Panasonic G30 vs ST30

[giosipiano]

I'm about to buy my first plasma, and I'm having trouble deciding between the 42" models of the Panasonic G30 and the Panasonic ST30. You may have seen my other thread where I was about to buy the G30, but then came across the ST30 for the same price .

The specifications seem almost identical when considering contrast ratio, refresh rate, resolution etc. The major differences are the ST30 offering the Infinite Black Pro filter, as opposed to Infinite Black on the G30, and of course 3D functionality (which I'm not actually interested in at all ). The G30 on the other hand offers THX mode. Like I said, price is not an issue as they cost exactly the same.

When comparing the two, I'm only interested in the quality of '2D' Blu-Ray playback in varying light conditions (but predominantly in a dark room).

Also, I'm upgrading from a 37" LG LCD (2006 model with standard 720p, 60Hz configuration), so could anyone voice an opinion on how significant an upgrade it would be in terms of picture quality ?

Any help will be very much appreciated.

Thanks guys

[bubble blu]

The ST30 has faster phosphors for 3D so motion will be better for both 3D and 2D! The THX mode isn't worth the extra money and you will find that further calibration is needed to get a better picture. Although the G30 is a 2D panel and you only want it for 2D the ST30 at the same price with better motion AND 3D thrown in is a much better choice! The improvement over the TV you have now will be huge!

[giosipiano]

Originally Posted by bubble blu

The ST30 has faster phosphors for 3D so motion will be better for both 3D and 2D! The THX mode isn't worth the extra money and you will find that further calibration is needed to get a better picture. Although the G30 is a 2D panel and you only want it for 2D the ST30 at the same price with better motion AND 3D thrown in is a much better choice! The improvement over the TV you have now will be huge!

Thanks for the reply

What do you think about the VT20 (or VT25) compared to the ST30?

[SlaughterX]

I'd go with the GT30, THX mode actually is kinda like a big deal.

[giosipiano]

Originally Posted by SlaughterX

I'd go with the GT30, THX mode actually is kinda like a big deal.

Hi,

I'm unable to stretch to the GT30, so at the moment I'm leaning toward to the VT20 which also has THX Mode.

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by giosipiano

Hi,

I'm unable to stretch to the GT30, so at the moment I'm leaning toward to the VT20 which also has THX Mode.

I was faced with the decision: 50S30 or 42ST30. I had the 50" for one whole day and decided the black levels weren't good enough coming from a G10 I have in the living room. I exchanged the S30 for the 42" ST30 and couldn't be happier.

Here are the reviews from recent issue of Home Theater:

ST - http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...3d-plasma-hdtv
GT - http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...3d-plasma-hdtv
VT - http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...3d-plasma-hdtv

I don't think the need for THX mode is all that great if you will be doing any type of personal calibration. I suppose it's fine is you want to "set it and forget it"

Of the current model years the ST is the best bang for the buck.

Bill

[giosipiano]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

I was faced with the decision: 50S30 or 42ST30. I had the 50" for one whole day and decided the black levels weren't good enough coming from a G10 I have in the living room. I exchanged the S30 for the 42" ST30 and couldn't be happier.

Here are the reviews from recent issue of Home Theater:

ST - http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...3d-plasma-hdtv
GT - http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...3d-plasma-hdtv
VT - http://www.hometheater.com/content/p...3d-plasma-hdtv

I don't think the need for THX mode is all that great if you will be doing any type of personal calibration. I suppose it's fine is you want to "set it and forget it"

Of the current model years the ST is the best bang for the buck.

Bill

Thanks for your reply

I bought the VT20 last week and have been literally floored by the picture quality - seriously, it tears my LCD to shreds

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

I don't think the need for THX mode is all that great if you will be doing any type of personal calibration. I suppose it's fine is you want to "set it and forget it"

Of the current model years the ST is the best bang for the buck.

Bill

Agree.

From someone who has a new GT30, I'd recommend the ST30 if you plan to calibrate the picture yourself. The THX preset is pretty good, but I've been able to get better results myself in custom mode.

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by giosipiano

Thanks for your reply

I bought the VT20 last week and have been literally floored by the picture quality - seriously, it tears my LCD to shreds

Congrats on the purchase. I am about 45 hours into the break in slides with about an hour or so of normal TV viewing each night as well. First 42ST had a pixel go out about 8 hours in so it got exchanged

Bill

[giosipiano]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

Congrats on the purchase. I am about 45 hours into the break in slides with about an hour or so of normal TV viewing each night as well.

Bill

I don't know much (well...hardly anything ) about the plasma break-in process, but is image-quality supposed to improve further after the first ~100 hours ?

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by giosipiano

I don't know much (well...hardly anything ) about the plasma break-in process, but is image-quality supposed to improve further after the first ~100 hours ?

The break in is to help the phosphors age evenly for the first 100 or so hours. I honestly think my G10 (~5400 hours) looks better now then it did on day one. There is also someone online that posts calibrated settings for different models after the break in has been run, this usually gives you a spectacular picture and a great place to start if you need to make minor adjustments.

