Topic: PANASONIC VIERA TH-P42UT50

[jduval]

my owners na po ba ng PANASONIC VIERA TH-P42UT50 dito?
ito at yung 42vt30 nalang po kasi pinagpipilian ko

mas mahal ng 4k yng p42ut50

tia

[ninjababez®]

my owners na po ba ng PANASONIC VIERA TH-P42UT50 dito?
ito at yung 42vt30 nalang po kasi pinagpipilian ko

mas mahal ng 4k yng p42ut50

tia

dapat title ng thread mo last years flagship vs. this years mid-entry level. 
joke lang .. bump for you bro

[jduval]

@ninja
thanks

so better buy pa rin po yung vt30 sir?

[jduval]

found some reviews on AVS

The time has come and the 42UT50 arrived at my house earlier this week. The reason for my late post was to get it set up, running misc content, and get it calibrated. So I'll be giving you a review of my 42UT50 based on the limited time I've had with it thus far. As I mentioned earlier.. I planned on ordering both the 42 and 55UT50 but I decided to hold off on the 55" until I at least got the 42" for the bedroom to see how it met my standards (which are high).

First off I want to get this outta the way.... HOLY ****! What a tv this is. Mind you I'm coming from some pretty high end sets over the years including several Sony 34XBR960s, Samsung locally dimmed 46A950, Pioneer 4270HD, and eventually a Pioneer 5020FD Kuro that I used D-Nice's settings (after service menu offsets) for the past 3.5 years. So to say I'm accustomed to jet blacks, near perfect color accuracy, fluid motion, and a tv able to handle any content (pal, ntsc, sd, hd, etc) with ease is an understatement.

There is no one area that my Kuro outperforms the 42UT50. Let me repeat that... NO AREA in which it outperforms. I'll break this review down in segments hoping not to leave anything off.

Blacks-

Obviously we all know contrast ratio is the most important aspect of picture quality, rivaling color and resolution itself. The blacks your tv is able to reproduce tells us exactly what we're dealing with. I was expecting the worse here from my previous experience with Panasonic plasmas, and in general every other tv that didn't bare the logo "Kuro" or "Pioneer" on it. I will ignore local dimming LCDs due to the fact that their pixels shut off and to me it's not a proper measurement. Black crush, blooming, etc not in the same league. This is the second tv I've personally seen/had to date that passed the grueling Pioneer Blu-ray demo disc. I had a 42ST30 for a short time before returning it last year. It was a long shot from my Kuro to the point blacks looked grey with this demo disc, and nearly every Blu-ray movie I tried on it. Even calibrated I wasn't satisfied with the color either, but I'll cover that later. The blacks on this tv will satisfy anyone. The scene in particular with objects and fish swimming in an all-black environment had my jaw dropped. In my man cave in which I do all my critical viewing in the dark you could see nothing but the fish or object on screen. The bezel of the tv, along with the walls and room itself vanished. I could barely make out the black on the tv. It looked like a less than 1% pattern which is crazy. In fact it at times it had more pop than my Kuro due to a brighter picture. I tested this with some of my favorite movies with dark scenes including The Thing, Sin City, and Batman and not once did I pay attention to the anamorphic black bars. Outside of the Kuro there is no other tv that impressed me like this. Even with last year's top of the line sets I found myself distracted by the greyish bars to the point I couldn't enjoy dark films. It was certainly not the case here.

Anamorphic Black Bars-

Not including LCDs with local dimming, this is the only other tv other than the Kuro with black bars vanishing in all but extreme dark scenes. When the screen goes black then yeah you can see a slight glow.. but the same can be said about the Kuro. No winner here. With a 0% background showing, both are as close to 'black hole black' as plasma gets at this point. The only difference is with any content present and I give the nod to the UT50 due to more brightness and pop (not lcd fake pop but overall natural pop). During the first couple minutes of Sin City I sorta noticed the bars like any other quality plasma (Kuro) but for the rest of the film it vanished once your eyes get used to seeing that much dark. I sound like a broken record here but I don't know how to describe it other than being very Kuroish.

