50" battle: ST30, GT30 or D6900?

Bander

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I am really struggling to make my decision on the above 3 models. Based on features and prices below which would you suggest is best for me?

The tv will sit in front of full length windows facing NW.
60% broadcast material (SD & HD via Sky)
30% gaming on Xbox 360 (fps & driving)
10% 3d and BD

I can buy the TVs for the following prices:

50ST30B + 2 x glasses + 5yr warranty = £699
50GT30B + 2 x glasses + 1yr warranty + 110BD + 4BD discs redemption = £1022
51D6900 + 4 glasses + 5yr warranty = £899
 
I'm sniffing around at 3D TV at the moment too. From the reviews and research I have found so far the best out of that bunch would be the Panasonic GT30.
You take a risk warranty wize but my current Panny is 4 years old next year and hasn't put a foot wrong.
 
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The 50ST30 is a total bargain. I wouldn't hesitate a bit. The price over here without glasses is approx. 1050 pounds. Ouch...
Not to mention that visually it's a stunner.
Now, if you're extremely partial to 3D or some additional functions like RecordLiveTV or RewindLiveTV or DLNA....
Anyhow, I don't really see how the 50GT30 is worth those extra 300+ pounds. Yes, it's different. Better? Maybe... 300-pound better? - hardly.
 
The 50ST30 is a total bargain. I wouldn't hesitate a bit. The price over here without glasses is approx. 1050 pounds. Ouch...
Not to mention that visually it's a stunner.
Now, if you're extremely partial to 3D or some additional functions like RecordLiveTV or RewindLiveTV or DLNA....
Anyhow, I don't really see how the 50GT30 is worth those extra 300+ pounds. Yes, it's different. Better? Maybe... 300-pound better? - hardly.

ST30 a stunner? really? eye of the beholder and all that I guess.
Yes the GT30 is better in just about every way, 300 better? well thats down to the individual I guess, but it is better. ST30 is a bargain no question, but a 50" GT30 at that price?! wow, my 46" cost 1200, though it did have glasses and 5year, but still, for the 50" great price.


Happy Christmas all by the way:)
 
Happy Christmas everyone.

Thanks for the input everyone. I have another thread running in what tv to buy and the consensus has been the GT model is the one to go for. I am awaiting delivery of the LG 55LW550 and if that disappoints I will go with Panasonic.

It is very telling/interesting that no one has recommended the Samsung D6900 once in either thread.
 
Happy Christmas everyone.

Thanks for the input everyone. I have another thread running in what tv to buy and the consensus has been the GT model is the one to go for. I am awaiting delivery of the LG 55LW550 and if that disappoints I will go with Panasonic.

It is very telling/interesting that no one has recommended the Samsung D6900 once in either thread.
Be interested in what you think of the LG, there were some Samsung D6900 owners who have tried some of the passive ones (inlcluding the LG ones) and didn't get on with them and they now think the Samsung is the bees knees.
I must say having had plasmas for a long time now the lcd/leds are coning on leaps and bounds and IMO they are ideal (after having 2 different 3d plasmas) & they are better for mass viewing.
 
Removed as my response was regarding GT vs VT which wasn't what the OP was after. Sorry. One too many Christmas drinks. :)
 
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Another vote for the GT

Quality is awesome. Blacks are black, panel is very slim and loads of features.
 
The GT30. PQ is amazing and it's won awards. Not to mention it looks nice and isn't plasticky and plays MKV files from a plugged in HDD.
Sadly it doesn't detect Mac OS X formatted HDD so Windows is the only option.
 
I'm happy with my d6900 and there's plenty of others who are in the plasma forums! Didn't fancy a panny with all the talk of green tints and other issues highlighted on this forum
 
Thanks everyone. My LG LW550 will be delivered on 30th so will update my findings in this thread and decide on the Panasonic if needed.

