ST50 Owners' Thread - First impressions, Reviews, Tweaks, etc.

[anandmatthew]

Guys,

Just4kix and others who have been using the ST50 for some time now. Is there any buzzing sound from the TV. Apparently the GT50 suffers from this...but depends on each piece I think. Would you recommend the 50ST50 based on your experience thus far? I am caught between the GT and the ST. Thanks.

 

[ninja78]

What will be the approx price for ST30 in 42 inch . Is it as grt as ST50 whats better in ST50 than ST30 except the 2011 and 2012 lineup of Panasonic..

I got a quote of around 66K in Pune for 42 ST30.

 

[miniwarmth]

Just4kix and others who have been using the ST50 for some time now. Is there any buzzing sound from the TV. Apparently the GT50 suffers from this...but depends on each piece I think.

I don't notice any buzzing with my 42ST50. 1 month old with about 250 hrs on the set.

Would you recommend the 50ST50 based on your experience thus far? I am caught between the GT and the ST. Thanks.

The ST50 lineup is considered one of the best value TV's on the market by almost all the experts. A quick perusal of AVS Forum experts makes it pretty clear that, while the GT50 has a few add'l features, a properly calibrated ST50 can achieve the same PQ for significantly less.

That said, most of us cannot or do not properly calibrate our sets so perhaps that 15k premium is worth it to some

 

[just4kix]

Guys,

Just4kix and others who have been using the ST50 for some time now. Is there any buzzing sound from the TV. Apparently the GT50 suffers from this...but depends on each piece I think. Would you recommend the 50ST50 based on your experience thus far? I am caught between the GT and the ST. Thanks.

+1 to miniwarmth. No buzzing or whistling noise at all. I shall definitely give a heartiest :thumbup: to ST50. GT50 is definitely better on paper but how much practically, I cannot say. To me, it did not seem to worth the additional expense. I can buy almost 20 BD's in the amount saved. You be your own judge.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[just4kix]

I got a quote of around 66K in Pune for 42 ST30.

This is what I said to Blasto on another thread.

The ST30 is nearly equivalent to ST50. The later has slightly better contrast, 2500 hz focused field drive and better shades of grey. This may not mean much to a non-videophile guy and certainly meaningless for dth, even if hd. But the ST30 has previous generation active 3D glasses that are IR based, with limited sync window, heavier and very expensive. Also it does not have built-in wifi or web browser (ignorable in my opinion). The same TV was retailing 20k more last year (and same may happen to ST50 next year, but that's life ). So it is a great bargain.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[kingfisher]

I got a quote of around 66K in Pune for 42 ST30.

How many 3D glasses are they giving? If it is 2 then it is good price.
I got my 42ST30 with One 3D glass for 55K. 3D glass alone costs around 6.5K

 

[ankan]

I don't notice any buzzing with my 42ST50. 1 month old with about 250 hrs on the set.



The ST50 lineup is considered one of the best value TV's on the market by almost all the experts. A quick perusal of AVS Forum experts makes it pretty clear that, while the GT50 has a few add'l features, a properly calibrated ST50 can achieve the same PQ for significantly less.

That said, most of us cannot or do not properly calibrate our sets so perhaps that 15k premium is worth it to some

Would agree to what miniwarmth wrote about the ST50 and GT50 above. The perception currently is that the ST50 can be professionally calibrated to match/come very close to GT50 quality.

Also, I have no buzzing/whistling noise on my 42ST50.

 

[just4kix]

GT50 is THX certified. Now this will mean something to BD watchers but doesn't make an iota of a difference to normal DTH watchers or downloaders. Further the GT50 is more stylish and has even a thinner panel depth and bezel. Looks wise, GT50 is much classier than ST50. ST50 is very plain jane in that respect.

Other differences are an extra HDMI port, an extra USB port and face recognizing 3D. For all the above, there is almost 18K extra to pay.

These extra and appealing features were tempting me before sanity prevailed.

 

[VMJ]

Sorry was busy with work, hence couldn't visit the forum. They have quoted me 1.01L (50ST50) with HT. I guess I need to bargain as I saw swageo mentioned 97K for 50ST50 + HT. I will be going this weekend and finalizing it.

 

[anandmatthew]

GT50 is THX certified. Now this will mean something to BD watchers but doesn't make an iota of a difference to normal DTH watchers or downloaders. Further the GT50 is more stylish and has even a thinner panel depth and bezel. Looks wise, GT50 is much classier than ST50. ST50 is very plain jane in that respect.