Color-

I dialed it in using a blue filter with several calibration discs including Disney's Wow, AVSHD, DVE HD, etc and they all showed the same results of 48 (Tint at 0) using the graphics output for hdmi settings. At first I wasn't satisfied with the default hdmi settings similar to the ST30 it just lacked. But as soon as I changed it to graphics is where it came alive. Now the colors aren't overblown in your face and more subdued like the Kuro. Skin tones are spot on.. in fact more so than my XBR960 which was my reference up till this point. I'm sure if I had the Kuro professionally calibrated it could be better but to me there was always a reddish skin tone that I couldn't defeat. It's still okay but I'd notice it now and then. I haven't seen any skin tone problems yet with the UT50. I've only spent about 10 hours with it now but this is a problem I usually notice right away with any panel so I believe this one is good to go.

Motion-

This is an area I feel bests my Kuro. I don't think it's a question. I prefer no motion interpolation as to watch films smooth like you'd see at the cinema with proper judder. None of my tvs ever got this right but this one does. The first thing I did was turn the motion smoother OFF.. along with any other digital enhancements (after all it's digital). Pans are now butter smooth without the side effect of motion smoothing. I watched a few scenes of Pirates of the Caribbean in which even my Kuro makes my head turn during slow pans that are now watchable. The only other way for me to defeat this in the past was with a low setting of motion interpolation (ST30, LCDs, etc). But now with it disabled it's as smooth as ever while still preserving natural motion. I don't know how they did it, but they did it. I'm very impressed here.

Flicker-

48hz mode is unusable, as it flickers like the models before it. This is fine with me since 60hz is perfect. This tv also doubles nicely as a PC monitor. I hooked it up via hdmi to my Nvidia equipped desktop and everything syncs smoothly and the mouse glides naturally. Haven't tested it with games but if it's anything like the ST30 it should be good. I'll update later.

Green Blob / Uniformity-

The ST30 I had last year had a green blob in the middle of the screen with contrast set too high. I haven't noticed a green blob with this one with it dialed up yet. I tested this with a white background. Uniformity seems really good on this set. There is no blobs, clouding, etc black screens are black and white screens are white with no noticeable artifacts on color patterns. Probably not the best I've seen in the world, but should satisfy even demanding users.

Image Retention-

I haven't had enough time with this set to be fair. I will say that I noticed the Disney logo burned onto the screen with it turned off after calibrating. But after watching content that filled the screen for a few minutes it vanished. This is a normal trait for plasmas so what can I say...par for the course? My Kuro did the same thing when new and I still notice it now and then but it's never been a long term problem. The fact that the logo went away so quickly tells me that hopefully it won't be a problem.

Reflections-

Yes this tv reflects a lot with windows and/or lighting in the room during the day. More so than most. I can see how this will be a problem for some but personally I don't mind it. Compared to the Kuro it acts similar, if not maybe a little worse. This is a tradeoff that I will make to get the best what I think is the best picture possible currently on the market. If it bothers you then the ST50 will suit you better. I don't test tvs during the daytime as I'm strictly an after dark movie buff, and if that's you than I suggest the UT50. This is something you'd have to see in store for yourself, but can tell you it's like most plasmas if you can deal with it. To sum it up it's similar to the 46A950 I had which looked like a mirror turned off. To me this only adds to the vibrancy, sharpness, and natural pop with the lights out but to others will take away value during the day. To each his own.

Conclusion-

This tv IMO is the deal of the decade. It's what us videophiles crave here at AVS every day. It's crazy how much I paid for this UT50 to get a picture I thought wouldn't be possible until the next couple years. The reason I didn't go for the ST50 was because of that aggressive anti-glare filter that's on it (louver filter). Not due to cost. Not due to hype. Not due to bang-for-buck, not due to any other reason. Hell.. I'd pay double what I did for even a 42" to get the picture that I'm after.

After inspecting the ST50 up close I came to the conclusion that the UT50 has the better picture. It's plain and simple. The UT50 has more pop, feels like it has more brightness than it does, is actually sharper, and just in general better as a Kuro replacement and it's all due to the fact that it doesn't include that all-miraculous filter than hundreds on this board rant and rave about. I've even been told ppl here wouldn't consider a tv without some sort of filter like that. Well I'm here to tell you that they blew it out of proportion.

