UT30D Owners Thread.....

[girish1in]

Finally, I decided to make a decision, and take the plunge, booked 42UT30 today....will receive it tomorrow....will post first boxing and impressions once i get back home in the evening.... I am sure more people will buy this TV gradually hence starting a thread......

The biggest joke is that, after spending two months of reading reviews of almost every single LED, Plasma available in India....today i bought 42UT30 for which I never read a single review!
I am replacing it with my 3 yr old Sony HD Ready 32inch LCD....a bit nervous regarding this transformation of myself from LCD to Plasma guy....anyways will post impressions once this set arrives...

 

[van]

Finally, I decided to make a decision, and take the plunge, booked 42UT30 today....will receive it tomorrow....will post first boxing and impressions once i get back home in the evening.... I am sure more people will buy this TV gradually hence starting a thread......

The biggest joke is that, after spending two months of reading reviews of almost every single LED, Plasma available in India....today i bought 42UT30 for which I never read a single review!
I am replacing it with my 3 yr old Sony HD Ready 32inch LCD....a bit nervous regarding this transformation of myself from LCD to Plasma guy....anyways will post impressions once this set arrives...

Hi,

congrads buddy...:clapping:

please do share the price and place where u bought the set.

Yup no expert review available for this on the web... but few user/owner reviews (pretty much positive so far).
A -ve point i found on the web for this set...you might want to watch out for when you unbox. (source : AVforums UT30 owner threads)

​

1. white lines appearing on the (left side of) screen
(haven't really counted the occurances...must have come across 1 or 2 members on this forum mentioning this...and that too on a 50incher...but still pls do check)
Pls do share your observations.

 

[TheSeeker]

congrats !!!!!!

so you finally nailed it, albeit a different one

now flood this thread with pics and feedback as you get time

 

[BLASTO]

I am replacing it with my 3 yr old Sony HD Ready 32inch LCD....a bit nervous regarding this transformation of myself from LCD to Plasma guy....anyways will post impressions once this set arrives...

That will help a lot of people.
You will notice the glare. I saw the U20 and it had same glare/reflection as the X30. I assume U30 will be comparable.

 

[girish1in]

yes, UT30 will definitely have glare...i saw it in the showroom when I was evaluating this set...I very much considered it as a factor before my purchase...will speak about that in detail in my review......for the time being..im keeping fingers crossed....

That will help a lot of people.
You will notice the glare. I saw the U20 and it had same glare/reflection as the X30. I assume U30 will be comparable.

 

[girish1in]

Finally, it arrived:yahoo: I had bought it for 58k with One 3d glass, from mulund panasonic brand shop.....(had a tough time negotiating price...)

First impressions:

Size & Dimensions: Smart - its look and feels smart...Doesnt at all feel bulky like i expected, but not one of the slimmest..but slim enough to make you not feel embarrased in front of slim led owning friends ...it looks fit.....for a plasma..i know many latest lcds from toshiba, lg with round about similar looking dimensions...

Design:

Simple and Clean Black Exterior....looks classy for me:licklips: Safe design that will be acceptable to most people...

Screen:

Even though in the showroom Reflection was visible I expected it to reduce at home conditions...luckily i was right....reflection is not as much as as i saw in show room 70% less at home....But yes, I had to keep curtains closed in afternoon to attain the perfect PQ...at night while i am typing this the reflection is almost "unnoticeable"...will post pics soon to show this.....(i dont have a tubelight in front of tv, guess that helps)..but my room is reasonably bright....(typical one tubelight living room)....now my phobia for Reflection has gone....I was worrying too much all these days...

Picture Quality:

HD: First thing i did as soon as I connected to my Tatasky HD with hdmi cable....was to put Star Movies HD...The PQ was SUPERB!!hyeah:hyeah:
I sit close to my TV 5-6 feet for 42incher....it is showing very Crisp Images with very good motion as expected.....Full HD adds to its PQ from nearby viewing........

SD: Sony TV, Zeetv broadcasts are good for a 42incher, also a "Just" mode for specially 4:3 content....once u switch on the mode the images appear less stretched hence....PQ looks more natural for SD...but even otherwise without this mode SD is good enough....on par with other models...

3D: downloaded a sample SBS 3d of RIO 3d 1080p....was mindblowing!!!...its actually fun to experience 3d sitting on your sofa...colors were still very vibrant, not washed out like on many 3dtvs....iam very impressed with brightness level in 3d mode........also for testing.....I converted 2d to 3d and initial impression was that there was some illusionary depth created.....stuff didnt "pop" out but "depth" was visible..was good for fun..but didnt excite me that much.....both on HD and SD..will write more in future as i try new stuff with this tv....

Blacks/Whites: Blacks seem to be Very Good for me...whites are not the whitest...but not greyish....certainly bright......

