Panasonic VIERA Infinite-Black 50 Inch 1080p THX Plasma HDTV - $949 w/ Free Shipping

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Panasonic VIERA Infinite-Black 50" Inch 1080p THX-Certified Plasma HDTV
$949 + Eligible for Free Shipping, Low Price Guarantee, and Free 30-Day Returns
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rmid=B003924UCK&link-f4x229-38F4R-panasonic50

* 50-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; THX certified display
* Incredible 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio with state-of-the-art Infinite Black Display
* VIERA Cast for streaming online content including Amazon Video on Demand, Netflix, Pandora, Twitter, YouTube, and Picasa. Plus video conferencing via Skype (using optional webcam)
* Infinite Black panel blocks ambient light and produces deep blacks and bright, vivid images with minimal reflection
* Inputs: 3 HDMI, 2 component, 2 composite, 1 Ethernet, 1 PC, 2 USB, 1 digital audio output
* Includes removable stand; VESA; measures 48 x 31.9 x 13.2 inches with stand
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wow, hot price for sure. Definitely one of the best pictures you can get, pretty much in any kind of HDTV display

My rich uncle has one of these plasmas, so sick

He uses it for bluray/TV/and he it hooked up via a netbook too...so sweet and massive and he even setup an articulating mount for portrait mode :eek: Supposedly the burn-in issues with the newer plasma sets are not bad anymore, and there are screensavers and other means of negating any kind of burn in for PC use.

ddddduuuuaaalllllitsawe.png


the 3D version of this TV is on there for $50 more if you wanted 3D too (the same specs, 5 million:1 contrast with all the same plugs and such) for $50 more if you really want the 3D with this set set. But the 3D glasses and bluray player is like another $250 or more though easily if you want to actually SEE the 3D on the set, heh

$999 shipped for the 3D 50" Panasonic plasma here--> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rmid=B0040Q93PI&link-f4x229-38F4R-panasonic50
 
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I have one of the lower end S2 models I use as a monitor, and after playing 100+ hours of Bad Company 2, there was minuscule burn in of the ammo count in the bottom right corner. You literally had to put up a blue background and stand 1' away to see it. After playing FIFA 11 for a few hours it was completely gone.
 
G25 has major rising black and floating black issues. Though it has one of the best input lags in an HDTV ever.

Better to go with the GT25 or samsung c7000 if you want best bang for buck 2D picture quality. (gt25 has better 3D, c7000 unlocked to c8000 better 2D)
 
flegg said:
G25 has major rising black and floating black issues. Though it has one of the best input lags in an HDTV ever.

Better to go with the GT25 or samsung c7000 if you want best bang for buck 2D picture quality. (gt25 has better 3D, c7000 unlocked to c8000 better 2D)
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I have never heard of rising and floating blacks...

the GT25 is $50 bucks more on sale now also and it has the same exact specs almost (besides this "neoPDP plasma panel" this G25 has supposedly)

is the $50 more worth it for the GT25? Actually, If you get the 3D TV for $50 more you also have to fork out $250+ for all the 3D glasses, 3D player, etc so its actually more than $50 for the 3D set. And I am not really into that 3D fad too much. Same specs though, no?
 
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flegg said:
G25 has major rising black and floating black issues. Though it has one of the best input lags in an HDTV ever.

Better to go with the GT25 or samsung c7000 if you want best bang for buck 2D picture quality. (gt25 has better 3D, c7000 unlocked to c8000 better 2D)
Click to expand...

My HT buddies agree that the rising blacks issue is probably just as likely to occur on the other plasmas also. Just needs tuning from time to time. That's why they make Avia Guide to HT / Digital Video Essentials.

Overhyped issue from the videophile types at AVSforum IMO. I've been one of them, I know. For most, prob not a major issue.
 
Floating blacks actually concern me the most. Pretty bad on G25. (I can guarantee that Samsung plasmas do not float)

Not sure if the GT25 fixed the floating. I believe the G25 and the GT25 have quite different specs. Info on the GT25 still shallow last I checked.

GT25 probably has as much floating as the VT25 which is pretty minimal but still there.

As far as the rising blacks I don't trust "probably"

But again if you want something with a proven extremely low input lag, G25 is great. Personally I would just game on a CRT if I was gaming that competitively though.
 
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i bought a g25 50 in september, we absolutely love the tv. Its in our bedroom LOL so its only like 8 feet away from our faces while we're in bed. So we notice everything, the floating blacks are evident sometimes but they dont really bother me. When I notice them I point them out and my GF is usually like WTF are you talking about? She doesnt notice them....
 