I'm also sure some will say it's not a proper comparison with the Kuro due to the difference in size (42" vs 50") with some of my comments regarding sharpness and brightness. But I've had a 42ST30 and smaller sets in my home before and this tv had their number. I also gave the Kuro the benefit of the doubt to be fair. I stand by what I said. If your looking for the next best thing then look no further.

With the tiniest difference in blacks between them I just can't recommend the Kuro to someone shopping now.. even if they could buy them both new. The benefits of the UT50 outweighs it. The ability to display 3D, the faster phosphors, 16ms input lag in Game Mode if that's your thing, certain critical scenes in film have more impressive blacks and bars that literally vanish. The Kuro I'd say has an overall more solid stable blacks but at peak times the UT50 I thought impressed me more. Like I said.. the difference is null. We really need to get a MLL reading of the UT50 because I highly doubt the ST50 is lower. It also has natural sharpness and fluid motion that's beautiful.. something the Kuro has as well but it's certainly not downgraded here. Like I said, IMO I don't believe the Kuro actually bests anything here in the real world outside of technical labs.

Calibration results-

Picture mode - Custom

Contrast - 83
Brightness - 57
Color - 48
Tint - 0
Sharpness - 0
Color Temp - Warm 2
Color Mgmt - Off
C.A.T.S. - Off
Video NR - Off

HDMI Settings

RGB Range - Auto
Content type - Graphics

Advanced

Block NR - Off
Mosquito NR - Off
Motion Smoother - Off (Weak showed little to no artifacts)
Black Level - Light
3:2 Pulldown - Auto

This was the results I achieved using the Disney Wow Blu-ray disc. I backed it up using Digital Video Essentials HD. In both cases using Graphics content type resulted in more accurate color saturation. I came up with Contrast at 78-84 using different patterns but ended up using 83. Your mileage may vary. Brightness was on the money at 57. Some may like 56 but I tend to bump it one notch to get the most out of it. 57 shows an all-black screen. I found motion smoother set to Weak didn't really do much. On a motion test pattern it smoothed the bar ever so slightly. But a Medium setting resulted in obvious smoothing. I will say the Medium setting far outperformed motion interpolations I've seen in the past..if that's your thing. I saw almost zero artifacts at this setting during pans which just a couple years ago I would have thrown the tv out the window lol. But purists will keep it Off and it does a fantastic job set to Off. It doesn't need any sharpness either. With the same patterns this tv is sharper than my Kuro set to -15 (lowest it goes). So purists will have a ball here enjoying natural razor sharp motion pictures. Sharpness at 0 on this set is as good as hdtv can be. Another example that I will favor this tv from now on.

Well I hope you enjoyed reading my review. I'll get the 55" in sometime next week and will post my impressions along with settings shortly after. I'll wrap this up by saying....

...and they say this tv is the low end

source: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1406618/official-panasonic-ut50-series-discussion-thread/60

[ninjababez®]

Nice review
Side by side comparison ka nalang bro para ma-gauge mo maigi

[jduval]

cant do a side-by-side comparison sir
sa online reviews nalang ako umaasa kasi nasa province po ako
ipapaship lang po yung unit

[Clondalkin]

So your viewing conditions are always DARK day and night? or you dont intend to use the Plasma as a regular TV day and night?

cant do a side-by-side comparison sir
sa online reviews nalang ako umaasa kasi nasa province po ako
ipapaship lang po yung unit

[jduval]

@clon
sa gabi at umaga lang po ako nakakanood madalas sir
madalang lang makapanood during daytime

[Clondalkin]

Ok, just take note, SALAMIN yang UT model.  Grabe reflection nyan under lighted room.  Im sure you know kung gaano kadidilim ang houses in the West (well most of them).  Consider your actual viewing conditions dahil you might regret it not getting the VT30 or the ST50.