@golly99: if I read the forums there are obviously issues with all of them, including the D6900 as the thread in the plasma forum shows. This is a buying experience I'm not looking forward to.
 
Good luck with the Lg thats the model I returned banding awful on it.
 
Bander said:
Happy Christmas everyone.

It is very telling/interesting that no one has recommended the Samsung D6900 once in either thread.

all depends on what conclusion you draw from it. In the small screen sizes you are looking at the price difference is too small IMO.

When my family and I demonstrated various sets I thought the Pannys have the edge only just. However the price difference between the 60" versions is huge and although the panny had the edge slightly it was enough to warrant it and we got the D6900.

Now if only Pioneer was still in this game :)
 
Here is a good update. Another day and more time viewing sets.

Today I compared the 50GT30 & Samsung 51D8000 plasma side by side and have drawn 2 main conclusions - I prefer the 3D of the Samsung because the flicker is almost non-existent compared to the Pana & 50Hz non-HD picture quality is also superior to me. The pq of HD is very similar.

Should the LG turn out to be a let down then I will be going down the Samsung route. I can get the 51D6900 for £900 and the 51D8000 for £999 therefore the latter is a no-brainer. I can't say where I bagged the D8000 price from...not yet.. ;-)
 
So I am not the only one who think the flicker is less obvious than on the active shutter glasses of the Panasonic? I could have sworn that the flicker on Samsung was less noticeable, but I imagined this being placebo...
 
slc79 said:
So I am not the only one who think the flicker is less obvious than on the active shutter glasses of the Panasonic? I could have sworn that the flicker on Samsung was less noticeable, but I imagined this being placebo...

I must admit other than when switching on the glasses I didn't notice it on either the panny nor the sammy.
 
I was in the same predicament. I went for the samsung d6900. I personally could not tell the difference between that and the d8000 so did it not warrant the extra money. The Panasonic GT30 is a great screen but not as bright as the Samsung for me and not as keen on the looks plus when I demo'd them the dreaded green blobs were present. For the premium that the GT30 costs over the Samsung i wouldn't be happy spending that money and seeing these on the screen. (that's not to say its on all GT's.) I had a right time trying to find the best TV for me but for the money the d6900 was by far the best out there.
 
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So I am not the only one who think the flicker is less obvious than on the active shutter glasses of the Panasonic? I could have sworn that the flicker on Samsung was less noticeable, but I imagined this being placebo...

For me it was substantially less on the D8000/D6900 than on the Panasonic. After passive the Samsung is the best for 3D as far as active goes.

My TV will sit in front of full length windows and the Pana glasses flicker like mad on natural light and other sources but with the Samsung glasses it's barely noticeable, and yet the PQ of SD content is also better but HD is very similar on both.
 
I agree. The D8000 lacks a lot in black level compared to the VT30, but it more than makes up for it in brightness, giving very deep colors and contributes to a good picture.
 
Have the Samsungs really caught up that well with the Panasonics now then? I've been reading these forums the past few days since my PZ80 developed a fault. Back when I bought it 3 1/2 years ago I seem to recall a Sammy being out around the same time that was a 1080p set, but the Panasonic seemed to be a clear winner (I think it was partly because of the 24hz playback? - I'm not an expert on these things so I may be wrong)

But the last few days have me concerned about the new Panasonics with some of the issues people are having. Green blobs are one of the main ones I see people talk about, and other stuff I don't even pretend to understand (and so maybe wouldn't notice?)

Brightness is another issue I see people mention. My Panasonic is rated at something like 500w (which in hindsight would have put me off had I paid attention to power consumption at the time) but may explain why my screen has nice whites and good brightness even with it set to around 50%.

It is a shame that traveling is difficult for me at the moment because I'd love to see the Samsung in the flesh and see how it compares to my TV.

I do love my PZ80 though. Whether it is Sky HD, Xbox 360 or Blu Rays, I think the picture is stunning. But perhaps that is just because I haven't seen what has been launched since I bought mine.
 
