Demo experience - Panasonic V20/ST30/X30 Samsung D490/D550

[BLASTO]

Hi guys..

Finally, had the demo of the above TVs together in the same shop for 2 hours.. Cannot succeed in asking the salesman to lower the lights as it was flooding with diwali crowd..

Observations below. All TVs with every setting set to 0 (50 for samsung)

Panasonic ST30.

Seeing the infinite black pro in action in bright light conditions for the first time. Literally floored by the black levels it can produce in the bright light.

- Very minimal screen reflection
- A very dark panel
- Colour reproduction a bit over-saturated in normal mode.. Looks LCD-ish in certain scenes
- Fine detail reproduction is above average but not excellent. Football crowd/other fine details did not seem as clear as in say V20
- Everything else is on par with the V20.


V20

Was in the same position as I saw and loved it last year.. But less black with ST30 right next to it. (Thanks to inferior filter)

- Very minimal to no screen reflection (reflection handling is better than ST30)
- NOT as black as ST30 in bright light. Not washed out either.
- More natural colours and better details compared to ST30.
- An year old, yet looks gorgeous.

If only it had the Infinite black pro, it would have been the sexiest TV around.


X30

- Reflection very very high. Incomparable to the other 2. Worse than samsungs.
- Black level average in the bright light.
- Colour reproduction not not as accurate as the V/ST or as vivid as the samsung.
- Good contrast compared to the samsungs.


Samsung D490

- Vivid colours - a tad unnatural but in a very likeable way.
- High reflections. Better than X30 though.
- Looks much dim compared to any panasonics. Washedout in showroom. (I own a B450, its predecessor and it looks nothing like it @home)
- Detail levels comparable to X30.


Samsung D550.

- Surprisingly similar to D490
- Only difference being a bit more controlled reflections.
- Details almost same as D490 from normal viewing distance!! The sales person says the input is 1080p but it looked almost same in D490 and D550. Either the D490 is very capable or D550 lacks details, Iam not sure. The Panasonics were a tad bit away and playing different video. Cannot compare 1:1.


LCDs.
Samsung C6000

- The 46" costs ~90000.
- Excellent black levels at bright room conditions. Definetely a big step up from 2009 LCDs (when I got my first TV) and a big step down in terms of pricing. TVs half as good were sold for double the money then!! If the plasmas undergone an evolution in this period, the LEDs seem to have undergone a revolution.
- Details excellent.
- A bit unnaturally sharp and overly vivid colours. I think this can be adjudted.
- No flaws atall in bright room condition. If it is as good in dark, we have a highly capable TV for the price here.


Sony Ex720

- Black levels not as good as the D6000. But is still great.
- More natural colours and sharpness
- Excellent details
- Same price as the D6000. I would pick the D6000 over this for the black levels.

Hope it helps someone in deciding.


P.S: My samsung B450 plasma looks multiple times better than what I saw with D490 in the showroom because of all the lights.
It is surprising to note that panasonic has taken so much effort in making TVs look good in the showroom. I really wonder how TVs with Infinite black pro looks in the home environment..
Samsung has excelled in the image processing this year. Blacks are also very very good in the bright room conditions. The 46" samsungs though looked more like 42" as they are almost rimless now.

 

[adder]

Regarding the difference in blacks of lcd with similar panel like the EX720 and D6000.

The EX720 has a semi matte screen so it diffuses the light,where as the D6000 has ultrasharp panel samsung term for glossy finish this one reflects more peak light,but it doesn't diffuse the light,so the area of screen which has no reflection has far better perceived blacks under ambient light.It will win the black level contest with the tvs switched off.
However the reflected part is much brighter then the matte screen tvs.

samsung has been i believe one the front runners in glossy screen designs with effective anti glare solution,we now see glossy type panels in sony flagship series like the NX720 and HX series .
Earlier sony flagship models were all matte screen.

difference of glossy screen and matte screen in panasonic lcd.

You can see that the matte screen does a good job at reflections but the glossy ones still hold the edge in black levels under ambient light.
The one used in samsung and sony high end are much better glossy screens in reflection and preserving black level.

Note:The above points of matte vs glossy only applies to lcd,

The 2011 panasonic plasma do have improved ability to handle reflection but at the cost of slight loss in vertical viewing angle.
But low/mid end plasma really do wash out quite a lot.

 

[Pavancool]

thanks for the info...............need some help guys.............comparing the x30 to the d450/490(only 2D content) which one has better black levels...........which one would be a better choice considering Panasonic is giving a 3 year warranty???Would the Panasonic be a better choice considering the warranty although i wouldn't like to compromise on the image quality aspect.....specially while watching blue ray movies.

 

[BLASTO]

My order of preference this year.

40-50k Samsung 42D490.
50-60k Panasonic 42GT20 (Much more value @55k than D490 with FHD/Infinite black)
60-70k Panasonic 50V20 without a doubt. If 3D is necessary, ideally you should move to the next bracket, if you are pressed on funds, only then get the 51D550.
70-80k Panasonic VT20. Checkout comparison of V20 and ST30 above. VT20 can be considered as V20 with the ST30's infinite black pro filter. This TV will have all the pluses of both V20 and ST30. Additionally it is 3D and comes with 2 pairs of glasses. Well worth the money above the V20.

When you get the VT20 for 80k, you will have no need to get the ST30 for anything more than that. Further Iam, not sure if it comes with 2 glasses. Even at the same price of 80k, I will pick the VT20 anyday.

