Panasonic Viera TC-P50S30 vs. TC-P50ST30

[BDS23420]

Originally Posted by fairchild

Not likely both "better" and less expensive as far as new 2011 models. Some of the newer Samsung, LG might provide comparable performance and possibly be priced lower though.

yea, im just looking for a nice 50" plasma thats not that much money....it has to be 1080P and thats all i really care about, but the ST looks really good.

[BDS23420]

Just bought to ST30 its cheap right now on Amazon.
its cheaper than the 46inch

[BDS23420]

Getting my 50ST30 delivered tomm!!!!

anyone have any suggestions on what I should watch first on it?!!?!

[DJ Matt]

Watch what you like the most ???

[john_1958]

the set looks great and like to see it with new panasonic 3d effect blu-ray dmp-bdt210 would crank that player way up

http://hdguru.com/picture-settings-a...-p50st30/4451/

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-34468791.html

[john_1958]

Originally Posted by BDS23420

Getting my 50ST30 delivered tomm!!!!

anyone have any suggestions on what I should watch first on it?!!?!

how much do they cost?

[BDS23420]

Just watch Avatar....all I can say is OMG I HAVE BEEN MISSING SO MUCH WITH LCD, I AM OFFICALLY A PLASMA GUY!!!!

the colors, the picture everything is better!!!!!




john_1958 and where from $1,499 - $1,150 depending on the store.

[sstar]

Hi all. New here but hoping you guys can help, or at least point me where to go to read the answer to my question.

I had been planning on getting the 55" VT25 for a while now. I wanted the best quality plasma for movie watching mainly. Hate LED becasue of the soap opera effect, I want my movie to look like it does in the theatre, exactly like it. This new ST series is confusing me. Is it better than the G but not as good as the GT/Vt series? Panasonic has it in that order on their site, but I wonder if they're giving this one higher billing because it's 3d and the G isn't.

Anyone know wether the new 24P cinema smoother might cause any of the soap opera effect, it seems to be somehwat similar to what the LED's do to smooth it out, but I hate the way they look video game-ish or sopa opera-ish.

Anyway, anyone know how this ST compares to the VT? This one is newer and cheaper, but if the VT is still the better TV, I'd prefer that one.

Thanks for any input.

sstar

[fairchild]

Originally Posted by sstar

Is it better than the G but not as good as the GT/Vt series?

Anyway, anyone know how this ST compares to the VT?

Thanks for any input.

sstar

The 2011 ST30 should be a bit better than the 2010 G series. It is comparable to the 2010 GT, but the VT25 should be better by far than the 2011 ST30. As long as you aren't bothered by floating blacks which you may or not notice on the VT25.

Consider this, the VT is Panny's flagship (top of the line) set for 2010, while the ST30 is Panny's low-end 3D tv for 2011. (VT30 > GT30 > ST30)

[sstar]

Originally Posted by fairchild

The 2011 ST30 should be a bit better than the 2010 G series. It is comparable to the 2010 GT, but the VT25 should be better by far than the 2011 ST30. As long as you aren't bothered by floating blacks which you may or not notice on the VT25.

Consider this, the VT is Panny's flagship (top of the line) set for 2010, while the ST30 is Panny's low-end 3D tv for 2011. (VT30 > GT30 > ST30)

Thanks fairchild, that's what it was sort of looking like to me. On the subject of floating blacks. I have read them mentioned before, could you briefly explain what they actually look like, or what they mean by that. I'm not an expert at all, just trying to learn it all. If it's already a thread somewhere and you don't want to get into it, no problem, I'll try to find info on it later.

Thanks again.

[volcomsocal]

Originally Posted by sstar

On the subject of floating blacks. I have read them mentioned before, could you briefly explain what they actually look like, or what they mean by that.

A great example of floating blacks is when you are watching a letterbox movie (2.35:1 aspect ratio), and the blacks of the letterbox go from black to a grayish color and back to black. Depending on the content on the screen, whether dark or light, those black bars will fluctuate from black to gray and back to black... as opposed to a constant black, which what it's supposed to be.

[ewsjr]

I just posted about picking up the 42ST30 for my living room set (basically the same set as the 50) and I actually think the extra money is worth it. I looked at the 42ST and 50S30 (both these displays are selling for the exact same price right now at BB) for a long time at BB since they were next to each other and the ST just had a PQ that was much better all around. After I got it home and played around a bit it really did look great, with limited tweaking. After watching one dvd (Winter's Bone) and a few HD and SD programs, I was definitely glad I bought this sucker. It just looked GOOD! Great blacks and after minimal adjustments the color was nice a saturated and even my nephew commented on how crisp the dvd image was. I'm assuming if you were to buy one and have it ISF calibrated (I highly recommend this) it would look awesome. Just the impression of a very satisfied consumer.

[The Don]

I'm pretty sure the ST30 has the infinite black 2 panel which has me at hello....I could care less about 3D, but the infinite black 2 panel is where my money would go....

[Sonny]

I just google'd the VT30 and some new "pro" reviews came up. It looks really nice and the auto ISF feature is really really sweet.

[Mr.Insurance]

My brother has the S model and to be honest its a great HDTV. And you wont be dissapointed if you choose the S model.
Just my 2 c.

[Mikeygti]

Originally Posted by Mr.Insurance

My brother has the S model and to be honest its a great HDTV. And you wont be dissapointed if you choose the S model.
Just my 2 c.

I've owned the "S" model for about a month, and am more than satisfied.
Even my wife has more than once said "wow" when watching a blu-ray movie. lol

[jaydee77ca]

Hi,

Has anyone noticed the fluctuating brightness issue on the ST30? I'm looking at either the S30 or the ST30 and am not sure if the ST30 is worth the extra $200. I have read CNET articles that say that there is a fluctuating brightness issue on some Panasonics. CNET says it's better in 2011 models but other users are saying that the 2011 models built before August 2011 still have issues. They claim that Panasonic US technicians have to replace boards in their units to fix the issue. I've also seen that Panasonic Canada is not doing anything about the issue as they claim it's a "feature".

I'm not sure what to believe? Thoughts?

Thanks!

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by jaydee77ca

Hi,

Has anyone noticed the fluctuating brightness issue on the ST30? I'm looking at either the S30 or the ST30 and am not sure if the ST30 is worth the extra $200. I have read CNET articles that say that there is a fluctuating brightness issue on some Panasonics. CNET says it's better in 2011 models but other users are saying that the 2011 models built before August 2011 still have issues. They claim that Panasonic US technicians have to replace boards in their units to fix the issue. I've also seen that Panasonic Canada is not doing anything about the issue as they claim it's a "feature".

I'm not sure what to believe? Thoughts?

Thanks!

The ST30 is WELL worth the extra $$ over the S30. Fluctuating brightness can be fixed with a visit from a Panasonic tech, and is covered if you have it. Simply call Panasonic and schedule a tech call.

[jaydee77ca]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

The ST30 is WELL worth the extra $$ over the S30. Fluctuating brightness can be fixed with a visit from a Panasonic tech, and is covered if you have it. Simply call Panasonic and schedule a tech call.

Even covered in canada?

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by jaydee77ca

Even covered in canada?

Didn't see the Canada part, so you'll need to look into that a little more. I have the GT30, and in the 3 months I've had it, I've only noticed the fluctuating brightness once during the pond scene in Harry Potter 7.1. I plan to contact Panasonic, simply for the piece of mind, but it's not high on my priority list right now.

I would check the MFG date of the set you are looking to buy. If it's after August, you should be good to go.