Model: TC-P65VT25
MSRP: $4299 Street: $3869 to $4999 from some bozo on Amazon
Measurements with stand: W 62." Height: 40.2" Depth: 16.4"
Weight: 120 Lbs.
Features/Connections:
HDMI Inputs: 4 total 1 on side (1 with ARC on back) All 1.4
Component: 2
Bunch of others, too. including RS232
Contrast Ratio: 5,000,000:1 Theoretical
24p Cinematic Playback (96Hz) for BD
3D Modes: 120Hz (60hz per eye) 96Hz reports flicker (haven't verified yet) Also supports Side by Side, Top/Bottom, Full 3D
Professional Settings for calibration (unique to 25 Series)
Video Modes: Standard, Game, THX, Vivid, Custom, Cinema for 3D
Setup
OK. Starting over. Crashed about 2/3 into my write up. Then there is a time limit for editing.
Anyways, This replaced a 4-5 year old Mitsubishi 65831 DLP. This is my first plasma since my daughter took my 42" Panasonic to Stanford 2 years ago. The old Oak entertainment center is gone. I am not building another top. Already did that when I got the Mitsubishi. Now sitting on a on a glass 62" wide glass stand with 3 shelves. Almost didn't work because of the size of my Klipsch Center Channel Speaker. Made it work. Attached the TV to the stand (2 person job) and set it on the stand. Running Component and RCA audio from the Directv HR24 to the Component inputs of the TV for when I don't want/need surround sound. You know you can't wake up teenagers before like noon. Running HDMI from the HR24, Toshiba XA2 HDDVD player, and Panasonic BDP350 into a Pioneer 1020 receiver with one HDMI cable running out to input 1 (with ARC) on the TV. I would have held off on the receiver had I known it was going to take so long getting a set, but it has worked out well and was inexpensive. I was originally going to get the Samsung back in April, but BB has a stronghold on them and my distributor couldn't get one. Worked out OK.
Right now I haven't calibrated and am just watching full screen material until it is broken in. Initial settings by eye (precalibration) are pretty spectacular. Has a slight red depending on the station but I can adjust that out when I calibrate. Right now I am in Custom mode, Contrast 57, Brightness 50, Color 53, Tint +6, Color temp normal, CATS off since it is pretty well light controlled, Vide NR Off, Mosquito NR Off, Black Level Light, 3:2 On for TV viewing, 3D set to auto.
Vierra Link:
I haven’t set up the network yet. For the price, they really should include the wireless adapter.
2D Playback:
Right now I’m watching only full screen material until the TV gets broken in. HD playback is stunning. The blacks are deep but not muddied. Detail is clearly visible in dark scenes, and creases in clothing.are clear. Pictures are smooth and there is no jerky motion in pan scenes. No jaggies when watching material and no artifacting. Colors really pop. TV speakers are warm and not harsh.
BD Playback:
Right now I am only watching 1.85:1 material. I watched “The Wolfman”. I set the TV to 96Hz for BD playback. Scenes were smooth. Although the movie was mostly dark, detail was amazing.
3D Playback:
I have eight pairs of glasses. The glasses are extremely comfortable and fit perfectly over my glasses. They are adjustable, but my kids aren’t little anymore. 3D material is starting to materialize and the quantity will continue to grow. The 3D Setting is set to auto. I watched the demo disc from Panasonic. The scenes were amazing. Colors were great, brightness was fine, and depth was unbelievable. I haven’t watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs yet. Directv has added several 3D channels including ESPN3D, n3D, and Cine3D. The regular 3D channels are presented in 1080i using the side by side method. I can’t vouch for the PPV channel. I have watched several World Cup matches on ESPN. The depth was fantastic. It was fun watching the fans from Uruguay and Ghana dancing together in the stands at half time. Amazing. I have watched several 3D presentations on n3D including Dinosaurs, Encounters in the 3rd Dimension, and African Adventure. The only thing I saw some ghosting on was African Adventure, so I’m pretty sure it was the source material. The only glitch I’ve run into was that for the VOD, you have to manually set the TV to side by side. Don’t know if this is a Panasonic problem or Directv problem. I will investigate further. Nascar tonight and World Series coming up..
Overall:
I’m glad I did end up with the Panasonic. It is well worth it and the best set out there, even in 2D. The 65” is a little pricy, but the smaller models are less and it is way better (and less expensive) than comparable LEDs. The only drawback is no 2D to 3D conversion like the Samsungs, but I did see glitches in that process and not as much depth. So Panasonic really did know what they were doing.