Will confirm after viewing the VT20 in bright condition after receiving my TV today or tomorrow.

 

[stereorules]

Didnt you hv the chance to see the U20 or U30 ?
BTW, I assume that you hv purchased the 50VT20 ?

 

[BLASTO]

Didnt you hv the chance to see the U20 or U30 ?
BTW, I assume that you hv purchased the 50VT20 ?

I earlier demoed the 46U20 but have never seen the U30.
It is same as the X30 with full HD and better reflection handling. Since GT20 is in the same price range, It is better anyday.

Yes I have purchased the 50VT20. Not delivered yet.

 

[stereorules]

I earlier demoed the 46U20 but have never seen the U30.
It is same as the X30 with full HD and better reflection handling. Since GT20 is in the same price range, It is better anyday.(

the 42gt20 is the same price as 42U30d ?

 

[BLASTO]

the 42gt20 is the same price as 42U30d ?

People are buying it for 55k with 2 free 3D glasses in bangalore. It is a 2010 model. How much was 42U30 quoted?
BTW, since you are from hyderabad, as I mentioned elsewhere hypercity was selling 46 (not 42) U20 for 48k with free bluray player. Check it out before finalizing.

 

[Kittu]

Given the choice I would pickup GT or V series any day over U.

 

[stereorules]

People are buying it for 55k with 2 free 3D glasses in bangalore. It is a 2010 model. How much was 42U30 quoted?
BTW, since you are from hyderabad, as I mentioned elsewhere hypercity was selling 46 (not 42) U20 for 48k with free bluray player. Check it out before finalizing.

The last time I checked, ( around a month back when some offers were there ) the 42u30d was quoted at 47 or 48K ...that was a panasonic offer ...had been to tmc ..they were not reducing the price ..they were giving only the emi ...I told I was willing to pay full cash upfront but still they were not reducing ..

 

[god2007]

People are buying it for 55k with 2 free 3D glasses in bangalore. It is a 2010 model.

where ?

How much was 42U30 quoted? .

around 42 K in Kochi

 

[andre19]

i guess the stock of 42v20 has been exhausted in Mumbai and Hyderabad!! Am i right??
as far as Goa goes!half the dealers dont even know if the 42v20 ever existed!!!!

i read a post by khoj,where 42v20 were available!:clapping:

 

[BLASTO]

where ?

http://www.hifivision.com/television/20943-panasonic-plasma-42-inch-gt20-vs-st30-5.html#post292529

 

[illusion_heart]

I earlier demoed the 46U20 but have never seen the U30.
It is same as the X30 with full HD and better reflection handling. Since GT20 is in the same price range, It is better anyday.

Yes I have purchased the 50VT20. Not delivered yet.

Blasto....can you check with you dealer if hes willing to deliver 2 pieces to mumbai...am sure the company godown here would have some stocks

 

[BLASTO]

Blasto....can you check with you dealer if hes willing to deliver 2 pieces to mumbai...am sure the company godown here would have some stocks

10 pieces available still.. When khoj asked my dealer (croma jubilee hills), he said that there is no shipping option..

BTW, one more info..
The first best price of 80k was given by J.D electronics in hyderabad..
Having heard this, I talked with Vaibhav of chennai J.D electronics (madbullram's friend who supplied C6500 @65k last year) to get it lower if possible..
He said that he is not bulk purchasing panasonic as he is concentrating on samsung..
His best price was 85k with shipping through bludart throughout india. He said he has shipped more than 100 TVs and there is not a single incident.. I know he has shipped 30+ TVs to our members itself..
Did not proceed as I got better rates locally.. This can be helpful to people who had no local stocks..
There is definitely stocks in hyderabad though and JD electronics here.. Dont know about his shipping policy though.. The hyderabad dealer is not as helpful or soft in phone as vaibhav though.

Edit: Contact details of vaibhav below.
http://www.hifivision.com/hot-deals...0-rs-33000-hifivision-members.html#post288222

 

[emailnagpal]

@ BLASTO

Kindly share your views on the "3D part" of both VT20 and ST30...

Isn't ST30 better as it is 2011 3D model and technologically more improved one ???

Also, Does VT20 has 2D to 3D Conversion ?

 

[BLASTO]

@ BLASTO

Kindly share your views on the 3D part of both VT20 and ST30...

Isn't ST30 better as it is 2011 3D model and technologically more improved one ???

Iam not a 3D person. I get nausia when viewing 3D.. There are other people who can better help you here..

Yes ST30 model is more technologically inproved for 3D theoretically with fast phospors.. I cannot confirm through demo though..

All my inference is for 2D only.

 

[emailnagpal]

If considering only 2D content, does faster phosphor give any advantage to ST30 ?

Also, Are he looks identical ? I mean the thickness and bezel etc?

 

[pannags]

If considering only 2D content, does faster phosphor give any advantage to ST30 ?

Also, Are he looks identical ? I mean the thickness and bezel etc?

IMHO, yes. 3D capable TVs are generally known to handle 2D content at least as well as 2D only models. This is basically due to the ability to handle motion better.

ST30 is visibly thinner than VT20, though the VT20 bezel appears neat.

 

[aakashr]

Given the choice I would pickup GT or V series any day over U.

Also, U series do not come with the panasonic neo pdp panels giving you the inky black levels. the same panel can only be found in the V, S, G series.