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

[rahzel]

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..?

In terms of PQ only and not factoring in the limitation of the E6500's brightness, I would give the ST50 a 9-9.5/10 and the E6500 between an 8.5-9/10. Factoring in the brightness limitations of the E6500, I would give it a solid 8.5. Honestly, I think you'll be happy either way. You can always try the E6500 and exchange it if you're not happy with it.

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

AFAIK, yes.

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

Seems ok to me... same price at gibby's and they usually have very competitive pricing. Might be able to do a bit better at a local store.

[expergo]

Seems ok to me... same price at gibby's and they usually have very competitive pricing. Might be able to do a bit better at a local store.

Yeah. Hmm. Not sure if I should wait until boxing day to see if there's a better deal. I definitely want this TV but there's no urgency to get it.

[xawaisx]

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 believe the latest samsung 3D glasses will work with the ST50.

[Rand.oM]

Anyone ever had luck PMing Gibby's in Ottawa?

[rahzel]

I believe the latest samsung 3D glasses will work with the ST50.

Yes.

[jtopiwala]

I just checked the Gibby's website and it looks like the price has gone up to $1598. I was planning to head to Best Buy just now and attempt a PM...so much for that!
I saw it was $1348 this morning...

[okeefe73]

Kfox: Thanks for this post! I've been keeping an eye out on this television as well. Saw this TV at BB and it looks great. Much thinner thans last year's ST30 and this year's UT50 series and the bezel looks very classy too. $1282 is a great price with the price match and in stock guarantee. I'm betting that from now until the Christmas time, there'll be a retailer that will lower their price to that range again. Perhaps Gibby's again, or perhaps East Hamilton Radio. Even the late November VIP sale at FS may get you into that price range too. At $1282, that works out to be a 24.5% discount from the MSP of $1699. For me, I'm finding that Boxing Day sales are a hit and miss these last few years, especially when you already have a specific TV in mind.

Based on my research of prices over the last year of the Panasonic ST, GT and VT series of televisions, a 20% to 35% discount off of MSP would be a great buy.

[cling33]

Phew! I PM'd it at a local store in Kitchener Tuesday. Glad I did then and didn't wait. They seemed to hum and haw about whether they could go down to $1348, they said that was a really low offer. I wasn't worried if they didn't, I would have gone to FS or BB, but would rather see my money go to a local store. They said it wasn't below their cost yet, so they matched it. My friends thought that was just salesman-speak that they hummed and hawed about it and mentioned cost, but they did seem really honest and genuine to me, and were very professional. Great TV, beautiful picture.

[vazilioz]

Unfortunately, no Gibby's in Quebec. Been looking for another one of these for the parents...

2 years ago i pricematch a TV from gibbys at futureshop and i'm also from Montreal. There is not a huge price difference, FS might want to sell a TV for cheap. I would give it a try if i was you.

[okeefe73]

Not sure if this will help any of you over the next couple months, but I was able to dig up an old gibby's flyer from last year. You could use the info to potentially gauge where the prices will be going, that is of course if the TV costs to the retailers are similar to last year. It was their boxing week (28Dec2011) flyer. These were their advertised prices for the ST30, GT30 and VT30 units.

ST30: 50" - $998, 55" - $1198, 60" - $1398, 65" - $2298
GT30: 50" - $1198, 55" - $1428, 60" - $1878, 65" - $2598
VT30: 55" - $2498, 65" - $3798

[sony17]

Can I do this in store instead of online ?

[expergo]

ST30: 50" - $998, 55" - $1198, 60" - $1398, 65" - $2298
GT30: 50" - $1198, 55" - $1428, 60" - $1878, 65" - $2598
VT30: 55" - $2498, 65" - $3798

I hope that's true for this year. Then I'll grab a GT series instead.

[rahzel]

I hope that's true for this year. Then I'll grab a GT series instead.

FYI, the ST50 and GT50 are essentially the same as far as performance. I would only get the GT50 if you need extra ports for some reason, you prefer the styling, or you need two good picture modes for day and night. Don't mistake THX modes as being pre-calibrated... they're just a bit more accurate than the ST50 out of the box. But if you plug in D-Nice or my settings (posted on page one) the ST50 will perform at least as good as the GT50, if not better. You could always use Cinema and Custom mode for day/night on the ST50. It would save you money and/or you could step up to a larger screen size.

[expergo]

FYI, the ST50 and GT50 are essentially the same as far as performance. I would only get the GT50 if you need extra ports for some reason, you prefer the styling, or you need two good picture modes for day and night. Don't mistake THX modes as being pre-calibrated... they're just a bit more accurate than the ST50 out of the box. But if you plug in D-Nice or my settings (posted on page one) the ST50 will perform at least as good as the GT50, if not better. You could always use Cinema and Custom mode for day/night on the ST50. It would save you money and/or you could step up to a larger screen size.

Ah okay. Thanks. In that case I'll save the money.

[psw1]

Not sure if this will help any of you over the next couple months, but I was able to dig up an old gibby's flyer from last year. You could use the info to potentially gauge where the prices will be going, that is of course if the TV costs to the retailers are similar to last year. It was their boxing week (28Dec2011) flyer. These were their advertised prices for the ST30, GT30 and VT30 units.

ST30: 50" - $998, 55" - $1198, 60" - $1398, 65" - $2298
GT30: 50" - $1198, 55" - $1428, 60" - $1878, 65" - $2598
VT30: 55" - $2498, 65" - $3798

I wonder if they'll price this low this boxing day. Last year's Panasonic Plasma's were 'ehh', this year they are highly rated units, which I assume carries a higher level of demand and pricing power.