Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #19482 in Consumer Electronics
- Size: 65-Inch
- Brand: Panasonic
- Model: TC-P65VT50
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 35.10" h x
2.00" w x
59.10" l,
97.10 pounds
- Hard Disk: 500GB
- Display size: 65
Features
- Full HD 3D
- Infinite Black Ultra Panel
- Vera Connect Wi-Fi built in with Web Browser
- TV without stand (Width x Height x Depth): 59.1-Inch x 35.1-Inch x 2-Inch, TV with stand (Width x Height x Depth): 59.1-Inch x 37-Inch x 15.8-Inch
- One sheet of glass (3D glasses sold separately)
Panasonic VIERA TC-P65VT50 65-Inch 1080p Full HD 3D Plasma TV
Product Description
What the press is saying:
"Panasonic's new flagship HD 3D plasma model. Probably the best looking TV you'll see this year"..."Unrivaled picture quality. Incredibly deep blacks stand up in bright rooms." ~Gizmodo (June 15, 2012) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The VT50 series is the Full HD 3D Plasma flagship series. This top-of-the-line HDTV offers a revolutionary level of picture quality (Full HD 3D; 1080p Full HD resolution) and features the Infinite Black Ultra Panel (VT series only). Other unique features include ISFCCC Calibration Mode with Advanced Calibration, 2500 Focused Field Drive, and a VIERA Touch Pad controller (VT/WT series only).VIERA Connect IPTV - More Fun Comes Via a Cloud Service VIERA Connect is a cloud service that provides apps in categories like video and music, social networking, games, news and lifestyle, sports, health and fitness. Learn more about the world of Smart VIERA and VIERA Connect here. Enhance your TV Experience with Popular AppsPopular apps on VIERA Connect include Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, Twitter, Wall Street Journal, and huluplus, all optimized for the best user experience. In the 2012 TVs, you can have an unlimited number of apps installed because those apps are stored in the cloud, rather than in the TV memory itself.Learn more about "smart" TVs, how they work, what services are offered by different manufacturers, and exactly what you'll need to get started at Amazon's Smart TV Center.Clicker - Video on Demand Cross SearchingFind your favorite movies and video content easily with one-step searching, which allows you to cross search from multiple VOD services. For ease-of-use, use the quick keyword input on VIERA Connect to help retrieve your desired content faster. Customize your screen by grouping commonly used apps and displaying them on the screen for easier use.VIERA Remote Ap |
"The Panasonic TC-PVT50 series produces some of the best pictures ever, with exceedingly deep black levels, highly accurate color, and perfect screen uniformity and off-angle performance. It can get brighter than competing plasmas and performs better in well-lit rooms"...."The bottom line: The Panasonic TC-PVT50 series represents the pinnacle of current flat-panel TV picture quality."~CNET.com, (June 4, 2012)
p Support The VIERA remote app lets you use a smartphone or tablet device as a remote control. Tap and flick-based commands are intuitive. Use your smartphone as a gamepad for VIERA Connect game applications or your tablet as a touch pad to control what you do on the TV screen. Display the same web pages on both your VIERA screen and your smartphone with a simple flick. Simply "swipe" and share your favorite photos, music, and movies from your smartphone to your VIERA TV anytime. 
Communicate with Family and FriendsThe social networking TV app allows you to access social network sites and communicate with your loved ones while simultaneously watching TV. Watch live sports games while upping the excitement by chatting with your friends as the game unfolds. Record an original message and set it as your answering voice message. Callers can record messages onto an SD Card (min. 512MB required), while you are away. *Skype camera not included with TV purchase
The VT50 series has built-in Wi-Fi which gives you even more layout flexibility.600 Hz Sub-field Drive and 2500 Focused Field DriveThe VT50 features 600Hz technology which allows for superb full-HD motion and still images. Panasonic uses unique image-analysis technology which allows for greater clarity with motion images. The VT50 also employs Neo Plasma Black 2500 FDD to provide a crisp image even when the content shows very fast motion. 3D 24p Cinema Smoother VIERA gives you naturally flowing 24p images with the look and tonal characteristics of film, and familiar TV-like quality. Panasonic's advanced source analysis and frame generation deliver smooth, natural, and lifelike images.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
430 of 438 people found the following review helpful.
Best tv you can buy right now
By Anthony Campo
In my opinion, this tv is the best to be had at this time. To provide some background for that opinion, I have tried the following sets while I still had my Kuro 5020: The VT30, D7000 and the 80" Sharp 632U LED. The Sharp was something I had to try based on some reviews but it really was quite disappointing and never even made it onto the wall. For further information regarding my opinion of the Sharp, please read the comments section where I have answered a question regarding my expereince with this set. The VT30 was quite good but had color issues, uniformity issues and large bezel syndrome. The D7000 was far better than I had expected after reading the nasty comments about it. But none of these sets allowed me to feel good about sending my 9g Kuro packing.With much anticipation, I ordered the 65VT50 from Amazon. The entire process was painless and quick as per usual. Delivery was sooner than expected and professional. They did send only one driver, so be prepared for that. But we managed just fine. I quickly inspected the set and immediately mounted it and got things setup. Everything went smoothly.I did download and install an available update. The only new "feature" I noticed after the update was a fairly long duration banner at TV startup. This is defeatable within the settings, so fear not.**** A second update had been released and is mentioned at the end of this review.****** 09/28/2012 update #3 version 1.17 is out. This may effect a calibrationNow for my impression of this television.This VT50 is simply beautiful. The smaller bezel and overall aesthetics are quite excellent. Gone are the days of "but LCD's are so much slimmer and/or less bulky". This set looks great turned off. I am happy to pay a premium for the single sheet of glass design even if that was the only difference over the GT, but its not.Some complain about the silver trim, but you will be hard pressed to find an owner that does not like it. Personaly, I really like the look. I think the TV would look rather run of the mill and boring without it.The touchpad was easy to pair with the television. I do not imagine myself using the touch pad much, but it does work as advertised. If you use your television to browse at all, you may find the touchpad quite useful. I had no issues navigating with it at all.It is also worth mentioning that this set is also quite a bit lighter than the VT30.To my eye, the blacks are right there with the Kuro I just sold. A meter may say otherwise but it takes a trained eye to see the difference if not side by side. The blacks are inky and satisfying and do not leave me wanting in any way. My eyes are pretty damn good and all I can say is that I do not miss my Kuro one single bit. And the extra real estate is quite nice as well.Equally as impressive is the increased brightness of this panel. If you find that you are really drawn to the brightness of an LCD, but prefer the motion of a plasma, this set should fit your bill perfectly. I have two large windows in my living room and never feel like I need more out of my set in terms of brightness. The anti-glare works excellent as well.If I was forced to come up with a gripe, it would be the red LED that comes on when the set is on. This was poor planning on Panasonics part but I am not losing any sleep over it. A little well trimmed piece of electrical tape takes care of that if it really bothers you.Everything works as it should. HDMI control works perfectly on mine. I can hit the power button once on my Directv remote and everything turns on as it should (STB, TV, and AVR). ARC (Audio Return Channel) is also nice. This allows the audio from the TV to play through your home stereo while utilizing the same HDMI cable that feeds it content. To utilize this feature, you will need to plug your HDMI cable into HDMI #2 on the television. This is great for when you are watching Netflix or something emanating from the TV itself. All this functionality is assuming that you have an AVR that is up to date and HDMI 1.4a compliant as well as your HDMI cables. I use these cables Mediabridge Ultra Series - High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet - (6 Feet) - Category 2 Certified - Supports 3D & Audio Return Channel [Latest HDMI Version Available]. They have worked perfectly for me every single time and the price is nice. I still feel compelled to interupt when I see an employee at a Big Box store trying to convince an unknowing person to spend over $100 on a Monster cable.You will notice that the HDMI ports are extremely close to the edge of the set. If you have rigid cables, it can present a problem and possibly cause them to protrude past the edge. There are several fixes for this. The one I chose was to use two of these connectors Cable Matters Gold Plated HDMI Male to HDMI Female 270 Degree Adapter. Together they create a 180 degree bend to allow your cables to be neatly installed.Bluetooth is a great feature that this TV has. I can place my receiver in standby (bypass mode) and listen to TV at night with my wireless blutooth headset. I will take a quick moment to endorse this headset LG Tone - HBS-700 Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headset - Retail Packaging - Black/Orange. They work flawlessly on everyting I throw at them from working out, talking on the phone while driving to listening to a TV show while eating a midnight snack. They are ultra comfortable and sound excellent. At any rate, I am unsure why this feature gets such little attention. But keep in mind that you do need to verify that your AVR will pass through sound via HDMI or there will be no sound at all when the AVR is off or in standby mode. This is assuming that you pass your content through a receiver. You can't fault the tv if no sound is getting to it.I have had many high end TVs over the years but this one takes the cake for me as an overall package. No offence to anyone intended, but you could not pay me to place an LED TV in my living room. Sure the Sharp Elite looks great head on, but try going off to an angle, and not even an extreme angle and watch the PQ fall off a cliff. Looking at a plasma from any angle is like looking through a window. Not to mention that motion is far more natural looking on plasma in general.As far as sound is concerned, I personally place very little time in this area. Many people may use the built in speakers for night viewing. I would say that these speakers are quite capable for that purpose. If you are looking for this TV to have a capable 24/7 sound system, then you will probably be let down with this and pretty much any other flat screen offering. If you are going to lay down the funds for this beauty, you should also be ready to invest in a descent sound system if you do not already have one.