Panasonic TX-P42VT30B Plasma 3D TV Review

We’ve had a look at two of Panasonic’s new 2011 NeoPlasma displays so far, but recently the company’s UK arm delivered a review sample of what we’ve all been waiting for: the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B. The Viera VT30 series are the Panasonic’s best Plasma televisions for 2011, although it’s not immediately apparent what the specification differences are on this top-end model compared to those of the ST30 (the cheapest Panasonic 3D TV this year) and the GT30 (the mid-range series). In an apparent move to push as many users as possible towards 3D, ALL of Panasonic’s 3D-capable Plasma TVs this year feature the very desirable “Infinite Black Pro” branding, meaning that other differences are only to be found on close inspection. On top of what’s offered at the midrange price point, the TX-P42VT30B features “Advanced Calibration” controls, can record TV broadcasts to SD card as well as to a USB hard disk, features slightly better built-in speakers, and is supplied with two pairs of active-shutter 3D glasses as standard.

Let’s see how Panasonic’s top-specced 42-inch Plasma for this year performs, and whether or not it’s worth parting with the extra cash…

Note: The specific model we tested was the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B, denoting the 3-pin-plug British version. Retailers like Comet, Currys and John Lewis, or etailers such as Dixons and Amazon may sell the same 3D TV as the Panasonic TX-P42VT30 or TXP42VT30. Throughout this review, these model numbers may be used interchangeably to refer to the same plasma.

The findings in this article relating to 3D picture performance should not be extrapolated to larger VT30 models, for example the Panasonic TX-P50VT30B/ TX-P50VT30. These VT30s may not have the same 3D resolution limitation seen on the TX-P42VT30B, and in theory should deliver a more immersive 3D viewing experience due to their bigger screen sizes.

Jump To: OperationCalibrationPicture PerformanceConclusion

Design

Panasonic TX-P42VT30B

The Panasonic TX-P42VT30B actually reminded us slightly of Sharp’s Quattron LCD HDTV (reviewed last year), with its sleek “one sheet glass” design, thin profile, and silver edge. Like the GT30, the TX-P42VT30 is only a few centimetres thick for the most part (although it bulges slightly at the bottom to accommodate speakers). The design is clean and suitably understated, and is far removed from the chunkier, more industrial look of the 2010 displays.

Remote control

The remote control has undergone a design change, too: the unit supplied with the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B is smooth, partially back-lit (only the number pad, volume and channel buttons though), and has a high-end heaviness to it. We didn’t feel there was anything wrong with the old remote control, but having something extra to differentiate the high-end display is always nice.

Connections

The connectivity options provided on the Panasonic TX-P42VT30 are typical for a modern HDTV: there are 4 HDMI inputs, support for a single SCART terminal, Component video, Composite video, 3 USB inputs, an SD Card slot (which, on this high end model, can be used to record TV broadcasts), and an ethernet/LAN port. There are also hook-ups for the two tuners (terrestrial and satellite) as well as a mysterious Panasonic “service port”. There is no analogue PC (RGB) input on the TXP42VT30, which is odd given that the equivalent US and Japanese models do feature one, and last year’s European models did, too.

The inputs are all positioned in a way which will not interfere with wall mounting, and as is becoming the norm, the chunkier analogue connections of years past require break-out adapter cables, which are supplied with the VT30.

Rear connections on Panasonic TX-P42VT30B
Rear: 4 x HDMI, Component, SCART, aerial, Freesat, USB, SD card, LAN, etc.

The ethernet port is of special significance on the VT30s because, working together with SpectraCal, Panasonic has implemented a way for the screen to “talk” to the CalMan Professional calibration software (which our readers will be familiar with – we’ve been using it to calibrate HDTVs and draw the appropriate charts for our reviews for a year now). A Windows PC running the CalMan software can communicate with the TX-P42VT30 through the Ethernet port, meaning that together with a light-measuring device and a suitable test pattern generator, the process of calibrating Greyscale, Gamma, and Colour gamut can be automated. We hope to investigate automatic calibration at some point in the future.

As it happens, we recently discovered that in Europe, it’s not just the high-end VT30 series that can use this feature… the European GT30 and G30 plasmas can also take advantage. The Panasonic TX-P42VT30B and TX-P50VT30B, of course, are equipped with “advanced calibration” controls (10-point Greyscale and Gamma correction and secondary colour adjustment), making the automation most useful on these top-tier models.

Operation

At first, the TX-P42VT30B’s menus appear to be the same as those found on the other 2011 models (excluding the absolute low-end displays): they have the same clear fonts, good looks, and most importantly, excellent responsiveness. However, the user menu on the TX-P42VT30 also includes the Advanced Calibration controls, as promised in the specifications. What does “advanced” mean in this case? It means Full 10-point Greyscale AND Gamma adjustment, as well as control over the secondary colours (Yellow, Cyan and Magenta). These features are exclusive to the VT30 (although we should point out that many other TV manufacturers are including a similarly high level of control across their entire range). We doubt that it’s possible to ask for any more control than this – it’s a huge turn-around compared to Panasonic’s plasma televisions just two years ago.

[Picture] menu [Picture] menu
[Picture] menus

The basic controls are of course still present, and act as expected. Depending on the [Viewing Mode] selected, [Contrast] will either raise or lower the light output of the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B, or will act as a purely digital adjustment and begin clipping whites if it’s turned up too high. The most useful modes are the two [Professional] options (they’re the only ones with access to any calibration controls), but these modes have their peak luminance locked to around 100 cd/m2, presumably to mirror studio conditions. This might prove too dim for particularly bright viewing environments, although we’ve always recommended LCD TV displays for use in these conditions. We do think Panasonic should consider the workings of the [Contrast] control in these modes, and allow the light output of the plasma panel to be raised for dimmer viewing environments.

2D Calibration

Note: Our Panasonic TX-P42VT30B review sample was calibrated using Calman Professional, the industry-leading video calibration software.

2D Mode Greyscale

After letting the TX-P42VT30 age for as long as was practical, we set the VT30 to its “THX” viewing mode, and verified that the [Brightness] was correctly set by default (it was). We then used the Greyscale windows from the AVSHD test disc to assess how well this HDTV was producing a consistent and accurate colour of grey.

Pre-calibration RGB Tracking
Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

With errors typically only around 5%, we think it’s fair to say that all but the toughest critics will be able to watch the TX-P42VT30B without feeling that there’s any unwanted tinting present in the TV’s grey shades. This is a visibly better result than the slightly green-tinted images put out by the Panasonic G30 and GT30’s [THX] modes.

Post-calibration RGB Tracking in [Professional1] mode
Post-calibration RGB tracking and dEs in [Professional1] mode

After this, we entered White Balance adjustment menu and, alternating between 80 IRE and 20 IRE test patterns, began making improvements to the TXP42VT30’s Greyscale tracking quality using the standard 2-point control. This resulted in very good Greyscale tracking overall, but introduced a red tint into shadows (which showed up as a spike of red at the “10” position in the CalMan software). We then used the 10-point White Balance controls, which are housed in a screen called “More Detailed Adjustment”, in order to level out such anomalies and produce a consistent colour of grey at all brightness levels. Panasonic’s 10-point adjustment adds to the changes already made in the 2-point menu, rather than being a separate mode.

The end result reads perfectly to the human eye. All of the remaining errors are minuscule and below the threshold of actually being visible, let alone problematic.

Gamma curve in [Professional1] mode Gamma tracking in [Professional1] mode
Gamma curve in [Professional1] mode Corresponding gamma tracking

As we’ve known for some time, the Gamma tracking on the Panasonic Plasma TV sets is not consistent. In other words, although it’s possible to align everything to perfection using test patterns, the light output of the screen, and indeed also the Greyscale mixing, can vary slightly depending on the content being viewed (LCD TVs are much more consistently reliable in this regard). While our first attempt at producing perfect Gamma gave perfect results with normal-sized window test patterns, real-world viewing revealed some static contouring, particularly noticeable on human faces, which were taking on a slightly “oily” look. This disappeared once we cleared our 10-point Gamma settings.

After trying other calibration strategies (which didn’t work), we spent more time calibrating Gamma, and re-did the entire 0-100% measurement sweep more often during the process. We eventually obtained results which produced measurably accurate luminance levels with test patterns, and no unwanted side effects with real-world footage. The fact that there is a discrepancy at all suggests that complete, bullet-proof accuracy isn’t attainable, however. In fact, a quick glance at the Dynamic Greyscale pattern sequence on the AVSHD test disc reveals slight brightness and greyscale shifting depending on the average brightness of images.

