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Time To Enjoy The 65 Vt20a


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Just spent some hours doing a demo watching Avatar 3D (free from pana) on my 3.1 system. Also watched some of Pink floyd Pulse at Ref level

My neighbours and some other friends have were beside themselves and speechless at the PQ and also sound.

They all said without a doubt that Avatar 3D was better on the VT20A than at the movies. It was just on Dynamic mode.

this TV and the whole BD experience is new to me and I am very impressed with it. It was almost embarrassing listening to the oohs and aahs from the audience.

One of them is going to update.

No complaints about the glasses either. We did not watch the whole movie though.

Bit of feedback for anyone thinking about the VT20A.

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You are correct. There’s little, if any, decent FTA HD anymore. Sometimes I find myself blaming the hardware for problems issuing from the source. I am mostly conscious of that and in this instance I use the SXRD TVs as the benchmark. Even with pathetic source material, their internal tuner provides a level of processing which exceeds that of the Pana. On the other hand, I found the SXRD (apart from other “issues”) wouldn’t accept some upscaled inputs; it’s own processing conflicting and degrading the result. Fortunately, the Pana can accept and seemingly pass through upscaled material; hence the satisfying alternative via the PVR 1080i video format.

Last night we watched the DVD “The Chronicles of Riddick” and it was awe-inspiring compared with the SXRD. The Oppo upscaled and the Pana picture was almost Blu-ray quality; and with those gorgeous blacks. We currently have Normal Viewing Mode, 68 Contrast, +6 Bright, 25 Colour, 60 Sharp, Cool Colour Balance, Power Save On.

This setup appears to work well with FTA (PVRs), and BD player - all on HDMI 1 output from the A/V receiver.

I’m sure there’s a lot more I can tweak up - but suggestions would be very handy to trial and compare.

THX had a yellowish cast (to me) which I discarded. I haven’t done a calibration with our Spears & Munsil but I suppose I can manage when I get the opportunity.

For 3D - when we get the bonus pack - do you think it appropriate to programme the A/V receiver to set up the 3D BD player to operate via a dedicated HDMI 2 output to the Pana HDMI 2 input- to provide for customized settings?

The local salesman (unusually well-informed) says the Pana sorts things out itself for the most part and just a few tweaks maybe necessary for personal taste? ? ?

Thanks for your observations and comments.

Try these settings I wrote down for the 65vt20

Cinema

contrast 45

brightness -15

colour 45

Sharpness 45

Colour balance normal

Vivid colour on

eco mode offPnr off

IFC/C240p cinema smooth off

resolution off.

From what you describe the above will give you good contrast and pop and be free of the yellowish THX tinge you describe.

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Try these settings I wrote down for the 65vt20

brightness -15

Minus 15? Doing that on any panasonic will cause severe black crush and will basically ruin the picture. Were you by any chance trying to darken the midrange brightness to make it seem less washed out, perhaps to compensate for the gamma being too low? You wouldn't be the first person on this forum who has done that...

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Minus 15? Doing that on any panasonic will cause severe black crush and will basically ruin the picture. Were you by any chance trying to darken the midrange brightness to make it seem less washed out, perhaps to compensate for the gamma being too low? You wouldn't be the first person on this forum who has done that...

I actually use the THX mode as I love the way the pq looks. The above post is for people who hate it and prefer the lollypop look. The setting looks great on my TV but you are correct re black crush but it isn't that bad :)

Edited by CC Rider
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Try these settings I wrote down for the 65vt20

Cinema

contrast 45

brightness -15

colour 45

Sharpness 45

Colour balance normal

Vivid colour on

eco mode offPnr off

IFC/C240p cinema smooth off

resolution off.

From what you describe the above will give you good contrast and pop and be free of the yellowish THX tinge you describe.

Thanks for the suggested setup - all worth a try.

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Minus 15? Doing that on any panasonic will cause severe black crush and will basically ruin the picture. Were you by any chance trying to darken the midrange brightness to make it seem less washed out, perhaps to compensate for the gamma being too low? You wouldn't be the first person on this forum who has done that...

You appear very au fait with the Panasonic picture settings. Would you mind posting your recommendations? Do you have “sets” for different modes? No imposition intended but your input and guidance would be most helpful. I realize that room lighting, seating and personal tastes are variable, but tried and true setups for one can be tweaked to suit someone else.

Any links to earlier relevant submissions would also be appreciated and gratefully received. I know some members prefer to have enquirers trawl through pages and pages in order to locate a specific item but I cannot see any virtue in that. There are times however when to read entire related topics has immense value and reward; providing an encompassing overview.

Cheers

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You appear very au fait with the Panasonic picture settings. Would you mind posting your recommendations? Do you have “sets” for different modes? No imposition intended but your input and guidance would be most helpful. I realize that room lighting, seating and personal tastes are variable, but tried and true setups for one can be tweaked to suit someone else.