@clon
sa gabi at umaga lang po ako nakakanood madalas sir
madalang lang makapanood during daytime

[ninjababez®]

San ba may display 42" vt30 n ut30 within pasig n qc area?
Checkout k para sayo  :-)

[jduval]

@clon
so kung kayo po pamimiliin sir, vt30 ot ut50?

@ninja
thanks sir

[Clondalkin]

I never liked shiny glary plasmas because they dont suit my HDTV needs, but the thing is, you have U S G V in the Panasonic Plasma product line.   Any V (magmula V1 released in 2009) model is generations ahead of the U  - it's probably like the X series where you practically get the same TV every year.  It is only this year that the S is almost as good as the previous G or V models.  The only reason why the VT30 is being compared to the UT50 is because the VT30 is offered at such a low price.  Normally, that would not happen - but strange as it is, halos ka-level sa presyo ng VT30 ang UT50 and even the ST30, although there seems to be some queer conditions that lead to all those VT30s suddenly appearing in Manila.  Regardless, I would prioritize the VT30 over any U or S that is available there.   People should appreciate that.  Assuming it's a GOOD VT, this is such a huge chance to own 2011's top of the line plasma, and arguably the best 2011 HDTV.   Before you even consider the U50 or the S30 or S50, hanapin nyo muna yung green monsters sa VT30 there - kung wala, GRAB! GET! bago kayo maunahan.. hehehe. tignan nyo si ninjababez - he is probably the happiest PDVD plasma owner at the moment...hehehe

@clon
so kung kayo po pamimiliin sir, vt30 ot ut50?

[jduval]

one happy dude nga si sir ninja

thank you so much for the input sir
i really appreciate it

current standing
vt30 - 90%
ut50 - 9%
others - 1%

[gunslinger]

Pag wala ka na mahanap na VT30, you might want to consider also the 51E550 ng Samsung. Compared this with the 50VT30 nung bumili kami. Hands down panalo talaga si Panasonic kaya yun ang nabili pero the Samsung is also a good TV with better PQ than the other plasma offerings from Pana at the same price point (opinion ko lang ha).

[juanch]

PQ wise go for the VT30 definitely. I was actually considering getting one already before the years end.

However, that green blob issue is really scaring me away from purchasing one. I've also read some reports in other forums that there are some users who initially had no green blob issue and then it suddenly reared its ugly face after a few months.

As of now, I have decided to hold out for 2012's ST50 model. Unless, I can find a good deal for an ST30 which is pretty hard to find now.

[mikz023]

Un VT30 ba is reflective or hndi?

[DonMiguel85]

As for the high end, I've heard the GT50 is a better deal than the VT50 because the only major differences are the bezel design and the extra touchpad remote that comes with the VT50.

[ninjababez®]

PQ wise go for the VT30 definitely. I was actually considering getting one already before the years end.

However, that green blob issue is really scaring me away from purchasing one. I've also read some reports in other forums that there are some users who initially had no green blob issue and then it suddenly reared its ugly face after a few months.

As of now, I have decided to hold out for 2012's ST50 model. Unless, I can find a good deal for an ST30 which is pretty hard to find now.

bro juancho, meron akong nakabukod na saved game sa xbox for castlevania LOS.  pwede natin dalahin xbox ko sa shop for green blob testing.  hd rin ng pirates crab scene meron ako 

[ninjababez®]

I never liked shiny glary plasmas because they dont suit my HDTV needs, but the thing is, you have U S G V in the Panasonic Plasma product line.   Any V (magmula V1 released in 2009) model is generations ahead of the U  - it's probably like the X series where you practically get the same TV every year.  It is only this year that the S is almost as good as the previous G or V models.  The only reason why the VT30 is being compared to the UT50 is because the VT30 is offered at such a low price.  Normally, that would not happen - but strange as it is, halos ka-level sa presyo ng VT30 ang UT50 and even the ST30, although there seems to be some queer conditions that lead to all those VT30s suddenly appearing in Manila.  Regardless, I would prioritize the VT30 over any U or S that is available there.   People should appreciate that.  Assuming it's a GOOD VT, this is such a huge chance to own 2011's top of the line plasma, and arguably the best 2011 HDTV.   Before you even consider the U50 or the S30 or S50, hanapin nyo muna yung green monsters sa VT30 there - kung wala, GRAB! GET! bago kayo maunahan.. hehehe. tignan nyo si ninjababez - he is probably the happiest PDVD plasma owner at the moment...hehehe

ask timber715 kung ano itsura ko sa SNS when i was testing the vt30, parang batang bibilhan ng transformers dinobots

[cnn]

Like what most veteran PDVD members here would recommend, the VT30 is really a very good value for money plasma tv that you can get.

