which leverages their investment in satellite. Sadly the reality is a shift away from satellite to fttc and ever decreasing bit rates.

 

The 4k demo material I've seen playing on 4k sets in the Panasonic and Sony stores has had more compression artefacts than I would like to see.

[Lady Elanore]

Hmmm 4k. I'd be much more interested in 1080p high bit rate satellite broadcasts right now rather than the utterly bit-rate starved 1080i/720p crud we have right now.

 

I wish the powers that be at Sky would grasp that this could be a great differentiator when faced with increasing iptv over fttc competition - and one which leverages their investment in satellite. Sadly the reality is a shift away from satellite to fttc and ever decreasing bit rates.

 

The 4k demo material I've seen playing on 4k sets in the Panasonic and Sony stores has had more compression artefacts than I would like to see.

I think the broadcasters are looking to send the pictures from site in quarters and stich it back together at the far end before Tx (I'm hoping to find out more soon), so my guess is that the true potential of broadcast 4K will never be realised. personally I wish they would do something about the heavily compressed 5.1, but I would say that as I'm a Soundie   Oh Bockbuster video, how I miss your BluRays   :(

Edited 16 February, 2014 by Lady Elanore

[Nick P]

I think the broadcasters are looking to send the pictures from site in quarters and stich it back together at the far end before Tx (I'm hoping to find out more soon), so my guess is that the true potential of broadcast 4K will never be realised

Presumably those 4 quarters are sent from site in lossless compression though. It's after that when the broadcasters go a bit h.265 nuts that'll make it suck.

For consumption of movies, the only acceptable approach for me at the moment - that satisfies quality and convenience of delivery and storage - is bluray rip from Usenet straight to NAS. I hate optical media (well OK I do love Laserdisc but that's it ).

[Lady Elanore]

Presumably those 4 quarters are sent from site in lossless compression though. It's after that when the broadcasters go a bit h.265 nuts that'll make it suck.

For consumption of movies, the only acceptable approach for me at the moment - that satisfies quality and convenience of delivery and storage - is bluray rip from Usenet straight to NAS. I hate optical media (well OK I do love Laserdisc but that's it ).

I think the 4 quarters are sent via a normal HD chain from site (presumably because of bandwidth and cost restrictions) so the final stich will be a composite of compressed signals :( still it should be better than 1080i that we normally get. I often say to people "don't you think it's odd that you can get a 2 hour movie in HD downloaded into about 2-3 gigs of data storage and yet a 576 low def equivalent on DVD often takes at least twice that". Still, people love mp3s so I guess we are to a loser to want better quality in our media :)

[Nick P]

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/4k-resolution-201312153517.htm

[Lady Elanore]

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/4k-resolution-201312153517.htm

I remember reading a test where an early Kuro Plasma 42" HD Ready tv (720 ish) was compared to the current 42" 1080 tvs on offer (including the Pannys of that era). As I recall only 1 out of 5 viewers (they were all magazine staff) correctly spotted the Kuor was only HD ready and overall it was judged to have the best picture. it certainly helped to back up the theory that resolution is not the only fruit......... .or something like that

Edited 18 February, 2014 by Lady Elanore

[Lady Elanore]

Actually come to think of it, I have 2 good friends (both reasonably intelligent types) who have decent plasma HD tellys and they both watch stuff in the wrong aspect ratio. It drive me mad!!!!!!! I tried to explain that I work with people who have spent their life pouring over the most minute picture defect and they (my friends) cant even tell the difference between native 16:9 and stretched 4:3. Grrrrrrrrr. Don't know why we bother sometimes :( :( :(

[GentleGiant]

Actually come to think of it, I have 2 good friends (both reasonably intelligent types) who have decent plasma HD tellys and they both watch stuff in the wrong aspect ratio. It drive me mad!!!!!!! I tried to explain that I work with people who have spent their life pouring over the most minute picture defect and they (my friends) cant even tell the difference between native 16:9 and stretched 4:3. Grrrrrrrrr. Don't know why we bother sometimes :( :( :(

 

Perhaps it is a body image thing.

 

They like their TV and film stars to look fatter!!!!!

[Lady Elanore]

Perhaps it is a body image thing.

 

They like their TV and film stars to look fatter!!!!!

You might be on to something. Let me go and make Angelina Jolie look fatter. Wheres me aspect ratio button.........?

 

ah ha!   Got it.

 

 

Now she looks at least a size 8

[Nick P]

Yeah, but she still looks weird.

[Lady Elanore]

I think she is beautiful, if a little too thin. That's the funny thing about beauty imho. The beautiful object has to have a flaw too, otherwise it becomes almost perfect and no longer special. That makes sense in my head. Brad looked a bit chunky on my Panny last night, even with correct aspect ratio

 

Have to say that the ski jumping thingie looked fantastic on a big screen in HD. I'd never noticed the skis wobble as they come down the ramp before. The broadcasters have done a good job this year

[Gti Jazz Blue]

I've got a TX-P50GT60B which I'm very happy with cracking picture - replaced our 8 year old 42" Panasonic Plasma which my Daughter and Fiancee are still enjoying.