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289 of 293 people found the following review helpful.
Staggeringly good picture
By Michael Romo
UPDATE - September 29, 2012So, it's been a few months since I wrote my initial review of the GT50 and I wanted to give another update.Overall, the set is working great. I have not gotten it professionally calibrated, I want to do that next month, but the picture still looks fantastic, both for 2D and 3D content ("The Avengers" looks amazing!). Interestingly, I find myself using the THX-Cinema settings just as often, if not more often, than the custom settings I had generated using the various calibration discs. That may be more out of laziness than anything else, to be honest.A few things:1 - If you have a lamp or a window in your room that you think will reflect on the screen, be aware that the anti-glare coating will not cut it during the day. You'll need heavy drapes for the day and use a dimmer or just turn off the lamp at night. It can be distracting.2 - My biggest frustration is that I am noticing some degree of line bleed, which I guess is a problem with plasmas in general -- I noticed it with my old Samsung but find myself noticing it a lot more with the GT50. I am very frustrated to have to report this to you all and I am going to see what I can do about it, if anything -- again, this is something that happens on all plasmas, apparently, I just wanted to make sure you all knew that I was finding it somewhat distracting.(Line bleeding is when a "ghost" version of another element on a screen actually appears on part of the screen where where it shouldn't -- for example, a character's face might be in front of a window sill -- the "ghost" of the sill continues across the character's face. There is some discussion of line bleed on the GT50 here:[...] )I am not going to change my star rating for my review based on what I am perceiving as a limitation of the technology (as opposed to the set) but it's something to keep in mind. I will be doing some research to see what, if anything, I can do to address the situation and let you know what happens.Finally, I have received a few email inquiring which kind of TV stand I have (in the pictures section). I got the stand in 2007 from IKEA -- sadly, I do not think they make it anymore. It's a pity, it's kind of a perfect TV stand.ORIGINAL REVIEWAfter six years, it was time to replace my aging 42" Samsung plasma (during which a circuit board died, which ended up requiring an all new screen to be installed--thank goodness I had the extended warranty). At first, I went with the UN55D8000, which was a good looking set, granted, but just didn't have the picture quality I wanted, so I ended up returning that less than a week after it arrived. Then I heard about the new Panasonic models coming out, and realized that the GT50 looked like a promising candidate.I have had the TV for less than a week, and there is no way I am returning this incredible plasma television. I will share some initial thoughts (and have submitted photos as well), and will update my comments later as a kind of progress report.If you care about picture quality and don't feel like waiting for the VT, look no further. This set has one of the best pictures out of the box I have ever seen, with deep, silky blacks and vibrant (not never overly so) colors. My "go-to" test for black levels is the first scene of Episode 9 of the first season of "Game of Thrones," which takes place entirely in the shadows. Quite frankly, I didn't know blu-ray could look so good. The details in the bricks and the clothing, all illuminated by a flickering torch, were astounding. There was a real sense of depth and clarity, even with this very dark scene--incredible. I dialed in my own settings using the Spears and Munsil disc, but the settings included in the THX- Cinema mode worked really well and are a great starting point.The color controls for this TV are very extensive, and I think a professional calibrator could really make this set sing. I will get a real calibration done in a month and let you know how it goes. Suffice to say, once I dialed in the proper brightness and contrast and turned pretty much everything else off (and making sure to turn the "panel brightness" to low)--the set was great.I watched "Tron" in 3D using the Oppo BDP-93, and was very impressed with the 3D and the clarity of the picture. I don't have a lot of 3D content, so I will make sure to add more comments once I see more films. The glasses, which are not cheap, are light and quite comfortable, though it's annoying you are supposed to charge them via the TV--when the TV is on. It would be nice if they came with little carrying cases or bags, but no such luck.I have DirecTV and the 1080i picture looks fantastic, as does the AppleTV's 1080p. It is with Blu-ray, however, that this set really feels most at home. I cannot overstate how rich the contrast is; my wife continues to comment on how much she notices the better picture, which is a great sign!I have this plugged into my sound system, so I