My Panasonic remote 2 cannot connect to the TV although both mi iPad 3 and TV are connected to the same network.
Secondly I finally saw the minimal IR that some forum members were cribbing about. It is the temporary IR for a few seconds of the smart viera logo which can be seen on a blank background and vanishes on playing video content. You may also visualize the menu borders briefly.
One should understand that all viewing systems have IR. the human eye has it too for gods sake one doesn't need to crib about it. I hope whether just4kix confirms it for his ST50. You need to concentrate a lot in a dark room to actually see it.
The lingering "Viera" logo - I have also seen it sometimes. That is not IR by any standard. It stays for one or two seconds at startup till the main video kicks in. In the absence of actual video feed, the circuit and setup that displays the Viera logo at startup does not completely shut off. It cannot be termed as IR by any means. It would be IR had the logo remained displayed for minutes and hours together.
The fact remains that ST50 and GT50 are one of the best TVs around. CNET has marked ST50 as the best all round TV of 2012 and this includes all TVs regardless of technology. They said that while VT50 has better PQ, the ST50 scores higher for sheer value for money. Here are liinks:
Best HDTV Overall
1.
Best picture quality and value (Panasonic TC-PST50 series)
Best HDTV for PQ:
1.
Best picture quality overall (Panasonic TC-PVT50 series)
2.
Second-best picture quality, best for an LED (Sharp Elite PRO-X5FD series)
3a.
Third-best picture quality (tie) (Panasonic TC-PST50 series)
3b.
Third-best picture quality (tie) (Panasonic TC-PGT50 series)
CNET is not alone. Almost all reviewers sing high praises about this TV. Let us beg a question:
would these experts sing high praises if the TV faired abyssimally on IR? Note that these reviews are not fire and forget reviews but are updated all the time. If ST50 or GT50 or any other plasma model, had such serious IR issues, it would have been mentioned as a
distict disadvantage. In fact, such news would go viral over the internet because
bad news is good news.
The world over people buy LCD/LED 95 times out of 100. The one belief is plasma = old technology, if nothing else. It is only people who are very particular about black levels, colour accuracy, avoidance of the soap opera effect, motion/judder, wary of LED light bleed, etc., make an informed decision and turn to plasma. This does not mean that people who buy LCD/LED make a snap and ill-conceived decision. There are times when LCD/LED are better than plasma and I have said so many times. One such occasion is when watching TV in a very bright room. The hi-fi forums are dominated by plasma lovers - the
average Joe does not join a forum. The experts' love for plasma and the domination of plasma lovers in a forum such as ours, irks some (and only some) LED lovers no end. Which is really sad.
I am no LCD/LED hater. But I believe that what is best is best for a situation, is best for a situation, no matter what.
I made very close comparisons while buying between HX850 and ST50. Although no side-by-side comparison was possible, some shopkeepers started to recognize me because of the (uncomfortable) questions that I asked both camps. I could clearly observe LED light bleed in HX850. Along with that I also observed that black was not as inky as in ST50/GT50. Hence I decided to buy ST50.
For me, ST50 provided better value not only in terms overall quality but on money well spent too.
For others, the situation may be different.
IR is always a worry with plasma. Two years ago, I was aware of it and that is why I was hesitant. But the problems can be tackled. I am not saying that people who are facing problems are lying and I am alone on side of the truth. I say that they do have a genuine problem. But more than anything, I feel that they are quite unfortunate with being landed with a defective piece. I do not think that this is a generic problem, at all. Would I be singing praises even if my own TV set was showing acute signs of IR, colour bands, judder, etc.? I would instead be crying hoarse and advise others against going for a plasma.
I said this once before. I will say it again. Anyone from Pune/Mumbai should feel free to visit my home and check the facts. Note that I am NOT trying to badger anyone into buying a plasma TV. You come, you see, you decide (conquer).
Finally, it is not that the HX850 is bad - in fact, it is a very good TV and almost near par with ST50 but it does not exceed the ST50 (I mention HX850 specifically because that is what always comes up in comparison). CNET has very good things to say about it:
Best-performing edge-lit LED TV (Sony KDL-HX850 series). ST50 has some distict advantages while HX850 has some of its own. No expert claims that HX850 exceeds the plasmas in its range. It is a great pity that HX850 is being discontinued. Perhaps the new 'W' series will be equal if not better than HX850. I think that the Samsung E8000 series (55" costing 2.25 lakhs) is also mind blowing.
I hope that this puts the things into perspective.
