Great price for a Panasonic 60" plasma - even better than a couple days ago when they had the 12% off discount storewide.
Probably the only downside for this unit is that there are only 2 HDMI inputs.
Review from CNET here.
Next cheapest price found is from ApplianceCentral for $1335.
EDIT: Thanks to blackfox Enter Code "TGIF" & price comes down to $1,079.10.
Nothing except a Brand NEW Panny Plasma you mean? :D
Off to a tough start with the wife… Need to think of a good reason why I "need" it. :P
the old one stopped working? (ie. you unplugged it)?
Am I missing something here. Why are these large plasmas so damn cheap?
EOL … Once they're gone, that's it.
Because through a variety of disinformation campaigns and clever marketing by manufacturers who simply don't want to spend so much on expensive-to-produce Plasma TVs (even though they are far superior), consumers have voted with their dollars and promoted the inferior LCD technology as the successor to CRT.
Hence Plasmas are going to dry up fairly soon and people have hardly been buying them for the last 5 years anyway.
Panasonic has officially stopped producing Plasmas, which leaves just two Plasma manufacturers in the game: LG (who have virtually no models in their range) and Samsung.
Another Betamax-VHS scenario in which the worse standard won and electronics manufacturers laughed all the way to the bank.
Same quality as the ST60A just without the 3D?
edit: NVM according to official website no. Lesser picture quality but less (better) input lag for gaming than the more expensive model.
So no 3D? Not that i'm that interested in it… but is that the only difference other than the input lag?
http://www.panasonic.com/au/consumer/tvs-projectors/plasma-t…
http://www.panasonic.com/au/consumer/tvs-projectors/plasma-t…
Contrast, gradation, panel drive hz are all lower.
Enter Code "TGIF" & price comes down to $1,079.10
Updated details. Thanks.
TGIF "Coupon code "TGIF" is not valid.". Am I doing something wrong?
I did costings on Plasma / LCD recently.
We pay 30c per megawatt hour.
Our new 55" LCD uses about 80w, our old 50" LG Plasma used over 180.
We have the TV on for about 8 hours per day.
.8 watt hours saved per day = 25 cent saving
25 cents x 365 = $91 saved per year. AND a brighter picture AND a cooler TV hutch/enclosure.
I used to love plasma advantages but for me it became a no brainer that LCD is the only way to go, further encouraged by the awesome Samsung runout price we got. $1600 for 55F7100 and $400 back for our 3.5 yo plasma.
$91 for a whole year for a better image, better blacks, more enjoyable movie watching as apposed to a glowing room at night, I'll pay the $91 thanks. But I do recognise that if you watch in a bright room during the day LCD is easier to see, no question however I would never use the $91/yr as an argument especially when we are spending thousands buying TV's these days, it is a redundant argument. If it was $500+/yr maybe but then again depends on the money you have, to some $91 is a lot but then again if that is the case they wont be buying expensive TV's either
The difference in running costs is nothing yeah but for me the plasma heat (much more heat than the power difference between LCD and Plasma would suggest) and the slight buzzing sound most brands make, has made LCD the easy decision.
Actually, I am finding the LCD a better picture in every way, except the viewing angle is not as wide.
The blacks and contrast, as well as consistency across the panel are a LOT better then the plasma. I know it wasn't the latest model anymore but 3 years ago the LG 50PK550 was a flagship unit.
…and GAMES? WoW, they look MUCH better on the LCD. No more turning on and off eco power saving on the plasma to try to reduce heat and power consumption.
I chose to save $90 p/a AND have a better picture.
I've had LCD before, and with a dedicated theatre room with no external windows to shine on the TV - and since I only watch TV at night, a Plasma looks a LOT better.
My Panny has been bloody quiet with no buzzing. And since my theatre room is in the middle of the house with 4 walls and a sliding door entry, temperature of the TV is never an issue.
If I had an open plan TV room and watched TV during the daytime, then sure I'd go LCD, but not in my walled off theatre at night.
I'll personally look now to grabbing a runout deal on the 64" F8500 in a few months and hope that lasts me many years.
actually, $90 a year over 3 years (average time we keep a TV) is almost $300, being 25% of the changeover cost to our new 55".
So yes, I consider it worthwhile especially as I find the picture much better.
When I demo'd Gravity bluray to the person who bought our old plasma, I had to ensure the new LCD was off as it outshone the plasma so much.
I really don't think the last gen of plasmas got THAT much better then the flagship model from 3 years ago…in fact I read that the LG 50PK550 we got rid of was better than a lot of plasma models that came after it…
I think the biggest problem here is you're comparing a new LCD to an old plasma.
I don't know the figures of new plasmas myself but I'd guess it wouldn't use as much energy as your old plasma.
And a LG probably isn't the benchmark for plasma tv
our old 50" LG Plasma used over 180.
Stopped reading right there.
Newer Plasmas are far more power-efficient and to some of us, there is no price you can put on the satisfaction of a clear, sharp, vivid image you get from a good Plasma.
Anyway, your subjective analysis is moot. Industry professional still use Pioneer Kuro Plasma for large displays because they are just that good and nothing has really superseded them since 2008.
and you comparing a relatively newer LCD/LED to a older plasma TV, seems hardly a strong case your putting forward… I would like to see what the running cost of my new Panasonic 65 inch ST60A plasma to a comparable LCD/LED TV,
if it's 100 Bucks a year.. that negligible especially if you consider better picture quality. '
website says my TV runs 2.4A and 190w.
something I didn't even consider when I looked for a TV,
some people worry about certain things and other people concerns are another…
never a right answer and believe what you want
How are the black levels on this? Burn in (I've read mixed things about new plasmas, some say they're never gotten it no matter what they do, some say it's as bad as it's always been)?
Last time I was in store I compared the vt60 to the LG tv that is usually in sale for around this price (6500 was three model I think). And I could tell a big difference in black level.
Burn in is relatively a thing of the past unless you are extremely careless. (EXTREMELY) I've had nothing but Pana Plasmas for the last 10 years and have never had a burn in issue.
Rather than take my word for it, here is what I consider to be the definitive statement on the burn-in subject:
http://www.cnet.com/news/is-plasma-hdtv-burn-in-a-problem/
Work at it
Can burn-in be permanent? Yes. But you've got to work really hard at it. As in, you have to either be trying to burn an image in, or be forgetful enough to leave a single image on the screen for days.
Because you have to be exceptionally careless to cause serious burn-in, plasma companies' warranties don't cover it. They also won't cover throwing things at the screen, dropping it in the pool, or lighting it on fire.
If you're worried about it, be aware that cable news channels are the worst, as are video games that have anything static onscreen (like a HUD, or stationary avatar). Letterboxed movies have the opposite effect, with the black letterboxes remaining dark while the movie image persists. Also, find on your plasma where the anti-image retention patterns/features are, and check out how they work.
There are plenty of reasons to choose plasma or LCD , but burn-in/image persistence shouldn't be one of them. It is much ado about nothing. OK, not nothing, as it's a real thing, it's just not the issue some people make it out to be.
Burn in (I've read mixed things about new plasmas, some say they're never gotten it no matter what they do, some say it's as bad as it's always been)?
Might as well talk about burning witches, seriously. It's that outdated.
If you're using a receiver, you only need 1 HDMI. :P
Great price… I've got a 4 year-old 50" Panasonic Plasma mounted in my theatre room… 60" would look so much nicer. :D
EDIT - Quote: "Editors' note, November 15, 2013: Panasonic has announced that it will no longer manufacture plasma televisions after 2013"
Noooooo! Nothing looks as beautiful as a Panny Plasma in a dedicated theatre room. :(
-G