Thread: P60ST30 $900 - Worth it even with issues? (vs. 55ST50)

Last week, I purchased a Panasonic 55ST50 from BB w/ two "free" pairs of glasses, for $1700 (really, roughly the same price as buying the set and glasses on Amazon and saving on tax).

I had originally targeted a 55ST30, but it appeared all stock/deals had dried up.

Out of nowhere, during a visit to my local Costco, I saw the last remaining 60ST30 for $900.

After some research, I see that the 60 has some potential/lingering (maybe unavoidable?) issues/manufacturing defects. Pink edging, green blobs, fluctuating brightness, etc. I also understand, from looking around these forums and some reviews (even if I'm not advanced enough to notice myself) that the ST50 has better PQ.

Seeing as though the 60ST30 was the last one left, I brought it home. Now I'm faced with a decision. Do I take back the ST50 and roll with the ST30? 5 inches bigger, much cheaper, but a potential pain in the ass full of problems? Or do I stick with the ST50, the new features, better glasses, better PQ?

Looking for some expert opinions here. What would you do? Thanks.

Posted reply to your query on That Other Forum - way too long to replicate here (!), but in short: Maybe.

Absent Unwanted Green and/or Pink, the ST30 provides a wonderful viewing experience with HD material, from 9 feet or more.

The ST50 is almost certainly a better panel - barring some individual set glitches - but I would not consider it worth Twice the cost (factoring in a "Bonus" for the larger screen on the ST30).

Again, Green - or Primarily PINK - aside.

And always remembering, of course, that MY $$ are not the same as Your $$!


Viewing environment might play a role: our "home theater" area is in our basement, and while we have a lot of table / floor lamps, and a couple of overheads, it still is not as bright as a daytime living room would be. We normally watch with most of the lights out, but the ST30 holds up well when they are on - still, the ST50 is probably a better choice for bright-room daytime viewing.


FWIW, we had a 60" ST30 (several, in fact...), and currently have a 60" ST50: at the same price, or a moderate difference, would take the newer panel.
But - ABSENT THE PINK TINT AROUND THE BORDERS OF THE SCREEN - the last ST30 we had (a Nov Build) was capable of a very satisfying viewing experience.

Could literally watch an entire blu-ray on this last 30, not "notice" any Pink (or Green), and think "Wow, how much better of a picture could one ask for?!?!"
And then toss in the "right" - or perhaps "Wrong" - program, and find myself Cringing at nearly every other scene at the PINK TINT that colored off-whites.... (And with two other Panasonic plasmas at home, it was an easy task to double-check whether flaw was in the source.)

Sigh.

If it doesn't have PINK, the ST30 is a wonderful bargain at that price.
Otherwise - that is, if Pink IS visible - it is up to your personal judgement / sensitivity.

Bargains are great..but when the product is a TV and it has visual problems... it's not a bargain anymore...the ST50 is an easy choice...of course I'm a guy that would rather eat a quality meal with limited quantity..as opposed to going to a buffet and getting bigger portions of mediocre food..

Clearly the winner for me is the 60 inch! for 800. dollars cheaper. Yes to the st30 .. There is no telling what kind of issues the st50 will present. looking at both, I can not see any improvement over 2011 models. It is just not there.

Originally Posted by Bigmac

Clearly the winner for me is the 60 inch! for 800. dollars cheaper. Yes to the st30 .. There is no telling what kind of issues the st50 will present. looking at both, I can not see any improvement over 2011 models. It is just not there.

The ST30 - minus Actual Green Blobs or Pink Tint - is a Very Nice set, and would be well worth consideration, particularly at an end-of-the-year bargain price.

However, we had 4 Working 2011 60" Panasonic plasmas in our house, and three other 2011 sets (2 50" and 1 55") in the Immediate Family (with the 55" (a GT30) and 1 of the 50" (S30) still in operation): to say that there is No Improvement over the 2011 panels is simply incorrect.

If we had a 2011 WITHOUT Green or Pink, I would be very happy with it, and would not think about trying to buy a 2012.

At the same time, I would NOT be willing to trade our ST50 for a ST30, even if the transaction involved Reasonable Cash In Our Pocket for the exchange.

For $1,000 - Probably would swap, IF the 2011 came with a Guarantee of NO Green or Pink Tint!
But for, say, $600 or even $700 or less? .... I would keep the ST50.

Other people, of course, will have different Price Sensitivities.

Originally Posted by Dierk

The ST30 - minus Actual Green Blobs or Pink Tint - is a Very Nice set, and would be well worth consideration, particularly at an end-of-the-year bargain price.

However, we had 4 Working 2011 60" Panasonic plasmas in our house, and three other 2011 sets (2 50" and 1 55") in the Immediate Family (with the 55" (a GT30) and 1 of the 50" (S30) still in operation): to say that there is No Improvement over the 2011 panels is simply incorrect.

If we had a 2011 WITHOUT Green or Pink, I would be very happy with it, and would not think about trying to buy a 2012.

At the same time, I would NOT be willing to trade our ST50 for a ST30, even if the transaction involved Reasonable Cash In Our Pocket for the exchange.

For $1,000 - Probably would swap, IF the 2011 came with a Guarantee of NO Green or Pink Tint!
But for, say, $600 or even $700 or less? .... I would keep the ST50.

Other people, of course, will have different Price Sensitivities.

televisioninfo.com has a review that you need to read! Pretty good stuff. st30 was rated same or even better than the st50!

Apologies: this is the wrong thread for a discussion of the relative merits of a 2011 panel as opposed to a 2012 panel, and I erred in contributing to the conversation.

Probably best fits as a thread under the "Plasma Displays" heading, and will certainly at least read through any such discussion that I notice there - although it is largely academic in terms of New Purchases now (not very many 2011 sets remain).


Alas, a handful of panels - in any given year, and from any given manufacturer - will have Defects of some sort, and we were unlucky enough to end up with a couple of those, which tends to skew our perspective.

However, as the "Growing Pink Tint" problem appears to have afflicted a minority of the 2011 sets, and the "Actual Green Blobs" either disappeared, or became Visually Insignificant, by around 500 hours - on every 2011 panel we have experience with - I would guess that the vast majority of 2011 owners are Very Happy with their sets. And rightfully so.

Would expect that this will also be true of the 2012 panels - and is almost certainly true for the owners of other brands as well.

Originally Posted by RandyWalters

Television Info dot com is a sham site and they are widely known for not knowing what they're talking about. They're trying to pass themselves off as an authoritative review site, but it's obvious that they don't know how to test or review TVs.

TelevisionInfo.com is a respected review site that is widely known as being unbiased and NOT Money Motivated.
Page 7 of the review says basically what I have been saying for a month. There're not gonna be any major improvements from last years 2011 Panasonic models to 2012. It is just too obivious.