Contrast: Well 200000:1 is what they are mentioning for me more than enough to pump up a good picture...which will look good enough for most people...

Panel: Personal Opinion: Lack of any filters may expose this set to little reflection, but this also makes the panel a bit "bright" for a plasma....(this was one of the main reasons for me choosing this set for my bright room)...transition from lcd to plasma will be more smoother in this set for first time plasma buyers....

Over all PQ is Excellent and would please most people...

Sound:

UT30 Rocks!!! Trust me on this...One of the best inbuilt TV speakers available in the market i guess.....Sound us superb...with good bass, tredble etc settings to play with.....infact once i felt as if some dedicated..sound bar is installed....not "chillar" sound like many of the led/lcdTVs launched these days....btw... i already have a Sony hometheatre though....

For those who dont want to use HT and AV receivers for casual viewing this is a plus...

Menu and Remote :

I have to say scrolling through menus is fast and intuitive(avoiding unnecessary button presses)...and very convenient..

Other initial observations:
I have to say this is one intelligent TV.....when changed input from STB to USB the TV showed a different "profile" of settings for both modes...its remembing that for STB there are diff settings and for USB there are different!I dont know if this is a common feature these days, but this was not there in my previous tv....there are actually lot of nitty gritty things...that iam realising abt this tv which are prompting me to say that this is a feature packed one...will write later gradually abt them...

50 inches is too much for me...hence didnt go for VT....(42VTs are hardly available) I had the option to pay 20k more to get GT20, but 20k was not justified according to me....as mentioned in my posts ST30 was a bit dull for my taste(even with superior specs)...hence in my case the solution was 42UT30D!

till now UT30D seems to be a Seriously Good Value for money TV...which i ve been waiting for a long time now...hope everything goes will from here on......

This model seems to hit the "Sweet spot"...price/quality/features for anyone looking out for a budget Full HD, 3D TV in current scenario. (with all the features, without any drastic compromises)..since this is a new model...it will take time to get it to its right price which in my opinion should be 54-55k with one glass at this point of time after weighing down its features...)

will write more in future.....for the time being let me enjoy my explorations on this set :yahoo:

BTW....guys please help me out with Break in procedures... i am new to plasma world.....few doubts:
- which breakin video to play
- for how much time
- switching on scrolling bar mode for how much time
i have no clue abt this...google searches are show 10 diff things......pls let me know urgently as I want to complete this first 100 hours asap....
Also i am wondering what would be the calibaration settings for this tv...there is no information or reviews available about this set....having a sense of insecurity...as an early adoptor......

 

[BLASTO]

After your initial Wow factor wears down, I really want to know how this compares in SD to the sony 720p TV. (I hope it is BE2/3 which are pioneers of upscaling SD content)

The VT's SD does not come close to Samsung 720p plasma.

Also, once you are past the reflections, there is no turning back to LCDs. Trust me.

Some got the 42GT20 for ~50k with 2*3D glasses in bangalore and I hope it is still available there at the price. I can only imagine their happiness when it was delivered.

 

[girish1in]

by now.i ve clamed down.....now minus wow factor - I have to say SD quality is definitely better....resolution enhancer in this set is not a marketing gimmik i guess....plus the intelligent frame creation are ensuring solid SD...for me though its not very good or excellent....but just about - good... for even very demanding geeky videophile...it may be little less than good but surely above average...again for me its better than my previous set thats what matters to me....

Cant compare this with VT's SD as I have not seen it with dedicated STB at home conditions....same bout 720p samsung plasma....

and yes GT20 would be a take away at 50k...considering it has best available PQ till date and the fact that it is discontinued, with limited stock,almost 2 yr old, hard to find..with dealers clearing it off...even with its bulky and dated exteriors..

After your initial Wow factor wears down, I really want to know how this compares in SD to the sony 720p TV. (I hope it is BE2/3 which are pioneers of upscaling SD content)

The VT's SD does not come close to Samsung 720p plasma.

Also, once you are past the reflections, there is no turning back to LCDs. Trust me.

Some got the 42GT20 for ~50k with 2*3D glasses in bangalore and I hope it is still available there at the price. I can only imagine their happiness when it was delivered.

 

[god2007]

A nice first impressions. There are posts that the (sister model ?) 42U30 is no longer available and members were told by shops that it was withdrawn / held back. So if you face any issues, immediately call service even if the issues are minor and can be lived with.

 

[girish1in]

thanks for the info...was not aware of it...coz i saw u30 also in display when i bought mine...btw...pls correct me if iam wrong except for IR...guess most of the problems are covered under 3 yr warranty ?

A nice first impressions. There are posts that the (sister model ?) 42U30 is no longer available and members were told by shops that it was withdrawn / held back. So if you face any issues, immediately call service even if the issues are minor and can be lived with.