*** Amended 3D glasses info.Considering how passionate some folks seem to be about the exclusion of 3D glasses, I will only say this: This set does not come with 3D glasses. I am fine with that. You may not be.Now lets talk about breaking in your plasma and some of the myths that go along with that. Many people will religiously use what are called break-in slides for the first 100 hours that they own the television. There are good reasons for this and there are misguided reasons as well. These slides are full screen color slides that you would run at 100 contrast for 100 hours as a slide show. This allows the phosphors to age evenly in there more fragile and impressionable state that is the first 100-200 hours. Now it is just as reasonable to simply watch mixed content for the first 100 hours instead of using slides. You just want to be sure to avoid letter box material or leaving stations on with static logos for long periods of times. The only downside of using content instead of slides is if you plan on using offered calibrated settings from someone like D-Nice on AVS. He has been kind enough in the past to offer calibrated settings to folks in an attempt to help out the community. He will break-in a set with the slides and then calibrate it. He will then post these settings for others to get at least close to a calibrated look. The best way to mimic his results is to break-in your set with the slides as he did. He will also be the first to tell you that panels vary and you may or may not benefit from his offered settings. If you do not use the slides as he did, then you will have less of a chance of benefiting from his settings because the panel will have been aged on a far less consistent scale. At this point in time, D-Nice has not posted settings for this particualr set. So keep this in mind, as there are questions as to whether or not he will at all.Personally, I am not using slides anymore other than for use to inspect my panel for problems. Nobody wants to have a brand new set off limits for 4 days. I know I don't. This time round, I have not used slides and all is well in the world. If I want to get the set calibrated, I will.Running slides in the hopes of matching the exact characteristics of someone elses panel is a gamble that may or may not pay off, and how would you really know if you were getting the most out of these "Free" settings without meters and training to tell you?But, it is fair to say that you will have the least chance for any type of IR in the first 100+ hours by running the slides. There are no logos or bars or HUDs to worry about. I stress the point that they will not CAUSE IR but they will not help remove it. So it is a personal choice and there is most definately no reason not to run the slides other than it makes the set unavailable for 4 days.As a side note, these slides are excellent tools to inspect your new screen for issues such as dead or stuck pixels, micro cracks in the glass and hot spots or uniformity issues. The trick here is to use this tool when you get your set and then leave it alone. If you constantly use these slides to look for issues, you will eventually find one and it will drive you crazy. And in most cases it will end up being something that you will never see while viewing normal content.Slides can be downloaded by searching for "Plasma Break-In DVD Images" . Just select the "Plasma Break-In DVD Images" link. Once downloaded, unzip and place on thumb drive.So there you have it regarding break-in. Use slides or mixed content for the first 100 hours or so and relax.One more thing worth mentioning to those that are unaware. The picture on your set will continue to improve over the first 300+ hours. So please do not base your impression of the set on the picture that comes out of the box. Blacks settle in a touch lower and the picture quality in general will become a bit richer and vibrant.Another common misconception is that slides should be used to help remove IR or image retention. This is simply not the case.Here is an excerpt of something I wrote on AVS:You will never be told to use slides to remove IR. Breakin slides are for breaking in the panel, period. Think about it this way. If you look at your IR while running the slides, you will see that the IR is flashing exactly the same each time. You are simply baking the IR in as far as I am concerned. You are maintaining that exact image over and over again. Now start a pixel flipper or mixed content for that matter. In this case, every pixel involved within the area of the IR is being given it own unique workout independent from the surrounding pixels. This random aging of the pixels will allow the offending pixels involved within the area of IR to hopefully slowly blend in better with the surrounding pixels.Sure, there is an anti-retention tool that is built into the sets software, but do not let that fool you into a false sense of security. If you leave on a station with a static logo for two days straight, the tool will do no more than make the edges of the logo image blurry rather than defined.I should also mention that I have had no hint of IR on my set to date (besides on slides). This is after days of watching Discovery channel who is one of the worst offenders of the infamous logo. They should be sued with other channels that wreak havoc on plasmas with these logos. I almost have to think they have stock in LED technology! lolSettings: The following are the settings that I am currently using post Luminance patch. They are a combination of my own and others. I feel I have struck a very nice balance without having had an actual calibration performed. This is in no way intended or claimed to be professional calibrated settings. I would be happy if they work for you though. So it definitely does not hurt to give them a try. If you find colors to be off on your particular panel, simply disregard the Pro settings and only use the Basic settings.Picture Mode: CustomContrast: 82 "Bright Room" Setting 98Brightness: 52-54 "Bright Room" Setting 70Color: 50Tint: 0Sharpness: 14-24 *If you have an external VP you may want this at zeroColor Temp: Warm 2 (or Warm 1) * Warm 1 will not be as accurate, but you may prefer it anyway as it will spruce up the whites a touch.Cats: OffVideo NR: OffAspect adjustments submenuScreen format: FullHD size: Size 2 (Size 1 will perform a 95% overscan. Can be good to get rid of scan lines at top of screen for sat/cable content as well as video noise that can be seen on edges of some content)H size: [grayed out]Zoom adjustments: [grayed out]Advanced Picture:3D Y/C filter: Off [grayed out]Color matrix: HD [grayed out]These next two settings may or may not help poor content and should have little to no effect on quality content.Block NR: OffMosquito NR: OffMotion smoother:Weak or Off: For most content. Pans will still be messy but no SOEMedium: Clean Pans but with SOE. Great for animated contentHigh: Introduces far too many artifacts and motion issues1080p pure direct: OnBlack level: Light3:2 pulldown: On24p Direct in: 60Hz * 60Hz seems to function as 96Hz does without introducing artifacts that may or may not be detected. But 96hz mode does provide slightly better blacks. So use 96hz if you do not perceive artifacts.Pro Settings:Color space: NormalW/B high R: -1W/B high G: 0W/B high B: 0W/B low R: 0W/B low G: -4W/B low B: -1W/B detail adjustment menu: (listed as Red, Green and Blue gain, respectively)100 IRE: -1, 0, -1 90 IRE: -2, 0, +1 80 IRE: 0, +1, -1 70 IRE: 0, 0, 0 60 IRE: 0, 0, +1 50 IRE: +1, +2, +1 40 IRE: 0, 0, -1 30 IRE: +1, -1, 0 20 IRE: +2, -0, +1 10 IRE: -1, -0, +1Red hue: 0Green hue: +4Blue hue: 0Red Saturation: -5Green Saturation: -4Blue Saturation: 0Color detail adjustment menu:Yellow hue: 0Cyan hue: 0Magenta hue: +2Yellow saturation: -2Cyan saturation: 0Magenta saturation: 0Red luminance: 0Green luminance: -12Blue luminance: -2Yellow luminance: 0Cyan luminance: +4Magenta luminance: +4Black Extension: 0Gamma adjustment: 2.4Panel Brightness: MidContour Emphasis: OffAGC: Off or 0Gamma Detail Adjustment Menu100 IRE Gain: 090 IRE Gain: 080 IRE Gain: 070 IRE Gain: 060 IRE Gain: 050 IRE Gain: +340 IRE Gain: 030 IRE Gain: 020 IRE Gain: -110 IRE Gain: 0Now a closing moment for the topic of BUZZING. All plasmas buzz....period. It is an inherent aspect of the technology. A perfect way to hear how this buzzing is effected by what is on the screen is by using the slides we talked about. Typically, the buzzing will be loudest on an all white or very bright screen. As you flip through the different colored slides, you will notice the buzzing changing in its intensity. Now some sets will obviously buzz more than others. You may have two identical sets that are side by side and one may be louder than the other. So if you have a set that you feel buzzes too much for you, an exchange may be in order. But be ready for no change, less noise and possibly more noise. But please do not base your impression while you are standing in a silent room with your head behind the TV. Listen to the TV sitting in your normal viewing location with volume at what you would consider "normal" or slightly below that. Then see if you can even hear it at all. Personally, I have to have my volume very low to hear it at all. Under my normal listening conditions, I NEVER hear my set buzz. There are many other factors involved that can contribute to the buzzing. Some of which include proximity of TV to the surrounding walls, room acoustics, sensitive hearing, furniture in the room, carpet, etc.....I hope this information helps you in your decision. I know the feeling of being overwhelmed when you are are trying to make an educated choice amid a sea of conflicting information.When all is said and done, I feel great about my purchase and highly recommend the television.TopperMcFlyUpdate 07/31/2012:Panasonic has released another update. This update resolves the issue with CMS color Luminance not functioning. ;-)Picture settings are reflected and noted above.Update 08/19/2012:In order to put minds at ease, I begrudgingly put the colored slides up after about 750 hours of use to see if I have any IR. I expected to at least see some minor IR but the fact is that I have ZERO IR! If you are worried about IR, stop. Follow my instructions and advice and it will be a non-issue.And btw, my picture quality has steadily improved over the entire 700+ hours it has been running. What a gem.
