42ST30 Impressions.

thanx for your review,

when and where did you buy this TV?

how many days did it take to replace A-Board
after complaining to Panasonic ?



hi, regarding FB here is what i got. Hope to get the set after a month
:):yahoo:The picture quality of this television is really outstanding. It is however compromised by an issue common to all 2011 Panasonic plasmas known as "Fluctuating Brightness". About a half of a second after a scene change there is sometimes an instantaneous change in the overall brightness of the screen. Full discussion of this issue can be found by Googling: "panasonic 2011 fluctuating brightness".

Panasonic, to their credit, has recognized this as an issue and has come up with a solution that eliminates it. All sets produced after August and have a serial number of "xx1215xxxxxx" or higher will have new software installed that eliminates these brightness fluctuations from happening. If you have an earlier model and notice these fluctuations, contact Panasonic and let them know. They should either schedule a Panasonic employee to flash the software to your EEPROM, or they will schedule a 3rd party tech to replace your A-Board with one that already has the new software installed. In my case, they replaced the A-Board. Since then I have not seen any fluctuation and I am now completely satisfied with my set's remarkable picture quality.

Otherwise this television is exactly what I was looking for. Great price, superb picture quality, good Internet connectivity and interface. 3D is nice for future-proofing but it wasn't something I was actively looking for, but Panasonic sets with the best 2D picture quality are all 3D capable. Panasonic's menu interface seems a little more dated than their competitions, but it is simple and straightforward which makes it very functional without any extra eyecandy. The ST series is a great value if you don't need the somewhat fancier styling of the gt or vt series, or the thx certified picture mode, or the extra connections (st lacks vga, and has 3 instead of 4 hdmi ports). Also the st is the only series to offer the 42" size screen. For me it all boils down to this being the perfect television for 2011 now that Panasonic has given us a solution to the problem of Fluctuating Brightness.
 
Panasonic Brandshop Koramangala.
somewhere around 6th August I Believe.

I have not yet raised it with Panasonic folks. Its not very bothersome, and I have been a bit busy. But I will raise eventually :)


thanx for your review,

when and where did you buy this TV?

how many days did it take to replace A-Board
after complaining to Panasonic ?
 
Allajunaki,

How abt the active 3D glass which is given with the set?, heard it's a 2010 model which comes with a replaceable battery. Did you use it and found it comfortable?. seems 2011 model 3D glasses comes with a rechargeable battery.

How do you find the PQ from SD channels, i went to a showroom and they plugged in a direct Cable connection to a 42ST30 for demo and picture looked pretty decent for that source whereas it looked very poor on a 40' 100hz LED ....
 
Source please.
EX-720 is quite good, for an LCD panel. One of the best, if you want LCD panel. But panny has slightly better blacks, and better motion resolution and screen uniformity.


Many experts have rated sony ex720 better than panny st30 in india. is that so
 
I got the 2010 model. It is comfortable, but at night, make sure you turn off all artificial lights. Since our powersupply is at 50Hz, they tend to cause some eye fatigue, since glasses run at 60.
In any case 2011 model 3D eyewear is far superior.

I think TV does a good job. But My SD Content is being upscaled by TS+ HD Box, and they perform rather average. Moreover, I rarely watch anything other than HD on this TV :)
SD watched from my LG Plasma ;)


Allajunaki,

How abt the active 3D glass which is given with the set?, heard it's a 2010 model which comes with a replaceable battery. Did you use it and found it comfortable?. seems 2011 model 3D glasses comes with a rechargeable battery.

How do you find the PQ from SD channels, i went to a showroom and they plugged in a direct Cable connection to a 42ST30 for demo and picture looked pretty decent for that source whereas it looked very poor on a 40' 100hz LED ....
 
I got the 2010 model. It is comfortable, but at night, make sure you turn off all artificial lights. Since our powersupply is at 50Hz, they tend to cause some eye fatigue, since glasses run at 60.
In any case 2011 model 3D eyewear is far superior.