haven't even heard the speakers, really, so I can't comment on the sound quality.As I illustrate in the pictures, the HDMI ports are very close to the side of the cabinet, so if you have thicker HDMI cables, you really need to coax them, gently, down the side so they don't poke out behind the set. I have a set of Bluejeans cables, which work just fine, but my Better Cables HDMI is definitely very close to the edge. Speaking of cables, while the set does come with a cable stay, there is only 1 (though there are four places to put it)--Panasonic really needs to included another.The bezel is very thin and the set is not that much thicker than the Samsung LCD I had just a few weeks ago. I really like how it looks in the room. The screen swivels about 10° either direction, which is nice. It's also much lighter than I thought it would be; I was able to put the stand on and lift it into place by myself (though, clearly, you should have someone help you--I was just excited).This is a really great set. I haven't seen the ST50, but I can't help but feel that the extra 24,000 shades of grey really push this TV to a higher level of picture quality. I am extremely, extremely pleased so far, and I am looking forward to putting it through its paces--and will let you know how it goes!Update (4/11/12):I started playing with the Internet Apps last night and wanted to add a few notes:1 - Every time I press "Viera Tools" or "Internet" I am kind of shocked how fast the interface comes up. This is, by far, the fastest interface I have ever used, thanks to the dual processor. It's so fast that you start to get the feeling that you might actually USE the Internet on this thing!2 - Panasonic does have a web browser (App Store:LifeStyle) but it's a pain to download (you have to enter in your credit card information even though the application is free); I just wish it was included. I am going to fill out my credentials on the vieracast website because it's kind of annoying to enter in the data using the remote.3 - The YouTube interface is actually pretty nice. The text is displayed larger than on the AppleTV and you can sort by HD Content only, which the AppleTV does NOT let you do--so that's very cool.4 - I still need to check out Netflix, Hulu +, Vudu and other applications. The GT50 offers a very comprehensive assortment of online services and, like I said, it's very easy and intuitive to get to.Other things:1 - Clicking on Viera Tools brings up a toolbar on the lower part of the screen from which you can access various items:- 3D options- THX options - basically, switch from THX Cinema to THX Bright Room and one other THX mode. Pretty good for testing out your custom settings with the THX ones.- Viera Connect - pretty much the same as pressing the "Internet" button on the remote- Media Player- DLNA - wasn't applicable to my system- Viera Link - not really sure what the difference is between Viera Connect and Viera Link; I will check it out and update this post- Eco - adjusts the auto-brightness features- eHelp - access to the 208 page manual via a specialized interface2 - There IS an iOS app (and I would assume an Android App) that can take the place of the supplied remote control. Useful, I guess, for Harmony users who may need specialized controls from time to time. This seemed to work well for the most part but I have some thoughts:- The app makes ridiculous sounds when using the remote. You can turn the sounds off. Really silly.- The trackpad controls are the default screen, but you cannot control the TV with them. You need to swipe to another pane to get to the arrow keys to navigate the menus. This was confusing at first and then just kind of irritating, because you have to go to one page to call up "Options" then swipe to another page to interact with the options.- The reason why I gave up entering my credentials to get the web browser was because the keyboard on the iOS app was NOT sending text to the TV. This is clearly a bug, but once it is fixed, this will work like the AppleTV, where you can use your iOS device to type into the TV, which is obviously much better than using the remote. Lame it's not working for me, though.- There is an iPad specific app which I have looked at but I haven't used with the TV (I don't know if it consolidate the various panes, will update).So, I dunno how important these services and Internet features are to you. I really like my AppleTV, so I already have most of them, but am curious to see Vudu's video quality and check out how Dolby Digital Plus sounds--I hope it works the Toslink output. I personally will be using my iPad or Phone to deal with Facebook, twitter, etc -- even though image retention and burn-in are much less likely to be a problem on modern plasmas, I don't really feel like tempting fate with having a static web browser interface on the screen while I am surfing the web.hope this update helps!4/15/23 Quick updateTried the 3D. Here's what I got:1 - 2D-3D conversion was nothing to write home about. I didn't know if it was working half the time. Maybe I did something