Best value on the market, September 26, 2009
I looked at this set and the TC-P65V10 in Best Buy before I purchased it here. Using the same input I could not tell more that a tiny marginal difference in the V10's 96hz 24p feature and this set without. I also looked at the 60" KURO and while it did look better calibrated, it was not worth the more than "double the price" premium. I could tell...read full review
I looked at this set and the TC-P65V10 in Best Buy before I purchased it here. Using the same input I could not tell more that a tiny marginal difference in the V10's 96hz 24p feature and this set without. I also looked at the 60" KURO and while it did look better calibrated, it was not worth the more than "double the price" premium. I could tell a difference in the price though and back in my in home all I can say is, "WOW what a picture". This performance available at this Amazon price point is the value of the year in television IMHO.
I bought the new TC-P54G10 in early September and also have a 720P 50" TH-50PX80U model. While the TC-P65S1 Panasonic does not have THX, I was not as impressed with the THX settings as I thought I would be and prefer to use the custom settings. In my opinion this is still by far the best picture of the three sets I own. It shares the same Neo-PDP glass as the 54G10 but at 65" the 1080 ability really shows through. Even at the 54" size I cannot tell the difference with the 720 sets but this 65S1 shines like a star. I watched the Thursday night college football game on ESPNHD and spent more time being amazed at the picture than at the game and it was a darn good game.
This set is in a big room, 19' x 26', 12" ceiling with lots of glass windows behind it and sliding doors. The anti glare works well, really great.
They need to add the ability to use Netflix right from the set and add more picture control ability for fine tuning and calibration of the picture.
Panasonic really knows their stuff. I can't wait until they come out with a 100" or better Plasma that folks who are not a Rap-Star can afford.
Don't hesitate to purchase through Amazon! minimize
The Best Plasma TV Out there, September 28, 2009
I bought this TV on August 30 and got it delivered on Sept 10. It's a big set that needs to be delivered on trucks, not UPS. The seller communicates via email to update the status of your order. A day before the delivery date, the truck guys will call and confirm the hours, typically a four-hour window for them to show up. Now, there is something...read full review
I bought this TV on August 30 and got it delivered on Sept 10. It's a big set that needs to be delivered on trucks, not UPS. The seller communicates via email to update the status of your order. A day before the delivery date, the truck guys will call and confirm the hours, typically a four-hour window for them to show up. Now, there is something that I think a prospective buyer wants to keep in mind. TV of this size is not easily transported. So it's the policy of the vendor, and probably industry-wide (because I've checked several vendors and that they all said the same thing), that you CAN'T RETURN IT if you don't fell like it. In other word, don't just buy it because you just want to check it out. The vendor will take it back if and only if it is 1) defective or 2) broken. So it's crucial that once it's delivered and while the delivery guys are still there, please open it up. Plug it in and make sure it work. In other word, do a thorough inspection. Because once these guys leave, you pretty much own it for good.
Now, comes the TV. This is a great set par none for its price. A quick walk through your local Best Buy will tell you that. I've seen TV's a lot smaller and much less sophisticated got sold for prices very close to this set's. Some of those are not very well known brands. The TV is not that heavy at all. The listing weight, according to Amazon is 175 shipping and 145, is not correct. Although I don't know its shipping weight, the set itself is 90 lbs (yeah..this isn't a typo). I'm a fairly small guy (5'7) and my brother's (5'8), and we both were able to pick it up and set it on the console without breaking a sweat. The hookup is straight forward. Just find the right connection and plug it in. Very much self-explanatory. The remote doesn't look that intimidating either. I mean if you've played around w/ electronic equipments, you don't need to read the manual. Play around w/ a few keys and you'll get it. It's realllyyyyyy simpleeeee. I had mine hooked up to Direct TV w/ the premium package (Football package). So I'm able to watch fairly large number of HD channels. And ...yes....it is............awesome..yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh...
As with plasma TV, I'm sure we all know that it should be in a dark room because plasma screens tend to reflect light. Mine is a bit close to the window. Although I try to shut down all the blinds when I watch football on Sundays, a tiny bit of reflection is still visible. The best show is at night. Dim the lights and you will be amazed at its clarity. As for the speakers, don't bother. You're not buying this TV for its speakers. So why even bother to turn it on? All TV speakers sucks. Period. If you were willing to spend this much dough on a TV, do yourself a favor. Go big w/ speakers. Speakers nowaday are relatively cheap. You can easily get a decent pair of speakers for a couple hundred dollars. I currently have mine set up w/ the Yamaha speaker bar. It's not the best, but decent enough for both regular TV reviewing and some action movies. The real nirvana will come when I save enough $$$ for a pair of Martin Logan.
Go ahead & Buy it. I guarantee you won't regret. Be sure to buy it from Amazon. Their service is great. minimize
Plasma never looked better, October 21, 2009
To put my review in perspective, I work for a major Hollywood studio and am pretty much a high quality freak when it comes to watching movies. I have about 500 DVDs at home, 150 of those are bluray.