We managed to minimise the slightly exaggerated shadow detail that we’ve seen on the 2011 Panasonic Plasma televisions, but we couldn’t obliterate it entirely. As you can see from the Gamma tracking chart (right), there is still a slight bump at the 10% stimulus level. We had to lower the 10 IRE Gain setting to -30 (its lowest position) to achieve this result.

2D Mode Colour

Given that the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B offers control over every single aspect of colour reproduction that we measure, we were expecting it to produce essentially perfect results after calibration. It did. The fully-fledged, three-axis colour management controls are excellent. Saturation, Hue and Luminance can be controlled independently, and most importantly they ACT independently for the most part. The result is the most accurate colour reproduction that we’ve seen on a Panasonic Plasma TV to date, which brings the VT30 up to the high standards set by Samsung with their excellent colour management system (CMS).

Post-calibration CIE chart in [Professional1] mode
Post-calibration CIE chart with reference to HD Rec.709
Post-calibration Luminance levels in [Professional1] mode
Post-calibration colour luminance (coloured bars = targets; black bars = measured values)

3D Calibration

Note: the following readings were taken through the 3D active-shutter glasses bundled with the TX-P42VT30.

3D Mode Greyscale

3D Pre-calibration RGB Tracking
3D Pre-calibration RGB tracking and delta errors (dEs)

Pre-calibrated Greyscale in the TX-P42VT30B’s [THX] Certified 3D mode gave us a very similar result to the TX-P42GT30: there was a spike of blue at 20% stimulus, which calmed down to produce more linear greyscale tracking in brighter areas. We’re not sure if this spike is intentionally pre-programmed to compensate for some sort of ageing effect later, or if it’s just a recurring error. Always wary of any road bumps in the fairly new world of 3D calibration, we did make sure to confirm the excessively blue area by eye (it’s not a measurement error). As it happens, the accuracy in this case was poorer than that of the GT30, something that’s likely attributable to the individual 3D glasses used for review (3D glasses have their own colour tint, which has to be countered during calibration).

3D Post-calibration RGB Tracking in [Professional1] mode
3D Post-calibration RGB tracking and dEs in [Professional1] mode

Here at HDTVTest, we’ve been attempting 3D display calibration from day one, and after finishing work on the TX-P42VT30B, we were reminded as to why the effort is worth it. The Panasonic TX-P42VT30 features both 10-point Greyscale and Gamma controls even in 3D mode, which is excellent – we’ve seen some 3DTV displays which reserve these advanced controls for 2D only. Using the 10-point control, we managed to reduce any Greyscale errors to unnoticeable levels. In fact – bizarrely – our result here was measurably (but not visibly!) better in 3D than it was on 2D. Now that’s progress!

3D Gamma curve in [Professional1] mode 3D Gamma tracking in [Professional1] mode
3D Gamma curve in [Cinema] mode 3D Corresponding gamma tracking

We were initially cautious about using the 10-point Gamma correction in 3D, for fear that the blinking effect of the shutter glasses would cause trouble with measurements, at least at low light levels. However, by eye, the calibrated result didn’t appear to have any issues. The only problem we ran into was similar to that in 2D mode, where pushing the correction values too far would result in contouring with actual video content. Eventually, with some back-and-forthing, we were able to achieve a result without visual anomalies, but we recommend that calibrators exercise caution with these controls.

3D Mode Colour

Colour on the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B in the uncalibrated 3D state was much the same as 2D: slightly oversaturated, but by no means intolerably so (especially not since there’s a lack of 3D content and little in the way of a reference). This is a change from the 3D LED LCD TVs we review, which typically fail to fully saturate colours even after calibration. Using the excellent Colour Management menus – which, again, are fully featured even in 3D mode – we brought all of the primary and secondary colours into their ideal positions, as set out by the HDTV Rec.709 specification.

3D Post-calibration CIE chart in [Professional1] mode
3D Post-calibration CIE chart with reference to HD Rec.709
3D Post-calibration Luminance levels in [Professional1] mode
3D Post-calibration colour luminance (coloured bars = targets; black bars = measured values)

Calibrated Settings

The post-calibration settings (both in 2D and 3D) on our Panasonic TX-P42VT30B review sample have been posted on our Facebook page.

Benchmark Test Results

Dead pixels None
Screen uniformity Excellent, but full grey screen reveals slight tint near edges
Overscanning on HDMI 0% with [16:9 Overscan] set to “Off
Blacker than black Passed
Calibrated black level (black screen) 0.012 cd/m2
Calibrated black level (ANSI checkerboard) 0.013 cd/m2
Black level retention Some shifting with dark content (see explanation)
Primary chromaticity Excellent
Scaling Excellent
Video mode deinterlacing Very effective jaggies reduction
Film mode deinterlacing Passed – sometimes (see SD review section)
Viewing angle Excellent, but screen filter lessens vertical viewing angle
Motion resolution 1080, but with noisy edges unless [Intelligent Frame Creation] used
Digital noise reduction [P-NR] is optional, not forced
Sharpness Defeatable edge enhancement
Luma/Chroma bandwidth (2D Blu-ray) Full Luma, Full Chroma
Image retention Very little
Posterization Mild, though worse with poor source
Phosphor trails Very mild
1080p/24 capability No judder in 2D or 3D
Input lag 20ms compared to lag-free CRT
Full 4:4:4 reproduction (PC) No, 4:4:4 input subsampled

Power Consumption

[THX] mode (2D) 200 watts
[THX] mode (3D) 219 watts
Calibrated [Professional1] mode (2D) 151 watts
Calibrated [Professional1] mode (3D) 212 watts
Standby 1 watt

Note: Measurements taken with full 50% grey screen.

Picture Quality

Black Level

Prior to actually measuring the black level of the TX-P42VT30B, we used past experience and had an educated guess as to where it would rank in terms of black level quality: marginally better than the G30 displays, but not quite as deep as the 50″ VT20 model from last year. Why? Because for whatever reason, the smaller displays in Panasonic’s Plasma ranges seem to have a marginally brighter black than the larger models. Since we’re talking Plasma, we should also mention that, even after these years have passed, no other flat-screen television has managed to top the last-generation Pioneer KURO HDTVs, which still hold the black level crown.

Sure enough, the measurement returned from the Panasonic TX-P42VT30 (after a fresh black level calibration and verification of our Klein K-10) was 0.012 cd/m2: a miniscule amount higher than the TX-P50VT20 we reviewed last year, and somewhat (but not hugely) darker than the G30 we reviewed two weeks ago. Interestingly, it’s darker than the mid-range TX-P42GT30B, despite it sharing the same “Infinite Black Pro” branding and the same manufacturer specified contrast ratio. All of the Panasonic Plasmas we’ve seen lately have produced a deep shade of black which doesn’t really leave us demanding more, and the TXP42VT30 is one of the best in this regard. At this early stage, we can’t tell whether or not there will be any degradation of black level performance as the VT30 ages. 2009’s models did very poorly in this regard, but it seems Panasonic managed to get long-term black level quality under control the following year.

As with the rest of the new 2011 plasma screens (excluding the low-end “HD Ready” C3), the TX-P42VT30B managed to hold on to this impressive black level quality even during the more gruelling ANSI Contrast measurement, where the screen is divided into black and white squares equally. It’s very common for Plasma TVs to produce slightly greyer blacks during such a situation (although due to the surrounding white squares, the effect was nowhere near as apparent to the eye as it is to a light-measuring meter), but that is not the case with Panasonic’s 2011 Plasmas. Actually, the ANSI measurement was 0.013 cd/m2 rather than the 0.012 cd/m2 we got with a black screen, but we can’t imagine anyone could ever claim to notice such a small difference.

Read the “High Definition” section for our findings on overall brightness stability.

Motion Resolution

Like all of the 1080p 2011 Panasonic Plasmas, the TX-P42VT30B resolves all 1080 lines of motion from the FPD Benchmark Software disc’s scrolling motion test, with a little bit of fuzziness visible around the black lines in the chart. All Plasma panels we’ve reviewed lately have managed at least 900 lines, which is enough to give the perception of clear motion. Prior to switching to new phosphor material (which was introduced with the company’s first 3D TVs), Panasonic plasmas were able to resolve all 1080 lines if additional picture processing was turned on. The TX-P42VT30 achieves 1080 lines without the need for any additional processing, although turning on [Intelligent Frame Creation] does reduce some PWM noise (Plasma panel-generated noise which looks like a “tizzing” around contrasted edges), in exchange for some motion interpolation glitches. We left the IFC system off.