Any links to earlier relevant submissions would also be appreciated and gratefully received. I know some members prefer to have enquirers trawl through pages and pages in order to locate a specific item but I cannot see any virtue in that. There are times however when to read entire related topics has immense value and reward; providing an encompassing overview.

Cheers

Pneu would recommend the THX setting. I take it from his valued contributions on this forum he is a video phile of some sort :)

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Pneu would recommend the THX setting. I take it from his valued contributions on this forum he is a video phile of some sort :)

Actually I like the Professional mode which is basically the same as THX but with the advanced controls. As for being a videophile, I suppose you could say I'm a bit obsessed with accurate picture quality :lol:

You appear very au fait with the Panasonic picture settings. Would you mind posting your recommendations?

I think the default Professional mode is pretty good with a boost to contrast, gamma at 2.4 and some added blue gain if your whites look a bit yellowish.

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I tried those suggested "Cinema" settings but the result was dull and dark to my eyes. I much prefer THX, and I don't see a yellow cast at all. Do individual sets vary I wonder?

Definitely do differ but not significantly I put it or our individual ambient lighting environment. My room is on the darkside :) even during a bright sunny day.

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I tried those suggested "Cinema" settings but the result was dull and dark to my eyes. I much prefer THX, and I don't see a yellow cast at all. Do individual sets vary I wonder?

Good question. I've seen a number of reports about a yellow cast. And on my own 50" set, I do find a noticeable yellow cast with the THX setting, which is why I use the Cinema setting which introduces blue. If I were adjusting by eye for a neutral look with my set, I think I would choose a setting betweeen THX and Cinema.

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I think the default Professional mode is pretty good with a boost to contrast, gamma at 2.4 and some added blue gain if your whites look a bit yellowish.

Thanks for saying that.

THX seemed to have too much of a yellow tinge to me, Cinema had too much of a blue tinge, and Pro1 seemed to be somewhere in the middle - which was the right setting for me.

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Thank you for your suggestions and observations. All very interesting and very worthwhile.

“pneu”, I found your description of an adjusted Professional mode most illuminating; with the attention to contrast, gamma and blue gain. I will try that out very shortly.

As “CC” says, individual sets differ. Usually slightly. We’ve had three Sony SXRDs; each a bit different out of the box but after adjusting settings to suit, the resulting pictures were practically identical.

Likewise, viewing environment critically influences parameter settings. The Pana Manual equates “Shop Mode” with Dynamic Mode (page 33) in the store or brightly lit room. We have a dedicated HT and dim the lighting to almost off; leaving the various components’ displays providing a muted ambient glow.

Regarding your post, “MLXXX”, another factor which affects me is my replaced eye lenses. Following the operation, everything was brighter, glaring whites (had to wear sunglasses in moderately lit environments) and as things settled I noticed some minor colour casting. The brain adapts so everything now appears quite normal but I suspected the THX yellow cast I get maybe a consequence. However, other posts may indicate also, that people actually see “differently” from one to another.

1. Does anyone use the Eco mode with success? I’ve tried it but in order to get a “watchable” picture, the Brightness had to be increased substantially which spoilt the black levels.

2. Do any of you find your Cinema/THX/Professional modes settings are suitable for all sources; FTA TV, recorded programmes, DVDs, etc.? Or do you find it better to have specific modes/adjustments for individual sources? At this early stage, I’ve got the A/V receiver feeding all sources via its HDMI 1 output to the Pana HDMI 1 input which is set up as an adjusted Normal mode. It seems suitable at the moment but maybe I should consider alternatives as I become more discriminating?

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Thank you for your suggestions and observations. All very interesting and very worthwhile.

“pneu”, I found your description of an adjusted Professional mode most illuminating; with the attention to contrast, gamma and blue gain. I will try that out very shortly.

As “CC” says, individual sets differ. Usually slightly. We’ve had three Sony SXRDs; each a bit different out of the box but after adjusting settings to suit, the resulting pictures were practically identical.

Likewise, viewing environment critically influences parameter settings. The Pana Manual equates “Shop Mode” with Dynamic Mode (page 33) in the store or brightly lit room. We have a dedicated HT and dim the lighting to almost off; leaving the various components’ displays providing a muted ambient glow.

Regarding your post, “MLXXX”, another factor which affects me is my replaced eye lenses. Following the operation, everything was brighter, glaring whites (had to wear sunglasses in moderately lit environments) and as things settled I noticed some minor colour casting. The brain adapts so everything now appears quite normal but I suspected the THX yellow cast I get maybe a consequence. However, other posts may indicate also, that people actually see “differently” from one to another.