wrong, but it just gave me a headache.2 - Straight up 3D is awesome. Watched beginning of Hugo and found it hard to press "Stop". If you are into the 3D, you MAY want to get the 55" for a more immersive experience, but the 50" was fantastic, regardless. I still think the glasses make your eyes get tired, but still--the depth is really great, and the sense of immersion with "floaty-bits" was really top notch, at least in "Hugo". Look, 3D might look brighter on the LED/LCD set I had before, but there was a sense of depth here that I felt lacking in the Samsung I tried out.3 - I have a few "THX" Blu-rays. I watched them in "THX Cinema" mode and they looked awesome. Maybe THX is not necessarily just hype?4 - Demo'ed the streaming services. Vudu's HDX format is no joke--it looks incredible, close (from my viewing distance) to Blu-ray, totally. HOWEVER, I could not get Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 (which is supposed to sound GREAT) output from the Toslink output on the TV. I am pretty sure DD+ requires HDMI, so that explains it. Still, DD+ includes the DD 5.1 mix and that sounded great. I was really impressed with the Vudo service and I think I will use it. Amazon and Netflix both looked great as well. I still like the AppleTV UI, but this ain't half bad.Note: I talked to someone on the Panasonic "Raise the Bar" tour and she acknowledged that the iOS remote control app had some issues (the Android one is supposed to work fine) and that my problem (the keyboard not working) was going to be fixed soon. It was kind of cool that she knew about that.Finally, I put up some new photos showing a few off-axis viewing examples, a bird's eye view of the swivel angle, and some shots showing Vudu and Amazon content.thanks-m
79 of 79 people found the following review helpful.
Finally, a plasma that looks good with the lights on.
By Sheshechic
I bought this tv to replace a LCD that had bad off angle views and weak shadow details. The room is bright during the day and I often watch tv with a light on unless we're watching a movie. The THX Bright Room mode is nearly perfect out of the box. I lowered contrast and brightness a bit and turned up color a few ticks. Watching shows like Game of Thrones was breath taking and bright movies like The Fall with all that light and vibrant colors was mesmerizing. And what amazed me even more is the way the image got even better after about 2 days and again after about 2 weeks.For those who are agonizing over whether to buy the ST50 or GT50, here is my advice- if you have a light controlled room, will most likely only use one mode and will you're willing to have it calibrated to attain the best possible picture - then buy the ST50. If you want a dark room mode, a bright room mode and you're not so sure that you want to spend money on professional calibration, then buy the GT50 and never wonder if you made the right choice. The GT50 offers 2 THX modes that are awesome right out of the box and the Custom mode has professional color settings that can be adjusted easily and will offer a reference picture if professionally calibrated.When the GT50 is fed a very good signal such as HD or blu-ray the image is natural, bright, has great color and contrast and the shadow details are the best I have ever seen. I was watching a notably dark movie and could see the detail in the corduroy of a man's black jacket. Wow! Hair has never looked so good on tv. As with any other display, GIGO- bad signals look bad. If you never owned a big screen tv then you should know that it makes all the bad stuff much more obvious and offensive. You should also know that just because a station is HD it doesn't mean that the old stuff is upgraded and will look like blu-ray or even HD for that matter. I think it's a shame that some of HBO and AMC can still be so bad even with newer programming. Shame on them. If you think any of this is the TVs fault then pop in a blu-ray and see what your tv can really do with a good signal and then you'll know who the true offender is. If you are using a set top box from your cable provider or satellite service be sure that you have the newest HD model available and that the settings are right for HD.This tv offers a dual core processor which improves app response and may help with future apps too. I'll take a dual core over single core any day, considering that tablets now have quad core, why would anyone interested in using apps or the internet even consider a single core processor? BTW, wireless was very easy to setup and updating happens without a hitch.There's not a tv out there that is perfect and certainly this tv has a few flaws too. However, my rating is based on what's available, not dreams. The GT50 does have dithering (inherent to plasma tech), DSE (dirty screen effect), does not offer the same tools (isf) for picture adjustment that some manufacturers do and the web browser does not support Flash Player- only HTML 5. IMO, the dithering isn't too bad and is often subtle when it does show up, but can be bad with lower quality signals. If you have