As a result, it’s not so much the motion resolution that is worth discussing anymore, but rather motion artefacts. Both of the current display technologies – LCD (including LED-lit LCD) and Plasma – both have their own unique ways of artefacting during particularly stressful motion. Whereas LCDs will all show a fairly familiar blurring effect (with only the severity varying from panel to panel), the motion artefacts seen on Plasma televisions show more variance by manufacturer. It’s probably fair to say that Plasmas deliver higher perceived motion clarity, but gradation and picture quality can become a little “rough” during particularly stressful motion.

We had a look at test clips from the 60hz FPD Benchmark Software test disc, as well as moving gradient patterns encoded at 24hz, 50hz and 60hz. The gradient patterns showed some contouring artefacts at all refresh rates, as we expected to see on a Plasma TV. With 24hz and 50hz input, the contouring was mildly more visible than at 60hz, which seems to be the result of these input scan rates being output by the Plasma panel at the higher rates of 96hz and 100hz respectively. (60hz input is output at 60hz, since this is high enough to avoid flicker).

The ability of Panasonic plasmas to reproduce 50hz video (the refresh rate used for broadcast TV in most of the world, including Europe, Australasia and parts of Asia) has come under fire online, but we do not feel that 50hz or 24hz images are shown with considerably worse quality than 60hz. Regardless of the source, we didn’t have many complaints regarding the motion rendering capabilities of the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B. At times, there is certainly a little bit of posterisation which can appear as off-coloured “ridges” visible against certain tonal and colour combinations. Of course, we wouldn’t say no to being rid of it, but we feel that as a minor occurrence, it’s not worth worrying too much about. Additionally, some users have complained of double images being visible during the playback of high-motion 50hz content (the most obvious and widely reported example being football pitch markings appearing to “double up” with fast camera movements). Again, we don’t personally feel this is as huge issue, and that it is likely related to the “100hz double scan” output process (50hz images would flicker too visibly if they were output at 50hz by the panel). Of course, we always recommend that users demo these plasma displays (set to the [THX] or [Professional] modes) to make up their own minds.

3D Material

3D content looked very good on the Panasonic TX-P42VT30, with the calibrated Greyscale accuracy being particularly instrumental in presenting lifelike, tint-free images. We’ll get to real-world content in a second, but first we should say that looking at a Greyscale ramp test pattern after calibration was a real eye-opener. With the VT30 outputting in 3D display mode, parts of the gradient pattern had obvious blue tinges when we looked at the panel with our naked eyes. However, with the glasses on, all we could see was a visibly perfect Greyscale ramp, without any unwanted tints. This was a strong reminder to us of just how much the active-shutter glasses influence Greyscale quality, and why calibrating the 3DTV with the 3D glasses in front of the measuring device is so important for getting the absolute best 3D experience. Sadly, this is easy for us to say but difficult to achieve in practice. The TX-P42VT30B has been THX Certified in both 2D and 3D, however, and the uncalibrated 3D picture quality in the THX mode is still better than anything last year’s plasma-based 3D TV sets could achieve.

Although TV manufacturers solving the uneven Greyscale tracking (which first-generation plasma 3D televisions showed in abundance, resulting in tinted images) is a major step in closing the gap between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional picture quality, there’s still some work to be done in a few areas. The active-shutter glasses mean that 3D images are still darker than 2D (although not unbearably so), and gradients appear coarser with some additional dithering noise visible in the picture if you’re sitting close (and you’ll want to be, since 3D images are best experienced with the user’s field of view filled).

The Panasonic TX-P42VT30B follows the 42″ GT30 display in using a 3D panel driving mode which results in lessened vertical resolution. If we looked very closely at the screen during a letterboxed 3D film, we could see that the line separating the active picture area and the black letterbox bars wasn’t a totally sharp transition (yet it is encoded on the disc as one, and appears as one in 2D mode), and appeared very subtly “ragged” at points. Furthermore, there is some mild jaggedness visible during motion, all of which indicates that the TXP42VT30 doesn’t deliver all 1080 lines from a Full HD 3D source to the screen. When we checked this out with our own 3D resolution test patterns, we found that sure enough, fine Vertical details were sometimes smudged into a single grey tone (except if we turned the [Sharpness] control up high enough, but this produced ringing in the image, or if we selected “Dynamic” mode, which abstracts the video in various ways). If last year’s 3D Plasmas are anything to go by, the TX-P50VT30B and larger models will display all of the resolution from 3D images at all times. When Panasonic does manage to produce a smaller-than-50″ display capable of reproducing all 1080 lines in 3D, then the top-end VT series will surely be the first point of deployment – so perhaps next year?

Most importantly of all, the TX-P42VT30B produces the same excellent 3D depth as the rest of the Panasonic 3D Plasma TVs, thanks to its almost total lack of crosstalk. Crosstalk in 3D images is a sort of “ghosting” artefact which occurs when images destined for one eye leak into the other, causing a double-image to be seen by the viewer. It usually happens as a result of active shutter glasses not blocking sufficient light from the eye not “in use”, or the 3D TV itself not managing to clear remnants of images from the screen quickly enough. Panasonic has been very vocal about Plasma technology’s advantage in this area from the very start, and with good reason: their plasma-based 3DTVs have consistently been the top performers in this area (the LCD competition is definitely improving, however – and even Panasonic are selling an LCD-based 3D display now). Crosstalk on the TX-P42VT30 was limited only to a handful of instances, and this fact, coupled with the accurate Greyscale and Colour performance, allowed us to be immersed in the tri-dimensional images. In particular, the “spaghetti twister” scene from Sony’s Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs was a real sight to behold on the VT30.

We were also very happy to see that the TX-P42VT30B has no problems with motion judder in any of the 3D refresh rates. 24fps Blu-ray movies, 25fps sped-up PAL movies (such as those broadcast on European TV), high-motion 50hz material, and high motion 60hz material: you name it, and the Panasonic TX-P42VT30 would play it correctly without any signs of judder, right out of the box. This is great to see, because some menu adjustment was necessary on the 2010 models to achieve judder-free 3D Blu-ray playback.

3D at home is improving quickly, and although there’s work to be done, it’s a relief to be able to jump between 2D and 3D modes and see nearly the same image, without the 3D mode exhibiting colour tinting. Although the lessened vertical resolution does harm extra-dimensional performance a little, the TX-P42VT30B produces an excellent 3D image, thanks to its combination of excellent Greyscale and Colour accuracy, and its relative freedom from crosstalk.

Standard Definition

The TX-P42VT30’s standard-def performance is very good, but leaves some room for improvement. First and foremost, we’d like to explain a strange bug we encountered while testing the [Clear Cinema] option (the purpose of which is to preserve vertical detail on film-to-interlaced video transfers). Online reports have been mixed on how successful Panasonic’s film mode detection feature is (we’ve not encountered many problems with it), and during the VT30 review, we found out why: there seems to be a bug where the 2-2 PAL film mode test clip will sometimes fail, until the user cycles through different aspect ratio options. We saw jaggedness where there should be none, which went away a few seconds after we changed to the 4:3 aspect ratio. Afterwards, we could then re-select 16:9 Widescreen, and the test still passed. The fact that changing aspect ratios resets the film mode detection is a little unusual in itself.

France 24

Putting this aside, we checked out other areas of SD performance. First and foremost, scaling. The Panasonic TX-P42VT30B does a very good job of resizing standard definition images to the HD panel size without any loss of detail or unwanted ringing. The image appears suitably sharp (source material permitting, of course). It also does a very good job of disguising jagged edges during video deinterlacing, as is usually the case for Panasonic HDTVs. As for the Film Mode detection, as we’ve found, it’s a little erratic, as is often the case with the Euro-centric 2-2 film transfer cadence.

It sounds a little dull, but watching some of the international news channels via Freesat on the TX-P42VT30 is a nice way to see how good SD TV can still look. Newsroom shots don’t have enough motion to cause much in the way of MPEG compression artefacts, and are a reminder of what things could look like a world driven by quality rather than quantity. BBC News 24‘s studio shots tend to look gloomy and a little off-coloured on any display, but almost anything from France 24‘s studio looks excellent and proves that resolution isn’t everything.

High Definition

This is typically the most rewarding part of the review process. While we can see the potential of 3D and appreciate the picture quality improvements that 3DTV manufacturers are making in this area, 2D images do still have the edge in terms of picture quality in the home – and then, there’s the more obvious issue of content. There is decades worth of 2D content which exists on film, waiting to be given a new lease of life when it is re-scanned on modern equipment; whereas 3D starts with a blank slate.

