Topic: Panasonic 42V20 Review

[Mouldingo]

To be continued...

Chairman, does the V20 USB inputs allow media playback e.g. AVI, MP3? Also gumagana ba yung LAN network niya?

[E-reply]

Here it is folks!

In the flesh...



Review to follow

Just saw your post today. Haha...is this the best SCARY picture you can put up here?  Never mind with his skin tone, but his blood sucking teeth is as real as warewolf jaws that are ready for a kill. So real and so scary. No doubt you finally got a good TV after maybe, 6 to 8 months of waiting.   

[Carlo777]

@E-Reply

Hahaha! "The American Werewolf in London" is a very gritty film that benefits from the V20's Resolution enhancer. Thanks again Vic, for another smooth transaction!

Can't wait for 100 hours so we can calibrate the other settings.

@Mouldingo

Boss Jerry, hindi po tayo chairman, direk pa lang

I'll try to test them later, I didn't know it had that feature

[Mouldingo]

@Mouldingo

Boss Jerry, hindi po tayo chairman, direk pa lang

LOL!

[Carlo777]

Cable (Sky at Standard)

Cable seems to be sharper on the C10 over this particular model. Not that the V20 projects a bad cable T.V picture, it's actually very good! Better than any LCD I've tested so far, it's just that defining a softer over-all standard definition picture is not "picture perfect" for grainy cable connections - not the V20's fault.

Sound:

I'm not into thumping sound effects, and don't even care about epic soundtracks and the sort...Heck I don't even like music to begin with, and my car radio to this day remains unused...But this much I can say - The V20 and it's immediate predecessors like the C10 and S10 can't really compare favorably to the thud and thump of the PY800 and it's BBE-VIVA sound.

To be continued...

[jetro]

Cable (Sky at Standard)

Cable seems to be sharper on the C10 over this particular model. Not that the V20 projects a bad cable T.V picture, it's actually very good! Better than any LCD I've tested so far, it's just that defining a softer over-all standard definition picture is not "picture perfect" for grainy cable connections - not the V20's fault.
......

I've (maybe) a related observation.  When playing a 1080p material (the source is xtreamer) over at SnS the picture is just awesome compared to the rest of the bunch on display.. but, playing a 720p material the c10 seem to handle it better (not that its bad on the V20, it just seem better on the c10 comparably).  But do note that this is based on a brief observation on my part and on an uncontrolled lighting source of SnS' showroom.

[Clondalkin]

I've (maybe) a related observation.  When playing a 1080p material (the source is xtreamer) over at SnS the picture is just awesome compared to the rest of the bunch on display.. but, playing a 720p material the c10 seem to handle it better (not that its bad on the V20, it just seem better on the c10 comparably).  But do note that this is based on a brief observation on my part and on an uncontrolled lighting source of SnS' showroom.

When I play a 720p material via A200 and set the video size to Actual, the image area is no more than 1280x720 (about the size of 32V non full HD) which leaves black bars all around the 1920x1080 frame. Id have to adjust the Zoom setting of the V2 and the Zoom of the A200 itself to fill out the entire screen.  720p content PQ is at its best at actual video size but you'd effectively reduce the TV in size, and would enduce IR at the borders of the black bars and the image.

[Clondalkin]

USB ports are primarily for wireless LAN adapter or supported accessories such as the Communication Cam.

Video playback (in MPEG2 or AVCHD format) is possible via SD Memory Card.

[babed95]

sir compare sa mga full h.d na lcd na may motion flow like samsung and sony, anong observation nyo sa v20? TIA.

[Clondalkin]

sir compare sa mga full h.d na lcd na may motion flow like samsung and sony, anong observation nyo sa v20? TIA.

Motion Flow has got a very different cg-fied, home-video, popping out of the screen look.  The color saturation of LED models have improved quite significantly for sure - much warmer than it used to be and quite pleasant to the eyes - though still tends to be on the unnatural-color side relative to the plasmas.  But then who really cares if lets say the color of the baseball field as projected on the screen is not accurate if a viewer hasnt actually seen that field in person?  Right now, I think the biggest inaccuracy of the LCD is the way it projects human complexion.  Anyways, if someone intends to use the HDTV for gaming and computing heavily, any LCD is more appropriate than the V20.  Maiinis lang kayo sa image retention.


BTW, I finally got to watch some WC highlights in LED LCD and even HD-CRT.  Those posted issues regarding blurrying center line is visible in all types of HDTV, hence it appears to be a broadcast HD cam issue.  However, the V20 exhibits that center line (and the grains of the grass field) the sharpest, thus, the blurrying is most evident.

[babed95]

tenk you sir for quick reply napansin ko nga sir yun mga kulay ng skin ng mga tao sa lcd na may motion flow parang cartoons lalo na yun movie na transformers parang na sunburn sila.