99 of 108 people found the following review helpful.
Sets the new high bar for home television
By Brandon
Pilot freight services delivered my unit May 8th, 3-days sooner than advertised. While I was apprehensive about set-up, an HDMI (not included) and power cord were all that was needed to start watching programs through my receiver. I'm a big guy, so hefting the TV onto its base wasn't such an ordeal, but I will note that most people will need help with this chore. I opted not to put it on the wall due to its weight and my living room's space restrictions (not to mention the extra price/non-availability of a wall bracket). The pedestal required a Philips screwdriver to construct and does not swivel in the slightest. Upgrading to 65-inches, I don't miss that feature.The viewing experience is as advertised. Out of the box, the VT50 is set very dark. Unless the unit will be placed in a home theater, you will need to use a custom or the "THX Bright Room" setting. At any setting, however, you will note the incredible degree to which blacks are displayed. I tested some modifications while watching a MLB game broadcast in HD. Its difficult to describe the "new" shades of black and grey that I could discern on this set, but I can say that I never saw them before. Every detail that I thought of or tried to see was simply: there. The one sheet of glass addition is gorgeous, though when the TV is on it kind of disappears. Simply put, I've never seen a better looking plasma display.VIERA functionality is running wirelessly and almost seamlessly through my Netgear N900. Every app I've tried (I'm not a subscriber to anything like Netflix, so I don't know how well pay apps function) loads quickly. The on board browser is ever so slightly slower than one on a dated laptop I've got, but every web-page loaded without issue. I found streaming videos from a networked PC not to work unless I ran them from a my X-box 360. I can only assume that this is a codec issue.The speakers are "Meh". At this level of monitor, you better already have standalone speakers running through an amp or your missing out. Form factor-wise, the included speakers and woofer melt into the VT50's body. Frankly, I wouldn't have known they were there had I not read the specs. Additionally, and this probably can be attributed to my Pioneer receiver or an HDMI bug, you cannot listen to the set's speakers and your externals at the same time.The touch-remote is a nice addition, but responsiveness and fine movement leave a little to be desired. It's not a laptop/ipad... er, pad. I've got an android smart phone that quickly synched with the VT50 and functions better during internet browsing. Media transfer from the TV to the phone was a button click away, however, going the other way around has escaped me for the moment. Attempts to "flick" a pic or .mov from my phone all end in a triangle inset with an "!" on the TV. There's probably a work around, but I'm a little disappointed it didn't work out of the box.On the disappointment front, I feel obligated to express mine at the lack of 3D glasses included at purchase. I knew that going in, but never the less, it still stings not to have the ability to test such a significant function of the VT50. At around $3,800 I think I've earned at least one pair. Additionally, don't let some idiot at your local big-box store attempt to sell you last years glasses (not that this happened to me, even though it did). The VT30 & VT50 are incompatible.Finally, I live in Colorado and my front door opens at 6,170 feet-ish. My previous plasma was built in 2003 and did not like this altitude. It ran hot and buzzed incessantly. 15-min of use and you can feel the heat escaping the top of the VT50's rear vents with a wave of your hand. It doesn't heat my living room after being on for an hour or buzz at all like my previous set, but I'll be sure to update this review if anything changes. Panasonic's own tech support sent me an email before I purchased it, ensuring me the all their plasmas were rated to 8,000ft, and a local specialist told me that I'd be safe up to 11,000ft.To be clear: I took a star off my review due to the lack of included glasses at this price. It's like buying a pick-up truck and being told that the lever/toggle switch for your included 4-wheel drive is an extra. Bad marketing Panasonic, bad. Other than that, and the odd Android functionality, I cannot recommend this Plasma any more than if I were to post a picture of me hugging it. The P65VT50 is truly fantastic. While I cannot speak for a comparison between this set an a comparable LED, I would figure the LED to be brighter. But if you do most of your TV watching at night, as I do, I'd stick with the Plasma.
57 of 64 people found the following review helpful.A triumph in design and image quality
By jordan
My VT50 arrived a little over two weeks ago and I feel that I'm now familiar enough with it to write a review. This review is for the 55" model.The VT50 replaced my 50" G-Series Panasonic plasma from 2010. While I liked it just fine, it was a tiny bit too small, had a bezel that got uglier over time, and suffered from floating blacks, which was very annoying since my primary use of the display is watching Blu-Ray content in the dark. I had been anxiously awaiting the release of the VT50 - so much so, that I ordered one without seeing it first, reasoning to myself that if I didn't like it, then I wouldn't be satisfied with any TV this year.The VT50 arrived. Once unpacked and set up, I marveled at the TV before I even turned it on. Was this TV really made by Panasonic, the company known for being helplessly behind the competition is terms of industrial design? The svelte single sheet of glass design is beautiful. The VT50 takes the design introduced with last year's clunky VT30 and trims it down to perfection. The bezel is much smaller than Samsung's E7/8000 and much more attractive in my opinion. It features a nice silver trim around the edges and a classy stand with a silver/black gradient. I can see how the silver edge might be a problem in a very bright room, but I really like it.But design is secondary, isn't it? Picture quality is why anyone buys a flagship model and the VT50 more than delivers. Panasonic has made major improvements over 2011 models, with a new driving method, redesigned panel, and improved filter. Once initial set-up is done, the TV defaults to standard mode, which looks awful - dull and lifeless with egregious line bleed. Thankfully there's an easy fix - this a THX certified display, and new for 2012 Panasonic includes two separate THX modes for 2D viewing - THX Cinema and THX Bright Room. These modes look great out of the box. THX Cinema is what I mainly watch with, although I sometimes use Bright Room mode, albeit with contrast scaled back to 80. Compared to the THX mode on my last Panasonic, the mode here is much improved and lacks the greenish push that I noticed before. I think rather than try to eyeball it, since I'm not a calibrator, I'm going to leave it in THX mode sans any adjustment and pay someone to calibrate it later this year. Compressed satellite HD actually looks surprisingly great, image processing is top notch here and is good at masking artifacts from less-than-stellar feeds. Definitely better than my old Panny. The picture also has a characteristic that is hard to describe - perhaps "smoother" is the word I'm looking for here; it just looks incredibly natural and effortless in subtle color transitions and gradients. I suppose that can be attributed to Panasonic's claim of improved shades of gradation.The real test, however, was when I turned off the lights and fired up the Blu-Ray player. The home menu on my Sony Blu-Ray player is a light gray, which is great for testing panels for flaws in uniformity. Knowing problems with banding, blobbing, and splotching Panasonic had with last year's model, I nervously inspected every part of the panel. No anomalies to be found, whew. I pressed play and ended up sampling a variety of content, and the VT muscled through all of it with incredible prowess. The black level here is impressive - I've seen a VT30 in the dark and this rightfully trounces it. I've also seen an E8000 in the dark and it can't get quite as dark as the VT. Letterbox bars blend into the bezel. Thanks to the deep, dark blacks the VT50 is blessed with incredible contrast. Images have an abundance of pop and lifelike depth, and recall the tangible realism produced by later-generation Pioneer plasma panels. Motion is natural, cinematic, and artifact-free when the 4:4 pulldown 96Hz mode is engaged. I do not notice any flicker either. It should also be noted that I have watched enough on it to verify that the image is rock-solid - no floating blacks, fluctuating brightness, no distractions. Just a beautifully rendered, film-like image that pulls you in.3D performance: Using THX Cinema 3D mode, the 3D image looks great. This is the first 3D TV I've owned but I've seen plenty of 3D on other flat panels and some projectors. 96Hz is unavailable here. Great sense of depth and minimal crosstalk, although I do notice some in higher contrast scenes. This can be somewhat remedied by switching from 60 to 48Hz mode, but it introduces some annoying flicker. I tested using Blu-Ray content like Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D, Hugo, Tron:Legacy, Arabia 3D, and the Adventures of Tintin 3D. 2D>3D conversion is still unimpressive, even after making 3D adjustments, but I suppose it's not too bad considering the display is doing the conversion on the fly. Not a big deal. Please note that Panasonic does not include glasses in the box for North American sets this year. Yeah, it's a bummer, but the good news is that this year Samsung's cheap SSG-4100 glasses are fully operational with the VT50. I own a pair and a pair of the official Panasonic-made TY-ER3D4MU glasses, and performance is identical, although I find the Panasonic glasses have bigger lenses and are more comfortable.One thing I did not test much is the Viera Connect platform. I poked around a bit, and it seems largely identical to the interface on my BDT310 Blu-Ray player but with the addition of the web browser. Since the VT50 has a dual-core processor it is quite a bit snappier loading apps and navigating between them, however. Panasonic includes a touchpad remote to make web browsing easier but I found it a bit awkward to use, and while the web browser is decent, I don't see myself ever using it. I don't want to browse the web on my TV, but for those that do, it's not bad.So while I generally try to shy away from giving products five-star reviews, I have a hard time finding anything bad to say about the VT50. The only thing I can really knock it for is the anti-glare filter - while it's incredibly effective, it does compromise the vertical viewing angle of the TV. I'm assuming it functions by absorbing ambient light from above and below the panel and rejecting it, resulting in a darkened image from above or below. The horizontal viewing angle is not compromised, so I certainly don't think it's worth taking a point away, especially considering that neither I nor anybody I know watches TV sitting below the screen or standing above it.All told, the VT50 is, simply put, the best plasma Panasonic has ever made, and represents more than a minor improvement over the VT30. Panasonic has set the bar not only for themselves, but has left Samsung in the dust this year. While Panasonic focused on drastically improving image quality this year, Samsung seems content with making minor improvements while adding a camera and frustratingly stupid gesture control to their plasmas. Highly recommended!