 

[girish1in]

@blasto, please let me know how i need to go about breaking in in this set.....for the first 100 hours... iam using cinema mode which has low brightness and contrast....and is dim...as opposed to the normal or dynamic more which are more vibrant......

by now.i ve clamed down.....now minus wow factor - I have to say SD quality is definitely better....resolution enhancer in this set is not a marketing gimmik i guess....plus the intelligent frame creation are ensuring solid SD...for me though its not very good or excellent....but just about - good... for even very demanding geeky videophile...it may be little less than good but surely above average...again for me its better than my previous set thats what matters to me....

Cant compare this with VT's SD as I have not seen it with dedicated STB at home conditions....same bout 720p samsung plasma....

and yes GT20 would be a take away at 50k...considering it has best available PQ till date and the fact that it is discontinued, with limited stock,almost 2 yr old, hard to find..with dealers clearing it off...even with its bulky and dated exteriors..

 

[rana_kirti]

congratulations and thanks for the detailed review. i'm also very keen on the UT30 50 incher. ( any idea on price ? )

Just to clarify a doubt, is it correct to say that the UT series is the U series + 3D...? Will the picture quality of the UT and U series be identical ? Does the UT have any additional/extra features over the U other than 3D ?

Regards,

Rana

 

[girish1in]

Thanks Rana,
I think as of today u can bargain 42UT30 till 55-56k.(even tough i bought at 58k)....and 50UT30 around 68k....these dealers will quote anything or the MRP... then will claim as if they are giving you a huge discount by reducing few thousands!

I bought this UT30 from a panasonic brandshop atul electronics in mulund, mumbai...these guys are keeping literally all panny plasmas on display...hence luckily i got chance to see all models side by side including U30 which u mentioned.....

Although I saw PQ of U30 in detail, i didnt check out the feature set, regarding PQ of U30 compared to UT30- you will immediately find a jump in PQ of UT30, faster switching phospers of 3d models has ensured that even 2d quality has slight increase in these sets...(i know this is subjective opinion, but its "printed" in panasonic brochure I have and their websites..)
Due to that or whatever reason, the main point is that you will surely notice high quality PQ in UT30 than U30...i am not saying this because i now own UT but you can go and see for urself in the showroom where u can find both models side by side...regarding V and VT i can't comment..there are many other knowledgeable owners of these sets over here.....

congratulations and thanks for the detailed review. i'm also very keen on the UT30 50 incher. ( any idea on price ? )

Just to clarify a doubt, is it correct to say that the UT series is the U series + 3D...? Will the picture quality of the UT and U series be identical ? Does the UT have any additional/extra features over the U other than 3D ?

Regards,

Rana

 

[girish1in]

Update: 3D observations:

finally, after lot of days of downloading I watched Avatar 3d SBS 1080p......one movie which every 3D TV owner watches....

When I started the video, there was LOT of crosstalk and glare..i didnt understand why this was happening I knew there was something wrong.....
then I changed the frame settings from "Normal" to "Reverse"....the issue was resolved...and the Picture was perfect!

PQ: I have to say I am very impressed with the PQ in 3D, the picture is almost as clear as in 2d....

Crosstalk : 0
Brightness: I found the brightness very much fine even in 3D mode
Flicker: 0

3D effect: well, if we dont expect toooo much we will surely enjoy the 3D on our Plasma televisions......3D at your home!wow! Was a very strange and new experience.....

It was not that in every scene, "things were popping out"..(u will find those in DEMO VIDEOS in showrooms)..but the depth.. the occasional pop up can very much be noticed....to be frank you wont have the immerseive effect "like theaters"...obviously as the screen size is liimited....but the 3D effect is very much there and you will enjoy it....3D WILL add to your viewing experience......

I also experimented sitting 3-4 feet away from TV on my beanbag...then I found the 3D even more immersive.....PS : not that the 3D was not good, its still excellent and one of the best available in the market....(i was surprised, even at 4 feet PQ was crisp and clear.... in 3D mode)

Features: One thing I liked about Panasonic is that it has given lot of things to you to play with....

You can increase the refreshrate from 100Hz to 120Hz to reduce judder in 3D mode....you can mannually select the 3D mode or set it to automatic....you can increase or decrease the depth(if you increase the depth too much, you will notice crosstalk, hence default settings are best i guess)

Overall:
Hence so far I have liked what i saw in 3D in this set, pity that the glasses are expensive...i got just one but soon will buy another one...i need to share this happiness, cant watch it alone all the time.. hope panny had given one more glasses free....or 2 morehyeah:

 

[DIVASMMM]

Did anyone buy 50UT30? at what price?

 

[DWind]

HI,

I own a Pana 42UT30 D which I bought last July. Lately for the apps I am getting 3 updates available in AppMarket but am unable to update any of them saying the site is down and try later. Has anybody got the same issue?