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Most helpful client reviews 1076 of 1132 people found the following review helpful.
 Great PQ, but HORRIBLE (delayed) luminance fluctuations
By jimmienoman
To preface this I have had 2 P50ST30s (one alternate because of the difficultnesses I will talk regarding below) and Amazon was amazing with the whole return and replacement. One of the best companies I have dealt with. This is a very long review as I would like you to grasp what you are buying beforehand.
ALL VERSIONS OF PANASONIC 2011 TVs ARE EXHIBITING THIS PROBLEM.
I was excessively affected emotionally when I primary set up my TV and took the time to age the phosphors in the TV for 150 hours by running slides (a step that may be skipped but the phosphors degrade in the original 100 hours quicker than the rest of it's life). I set up the blu-ray player and after dialing in the settings it looked awesome. Then the luminance variations happened.
The best way I may explain luminance variations ( Fluctuating Brightness or FBr) is will be a leap in lighting. When you have a dark scene the whole picture will darken some to give more detail to a shadowed area. It is necessary to give great picture quality in any plasma. Normally what will occur is that it will gradually fade into darker or lighter, this TV does it all in one step. A drastic comparison would be a pitch black room where you turn a light on vs turning a dimmer light on gradually. What you see on the screen is picture that will switch from dark to lighter. It is most noticeable when you have 2 scenes switching back and forth (think dialog amongst 2 characters where it switches amongst ones face to the other) and one scene is darker than the other. You may without apparent effort see this in the movie Hereafter around minute 40.
This problem is exacerbated by a delay in the video processing of the switch amid darker scenes and lighter scenes. In almost all video they will have scenes cut and pasted together. When this happens the lighting normally will change for respective reasons. When the scenes cut from one to another this TV will take regarding 0.5-1 second to procedure the lighting divergence to adjust to give more detail to shadowed areas. Given that it does it in one leap as brought up above, it gravely distracts you from looking at the movie and enjoying it.
Darker Movies will commonly fetch out these sensations or changes to it's max. When I went to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, I came to the point where I started counting the variations rather of observing the movie. I counted 56 total in one watching. My wife didn't watch HP with me but she commented on it while looking at Castle a few times, then more and more on other shows.
The reviews are unquestionably favorable as it has a great picture quality without doubt. Most professional reviewers mention wavering luminance problem, but gloss over it. Why they did I am not sure. It seems that a good deal of sets show this dramatically, while others don't. My primary one (the one I counted 56 variations on for HP) I would say was very bad equated to a somewhat less worse one that I got the second time around. I re watched HP on the second one to see if I could just receive pleasure from the movie, got to the point I started counting again and only counter 32 which were more tame but still easy to spot without even looking for them. To make sure it just wasn't me seeing things because I knew when they were, I made (yes she wasn't to happy when it comes to it) her watch Tron with me. We basi started Tron in 2d and she saw it some; then I popped in the 3d disc and she was pointing it out in each other scene.
I placed a complaint with US Panasonic as this was unacceptable, attempting to explain it the best as I am now. I was walked through altering multiple settings (CATS off, attempting all modes, altering contrast and all other settings, using 3 dissimilar HDMI cables along with composite and factor cables) with not one thing relieving the issue. Their response was that this is a feature of the TV and that it was working properly. Some of their precise words in the email I later received were " the picture dimming (fluctuating brightness) is negligible and must be considered within the TV's design specification."
In Spain a gentleman Documented this for Panasonic to prove that something was wrong. If you would like to see how bad this is; there has been a video posted by a fellow member of a outstanding forum for high def junkies that shows this instance (Google " VT30 hereafter " and it will show in the youtube vids) if you would like to see incisively what I am talking about. The TV here was the VT series which is Panasonic's flagship model and cost well over $1,200 of this TV.
Since the posting of the above video Spain got a firmware update to 1.520. The same person posted the precise same scene with the same set up which you may likewise view by clicking on his name or clicking on it on the right hand side. It does away with this problem, since then Europe Panasonic have acknowledged that there is something that they are looking into (circumventing saying there is a problem). But US Panasonic calls this a feature that is working as intended. Unlike US Panasonic which I have opened 2 cases with them when it comes to this problem, one for both TVs, and just receive it's a feature of the TV which is working properly...