Unstoppable

There are few better home cinema experiences we can think of than watching a high-resolution, well-encoded (2D) Blu-ray movie on an excellent flat-panel HDTV such as the Panasonic TX-P42VT30B. We’ve covered the Greyscale, Colour and Gamma accuracy that we were able to get from this television during the “Calibration” section, and the TX-P42VT30B’s ability to do image accuracy justice was clearly visible on screen. The resulting image quality with a good source is a real joy. Most importantly, the blacks are very, very deep and the panel’s coating allows images of exceptional depth to be presented without the need for a fully darkened viewing environment (it’s still one of the dimmer displays on the market, though, and also features a glass front, so don’t expect to be enthused by how it looks in a very bright, light-filled room).

All 1920×1080’s worth of resolution from the high-def source makes its way onto the VT30 screen without any loss. There is no intrusive motion processing to produce video-like movement (although users who enjoy this particular abstraction can turn it on with [24p Smooth Film]). Motion from a 24p source is reproduced without any unwanted stutter or interpolation; all you see is a naturally smooth, cinema-like representation of the film itself, without anything extra. Crucially for a sense of depth, there are no brightness uniformity issues across the panel surface like we’ve seen on several LED-lit LCD TV displays, just a consistently illuminated picture. The accurate greyscale shades and colours do wonders for the image, and contribute to this reminder of how brilliant 35mm film can look when reproduced digitally.

The only dent in this impressive performance is the brightness shifting issue that we also spotted on the Panasonic G30 and GT30 plasmas. After we calibrated the TX-P42VT30B using the 10-point Gamma adjustment menu, the effect was minimised, but not entirely eliminated. Specifically, our adjustment of [Gain] at the 10 IRE position (we had to set it to -30 to combat the VT30’s tendency to exaggerate shadow details) concealed the issue, but it’s still present. On our test clips from Se7en and Silent Hill (both dark films), the [THX] mode produced stable light output, but other reports indicate that instability can appear with this mode, too (which we didn’t see ourselves, but certainly wouldn’t rule out). The bottom line seems to be that although the 2011 Panasonic plasma televisions produce excellent picture quality, users wanting freedom from such quirks – which is not unreasonable at this price point – will probably once again be sent searching for second-hand Pioneer KURO plasma TVs (although they weren’t strictly perfect, either).

Unstoppable screenshot 2

We had a look at several excellent BD titles (the selection of discs that actually take advantage of the format’s potential is better than DVD ever was), and compared the preset [THX] mode compared to the [Professional1] calibrated picture on our TX-P42VT30B review unit. The biggest differences were that the THX mode exaggerated shadow detail, and produced slightly brighter overall light output (the [Professional] modes are locked to a lower luminance setting). There were more subtle colour differences between the two modes, but we’d struggle to pick one as being “better” than the other with our eyes alone. Our Gamma calibration efforts also resulted in a slightly richer image, since the THX mode brightened shadows and dulled whites. The factory preset [THX] and pre-calibrated [Professional] modes still produced excellent picture quality on the TXP42VT30, however.

Console Gaming

Using our standard test (Halo: Reach from the Xbox 360), we felt that the TX-P42VT30 was delivering excellent gaming performance. We could move our game character and the viewpoint around easily, without having to “fight” with the controls. On slower displays, there’s a detectable lag between the button input and the action being reflected on screen, which results in otherwise nimble games taking on a sluggish, bloated, heavy feel.

We measured the input lag as being around 20ms, which isn’t surprising at all based on how smooth gameplay felt. This is an excellent result which is back in the range of what we expect from Panasonic Plasma TV displays – it appears that the slower VT20s released late last year were a one-off.

Conclusion

The Panasonic TX-P42VT30B is an excellent Plasma HDTV for both 2D and 3D content. For most users, it doesn’t offer too much over the GT30, which certainly appears to hold the “sweet spot” position in terms of price-to-performance ratio in the 2011 Panasonic Plasma lineup. Panasonic’s decision to include the “Infinite Black Pro” label (which seems to be a promise of a high-contrast Plasma panel combined with a light-rejecting screen coating) on ALL of its 3D plasmas this year definitely levels the playing field. This means that the VT30’s claims to fame are limited to the fact that it ships with two pairs of 3D glasses, has a slightly deeper black level, includes an SD Card TV recording mode, and last but not least, features the advanced calibration controls. As video enthusiasts, we’re very happy about the latter option, but to actually make use of these features requires more expenditure. Also, at the time of writing, we don’t know of any calibrators or dealers calibrating the 3D mode of HDTVs, although hopefully this will change over the coming months – because the results are absolutely worth the effort. (We’re aware of the fact that Joe Kane Productions is working on a 3D version of Digital Video Essentials, which will hopefully give 3D calibration a much needed kick-start).

It wouldn’t be a review of Panasonic’s top-end Plasma television if we didn’t mention the other “P”: Pioneer. Panasonic plasmas have never had the same precise attention to detail that the departed manufacturer provided, but they come very close in a number of areas, and are considerably less expensive. That’s not to say that Pioneer aren’t missed – not by a long shot – but once again, we feel Panasonic plasma TVs offer excellent value for money for the majority of users. Still, we’re a little disappointed to see that the same brightness shifting issues that we spotted on the G30 and GT30 series are present to some degree on the VT30. It’s more difficult to take a “forest for the trees” approach on the company’s flagship range, although we feel the issues are minor.

It’s not cheap, and doesn’t offer the same level of value for money as the GT30 series, but the TX-P42VT30B excels in most areas. Its black level is one of the deepest we’ve measured from a Panasonic Plasma (or any Plasma, for that matter), its Greyscale, Gamma and Colour accuracy are measurably near-flawless (although small shifts are noticeable in practice), and its 3D pictures are nearly crosstalk-free. There’s also no serious input lag, meaning that gaming on the TX-P42VT30 is an incredibly fun experience. If you’re an enthusiast user who won’t be put off by the slight brightness shifting we noticed with dark films, and feel that the level of control the VT30 affords over the image is worth the extra money, then we certainly advise that you check the TX-P42VT30B out. Quirks included, it’s still one of the top performers, and we imagine it will be for some time to come.

Highly Recommended

94 comments

  1. Hi David great review as always! This year the GT30 is winning against the VT30. The VT30 is not giving so much more and the GT30 is much more cheaper. Waiting to see 50″ reviews. Tanks a lot, your reviews are the best on the net!

  2. Excellent review, David.

    Please could you tell me if the input lag is the same in 3D mode as in 2D mode?

    Many Thanks,

    Paul

  3. Great review. I have only one correction, Value Electronics in Scarsdale, NY USA has been offering a 4 mode ISF calibration that includes calibrating the 3D mode.

    There three calibrators, D-Nice, Kevin Miller and Ed Johnson put Panasonic 3D glasses over the Klein 10 meter and do a full 10 point gamma and 10 point CMS calibration. The calibration service includes four modes, ISF Day, ISF Night, THX and 3D.

    Also you missed the built-in 2.1 speaker system w/enhanced stereo amplifiers is expected to be the best TV audio.

    -Wendy

  4. Thanks for the review.

    At the end, does the VT have evident picture advantage vs GT30?
    I mean, can you distinguish the two models one close to the other during play of Blue Ray or PAL HD broadcast?
    I’m interested on 50hz artefact and floating brightness.
    Is the floating luminance present in THX mode (it was not on GT30)?

  5. The VT30 seems like a great TV but its a bit out of my price range. Il be curious to see how the ST30 holds up against the other panasonic plasma

    Thanks for the interesting reviews

  6. Isn’t the VT30 supposed to have a different/darker screen filter than the GT30? According to the Panasonic website the VT30 has “high contrast filter PRO” compared to “High contrast filter” on the GT30.

    Any chance you will be reviewing the 55 inch model?

    Great job as always!

  7. Can you post your calibration settings for me please? I have this set and would like to compare with my own settings, thanks. Excellent review as always.

  8. David Mackenzie

    Thank you as always!

    @Paul: I’ll try and measure the lag tomorrow, but the input lag doesn’t feel any higher in 3D.

    @Wendy Zohn:
    That’s great to hear. I’m glad 3D calibration is underway in the US.

    @tetsuya68:
    If you compare them side by side, the differences in the picture between a calibrated GT30 and calibrated VT30 are visible (and measurable), but most people wouldn’t really be able to pick one out as being blatantly better than the other.

    We couldn’t reproduce brightness fluctuations in the THX mode during the review, but it’s certainly possible it will happen in this mode too.

