The Panasonic TX-L**ET60b (2013) Thread

squarejawhero

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Did a search, didn't come up; Scooby said it was ok to make a thread, so hopefully this is ok!

Just took delivery of the 42" version today. I'm not massively techy but I'm very fussy and so far it seems really good; however, bear in mind I've returned a good few LED/LCD's this year for faults.

Out of the (long) box it's a slick looking set. Like the led power lights and silver bezel, overall it's a nice piece of kit! Easy to put up; nice to swivel on the stand.

Turning it on, after a splash screen you set up your wireless (nice interface, could be nicer for input though); remember to press back after entering your key. Onwards takes you to setting up the channels; then it's BANG! Straight into the homescreen tutorial, replete with female robot voice. It's very handy, actually.

Currently playing Skyfall and it's ridiculously crisp. The image is better than the HX853 and motion is really superb. Colours are really rich, detail is superb; naturally, it's a passive screen so there's that slight filter effect to it but it's so slight compared to the LG's I've seen you can barely see it.

I've been fiddling with the colour settings (of which there are tons, of every variety imaginable) but need to calibrate it properly at some point. I've heard there's a good app for it on Android so I'll give that a shot! However; I will say they're very natural to look at. Unlike the HX853 which was overly blue/purple tinted and somewhat digital.

Blacks I'll have to come back to this evening. :p Using it in a relatively bright room at the moment so can't comment.

Screen uniformity; there's a slight darkening of the bottom left in the menu's but relatively solid. Again these things don't rear their head outside of certain conditions; certainly blacks are black enough in a daylit room compared to the crappy previous TV's I've sent back so far. It's not as inky as the HX853 and the dimming options dim the screen, bit annoying. Not sure they'll be needed though. Not seen any DSE yet.

Motion handling appears to be really good. Very little blur. IFC set to min during film playback; I'm not a purist, it needs to be said. Any more than that and it gets very soapy. There's a load of options for HDMI I need to look into. It's a tinkerers nightmare/dream.

SD broadcasts are good - I'll need to check that out in more detail and play with the options. HD the same.

3D is really nice. Nicest passive I've used so far. I found active hurts my eyes and despite liking the picture quality, I'd rather watch a movie without having to stop every five minutes. Personal choice innit! Avatar was very smooth; had to use some IFC to even the motion but not at any great cost.

The sound is, predictably, tinny. Not that great. Plug it in to what you can.

The Smart interface is really slick; I'd imagine higher end models smooth out the transitional motions, but it's the nicest interface I've used. Lots of apps to play with.

I'll see how I get on with it over the weekend, but so far so good. Early days; but a really good first impression.

EDITS AND UPDATES;

1) Does seem to have some DSE on viewing Rango via Netflix. Will look into that with some other inputs. UPDATE; DSE fades the higher your backlight is on, so could be manageable.

2) Viera Remote 2 Android App; Really good fun to play about with. Do like the connectivity, really responsive. No sign of those image calibration settings yet; either it's not on this TV or it's a future update?

3) Also like Youtube's functionallity. Scrolling around it is very slow using the remote, but it's quite fun to use the Nexus 4 I have here to search and play from.

4) Homescreen is good fun to play about with. Could be handy; yet to find out properly.

5) Updating from night-time viewing; yes, you can tell it's an IPS panel. But it's a really good IPS panel. It's dark enough for my tastes on viewing The Dark Knight Rises and it looks really quite sharp; natural colours and it handles scenes with shadow detailing quite well.

6) The HX853 I had had some serious motion trailing. This handled Skyfall really well; the pin-sharp shot of Bond in the gun barrel only had the slightest trail and you'd have to be really looking for problems to be unhappy with it.

7) Screen uniformity; amazeballs. It's top-notch; no flashlighting, no visible clouding, no backlight bleed. But...

8) Dat DSE. My girlfriend didn't notice it today (and she was really looking) but I'm finding it difficult to get past; I'm going to give it a few days to see if I start to get used to it. It's a real shame because it's otherwise the best LED/LCD I've seen; bright, sharp images, good SD/HD broadcasts, great connectivity and interface, lovely physical looks, good movement. Just that one thing.
 
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Thanks for the info. Look forward to hearing further updates. Hope you enjoy it.
 
I was checking out the set today in currys. Its very nice and the price is nice too. But they didn't have it set up properly so nothing to actually watch, no aerial plugged in and nothing to watch except 3d pictures and for whatever reason it wouldn't accept my USB with samples on nor any of the staff USB either. Shame. Will try Richer Sounds tomorrow.
 
I was checking out the set today in currys. Its very nice and the price is nice too. But they didn't have it set up properly so nothing to actually watch, no aerial plugged in and nothing to watch except 3d pictures and for whatever reason it wouldn't accept my USB with samples on nor any of the staff USB either. Shame. Will try Richer Sounds tomorrow.

Saw the 55" in richersounds today had a tinker with it, and picture quality was top notch and razor sharp but boy was it reflective... it didn't help as it was placed near the entrance.
 
An update - this screen does have a DSE issue after playing some BioShock earlier. Everything else about it is great so I'm going to give it a few days run in to see if it improves or I get used to it. It's not cripplingly terrible but it is there.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
 
My room is a mess! :p Erm. I can try.

As a sidenote I might be over-egging the DSE. Watching today it's not been half bad as it warms up. Chucked on Rango bluray earlier and it was fine, really; only seems to be a bit of an ish on lower-res. Grand National seems ok too...
 
Here you go - Nexus 4 has a terrible camera. Don't judge it on this at all. Not wonky on the stand; the stand is a bit wonky and the "wallpaper". :p Oh and I've not removed the seal on the bezel yet. Aha. Erm...
 