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Saturday, September 29, 2012
For Sale Online LG 50PM4700 50-Inch 720p 600Hz Active 3D Plasma HDTV
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #13420 in Home Theater
- Size: 50-Inch
- Brand: LG
- Model: 50PM4700
- Dimensions: 29.80" h x
11.70" w x
46.00" l,
62.20 pounds
- Display size: 50
LG 50PM4700 50-Inch 720p 600Hz Active 3D Plasma HDTV
Product Description
PM4700 3D / Smart Plasma TV
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful.Price and Features Make It a Good Buy - 4.5 Stars out of 5
By Cautious Consumer
Had the TV for 2 weeks, so far I am pleased. I'll begin with the TV's picture - it is excellent, colors, detail, etc...are excellent.The 3D is excellent.The 2D to 3D conversion is excellent.This plasma does have the "Soap Opera Effect" - which you can remedy by changing the picture setting to "Game Mode". I have the TV in Game Mode 24/7 and have no problems with that at all.That's where I deduct half a star - literally my only complaint.For me, this effect is extremely annoying, and I don't understand how manufacturers seem to think this is OK to ship out TVs with this strange motion effect. If you don't mind or even like this effect - this TV is even more highly recommended by me (5 out of 5 easily).The TV comes with a full internet browser which "out of the box" is controlled by the TV's remote. You can imagine that requires a little patience, but if you find a "plug 'n play" wireless keyboard - problem solved.The Internet works excellent. The TV streams Netflix movies no problem at all.The TV's form factor should also be considered a big plus. It is thin, all connections are well-thought out and located conveniently.Considering the features you get: 3D; 2D to 3D conversion (literally watch anything you want in 3D); the Internet with Netflix, full browser, USB inputs, and great picture quality - this TV is a very good deal."The Good" most certainly outweigh "the bad" in this case and I recommend this TVThe Good:-Picture Quality**-2D to 3D conversion-Full Browser/Internet/Netflix-USB inputs-Form Factor/Thin/Connections nicely locatedThe Bad:-** "Soap Opera Effect" Occurs with this plasma, but you can avoid that by using "Game" mode picture setting.- No 'HBOgo' or 'Pandora' Apps yet, but maybe this will change in the future
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful.Best TV Ever... (simpson's voice)
By Rabbit
This is one of the best picture quality TV's I have seen. It may SAY 720p, but it rrenders 1080p. Check LG website Model # 42PM4700. TRUST ME. Plasma is GREAT. My father has a 55" LCD Philips. He also had to buy a dongle for it (wireless) Pshh! MY TV came with everything. AND Amazon installed it for free. Why do I say free?? Got this TV for A little over $600. My dads TV was way more than that. I won't tell him (I'll wait till he sees it himself) But my TV blows his out the water. it came with the wifi dongle. has 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB. Plus 2 components, Digital out, computer hook up, bla bla bla. One charges my 3D glasses and the other for wifi. 1 hooks up to my Laptop and will play sound through it. the other is hooked up to my PS3 and the other is not yet used. This TV has SO many features. That's why they call it SMART. The ONLY problem I have with this TV is that it will only pick up 3 DTV channels. Antenna or not. With my DTV box i pick up 10 alone. IDK what the prob is what it doesn't really matter to me. I don't even watch TV. all i do is stream Netflix, play through my Laptop and Ps3. I am SO satisfied. seriously you NEED to buy this TV. Buy the official glasses that go with it. they work flawlessly!!!Ok, 3D? Great!! will make ANYTHING 3D and the depth is good. Especially if the game or show is in 3d (duhh...) Makes my PS3 all worth it. and it has many options for 3D as well.Sound is LOUD. but not buzzing loud. Good quality! not much bass but I have a subwoofer for that ;-)Overall 8.5 AGAIN the TV should say 1080p because it DOES view.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.SO FAR SO GREAT!!
By Forevermercy
Got my TV on Friday and have been messing with it all this weekend.I'm not one of those picture quality snobs, but here's my take. Out of the box the eco energer saver settings are on so its really dim. I changed the settings to "Standard" and am pretty pleased with the picture quality.The movement is a lil bit different. Not bad but different from my old Samsung TV. I think another reviewer called it the "Soap Opera Effect". Whatever it is I'm sure it could be changed but it makes no difference to me. You do notice it more in the 3D setting tho.Speaking of 3D. This is my 1st 3D tv and I bought this one specifically because of the 2D to 3D conversion capability. Maybe I still need to configure the setting to my liking but I would say this the only downfall for this TV. There's alotta ghosting! When watching something in 3D world (which is made for 3D viewing) it was almost unbearable to watch because of the ghosting. Again, maybe I just don't have the settings right. Funny enough, the 2D converted into 3D actually wasn't bad with the ghosting and I enjoyed the enhanced viewing watching shows like "Once Upon a Time" and "Awake" in 3d! But for most shows, converting is not much of an enhancement. Mind you the 3D gets a lil wonky when converting, but that's because its not meant for 3D viewing so you get things like random pop outs and stuff. But that's not the TV's fault. Other than that its a pretty neat feature and I'm impressed that now I can enhance anything I watch (even netflix) in 3D. I suggest watching Inception! But as far as the actual Cinema 3D is concerned the jury is still out since I don't have a Blue Ray yet and what content was available was rrrreally bad! I'll let you know as soon as I can pop in an actual Blue ray 3D DVD.So the "Smart TV" features. This is the other reason I purchased this set and I can say I'm pretty happy with it. The apps like youtube and netflix work as good as on my Android. But I'm hoping they add Pandora soon! I haven't downloaded any extra apps yet but I haven't seen anything I use as often as netflix.I love the idea of being able to access my computer files from the TV since I have a ton of downloaded movies. Here again, I'm not sure if I have the setting right but I wasn't able to just pop into my PC as easy as they make it sound. You have to download Plex Media Server and then add content to a library which takes time depending on how much content you have. So far, the only files I can access from the TV is those I put in that Plex libray. And often I'm not even able to connect at all to my PC. Also you can only playback certain video formats. Its kind of a pain to be honest. But when it works it streams my content just fine! Rewinding and forwarding is a lil rough though.Same from my LG G2X android phone. The smartshare feature was a lil difficult to get running but once you've figured out the correct setting I can instantly play my pictures and music directly on my tv!****UPDATE****I found it is MUCH easier to transfer movies to my kindle fire and play it off the USB! So no connection cut offs when playing a movie. Works great!So all in all so far I'm happy. I bought this TV when it was in the $500 range and think its a great buy! LOTS of great features, nice design, and solid TV viewing. I would definitely recommend!PROS:2D to 3D conversion is pretty awesome!Streaming content from netflix and other apps.Wireless access to my PC and smart phone.Cons:3D isn't the best.Difficult getting settings configured.***UPDATE***So I've been able to view original 3D footage and its LOADS better than the provided footage on the LG 3D World. There's still noticeable ghosting but you'd be hard pressed to find much improvement on other 3D sets.***UPDATE 8 MONTHS LATER***My only real regret with buying this TV is not buying the bigger one!!! My 1 yr old broke one of the 3D glasses which was a huge disappointment. But to be honest I dont really watch too much in 3D anymore. The allure has faded for me, but good thing I did notice about the TV/Glasses as compared to similar 3D sets is you dont have to be sitting straight up to watch 3D. You can watch TV in any position your heart desires and it doesn't hinder the 3D viewing. Also I recommend buying a high capacity USB flash drive (like 64 gigs). You can find them for around $30 and they fit around 20-30 movies! I pop the USB drive in the 2nd input and I have a library of movies to watch at a click. LOVE this TV!
