Well you definitely made the right choice just4kix.
As I mentioned already, CNET reviews are done in a pitch black room where it's no surprise the HX850 didn't perform as well as ST50 according to them. Also the fact that David is a plasma lover and that he isn't particularly good at calibrating LED sets makes it quite clear why in his review ST50 is made out to be quite a lot better than HX850.
A well calibrated HX850 will perform better than what David suggests.
Sound and Vision Mag, What HiFi, Home Theater Mag are all not just Internet tech sites like CNET but publications as well and are highly respected. They are specialists in Home Cinema equipment reviews unlike CNET which is just an Internet jack of all trades master of none tech blog/site.
I am not going to include review sites that give subjective reviews, so including only trustworthy sites that back up reviews with quantitative data both ST50 & HX850 get 5 on 5 or 10 on 10 for PQ. So for two TVs that score 10/10 it's really not fair to say that one is a notch below the other.
Color accuracy is similar, contrast ratio is similar (ST50 gets >5000:1, HX850 gets 2800:! with Local Dimming OFF, 4500:1 with Local Dimming on LOW, >5000:1 with Local Dimming on Standard)
Black Levels for the two are also similar with the HX850 Local Dimming on Standard Mode, ST50 still is slightly better.
They are both exceptional. ST50 is better in darkness and HX850 is better in daylight/bright room lighting.
Viewing angles is one area where HX850 is no match to the ST50 though. ST50 destroys the HX850 in this area.
Then it's all down to LED vs Plasma. Whether you prefer more vibrant colors or more natural colors, solid blacks most of the times and very good blacks in complete darkness, or only good black levels most of the times and excellent blacks in complete darkness, brighter picture or a more soothing not so bright picture.
I was actually seriously considering the ST50/GT50 as it would have been nice to have both a top end LCD as well a top end Plasma at home but unfortunately there were a lot of things that made me forget about that plan.
Also I must make it clear I have nothing against Panasonic, in fact I prefer Panasonic for home appliance products and I'd say they would be my brand of choice if Sony did not exist.
First, the design of both ST/GT50 is uninspiring to say the least. I really wish Panasonic spent more money on hiring better designers. I almost felt like I had gone back in time when I demoed the GT/ST50 right after spending some time with HX850.
Second, the 3D image was very impressive with very good layer separation and no crosstalk, but it was a bit too dim for my liking.
The same goes for the overall 2D PQ. Any hint of sunlight makes the picture look too dim and blacks look more grey than some mid range LED sets.
But in very low light no doubt it puts out a stunning picture. I'd personally pick the ST/GT50 over the HX850 if I watched TV in a completely dark room all the time. The brightness is perfect for a dark room, 3D is amazing, black levels are inky, colors are much more realistic and almost have a soothing feel. I really like that, but unfortunately I am buying a 40/42 inch TV to use in my room as a monitor half the time and I don't think I can live with the dim Plasma picture. Not to mention the possibilities of Image retention and burn in.
And also one area where the HX850 has an edge is in delivering an almost 3D like 2D picture depending on content. Not just HX850 but any good LED set has almost a 3D feel which Plasmas don't have. Of course that isn't particularly a plus point as some may like that and some won't. I personally enjoy that characteristic.
Also I don't mean to offend any Panasonic TV owners, but their remote controls also need to be designed better. Almost feels like a plastic toy.
But all said, ST50 is a brilliant TV and probably the best value high performance TV EVER !!!. You are and should be proud of owning the ST50.
.
Also I think you misunderstood, nowhere in the review or did I personally say HX850 has better PQ than ST50. The reviewer has conducted a very detailed shootout with quantitative data and proof to backup his claims if you read the whole review. He picks the HX850 as its the overall better package, not that it has the best PQ possible (under certain conditions only).
P.S. I guess the post is too long now to be worth reading haha.
.
