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

[Sandeepv]

Hmm. I did give the feedback that a printer (of all things!) won't cut it and they have to do better and one of the Panasonic brand shop guys said that a few other people had given the same feedback and they were planning to convince the company to do better. Let's see what they do.

Today's price: 42" ST50 at 82K and 50" ST50 at 1L. But same old printer and hungama.com coupon.

Checked with Reliance Digital yday , 95k for 50ST50

 

[thegr8anand]

Is the 65ST50 still not available?

 

[L33TWiZaRd]

Hi all

I've been hunting for a good deal for the ST50. The best price offered was 1.01Lakhs for the same at Jumbo and Panny Dealer in Gurgaon.

Took a really long demo of this panel at the Experience Center at IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon. The panel is brilliant to say the least. Also took a demo of their Full HD 2D projector. This is something that you have to checkout to believe. Projectors have really come leaps and bounds in terms of producing real crisp video with high brightness levels.

You guys should definitely get down there. The staff are really friendly and helpful. I had taken a whole arsenal of reference videos,games and music. (Yes they have an xbox 360 too). Spent a good three hours (time did literally fly ). I was amazed to find out that both the TVs played all video formats i threw at them, including 10bit 720p/1080p mkv files (i watch a lot of anime). Although the subtitle support is not great and it displayed ASA subtitles as plain text with no styling. Maybe i'm looking for too much? lol

Did a side-by-side comparison of ST50 and GT50. It was really hard to differentiate the two in terms of picture quality. The GT50 did look a lot better aesthetically speaking, with a slimmer bezel and chrome finish on the edge. It is also THX certified and 4 extra video modes namely, THX Cinema, THX Dynamic, Professional 1 and Professional 2. The THX Cinema looked the best.
There were no THX mode for sound.

The question for all of you here are:

1. Which one to go for? ST50 or GT50 (Both are within my budget)
The GT50 does come with additional HDMI and USB port and looks a little better(personal taste). But have you guys noticed any remarkable difference in terms of picture quality?

2. Panny or Samsung, ie: ST50 or E8000?
Both are 50" & 51". Active 3D and come with two glasses.
But the Sammy is considerably cheaper than the Panny. Around 20k less at around 80k. I'm not really bothered about the Diwali freebies that the two brands are offering.

My usage is currently 30% PC, 30% Movies & TV, 10% Live Sports on TataSky HD+ and 20% Gaming via xbox360. I do have a 23" monitor which i could use for PC usage.
For audio i will be using a Onkyo HTS3300.
Viewing distance would be about 6-9 Feet and the rooms is mildly lit in the Day time as it does not get lot of direct sunlight.

Look forward to your suggestions and open to looking at other brands/models within the 1Lakh range.

P.S: I'm aware of the Plasma vs. LED conundrum and the pros and cons of both display types. I'm a little hesitant with regards to burn in issues with the plasma.

 

[Dirac]

What a picture!!!!
I have started using my st50. Using "true cinema" mode.
Started off with "predator" blu-ray.It took less than a minute to come to terms with the different kind of image(was used to the bright samsung plasma).
Natural colors,terrific details,excellant skin tones.....
Top class motion,no blurs like my led, no halos around the heads....
:clapping:

I changed 4 tvs in 10 years.And at last I found my best!!!!

Switch to youtube.Was watching hd videos of Skyfall trailers etc. Awesome is lesser a word to surmise my experience. The videos were devoid of any noise at all.
At last I am free from the unnatural world of leds....
Plasma feels like heaven.......
50st50 is a jackpot for me....

Thanks.

 

[just4kix]

Hi all

I've been hunting for a good deal for the ST50. The best price offered was 1.01Lakhs for the same at Jumbo and Panny Dealer in Gurgaon.

Took a really long demo of this panel at the Experience Center at IFFCO Chowk in Gurgaon. The panel is brilliant to say the least. Also took a demo of their Full HD 2D projector. This is something that you have to checkout to believe. Projectors have really come leaps and bounds in terms of producing real crisp video with high brightness levels.

