[Elect] Gibby's: Panasonic 55" ST Plasma TV TCP55ST50 $1348, PM FS $1323 or BB $1283

[Felks24]

what, no one thinks this is a great deal?? This model is TV of the year in some circles, like CNET...If I were on the market for a higher end plasma I'd be all over this.

I'm glad I found this thread, but unfortunately i'm looking for a 60" plasma, and when the Samsung PN60E6500 (also a highly regarded 2012 plasma) can be had for $150 more than the 55ST50 and $400 less than the 60ST50, it's hard to justify going Panasonic over Samsung.

[rahzel]

I'm glad I found this thread, but unfortunately i'm looking for a 60" plasma, and when the Samsung PN60E6500 (also a highly regarded 2012 plasma) can be had for $150 more than the 55ST50 and $400 less than the 60ST50, it's hard to justify going Panasonic over Samsung.

The main problem I have with the E6500 is the lack of brightness. The ST50 is capable of much higher brightness levels and would perform better in a bright room. The ST50 also has better black levels. But if it's going in your basement or the lighting is controlled, the E6500 is also a very good choice and a very good value because it comes with 3D glasses.

Best price on the 60ST50 right now is at gibby's for 1898.88. You can PM at Visions for another 5% off, but they'll probably include the shipping charge ($79.99 to SK).

[DoubleDizzle]

would be perfect for me, except i'm looking at the 60" Panasonic ST or the Samsung E6500.

[expergo]

Wondering whether to grab it now or wait until later this year. Hmmm...

[DoubleDizzle]

The main problem I have with the E6500 is the lack of brightness. The ST50 is capable of much higher brightness levels and would perform better in a bright room. The ST50 also has better black levels. But if it's going in your basement or the lighting is controlled, the E6500 is also a very good choice and a very good value because it comes with 3D glasses.

that's my thing - it'll be in a basement with VERY little light... walls & ceiling will be dark. if the only flaw of the Samsung E6500 is brightness, seems like a no brainer to grab it over the Panasonic. especially when you factor in the two pairs of active glasses that come with the TV.

[rahzel]

that's my thing - it'll be in a basement with VERY little light... walls & ceiling will be dark. if the only flaw of the Samsung E6500 is brightness, seems like a no brainer to grab it over the Panasonic. especially when you factor in the two pairs of active glasses that come with the TV.

The other is black levels, but the E6500 is no slouch in that area. The 60ST50 measures between 0.0022 - 0.0026 foot lamberts and the E6500 measures around 0.0044 - 0.0058 foot lamberts (foot lamberts is the measurement of luminance... lower the better when it comes to measuring black levels). The difference will be noticeable in a darker room. On the other hand, the E6500 is generally less susceptible to image retention. I say generally because image retention varies from panel to panel. I haven't seen any of it on my 60ST50.

[Felks24]

The main problem I have with the E6500 is the lack of brightness. The ST50 is capable of much higher brightness levels and would perform better in a bright room. The ST50 also has better black levels. But if it's going in your basement or the lighting is controlled, the E6500 is also a very good choice and a very good value because it comes with 3D glasses.

Best price on the 60ST50 right now is at gibby's for 1898.88. You can PM at Visions for another 5% off, but they'll probably include the shipping charge ($79.99 to SK).

The other is black levels, but the E6500 is no slouch in that area. The 60ST50 measures between 0.0022 - 0.0026 foot lamberts and the E6500 measures around 0.0044 - 0.0058 foot lamberts. The difference will be noticeable in a darker room. On the other hand, the E6500 is generally less prone to image retention, but I haven't seen any of it on my 60ST50.

How do these TV's (ST50 or E6500) compare with my current Panny 50G25 in terms of brightness and black level?

[rahzel]

How do these TV's (ST50 or E6500) compare with my current Panny 50G25 in terms of brightness and black level?

Both will beat the G25 in terms of black levels and color accuracy, but the G25 is brighter than the E6500.

[Felks24]

Both will beat the G25 in terms of black levels and color accuracy, but the G25 is brighter than the E6500.

Ah crap. It's going in a super bright room, replacing a G25. Thanks for the info.

[rahzel]

Ah crap. It's going in a super bright room, replacing a G25. Thanks for the info.

For a bright room, I would definitely recommend the ST50 over the E6500. The ST50 will be noticeably brighter than your G25 and it has a slightly better screen filter. Not to mention much better styling, black levels and color accuracy.

For ST50 settings, I recommend heading over to highdefjunkies.com, sign up and look at D-Nice's 2012 Panasonic thread. For the 60" or 65" models, you can try my settings here (larger panels are a bit different than the smaller panels).
Plugging in someone else' settings will never be perfect, but it should be better than the out of the box picture modes.

[DoubleDizzle]

Rahzel - you're the man... been checking out your reviews/posts across the web, i truly appreciate the knowledge.

dollar for dollar, with the E6500 being significantly cheaper than the ST50, which would you recommend for a dark, basement room? i flip flop between the two repeatedly, after finally cancelling out the UT50 and the E550 models.

[rahzel]

Glad to help.

I obviously went with the ST50, but back when I bought it, it was only a ~$200 difference. With the price gap today, it's really up to you and it depends on how picky you are and how much weight PQ has on your decision. For me, PQ is very important so I would still probably lean towards the ST50. It doesn't blow the E6500 out of the water, but the ST50 will definitely have a more punchy picture.

[dslrnewb]

Does Bestbuy factor in the shipping cost when doing a PM?

[expergo]

BB is willing to give me the 50st50 for $1150 and free delivery. Is that a decent deal?

[DoubleDizzle]

yah, i guess that's my issue, i don't know how picky i am... i have a pretty run-of-the-mill 5yr old Panasonic plasma now and think it looks fantastic... the upgrade from 42" to 60" is going to be amazing, not to mention the new bells & whistles from a smartTV. add that to a newly renovated basement, brand new couch, etc., and i'd probably be good with a black & white TV on the wall. haha.

i've all but decided on the E6500, but still haven't bought it yet. the thing i'm trying to factor is whether the ~$500 total price difference worth the jump to Panasonic, after buying the 3D glasses. i mean if the ST50 is a 10/10 for PQ, is E6500 like a 5/10 or a 9.5/10..?