Why continue to talk about energy efficiency like its a feature that means something. If at most you are talking about a ten dollar a year difference between the most efficient large flat panel and the least, what does that matter to anyone that can afford a two thousand dollar plus television?
Why continue to talk about energy efficiency like its a feature that means something. If at most you are talking about a ten dollar a year difference between the most efficient large flat panel and the least, what does that matter to anyone that can afford a two thousand dollar plus television?
I purchased the LG 50PZ950 about two months ago, and I couldn't be happier. After intensely comparing the top tier plasma models from Panasonic, LG, and Samsung for a few months starting with the first reveals and impressions I read from CES, I settled on the LG simply because to me it had about the same PQ to my eyes as the Panasonics and Samsungs, but it's at a much nicer price. I got mine for a little over $1500 new with two pairs of glasses, and a 3D Blu-ray player. I really think that this TV is the best on the market myself. I'm beyond impressed by the 2D performance, and the 3D is second to none. Not to mention the LG Apps that are available are more than sufficient and I really like the Smart TV setup. As for the black levels, I've tested it on several Blu-rays with highly touted black levels such as 2001, The Dark Knight, and Legend of the Guardians 3D all on the THX Cinema mode, and honestly, they are very deep and rich.
Bottom line: Don't spend more money than you have to. The LG is just as good as the others, but at a much less strain on your wallet.
It is very obvious that the Samsung Plasma D8000 series are the true champs Performance/Value wise.
* And Panasonic should be ashamed of what they did in 2009-2010 with their 'black levels timer'!
If you're smart enough you know that it is a losing hand!
For me, in my own book, welcome to the true Plasma champion, SAMSUNG!
They are excellent and they are the very BEST VALUE!
And if you are rich, you go with Pioneer Elite Kuros of course!
I dealt a lot with Panasonic customer service in the past, and I always had very nice discussions with their staff of people and also their technicians.
That I appreciate a lot. Also with Samsung I had some positive discussions, but not as effective as Panasonic departments.
Because perhaps I'm a Canadian, and Panasonic has a strong presence here in Canada.
Samsung had its share of problems, but to be fair so Panasonic as well...
Anyway, I own several products from these two giants over the years; and right now Samsung is taking over my Kingdom!
And tomorrow we'll see...
Have a fantastic viewing experience, either in 2D or in 3D, and no matter if you go Kuro, Viera, or Sammy.
Agreed! First it was the best TV of the year after the Panasonic review, then it' the best TV of the year battle with Samsung and Panasonic. I know it says "So far" but not on the home page. The LG should have been on this list.
ive worked with both the new D series Plasmas as well as Panasonic's new plasmas and I must say Samsung's put out more heat than any TV i've recently put to use... They are also super thin though!
how can you judge best picture and not say color accuracy is most important? unreal. why keep talking about black levels so much? if the color is of, I'm not gonna watch that tv period! panasonic should give up on plasma after there 2009 premature screen death on so many panels. would not buy from them again.
Oh, come on. Do your really believe that's what's going on here? Look at any reputable electronics review site, and you'll usually see the same top TVs. CNET, AVSForum, HiDefJunkies, ConsumerReports, MaximumPC, etc. (Is that enough yet?) Some people see a conspiracy everywhere (except where there really is one!).
I have some questions for the Panasonic TC-P55VT30. Please assist:
1. I understand it includes a table stand but can you wall mount it and does it have a manufacture wall mount?
2. Does this model (Panasonic TC-P55VT30) have the ability to search the entire World Wide Web (www)? If so, is it through the use of the
a) HDMI cable
b) Wireless connection from your computer
c) Phone connection cable
1. It does come with a table top stand, there are a number of third party wall mounts that will work great with this TV the vmpl50ab1 from Sanus would be one option. 2. For now it does not have an open browser, however most of the browsers built in to televisions this year are very slow and cumbersome to navigate. If you have interest in browsing look at adding a Google TV or connect a computer. 3. No HDMI in the box 4. Wireless adapter is included, will allow use of DLNA (file sharing from devices on your network photos,video,music) also gives you access to Panasonic's portal called viera connect (Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, and others). 5. No Ethernet/phone cables included
The 55VT30 comes with pedestal stand and you can wall mount if you desire to do so. It does not have a search engine for the web, built in applications only . If you are looking for the search engine to add to this tv Logitech makes a device that will turn your tv of choice into a google search engine.This model comes with the wireless LAN so if your wireless in your home ,just plug in the LAN and you can access the apps.This is a connection from your tv to your wireless router.This a magnificent model and the picture is amazing.FIne Choice top of the line.
1. No, it is an unmountable flat panel television. It was designed by the Atari Jaguar R&D team. 2. Yes, you can surf the web with a phone connection only, but you have to use Compuserve.