I think TV does a good job. But My SD Content is being upscaled by TS+ HD Box, and they perform rather average. Moreover, I rarely watch anything other than HD on this TV :)
SD watched from my LG Plasma ;)


didn't they agree for an upgrade to 2011 model glass for a additional price?.

Is ur LG plasma plasma having a better PQ for SD channels, what model is it??.
 
Quite frankly I did not know that they would be giving me a 2010 model glasses. And I did not want to spend anything more at the moment for 3d, since its not so much of a priority for me.
I will, however, get Xpand X103 as soon as someone goes to US.

SD is not better on my LG (Model in my signature :) ). Panasonic has a better upscaler than the LG. But since Panasonic is connected to TS+HD, it uses TS+HD's upscaler, which is average at best.

LG is now connected to my older TS+ Box, So LG is now upscaling the video natively, which is again average at best.

In any case, Almost all the stuff I watch these days are HD, Since PS3 Games are atleast 720p and all the TV shows I watch comes in HD ( Star World HD). Movies that I download are in HD, and so are the TV shows.
Even DVD's get upscaled, thanks to PS3 who does a wonderful job of upscaling.

Its only when I switch to regional channels for movies do I get a downgrade.

didn't they agree for an upgrade to 2011 model glass for a additional price?.

Is ur LG plasma plasma having a better PQ for SD channels, what model is it??.
 
Just an update.
I tried Killzone 3 and Motostorm Pacific 3D and Motostorm Apocalypse 3D .
All of em Demo, mind you :)

KZ3 : Speechless. 3D genuinley improves gameplay. The depth perception really did improve my shooting skills, I normally suck at Fps, but I can see how it helps in the middle of firefight.
However, the level of strain is quite a bit, and there is a bit of crosstalk (which adds to the strain). Now Im seriously considering getting Killzone 3.

Motostorm Pacific Rift : Again 3D was thoroughly enjoyable, and a lot less strain on eyes too. One of the best games to demo 3d and how it improves gaming experience. Will surely consider this game, if it hits platinum (That is, when prices drop sub 1.5k ).

Motostorm Apocalypse : The games is too busy and 3d just doesnt have the oomph of Pacific Rift, which surprising, considering pacific rift is older than Apocalypse.


All in all, atleast I can see myself playing some of the games in 3d. ( So 3d is a bit more than gimmick :D ).

One more thing, not all games are created equal. From what I can tell, KZ3 has one of the best depth perception, and really does improve your gameplay. Crysis 2, while very very pretty in 3d, hardly does much to improve, its more of an add on rather than genuine tool to enhance your skills.
Again, I have played only the short demo of Kz3 and last 5% of Crysis in 3d. So your mileage may vary with these games.
 
@ALLAJUNAKI

To put it straight :-

Would you recommend buying Panasonic 42ST30D, other options being LG 42LW6500 and sony 40NX720 ?
 
emailnagpal,

I would suggest to go for 42ST30. I had shortlisted 42ST30, LW6500 & LW5700 but going for Panasonic ST30 since the PQ is very good with SD content.

I'm only confused whether to go for 50ST30 or 42ST30, Though my viewing distance is 16 feet i feel quality of SD channels (especially regional channels) when bad will be more visible when viewed in 50 inches.
 
how much are you quoted for 50ST30 & 42ST30?
i have been quoted 1,20,000 & 85,000 respectively

emailnagpal,

I would suggest to go for 42ST30. I had shortlisted 42ST30, LW6500 & LW5700 but going for Panasonic ST30 since the PQ is very good with SD content.

I'm only confused whether to go for 50ST30 or 42ST30, Though my viewing distance is 16 feet i feel quality of SD channels (especially regional channels) when bad will be more visible when viewed in 50 inches.
 
@ALLAJUNAKI

To put it straight :-

Would you recommend buying Panasonic 42ST30D, other options being LG 42LW6500 and sony 40NX720 ?

He can only do that if you send those other two TVs to his place for a weekend. :) buy some sampler DVDs , go visit the showrooms demo the TVs and most importantly trust your eyes.

Stop comparing Plasma with LED.
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
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