Oooh-eeee....My New Panny Is Here!

[modman]

I am as giddy as a kid on Christmas day...my new Panasonic TH-50PHD8UK plasma just arrived from Visual Apex! It is one serious slab of black glass...minimalist and beee-yoootiful! I'm ecstatic, and I haven't even plugged it in yet.

It will take me a few days to hang it and set it up. But I will be sure to give you a full review, including my take on the pesky question -- is the image quality better on component or DVI, for both DVD and HD cable box?

I was really apprehensive about ordering a "high-end" item on line, but VA was great. The TV arrived exactly when they said it would, and the shipper was courteous and helpful. Everything that was supposed to be shipped was actually shipped. Now, barring any infant mortality issues, I'll be a happy camper.

More to come....

 

[3x10^8]

Congratulations and do keep us updated.

 

[luvdodo]

Way to go...

Hey modman, My TH50PX60U has been sityting idle in the garage for the last 1 week...gets installed today....

Keep us posted on what settings came up best for you! Will do the same!!

 

[BAA]

Hey Modman congrats on your new baby! I've been interested in this unit for sometime now and am hoping to view it this week. Will be interested in your impressions of it and why you opted for the 8UK over the 50/60U's. I believe these commercial panels are introduced at the end of summer. Am thinking of waiting to see the 9UK, but fear it may not be as good of a panel: seem to be reading alot of threads that the quality of the 60U's is not quite that of the 50u's.

 

[modman]

First Impressions

Okay....it took three long, long, LONG days to get this thing mounted on the wall -- and to run cables inside my old plaster walls.

I started it up today. Here's the skinny at this point:

1. Man, oh man..it looks great to have that giant image floating up there on the wall! This thing is massive....it looks so SEXY!

2. I had to move my Time-Warner HD cable box over to my other components (it used to sit up on top of my old TV)...I seem to have picked up a loud hum and a horizontal bar pattern (strobing). I am using the RGB (component) inputs for the cable box. I have tried moving the power supply for the box away from the one used for the receiver -- no improvement. Any suggestions welcome.

3. I guess that, given the amount of the investment and the fact I was using a 5-year old Tosh rear-projection TV, I am expecting miracles with this unit. The (unaltered) image, for HD TV, is pretty darned good (except for the hum and strobing). ML Baseball looks tremendous. SD TV is still pretty crappy...and I can't figure out how to tell the Panny to stretch it out to full screen. I hooked my Denon 2910 DVD player up to the TV direct, using the DVI interface. I first looked at The Matrix, and I panicked because all the colors looked washed out -- until I remembered that this is how The Matrix was filmed! I changed over to Peter Gabriel's Growing Up Live concert DVD....the image was fantastic, except the blacks still look gray and washed out. There was some pretty serious macroblocking.

At this point, there is a lot of investigation and adjusting left to do. But there is not miracle here...just a nice image from a flat piece of glass on my wall. But that is quite nice!

Any helpful suggestions about getting rid of the hum and strobing would be appreciated --as would any suggestions for DVD's for "proofing" this TV (I am an audio guy, not a video guy!).

 

[modman]

Okay....I got it now

I managed to fix the SD image size problem (I needed to go into the HD box and make some output adjustments) and the ground loop hum (Time Warner had terminate the cable ground at the meter...this was too far away from circuit breaker box -- when I moved the wire to the breaker box, the hum and the screen strobing went away!), so now I am in business.

Okay, so second impressions....

HDTV --absolutely stunning. Major League BB is so clear that it almost hurts. I just turned to a tennis match in HD in INHD, and the match jumped out of the screen.

SDTV -- with the "stretch" function on to make the image fit the screen, the picture is actually not bad at all. Better than on my old rear-projection. At times, for a good feed from a studio setting (e.g. newscast), the picture can border on HD quality.

DVD -- also stunning. I am using my Denon 2910 to upscale to 480p over the DVI connection, and I can't tell if it makes much difference -- but the image is wonderful overall.

Color balance seems dead on -- but I'll get out my calibration disk shortly.

