2010 Panasonic launch

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397 posts

Ultimate Geek

#344805 24-Jun-2010 10:42

gratz if u r not bothered.

bunch of ppl in avforums had this issue, maybe they all paranoids who knows.

interesting that different ppl watch different programs on different (batch) tv with different settings in different environments yet it's getting so generalized at times.

Hammersfan

16 posts

Geek

#345713 27-Jun-2010 11:07

hangon: gratz if u r not bothered.

bunch of ppl in avforums had this issue, maybe they all paranoids who knows.

interesting that different ppl watch different programs on different (batch) tv with different settings in different environments yet it's getting so generalized at times.

hangon,

I have now heard this buzzing for myself. I noticed it late last night for the first time. I was watching a movie on low volume (it's very quiet at that time of night as well). I was fairly close to the set. It does vary with how bright the scene is, and can be quite noticelable in these circumstances. Definitely something to be taken into account when looking at buying one.

Masterpiece

247 posts

Master Geek

#346384 29-Jun-2010 15:29

Hammersfan, IMHO all displays need some additional tweaking/calibration to get the best out of them. This is still the case these days dispite the technologies being well developed and having tighter factory error tolerence. You just can't easily(without higher cost) get around component variance.

So respectfully to others who say that it isnt worth it, well IMHO calibration is worth it.
It is the reason you see advanced controls in many displays now, including the Panasonics now. The V series have pro modes. ISFccc

BTW, a comment about THX or ISF modes, although generally better out of the box modes. Infact the certification means that the display is capable of being calibrated within reasonble tolerences of the official standards.
Usually the panels with these modes come with a few extra controls for tweaking.
It does not actually mean pre-calibrated.
However it does not mean a panel is useless without this certification, it usually means it is more difficult or the limits and accuracy is about compromise.

Calibration DVD's are a very good first step, cost effective, however not without their own caveats.

If you are serious about calibration or a pre-Calibrated Panel, I can help.(comment may border on promotion and forum rules so won't go any further here).

Me:"I'm not a robot!"

ET: "Maybe; you have some freewill, but you chose your path by arrangement"

Me "That sounds like a program with no freewill?"

ET: "We will catch up when you end this cycle"

Me: "Sounds like a 'KPI'!"

ET: "Did you read the terms and conditions?"

Me: .....

xarqi

727 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348478 6-Jul-2010 17:16

I'm trying to pin down the differences between the 50V10Z and the 50V20Z.
I emailed Panasonic and got some information, but a couple of responses didn't quite ring true from what I think I've read elsewhere, so I thought I'd look for confirmation.

Here's what I got:
"The TH-P50V20Z is the new model, supercedes the TH-P50V10Z, quite a few differences. Main differences in the new model are: includes DLNA, Lan Port, Viera Cast with Skype, 2x USB ports (including USB HDD recording), 600hz, Neo Panel, Infinite black contrast ratio."

DLNA doesn't interest me as it seems to be a bit clunky, especially as I'd most like to serve DivX files from a Mac.
LAN - great, but no use to me if it's just for DLNA and Skype.
Skype - don't care.
USB recording - marginally useful.
600 Hz - Hey - I'm using a 27" CRT now - anything would be good.
---
Here's where I need confirmation.
I had gathered, possibly erroneously, that the V10 model did use the (appallingly named) neoplasma/neoPDP technology, and provided the so-called "Infinite black".

What's the truth please?

In the broader context, I'm looking for a 1080p Panasonic plasma TV. Source material will be satellite FTA (can't get UHF Freeview, but SBS HD is FTA on Optus D1), DVDs and DivX/XviD for now, hopefully Bluray before long.
Started by considering the 42U20 - saw some criticisms; moved on to the 42V20; realised 42 was too small; found a bit more in the budget; found what may be a good price on a 50V10; couldn't find a decent review for the NZ model; can't afford the 50V20. Options now may be 46V20 or 50V10.

Thanks from a newbie. Nice place you have here!

fahrenheit

757 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348489 6-Jul-2010 17:31

xarqi:
600hz, Neo Panel, Infinite black contrast ratio.

The V10 ticks all three of those boxes. They are no different on either model.

The V20 has an improved anti-reflection filter but its the same Infinite black panel.
The V10 has THX mode which the V20 does not. The V20 has ISF modes which the V10 does not.
The V10's black level will disintergrate before your eyes, the V20 (built after April) will apparently take thousands of hours before its black level diminishes.
The V10 has Digital Cinema Colour (whatever that really means), the V20 doesn't.
The V20's are reported to suffer from floating blacks. The V10's do not.

xarqi

727 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348497 6-Jul-2010 17:48

fahrenheit:
The V10 ticks all three of those boxes. They are no different on either model.

Hmmm - so I was right to be suspicious of the Panasonic response. Interesting.

The V20 has an improved anti-reflection filter but its the same Infinite black panel.

No worries for me - I'm not a bright room sort of person.

The V10 has THX mode which the V20 does not. The V20 has ISF modes which the V10 does not.

THX - good; ISF - I'll need to read up on that.

