Bought a TC-P65GT30

[gadgtfreek]

Awesome deal on Amazon late last week, could not resist. Will be curious to see how it compares to the Samsung as well. I know the blacks will be better, colors not quite as good, but shadow detail is supposed to be improved over the Samsung models. I still think Panny is king in motion scenes but the Samsung has been IR free, something the newer Panasonics seem to have problems with.

Should have it here next Thu, also ordered two pair of the 3rd gen medium sized 3D glasses for my wife and I. Will get 1-2 more pairs later on for my dad and other guests. Plan is to run color slides on the floor for a week, in that time Ill get a new wall mount and take down the Samsung, then intall the new mount and put the GT on the wall. Also plan to use my meter and take some measurements when new and after it gets a 150 hours or so, will prob use THX mode for 2D and 3D until I get it calibrated.

 

[Ilya]

A 65" 3D Plasma?! Wow! That should be a heck of a TV set!
Look forward to your reviews!

 

[gadgtfreek]

No problem

I have the 64" D7000 Samsung 3D plasma now and like it, except for a few quirks, but they all have quirks. The mll of the GT is a good clip better than the Samung, so blacks will be better for sure. I also think the GT's video processing of 24p from blu will be better as well, but IR is a concern.

I plan on using my current meter to measure mll, so I can actually see how the GT stacks up vs the Sammy.

 

[Ilya]

I read that GT30 has some improvements in the IR department. Something about pixel orbiter and scrolling bar options...

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[gadgtfreek]

Seems hit and miss. Ive seen some pics recently of a VT30 with permanent IR and it looks bad. Pretty sad for a flagship.

 

[teachsac]

Seems hit and miss. Ive seen some pics recently of a VT30 with permanent IR and it looks bad. Pretty sad for a flagship.

Not sure how the GT would be better than the VT for that. IR continues to be a problem. One reason I'm looking to go to the 80" Sharp. I watch too many things with bad logos and banners.

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Year, their wont be any difference. My 2010 was finicky as well, so I kinda know what to expect. I like the fact directv and oppo have screen savers as well. Just a tad irritating that they haven't improved on ir, it's really one of the only complaints they haven't addressed. It's not a big deal for me, but I do have some espn ticker lingering around during football season. Should be a real nice display otherwise.

 

[teachsac]

Enjoy it. Just a little surprised.

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Was too good of a deal. Last year was bumpy for plasma, Samsung had issues and so did Panasonic, both fixed a lot of it by late year. Samsung had the lead IMO in PQ but I think after Panny got their head out of their ass, they caught back up. Then of course the Panny blacks are better, as well as shadow detail.

I'll be curious to see what i think after using this Samsung for awhile, and this is my way of resetting my purchasing schedule to end of lifecycle. Im tired of being a beta tester for new tv models.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Gonna use this mount, my current articulating wall mount wont work. Im not as impressed with the articulating as I thought Id be, its heavy and clunky.

This Sanus LL22 offers post mounting leveling which is REAL nice.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Hopefully I get a call from the Amazon delivery company in the AM, supposed to be 8-11. Here is the 2.1 Luminance patch for anyone with a GT30 or VT30 thats interested.

Download Information of VIERA for North America and Mexico (GT30/VT30 series) | Download | TV | Digital AV | Consumer Products | Support | Panasonic Global

 

[berck]

Yours may already have it installed. When I got my 55 at the beginning of January, it said it was manufactured in Nov of 2011. I'll have to check my firmware version, but 2.1 sounds right from what I saw on my TV.

 

[gadgtfreek]

The normal FW went from 2.0 to 2.2 I think. The 2.1 was a special link really for pro's to install, but anyone can do it. Not sure if it would have come with a tv, but at least getting a Nov build you got one with the newer board and fluctuating brightness fix. Mine will be here in an hour, so Im hoping it is new enough for the new board. If not Ill have to call them and schedule a visit.

Here is the normal FW, went from 2.07 to 2.2

Download Information of VIERA for North America (ST30/GT30/VT30/DT30/D30 series) | Download | TV | Digital AV | Consumer Products | Support | Panasonic Global


Here is the link for the 2.1 luminance/color patch. You can install this even if you have 2.2, then reinstall 2.2

Download Information of VIERA for North America and Mexico (GT30/VT30 series) | Download | TV | Digital AV | Consumer Products | Support | Panasonic Global

 

[gadgtfreek]

Got the new toy in, no need for the A-board replacement since its a Dec build so Im gonna run some tests on THX mode tonight, apply the 2.1 patch, test again, then let it run slides to late next week.

Im surprised how thin it is, and the flush bezel really looks good. Also very sturdy unit at that depth, more so than the D7000.

 

[datwell]

I love mine!! When I first plugged the Ethernet cable into the hub, the TV found an update, secured my permission to download & install and the whole thing was over in about 10 minutes. The TV has been flawless ever since. 2D & 3D are beautiful. I expect you will be very happy with this one!

 

[gadgtfreek]

Thanks, can't wait to try it next week

Even though its a Dec build and came with 2.2, I went ahead with the 2.1 luminance patch, then 2.2 again. Running slides right now until father in law helps me get it on stand in a bit. Then Ill take some "new" THX measurements. No blobs right now, pink, green or otherwise

As received

2.1

Back to 2.2

 

[teachsac]

Nice.

S~

 

[gadgtfreek]

Very sharp set, still think Samsung has the edge in styling, but as usual, even though its thin too, the Panny is sturdy as a tank. Samsung is not.

After I get a few hours on it tonight, Im gonna post some charts of THX mode (which I plan to use for 2D and 3D for a couple of months), and get a MLL reading.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Charts, all I did was set brightness in THX (52) and raised contrast to 75. THX looks damn good IMO.

Grayscale 3hrs 5.3 dE 2.18 gamma

Gamma

Color

 

[gadgtfreek]

mll was 0.003
0.0053fL, on a set with 3 hrs. By trends it should improve. D7000 consistently reads 0.007-8fL at 2000 hours, unless you use 96hz and it reads 0.011fL.