Viewing, even with significant ambient room light, is very, very good. At night, however -- this thing sings!

I love the fact that this set has no speakers and nothing but a thin black plastic frame around the screen -- the image seems to float in the air.

I will keep you posted on my experience. But, at this point, I can say this -- if you're thinking of a 50-inch plasma, think about this one!

 

[ned]

I managed to fix the SD image size problem (I needed to go into the HD box and make some output adjustments) and the ground loop hum (Time Warner had terminate the cable ground at the meter...this was too far away from circuit breaker box -- when I moved the wire to the breaker box, the hum and the screen strobing went away!), so now I am in business.

Okay, so second impressions....

HDTV --absolutely stunning. Major League BB is so clear that it almost hurts. I just turned to a tennis match in HD in INHD, and the match jumped out of the screen.

SDTV -- with the "stretch" function on to make the image fit the screen, the picture is actually not bad at all. Better than on my old rear-projection. At times, for a good feed from a studio setting (e.g. newscast), the picture can border on HD quality.

DVD -- also stunning. I am using my Denon 2910 to upscale to 480p over the DVI connection, and I can't tell if it makes much difference -- but the image is wonderful overall.

Color balance seems dead on -- but I'll get out my calibration disk shortly.

Viewing, even with significant ambient room light, is very, very good. At night, however -- this thing sings!

I love the fact that this set has no speakers and nothing but a thin black plastic frame around the screen -- the image seems to float in the air.

I will keep you posted on my experience. But, at this point, I can say this -- if you're thinking of a 50-inch plasma, think about this one!

Get it ISF calibrated! It's well worth it.

 

[skidrow3]

Tell me more about VisualApex...

Could you please tell more about your purchase experience from Visual Apex? I am this close ( ) from ordering through them and need some reassurance. Today's price is $2795, HDMI blade is $155, shipping is $255.

Anything you can tell me would be appreciated.

Todd

P.S. congrats

 

[modman]

They treated me right...

I was also worried -- this was the first "big ticket" item I have ever purchased on line..and I did not even get a chance to see one of these before buying!

Another reason to worry is that I have always been cursed when it comes to shipment of fragile items. Couches from IKEA have arrived looking like a hippo napped on them. Prints have arrived in a mosaic of broken glass. So I had visions of an expensive plasma traveling across the continent and arriving in bad shape.

And then there's the worry about the "well, we showed it in stock, but you'll actually have to wait 90 days for delivery" scam, which I have been subjected to in the past.

All this worry was for nothing.

Upon ordering, VA told me when to expect shipment (five days later). That exact morning, their shipping carrier called politely at 9 am and asked me when it would be convenient to take receipt of the TV. I told them 4 pm, and they said fine. At 4:01 pm, the truck rolled up. The nice delivery guy said "I am not going to leave until you take this out of the box and verify that it is in perfect condition." The TV came in the original Panasonic box, packed inside another box, packed inside another box. Massive!

I had to call VA three times for some technical support, and each time they answered my questions more thoroughly than I imagined possible. When I told them about my ground loop problem, a few minutes later an e-mail came to me with detailed methods for eliminating it.

It was nice comments from folks in this forum (and others) that helped me feel better about my order -- I hope mine have helped you too!

PS -- this TV is making me CRAZY! The detail in HDTV and DVD is turning me into a real video freak.

 

[WorldLeader]

Go Away!

Please sir, No one likes spam.

 

[skidrow3]

Thx

Thanks a lot modman, that really helps. The majority of people commenting on the on-line stores has been positive to VA. I've spoke with them twice & both times I have felt good about it. That's it. I'm ordering mine today then.

Although I will have to wait until The first week of July to get it delivered (moving into a new house June 30) the girl I spoke to says to pre-order to make sure I get the HDMI blade. Monday they are shipping out what supplies they have of them & there is a nationwide shortage of those blades from every store.

Todd

 

[Johnny Canuck]

What is ISP calibrated mean? I too have a Panny plasma..love it. Except on regular, non HD TV it's OK. not great.