I myself just recently got a vt30 unit and I can't be more happier when watching 1080p content. 

And as earlier mentioned, the UT series and the X series are very reflective... One will need to carefully adjust the viewing are by putting on heavy curtains to maintain a dark viewing area to enjoy the plasma units excellent PQ.

The VT30 still is reflective but not as glaring as the UT X and ST series.  When monitor is black compared to the grey screen of the other models...  I guess this is due to the NEO PLASMA monitor of the VT series.

At 35k or sub 40k with 3D glasses, the VT30 is very hard to beat in the PQ division even when compared side by side with other plasma units from SAMSUNG and LG.

The UT50 series may be 2012 model and possess good image quality but at a slightly higher price than the 2011 VT30 series...  Both are good choices but as some members have already said...this VT30 at its current price offering is an excellent deal.

[juanch]

bro juancho, meron akong nakabukod na saved game sa xbox for castlevania LOS.  pwede natin dalahin xbox ko sa shop for green blob testing.  hd rin ng pirates crab scene meron ako 

Cool! I'm pretty set na with the ST50 hehe.
But if ever an awesome deal comes my way then perhaps I might go for the VT.

I'm just afraid the green blob might appear after a year or two.

[timber715]

ask timber715 kung ano itsura ko sa SNS when i was testing the vt30, parang batang bibilhan ng transformers dinobots

naku sobrang tuwa, yung ngiti nya mula tenga hangang tenga. mapuputol nga ulo nya kung natabing sa laki ng ngiti eh.... hehehe.....

[jduval]

vt30 na

time to reserve one

kuha ako this week hehehe

[ninjababez®]

naku sobrang tuwa, yung ngiti nya mula tenga hangang tenga. mapuputol nga ulo nya kung natabing sa laki ng ngiti eh.... hehehe.....

yessir parang dinaanan lang ng grinder anoh? 

vt30 na

time to reserve one

kuha ako this week hehehe

congrats in advance 

[timber715]

I do have to agree that while Jamy was testing his tv, it really is a nice model. would have gotten one after seeing it but already ordered back then....
congrats to the new owners...

[cnn]

Congrats JDUVAL ...  let us know how it goes with our new VT30.

[jduval]

@cnn and ninja
thanks

pwede kaya itest for green blobs yung unit before purchase?
para makasigurado lang
sa province pa kasi gagamitin yung unit
10hrs bus travel (

[DonMiguel85]

@cnn and ninja
thanks

pwede kaya itest for green blobs yung unit before purchase?
para makasigurado lang
sa province pa kasi gagamitin yung unit
10hrs bus travel (

useless din since the issue may appear months after purchase.

[cnn]

useless din since the issue may appear months after purchase.

the unit is usually covered with 1year warranty.  if there are issues with the unit, call the store and ask for warranty coverage.

also this issue isn't showing in all the units. it may help to update the units firmware via the internet to help address known issues and hopefully fix these issues...

like what other sensible owners, do enjoy the unit by using it responsibly... this unit is a very good plasma unit and is designed to give users an excellent entertainment solution...

[ninjababez®]

@cnn and ninja
thanks

pwede kaya itest for green blobs yung unit before purchase?
para makasigurado lang
sa province pa kasi gagamitin yung unit
10hrs bus travel (

pwede mo naman test bro.  kung ikaw ang pickup and kung weekend naman, im willing to bring my xbox sa shop kung malapit lang.  o kaya download ka ng DPT or dala ka ng pirates bluray or mkv