1. Does anyone use the Eco mode with success? I’ve tried it but in order to get a “watchable” picture, the Brightness had to be increased substantially which spoilt the black levels.

2. Do any of you find your Cinema/THX/Professional modes settings are suitable for all sources; FTA TV, recorded programmes, DVDs, etc.? Or do you find it better to have specific modes/adjustments for individual sources? At this early stage, I’ve got the A/V receiver feeding all sources via its HDMI 1 output to the Pana HDMI 1 input which is set up as an adjusted Normal mode. It seems suitable at the moment but maybe I should consider alternatives as I become more discriminating?

I am using THX for everything except 3D for that I use dynamic as I have yet to save the JC settings. Tried it one night on Pro 1 but must not have saved it properly as it looked bad. I also have overscan on for FTA to get rid of some issues on SBS HD and one ABC channel.

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1. Does anyone use the Eco mode with success? I’ve tried it but in order to get a “watchable” picture, the Brightness had to be increased substantially which spoilt the black levels.

2. Do any of you find your Cinema/THX/Professional modes settings are suitable for all sources; FTA TV, recorded programmes, DVDs, etc.? Or do you find it better to have specific modes/adjustments for individual sources? At this early stage, I’ve got the A/V receiver feeding all sources via its HDMI 1 output to the Pana HDMI 1 input which is set up as an adjusted Normal mode. It seems suitable at the moment but maybe I should consider alternatives as I become more discriminating?

I use the Eco mode, and have been happier with my tv since.

It was always dim to me during the day, but with Eco mode enabled, it seems to boost contrast with higher ambient light.

Very happy with it's performance during the day now.

It also tends to dim the picture a little with little to no ambient light.

I use Pro mode1 for all my sources.

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THX seemed to have too much of a yellow tinge to me, Cinema had too much of a blue tinge, and Pro1 seemed to be somewhere in the middle - which was the right setting for me.

I believe Pro1, and Pro2, at default are exactly the same as the THX settings. I do not have web access to confirm that, but it is my recollection.

Regarding your post, “MLXXX”, another factor which affects me is my replaced eye lenses. Following the operation, everything was brighter, glaring whites (had to wear sunglasses in moderately lit environments) and as things settled I noticed some minor colour casting. The brain adapts so everything now appears quite normal but I suspected the THX yellow cast I get maybe a consequence. However, other posts may indicate also, that people actually see “differently” from one to another.

In a broad sense, eyesight variation should make no difference; if you look outside on a reasonably bright day* as your reference, and then look at your television. A person living with advanced cataract for many years will find immediately after the surgery that artificial lenses give wonderfully bright colours (and less of a yellowish look); but I think the question to be asked is "is the TV screen reasonably close to mimicking real life?", whatever the state of our vision.

Nevertheless differences in colour vision could have an impact. I have normal colour vision. A reasonably high percentage of males have at least some extent of colour vision impairment. Plasma TVs do not produce an electromagnetic replica of colour across the spectrum of visible light. They do not act as broadband amplifiers. They simply emit red (or the slightly orange shade of red defined in the colour standard because of the difficulty of producing true red with phosphors), "green" and "blue" in similar proportions to the "red" "green" and "blue" captured on film or video. This is a simulation of colour. It works for human beings with standard colour vision.

The simulation would not suit a bird as birds see with four different types of cones, against the three types for human beings; and birds see well into the ultraviolet. Tetrachromacy occurs in some fish too.

The simplification of standard RGB encoding may not suit human beings with non-standard colour vision. The TV even when adjusted precisely to the trichromatic industry standard could appear markedly different to real life.

With the Panny vt20s, there have been a large number of reports that the THX setting has a yellow cast, suggesting there is a deviation from the industry standard. (Either that or the industry standard itself somehow gives a yellow cast!)

I don't see a yellow cast in movies at the cinema.

I find the 50" vt20 yellow cast is even more of a problem with 3D, as the glasses introduce a slight yellow-green colouration, as well as reducing brightness. As I've said before, I much prefer the Cinema setting, albeit that it does seem a little bit too blue.

____________________________

* The high definition colour standard of 6500K is a slightly bluer colour than bright sunlight at midday (5500K). 6500K is obtained with an overcast sky. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_temperature . Some sites describe 6500K as corresponding to a heavily overcast day. See for example http://www.lensdiaries.com/blog/photo-tips...o-emulate-film/ . I am finding in the cinema a tendency for outside scenes to look like dark overcast days. Certainly the latest Harry Potter movie, Deathly Hallows Part I, looks quite overcast pretty much throughout. (You can buy compact fluorescent tubes in different colour temperatures. There's a big difference between "warm" and "cool". Some are marked with the colour temperature in degrees Kelvin.)