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Friday, September 28, 2012
Low Price Sony KDF-E42A10 42-Inch LCD Rear Projection Television
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #125244 in Home Theater
- Color: gray
- Brand: Sony
- Model: KDFE42A10
- Dimensions: 28.50" h x
14.10" w x
39.30" l,
61.70 pounds
- Native resolution: 1280 x 720
- Display size: 42
Features
- 42-inch rear-projection LCD TV; measures 40 x 30 x 16 inches (WxHxD)
- Built-in HD/Digital tuner (ATSC), 181-channel tuner (NTSC); Digital Cable ready
- Front A/V input for easily hooking up a DVD player or video game console
- Inputs: 3 composite, 3 component, 1 S-Video, 1 RF, 1 HDMI
- Two stereo speakers, 12 watts apiece (24 watts total)
Sony KDF-E42A10 42-Inch LCD Rear Projection Television
Product Description
LCD Rear Projection Television
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
108 of 110 people found the following review helpful.Pleased with my 42" A10
By J. B. Mccord
Well, after wayyy too much research and hemming and hawing, I finally decided on this 3LCD RPT by Sony. What finally swayed me was the sweet combination of picture quality (PQ) and price. In side by side comparisons I just couldn't detect enough (with my eyes at least) PQ difference between this RPT and the plasma tv's to justify spending twice the money. While standard definition signals are only mediocre, the HD and DVD signals are simply awesome. I use component cables and a Motorola set top box (stb) provided by Adelphia. The side to side viewing angle is greatly improved over previous generations of projection tv's (as is the brightness and crispness), but beware; the vertical viewing angle is quite narrow. My built-in media niche is elevated a bit, which puts the tv above my head when seated on the couch. There is a very slight dimming from this angle. However, it's nothing that I haven't been able to compensate for with some picture adjustments (or a subtle shim ;-)). The remote has a "Wega Gate" feature that works kind of like the "Start" button in MS Windows. I think it's pretty user friendly, but I don't use it much since I mostly just use the remote from the Adelphia stb. As an engineer, I also appreciate the other features this LCD RPT technology offers over plasma. It uses less energy, generates less heat (a factor when building it into a wall unit with tight clearances), it's light enough for one person to move around (the salesperson in the store carried this 42" tv singlehanded!), the plastic screen has less glare than glass, and the single bulb is user serviceable. Best of all; no burn-in issue to worry about! Just plug it in and start watching tv, use it as a computer monitor (I haven't tried this yet), or just run a static image all week. Who cares! Sony offers this tv in a 50" version, but because our viewing distance is 8'-10', I didn't want to go any bigger. If you get too close to these screens you will see some screen door effect. After having this tv for several weeks now, I can honestly say that I am very pleased with my purchase.
70 of 75 people found the following review helpful.TV: 4 stars; Amazon: 0
By J. Naylor
So, the price was great; much cheaper than the local brick and mortar electronic stores at the time I was originally making the purchase.. TV is wonderful. Seeing this TV side by side the Samsung DLP's in the stores convinced me I made the better choice. The picture is fantastic, great features. I only wish it had PIP, but I'll survive. I work from home, and I also have set up my laptop to use the TV as a monitor... It is working out really well..Now to Amazon, and some of the chaos I endured in taking shipment... Please don't make the same mistakes I made; this experience tainted my view of Amazon, and below I note some things that may prevent you from going through the same hell..The delivery guys showed up on time on delivery day.. Upon climbing out of the truck, I was handed the paperwork and was asked to sign before they even pulled it out of the truck (<--Mistake 1). After the TV was brought up into my apartment, the delivery guys left. I immediately opened the TV to find it completely destroyed. I stopped the driver before he left, and told him to take the TV back; he told me to call Amazon and he'd pickup the TV when he came to deliver me a new one, which Amazon would replace; they then drove off (<--Mistake 2). Upon calling Amazon, I was ultimately told that the TV is mine if I signed for it and if I didn't get it back on the delivery truck for return, because there is a 'no-return' policy on large merchandise, which I understood. Regardless, AMAZON HAD NO INTEREST IN HELPING ME, THE CONSUMER, OUT. Reading through the shipping and no-return policy; I noted that the shipper was supposed to unpack the TV, let me inspect it, and then remove the packing material. Since they did none of the above, and noted this to Amazon, I felt as if they should have supported me. Instead, they took in my report, threw it to a team who never cared to personally call me, and then wrote me an email saying the case was closed, because they had information stating that I asked for the shippers to NOT unpack the TV. Which was a lie. Nobody from Amazon was willing to negotiate the issue in my behalf with the shipping company. There is no direct number to call Amazon, they call you from an 'unknown' number so you can't call back. Amazon ran away from me.I made a last ditch effort to call the shipping company, Eagle, who was EXTREMELY polite, understanding, and they negotiated with Amazon the pickup and replacement of my TV. Now THAT is a classy and moral corporation; only if those guys would go into business selling the products :D. After they accepted the blame, Amazon came through with an email apoloziging for the inconveniences I was caused, for simply not believing me. In the end, one month after ordering the TV, I finally took shipment of a working set, which was properly delivered. Take note, prices at the local stores in this timeframe dropped to a level where I could have bought it locally for only a few dollars more, with the security of a return policy, and someone you can interact with if the transaction doesn't go smoothly.Seriously, would you think I'm ordering anything ever again from such a fair-weathered company? May I suggest you think twice as well?
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful.Great TV To Complete Your Home Theater
By Michael K. Zupan
I had spent some time researching what kind of TV it was I wanted to blow my money on. You can't just buy any old TV anymore, you need to research so you can best suit your own needs. I personally watch a lot of DVD's and play a lot of video games. So, I needed something that was going to handle games well, and most of all make DVD's look stunning!The television's design is sleek and stunning. It only weights about 60-65 pounds so you can move it yourself with ease.The display is very bright and vibrant. The TV when you recieve it, has its settings set to contrast and other settings that would make the TV look absolutely magnificent for store displays but will in the long run burn out your bulb faster, and fortunately, those settings aren't the true correct settings you want anyway. Set the 'vibrant' picture settings to 'standard', you may want to add your tint a few notches over to the right a little bit to get a more true red color, reduce your color a little bit, but in the end it's all just minor adjustments you are going to need to make.If you watch a lot of DVD's like I do, if you sit far back enough, they look magnificent watching them with progressive scan and component cables. But if you sit a little closer than you're supposed to like I do, you'll notice all the imperfections that you would see due to the fact that DVD's are not as high in definition as a high definition TV, because DVD's were made to look perfect on standard TV's. You could see some boxes in some high movement, artifacts here and there, but this TV offers numerous ways to adjust the picture to your liking. There's DVD players now that 'upconvert' with technology a DVD that's got a 480i resolution, to 720p by adding lines and throwing out some of the noise on a DVD. But with this TV it's not necessary with the 'Digital Reality Creation' feature (DRC). This helps to upconvert the image to be somewhat closer to HD standards, by adding 4x the lines (twice as many horizontally and then twice as many vertically). This isn't going to give you a high definition image mind you, but you can use this function to adjust the clarity and 'reality' of the image to smooth out imperfections and artifacts that are created by a lot of movement. There's even a function on the TV that lets you adjust just how much 'noise' you want filtered from a picture.Now, all this could be a pain if you were to have to continually make these kinds of adjustments between different inputs on your set and your digital/HD cable, but this TV will save your presets for each input. It may take you some time to get the best possible picture that you want from each component, but the time is worth it because you only need to do it once for each function and it saves them forever.Great set for a great price. Worth the cash.