For the Panasonics, if you want access to the entire Web, you'd have to connect the TV to a computer. Otherwise, it's limited. Unless I'm mistaken, the Samsungs can connect to the entire Web (but it's likely to be slower than if you connected a moderately quick computer to the TV.). For both companies, connection is made through either the built-in wifi, or a network cable.
Love the reviews thanks!!
For the Pioneer Kuro fans. Panasonic bought 189 patents and employed 300 Pioneer tecs to make the VT series. Its as close as your going to get to a Kuro without a time machine.
That said, all 3 are great tvs, (VT30/D8000/Pz950) I look at them all on a daily basis.
Less image retention on the Pan. Of the 3 the Menus are easiest to navigate on the Pan. Thx setting is great for beginners and easy to explain to customers (LG and Pan have THX modes, Samsung has similar color settings just not THX certified). Heat is nearly the same at similar settings, both CAN use far less power than older plasmas.
Black levels are extremely important (my 6yr LG Plasma kills my Samsung LED on black level and is much better for movie viewing).
You can calibrate any of these tvs for color accuracy if you are that picky. As to the rampant bashing, Samsung has like 48% of the world market to Panasonics 28% and nearly double the failure rate of Panasonic. More tvs sold and more tvs failing.. Try researching instead of bashing. All manufacturers have occational problems, and 5% failure is industry standard.
Ps I prefer the picture on the VT30 hands down, Cost should not be an issue while compairing picture quality. I remember selling $10K Elites. People bought them for picture quality not value.
If you want to save $$ then buy the ST30 or the D7000 both far cheaper options with great Pic Quality IMHO.
The Pioneer Kuro KRP500m (50') which is still the highest-ever rated HDTV could be had for less than $1800 before they got swooped up, and the KRP600m (60") was going for around $2700. Having said that, famed calibration pro D-Nice has already confirmed that the latest Pannys still have yet to achieve "Kuro-like" levels, probably one of the reasons why Pioneer was losing money!
This is an extremely informative post, and it seems to mesh with the tests and reviews I've read all over the Net. It took a long time for me to find definitive tests regarding comparative image retention. Thanks so much for mentioning it here.
What's the detractor about these TVs and low energy savings? You stated they have 20-30 watts as energy requirements. I have light bulbs that use those watts!
@LG PZ950 How the two guys here in the commentsection claim, that the LG has the same PQ as Panasonic, is beyond me.
Unfortunately, the PWM-noise near black is horrible with LG-Plasmas! It' clumpy, it's slow, the three colors are seperated from each other and, to top that, the IREs near black do not reach the edges of the panel.
People (and reviewers) must be blind not seeing this.
Also, the MLL performance of the LGs is laughable. I mean 0.09 cd/m2 out of the box? What a joke. BUT you can tweak that with a screwdriver. ;)
P.S.: The Samsung D800 is way overrated. It has crappy MLL, even in 60hz, has undefeatable DNR, that smears high frequencydetails (what's High Definition again?), bad motion performance and some other bugs.
To review the D8000 in 60hz.mode vs the VT30 in 24p-Mode is a joke!
Not to speak of the ANSI.performance of the D8000.
Dear Turrican, Please don't speak in ACRONYMS, we don't understand all of your abbreviations, like PQ, PWM, MLL, DNR, IRE's, ANSI . . . . . . . . . Don't know what these all stand for, so your message makes sense only to yourself ! It's like reading a doctor's message.
The HX929? The most anticipated TV yet and no review!! In other words too early to state these two models are the peak PQ for 2001 without having reviewed the 929!
The HX929 is a great television however its contrast still drops off sharply when viewed from angles and it does have some uniformity issues. Sony did make up for its poor showing in 2010 with the new XBR and has made one of the top performing LCD's ever. The Samsung and Panasonic have superior black levels handle motion better and look great when viewed from angles. Aesthetically the Sony is the nicest looking with its monolithic gorilla glass and slim form factor, Samsung's look is tired and unoriginal, Panasonic's frame is just to wide.
The quality of the Samsung models in comparison to Panasonic are huge. The technology that Panasonic has way exceeds Samsung, not only in picture quality but the image burn in or retention factor for Samsung is very high.The new Samsung models had image retention after only running for a short time in stores. This includes their high end models rated here. The Panasonic models do not have this problem and haven't for years. Samsung also tends to saturate red tones, very noticable if you compare Panasonic and Samsung. Panasonic keeps the picture so natural it truly spoils you if you have one. Sony only makes LED and LCD models so they cannot compete in the plasma world at all. Overall if you want the best quality and the best picture and the best viewing angle and the best technology Panasonic has it all.
I may have to break my opinions of plasma, I generally watch tv in a bright room so lcd tvs have been my preferred choice of tv. I got the samsung un46c8000 last year, Its a good tv but I wanted a bigger tv so I picked up the un55d8000. I love the look and features of the tv but Samsung downgraded the PQ with poor uniformity. For the most part the uniformity is a non issue, but once you see it and know its there you'll find yourself noticing it more and more. Most normal content hides the banding well but solid color backgrounds and side to side camera pans make it pop up. I'm mostly happy with my D8000 but for the $3300 I paid back in March It should have this issue. I think for my next tv a Samsung or Panasonic plasma will be my top choices of tvs. I sure I'm not totally done with lcd but it seems you get more size and better PQ for your buck with plasma.
