New Panasonic ST60 Plasma Reviewed..One of the Best TVs ever

[samy]

Folks, Recently the new Panasonic Plasma ST60 (2013) has been reviewed and guess what is the outcome..The 'Cnet' has crowned it with a rating of 5 out of 5. HDTVtest.co.uk has the verdict 'Highly Recommended' with a comment of 'Outstanding Plasma', PlasmaTVbuyingguide.com has given Picture Quality Rating: 9.2, flatpanelshd.com has crowned 'Highly Recommended Award 2013', Thetelevisioninfo - "Two records broken in one day.", "The ST60 is a breathtaking machine.". What I came to know from all of the reviews is that, the black level measured in this set is all time low till date along with other outstanding results. .

I think better you go though all the reviews for ST60 and dream of having it someday ( I wish I could have it). Now, we only can wait and see when Panasonic India is going to launch this set:sad:.

Few Links -

Panasonic ST60 review - FlatpanelsHD
The Best HDTV to Buy Today is the Panasonic ST60 - Tested
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-tc-p55st60/4505-6482_7-35567256.html
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/panasonic-tx-p42st60-201303312779.htm
http://www.televisioninfo.com/content/panasonic-st60-review

 

[Dirac]

With st60 and vt60 , Panasonic will be remembered as the God of plasma in the history of mankind.
With zt60 it is expected to achieve the status of "Beyond Almighty of plasma" status.

 

[elangoas]

These models seem to be made specifically for US/Europe countries....

The step down model 50S60 sells for around $800 (45K) in US per Panasonic US website...

In India even the entry level model 50X50 series model sells for >50K:sad:..

I was one of those who wanted to own a 50" incher plasma from Panasonic for around 60K.....:sad: Unfortunately couldn't....

Samsung Plasma would be a better option in India as it is manufactured in India itself, cutting the duty on imported products...

 

[just4kix]

Yes. We all know that this TV is highly rated and all that. But will Panasonic launch this TV in India? If yes, will they keep adequate stocks? Last year's ST50 record was abyssimal to say the best.

 

[just4kix]

These models seem to be made specifically for US/Europe countries....

The step down model 50S60 sells for around $800 (45K) in US per Panasonic US website...

In India even the entry level model 50X50 series model sells for >50K:sad:..

I was one of those who wanted to own a 50" incher plasma from Panasonic for around 60K.....:sad: Unfortunately couldn't....

Samsung Plasma would be a better option in India as it is manufactured in India itself, cutting the duty on imported products...

Aren't you forgetting a lot of things?

- Sales Tax is 7% on an average in US states, 9.25% in CA, 0% in OR/NH/AZ
- The set does not come with wall mount - add another $125 + tax
- There are no 3D glasses - add at least $100 + tax
- There is no free installation which is especially required for wall mounting as you will not be able to it yourself - add another $75
- There is no 2 years extended warranty, Best Buy Geek squad charges $180 + tax

So while India is expensive, please add all of the above before comparing.

 

[viper08]

With zt60 it is expected to achieve the status of "Beyond Almighty of plasma" status.

Reviews are already there for Z65 (UK Model) the best plasma TV ever seen...
Black level @ 0.001 cd/m2
Panasonic TX-P60ZT65B 3D Plasma Television Review | AVForums.com - UK Online

 

[longshanks]

ZT65 is most certainly a great plasma but when they state "kuro is dead" in that AVF review i guess it does not look good considering the fact they comparing a 2013 plasma with 2009 plasma and kuro's black measurement varies with calibration.

AVF measured ZT65 using check board and got this measurement.



A recent calibration of 9G kruo in Europe produced this measurement.



They should stop comparing 2013 flagships such as F8500 or the ZT60 with kuro.

from the check board pattern results kuro will show much more details than zt60 in a darker scene, even F8500 will show much more details than ZT60 because the with a brightness average of 51 to 55 cd/m2 i guess this television is not going to very dynamic unless watched in a completely dark room.both ST60 and GT60 has done better in this area so overall its is pretty clear Panasonic is trying to achieve these brilliant blacks on the ZT60 by compromising brightness.

 

[aakashr]

no surprises here............kudos to panasonic for taking plasma technology to another level.
ZT is not coming to India for sure, but VT, GT, ST, S should make it to Indian shores. With the new 2013 tv's coming in, I hope prices for 2012 models will go down.

 

[emmarbee]

If this is true, I'll go for F8500 anyday. Dunno whether i ll be able to differentiate between .01 and .02 cd/m2 black level. But I sure as hell can notice the 100 cd/m2 peak brightness

 

[elangoas]

Aren't you forgetting a lot of things?