You guys should definitely get down there. The staff are really friendly and helpful. I had taken a whole arsenal of reference videos,games and music. (Yes they have an xbox 360 too). Spent a good three hours (time did literally fly ). I was amazed to find out that both the TVs played all video formats i threw at them, including 10bit 720p/1080p mkv files (i watch a lot of anime). Although the subtitle support is not great and it displayed ASA subtitles as plain text with no styling. Maybe i'm looking for too much? lol

Did a side-by-side comparison of ST50 and GT50. It was really hard to differentiate the two in terms of picture quality. The GT50 did look a lot better aesthetically speaking, with a slimmer bezel and chrome finish on the edge. It is also THX certified and 4 extra video modes namely, THX Cinema, THX Dynamic, Professional 1 and Professional 2. The THX Cinema looked the best.
There were no THX mode for sound.

The question for all of you here are:

1. Which one to go for? ST50 or GT50 (Both are within my budget)
The GT50 does come with additional HDMI and USB port and looks a little better(personal taste). But have you guys noticed any remarkable difference in terms of picture quality?

2. Panny or Samsung, ie: ST50 or E8000?
Both are 50" & 51". Active 3D and come with two glasses.
But the Sammy is considerably cheaper than the Panny. Around 20k less at around 80k. I'm not really bothered about the Diwali freebies that the two brands are offering.

My usage is currently 30% PC, 30% Movies & TV, 10% Live Sports on TataSky HD+ and 20% Gaming via xbox360. I do have a 23" monitor which i could use for PC usage.
For audio i will be using a Onkyo HTS3300.
Viewing distance would be about 6-9 Feet and the rooms is mildly lit in the Day time as it does not get lot of direct sunlight.

Look forward to your suggestions and open to looking at other brands/models within the 1Lakh range.

P.S: I'm aware of the Plasma vs. LED conundrum and the pros and cons of both display types. I'm a little hesitant with regards to burn in issues with the plasma.

I am wee bit worried about 30% PC usage. Plasma should be protected from static images. The static parts of PC such as bottom Windows bar, or from those from games (scorecards, controls, etc.) can cause Image retention.

If you have the budget, you SHOULD go for GT50. I always wanted it but thought that I should save 15K which would fetch me some 15 BD titles. The GT50 does have twice as many shades of gray that a true videophile may notice. I felt that ST50 gives me good enough PQ (as you must have known if you had the patience to read thru this long thread ).

 

[just4kix]

What a picture!!!!
I have started using my st50. Using "true cinema" mode.
Started off with "predator" blu-ray.It took less than a minute to come to terms with the different kind of image(was used to the bright samsung plasma).
Natural colors,terrific details,excellant skin tones.....
Top class motion,no blurs like my led, no halos around the heads....
:clapping:

I changed 4 tvs in 10 years.And at last I found my best!!!!

Switch to youtube.Was watching hd videos of Skyfall trailers etc. Awesome is lesser a word to surmise my experience. The videos were devoid of any noise at all.
At last I am free from the unnatural world of leds....
Plasma feels like heaven.......
50st50 is a jackpot for me....

Thanks.

Only when the ST50 is installed at home and you unleash true 1080p movies that one realizes what a masterpiece it is and that too at a much more reasonable price.

 

[L33TWiZaRd]

I am wee bit worried about 30% PC usage. Plasma should be protected from static images. The static parts of PC such as bottom Windows bar, or from those from games (scorecards, controls, etc.) can cause Image retention.

If you have the budget, you SHOULD go for GT50. I always wanted it but thought that I should save 15K which would fetch me some 15 BD titles. The GT50 does have twice as many shades of gray that a true videophile may notice. I felt that ST50 gives me good enough PQ (as you must have known if you had the patience to read thru this long thread ).

So if i completely cut off pc usage from the plasma and use my monitor for the same, will it do?

