Best plasmas to fight ambient light!! ??

[kenshingintoki]

I have a 2 year old cheap plasma £400... handles ambient light horribly in our lounge which has a massive baywindow.

in these 2 years, have any plasma TVs moved forward in handling light? how much would i need to spend for a good set which could take the light?

I've heard the ST50 et al have a filter but i can't find any videos showing it in action. any suggestions please or is LED the best way forward without spending £2000+?

 

[hodg100]

The best by quite a long way in this regard are the VT50 and E8000. Unfortunately really good filters come at quite a premium.

 

[kenshingintoki]

thank you, so the ST50 etc. would not be all that great for ambient light conditions?

 

[hodg100]

thank you, so the ST50 etc. would not be all that great for ambient light conditions?

If the TV is going to be bang opposite your window, it struggle.not that it's bad just the other2 mentioned will fare much better in. those conditions.

 

[techrigger]

thank you, so the ST50 etc. would not be all that great for ambient light conditions?

I have it in my lounge, it is sat opposite a window, I also have had the VT50, which I sent back as the improvements were marginal to say the least. The increased brightness of the ST50 nore than compensates for the ever so slightly better filter....BUT NOTHING CAN FIX THE HORRIBLE DUST MAGNET THAT THE VT50 SCREEN IS...it attracts dust like nothing ive ever owned and thats why I exchanged it for the ST50, along with it not being worth anywhere near £700 more.

 

[Gboardman1959]

I have it in my lounge, it is sat opposite a window, I also have had the VT50, which I sent back as the improvements were marginal to say the least. The increased brightness of the ST50 nore than compensates for the ever so slightly better filter....BUT NOTHING CAN FIX THE HORRIBLE DUST MAGNET THAT THE VT50 SCREEN IS...it attracts dust like nothing ive ever owned and thats why I exchanged it for the ST50, along with it not being worth anywhere near £700 more.

I think the VT50 filter as a far superior filter of that of the. ST50 especially when viewed in ambient lighting conditions

 

[techrigger]

Ive had both and done loads of comparing...it is marginal at best...but I repeat the ST50 has more punch to it in daylight...Far Superior is stretching it..

 

[Scooby2000]

From seeing these screens in action the VT has it by quite a way, the ST cleary doesn't handle ambient light as well, it looses quite a but of depth in comparison, with both sets side by side, all setup the VT is clearly better, worth the extra? well you need to see for yourself, IMO if you have the extra then it is. Not seen the Sammy but with such high light output it should be bright enough though can't comment on how washed out it may become without having a demo.

OP you need to see these sets yourself in conditions similar to yours.

 

[aandpwoodley]

You could also look at a 9G Pioneer,

 

[Scooby2000]

You could also look at a 9G Pioneer,

Queue Pioneer v Panasonic arguments.

 

[Nevaborn]

Agreed with Scoobs. Saw the VT and ST at same time as him.

The ST when in direct light is poor. The filter isnt able to compensate enough and the screen absorbs the light. You lose depth and your once luscious blacks look dull and lifeless.

The VT handles light much better. The filter really is wonderful. Not sure it warrants 3.5k lol but is a beauty.

 

[aandpwoodley]

Queue Pioneer v Panasonic arguments.

Yeah your probably right but if the budget is tight it's a cracking solution unless the OP wants new

 

[martinthorn1]

If budget is really tight, it might be worth trying what I did: spend about £50 on an anti-reflective film to stick on the front of it. Made my reflections better (but doesn't totally eliminate them)..

http://www.avforums.com/forums/plas...eir-reflective-screens-cheap-improvement.html

Martin

 

[improwise]

How is it possible that the same comparison can have 2 so different results, some people claiming the ST50 is superior, others that the VT50 is superior? Or is it perhaps 2 different answers, one that the ST50 has better light output so it can fight ambient light better, but VT50 has a better filter so it can fight direct light better?