Other differences are an extra HDMI port, an extra USB port and face recognizing 3D. For all the above, there is almost 18K extra to pay.

These extra and appealing features were tempting me before sanity prevailed.

The above are the main reasons why I wanted to opt for the GT50. Also to add my personal preference for the black bezel. I have not bought a flat panel yet, so I guess I would be justified in getting the more expensive GT50 as my first buy!! Anyway thanks guys for all your help in finalizing my decision. I further hope to get a discount on the 50 incher wo the HT offer to about 1.2/3 k or thereabouts. Lets see how it goes. A.

 

[just4kix]

Sorry was busy with work, hence couldn't visit the forum. They have quoted me 1.01L (50ST50) with HT. I guess I need to bargain as I saw swageo mentioned 97K for 50ST50 + HT. I will be going this weekend and finalizing it.

Good price you are getting. Note that prices are not same in every city because of taxes.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[gramaphone]

I have narrowed my preference to st 50 or GT 50. Thanks for helping me to sum down to these models. Now i want to check both tvs next to each other. unfortunately i don't find these on display here in Chennai. Do any one know a showroom in Chennai these are on display?

 

[rajatk]

The above are the main reasons why I wanted to opt for the GT50. Also to add my personal preference for the black bezel. I have not bought a flat panel yet, so I guess I would be justified in getting the more expensive GT50 as my first buy!! Anyway thanks guys for all your help in finalizing my decision. I further hope to get a discount on the 50 incher wo the HT offer to about 1.2/3 k or thereabouts. Lets see how it goes. A.

Good decision & Great choice - hope you get a good price too.

 

[just4kix]

Someone (I think it was ArunPrasad) asked me about light bleeding in plasma on another thread.

For the matter, light bleeding is a phenomenon in LCD TVs edgelit with LEDs only. Those who do not understand this term should read about it. To explain in picture, here is a sample I picked from the web images:

Light bleeding does not occur in Plasma (and CRT) because of the way technology is designed and built. Here are some pics of my ST50 in total near pitch black darkness.

I will assure you that these are in no way morphed or photoshopped.

Pic 1: TV on Standby - Not the red LED in the bottom left of center

Pic 2: TV is ON - No signal from STB

Pic 3: TV is ON - Changed the channel to Showcase

Pic 4: TV is ON - Unsubscribed channel message

Pictures were shot using Kodak ZX-650 P&S Camera. The TV bezel/frame is invisible because of the shooting condition but that is how it is. I realize that I should have shot a live feed shot also.

Please note: Light bleed is not something to be too concerned about in case when watching normal TV channels. Light bleed will be affect only in dim lit conditions.

 

[VMJ]

Hi,

Went to Rajesh trading co today. Showed wife both GT50 and ST50. Couldn't justify additional 20K just for looks. I finally booked 50ST50 for 1.01L, dealer didn't come down any further.
will be getting the delivery tomorrow. What is the care I need to take for first 200 hrs.

Will post my experience in coming days...

 

[just4kix]

Hi,

Went to Rajesh trading co today. Showed wife both GT50 and ST50. Couldn't justify additional 20K just for looks. I finally booked 50ST50 for 1.01L, dealer didn't come down any further.
will be getting the delivery tomorrow. What is the care I need to take for first 200 hrs.

Will post my experience in coming days...

Congrats. Did you get the free HT offer also? You got it for 4k less than me.

I didn't do anything special apart from reducing contrast and turned on pixel orbiter.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[Lakshminarasimhan]

I have narrowed my preference to st 50 or GT 50. Thanks for helping me to sum down to these models. Now i want to check both tvs next to each other. unfortunately i don't find these on display here in Chennai. Do any one know a showroom in Chennai these are on display?

Hi,

I was also in search of both Models in Chennai, even the panasonic brandshops do not have these models till now!

I was really frustrated. however if you would be interested in a group buy , other like Arun, mylgcookie we could negotiate the prices.. Please send me PM

 

[rajatk]

Hi,

Went to Rajesh trading co today. Showed wife both GT50 and ST50. Couldn't justify additional 20K just for looks. I finally booked 50ST50 for 1.01L, dealer didn't come down any further.
will be getting the delivery tomorrow. What is the care I need to take for first 200 hrs.

Will post my experience in coming days...

Congratulations !!

 

[VMJ]

Thanks..... Yes, will be getting the HT also. However, I might not use it.

 

[VMJ]

Had a question, how to find out TV running hours.