Panasonic VT65 - is it REALLY worth getting one?

M53494

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Ive had my heart set on a 50VT65 for a while now, but with all the talk of problems with the set (Such as red bands/blobs etc) Im beginning to wonder if I would be better off looking elsewhere?

My main priority in a TV is picture quality, which is why Ive been very interested in getting a VT65 (The ZT is too big!). Yet although the reviews rave on about it being one of the best TV's you can buy

, surely these problems will detract from that, and if they had been seen during the reviews it wouldnt have ben given reference status etc!

What Im now thinking is possibly going down the LED route(! - I know, I know, I dont really want to!)......but am I getting overly worried about something and nothing and am therefore better off sticking with plasma just for the superior picture (Assuming the problems dont detract from it!)?

I viewed a VT65 at TPS in Ashton a while ago and it was bloody good! :)

Can anyone offer any pointers/advice please?
 
Just got a 65" VT can't see any problem so far with mine, I would say buy one until all this 4k OLED stuff matures.

Even better if you can get one for a great price like I did no brainer really for one of the best 1080p sets.
 
I have an 65ST60 an i have absolutely no problem with it - i would have loved the 65VT and i have home demoed the 50VT and it was just to small, but picture quality was top notch
 
Without a shadow of a doubt. No problems whatsoever with my 50''. The pro calibrated image is fantastic. If I do have one regret it's for not getting the 55''.

There is always going to be nay-sayers on any product in any forum. People with problems seem to be more vocal than those without.
 
Does any one no the size of the 55 vt 65b with the box I'm getting one Thursday and wondered if it would fit in my car
 
i don't know if this would help but the box from the 65ST60 just barely fits in an Mitsubishi Outlander :)
 
I've had a P55VT65B since the end of August and I'm in two minds as to whether or not to recommend it.

On the one hand, I've not had any problems with red blobs and at times the (currently not yet calibrated) image is truly spectacular; better even than on my old Kuro KRP-500A.

On the other though, I've had very real image retention issues and Dirty Screen Effect is a MAJOR problem on my set. Panning on a blue sky is really frustrating at times. Lip Syncing is also well out on apps like Netflix, with no way to properly sort it out (as the video is ahead of the audio). Also, double edging is driving me crazy; I never had this problem on the Kuro, and while other explain that as the Panny being "pure" and not introducing motion blur - so the issue is with the source not the tv - it's not something I've seen on other tv's and is a MAJOR distraction. On the whole, given the choice to go back and splurge £2k+ again, I probably would have bought a Sony W905 LCD tv, instead of the Panny. However, having come from a plasma I would most likely be whinging in the LCD/LED forum about other issues!

I'm sure others will disagree, but that's my tuppence worth.
 
If you have got your heart set on a VT ? get one NOW they are at a manufacture subsidised price which is a all time low and the Europe / UK stock which was the last made will not last for ever .

Yes there are a whole lot of new 4K offering waiting in the wings but not quite ready now ( The 49" LG 4K @ circa £2k for summer 2014 release springs to mind ) But all these 1st & 2nd generation 4K TV's may end up not being quite the real deal .
 
I think people without 50" vt65 should be more careful in recommending something that they don't own, that if they REALLY want to help!
Coming from an experience with 3 out of 3 with serious uniformity issue I'm entitled to affirm that if you're looking for a good uniformity image you'll be disappointed! All these issues were documented by me with pictures and graphs in dedicated threads and sustained by other users with same issues.
I even dare to say, with all due respect, that I'd love to see a picture of the epg menu of a 50vt65 with good (not perfect) uniformity in one of the professional or custom modes.
To be entirely honest, I don't think there's a led better than this tv. But these 50 vt's have real issues with uniformity and color banding.
 
Dont own one but have seen a few now.
'All' sets have issues its as simple as that.
If you are worried about uniformity issues the last thing you want to be doing is going LED LCD, every one I have seen has them from 400 to 8000 it doesn't matter, like IR on plasma LEDs have uniformity issues of some sort.