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Affordable Sony Bravia L-Series KDL-32L5000 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV, Black
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #21807 in Home Theater
- Color: Black
- Brand: Sony
- Model: KDL-32L5000
- Dimensions: 20.00" h x
3.75" w x
31.75" l,
25.10 pounds
- Native resolution: 1366 x 768
- Display size: 32
Features
- Enjoy a 32-inch flatscreen with vibrant 720p resolution from any HD source, including movies, sports, and HD television programming
- Advanced Contrast Enhancer with Dynamic Backlight Control
- Three HDMI inputs (up to 1080/60p input capable) , two Component YPbPr (1080/60i capable), and one PC input (HD-15 pin)
- Expand HDTV's capabilities with BRAVIA Link modules(sold separately)
- BRAVIA Sync gives one-touch access and control of all compatible home theater devices & select Sony Handycam from HDTV remote via HDMI connector
Sony Bravia L-Series KDL-32L5000 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV, Black
Product Description
Sony Bravia L-Series HDTVs provide vivid 720p resolution and dynamic contrast ratios of 13,000:1 (the 26-inch model) and 13,000:1 (for 32-inch model), with several versatile sizes perfect for the budget-conscious consumer or anyone wanting an HDTV that works well in the bedroom, kitchen, or office. Bravia L-Series HDTVs have a wealth of HD connections, including three HDMI inputs. Each HDMI input transmits uncompressed digital video and multi-channel digital audio on a single cable, so you can expand your home theater system without a lot of messy wires. Also included is a PC input that lets you use your HDTV as a computer monitor. If you need to streamline your HD components further, the Bravia L-Series HDTVs feature Bravia Sync technology and are compatible with optional Bravia Link Modules such as the Bravia Wireless Link, which wirelessly streams HD video and audio from your A/V equipment to your HDTV from up to 65 feet away. You might expect that more features mean more power consumption, but Bravia L-Series HDTVs include a Dynamic Backlight Control which automatically controls overall image brightness to help the TV exceed ENERGY STAR 3.0 standards.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
65 of 73 people found the following review helpful.Great TV for the money
By Bunson Honeydew
This is my first HDTV. I bought it because my brother-in-law has the previous model, which is pretty much the same. He loves it for the bedroom because it's light and just all around a great TV.Cable broadcasts in 720p/1080i. So unless you have the room and money for a larger screen, have a Blu-Ray DVD player or are a serious gamer, go with the 720P and save yourself some bread.I'm very happy with the sound and picture. I do not have this hooked up to a home theater. There are plenty of inputs, so it should work well for your system. I tried my JVC HD camcorder and it was simple to connect and view.
29 of 32 people found the following review helpful.So far so good, when in doubt buy a Sony
By J. R. Tees
I purchased this TV about a month ago as a replacement for a fairly new SDTV, that I merely replaced because I wanted something with more component connections that I could use for a multitude of different purposes. (Gaming, movies, HD programming etc.) As of this writing, I couldn't be more satisfied the picture and sound are both amazing and it's everything I was expecting and a whole lot more. Word to the wise though, You will need HD service and an HD receiver in order to get the most out of this set in terms of HD programming. I really dig the cinema setting that darkens the picture (This is optional) to replicate a movie theater experience when watching a movie, it's a pretty cool feature. And in my opinion it's hard to go wrong with a Sony due to their trusted name as a reputable brand.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful.NIce TV
By Kevin Miller
I bought this TV at Best Buy for $447. Was surprised at how light it was, especially compared to the 25" tube TV it was replacing. Anyway, got it out of the box, attached the stand, attached the cables and it was ready to go. Automatic setup took less than 5 minutes, and even found HD channels I didn't know I had (Explanation: I have Time Warner cable and this would just be plugged directly into the coax with no cable box. Previously I was only seeing about 70 SD channels, this TV found about 90 SD and about 10 HD channels, so I was pleasantly surprised.)The picture quality is great, sound is good, menu and operations are fairly straightforward and intuitive. Only reason I docked it one star is because the remote is only compatible with Sony products (Bravia specifically). I still need to keep my old remote to work the DVD player that will be used with this TV. Selfishness and greediness gets a one star deduction.One sticky point, the "Favorites" menu lists the raw channel number, and rearranges then depending on which one is currently being viewed. How do I know what channel 112.1113 is?? I choose it to find out, then go back to the list and they are all rearranged...
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Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Compare Pioneer PDP-6020FD 60-Inch Class KURO Plasma HDTV
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #55937 in Home Theater
- Color: Gloss Black
- Brand: Pioneer
- Model: PDP-6020FD
- Released on: 2008-06-12
- Dimensions: 34.50" h x
57.70" w x
3.70" l,
112.40 pounds
- Networking: Ethernet
- Display size: 60
Features
- 60-Inch Class KURO High-Definition Flat Panel Television High-Definition 1080p Resolution (1920 x 1080p)
- 1080 Progressive Image Reproduction with ability to accept 480i/480p/720p/1080i/1080p signals
- New Deeper Blacks for Unmatched Contrast (5x Previous Generation)
- Fully Integrated Digital Amplifier and Detachable Bottom Speaker
- New Thinner Cosmetic Design
- New Home Media Gallery Home Network Connectivity ¿ Improved filter for enhanced contrast in bright environments
Pioneer PDP-6020FD 60-Inch Class KURO Plasma HDTV
Product Description
Brace yourself for a home entertainment experience that will change the way you look at TV forever. Built with uncompromising attention to detail, in extraordinary and beautiful new ways, the Pioneer KURO PDP-6020FD is a world unlike anything that has ever existed before. This is a world where everything you see and hear performs in ways previously unimagined. A new slimmer body profile paves the way to the future. But elegance and flawless design are only the beginning. With an all-new Optimum Mode, the KURO lets you enjoy entertainment as it was meant to be. No need to toggle through or change settings for each type of programming. Built in intelligence seamlessly monitors content and room light, and then automatically adjusts both audio and video settings for an immaculate picture and pristine sound. Together they become something remarkable and unlike any other experience. Sports come alive, news casts are crisp and clear and movies take on a life all their own. A universe of advanced picture-in-picture settings and game control preferences ensures your experience is unique and tailored to your specific tastes. Improved video processing for both standard and high-definition content surpasses our highest standards and provides you with the best viewing experience possible today. But there`s more to this world than meets the eye. It sounds different too - thanks to a fully integrated digital amplifier and detachable bottom speaker, improved audio and clarity have become the norm. Ultimately, it`s a world so intense, so rich, so real, you`ll discover feelings so deep - your senses will need to adapt in ways never before imagined.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
99 of 103 people found the following review helpful.Pioneer PDP-6020FD
By SV
The Kuro PDP-6020FD is an exceptional flat panel display. I continue to marvel at the realism when watching High Definition shows. I do not hesitate to recommend this device.At the end of my review I will include D-Nice's review from the AVS Forum. It will provide a technical evaluation for you to judge the 6020.The following is my Amazon purchasing experience... In a pre-purchase call to Amazon a representative confirmed that they are an authorized Pioneer dealer and that `White Glove Delivery' was included in the indicated purchase price.The 6020 was ordered on Sunday and delivered the following Friday. For whatever reason, the order was not coded as `White Glove Delivery'. I eventually prevailed and the delivery was delivered `White Glove'. Regardless of how handy you are, `White Glove delivery' is extremely important. This type of delivery service requires the delivery team to setup and turn on the TV. When a shipment is left at your door it can be defective and you do not discover this until well after the delivery team has left. If you receive a defective TV with `White Glove Delivery', one simply refuses delivery; the delivery team will repackage the device and return it to Amazon. Without `White Glove Delivery' one is stuck with a defective TV and must endure the process of repackaging, storing and returning it.When the team unpackaged my first set the screen was covered with spider cracks. The device was repackaged and back it went to Amazon. If there is an issue with the delivery, I encourage you to call the returns department at Amazon that handles Plasma TV's. There is a special telephone number. If you reach an overseas Amazon representative ask for the call to be transferred to this department. This department is located in the States. They are available 7 days a week but are not available round the clock. I ended up speaking with a tremendous representative who was a Supervisor. He made sure that a new order was processed, the `White Glove Delivery' was coded clearly on the order and Amazon provided a substantial discount on the order due to the difficulties that were encountered. I received the replacement TV five days later on the following Wednesday. The TV was delivered in perfect condition. The `White