Edited by MLXXX
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........In a broad sense, eyesight variation should make no difference; if you look outside on a reasonably bright day* as your reference, and then look at your television. A person living with advanced cataract for many years will find immediately after the surgery that artificial lenses give wonderfully bright colours (and less of a yellowish look); but I think the question to be asked is "is the TV screen reasonably close to mimicking real life?", whatever the state of our vision........

........With the Panny vt20s, there have been a large number of reports that the THX setting has a yellow cast, suggesting there is a deviation from the industry standard. (Either that or the industry standard itself somehow gives a yellow cast!)

I don't see a yellow cast in movies at the cinema.

I find the 50" vt20 yellow cast is even more of a problem with 3D, as the glasses introduce a slight yellow-green colouration, as well as reducing brightness. As I've said before, I much prefer the Cinema setting, albeit that it does seem a little bit too blue.........

Fascinating, informative dissertation; further reinforcing the notion that what we see is not necessarily across the board. And thanks for the footnote.

Last week I had laser work to remove some scar tissue and the world was once again bright and colourful but has settled down again (or my brain has adjusted quicker this time).

When we get our 3D BD player it will be interesting to compare the THX setting with your observations.

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I believe Pro1, and Pro2, at default are exactly the same as the THX settings. I do not have web access to confirm that, but it is my recollection.

They're definitely different.

All my modes are pretty much default, and the only things I change is to turn colour down to 30, contrast down to 50, and enable Eco mode.

There is that distinct and noticable difference between the Cinema, THX, and Pro1 mode that I mentioned before.

I'd like to know what they are, because if you flick through the advanced settings they look identical. Which is odd.

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Here's what one review http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/panasonic-t...20100520694.htm says (in relation to the UK 50" model):-

Gamma tracking was a little crooked, closely resembling the characteristics of the Panasonic S20 Plasma display which we reviewed last week. The Panasonic TX-P50VT20 does feature a Gamma control, which allows the user to select from one of several preset gamma curves — but in the THX picture mode, it does absolutely nothing! No loss, though: switching over to the “Professional1″ mode, which is identical to the THX mode before any adjustments are made, gives full control. It also unlocks the Colour Management System, which will be of use later.

Has anyone other than re-boot tried switching their 65" Australian VT20 between THX and default Prof1?

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Here's what one review http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/panasonic-t...20100520694.htm says (in relation to the UK 50" model):-

Gamma tracking was a little crooked, closely resembling the characteristics of the Panasonic S20 Plasma display which we reviewed last week. The Panasonic TX-P50VT20 does feature a Gamma control, which allows the user to select from one of several preset gamma curves — but in the THX picture mode, it does absolutely nothing! No loss, though: switching over to the “Professional1″ mode, which is identical to the THX mode before any adjustments are made, gives full control. It also unlocks the Colour Management System, which will be of use later.

Has anyone other than re-boot tried switching their 65" Australian VT20 between THX and default Prof1?

Everyone’s gone to bed except for me. Now I’m at liberty to check out the Menu without interruption. I’ve just switched between THX and default Prof1 - several times. I really cannot distinguish between them. But I did notice the yellow cast was not as prominent as it seemed a few days ago. In some material it was not at all intrusive; to the extent of not being evident. Strange?

This is the first time I’ve ventured beyond a cursory look. Tomorrow, if I get a chance, I’m going to adjust some picture settings to my liking and compare.

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I'm buggered if I can see any yellow cast on THX. If there were, wouldn't it show on the black and white ramp screen on the DVE Blu-ray? To me that screen doesn't have any noticeable colour cast.

Yesterday I received my free 3D BD of Avatar and it took me ages to get it working with the bundled BD player. Could someone correct me if I'm wrong.....it seems you manually have to change the TV settings to "side-by-side" type of 3D. I expected it to play automatically.

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I'm buggered if I can see any yellow cast on THX. If there were, wouldn't it show on the black and white ramp screen on the DVE Blu-ray? To me that screen doesn't have any noticeable colour cast.

Interesting, I'll try that.

Yesterday I received my free 3D BD of Avatar and it took me ages to get it working with the bundled BD player. Could someone correct me if I'm wrong.....it seems you manually have to change the TV settings to "side-by-side" type of 3D. I expected it to play automatically.

What a nice Chrissy pressy. How long did it take to receive the bonus pack - between claim validation and delivery?

When we get ours I’ll certainly keep your experience in mind. Hope there’s no drama to play it.

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Interesting, I'll try that.

What a nice Chrissy pressy. How long did it take to receive the bonus pack - between claim validation and delivery?

When we get ours I’ll certainly keep your experience in mind. Hope there’s no drama to play it.

Unfortunately I didn't make a note of when I sent it.

I only managed to watch a little bit last night so will watch the rest tonight. Many people seem to suggest the Dynamic setting is best for 3D.

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