The V10's black level will disintergrate before your eyes, the V20 (built after April) will apparently take thousands of hours before its black level diminishes.

That doesn't sound too good :(

The V10 has Digital Cinema Colour (whatever that really means), the V20 doesn't.

Pffft - I read something about that - an expansion of the broadcast gamut somehow - the issue seemed to be that if colour had been optimised for broadcast by an expert, how was a piece of software tweaking it to broaden it going to improve on it.

The V20's are reported to suffer from floating blacks. The V10's do not.

That's good.

Thanks for the information. Mostly good/neutral; disintegrating blacks may be a concern. Is there a link to a discussion on this?

fahrenheit

757 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348503 6-Jul-2010 17:59

xarqi:
fahrenheit:

The V10 has THX mode which the V20 does not. The V20 has ISF modes which the V10 does not.

THX - good; ISF - I'll need to read up on that.

The European/UK V20's have the ISF mode aswell as the THX mode that our regions models are missing, so I'd be inclined to look for opinions from them. However they have the superior Infinite Black Pro panels so I'm not sure what point of comparsion is valid.

Thanks for the information. Mostly good/neutral; disintegrating blacks may be a concern. Is there a link to a discussion on this?

AVS forum
CNET

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Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#348516 6-Jul-2010 18:22

If the connectivity doesn't concern you, get one of last years V's for less money.
If you can find one that hasn't been on display... and the price is right... you'll be fine.
Of course, I believe you'll be fine with a V20 too. But hey, getting to this level of criticism it's starting to get down to personal bias.

xarqi

727 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348519 6-Jul-2010 18:37

Yeah - I read a review of the UK TX-P50V10B, and that seemed very decent - grumbles about lack of full calibration controls mostly. The problem is, I don't know how this model differs from the TH...Z.
Panasonic had this to say, when asked:
"The TH [sic] - P50V10B is an overseas model, not designed for the NZ market"
which wasn't exactly enlightening.

fahrenheit

757 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348522 6-Jul-2010 18:55

xarqi: Yeah - I read a review of the UK TX-P50V10B, and that seemed very decent - grumbles about lack of full calibration controls mostly. The problem is, I don't know how this model differs from the TH...Z.
Panasonic had this to say, when asked:
"The TH [sic] - P50V10B is an overseas model, not designed for the NZ market"
which wasn't exactly enlightening.

Its true, the UK 09 models were hobbled and had more limited user configurable settings than the models in our region.

The shoe is on the other foot this gen though.

xarqi

727 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348581 6-Jul-2010 22:00

Hmmmmm - should I also be considering the 50G10? How does that compare to the 50V10 and 50V20?

(It's a jungle out there! Panasonic have more models than Hugh Hefner!)

fahrenheit

757 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348606 6-Jul-2010 23:50

xarqi: Hmmmmm - should I also be considering the 50G10? How does that compare to the 50V10 and 50V20?

G10 is pretty much on-par with the V10 other than 48Hz for 24p sources compared to 96Hz for the V10.

xarqi

727 posts

Ultimate Geek

#348615 7-Jul-2010 01:25

fahrenheit:
xarqi: Hmmmmm - should I also be considering the 50G10? How does that compare to the 50V10 and 50V20?

G10 is pretty much on-par with the V10 other than 48Hz for 24p sources compared to 96Hz for the V10.

I've just been reading that Panasonic made a hash of implementing 48Hz 24p and that there is a problem with flicker. Is that an issue in practice or a nit-pick by perfectionists?

Is this getting too far OT? Should I start my own "Which plasma?" thread? What's the protocol here?

samwooff

219 posts

Master Geek

#348616 7-Jul-2010 04:27

You can make your own thread if you want, you'll probably get similar responses though, either way a good plasma banter is why I enjoy this forum :)
My 2c, I wouldn't bother with the 09 models, you're going to have a bit of trouble tracking down one near you in nice condition in the model you're after. Theres plenty of stock of the 2010 models, they're improved from the 09 models in quite a few ways depending on model and have no real downsides other than price being brand new models.
I didn't notice any floating blacks on the few V20 sets I've seen but it wasn't dark room viewing so maybe if the change is subtle it's only obvious in a dark room.

Desktop: i7 920, GTX 275, asus P6T, antec 1200, 6gb ram, 1tb spinpoint f1, 1tb spinpoint f3, Logitech Z2300, Zero DAC, Shure SRH440
Laptop: Toshiba satellite, T5300, Go 7300
Home Theatre: 32" loewe CRT, Harmon kardon amp, dvd player, image 418 speakers, rega planar 25 turntable :)

Jaxson

8042 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#348651 7-Jul-2010 09:40

Also if you are looking for Sat only input (no bluray either) then personally I'd look to consider a 720P only TV. It will be cheaper and down the line you could switch to a 3D set when the prices come down and the content goes up. SBS HD requires a HD capable sat tuner box and it's still only 720p so you won't be missing out.

Also, and someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the G10 had a sat tuner built in? That sounded cool.

Anyway, over to you of course. My 2c is plasma, big as you can get, and why spend a heap on a full HD set when you may only feed it SD content most of the time and especially when 3D is going to be here in 2 years time or so.

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