I am hoping that this is heeded as a warning to some as I feel terrible regarding Amazon being outstanding in it's Service attempting to rectify what is evidently not their fault. I am a man that researches any big buy to the T to try to refrain from these problems. I weighed my choices and since the professional reviewers either made no mention of this problem or said it was a minor problem; I decisive to buy this Panasonic. I post this in hopes that those that do their exploration won't feel gypped as I do.
If you would like to read more remarks a Facebook page was formulated in hope that it would have an effect as it did with Sony. It is on facebook under "My 2011 Panasonic TV is Defective".
UPDATE 7/26 : Various Panasonic emails have said that there will be an formal publi statement this Wednesday 7/27. Also a A authenti higher up in Panasonic NA has said that there is a FW that will be purposed at fixing "panel dimming" very soon (this term has a dissimilar meaning then Fluctuating Brightness, but all other FW fixes in Europe that fixed the FBr were freed to repair another problem). This could or could not be a fix to the above problems, but hopefully putting 2 and 2 together means we will be getting a FW repair this Wednesday. Whether this is a fix to the above difficultnesses or not remains to be seen. Since I published this report it has been confirmed that all European models are now shipped with the Firmware that fixes FBr, while here in NA it hasn't been addressed. Here is to hoping for a statement Wednesday.
*UPDATE* 8/6/11 : First there has been no unfeigned formal publi statement from Panasonic NA as of yet. But after getting all the selective information accumulated and sent forward to the engineers (yes galore people that owned the TV put in this work), the engineers were competent to replicate the problem. Since then there is now a patch. This is not a Firmware update, rather it changes other "software" in the TV like the EEPROM. Since it is not rigorously a Firmware update they can not plainly have your tv download it from the internet like normal. It REQUIRES, at least as of right now, a tech to come out to install it on your TV.
Note that this fix has been confirmed to be loaded on TVs coming from the factory now. When this modify occurred I cannot tell you neither may any person that you may talk to, so please do not hound amazon, Panasonic or any other retailer. I assume the earliest we will see TVs with this update will be very late July formulated TVs if not August. If you determine to buy a TV from Amazon please just concede them to come out and patch the TV rather of sending it back. If you send it back Amazon has to eat the shipping and this is one company that tries it's most difficult to help the customer. So please do not make them eat the cost or else they WILL at last have to change the policies they have. It may take a few weeks to get the rep out, butit is worth it to grant amazon to keep it is very lax and client pleasure driven CS.
Now onto the results :
I have had this patch on my TVs for 2 days now. I compiled a list of FBr material that was bad for the duration of the info collection phase before we passed this on to the Panasonic Engineers so I had a list prepared to test this later on to see if it was fixed or not. Running through 20 of the worst scenes over 6 movies (Harry Potter Deathly Hallows 1, Tron, Casino Royale, Hereafter, Battlefield LA). In these movies I saw not 1 noticeable FBr ( I say noticeable because FBr is in the driving mechanism of this TV). I noticed only 1 instance of a little FBr in the movie The Rite, but it was beneath uttermost circumstances (dark background to near white background with a shadowed face in a scene change). Besides that I likewise watched a great deal of streamed video (Master Chef, True Blood, Band of Brothers etc) and got the same results of no FBr. Gaming (Fallout 3, Dragon Age Origins and Gears of War 2) was likewise the same, no FBr.
Overall it fixed the problem almost completely, if not completely. This patch surpassed my expected values and Panasonic owned up and fixed a glaring problem. There have been 3 forum users that have this repair and posted regarding it. They all report the same thing.
If you have purchased this TV or any other Panasonic NA ST30, GT30 or VT30 and have the difficulties cited above please call 1-800-973-4390. This is Panasonic Concierge and this is the number that was requested to call by the engineers. Tell them you have Fluctuating Brightness. Low end techs have been sent a memo when it comes to this. Many are now receiving emails to set up appointments.
Because of this fix I have ameliorated my score of the TV. For this price this TV is amazing. I reserved 5 stars for the Pioneer Kuro (the gold standard), 4 1/2 stars for the VT series and dk8000. This TV 4 stars is an undervaluation, but it is all I may do on here. Honestly it would be 4.25 taking into account the above TVs superiority. I can not express how happy I am with this TV now that it is fixed.