The G25 is a good TV I will admit. I own a VT25 series. But for this price I would grab a G25. They are really nice.
 
tangoseal said:
The G25 is a good TV I will admit. I own a VT25 series. But for this price I would grab a G25. They are really nice.
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yeah, they both have very similar specs like 5milion to 1 contrast and such. For most people who don't care they won't be able to see the difference besides the slightly better level of blacks the VT obviously has with the Infinite Black Plus, but when will you actually see that $350+ difference worth while? Rarely , if ever. The G25 is definitely good bang for the buck and still has Infinite Black with 5 million to 1 contrast for awesome picture quality.
 
GreenMonkey said:
My HT buddies agree that the rising blacks issue is probably just as likely to occur on the other plasmas also. Just needs tuning from time to time. That's why they make Avia Guide to HT / Digital Video Essentials.

Overhyped issue from the videophile types at AVSforum IMO. I've been one of them, I know. For most, prob not a major issue.
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True, for most not a concern, but it's a shame oblivious comsumers can allow companies to keep putting out a compromised product with no repercussions. :( And I'm sure you know you can't just "tune" the black levels back, calibration disk or not. I hope mine don't become too noticeable over time.
 
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tuskenraider said:
True, for most not a concern, but it's a shame oblivious comsumers can allow companies to keep putting out a compromised product with no repercussions. :( And I'm sure you know you can't just "tune" the black levels back, calibration disk or not. I hope mine don't become too noticeable over time.
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Still better than an LCD, no matter how much less-black they get :D And probably still better than an older plasma. So it seems like to me, this is the best they can do for now.
 
i picked up the gt25 (3d) model a little over a month ago...it has a couple places where an image burned in. also has a defective hdmi port, and audio sync issues when streaming from netflix or a media player (via hdmi). my plasma sammy that was on just as much as this tv doesn't have any image burn or issues that this tv has. i also think the image quality on the sammy is a lot sharper than the panny, both on HD content and SD. i could go on and on about all the pitfalls of this tv.
i definitely would not purchase another one. there is a reason the panny 3d tvs are so cheap. but, that's based off my experience.
 
Yea that sucks. I just couldn't sleep well recommending Panny these days when the c7000 from Samsung is such a good deal (if you unlock it to c8000 which is easy). Excellent features like ability to play just about any video file directly from USB and worry free top notch 2D picture quality (just don't play games or run black bars for first 200 hours). Also the SD upscaling is the best I have ever seen. White on black crosstalk in the 3D,buzzing during static images, high input lag when not in game mode (but game mode still looks awesome) are the downsides to the c7000
 
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I'm going to drop some knowledge on you about the rising black levels. Sure it’s an issue brought up by videophiles but with good reason. Having deep blacks are an important aspect of picture quality. This is not an issue with other Plasma brands over such a short period of time. Will the average Joe probably notice? No, but they probably have their TVs set to totally inaccurate out of the box picture settings. I’m normally a big Panasonic guy but can’t support them with their decisions on how to manage black levels over time. This isn’t something that can just be calibrated out.

They really need to stop sitting on the Kuro tech from Pioneer and built a Plasma set that can beat those.
 
bpmurrGT said:
I'm going to drop some knowledge on you about the rising black levels. Sure it’s an issue brought up by videophiles but with good reason. Having deep blacks are an important aspect of picture quality. This is not an issue with other Plasma brands over such a short period of time. Will the average Joe probably notice? No, but they probably have their TVs set to totally inaccurate out of the box picture settings. I’m normally a big Panasonic guy but can’t support them with their decisions on how to manage black levels over time. This isn’t something that can just be calibrated out.

They really need to stop sitting on the Kuro tech from Pioneer and built a Plasma set that can beat those.
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I wasn't going to chime in but I agree with a lot of what you stated. I own a G10 and have read more than I care to about the subject on AVS. With the G25, they simply made the black level rise more gradual over time but eventually it will end up the same. I don't know much about floating blacks as I don't have that problem, however, I do have a definite rise in black levels. I haven't been in the service menu for awhile so I'm unsure how many hours I have on the set, but it is noticeable. My first increase was at 300 hours. It can't be fixed/calibrated out and I'm disappointed in the way it was handled by Panasonic. It was either this TV or the Samsung Buzzer. I still enjoy the set, but the blacks are not like they were out of the box. It's still a great price and I heard US Appliance had it for $897 when this was posted.
 
fociz said:
Would love a plasma but i think ill wait for led backlit.
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LED backlighting is not going to solve the inherent problems with LCD at all. Even if they did per pixel backlighting and the black levels were insanely great, there is still that little issue of the picture just doesn't look that great when things are in motion. I'm not big on the soap opera effect and even when done well it looks a bit funny. I love my PVA and IPS LCD displays for computer work but it's Plasma for everything else. There is no contest, in my opinion.

Damn, I need another panel, I should just get one. My wife is pissed that I have a Plasma in the man cave but upstairs its a 34" Sony XBR.
 
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