Manage updates with the Download App
LOL.
Do you think Samsung will hurry out a TV at proclaiming themselves "Winner, BOTVo2011!" Lol
Bottom line: Don't spend more money than you have to. The LG is just as good as the others, but at a much less strain on your wallet.
* And Panasonic should be ashamed of what they did in 2009-2010 with their 'black levels timer'!
If you're smart enough you know that it is a losing hand!
For me, in my own book, welcome to the true Plasma champion, SAMSUNG!
They are excellent and they are the very BEST VALUE!
And if you are rich, you go with Pioneer Elite Kuros of course!
I dealt a lot with Panasonic customer service in the past, and I always had very nice discussions with their staff of people and also their technicians.
That I appreciate a lot. Also with Samsung I had some positive discussions, but not as effective as Panasonic departments.
Because perhaps I'm a Canadian, and Panasonic has a strong presence here in Canada.
Samsung had its share of problems, but to be fair so Panasonic as well...
Anyway, I own several products from these two giants over the years; and right now Samsung is taking over my Kingdom!
And tomorrow we'll see...
Have a fantastic viewing experience, either in 2D or in 3D, and no matter if you go Kuro, Viera, or Sammy.
Just look at the terrible picture quality.
Why can't you FIX your html code so that text size can be increased without scrolling (as proper html) should allow ??
Thanks
1. I understand it includes a table stand but can you wall mount it and does it have a manufacture wall mount?
2. Does this model (Panasonic TC-P55VT30) have the ability to search the entire World Wide Web (www)? If so, is it through the use of the
a) HDMI cable
b) Wireless connection from your computer
c) Phone connection cable
Or would I have all 3 options to choose from?
2. For now it does not have an open browser, however most of the browsers built in to televisions this year are very slow and cumbersome to navigate.
If you have interest in browsing look at adding a Google TV or connect a computer.
3. No HDMI in the box
4. Wireless adapter is included, will allow use of DLNA (file sharing from devices on your network photos,video,music) also gives you access to Panasonic's portal called viera connect (Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, and others).
5. No Ethernet/phone cables included
2. Yes, you can surf the web with a phone connection only, but you have to use Compuserve.
For the Pioneer Kuro fans. Panasonic bought 189 patents and employed 300 Pioneer tecs to make the VT series. Its as close as your going to get to a Kuro without a time machine.
That said, all 3 are great tvs, (VT30/D8000/Pz950) I look at them all on a daily basis.
Less image retention on the Pan. Of the 3 the Menus are easiest to navigate on the Pan. Thx setting is great for beginners and easy to explain to customers (LG and Pan have THX modes, Samsung has similar color settings just not THX certified). Heat is nearly the same at similar settings, both CAN use far less power than older plasmas.
Black levels are extremely important (my 6yr LG Plasma kills my Samsung LED on black level and is much better for movie viewing).
You can calibrate any of these tvs for color accuracy if you are that picky. As to the rampant bashing, Samsung has like 48% of the world market to Panasonics 28% and nearly double the failure rate of Panasonic. More tvs sold and more tvs failing.. Try researching instead of bashing. All manufacturers have occational problems, and 5% failure is industry standard.
Ps I prefer the picture on the VT30 hands down, Cost should not be an issue while compairing picture quality. I remember selling $10K Elites. People bought them for picture quality not value.
If you want to save $$ then buy the ST30 or the D7000 both far cheaper options with great Pic Quality IMHO.
How the two guys here in the commentsection claim, that the LG has the same PQ as Panasonic, is beyond me.
Unfortunately, the PWM-noise near black is horrible with LG-Plasmas! It' clumpy, it's slow, the three colors are seperated from each other and, to top that, the IREs near black do not reach the edges of the panel.
People (and reviewers) must be blind not seeing this.
Also, the MLL performance of the LGs is laughable. I mean 0.09 cd/m2 out of the box? What a joke. BUT you can tweak that with a screwdriver. ;)
P.S.: The Samsung D800 is way overrated. It has crappy MLL, even in 60hz, has undefeatable DNR, that smears high frequencydetails (what's High Definition again?), bad motion performance and some other bugs.
To review the D8000 in 60hz.mode vs the VT30 in 24p-Mode is a joke!
Not to speak of the ANSI.performance of the D8000.
D8000 is not even near VT30 PQ wise.
Please don't speak in ACRONYMS, we don't understand all of your abbreviations,
like PQ, PWM, MLL, DNR, IRE's, ANSI . . . . . . . . .
Don't know what these all stand for, so your message makes sense only to yourself !
It's like reading a doctor's message.