    @Jeff: we have an ST30 review coming.

    @Tomos: we hope to investigate the larger screen sizes later.

    @Anthony: yes, I’ll get the settings for you tomorrow.

  9. David, quich one. Is 50 hz bug visible when watching f.e. Champions Ligue ?

  10. @Edo82
    where you can say that GT30 is better then VT30…i don’t read anything about that…and in fact of the GT30 are cheapest then VT30 i remember you that on GT30 there’s no glasses…in VT30 yes…the price gap is reduced…
    GT30 maybe it was better for who don’t like 3D

    @David Mckenzie
    i have an S20 and i dislike so much floating black, David can you gently say me if this floating brightness are similar to f.black or less invasive ? or for you opinion is about the same thing ?

  11. Input Lag 20ms in game mode?

  12. Hi David

    Great review, thanks for that. I have been really looking forward to the VT30 range but a little confused now (after reading your review and following various threads including your replies at HighDefJunkies to thread :Panasonic VT30 Q&A”).

    A few question answers to which would really help:
    1) The luminance shifts you mention – are they floating blacks or refer to floating whites/gamma shifts or both?
    2) Does the VT30 have annoying floating blacks – I have never witnessed f.blacks myself but came across the issue on YouTube (included the links below – I would find this very annoying in a top of the line, expensive TV)
    3) I am not too concerned about Kuro level deep blacks. If we assume the black levels will reduce (I am led to believe VT20’s black levels increased by twice with life and the year before plasmas up to 3 times). Assuming the worst case scenario, will the black levels of VT30 after reducing still be at par with the best LED’s / Plasmas (excluding Kuro) available in the market today?
    4) Which TV would you recommend (Sammy D series LEDs/Plasmas, LG, upcoming Sony HX series, etc) for someone to whom the following are important:
    – great 3D capability
    – great picture quality
    – good black levels
    – detail oriented but a normal consumer (not a die-hard fan) so I feel I will notice floating blacks (again based on YouTube videos – links below).

    I would sincerely appreciate any feedback from you on the above. Many thanks in advance and keep up the great work.

    YouTube:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhC6x-AUt0M
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCpO6gYYsGo

  13. Excellent review David…

    I am wondering if the luminance restrictions on the Pro1/Pro2 are worldwide. I remember the same being mentioned in the 2010 series. Here in Asia, I could actually target 41ft/L without major clipping of whites (beyond 245) in the pro modes.

    Not sure if its in the 2011 models as well.

  14. Hi david, thanks for the review.

    I am a bit disapointed by the result of your review. i realy wanted VT30 was a VT20 killer, but it seems it is not the case. Refering to your classification vt20 had a “reference” level and vt30 is highly recommended.

    Does it mean that vt20 is better than VT30 ? If not, VT30 is it a simple improvement or a big improvement compare to VT20 ?

    Considering black level, i am very surprise to sea that VT20 has better black level than VT30 (at least at the beginning before it rises), does better black ansi can be an improvement even in dark scene for VT30 compare to VT20.

    How is the image in mid light compare with VT20.

    All this, because VT20 is very cheap at the moment, and i consider maybe changing my mind and buy a VT20 instead of a VT30. But only if VT20 is the best or very close, like it seems to be refering to your test.

    thanks for the answwers.

  15. Hallo David,

    Great review, very helpful. Could you email me those calibration settings please.
    Waiting for my set to be delivered soon.

    Many thanks,

    Peter

  16. David Mackenzie

    @Tomasz:
    I’ve never been too disturbed by 50hz playback quality on any of the Panasonic PDPs (if I had been, I would have written about it). “50hz bug” is a phrase that’s been used to describe all number of motion artefacts. All I can recommend is that you try before you buy.

    @gix65_ITA:
    I would say the floating brightness/gamma shifting is more invasive than floating blacks, but both are/were minor.

    @NV388:
    Yes, in Game mode.

    @Jav: answered over at HDJ!

    @Venkatesh:
    thanks! I’d imagine they’ll be worldwide. The luminance measured depends on the window size of the test pattern.

  17. David Mackenzie

    @bubul03:
    There are a couple of reasons why the VT20 is rated as ‘Reference level’ and this is ‘Highly Recommended’ (a rating which shouldn’t be disappointing).

    1. This is the 42″ version of the VT30. The smaller than 50″ 3D PDPs from Panasonic have a slight resolution limitation when displaying 3D video – i.e. not Reference level, for all their other strengths.

    2. Fluctuating brightness. In my opinion, this is more noticeable than ‘floating blacks’ were. They are both minor though.

    3. Speaking honestly, we know the strengths and weaknesses of the Panasonic PDPs more intimately now, and the market has progressed. For example, the VT20 has 3D Greyscale tracking that is poor by the standards of the 2011 models – but when it was released, it was one of the only choices.

    >> “Considering black level, i am very surprise to sea that VT20 has better black level than VT30 (at least at the beginning before it rises), does better black ansi can be an improvement even in dark scene for VT30 compare to VT20.”

    This is normal, the 50″ models tend to measure better in terms of black level than the smaller sizes.

    >> “How is the image in mid light compare with VT20.”

    Hard to say without doing a direct comparison. Both looked excellent.

    What screen sizes are you comparing exactly, so we can make a better comparison between VT20 and VT30?

    @Peter Wojdyla:
    They’re on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/HDTVTest

  18. Thanks for your replies and all the help on HDF and on here.

    I think it boils down to the gamma shifting issue for me whether I buy the VT30 or not.

    If I don’t, then will have to consider other sets. Two questions (I understand if you are getting tired of me – promise will stop after this).

    1) Do you think any other sets are on par or come close to VT30 in respect of 3D performance (minimal to no crosstalk/ghosting and no jaggedness), picture quality, decent black levels and no fluctuating brightness or other such viewing issues. Like I have mentioned, I just watch movies via media player or BluRay. I don’t mind lack of viewing angles of LED LCD’s but I hear their 3D performance due to refresh rates is not even close to VT30 and with passive displays of LG, 2D picture quality is not great plus in 3D, half the resolution to each eye and non-realistic picture.

    2) On VT30, I should look for gamma shifting in dark scenes changing to bright scenes?

    PS: Did not post on HDF as people may not like me asking the above on VT30 thread.

    Many thanks again.

  19. David Mackenzie

    @Jav

    1: nothing else (that I’ve seen) has the same degree of crosstalk-free-ness, but the LCD competition has gotten much better in this regard. From what I’ve seen of the LG Passive “Cinema 3D” displays, I wouldn’t say the picture is inherently ‘non-realistic’, but yes, it’s only 540 lines which results in lessened details and jaggedness. We’ve not done an indepth review of one, though.

    2: Watch a dark scene in a film and pay attention to the shadows.

  20. Hi David,
    Great review as always. I’ve just bought this set myself, very pleased with it. If you could email me your calibration settings please, that would be appreciated. Thanks
    Andy

  21. @ David: Thanks.

    @ Andrew: refer to David’s comment above which includes a link to facebook with his calibration settings. Btw what are your experiences with the VT30 in respect of brightness/luminance shifts (also known as gamma shifts/floating blacks/floating whites).

  22. Hi Dave,
    By any chance, do you remember the average gamma value in THX mode ?

    Considering that it seems you used a 2.4 gamma setting in Pro mode to achieve a 2.2 target, I’m wondering if THX was also capable of a “true” 2.2.

    Thx.

  23. Hi david. Thanks for the answers. I try to compare vt20 and vt30. But for the moment i compare what you have tested. So 50vt20 compare to 42vt30.

    I really want to change my v10. But i don’t really know if vt30 deserve the extra cash fot vt20. if vt30 is really better than vt20 why not. But better not just because of the new menu or even 3d. Better for the 2d image and particularly in the darkness, or just with a little light (that is how i watch my movies).

    Just one another question. G20 was 0.02cd ant vt30 0.01cd or better with the 50 inch. does the difference really noticeable in the dark or is it more a figure différence.

    thanks for the answers

  24. David Mackenzie

    @Bubul03
    0.01 vs 0.02 cd/m2 won’t really be noticeable in the dark unless you compare the TVs side by side, and even then it would be small.

  25. David Mackenzie

    @Orso: Average gamma in THX was 2.09 – measured with the standard sized window patterns. That would probably get closer to 2.2 if we had measured using small patches.

  26. Hi David, great review as always.

    Wondering what you make of Sony’s constant mention of all other systems giving “flicker” from light sources.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo5cuhM_aAQ (around the 1:30 mark).
    I’ve got friends in retail who have been adamant about it happening, and being very uncomfortable, but have never seen it mentioned in a non-sony TV review, including yours.

