Panasonic ST50 TX-P55ST50B 55 Inch 3D Plasma TV Review

[Tech News]

Reviewed by Mark Hodgkinson, 29th August 2012. The TX-P55ST50B is another sure-fire winner from the Panasonic plasma stable that manages to combine class leading contrast performance with an excellent feature-set to produce a display worthy of an enthusiast’s attention. The fact they’ve managed to do that at an extremely attractive price-point only further cements the bestowing of an AVForums Highly Recommended Award.
Read the full review...

 

[Suave]

Hi,

Great review - many thanks!

Suave!

 

[Scooby2000]

Great review Mark. bit surprised buy the results on colour reproduction, Samsung are knocking on Panasonic's door now with the E6500. Will de be going VT if I choose Panasonic now as apart from black level the E6500 looks to be a better set than the ST, wow at last an alternative, at least mid range wise.

 

[NBrice]

Hi Mark, thanks for another fantastic review.

Would you say the DFC is worse on this year's ST models in comparison to GT/VT, or are they exactly the same in this regard? Only querying this as the ST only has 2,000hz FFD compared to the 2,500hz FFD of the GT/VT.

 

[hodg100]

Hi Mark, thanks for another fantastic review.

Would you say the DFC is worse on this year's ST models in comparison to GT/VT, or are they exactly the same in this regard? Only querying this as the ST only has 2,000hz FFD compared to the 2,500hz FFD of the GT/VT.

It's a good question that I've pondered myself but I would say they are the same although I've only had the GT and ST side by side for quite a short time.

 

[NBrice]

It's a good question that I've pondered myself but I would say they are the same although I've only had the GT and ST side by side for quite a short time.

Thanks Mark.

 

[Ci4N]

Just wondering would this review apply pretty much equally with the other sizes in the ST50B range? I was looking at getting the 42" model for my apartment...

 

[Steve Withers]

There are reviews of the 50", 55" and 65" models on the site and they're all the same, so it's a safe bet the 42" will be identical.

 

[johngerard]

When I originally saw the specs of the '12 Panasonics, I thought "right, it's a 55VT50, then". But when the technical reviews for the STs more or less said "the difference is marginal at most", I auditioned this 55" model, and bought it. I wouldn't swap it for a VT50. The tiny difference is not worth the extra cost. It's currently being driven by a Lumagen VisionHDP processor (already had it for my old plasma), all fully calibrated, and looks absolutely superb. I may swap it out for a Lumagen Radiance Mini for my birthday present to myself in the spring to max it out...

I've been running it for around 1500 hrs. The infamous stripe on the right hand side is still there, but much less pronounced than it was, to the point of being noticeable perhaps only 1% of the time at most. And that's being generous to it.

I do have one regret, though - not buying the 65ST50. But I'll move up in size next time. I've got to give myself somewhere to go for an upgrade!

 

[qiuness]

i`m also going ST65 because at the cons Steve said flickering and failed to mention it on the ST65. I`m hoping the flicker will be minimal.

Another reason would be more light from ST65

VT50 has capped peak white output in Professional modes to 80cd/m2 (same for VT30), THX Cinema mode is capped at 105cd/m2. With ST50 you can have 130cd/m2 without losing white details. Hence VT50 is not very suitable for bright rooms and daylight viewing.

 

[marc5701]

Thanks for the great review.What are the reflections like on this screen,everything seems so relective these days.My gt30 has a decent reflective coating,but I'm finding it a bit too small,55 would be best.

 

[hodg100]

Hi, in terms of reflections, I would say it would be on a par with your GT30 but the ST50 has a better filter so overall it's more impressive in challenging environments.

There are some interesting developments happening on this front and Sharp has produced what they're calling a Moth Eye panel specifically aimed at combatting reflections. I know Philips will be using it in some of their new TVs and I guess a few other manufacturers will pick them up too.

I did see something interesting a couple of years ago that involved literally hundreds of layers of glass which virtually killed any reflections but at that time all they'd managed was to produce something about the size of a postage stamp and it cost ££££'s.

 

[JUICE690]

Can I ask if ou noticed buzzing from the set, especially on brighter scenes? I'm on my second P55 now and I find the noise extremely irritating.
I went into Panasonic and one of the staff there demoed a 65" to me and I could barely here a sound from it with my ear a fraction away from the back of the set.

 

[marc5701]

Thanks for that Mark,thats a great help.

 

[hodg100]

Can I ask if ou noticed buzzing from the set, especially on brighter scenes? I'm on my second P55 now and I find the noise extremely irritating.
I went into Panasonic and one of the staff there demoed a 65" to me and I could barely here a sound from it with my ear a fraction away from the back of the set.

I still have it, as it happens, yes there is some buzzing on brighter scenes. It's a normal plasma thing as the pixels are being driven at their hardest under those conditions but it's rarely, if ever, noticeable with the volume at normalish levels.

The 65 I had in was definitely a little bit noisier which just goes to show there's variance set to set but also your room will have an effect. If you've got it backing on to a brick wall, it will buzz more audibly than if it were against plasterboard, for example.

Thanks for that Mark,thats a great help.

I'm good like that

 

[Lefterov]

Help me people, I can't decide which one
Should I go for Panasonic TX-P55ST50....or the 60" E6500 Sammy. I can get both TVs on similar price, in fact E6500 is even a little cheaper. I intend to use the TV primarily for blu-ray watching and some occasional gaming. While welcome, 3D is not a decisive buying factor for me. The room conditions are semi-dark to dark. Note that I can't compare them side by side, since my local store only has the Panasonic in stock. Any thoughts would be highly appreciated

 

[reddevil74]

Even as a 65st owner myself , I think performance would be in the same ballpark so go for the bigger cheaper option.