- Sales Tax is 7% on an average in US states, 9.25% in CA, 0% in OR/NH/AZ
- The set does not come with wall mount - add another $125 + tax
- There are no 3D glasses - add at least $100 + tax
- There is no free installation which is especially required for wall mounting as you will not be able to it yourself - add another $75
- There is no 2 years extended warranty, Best Buy Geek squad charges $180 + tax

So while India is expensive, please add all of the above before comparing.

I guezz the 50S60 is not a 3D model....So barring that, it is still 65K per your calculation...Letz c the pricing when it lands in India...

 

[just4kix]

I guezz the 50S60 is not a 3D model....So barring that, it is still 65K per your calculation...Letz c the pricing when it lands in India...

My guess is that this TV sell for 80k (if at all it lands in India).

 

[Dirac]

ZT65 is most certainly a great plasma but when they state "kuro is dead" in that AVF review i guess it does not look good considering the fact they comparing a 2013 plasma with 2009 plasma and kuro's black measurement varies with calibration.

AVF measured ZT65 using check board and got this measurement.



A recent calibration of 9G kruo in Europe produced this measurement.



They should stop comparing 2013 flagships such as F8500 or the ZT60 with kuro.

from the check board pattern results kuro will show much more details than zt60 in a darker scene, even F8500 will show much more details than ZT60 because the with a brightness average of 51 to 55 cd/m2 i guess this television is not going to very dynamic unless watched in a completely dark room.both ST60 and GT60 has done better in this area so overall its is pretty clear Panasonic is trying to achieve these brilliant blacks on the ZT60 by compromising brightness.

Yes. Brightness could be a potential issue. But Gt50 was considered superior to st50 even though it produced considerably darker 2d and 3d images.
Plasma fans do not abhor darker picture.
But details in the blacks is paramount.
I heard that vt60 produces a touch more details in blacks than f8500. Now ,can zt60 produce lesser details in dark than vt60.

 

[vakharia]

Yes. We all know that this TV is highly rated and all that. But will Panasonic launch this TV in India? If yes, will they keep adequate stocks? Last year's ST50 record was abyssimal to say the best.

You will know on 12 May.

no surprises here............kudos to panasonic for taking plasma technology to another level.
ZT is not coming to India for sure, but VT, GT, ST, S should make it to Indian shores. With the new 2013 tv's coming in, I hope prices for 2012 models will go down.

2012 models got sold out long back (50 inchers) except the XT and UT at some places.

If this is true, I'll go for F8500 anyday. Dunno whether i ll be able to differentiate between .01 and .02 cd/m2 black level. But I sure as hell can notice the 100 cd/m2 peak brightness

Saw F8505 @ Helsinki in a mall. Lot of judder in the default Samsung video. The LED in front of it (6 or 7 series) was very smooth.
Will have to check this in India when it is available for display. But so far, my thumb is pointing downwards on this one.

 

[Vinod.R]

1) Let us first see what models land in India, therefore no use speculating.

2) Assuming that the models like S or ST60 land in India, let us see how much Panasonic skims off features for Indian models (Like removing Infinite black pro etc.). Because that has been the history throughout Indian Panasonic launches.

3) Then of course pricing where even basic models will be far more expensive than premium models in the USA/UK markets.

4) As justforkix said, there are other considerations which move the cost up in the US market, which is the only light I see in the horizon.

5) As this might be the last Plasma series release from Panasonic let us hope that they do better than previous years.

 

[longshanks]

I heard that vt60 produces a touch more details in blacks than f8500.

where have you heard this? because the check board measurements give a different story and according to that F8500 must show more details than any of the plasma's available on the market when setup properly.

Saw F8505 @ Helsinki in a mall. Lot of judder in the default Samsung video.

Interesting, i am not sure what you saw but here is what the AVF review says.

The motion handling was also excellent, with smooth judder-free 3D images and we were glad to see that Samsung had avoided the back door processing we saw on the F8000.

The PS64F8500 was also very strong when it came to handling motion, fast moving sports looked fantastic and 24p content retained a lovely film-like quality. We were also glad to see that Samsungs habit of introducing backdoor noise reduction is a thing of the past.