I upgraded from a very decent 58" DLP so I really wanted something that wasn't just big, but also had great quality. I did a lot of...read full review
To put my review in perspective, I work for a major Hollywood studio and am pretty much a high quality freak when it comes to watching movies. I have about 500 DVDs at home, 150 of those are bluray.
I upgraded from a very decent 58" DLP so I really wanted something that wasn't just big, but also had great quality. I did a lot of research and frankly when reading through reviews I get the impression many of the positive ones are from people who upgraded from very old TVs and were just impressed that their new one was so much nicer. Not very helpful IMHO. So I went to several stores and looked at anything I could find to get a real overview of what is the standard today rather than comparing it to my 3 year old TV.
After weeks I finally ordered this unit and was still a little worried. Now that's its up on my wall and hooked up to my system I have to say I'm 100% happy! The image quality is stunning, crisp and shows every little detail you can get from a good bluray disk. Slow and subtle motion is smooth and fast action has no artifacts. When using a PS3 (which does a great job upconverting) even standard DVDs look pretty good. I'm not saying this is the best screen on the market, but let's be fair and consider the size and the price. I don't think you can find a better quality 65" screen for this price.
Another aspect I was a little worried about was the noise from the 4 vans on the back, but they run at such low rpm that you will not hear them. That used to be a big issue on my old DLP.
Reflection on screen from a lit room is also limited. I expected this to be more of an issue and again, I was positively surprised how little reflection is visible.
The stand that comes with it works great, but most people will hang it on the wall. The weight is not too crazy. I expected it to be much heaver considering the size. I can highly recommend this wall mount:
http://www.amazon.com/Sanus-VMPL3-B-Mount-Displays-Black/dp/B0008GP880/ref=pd_sim_e_63
I won't go over all the technical data and inputs, you can look all that up on Panasonic's web site. I just want to mention that I really like that the third HDMI input is conveniently placed on the side along with a standard video input and the SD card slot. That makes it easy to hook a video camera up or watch some photos.
I highly recommend this TV if you want a good size but still don't want to spend too much money. minimize
Just one word ... WOW!, October 15, 2009
I have had this 65 inch plasma since 10/1/2009. So far everything has been outstanding, from the great price I got at the time and the white glove delivery service. They set up the TV in my media room, hooked it up, turned it on and WOW!
My TV is installed in a windowless room, and the picture is out of this world. I see absolutely ...read full review
I have had this 65 inch plasma since 10/1/2009. So far everything has been outstanding, from the great price I got at the time and the white glove delivery service. They set up the TV in my media room, hooked it up, turned it on and WOW!
My TV is installed in a windowless room, and the picture is out of this world. I see absolutely no reason to have it professionally calibrated as the picture is outstanding. The picture is more than bright enough, even in a well lit room, if you need to up the brightness and contrast. There are no reflections, but then again I watch with no lights on ... the 65 inch screen provides enough light.
I am glad I went with the 65 inch model ... my other choice was the 58V model ... and I am glad I went with the 65S model. The picture is breathtaking ... almost 3D at times. Great depth ... great and viberant colors, and the picture clarity is awesome with high definition input.
With my Cable, the HD channels are awe inspiring, and I am glad there are a lot of them as the standard definition channels are no match to them, and after watching hours of HD channels I don't even want to watch the standard channels anymore.
So far no problems with the set, and I am 100% satisfied with the TV, Amazon, the price I paid, and the delivery. All in all a truely wonderful experience.
My room size is 16 foot by 19 foot with 10 foot ceilings, and I currently sit about 14 feet away from the screen. Anything less than 65 inches would have disappointed me.
Don't worry about 65 inches being too big in a room this size, it isn't. And don't worry about professional calibration services as I see absolutely nothing wrong with the picture.
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I am never leaving the house!, October 7, 2009
I hooked up the satellite equipment, hooked up my stereo, plugged it in, and WHOA! I just sit there for hours staring at it. I can just imagine how it will look when I turn it on! JK! I couldn't have asked for more. It is so beautiful. The picture is as clear as I could ask for. Sometimes it's almost 3D. Honestly, I was dozing off and there was a...read full review
I hooked up the satellite equipment, hooked up my stereo, plugged it in, and WHOA! I just sit there for hours staring at it. I can just imagine how it will look when I turn it on! JK! I couldn't have asked for more. It is so beautiful. The picture is as clear as I could ask for. Sometimes it's almost 3D. Honestly, I was dozing off and there was a show on about space exploration and for a second when I woke up I thought I was in the cockpit of the spaceship soaring through space. It took me a few seconds to get back to the reality that I was looking at the TV, lol. Blu-ray really shines on this TV! This is by far one of the most amazing things I've every owned. minimize
(20 total reviews)