Bill

[giosipiano]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

The break in is to help the phosphors age evenly for the first 100 or so hours. I honestly think my G10 (~5400 hours) looks better now then it did on day one. There is also someone online that posts calibrated settings for different models after the break in has been run, this usually gives you a spectacular picture and a great place to start if you need to make minor adjustments.

Bill

Thanks - so it's more to do with the actual 'health' of the panel rather than improving the image quality ?

With regards settings, I'm in THX mode at the moment. +1 notch extra for brightness and +4 for contrast - and it looks spectacular. The 'enhancements' have also been turned off.

[MrFattBill]

Originally Posted by giosipiano

Thanks - so it's more to do with the actual 'health' of the panel rather than improving the image quality ?

With regards settings, I'm in THX mode at the moment. +1 notch extra for brightness and +4 for contrast - and it looks spectacular. The 'enhancements' have also been turned off.

It will help get the panel to a point where the calibrated settings posted online may look better to you and be closer to "perfect"

I will say that some of the calibration settings you will find involve accessing the service menu which can be a little scary for sure, my G10 setting did.

Bill

[giosipiano]

Originally Posted by MrFattBill

It will help get the panel to a point where the calibrated settings posted online may look better to you and be closer to "perfect"

I will say that some of the calibration settings you will find involve accessing the service menu which can be a little scary for sure, my G10 setting did.

Bill

Thanks - will definitely check these out soon (I'm on ~80 hours so far)

To be honest though, I can't imagine it looking much better than it already does. Like I said, I was literally floored when I first got it

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by giosipiano

Thanks - will definitely check these out soon (I'm on ~80 hours so far)

To be honest though, I can't imagine it looking much better than it already does. Like I said, I was literally floored when I first got it

I thought the same thing until I tried these from PlasmaTVBuyingGuide.com. The picture is a lot better than the THX presets (that are pretty good). IMO, of course.

Picture Mode: You must be in the Custom Mode to make the following adjustments. Pro Setting may not be adjusted in the other Picture modes.

Picture Mode: Custom
Contrast: 70
Brightness: 60
Color: 48
Sharpness: 10
Tint: 0
Color Temp: Warm 2
CATS: Off
Mosquito NR: Off
Motion Smoother: Off
Black Level: Light
24P Direct in: 60Hz
In Pro Settings Menu (White Balance)
W/B high R +16
W/B high G 0
W/B high B +16
W/B low R +7
W/B low G 0
W/B low B +4

Hopefully Crack doesn't pop-in here and chastise me for posting settings outside of the official "settings" thread!

[singhcr]

According to my research, I've found the following differences between the ST, GT, and VT series.

ST = Full HD 3D, Infinite Black 2 panel
GT = ST + THX certification, 48Hz mode for 2D
VT = GT + ISFccc controls, 96Hz mode for 2D and new Infinite Black Pro 2 panel for the best blacks of the three

So despite the fact that the ST is cheaper than the GT, you would say it has a better picture? I am looking for the best color reproduction, particularily the black levels. That to me is the most important thing in a TV. Is it correct that the GT beats the ST in black levels, but the VT beats the GT?

I have read that the GT and ST share the same panel so the only difference between the two is the bezel and the GT's THX certification. I could care less about that as I will be using custom settings anyway.

[whipit]

Originally Posted by singhcr

According to my research, I've found the following differences between the ST, GT, and VT series.

ST = Full HD 3D, Infinite Black 2 panel
GT = ST + THX certification, 48Hz mode for 2D
VT = GT + ISFccc controls, 96Hz mode for 2D and new Infinite Black Pro 2 panel for the best blacks of the three

So despite the fact that the ST is cheaper than the GT, you would say it has a better picture? I am looking for the best color reproduction, particularily the black levels. That to me is the most important thing in a TV. Is it correct that the GT beats the ST in black levels, but the VT beats the GT?

I have read that the GT and ST share the same panel so the only difference between the two is the bezel and the GT's THX certification. I could care less about that as I will be using custom settings anyway.

The ST should have 48hz mode like the GT for 2d/3d. I have almost all the pieces to confirm. My G10 has 48hz which makes movement look much more natural than the 60hz with 3:2 pulldown judder. But I have a hard time with the flicker with that mode enabled.

The black levels are supposed to be slightly better on the GT vs the St, but they are much better than my G10. The 2010 panny's will also rise to about the 2009 levels. The black levels are reported to be best on the 60/65 inchers with more of a difference on the smaller panels. I'm pretty sure D-nice reported the large panels to be the same at .004ftl.

I went with the ST after seeing a GT, both 50in, at a friends house. Punching in d-nices settings out of the box, I think it looks better than the GT's THX mode. So not sure it is worth the money to go with the GT in my situation for maybe a little better blacks. Some will say the GT looks better and some will say the ST looks better. I think they are too close to call unless side by side, then maybe very slight. The frame looks fine to me as it will be a BR tv anyway.

All three tv's share the same panel technology. The VT has a better filter and better processing, also better sound.