S~
MSRP: $4299 Street: $3869 to $4999 from some bozo on Amazon
Measurements with stand: W 62." Height: 40.2" Depth: 16.4"
Weight: 120 Lbs.
Features/Connections:
HDMI Inputs: 4 total 1 on side (1 with ARC on back) All 1.4
Component: 2
Bunch of others, too. including RS232
Contrast Ratio: 5,000,000:1 Theoretical
24p Cinematic Playback (96Hz) for BD
3D Modes: 120Hz (60hz per eye) 96Hz reports flicker (haven't verified yet) Also supports Side by Side, Top/Bottom, Full 3D
Professional Settings for calibration (unique to 25 Series)
Video Modes: Standard, Game, THX, Vivid, Custom, Cinema for 3D
Setup
OK. Starting over. Crashed about 2/3 into my write up. Then there is a time limit for editing.
Anyways, This replaced a 4-5 year old Mitsubishi 65831 DLP. This is my first plasma since my daughter took my 42" Panasonic to Stanford 2 years ago. The old Oak entertainment center is gone. I am not building another top. Already did that when I got the Mitsubishi. Now sitting on a on a glass 62" wide glass stand with 3 shelves. Almost didn't work because of the size of my Klipsch Center Channel Speaker. Made it work. Attached the TV to the stand (2 person job) and set it on the stand. Running Component and RCA audio from the Directv HR24 to the Component inputs of the TV for when I don't want/need surround sound. You know you can't wake up teenagers before like noon. Running HDMI from the HR24, Toshiba XA2 HDDVD player, and Panasonic BDP350 into a Pioneer 1020 receiver with one HDMI cable running out to input 1 (with ARC) on the TV. I would have held off on the receiver had I known it was going to take so long getting a set, but it has worked out well and was inexpensive. I was originally going to get the Samsung back in April, but BB has a stronghold on them and my distributor couldn't get one. Worked out OK.
Right now I haven't calibrated and am just watching full screen material until it is broken in. Initial settings by eye (precalibration) are pretty spectacular. Has a slight red depending on the station but I can adjust that out when I calibrate. Right now I am in Custom mode, Contrast 57, Brightness 50, Color 53, Tint +6, Color temp normal, CATS off since it is pretty well light controlled, Vide NR Off, Mosquito NR Off, Black Level Light, 3:2 On for TV viewing, 3D set to auto.
Vierra Link:
I haven’t set up the network yet. For the price, they really should include the wireless adapter.
2D Playback:
Right now I’m watching only full screen material until the TV gets broken in. HD playback is stunning. The blacks are deep but not muddied. Detail is clearly visible in dark scenes, and creases in clothing.are clear. Pictures are smooth and there is no jerky motion in pan scenes. No jaggies when watching material and no artifacting. Colors really pop. TV speakers are warm and not harsh.
BD Playback:
Right now I am only watching 1.85:1 material. I watched “The Wolfman”. I set the TV to 96Hz for BD playback. Scenes were smooth. Although the movie was mostly dark, detail was amazing.
3D Playback:
I have eight pairs of glasses. The glasses are extremely comfortable and fit perfectly over my glasses. They are adjustable, but my kids aren’t little anymore. 3D material is starting to materialize and the quantity will continue to grow. The 3D Setting is set to auto. I watched the demo disc from Panasonic. The scenes were amazing. Colors were great, brightness was fine, and depth was unbelievable. I haven’t watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs yet. Directv has added several 3D channels including ESPN3D, n3D, and Cine3D. The regular 3D channels are presented in 1080i using the side by side method. I can’t vouch for the PPV channel. I have watched several World Cup matches on ESPN. The depth was fantastic. It was fun watching the fans from Uruguay and Ghana dancing together in the stands at half time. Amazing. I have watched several 3D presentations on n3D including Dinosaurs, Encounters in the 3rd Dimension, and African Adventure. The only thing I saw some ghosting on was African Adventure, so I’m pretty sure it was the source material. The only glitch I’ve run into was that for the VOD, you have to manually set the TV to side by side. Don’t know if this is a Panasonic problem or Directv problem. I will investigate further. Nascar tonight and World Series coming up..
Overall:
I’m glad I did end up with the Panasonic. It is well worth it and the best set out there, even in 2D. The 65” is a little pricy, but the smaller models are less and it is way better (and less expensive) than comparable LEDs. The only drawback is no 2D to 3D conversion like the Samsungs, but I did see glitches in that process and not as much depth. So Panasonic really did know what they were doing.
S~
Last edited by a moderator:
. I have calibrated mine using the DVE BD disc, and am am amazed at the picture. Personally, I feel that at this point in time the Panny VT25 series is as close to perfect as you can get. :up