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how is it with sport?

just been into my local currys and seen the older ET50 version and was very impresssed (plasma fanboy here) but its got me tempted i must admit
 
Not sure about the main dif's between the ET50 but one of the reasons I bought Panny was the motion. I don't want sport personally but I'll check it oot later in HD and get back to you, provided there's footy on.

The PQ on the Grand National footage is a bit naff; that's the signal though, not the TV.
 
Not sure about the main dif's between the ET50 but one of the reasons I bought Panny was the motion. I don't want sport personally but I'll check it oot later in HD and get back to you, provided there's footy on.

The PQ on the Grand National footage is a bit naff; that's the signal though, not the TV.

the LED screen was very impressive even in the currys showroom. but they are fed an HD source and its not real world.

its the first time i have actually thought WOW i could get an LED this time around :D
 
Nice read up here if this a good set the DT be even better :)
 
Thanks Rookies. I may be being a bit harsh on the DSE issue; it's really not that bad.

I'm really impressed that outside of that there's absolutely no other uniformity issues. It's completely spot-on.

Playing Prometheus and really loving the 3D too. I can actually WATCH a film in 3D without my eyes wanting to kill me... yay!
 
What is DSE also the tv you upgraded from what brand sorry. As u said u seen loads bad LCD
 
So motion blurred not easily notice on this
 
I've had three TV's I've had to return previously for various faults. As such I've been on here and the interwebs learning about them so I could readily make an informed decision this time. Panasonic seem to be the most respected brand by enthusiasts; not just for plasma, but for LED too.

DSE is "dirty screen effect". It's an inconsistency in backlight illumination where parts of the screen are darker than others. On light screens this manifests as darkening, or as if dirt is on the screen, during movement. Edge-lit LED's are prone to this because of the way they bounce light off of the rear of the panel.

No motion blur on this at all as far as I can see; but I'm no expert. Motion on Panasonic's seems highly regarded hence my choice.

Previous TV was a 40" HX853. Outside of the really, really faulty low-end LG and Samsung eariler this year (massive backlight probs) I have had a Panasonic TX-P42U30b plasma for two years. :)

Hope that helps!
 
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That helps alot :)


Since you said you had a plasma do u miss it at all compare to this LED?

It been a hard choice this time round. What made you go LED and not another plasma?

Cheers
 
A few reasons; LED is lighter/smaller and uses less power, for one. Also I found my last set a bit too susceptible to IR even with pixel orbiting. Games would leave marks on the screen for a while after playing. I found a few things about the display a tad annoying; motion wasn't so great in some circumstances and whenever bright objects moved around or you moved your eyes it created a kind of coloured effect which was a bit irritating after a while.

I also don't like active, and the ST60 is active-only. Just watched Prometheus on this with my girlfriend straight through; no eye-strain and it looked better than any 3DTV I've seen so far.

Also I rent a double room that I also work in, and the U30b is a pretty damn big telly. Kind of like having a huge monolith in the corner. :p That's not so much of a problem with the ST50/60 having checked them out. But after two years I needed to move on. :)
 
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Hi I'm very interested in this TV (specifically the 47inch model) saw the 50 inch in Richer Sounds today and the picture is jaw dropping versus my plasma viera (which I thought was good!)

Can you help with a few questions? As I'm toying with whether the ET60B is worth the extra cash over last years model:

The options are last years model TXL47DT50B for £899 or this year's the TXL47ET60B for £1099. So basically £200 difference. The smart features look better on the newer 60B and the 3D is passive rather than active. To be honest, I'm not sure how much we will use the 3D functionality (though I guess everyone says this until they actually use it)

I like the idea of using it as a PVR by plugging a USB 3 drive in - a feature on the DT50B, but can't seem to find confirmation that this feature has made its way over to the ET60B. Does anyone know? The older model has Free Sat HD (is this worth having??) I have SKY HD already, so not sure how useful Free Sat is?

The bottom line is that I am happy to spend the additional £200 if it is for a better TV, but if there are features missing then I might be best to go for the older model and save some money.

Any advise would be welcome!

Thanks in advance,
Dan
 
Dan; I honestly thought I could put up with active; I couldn't. I can't really recommend either way, as either option could be more suited to you. I don't think the 42" has PVR but I've not tested the functionality; iirc on the website it doesn't list it as a feature, but that might be different at 47". Personally re 3D I don't see the point of buying a 3DTV if the feature doesn't work for you; the 47E6b might be more down your alley. Apparently it has a better panel but lacks 3D.

I would say check both out. There was a few improvements listed in reviews (generally the newer models seem better received) which tipped me towards the newer model of the 42", plus the passive. I certainly think the smart TV features are the best I've used (I'd imagine the DT version will be even better for this years model).

However if 3D isn't important to you and PVR functionality is, you may already have your answer.
 
Thinking of buying this set. 42" around £879. Can't really justify the extra outlay for a DT. Anyone know what the 42" DT price will be? Some people have mentioned that the difference in black levels and viewing angles is quite alot compared to the DT. Am I really going to notice such a difference if I compare the two sets or are we entering the realms of obsessiveness with our black levels.
 
There's a touch of obsessiveness, I reckon; this is the internet and there's people out there more sensitive to it than others. I'd say go and view one if you can and make your own mind up. For me it's dark enough!
 
42" DT is around £1,399. Way to pricey for a few extra bells and whistles. If it had come in at £1,050 I would have been tempted. Does the ET have a glass panel? I have kids so I want some protection. Have used an optical screen protector in the past and it has saved my TV numerous times.
 
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