 

[akasmarty2003]

you guys might find it interesting: Japanese companies like Sony, Panasonic to ramp up India presence to end Samsung ‘rule’ - The Economic Times

 

[manzb]

Considering that Samy 64F8500 is available for retail at around 1.87 (Source -Infibeam), Pana people will find it tough to price their new range. The max they can price now 65ST60 (only if they choose to introduce in India), then around the same price range only. Last year though they officially introduce 65ST50 at around 2.5 lacs, it was nowhere to be seen, only place where it retails is Infibeam and Snapdeal, not sure whether they actually has stock or not. The big surprise is that 65ST50 (2012 model) is still being quoted above 2 lacs by infibeam.

Anyway, regarding the news of Pana ramping up, may be they are looking at increasing their LED line up, which is evident last year, when they had introduced so many models to choose from, and almost at every price level. They failed miserably in stocking up the ST50 & GT50 series, despite sufficient demand for the same. In fact, I never got to see any ST model anywhere in Showrooms (from sep/oct 12 till now) and only one GT model during the same period. They never thought that they should give people in India an opportunity to even look at flagship VT50 model. If that's how they are treating Indian markets, then the writing is on the wall. If market like their plasmas, then provide them, if you will not people will shift to LEDs and there the big brothers Samy & Sony will enjoy the situation. That is what is happening so far and I think Pana people also likes the same, and dreams that someday they will also enjoy the status of Samy & Sony in LED space. But that is only if wishes were horses.

 

[illusion_heart]

Considering that Samy 64F8500 is available for retail at around 1.87 (Source -Infibeam), Pana people will find it tough to price their new range. The max they can price now 65ST60 (only if they choose to introduce in India), then around the same price range only. Last year though they officially introduce 65ST50 at around 2.5 lacs, it was nowhere to be seen, only place where it retails is Infibeam and Snapdeal, not sure whether they actually has stock or not. The big surprise is that 65ST50 (2012 model) is still being quoted above 2 lacs by infibeam.

Anyway, regarding the news of Pana ramping up, may be they are looking at increasing their LED line up, which is evident last year, when they had introduced so many models to choose from, and almost at every price level. They failed miserably in stocking up the ST50 & GT50 series, despite sufficient demand for the same. In fact, I never got to see any ST model anywhere in Showrooms (from sep/oct 12 till now) and only one GT model during the same period. They never thought that they should give people in India an opportunity to even look at flagship VT50 model. If that's how they are treating Indian markets, then the writing is on the wall. If market like their plasmas, then provide them, if you will not people will shift to LEDs and there the big brothers Samy & Sony will enjoy the situation. That is what is happening so far and I think Pana people also likes the same, and dreams that someday they will also enjoy the status of Samy & Sony in LED space. But that is only if wishes were horses.

Mate, reference to the point you made on GT/ST IMHO the problem lies somewhere else....Is it that panny earmarks only limited quantities to India or maybe they cant fully estimate the demand for Plasma for the reason that the videophile market is still a niche segment here...

I was engaging with Pana brandshops in Ghatkopar and Mulund last month as I wanted to buy 65"ST50....they had both the 50" ST & GT in stock but were priced extremely high compared to the street price people had bought for......got a final quote of 2.24 for the 65 ST50 which seemed extremely high to me....was looking for sub 2 lac price...neways have also understood over time that pana brandshops have some kind of restrictions on how lower they can quote....street price dosent matter to them

I guess 65ST60 also wont hit stores earlier then diwali and will be ridicously priced basis of past experience.....adding on to the great reviews that this series has got abroad....

 

[elangoas]

Mate, reference to the point you made on GT/ST IMHO the problem lies somewhere else....Is it that panny earmarks only limited quantities to India or maybe they cant fully estimate the demand for Plasma for the reason that the videophile market is still a niche segment here...

I was engaging with Pana brandshops in Ghatkopar and Mulund last month as I wanted to buy 65"ST50....they had both the 50" ST & GT in stock but were priced extremely high compared to the street price people had bought for......got a final quote of 2.24 for the 65 ST50 which seemed extremely high to me....was looking for sub 2 lac price...neways have also understood over time that pana brandshops have some kind of restrictions on how lower they can quote....street price dosent matter to them

I guess 65ST60 also wont hit stores earlier then diwali and will be ridicously priced basis of past experience.....adding on to the great reviews that this series has got abroad....

Very true...I was enquiring abt a 50X50 few months back in Panasonic brand shop in chennai..they quoted a price of 58K..While an other multibranded showroom offered my 53K...When i check the prices with brand shop, they were asking me the contact person who quoted 53K for that model & they refused to negotiate further & said 58K is the best that they can offer...

 

[greenhorn]

A little birdie told me that it should be launched in a few weeks