    I’ve tried to see it in store demos but ‘apparently’ their lighting is at a higher frequency which hides the effect.

    thanks

  27. @Jav: Thanks for pointing me towards the link. I’ve now adjusted to the post calibration settings and i really can’t find a fault with the picture. It looks sensational in SD and HD. As for floating blacks, i tried for over an hour to spot them with dark content, but struggled. You can’t go wrong with this set

  28. Thanks again for your answers. I hope it is going a big improvement to pass from my v10 to the vt30.

    bye

  29. Hi David,

    If you had to choose the 42vt20 or 42vt30 which would you go for? Is the VT30 equal to or better than the vt20 in all respects? do you reckon that floating blacks and the flucuating brightness do not occur in THX mode? This is what i’d be using initially at least.. cheers, mick

  30. I use IFC for motion resolution (1080 with IFC) and it’s very good for gaming!!! But the Input lag of VT30 with IFC Enable is over 60ms??? Thanks

  31. Tóth F. János

    10-point gray-scale:
    You have control over 10 fixed points and you measure back the same 10 points as a validation. Don’t you fell the problem with this?
    The real gray balance graph may show the same non-linearity as it showed before the fine-tuning. You just don’t measure any points which are not directly adjusted. But what about all the other ~225 gray shades…?

  32. Tóth F. János

    Forget it. I take another look on the before/after graphs and on the second thought, it cannot be any worse but should be significantly better anyway. (Even if it’s not as linear as it seems…)

  33. David Mackenzie

    @Toth: the points inbetween the adjusted values shouldn’t deviate too much. Looking at a Greyscale ramp, everything looked totally smooth.

  34. Tóth F. János

    The keyword is the “should” but yes, I see that it can not be any worse but equal or better (and it looks much better with this sampling rate, so should be better…).

    But you know, anything can happen in the digital world (banding could appear, or even the gamut emulation could be affected, resulting in fluctuated saturation, etc).

    That’s why I think CalMan should measure same random mixed colors too! (I think they have significantly higher deviations than the directly adjusted sample points…) And I think they keep it this way because everybody is happier this way: The software is simpler and the calibration report looks much better, so the owner has the placebo effect…

  35. Tóth F. János

    (Or even those guys with ISF and THX papers are unable to think in more than one dimension but two at most…)

  36. David Mackenzie

    CalMan does let you measure with greater precision, actually… 0 IRE, 5 IRE, 10 IRE, 15 IRE etc.

    Panasonic’s CMS doesn’t affect Greyscale tracking (like Pioneer’s sometimes would), either.

  37. David Mackenzie

    @Dario: don’t use IFC for games. I didn’t measure input lag with it on, but it felt about 50-60ms, yes.

  38. Tóth F. János

    I said random colors, like R=23 G=29 B=120

  39. Motion Resolution resolves 900 lines in game mode?

    Game mode –> ???
    Standard Mode –> 900 lines
    Standard Mode + IFC –> 1080 lines.

  40. Hey David, love your thorough reviews, I have one question regarding phosphor trailing, as I am (unfortunately) highly susceptible to it:

    Has phosphor trailing been further reduced on the VT30 compared to the VT20? Just asking because the VT20 is offered at a tempting discount right now and – after reading the VT30 review – that would be the only feature that could tempt me into spending more for the new model.

  41. David Mackenzie

    @Dario: nope, 1080 lines at all times. I didn’t measure Motion Resolution in Game Mode, but the TV appears to manage 1080 lines “naturally”, that is without IFC. The Panasonic displays have resolved all 1080 lines (up from 900) ever since they switched to the new phosphor material.

    @Kevin Frohn:
    It didn’t seem any worse (or better) than the VT20, but I haven’t compared them side by side. If you’re very sensitive to it, I’d tread carefully with any Plasma.

  42. Tóth F. János

    I know somebody who sold his Panasonic 42GT20 and ordered a Samsung 51D550 because he couldn’t stand the phosphor lag of the GT20 (he said he went to a store –high luminance ambient lightning from neon tubes– and he didn’t really noticed the same effect on the D550.

    I suspect the dithering method of the Panasonic plasma TVs makes the usual phosphor lag effect more noticeable. (Their method sometimes causes “false contouring” effect and may be it makes the phosphor lag more noticeable). But I am only speculating here…
    I didn’t really saw the phosphor lag on the G20 (I only noticed it on special test videos.) but the “false contouring” and the “50Hz bug” were loud. (I didn’t know what they are when I saw them first, I only learned their names later.)

    I am curious what will you (David) think about the new Samsung plasmas (if you will ever test it).
    (I couldn’t wait for that –many many Pana and zero Samu tests everywhere– and I just ordered an 51D550.)

    It was hard for me to gather some knowledge about this display technology after I spent many time with LCDs exclusively (I used to calibrate some EIZO and NEC displays “for fun and tip”). And I found that your reviews may not as “in-depth” as I would prefer (they are “optimized” for the “bigger audience”, I think :D) but they are still the best plasma TV reviews on the internet. (Far better than many which tries to make me “whoooo” with the ISF and THX certification logos but doesn’t really test the TV as much as I would before I form a publicly shred opinion about them…)

    May be this is only me who thinks that CalMan is far from a perfect calibration software when I compare it with the EIZO/NEC kind of hardware-calibration and ArgyllCMS software-calibration :D (Yes, I know, they are not for TVs because TVs have limited CMS. But this doesn’t mean that CalMan shouldn’t verify the calibration with some mixed color patches to get an idea about the real consistency of the colors.)

  43. David Mackenzie

    @Toth: what sort of extra info would you like to see added?

  44. Edward Van Belkom

    David

    Can you check if with a OTA broadcasting in DD 5.1 what is the output on the HDMI out using the ARC and what is the output on the Optical Digital Output ?

    Do they pass the DD 5.1 or is it downmixed to stereo 2.0 ?

  45. We don’t have the VT30 here anymore (there’s a long waiting list of reviewers it has to go to) but I can check with the ST30.

  46. Edward Van Belkom

    Thanks. They should all be the same for 2011.

    It is only If something is recorded in DD 5.1 on the SD drive or during a OTA DD 5.1 broadcast that one or both will output the DD 5.1 signal.

    I hope that is true.

  47. @David and Toth
    I think it vould be hugely beneficial to test for the linearity of saturations within the gamut. Some TVs behave very differently at 50% or 75% saturation than they do on the outer edge of the gamut.

    Unfortunately CalMan doesn’t support these kinds of measurements yet, as they don’t really help out calibrators that much (since you can’t really calibrate your way out of these problems). Derek has promised that they’re working on it so hopefully….

    Until then the only alternative is to use ColourHCFR to do the measurements. I did that for my first Samsung D8005 test for http://www.av-blog.dk. Unfortunately HCFR doesn’t support the K-10 (or the Spectracal LED tables for EyeOne Pro), so I ended up not using the results in the review.

    Regarding greyscale measurements at other points than the 10 % steps used to calibrate, I agree with David. I always do 5% measurements after doing 10-step greyscale calibrations, and usually the results are completely linear between the 10 calibration points.

  48. @Kim:
    I agree. Colour linearity would be a great thing to measure.

  49. Hi David. First of all my greetings for your excellent review, very objective and clear.
    From what i have been reading in forums, lots of people, including me, are in doubt between the 65VT30 and the Samsung 64D8000
    Are you planning to have a review at those specific models or not?
    Thanks in advance
    Pedro

  50. Very good review and excellent calibration. Your settings, as always, are very useful and reliable. I hope to see soon a review for the TX-P50VT30B.
    Keep up the excellent work!

  51. Floating brightness/gamma shiftning.

    Last day I went to a CC and I saw a Panasonic plasma 42 gt30 with a lg demo of F1 racing cars. Under the plasma there was a new Panasonic 37dt30 led tv with the same demo.

    Both tv had beautifull colors but when the cars were in the pit reds on the plasma were gorgeous, blue were vibrant. Strangely the led tv had two different blue shades on the racing body of a f1 car and the Ferrari red was a very little orange. So i do not know what’s the truth but until there i like plasma colours.

    However when we put the cars on the racing track gt30 darkens the whole image. This is not what you are awaiting to see and a F1 racing car is not observable.

    From bad to worse simpson’s cartoon on gt30 is the alternation of bright and dark shots. DT30 did not suffer of this issue.

    I do not know vt30 but i have made this proof to put you on alert

    Fabrizio.