[Clondalkin]

tenk you sir for quick reply napansin ko nga sir yun mga kulay ng skin ng mga tao sa lcd na may motion flow parang cartoons lalo na yun movie na transformers parang na sunburn sila.

Oh, Transformers has the sunburned look no matter what TV you use.     What I meant was, parang ang kapal ng foundation ng tao on an LCD...sabi nga ni Dolphy, "pati mukha pina-semento" look tapos yung contours ng face ay medyo malabo.      It's an effective way to mask blemishes.   

[Carlo777]

The "Kuro" factor:

The V20 esp in "True-Cinema" mode and your High-Def source (PS3) on FULL RGB will bring you as close to the Kuro as possible. Blacks become very deep, rich and gorgeous but without the "black crush" effect that lingers around the Pioneer 8XG. It's that good! And for some in my T.V ridden place - The V20 fares even better!

However, let's not get too excited here, bringing the V20 to "True Cinema" coupled with "FULL RGB" now displays the infamous "floating blacks". At the opening scene of Batman: The Dark Knight, right after the D.C logo, you'll see the symbol of the bat emerge from a cloud of blue flame, and there I noticed a very slight contrast change, that's harder to see if your source is to "Limited RGB". That said, it's still too feint for you to really give it much attention.

Long and short: If you want a Pioneer Kuro performance without the hitch, then buy a Kuro! - Simple huh?

To be continued...

[Carlo777]

24p/IFC revisited:

I few posts back I observed that the V20 introduces flickering and tearing with 24p/IFC activated. Yes, this is very true: just look at the opening scene of the dark knight, when the camera pans closer to the panoramic IMAX shot of Gotham's buildings! Now, to fix this issue, I noticed that when you activate 24p from your HD source, the V20 automatically activates the "24p smooth film". Now this feature combines both 24p and IFC at the same time causing more artifacts like the one I just mentioned.

To counter this, make sure when you have either 24p on and IFC off and not to have them both at the same time. Switch-off "24p smooth film" from the T.V and just let the vanilla 24p from your source run the movie, and there you go! A smoother and now, very very cinematic experience minus the handy cam look and the added mush.

...to be continued.

[danrd]

Yesterday I had a chance to visit S&S and test my egreat on this unit.  I definitely want one.

[Clondalkin]

Ingat lang kayo talaga sa IR especially those bright TV channel ID.  Babad ako sa Open Championship sa Golf Network since Thurs night, and since sobrang liwanag ng station ID ng Golf Network, ayun matinding I.R. inabot - pero nawala na after I watched in overscanned/zoomed mode the entire 3rd round.

Yung mga blurred na station ID like that of CNN is OK lang.   Matinding culprit ng IR yung mga maliwanag and sharp static images.

I wouldnt recommend this for gaming...the health bar would definitely leave a lasting shadow.  

[abcerase]

I wouldnt recommend this for gaming...the health bar would definitely leave a lasting shadow.  

Patay...i want this one pa naman..tsk tsk...

[babed95]

24p/IFC revisited:

I few posts back I observed that the V20 introduces flickering and tearing with 24p/IFC activated. Yes, this is very true: just look at the opening scene of the dark knight, when the camera pans closer to the panoramic IMAX shot of Gotham's buildings! Now, to fix this issue, I noticed that when you activate 24p from your HD source, the V20 automatically activates the "24p smooth film". Now this feature combines both 24p and IFC at the same time causing more artifacts like the one I just mentioned.

To counter this, make sure when you have either 24p on and IFC off and not to have them both at the same time. Switch-off "24p smooth film" from the T.V and just let the vanilla 24p from your source run the movie, and there you go! A smoother and now, very very cinematic experience minus the handy cam look and the added mush.

...to be continued.

sir yun po bng 24p/ifc na sinasabi nyo eh yun ba ang katumbas ng motion flow sa mga full h.d na lcd?

[babed95]

Ingat lang kayo talaga sa IR especially those bright TV channel ID.  Babad ako sa Open Championship sa Golf Network since Thurs night, and since sobrang liwanag ng station ID ng Golf Network, ayun matinding I.R. inabot - pero nawala na after I watched in overscanned/zoomed mode the entire 3rd round.

Yung mga blurred na station ID like that of CNN is OK lang.   Matinding culprit ng IR yung mga maliwanag and sharp static images.

I wouldnt recommend this for gaming...the health bar would definitely leave a lasting shadow.  

sir yun po bng 24p/ifc na sinasabi ni sir carlo yun ba ang katumbas ng motion flow sa mga full h.d na lcd? tia!

[danrd]

I wouldnt recommend this for gaming...the health bar would definitely leave a lasting shadow. 

Sir will this be a serious problem? Will this eventually disappear? My daughter plays ps2 once once a while (weekends at the most).

[abcerase]

sir yun po bng 24p/ifc na sinasabi ni sir carlo yun ba ang katumbas ng motion flow sa mga full h.d na lcd? tia!