What annoys one person wont another, trust me I've been there and done it several times. If I get close to my D6900 I can look for and find issues, hell some I dont need to look for. Importantly though, from where I sit everything is fine....most the time.

Its very very easy to get caught up in things on here, whilst its good to be aware of issues, you also need to consider what people are doing to see issues. Sure many issues may appear on normal content but dont get a distorted view on things, go see if you can, or buy from a good retailer with a decent returns policy.

No set is perfect and no two eyes are the same.
 
I just ordered a 60" version of this TV for right at $2000 delivered.

On Amazon, the 65" version is only about $300 more. Should I have spent the extra cash for the larger screen? I think I still may be able to cancel my order in time. Is the difference going between a 60 inch tv and a 65 inch worth it? Just seems like an insignificant size difference once the TV is that big.
 
That extra 5'' equates into considerably more viewing area if you work it out.
 
We compared the 50 and 55" for our viewing position (3-3.5m) and decided for the relatively little extra cost to go for the 55". Given that nobody seems to have the same issues with the 55" if you can accommodate the extra size I would opt for that. In external dimension terms you're talking about 115mm width and 65mm height so not massively different if you can justify the 50" screen size. We mocked it up on the wall using sheets of paper taped together and lived with it for a couple of weeks to see if we thought it looked too big behind our old TV.

Ref the query about packaging size - the boxes are HUGE! The stand is mounted in the frame alongside the TV so it really is big. I suspect it would not have fitted in the back of my Audi A6 with the seats down, unless I'd laid it down which obviously you don't want to do. I've binned the box so don't have the external measurements available but I'd estimate the box to be 1.7 metres long for a start!

IMG_3049.JPG
 
Panasonic TC-P60VT60
That extra 5'' equates into considerably more viewing area if you work it out.
I did work it out. I calculated, based on the actual diagonal lengths of 60.1 inches and 64.7 inches respectively, the difference in area is roughly 14%. The price difference between the $2000 I paid for the 60" and the $2300 Amazon is charging for the 65" is about 13%. So I guess it's about a square deal for the extra viewing area.
That extra $300 is going towards a new receiver to simplify all my HDMI equipment. 60 should be plenty (at least I'm trying to convince myself that).
 
If you have to 'convince' yourself that the 60" was the right choice then you should be getting the 65.
 
I don't have an unlimited budget or it would be a no brainer. I can get a much better receiver with that extra money id be saving.
 
For the extra $300 I'd get the 65 now and receiver later. Better to get the 65 now than regret it when they aren't available anymore.
 
You are right, I went ahead and cancelled my 60" order and placed one on Amazon for the 65". I'd much rather deal with Amazon anyway. I'll have to deal with the inconvenience of having multiple cords running to and from the new TV until I can afford the receiver I want, but That's not that big a deal.
 
I think anyone Plasma to consider is the Samsung F8500.

Has excellent reviews and from what I gather doesn't suffer from some of the other VT65 issues.
 
The one thing I find really difficult to adjust to is the motion judder which is most prevalent when watching blu-rays.

However my 50VT65 has a fairly uniform colour display.
 
Isn't that just due to films being being shown in their true 24fps format? i.e. It's meant to be like that?
 
Chaps

Am I reading this right - the VT50 suffers issues that the 55 does not? Also the ST series does not suffer same issues as the VT50?
 
50"vt60 yes
had 50st60 with the same issue (was one of the reasons I decided to change it for vt60)
 
Chaps

Am I reading this right - the VT50 suffers issues that the 55 does not? Also the ST series does not suffer same issues as the VT50?

We're talking about the relative risk of picture quality/artefacts visible on some screens from the (in the uk) vt65b series of screens. The vt50 is the previous generation screen to the vt65. Doesn't help that the model references are also the screen sizes!
 

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