  52. Excellent review as always….Grettings from Greece….

  53. I have my 42VT30 since last Saturday and love it to bits.. i changed my 42vt20 for it and would never look back.. no floating blacks, no annoying variable buzzing and much better 50hz motion handling.. no complaint from me!

  54. Hi guys, will you review the P50VT30?

    Some users have noticed some gamma fluctuations on the 50″ model. These tvs are running 1516-10000 firmware. You can check the effect in this clip from the movie “Hereafter” (min. 40):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJPI8-yPUyk

    This effect is visible in all the video modes (THX, Pro, etc). You can reduce the effect in some modes turning off all the featurettes, but the problem is still there.

    Also is noticed with Blu Ray sources, mkv, PS3 and VT30 own video player.

    By now is not noticed on 42″ models. We’re over this problem in a spanish forums, HDJ forums, AVS forums…

    Thanks!

  55. David Mackenzie

    @Achtung:
    Yes we will.

  56. Thank you David!!

    We’re very worried in Spain on how this issue affects only the 50″ model (42 model is free by now).
    I uploaded two shorts videos in mkv format that helps to notice if the tv has this issue or not. Clips from Avatar and Hereafter. In both clips the issue is clearly noticed in a few 50″ models and slighty noticed in the rest:

    I couldn’t post a link to the those clips and to the Spanish forum where the people are reporting their feedbacks.
    If this message is repeated I apologize. (Reason: delete links)

    Thanks!!

  57. ST30 RULES!! Power to the Poor People!!!!

  58. David,

    I see many reviewers are somehow coming up with 1080 lines of resolution from FPD Benchmark, but the primary test itself (Monoscope) doesn’t even have a 1080 mark on the scale associated with wedged lines…if you are using the “Motion resolution” pattern, IMHO, it really doesn’t say anything about the actual precise motion resolution as it devides lines into rough blocks representing typical signal types: 240, 480, 720, 1080 and NOT denoting actual motion resolution sideways i.e if one can distinguish all four lines in the block associated with 1080 mark , it should only mean that TV is likely to resolve the horizontal resolution of 1920 pixels (!) which is the actual horizontal resolution of the 1080 signal

    So, what test exactly are you deriving the exact motion resolution readings from since I believe that neither Monoscope and particularly not the Motion Resolution tests can produce such an exact figure of 1080 lines? Or am I missing something? I should probably also bring this up with other reviewers, but you seem to be the one to provide the best insight.

    Thanks and cheers!

  59. @David Mackenzie, are the ‘oily faces’ i.e. red/green dynamic contouring
    present on broadcasts to the same degree this year on VT30 and other models, as with last year’s sets?
    Are the 2011 sets still introducing more posterisation at 50hz than previous Panasonic TVs?
    I had to return two V20s last year because of such problems; they weren’t at all subtle and make my Z1 model look like a saint! :-O
    The points listed where just the tip of the iceberg, Motion was dreadful on the V20s I had.

    Other reviewers are playing down 50hz and related issues I see : citing the 50hz bug as only the motion one mainly affecting football. A whole lot more than that has changed for the worse since the 2009 sets, and the move to 3D.
    With the exception of THAT motion bug, has other artefacting at 50hz been dealt with ?
    I see on Avforums one owner of VT30 already complaining about ‘oily faces’.

    Re:Achtung’s Youtube clips of gamma/brightness shifting : how bad is this, on VT30 or other models?
    IF that clip is at all accurate, it makes a nonsense of buying Panasonic this year : it makes ‘floating blacks’ look benign! :-O

  60. David,

    Firstly i would like to thank you for putting up a great review which aided in the decision of me buying the P50VT30B.

    The t.v. has been up and running for two weeks now, and have found a Panny dealership that does screen calibrations using the CalMAN 4.2 software.

    you mentioned in the review the 3D calibration was done using the glasses provided. how was this acheived? More details please..

    thank you in advance.

    Jugtar

  61. Great review!
    I still went for last years model 50″ VT20 since it has dropped 40% in price in a year. Can the settings for VT30 be used for VT20 as well or are the panels too different? Please upload the VT20 settings to facebook, or if anyone else have a link to the settings?

  62. Could you inform the light output in THX mode? TX-P42VT20B measured at around 130 cd/m2 in yours previous test. Thanks in advance!

  63. David Mackenzie

    @Kalos Geros
    You got it, we use the Motion Resolution pattern.
    I’m not sure what you mean by the rest of your comment, though? Can you re-phrase?

    @Darren:
    See the comments in the “Motion Resolution” section for 50/60/24hz differentiation. There is still some contouring which we noticed with all sources.
    The YouTube clip looks quite irritating due to the frequency of the shifting. I haven’t tested that clip on the display we have here yet. But, it’s clearly a very high contrast camcorded clip, meaning the severity of the shifting will be exaggerated.

    @Jugtar Plaha:
    For 3D calibration, we use Side-by-Side encoded Greyscale window patterns (although using a normal 2D calibration disc with the TV in 2d->3D Conversion mode would probably work just as well). We make sure the glasses are turned on and attached to the front of a Klein K-10 non contact meter.

    @Morty:
    No, the settings can’t even be used reliably between the same model because each panel is different. They would probably give strange results with last year’s display.

    @Roger:
    The 42? VT30 has gone back to Panasonic, but we can test the 50?.

  64. Hey David, if you have time, can you get the input lag figures for both 3d and 2d in THX mode for the 50 inch model. I was wondering how they compare to game mode, cheers.

  65. David,

    I tried to convey my thoughts that the Motion Resolution pattern cannot provide the EXACT motion resolution that many reviewers (you included) seem to derive from it…it doesn’t even feature the 900 mark to allow for interpretation of the 900 motion resolution value that many reviewers came up earlier for previous plasmas…hope I’m being more clear now…:-)

    Cheers

  66. David,

    please disregard my previous post, I have somehow managed to miss the exact test you are using…you are using teh one that fatures 20 mark scale from 150 to 1080… I am however still puzzled as to why the test doesn’t go up to 1920 lines of resolution since this is the horizontal resolution of the 1080 signal – I was under impression we should be measuring sideways resolution not vertical res since the test scrolls sideways…hmmm…thoughts on that?

  67. Hello David,

    Iam really waiting on the 50VT30 review!!
    When will this come out?

    thanks.

  68. David Mackenzie

    @Niek
    In the next few weeks.

  69. Hello David, thank you for the thorough review.

    Since I’m interested in buying this plasma display as a reference monitor for color grading purposes. Can you confirm the panel inside is capable of displaying a true 10 bit per color (30b RGB) image with 12 bit processing?

  70. David Mackenzie

    Hi Richard,
    Cool, what system are you grading on?
    If your budget dictates that you have to use a consumer TV for grading, the Panasonics are a good choice. Just know that this is not a reference broadcast display (the floating gamma issue alone prevents this). You’d probably be better served by the Panasonic Professional plasma range, but they’re much more expenisve.

    I’ll do some tests with the 50″ VT30 I have here and let you know re 10bpp.

  71. Hi David,

    Actually I’m in the process of setting up a boutique grading suite on a somewhat limited budget. It will be based around Davinci Resolve. My main concern is investing in the right equipment to maintain a 10bit workflow throughout the entire chain.

    The setup I investigated in so far, will consist of a fast Mac Pro, dual gfx cards and a “Black Magic Design DeckLink HD Extreme 3D” as the video playback card, connected to a reference monitor (likely the VT30). Either through the HDMi 1.4 port or single/dual HDSDI (not sure yet if the VT30’s processes and display’s a 10bpc RGB signal through its HDMI input). Else I might need an additional Panasonic HDSDI board (which I hope to avoid since it costs more than the TV itself).

    As far as I know the VT30 doesn’t have an internal board for creating and storing 3D LUT’s, so I might need an external device for this as well, in between the playback card and monitor (the BMD HDLink might be a solution). But to be honest, I would be satisfied for now if 10bpc monitoring through HDMI, on a properly REC709 calibrated VT30 is possible. It would be an outstanding help to me, if you could test that.

    I was also wondering. Did you use the Spectracal Calman / Panasonic kit for auto calibration? Or was it callibrated manually?

    Cheers,
    Richard

  72. David Mackenzie

    @Richard Willis:
    None of the consumer Panasonic displays (or consumer displays of any brand for that matter) accept SDI. There’s no way of adding additional input boards to this TV. For that you need the Panasonic Professional monitors.

    We had some issues getting the auto calibration to work, so instead used the user menus.