Glove Delivery' team setup the TV turned it on and removed the packaging. I also received two other price reductions when Amazon dropped the price of the set in the following two weeks. (Please note that the price reduction policy is no longer offered by Amazon as of September 1st, 2008. Amazon policies are subject to change. Contact Amazon prior to purchase to review the details of the potential purchase and any expectations you may have.)The issues I had could have happened from any vendor. The difference is that Amazon had a system in place which corrected that matter in an efficient manner with a minimum of inconvenience to me. Amazon also had the best price and delivery options.The picture quality is stunning. I highly recommend the 6020 and Amazon as a reputable dealer.I have included D Nice's technical review from the AVS forum to provide the in depth details of the performance of this TV.Pioneer PDP 6020FD ReviewReviewed by D NiceOverviewKuro (Kuro), the Japanese word for black, defines the core of Pioneer's Project KURO. Prior to last year, consumers were not privy to have a digital flat panel display that consistently reproduced the absence of color (black). In June 2007, Pioneer released into the wild a PDP display series that was capable of an unheard minimum luminance level, 0.004fL. This new pinnacle in black level not only provided rich, succulent blacks that true videophiles have been yearning ever since the demise of CRT, it also was baseline for depth defying colors that to this day leaves me awestruck. By the end of 2007, the KURO series was herald as the "best display ever". Everyone thought that it would be years before another display hit the market capable of outshining the 2007 KURO series. No one knew that we would only have to wait 6 months........enter the PDP 6020FD.Panel DesignThe PDP 6020FD continues Pioneer's minimalistic, yet elegant figure with its 57 11/16" x 34 1/2" piano black acrylic bezel. Fit and finish is top notch although the overall build quality is less than last year's PDP 6010FD. Pioneer also managed to trim panel bulk by 20% leaving us with a slim, 3.7" depth display.FeaturesThe PDP 6020FD is equipped with 4 HDMI 1.3a ports (three on the back, one on the left input/control panel), 1 component, 1 S Video, 3 composite, and 1 VGA input. Although this sounds like a plethora of input options, it's actually less that what its predecessor offered. However, Pioneer now allows owners to label each input (a big plus). Also new this year on the non Elite KUROs is a network interface port that allows owners to connect and stream video (limited file types), music, and pictures from their home PC/laptop. Setup and use was a breeze on my network. However, computer challenged owners may have issues using this feature....especially if they have a home network firewall.Pioneer has also included a new remote with the PDP 6020FD. Compared to last year's remote, the new remote sports a black covering and the layout is more user friendly with the channel and volume controls reversed from last year's layout (finally).Everything about the PDP 6020 reflects the theme "KURO".....including the new menu GUI. Gone is the "Windows XP" like menu colors that I have been accustomed to surfing on the previous Pioneer generations. They have been replaced with a more "Windows Vista" like "KURO" GUI.Thumbing through the new menu, one will find 7 Preset A/V picture modes and immediately notice a reduction of user controls. Unfortunately Pioneer has decided to strip the end user of the capability to change the color temperature, gamma, black/contrast enhancement features, and noise reduction.Instead they chose to hardcode these features in what they call "the most effective combination".Personally, I think this was a mistake on Pioneer's part. You NEVER, EVER, take away features that you offered in the previous generation. Pioneer is also rumored to has gone two steps further by deleting the RGB controls out of the Service Menu (not confirmed as of yet) and changing the sequence to access the Service Menu (confirmed). These "castrations" do not bold well for those who chose not to shell out more money for the Elite KUROs to "tweak" their panels more to their personal tastes and/or HD standards. Shame on you Pioneer.I'm sure at this point the question that is on everyone's mind is "What does the removal of these items have on actual PQ?" Well let's find out..........Picture Mode OverviewOptimum ModeOut of the box, the PDP 6020FD is set to Optimum mode. Optimum mode is designed to constantly modify the contrast, brightness, color, tint, etc controls based on the room environment. This year, Pioneer added sound control to Optimum mode's "automatic" adjustments. PQ in this mode was good, but I could see edge enhancement on many scenes and test patterns. Although I could not get a completely accurate grayscale reading within this mode due to the constant adjustments, it averaged around 7400K. This will please most viewers during daytime and/or sports viewing as a "bluer" white is more pleasing and can add more "punch" to the picture. However, I do not recommend this mode for critical movie and/or night viewing. This mode is universal, regardless of input selection.Performance ModeNow, one would think that Performance mode would be the mode that makes the Pioneer 6020FD shine. Well, this is not the case and it's one of the worst A/V modes available on the6020FD.Beyond its S shaped gamma curve (hump between 60 and 80% stimuli), this mode produced an 8600K average grayscale and crushed everything in the 0 10% stimuli range with the brightness control set to 0. This mode provides improved shadow detail with a brightness setting of +4, but it still is lacking somewhat. If a 6020 owner previously owed a LCD display, this mode would probably please him as it provides an extremely punchy picture with "crisp" (aka edge enhanced) highlights to boot. Critical viewers should stay away from this mode. This mode is universal, regardless of input selection.Dynamic ModeBy all means, STAY AWAY from this mode!!!!!!! This mode is universal, regardless of input selection.Movie ModeThis is the de facto mode on the PDP 6020FD. It sports an average grayscale of 6350 (6347 to be exact) and a 2.27 gamma. This A/V mode produces the most accurate picture I have ever seen on a non Elite Pioneer.......ever!!! All review material and PDP panel shoot out results were done using this mode. This mode is universal, regardless of input selection.Sports ModeThis is an absolutely horrible A/V mode. Grayscale is well over 10K with non defeatable edge enhancement and an S shaped gamma curve to boot. This mode is universal, regardless of input selection.Game ModeThis mode would have been a great mode if it did not have an 8K grayscale. Gamma is ok at2.17 and it only has minor edge enhancement. This mode is universal, regardless of input selection.Standard ModeThis is the only mode in which each individual A/V input can house discrete settings.Unfortunately, this is the absolute worst A/V mode available on the 6020FD. It is similar to Performance mode, but crushed blacks far more. This is the first A/V mode I have ever encountered on any display that actually makes a 10% stimuli full field pattern look like a 0% stimuli pattern.MeasurementsContrast RatioAgain, all of the measurements were taken in Movie mode (after the 150 hour break in procedure), adjusted for the most accurate picture, and the Power Save mode was set to Off. On a 0% stimuli pattern, the 6020FD can get really dark. In fact, the pixels literally turn off after 30 seconds on this pattern. Technically speaking, this means the 6020FD is capable of an infinite On/Off contrast ratio. However, this 0fL idle luminance is not achievable beyond a 0% stimulus pattern and I will refrain from using the 0fL reading in my official numbers. Using a window pattern, I measured a peak contrast ratio of 38,900:1 (38.9fL peak white with an astonishing, pre 30 seconds 0% stimuli pattern, minimum luminance level of 0.001fL....the lowest my AEMC813 can go). Full screen white contrast ratio measured 21,300:1 (21.3fL peak white, 0.001fL video black). ANSI came in at 14,600:1.GrayscaleGrayscale averaged 6347 from 10 100% stimuli. Although this grayscale isn't true D65, I found it very pleasing to the eye and was hard pressed to see the slightly "redder" tone on regular content. Any RGB Service Menu tweaks on this PDP will yield an incremental improvement at best.IRE Measurement10 613820 634030 635640 638950 637060 642070 634780 637190 6362100 6385Color PointsJust like its predecessor, the PDP 6020FD's user menu does not house any controls that can be used to properly calibrate the colors. On top of that, Pioneer has again chosen to hardcode the6020FD with a wider color gamut (Colorspace 1) which exceeds the reference HD Rec. 709 Colorspace. The actual color points are remarkably similar to the 6010FD, with oversaturated green and red primaries, greener yellow, and a redder magenta:Viewing AngleThere was no visible drop off in contrast and color from extreme horizontal angles of 75° off axis. However, there is a slight brightness drop off from vertical angles above 60°. I must note that I had to be standing 2 feet in front of the panel to see this drop off.Other MeasurementsDead pixels noneScreen uniformity PerfectHDMI Overscan 0% with Dot by Dot and 2% with FullBlacker than black PassedBlack level ExcellentBlack level retention noneVideo deinterlacing ExcellentFilm deinterlacing Passed 3:2/ 2:2 cadence in all resolutionsViewing angle Excellent (> 150°)Motion resolution 950Digital noise reduction Very good (HD content)Sharpness Defeatable edge enhancement (Movie mode only)Image retention Very minor before 150 hour break in. Zero after.Posterization Minor with HD cable1080p/24 capability Yes. No telecine judderPerformance"My God! It's full of stars" would be the slogan I'd use to summarize the 6020FDs performance.Flanked to the left of a TH50PZ800u and below my Elite 1150HD, the 6020FD presented a picture that neither could fully replicate. Throughout the entire comparison, the following words