Replacing Panasonic 65" ST50. Advice please.

[chad_1138]

So, earlier today, my 65" Panasonic Viera ST50 developed a vertical red line on the screen. I called Square Trade (I am on year 3 of a 4 year warranty). They said, after looking at pictures, that they would not be able to repair the set due to cost. They will be finding a "same or better" replacement.

I am crossing my fingers that another Viera Plasma can be found, but if not, what do those of you that have had to move away from Plasma recommend? Square Trade will be offering me the new set in the upcoming week, just wanted to get some input. Also, a projector is out of the question right now. I would love one, but don't have the space.

Thanks!

[schan1269]

Oled

[JJ]

Originally Posted by chad_1138

So, earlier today, my 65" Panasonic Viera ST50 developed a vertical red line on the screen. I called Square Trade (I am on year 3 of a 4 year warranty). They said, after looking at pictures, that they would not be able to repair the set due to cost. They will be finding a "same or better" replacement.

I am crossing my fingers that another Viera Plasma can be found, but if not, what do those of you that have had to move away from Plasma recommend? Square Trade will be offering me the new set in the upcoming week, just wanted to get some input. Also, a projector is out of the question right now. I would love one, but don't have the space.

Thanks!

Well, I hate to tell the same retried tale over and over again on these forums - but when my 65ZT60 died, it also couldn't be repaired or replaced.

As a 5-year owner of a Kuro 5020 and a 1 year owner of a Panasonic ZT60 (may it rest in peace) - I bought a Sammy 65" JS8500 about a month ago and couldn't be happier. Having gone from plasma to projector to LED, I can say that my LED LCD is pretty awesome compared to my old Kuro (going strong, but has the red tint effect by now and some serious IR from too much PS4) and in some cases, to my ZT60.

I will - get ready for this - say that overall, in my viewing environment, the JS8500 is superior to the 5020, and in some cases the ZT60. But for pure nighttime movie viewing, the ZT60 was better. May it RIP.

The JS8500 has its pros and cons to be sure - the two biggest cons I will note through personal use are:

- Viewing angles - anything past 25-30 degrees from center and the image washes out noticeably

- The edgelighting is noticeable in darker scenes.

I couldn't do anything about the first, but now I use bias lighting to alleviate the 2nd problem (gives me a contrast boost) and I'm OK with it.

I couldn't find any better display for $3,000 after 8 months of messing with projectors (which were awesome, and in the end only defeated by my unchangeable seating distance).

It has awesome daytime viewing, great color, contrast, and just produces a spectacular image. I highly recommend it, and I used to bash Samsung left and right before picking this up.

It's all about compromise in most price points. I refused to go over the $3K that I paid for my old ZT60, and after having a 92" screen size, I wasn't going below 65" either.

[chad_1138]

I'll wait and see what SquareTrade says, but I'm looking at going with a 70" Vizio M series. Pretty good reviews all around and made many top list for 2015. I would love an OLED, but I can't drop back down to a 55" after having a 65". The 6 grand for the 65" is a bit too steep. I'll keep you all updated on what turns out...

[chad_1138]

SquareTrade is hooking me up with a new TV. They are sending me a Sony KDL65W850C. Reviews on the avs forum sound pretty good.