At least with models sold in Sweden, it has been confirmed that the ST50 had more light output than the VT50, which makes them different to the ones being sold in the US (probably due to power regulations from the EU). I know that there are claims that the larger ST50 models have less light output than the smaller ones, I think it might even have been in a review at this forum. Can anyone confirm?

Please advice

 

[Scooby2000]

Two things to think about depending how bright and how direct the light is. Plasmas can wash out in a bright environment, this means more grey blacks, less depth and contrast and it can effect the richness of colours. If a room is very bright and the light output on the set too low then you'll just find it hard to see what's going on. If the set is in a conservatory like environment you may need a.brighter set, maybe even an LCD, if the room is like any other living room in the day and has a lot of ambient light the better filters on a VT will maintain better depth and richer colour whilst though not hugely bright, will be quite viewable. ST and VT in a dark room are very close, in a lit room the BRa filters does a far better job.

Take a look on the TPS meet threads.

 

[Insanity202]

Im an st owner. I was also at the tps event.
In bright conditions the set loses its dynamic contrast. By this i mean it starts to look more flat and loses its depth to images.
Increasing the contrast does increase the light output BUT the blacks and shadow detail still look more washed out.
Now saying this its by no means rubbish its not great either its good.
In low light these puppies come alive and have blacks and dynamic.contrast to rival the VT.
The VT has a great AR coating that holds that detail and black levels much more.
Now this and the calibration controls on offer on the vt is why its at a premium price over the st.

 

[Piers]

I have a 2 year old cheap plasma £400... handles ambient light horribly in our lounge which has a massive baywindow.

in these 2 years, have any plasma TVs moved forward in handling light? how much would i need to spend for a good set which could take the light?

I've heard the ST50 et al have a filter but i can't find any videos showing it in action. any suggestions please or is LED the best way forward without spending £2000+?

Others have given you good advice...you need to spend serious money to get a plasma screen with a filter that copes with high ambient light. I question why you want / need it?

Do you actually watch your screen during the day in a mood when you want absolute image perfection? Sorry if I am being controversial here but if you really want a great image in high ambient light...plasma isn't the answer. You want an LED backlit LCD and you need to view it from almost straight in front of the screen...which you may well not do!

I calibrate screens for a living and I struggle with the day / night settings that have been promoted here and elsewhere. I can give a reference image with the right screen under subdued lighting conditions. I can guess at what may be the ambient lighting conditions during the day...they will be very different in the summer compared to the winter (or maybe not with the current weather conditions).

Plasma for ultimate picture quality under controlled lighting but your one won't do it when there is loads of light in the room.

 

[fluxo]

I have it in my lounge, it is sat opposite a window, I also have had the VT50, which I sent back as the improvements were marginal to say the least. The increased brightness of the ST50 nore than compensates for the ever so slightly better filter....BUT NOTHING CAN FIX THE HORRIBLE DUST MAGNET THAT THE VT50 SCREEN IS...it attracts dust like nothing ive ever owned [...]

That's interesting. Why do you think that is?

 

[techrigger]

That's interesting. Why do you think that is?

I think its the material used, it was attracting dust particles at an alarming rate..It was opposite my lounge window, whis is in direct sunlight in the morning..that is when i noticed it, the dust and little fibres flying on to the screen. Then i got my microfibre cloth out to wipe it, and the dust on the cloth went on to the screen, and ive never had that before, or even now that I have another ST50 back. This ST50 also has no belimshes or vertical lines at all..which is now the second one Ive had without any

 

[shinyandy]

I don't think you could get a much lighter room unless you were in a greenhouse (south facing, southern Spain so get quite a few bright days!). Have had no problems with my VT50 at all, yes you don't get such a fantastic picture in bright light but it is completely watchable and to be honest most TV watching happens in the evening anyway. I've even stopped using the THX Bright Room setting as found it a bit washed out/grey.

About the dust issue, can't say that I've noticed that at all. In fact it's about 100 times better than my old 40" Samsung LCD at attracting dust. This picture kind of shows the level of dust (and sticky fingers) in the room on the stand after two days and there is absolutely nothing on the screen at all.