****UPDATE 8/22/11****
They have a fixed amount of panasonic qualified techs that may install the update thru SD card and will NOT give out the SD card for local non-panasonic techs to install as it has proprietary software on it. To alleviate the problem they send a new a-board to local techs that has the patch preloaded. The tech may then come out and install the new a-board under warranty assert (all free to you).
It is a simple routine and only takes 15 minutes. This a-board alternate doesn't void any warranty as it is done by Panasonic underneath Panasonic's warranty by a qualified tech.
*WARNING* the a-board swap AND the SD patch will wipe your calibration and the ISF day/night mode (ISF day/night is only available if you have the TV calibrated and the tech turns it on in the Service menu), if you had one done. If you determine to do either of the fixes I would suggest buying a backup program (like controlcal) to save your settings. You may then reload them after the patch. It has been brought up by calibrators that after either of the fixes that you will get close to the same results with the old calibration, but they say you will need a touchup to gray scale and colors to be as exact as possible.
From good origins it has been said that any August build TVs ought to have the fix pre-installed. Unfortunately the build date isn't on the outside of the box in the US. There is another way to check if it has been factory installed though. The 3-6 numbers in the serial number designate whether it has been fixed or not. These 4 numbers need to be 1215 or higher for the fix to be pre-installed. It will look like : xx1215xxxxxx .
Again if you order from Amazon, or any other online type store, they have no direct control on what comes out of the warehouse and you CANNOT request that it is an August build as they have no control on what goes out. If you want to be sure of what you get, you ought to buy local and quintessentially state you will only buy it if it meets those criteria.
The repair is easy sufficient to get that you ought to feel comfortable ordering this product. Don't order this product and suppose a 1215. Instead order this product expecting to have the tech come out. You may get a set pre 1215 that has no FBr as regarding 50% of the people report that they have no problem without the patch or you may get a 1215 build, but you ought to go into it expecting what you will most likely get. Then anything else is a bonus. If you don't feel good when it comes to buying the TV and perchance getting a FBr one then I suggest not buying from online stores.
To those outside of the US. Panasonic segmentations are altogether distinguished as they use dissimilar components, dissimilar firmware etc so this fix is for US only. The US division is sharing this selective information with EU, Canada, Australia etc to try to get this problem fixed with those TVs also. The other countries are still in the beginning stages so don't suppose them to be precisely where the US is as the other countries have to test, document, confirm, manufacture a repair (using dissimilar components/software mean they just can't copy/paste the US fix to theirs) and then test the fix. I cannot give you an update on outside of US, but I would suggest that you make your voice heard by opening tickets and speaking out regarding the problem.
Lastly for those that do have the TV or those that are more than willing to buy the TV and get the repair after. Call up Panasonic Concierge at 1-800-973-4390 . Allow them to walk you through the steps they have and undertake them as it is possible that it could repair your problem. If they walk you through that and you still see the FBr they ought to have received info on how to push it to the next level. To make sure here is the Document that they may look up in regards to this issue :
Service Hint ('A' Board alternate to fix the 'brightness fluctuation" in the ST30/GT30/VT30).
SH-B34-11-03-REV
A majority of this selective information is me plainly condensing what a good deal of others have done to get this in place. Thanks go to the great persons of highdefjunkies.com in particular 3 in particular, D-Nice for his primary determinations and universal knowledge; AVjunkie and Gotchaa who helped consolidate/voice our difficulties to the techs.
174 of 181 humans found the following review helpful.
 Couldn't be happier
By Vin
Like every one else fascinated in making the big screen purchase, I expended hours each night reading reviews, buying goods around, comparing specs and prices, and attempting to determine whether I will have to go lcd or plasma. Ultimately, I ended up just going to the local BB and seeing which one looked and felt right to me. I purchased this pretty 55in plasma and I couldn't be happier regarding it. I've had it for over two weeks now and I don't have a single complaint. The picture is great and the sound is just fine for my living space(apartment). The 2D-3D conversion is alright but you must not suppose much from any television's conversion. The 3D Blu-Ray is a dissimilar story - The Ultimate Wave Tahiti is AMAZING (I had to watch it twice because I didn't follow a word because I was so blown away by the picture) and Resident Evil Afterlife was fun to watch (the 3D at least).
I realized that all the hours I expended reading super elaborated reviews was more or less a waste of time because when it comes down to it, I don't actually care in regards to or even observe the subtle divergences that so a lot of humans compare. I just wanted a solid tv with great picture at an lowcost price and this was it.