  73. Okay, SDI is out of the question then. Still hoping to hear from you if the panel display’s a true 10bpc video signal through it’s HDMI input, at a 12 or 14 bit internal processing.

    Then again, I guess using this monitor as reference is still not feasible, if Panasonic doesn’t plan to address the gamma/brightness fluctuation with a firmware update.

  74. Hello David,

    I just bought a new 50VT30, do i need to buy a “burn-in dvd”?
    and how many hours needs it to adapt for the best picture, if you know what i mean…

    enuuh any 50vt30 review soon? :-)

  75. Hello David,

    Nice job.
    I just bought a 55VT30.
    I have checked the following settings :
    http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.192869264090790.53060.110909255620125

    In 3D, we can read “Brightness raised to 35”.
    The problem is the max value on my set is 30.
    I was wondering if there was any typo ?

    Best regards

  76. Hello david,

    I’m rally interested in this plasma,but how bad is image retention when u play 4 to 5 hours a day on gameconsoles like xbox 360 and ps3? Sometimes i am on the 360 dashboard for a long time. I am afraid that the retention stays for a long time.
    I have had differenet lcd televisions for 5 years or so and get annoyed about the black levels especialy when i watch a movie in the dark,one of the reasons i want a plasma. Thanks in advance.

    Best regards,

    Gerard

  77. @ DAVID
    @ EVERYONE

    i was playing with my vt30 using two different blu ray players, ( PS3, Samsung )
    in both case, THX mode shows OVERSCAN ON and grayed out…..so im not able to DISABLE Overscan……obviously in every other mode ( PRO, CINEMA ….) i can disable it…….
    Why?……so if i use THX ( the best out of the box IMO ) how can i disable overscan ?…..

    I believed that Overscan was OFF by default in thx…..

  78. David Mackenzie

    @JR
    THX mode definitely disables overscan, at least with 16:9 material. One thing to check: the BD player is definitely sending 1080p to the display?

  79. David Mackenzie

    @Niek
    Some people recommend the use of ‘break-in slides’, but this is an added safety measure. I would just recommend using the TV in the THX or Professional mode and avoid leaving channel logos/game score counters on for too long.

    @Anh:
    Brightness in 3D should be just a few clicks higher than centre, if using my settings. Definitely not up near full, that would look awful. Are you using the Continental European model? Maybe the UK menu is different or perhaps it is just a typo.

    @Gerard:
    You would probably run into a bit of retention with usage like that.

  80. @David Mackenzie
    David, I have a question: How many hours did your reviewunit ran already, when you measured 0.012 cd/m2?

    I ask that, cause I read, that after 150 hours and 300 hours the MLL will be even better than out of the box.

  81. @JR
    THX mode definitely disables overscan, at least with 16:9 material. One thing to check: the BD player is definitely sending 1080p to the display?

    thank you David
    yes my ps3 is sending a 1920x1080P source at 24hz
    when displaying a Blu Ray in format 1:78:1 ( full screen ) ( avatar, or Alice ) THX mode is forcing OVERSCAN ON….tested even using my DVE HD basic test pattern……
    maybe a fault in my tv ?

    Another question…..i think y re one of the best calibrator out there….a lot of reviewer are claiming that even if calibration charts are looking good , real content are not matching theese graphs…..
    Are you happy with VT30 after calibration ?

    I m attempting to calibrate it using iOnePro and Chromapure….according to you wich Test pattern are more accurate ( to obtein good result in real life content ) ?
    – DVE windowed pattern ?
    – Avs windowed ? ( i think the same )
    – Avs APL windowed pattern ?

    Any suggestion ?

    thank you very much !

    PS: for reference i use my brother’s krp 500 in pure mode.

    Hi

  82. does Panasonic manufactures portable LCD for travelling?

  83. David Mackenzie

    @Turrican4D:
    This unit had about 80 hours on it.

    @JR:
    That doesn’t sound right at all, the THX mode definitely didn’t force overscan on the TV we reviewed. Where do you live?

    Yes, it’s true, the performance varies with real world material. Rarely to the point of me being unhappy about it, though.

    I’ve found that using the AVS APL Windowed patterns return the best results with Panasonic PDPs. Other calibrators may disagree.

    @Sonia:
    Not that I know of.

  84. Hi David

    1)- I have thoroughly read both your reviews on th GT30 and the VT30.. i am torn between the 2 because my option is this: 46GT30B or 42VT30B so it works out:

    TX-P46GT30B + 2xGlasses : £1350 (46 inch screen)
    TX-P42VT30B + 2xGlasses : £1500 (42 inch screen)

    If i’m not willing to go over £1500 is it worth getting the G option “IN YOUR OPINION” because of the larger screen size for 3D etc while not losing much picture quality?

    2)- Your callibrations settings you publish on your facebook page.. is it as simple as me bringing up the settings menu and setting everything to the settings you have given? or do i need something else to enable me to change the settings? and can this be done by myself on the GT and VT?

    Thankyou In Advance

    Regards

    John

  85. Regarding the brightness shifting. Do you have the possibility to look into the following?

    http://www.highdefjunkies.com/showthread.php?9631-2011-Panasonic-Fluctuating-Brightness-Master-Discussion-Thread&p=248232&viewfull=1#post248232

    It seems like Panasonic in Spain have issued a firmware to fix it. Do you have any contacts at Panasonic in Britain? It would be great with a review update with this firmware in place.

  86. David Mackenzie

    @Matt:
    That is very exciting news. I’ll look into that (and answer everyone’s comments!) ASAP.

  87. David Mackenzie

    @John
    I would go for the GT; the image quality is very, very close to the VT. The VT goes the extra mile in terms of accuracy, but that’s of most benefit if you have access to a calibration meter. If you don’t have one it’s not going to be totally accurate in any case, so you may as well go for the GT which is very good value for money.

    2. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. The calibration settings are unique to each individual Plasma panel – copying the settings which worked perfectly for our review TV won’t get you a totally accurate calibration; that requires your individual panel to be measured and adjusted. But our settings may get you close.

  88. i live in Italy
    nothing to do……in thx overscan in ON……no way to disable it…..even in 3d…..

  89. Dear david,

    Thanks for an amazing review once again. I struggle with the nearly the same question as above only with the following options:
    42gt30 without glasses 1074euro
    42vt30 with 2 pair of 3d glasses 1324euro

    Is it true that the vt30 has noticeably less judder with 96khz mode? Since the gt30 seems to lack that option?

  90. Just returned my faulty Samsung 46″ D7000, although even without the faults the picture quality was not good enough for that price.

    Going to get a 50″ VT30 when then refund comes through.

    At least this way I know that this is as good as it gets and at Christmas I’ll be getting our local ISF guy (Gordon) in to get it spot on. :)

  91. The time for a new tv is getting closer. At first I was looking at the Panasoninc VT30 and the Samsung D7000, but since the Samsung has some issues I have been looking into a Philips 9705 as alternative (they will get cheaper with the upcoming release of new Philips tv’s). I don’t really care much about 3D, however the set will be used for gaming, so input lag is important.

    Do you think the Philips 9705 is a good alternative to the VT30?
    Which one would you recommend?

    Thanks!

  92. Hey HDTVtest.co.uk
    and Hallo Dave

    Nice Review.
    I once several questions.

    Why used the 42″ VT30 as much electricity as the 50″ VT30 at THX 2D Mode?
    Are the 20ms Inputlag only in Game Mode or even outside of Game Mode?
    (Currently own the Sony KDL46EX402 with wonder and 10ms on the 42 “VT30 switch because of a few input lag somewhat in contrast to 50VT30/GT30 has.)

    Why has the 42 “in VT30 HDTVtest better black value
    (Calibrated black level) 0.012 / 0.013cd/m
    as the 50” Model 0.02cd/m?

  93. How many digital tuners has this model (P42VT30B)?

  94. Hello David. Our new tv 42″ VT30 just arrived today. We’ve got it setup by local satellite sky installer. I have some questions for you, how long does it take for the tv to run in, how well does tv handle pvr pause functionality from sky. We sit about a meter to 2 metres from tv but sd quality through sky+ or freeview still looks less clear and over sharpenned. Of course we only had it on for a few hours and we are watching it with no calibration settings. Maybe we still sit too close or maybe run in or calibration will solve the poorer sd. Some hd aswell through arial aswell not as good as thought. Skyhd+ is arriving soon anyway. Can you please email the post and final calibration settings to me as I have no need or want for a facebook account to get them. It is, jamieah959@hotmail.co.uk would very much appreciate help and response. Thankyou,

    Jamie

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