IFC = Intelligent Frame Creation - this is panasonic's rendition like the 'motion flow/motion plus, etc' (but for plasma)
24p = refers to a video format that operates at 24 frames per second

[Clondalkin]

Sir will this be a serious problem? Will this eventually disappear? My daughter plays ps2 once once a while (weekends at the most).

Serious problem?  That's up to the user because so far, the IRs Ive experienced with the V2 eventually disappear.   But, and there is a But, the V2 I feel is more prone to IR than my previous 2008 model plasma.  It doesnt take so much time for a static bright image to leave a shadow.  That shadow is more of an annoyance than anything because (a) it doesnt affect the colors except when the image is monotously of light shade in the area around the IR and (2) ignore it and it will just go away although that depends on how long a static bright image was projected.   

The IR caused by the NMT contents list (see just browse through the contents and some shadow would be left) is gone a few minutes into watching a movie.

So paano kaya yung bright and static health bar stretching across the screen?

The Golf Network ID that left a shadow on the V2 after watching 2 straight rounds of live golf broadcast took at least 6 hours of overscanned mode to be gone.  I noticed how persistent the shadow was yesterday, it was gone this morning.

[abcerase]

Serious problem?  That's up to the user because so far, the IRs Ive experienced with the V2 eventually disappear.   But, and there is a But, the V2 I feel is more prone to IR than my previous 2008 model plasma.  It doesnt take so much time for a static bright image to leave a shadow.  That shadow is more of an annoyance than anything because (a) it doesnt affect the colors except when the image is monotously of light shade in the area around the IR and (2) ignore it and it will just go away although that depends on how long a static bright image was projected.   

The IR caused by the NMT contents list (see just browse through the contents and some shadow would be left) is gone a few minutes into watching a movie.

So paano kaya yung bright and static health bar stretching across the screen?

The Golf Network ID that left a shadow on the V2 after watching 2 straight rounds of live golf broadcast took at least 6 hours of overscanned mode to be gone.  I noticed how persistent the shadow was yesterday, it was gone this morning.

Oh my...if I am gonna use this as part gaming and part movie (50-50), this is not recommended?

[Clondalkin]

Oh my...if I am gonna use this as part gaming and part movie (50-50), this is not recommended?

Im only telling you what you should expect out of this plasma.  You can game on it, but you have to be able to deal with IR.

Eh napansin ko dito sa PDVD ang daming pinapanood yung TV imbes na pinapanood yung palabas sa TV.      O kaya walang katapusang set-up or jukeboxing without actually watching anything.   

[danrd]

Im only telling you what you should expect out of this plasma.  You can game on it, but you have to be able to deal with IR.

Eh napansin ko dito sa PDVD ang daming pinapanood yung TV imbes na pinapanood yung palabas sa TV.      O kaya walang katapusang set-up or jukeboxing without actually watching anything.   

Ayos yun. Tipid sa kuryente. 

[abcerase]

Im only telling you what you should expect out of this plasma.  You can game on it, but you have to be able to deal with IR.

Eh napansin ko dito sa PDVD ang daming pinapanood yung TV imbes na pinapanood yung palabas sa TV.      O kaya walang katapusang set-up or jukeboxing without actually watching anything.   

Got it po...thanks! Sobrang halata po ba yun IR, e.g. i will play NBA or MSG4? I am not planning to watch cable TV. It's just console gaming then blu ray/DVD.

[Clondalkin]

Got it po...thanks! Sobrang halata po ba yun IR, e.g. i will play NBA or MSG4? I am not planning to watch cable TV. It's just console gaming then blu ray/DVD.

Hehehe.  I can feel your hope for someone to tell you that it's gonna be OK.

1.  You'd see it when you look for it.

2.  You may not notice it if dont look for it.

3.  I can see it but I dont mind it at all.  It's a plasma afterall.   What choice do I have based on my needs and preference?

4   While gaming your eyes are focused at a specific area and not on the entire screen ne?   So you might not notice anything at all.  Paglipat mo sa BD, yun ang malaking katanungan Kabayan.   If the scene is colorful and the IR'd area is blackened, you wont notice it at all.  When the scene is mostly bright all over, ayun...may multo...hehehe

[Carlo777]

@abcerase

For casual gaming, I'd say "yes" it's ok to use any plasma for that matter. But for dedicated gaming I'd recommend an LCD anytime any day. For now,there is no plasma IMHO that can better high end LCDs for gaming.

Conclusion later.

[abcerase]

thanks po sir clondalkin and sir carlo for giving me hope Yep, it is going to be casual gaming only...

Sir carlo, what do you mean by "high end LCDs"..what would be the LCDs that you would consider as "high end"? Thanks again!

[Carlo777]

thanks po sir clondalkin and sir carlo for giving me hope Yep, it is going to be casual gaming only...

Sir carlo, what do you mean by "high end LCDs"..what would be the LCDs that you would consider as "high end"? Thanks again!

Sony Ex series or X series, Samsung 7 series...