If brightness is important to you, the Samsung is the way to go. I've had the VT30 here as well (returned because of green patches), and the Samsung is much brighter.
 
It isn't really brightness per se. I am not totally clued up on TV technology, but isn't it supposed to be that as a plasma ages over a long period of time, that you lose brightness? I've seen people here saying they have the brightness on the newer panasonics almost full. Won't that mean after a few years use (I like to think a TV is an investment of sorts and will last me a while) that the Panny's will start to get quite dark?

I'm probably being clueless about it - it is a long time since I have spent any amount of time reading up on TV's.

It is also some of the other niggles people are having with Panasonic's as well. Apart from the firmware problem I've seen mentioned here with regard Samsungs, it seems owners are generally complaining less. But as I say I've only been catching up on the latest tech the last couple of days.
 
They are complaining less because the set DOES have fewer issues. So that's correctly observed. But it is not issue free. After having had two VT30s (whereof one had a panel change as well), I gave up on Panasonic and went for the D8005. It's so far looking like a keeper for me, even with its issues.

By the time the phosphors weakens in these sets, I think they're already due for replacement so this is not something that should cause a lot of concern, really. But unless you watch in the dark all the time, you WILL probably feel that the VT30 is just a bit too dim.

Yes, it produces excellent black levels (also in the dark), but in a brighter environment or even just with some ambient lighting on, it'll feel a tad too dark. At least it did for me. I would probably have chosen the VT30 over the D8005 anyway if it weren't for all the issues with it even with the brightness and all (because I love inky blacks), but the D8005 is not bad either. It just has other strengths and weaknesses. One strength being perfect screen uniformity, not even a HINT of any green patches/tinges/whatever. Yes, there really is some bitterness towards the Panasonics this year on my end, so I may not be entirely neutral about this :)
 
Thanks - I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

I do actually watch most of my TV in the dark because of the placement of the TV in relation to the window. But sometimes I find myself having to up the brightness a fair bit with some videogames - especially stuff like Fallout and Skyrim with very dark dungeons, so the ability to have that extra oopmh is nice.

This may sound a tad aloof (and I don't mean it to) but where TV's are concerned I always felt (in the past) Panasonic were a better quality brand compared to Samsung.

That isn't to say I think Samsung are a brand I would avoid. I have a Samsung phone and Samsung PC monitor - and for anything LCD-wise they would be my natural first choice. So it is good to see they have a nice plasma screen out there now that is worth serious consideration.

A big thing for me is that I dread spending a large amount of money on something and it be a bit of a lottery as to whether it will have issues. It's easy with a monitor or mobile phone to just take it back to a shop. But when it comes to a large TV I want to buy with confidence. I don't want to have to start waiting for engineers to come collect something, wait for replacements etc If it comes to me buying a new TV (I'm praying it doesn't), I'm not sure I could do that at the moment with a Panasonic (based on the threads I've been reading here) - it bothers me that I don't ever see mention of Panasonic acknowledging issues and that fixes are on the way.

I'm after a set for the bedroom though, and the Samsungs are top of the list at the moment.
 
Talking about brands let me also jump in. I too never considered a Samsung until this year.

I am a Sony man in the main but also have a Toshiba TV that has finally given up the ghost after many, many hours and 11 years of use now. When I first went into the shops I was being led towards LCD and I knew I wanted a plasma. The only LCD I now have considered buying is the LG - another brand I would never have entertained - because of the passive 3D.

LCD/LED has come a long way indeed. However, today I was in a small shop and saw the same film being shown on LCD & Plasma - Samsung and Panasonic respectively - but the difference was night and day. The film looked like a video camera on the former and very natural on plasma. This cemented my initial desire of buying a plasma.

1. There is no shortcut but viewing each screen yourself.
2. Someone advised me to buy and not worry about potential problems - best advice given.
3. Returning is a hassle but buy from the right retailer and hope for the best.
 

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