The set up was beyond easy. The remote and on-screen menus are very user-friendly.
The gadgets all work just fine. Watching youtube videos on a 55in may be entertaining.
My roommate and I are journeying surfers and licensed skydivers so we have a great deal of GoPro HD videos that we watch on this tv using the SD card slot(we also watch them through the youtube widget)and they look phenomenal.
BOTTOM LINE: If you want a solid big screen with great picture at the right price then this is it. Highly recommend. If you have any questions then just leave a comment. 146 of 154 people found the following review helpful.
Fluctuating Brightness Can Break Your Movie Watching Experience...or not!
By Max Adams
My former tv (which I sold off already, regrettably) was a Panasonic th-42pz80u. This was my introductory step into the terrifi world of plasma tv's & I have not one thing but praise for it. I not so long ago decisive that I wanted to squeeze the biggest tv I could fit into my amusement armoire & giving careful consideration to how much I loved my old tv I figured it was a safe bet to stick with the Panasonic brand.
Immediately after turning the st30 on & popping in Planet Earth on Blu Ray for a test run I was exceedingly happy with both the new size of screen in front of me & the fantastic picture quality. I played around a good deal of more, tweaking the picture & features on my new set & decisive to start out observing a great deal of of my select Blu Rays that don't have letterboxing. I read someplace that it's best to watch movies that take up the whole screen for the firstborn 100 hours or so of a new plasma. I'm no tech head so I just do what I'm told. :p
Not long into watching "Starship Troopers" I noticed my initial flicker, or fluctuation. Every time the film made a cut there was an adjustment in luminance that came a half second later. I started out rewinding it over & over & couldn't believe my eyes. After the amazing flickering in the beginning I continued to watch & noticed it happening throughout, though not as bad as the begin of the film. I've watched a few movies since then, such as - Sin City (noticeable but not terrible), LotR Fellowship of the Ring (noticeable but not terrible), & OH MY GOD Final Fantasy: Advent Children. Final Fantasy was just unwatchable with flickering all over the place. For those who don't know, Final Fantasy is wholly computer animated which might have something to do with it being so noticeable. I would suppose the Pixar films to behave just as poorly but I can't say for certain.
I started researching & ran into that the vacillating luminance (or "FBr") is not an strange phenomenon. Just google "panasonic vacillating brightness" & read up on it. The forum "high def junkies" is a good place to begin as they have been talking about it in depth for a while.
I haven't lost all hope yet! There has been talk of Panasonic sending out a firmware upgrade to their Spanish clients on a case-by-case basis that actually FIXES this problem! Or at least adjusts it so the fluctuation isn't visible to the naked eye. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this firmware makes it stateside so I may begin enjoying my tv. If that happens I will unquestionably alter my rating of 1 to a 5 star. I'll be keeping my eye on that 30-day return date in the meantime, however.
********EDIT**************
After emailing Panasonic & starting a case with them I waited in a patient manner for an email or a phone call, but after a month none came. I kept up with the community on high def junkies & ultimately ran into that Panasonic had started sending local repair guys out with a new A-Board, or if you're one of the lucky few a much less sophisticated fix was available if a Panasonic employee could come to your house. I called Panasonic to see what the status on my case was, only to find out they had closed my case without any kind of notification. Jerks. The person I spoke with on the phone was apologetic & knew incisively what I was talking when it comes to when I brought up vacillating brightness. I was FINALLY getting somewhere. Within a week of that phone call they sent the alternate A-Board to my local repair shop & I had an "FBr" free tv!
For those curious, they did have to take apart my tv. After watching that terrifying ordeal it was just a simple unplug-this plug-in-that & they were done. VERY happy overall.
After the fix this is without apparent effort a 5-star tv in my book. I'm a little conflicted on showering it with not one thing but praise, however. I didn't precisely buy this tv day-1 of it's release & it took them this long to even recognise there was a terrible defect in a big number of their sets.
For those few who complain in regards to picture quality I will agree that right out of the box the picture quality doesn't genuinely jump out at you, but after buying a calibration disc & tweaking the habit settings it genuinely looks amazing. Easily the best in it is price range.
In short - if you're on the fence regarding this set, don't be. If you're unlucky & get one that was built before they had this repair installed, Panasonic will handle it! See all 348 client reviews... |
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