Also, what about watching tv with stupid logos? Don't these result in burn in. I've read more than few members complaining about the same in this thread.

Yes, i've been though this entire thread but felt i should ask these questions again for my own mental satisfaction

I'm still as confused as before....Will try and see if can get a demo for the Sammy E8000 tomorrow.

The GT50 seems to be going out of budget to be very honest. And i really don't consider myself to be a videophile. I've always been 'the make do with you have' kind of a guy. Thus the budget home theater, budget pc, budget phone.....:sad:

 

[just4kix]

So if i completely cut off pc usage from the plasma and use my monitor for the same, will it do?

Also, what about watching tv with stupid logos? Don't these result in burn in. I've read more than few members complaining about the same in this thread.

Yes, i've been though this entire thread but felt i should ask these questions again for my own mental satisfaction

I'm still as confused as before....Will try and see if can get a demo for the Sammy E8000 tomorrow.

The GT50 seems to be going out of budget to be very honest. And i really don't consider myself to be a videophile. I've always been 'the make do with you have' kind of a guy. Thus the budget home theater, budget pc, budget phone.....:sad:

If you eliminate pc usage then plasma is good. Chanel logos are never a problem unless you watch the same channels days together. Turning on the pixel orbiter helps (I think our is ON by default, but verify all the same). And just in case you are too much worried, you can run the vertical scroll bar everyday for 30 minutes. Ask this care is required for the first few days only. Once the phosphors are properly aged, you will have to be extremely abusive to cause significant damage.

Properly calibrated, the ST50 can be as good as the GT50. So if you are not a videophile, then ST50 is good enough.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[L33TWiZaRd]

Cool. And thanks for the prompt reply.

So what was your burn in period like? I'm going through a really long thread on a different forum talking about how to burn in a plasma.

Have you by any chance had the opportunity to demo E8000 by Samsung?

 

[just4kix]

Cool. And thanks for the prompt reply.

So what was your burn in period like? I'm going through a really long thread on a different forum talking about how to burn in a plasma.

Have you by any chance had the opportunity to demo E8000 by Samsung?

The infant care period is 200 hours. Many websites claim that this is not required but better be safe than sorry. One can accelerate to complete the period by running white scroll bar or better still break-in slides everyday but let me tell you that I followed no such acute measures. Just reduced contrast and limited letter box mode usage.

I have not had the chance of looking at E8000. When I was looking for my purchase it was not available anywhere.

Sent from my GT-I9100G using Tapatalk 2

 

[hfvtush]

Hi,

I am planing to by 50" FT50 this diwali.

Most of viewing will be SD on dish tv, and I will upgrade to HD on dish or d2h videocon.
So 90/95 % will be DTH, and rest movies.

As I am reading through posts for plasma tv, what I understand is that for SD/HD dth viewing plasma tv (GT50 or ST50) is not good and one should go for LED tv (sony nx750)

Is my assessment valid? I have almost made my decision to buy 50 GT50.

Please advice me as per my usage

Please answer my query.

 

[just4kix]

Please answer my query.

If you are going to watch DTH mostly, then any flat-panel will do. I have written some comments here in this thread. These apply more or less universally:

LED pros and cons:

Pros:

• Bright colours/panel suitable for brightly lit rooms where light cannot be dimmed
• Relatively much safer with respect to Image Retention or Burn-in
• Ideally suited for daily TV, soaps, etc. And the real high-end ones produce good black and suitable for movies also.
• Low power consumption - typically 80~130W

Cons:

• Less blacks that are important for movies (except top end ones such as HX850)
• Prone to light bleeding resulting in washed out pictures (the general range)
• Expensive vis-a-vis the plasma models

Plasma pros and cons:

Pros:

• Extra high black levels - ideally suited for movies
• Better contrast and natural colour reproduction
• Near instantaneous response time, no ghosting - excellent for sports and fast moving action
• Do not require any anti-judder and motion smoothening, although this feature is available
• Much cheaper as compared to the LED brothers

Cons

• Image retention possible if the set is exposed to static images for long (> 1 hour); this is reversible but takes time. You must be very careful for first 200 hours and be aware later
• Not suited for brightly lit conditions
• Prone to glare and reflection - can be distracting in well lit rooms (but the above models have anti-glare screens)
• Excess of static images (> 20 hours) can cause permanent image burn-in
• Not suited for PC and gaming
• Consumes at least twice as much power as the equivalent sized LED

You should base your decision on above.