stayed in my mind: smoooooth, clear, sophisticated, intoxicating.Dark Room HD DVD and BD PerformanceThe 6020FD's 0.001fL black level created an eerie void adjacent to the other PDPs. I've never seen this much depth and shadow detail on a digital display. Watching Blackout destroy SoccentAirbase on the HD DVD presentation of Transformers, the black level difference between the6020FD and the 50PZ800u was not subtle, it was dramatic. Black levels on the 6020FD made thePZ800u's blacks (measured @ 0.008fL) look like a dark shade of gray. The top and bottom bars literally disappeared into the 6020FD's screen. In comparison, I could always make out the bars on the 50PZ800u, but their luminance was subtle and much improved over previous Panasonic generations. Colors during the movie just looked better on the 6020FD. Although the 50PZ800u was fully calibrated to D65 and had better primary color plots, the 6020FD had a certain quality the Panasonic just didn't quite have: a creamy smoothness to the image. And this feeling remained seared into my sub conscious; even though the numbers say otherwise. Getting within 1.5 feet of the 6020 and 50PZ800u, I could see an ever so slight level of noise on the 50PZ800u screen. Engaging the Video NR filter on the Panasonic removed the noise, but killed some of the high frequency detail. The 6020s picture was void of any and all noise. Kudos goes to Pioneer for their hardcoded NR filters being setup just right for HD content.Switching to 2001 on BD, the 6020FD continued to create exceptionally dynamic images with life like clarity, super sharp, and super smooth frames. The white ships on the star filled space backdrop had much more pop compared to both the 1150HD and 50PZ800u. Black bars again disappeared into the background of the 6020FDs panel, unlike the very, very slight luminance on the 1150HD (measured @ 0.004fL). Compared to the 1150HD, the 6020 can go brighter when the scene calls for it. For instance, the space station lobby scene with the red chairs looked noticeably brighter on the 6020 compared to the 1150HD. For reference, both were calibrated to roughly 39fL peak light output.Watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, the 6020 once again spanked the 1150HD in overall brightness level. Watching the Black Pearl float in the white sands of Davy Jones'sLocker, the sand was actually too bright on the 6020FD for my tastes. I actually had to engagePower Save Mode 1 to keep the brightness at bay.Dark Room SD DVD PerformanceFeeding all three panels a 480i presentation of Sin City, the 6020FD finally showed some weakness. Although black levels and dynamic range were far superior on the 6020FD, my1150HD produced a sharper image. Goldie's facial details were much more pronounced on my1150. Continuing on with Finding Nemo, Aliens, Star Wars Episode III, and Lord of the RingsReturn of the King produced the same "softer" results. The 50PZ800u with the same material was either on par or slightly worse compared to the 6020FD. I'm not sure if the lack of sharpness is due to Pioneer coding different NR levels on 480i/p signals or 768p vs 1080p native screen resolution. This is something I'll have to revisit once I test a 9G Pioneer Elite.HD Cable PerformanceThe 6020FD presented 1080i/720p in the same fashion as HD DVD and BD presentations except that it showed me every single thing that was wrong with the compressed HD signals that broadcasters are shoving down our throats. Although the 6020FD was capable of showing the tiniest bits of details in static 1080i images, moving scenes were riddled with macroblocking and other picture artifacts. Dot by dot mode reduced some of these artifacts. However, it failed to give me the same pristine picture my 1150HD was simultaneously showing. The 50PZ800u weathered the same issues as the 6020FD. I guess 1300 compressed lines of resolution from aSA8300HD cable box doesn't bold well on 1080p displays.SD Cable PerformanceSD cable viewing on the 6020FD was just as disappointing as SD DVD performance. Once again the 6020 presented a softer, less tasteful picture compared to my 1150HD. Watching SD channels with either Wide or Cinema stretch modes was at times annoying due to the soft picture and took time to get use to. Artifacts could easily be seen, regardless of channel. I know many will say that SD cable will always look "poor at best" on a 1080p display. However, I think the people deserve a little better than what the 602FD can muster.Daytime PerformanceThe 6020FD really shines in low lighting environments. However, its daytime performance isn't anything to balk at. Pioneer's AR coating kept reflections at bay and on par with my 1150HD.The Panasonic 50PZ800u didn't bold as well. Black levels remained inky, but I know that aSamsung LCD would have provided "bezel blacks" due to its AR coating design. Never less, I would not call the blacks on the 6020FD during the daytime (with lots of ambient light, I might add) "grey", "blue", or any other color besides black. The 6020FD's improved brightness was most valuable during daytime viewing keeping the whites of snow peaked mountains and the ice rinks on hockey games bright and glistening.AnomaliesThere were a number of "bugs" reported with last year's KURO series. Pioneer did address most of these issues, but did not fix all of them (even after I was told that they were corrected): Blotching Still present. Only visible on a completely black screen.Pure Cinema ADV Screen Dimming FixedPure Cinema ADV Screen Flicker FixedBuzzing Power supply buzz has been corrected. Panel buzz is negligible.ConclusionThe 6020FDs introduction poised many challenges for Pioneer. Could Pioneer improve on a series that has won more awards than I have fingers to count? Could Pioneer drop the minimum luminance level of a PDP that to date, no other manufacturer has yet equaled or surpassed? Could Pioneer create a PDP that expresses a voluptuous color pallet that is second to none? Is it possible? Overall, I would have to say yes. The 6020FD will quench any potential owner's thirst for unparalleled picture quality like no other display I've encountered. Mouthwatering colors, mystifying black levels coupled with mind boggling contrast dynamics. Unfortunately, the 6020FD is not without flaws: soft SD PQ performance, paltry number of user picture controls....especially on a $5,500 TV, A/V picture mode performance (minus Movie and Optimum mode) that you would expect on a Vizio, Olevia, or other cheap
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful.Very Much Good!
By J. B. Adams
Wow!There is a noticeable picture improvement over 6010 (last year's model). Even analog channels look great (considering).Pros:LighterThinner4th HDMI input on the sideOptical out (audio) works with HDMI inputsOptimum mode (adjusts to room light)Game Mode (supposedly better burn-in avoidance, faster updates)Cinema Mode (24 fps)Ethernet Port for Media Display via PC networkCons:4th HDMI input moved to the side. Only three on the backCable Card Slot goneRemote is passable, but not able to be a useful Universal RemoteSmall text on the remoteMedia Display options not accessible from Apple MacsDeleting analog and digital channels found via the autosearch is painful because the channel doesn't change to the selected channel as you move down the listHDMI control is problematic (one HDMI devices controls another - just use a universal remote instead)Can't change settings for an input unless you are currently on that inputA big item for me is that I'd like all my input to go to the TV first and only send audio to the AV Receiver if I choose to use its 5.1/7.1 sound. Otherwise I like to use the TV's speaker. The issue is I don't want to wake everyone up with the loud sounds if I want to watch something and the family is sleeping. The 6020FD makes this a little easier as the optical output produces audio for everything except "protected" content (whatever that means). I haven't found any on my Blue Ray disks (via PS3). However I wish there were more HDMI ports on the back so I could hook all my (current and future) devices up directly.Hopefully with the Ethernet port there will be a firmware update so I can access the display from my Apple Macs and maybe the new Amazon media store.Pioneer has built a nice tuner. However the TV guide is now gone. Unfortunately the tuner is kind of a waste given that there is no point in buying this set unless you'll have HD content from your cable or satellite provider.So far, I'm very happy.Now I just have to find a universal remote to control the 6020, Comcast STB/DVR, Mitsubishi DVD player and PS3 (and next an Apple TV).P.S. The Onkyo SR606 AV Receiver works great with this set.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful.Took two tries, but very happy
By R. Peters
I ordered the PDP-6020FD from Amazon, even though the 6th Ave. price was a few bucks cheaper because I'd read about delivery problems with them. At $4049 with free white glove delivery, it was a great price. The unit shipped instantly and arrived two days early. The two guys who dropped it off were very nice, but they skipped the part about unpacking and checking out the unit. My wife, who was there to accept, was not aware that they owed us that. So that night we unpacked it to find the glass screen badly cracked. Called Amazon right away and they were very responsive and apologetic. They credited me the $103 white glove delivery cost, even though it was free to start with, then they shipped a replacement. It arrived within a week and was in perfect condition, just in time for the Olympics.The unit itself is gorgeous, as many others have said. The Olympic opening extravaganza in 1080p on that giant screen was jaw-dropping. I have it hooked up through a new Pioneer VSX-1018 receiver that upconverts my Cox Cable box's 1080i signal. So far no issues. Ditto with the Playstation 3 that's also connected through the 1018. I'm not a big gamer, but MetalGear Solid 4 looks amazing on this TV.A big thumbs up for the PDP-6020, and kudos to Amazon for taking good care of me on the delivery.
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