a lot of dithering (or sparkles) try lowering your brightness setting. I've only seen DSE once during a subway shooting scene that was dark and is improved when using a less bright mode.I only hear buzzing if my ear is 2" or less from the white part of the screen. Plasmas shouldn't buzz very much more than this. The tv does not have brightness pops or floating blacks either.This tv is well worth the investment. If you're coming from LCD and really want to love a plasma check this one out in THX Bright Room. ;)Update: I exchanged this tv for the 55VT50 a week ago and I am returning the VT50 to get the 60GT50 back again. IMO, the VT is only very slightly better at handling reflections, blacks are slightly better but not much, shadow detail out of the box was not as good as the GT and the VT will definitely need professional calibration to achieve what might be a significant improvement over the lower models and none of the flaws associated with the ST & GT are any better on the VT- it is not better at motion handling. So my opinion it that the improvements with the VT are not significant enough to justify the price difference, especially not when comparing sets of equal size. I love the picture so much on the GT50 that I don't feel compelled to get it calibrated and that is just not true about the VT50. Also, the 5" size difference was enough to change the experience I had, while watching John Carter I couldn't help but clearly understand what was missing. The 60GT50 is coming home to stay and I can't wait until it gets here. 8DBTW, thank you Amazon for the price match. '''Update: 1-6-13 This tv still looks amazing and even more so after updating the settings in Custom. We still use the THX bright room settings when it's really bright outside and the shades are all the way up (windows are now directly across from the tv). There is still glare but no worse than on other tvs and not as bad as on some. Blacks still look good even with all that light shining directly on the set. I have seen no image retention while watching tv and I do not hunt for it. We do nothing special to prevent image retention either, we watch anywhere from 1-3 hours of MSNBC daily and hubby has been watching a ton of football.I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for a great price on a smaller GT50 for another room.
45 of 47 people found the following review helpful.
Problem Image Rention
By akgirl
I purchased this TV in August 2012 and have been extremely happy with it, the picture is excellent. A few days ago I noticed that I had an image showing on the screen on all my channels, a retained image from a channel I watch frequently. I contacted Panasonic through email and they advised me run an "Anti-Image Retention" scan in the Setup menu. I ran the scan for the full 15 minutes and the problem still persists so I let them know. They advised me to call the Panasonic customer care center due to my television most likely requiring service. I phoned and was told image retention was not covered under warranty and gave me some tips on how I might be able to get rid of it. I wanted to pass them on to everyone:-Use dimmer brightness-Don't stay on one channel too long, periodically switch channels-Run the "Anti Image Retention Scan" twice a day until image fades-Don't run a channel too long that has a still image on it-Use standard mode instead of vividIt would have been very helpful to have received this information with the TV's set-up quide. I had no idea this type of problem existed. And if I knew the problem was a possibilty I certainly would not have purchased a plasma television let alone pay $1600 for it.
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Communicate with Family and FriendsThe social networking TV app allows you to access social network sites and communicate with your loved ones while simultaneously watching TV. Watch live sports games while upping the excitement by chatting with your friends as the game unfolds. Record an original message and set it as your answering voice message. Callers can record messages onto an SD Card (min. 512MB required), while you are away. *Skype camera not included with TV purchase
Connect this DLNA-compatible VIERA HDTV and DLNA-compatible AV equipment to your home network, and you can watch movies, listen to music, and view photos from any room in the house. VIERA HDTV's Wi-Fi capability gives you even more layout flexibility. The GT50 series has built-in Wi-Fi.600 Hz Sub-field Drive and 2500 Focused Field DriveThe GT50 features 600Hz technology which allows for superb full-HD motion and still images. Panasonic uses unique image-analysis technology which allows for greater clarity with motion images. The GT50 also employs Neo Plasma Black 2500 FDD to provide a crisp image even when the content shows very fast motion. 3D 24p Cinema Smoother VIERA gives you naturally flowing 24p images with the look and tonal characteristics of film, and familiar TV-like quality. Panasonic's advanced source analysis and frame generation deliver smooth, natural, and lifelike images.