 

[thegr8anand]

I am really disappointed with the Panasonic brand store and it is only listed dealer on Panasonic website.

He doesn't even have any GT50 or ST50 models and said he hasn't sold any and there is no supply all over India. He insisted on GT30 or the new LED models.

 

[hifimahesh]

If you are going to watch DTH mostly, then any flat-panel will do. I have written some comments here in this thread. These apply more or less universally:



You should base your decision on above.

Can you brief me why plasmas are not suitable for games ?

 

[just4kix]

Can you brief me why plasmas are not suitable for games ?

Most games have some kind of static content such controls dashboard, scoreboard, etc. Such static images can cause image retention. Prolonged exposure to static images can cause burn-in in plasma (or even CRT for that matter).

Something similar applied to PC usage also. The standard windows desktop has static content. The windows taskbar is more or less permanent. This is not recommended for plasma.

 

[hifimahesh]

Most games have some kind of static content such controls dashboard, scoreboard, etc. Such static images can cause image retention. Prolonged exposure to static images can cause burn-in in plasma (or even CRT for that matter).

Something similar applied to PC usage also. The standard windows desktop has static content. The windows taskbar is more or less permanent. This is not recommended for plasma.

Will this burn-in issue causes after 200 hours, actually I do have PS3 ?

 

[just4kix]

Manufacturers claim "No". I would say "be careful". Not all games have static content. Such games are safe to play.

 

[Audiodoc]

For the computer screen one can use shifting wallpapers after every 10 seconds, transparent task bar with auto hide enabled, screensaver enabled, desktop gadgets disabled settings and watch movies. I use mine as my laptop has a bluray drive.

 

[truly_deep]

I had some time to kill today and wandered into a Giria's Electronics @ Bangalore/Indiranagar 100' Rd -- or should i say 30m Rd

Anyway, the sales guy gave me these prices:
42ST50: 81k
50ST50: 98k
42GT50:99
50GT50:114

Re, waiting for lower prices, my rule is to wait until you really need it then buy and don't look back. Someone will always get a lower price and while waiting will usually get you lower price but at at what 'cost' and for how long; your enjoyment. Pretty soon the new models will be 'just around the corner' and you will freeze your decision.

I was looking to buy either the 50ST50 (struggling at that high price point !) or the 50UT50. Based at Kolkata - South, I went around to find that Pana Brand shop near Golpark quoting 50ST50 at 1.10 L and 50UT50 at 0.81 L. I went to a local dealer who quoted 50ST50 at 0.99L and 50UT50 at 0.82 L with an added LG DVD player thrown in (apart from the Panny offers). Not taking the DVD player and some more bargaining should bring the prices further down (50ST50 at 0.96L and 50UT50 at 0.79 L).

50ST50: 99k+ DVD player+Panny offer
50UT50: 82k+ DVD player+Panny offer

The printer offer is pretty useless for most as well as for me as I already have one. I would wait to see what Panny comes out with in the revised offer over the next few days (as reported by some users).
I am still debating whether paying 17 K extra for the ST model is worth. My viewing distance is 10-11.5 feet and the room is not too brightly lit (at the portion where the TV will be fixed to the wall) and so the reflections will be less of an issue.

 

[just4kix]

ST50 will shine when watching movies via blu-ray (BDs). For normal TV, DVD/BD rips, USB content, etc. there may not be much difference felt.