Consumer Product Reviews

Panasonic Panasonic Ty Ew3d10u Battery Operated Glasses

Edwin Blake — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:17:32 +0000

Panasonic Panasonic Ty Ew3d10u Battery Operated Glasses

Panasonic TY-EW3D3SU 3D Active Shutter Eyewear for Panasonic 3D HDTVs – Medium

(August 2011)

Most helpful customer reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Good fit, xlnt 3D
By Porkee Peeg
In a few words these glasses are the best Panny offers. Xlnt 3D on DirecTv

Pros:
Retains 3D sync from 28′ away, I sit at 18′
Adjustable bridge
Comfortable to wear over glasses
Lightweight
Auto off
Syncs with Panny TC-P60GT30 in a split second
Finger print smudges easy to clean
Works right out of the box, no charging needed
Claims 25 hr charge

Cons:
Non-replaceable lithium-ion battery
Hinges on arms are plastic so care must be taken when putting on/off
My viewing room has floor to ceiling sliding glass doors 16′ wide. During bright daylight there is a slight flicker
Sizing chart is odd as no references to cap size could be located. I wear a 7 7/8″ cap and the medium fits well. Posted glass sizes then measuring across my temple or measuring across my Rx glass frame weren’t even close.

Hope these last a few years until stereoscopic 3D arrives. Then they go with the paper red/blue glasses and all the other movie 3D glasses displayed above my cork board.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful.
Best 3D Glasses Ever!
By Jonathan
Amazing glasses, they not only look good but feel great. No other 3D glasses can beat these. I had the second generation glasses which produced a very dark tint and they felt heavy, too high on my nose, too far from my eyes and irritated my ears after a while. Panasonic corrected these issues: the tint is much ligher so your movie/games appear brighter, they are so light that I don’t even feel them while wearing, good nose positioning, closer to your eyes so you don’t get light from above or below and no more irritation. Incredible glasses, a must for movie watchers and gamers. I can now enjoy hours of 3D content without the hassle. Panasonic opted not to make a 3rd gen plastic case like they did with the 2nd gen and the 3rd gen do not fit in the 2nd gen case for those interested.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
Best Panasonic 3D Glasses by far
By jreed1234
I currently have last generation Panasonic 3D glasses, as well as Xpand X103′s and this blow both of them out of the water. Extremely light weight, the lenses seem to be a little brighter, and they have the ability to convert 3D images back to 2D if you are watching with a group of people and decide you want to watch it in 2D instead. Will definitely be replacing my other glasses with these over the next few weeks. The only downside to these that I have found, is they do not come with a storage case, and they don’t fit in the last generation storage case. I haven’t found anything that they fit in just right to keep from the lenses getting scratched.

See all 25 customer reviews…

Panasonic Panasonic Ty Ew3d10u Battery Operated Glasses Photo

Panasonic Panasonic Ty Ew3d10u Battery Operated Glasses Pic

Panasonic Panasonic Ty Ew3d10u Battery Operated Glasses Photo

Panasonic Panasonic Ty Ew3d10u Battery Operated Glasses Image

Panasonic Panasonic Ty Ew3d10u Battery Operated Glasses Picture

Panasonic Tc P65gt30 65 Inch Surround Entertainment

Skylar Smith — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:17:32 +0000

Panasonic Tc P65gt30 65 Inch Surround Entertainment

Panasonic VIERA TC-P65GT30 65-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

3D Technology Checklist

This product is 3D-related. To aid you get a great 3D experience, use the checklist beneath to assure you have everything you need. 3D observing requires:

	A Display First, you’ll need a 3D-ready display–whether it’s a 3D HDTV, 3D projector, or 3D computer monitor. These displays have more processing power than general 2D models for displaying 3D images in rapid succession.
	A Source Your display may be ready for 3D playback, but you’ll still need a device to read 3D content. This may be a cable box with a subscription to a 3D channel, a 3D Blu-ray Disc player, or a PlayStation 3 system.
	3D Content 3D content–the actual entertainment, in other words–will be played back using the source cited above, whether it’s a 3D broadcast from your cable provider, a 3D Blu-ray Disc, or a 3D video game.
	3D Glasses For now, the vast majority of 3D HDTVs require glasses for 3D viewing. Many use powered “active shutter” glasses, others polarized “passive” glasses. You’ll need one pair per viewer, and they’ll have to be compatible with your display, whether they’re the same brand, or a pair of “universal” glasses designed to work throughout brands.
	HDMI Cable To connect your source (such as a 3D Blu-ray Disc player) to your display, you’ll need a high-speed HDMI cable. Cables with this identification feature bandwidth speeds up to 10.2 Gbps (gigabits per second), for carrying the 3D signal without any loss of quality.
If you want to get more data regarding 3D, shop our 3D products, watch videos, or interact with other customers, we invite you to visit 3D 101, our client center when it comes to everything 3D.

Most helpful customer reviews

293 of 300 people found the following review helpful.
Best 50″ picture quality in the U.S.
By Andon M. Coleman
With SONY and JVC no longer manufacturing their phenomenal high-end CRT HDTVs, and Pioneer out of the Plasma business, the pursuit of picture quality is not as simple as it once was. Rest assured, however, that there are still a handful of manufacturers (i.e. Panasonic, Samsung, LG, …) still investing in Plasma technology, because LCD is a giant leap backwards in terms of picture quality. When Pioneer – the previous undisputed leader in picture quality – left the industry, they sold their Plasma technology to Panasonic. While the amount of Pioneer technology (if any) present in Panasonic’s current line-up is a matter of debate, most critics will agree that Panasonic currently holds the crown for picture quality.

Viera Size Segmentation (VT30 vs. GT30 vs. ST30)
————————————————

I was in the market for a VT30 this year… however, in the United States, Panasonic’s size options are quite restrictive. In Europe, all lines of plasma from the X up to VT are available in 42″, which is the perfect size for me.

In the United States, each of the 3D model lines has a different starting size:

VT30: 55″ – 65″ (Industry leading black level, less buzzing, better speakers, 96 Hz mode for 24p, ISF calibration, …)
GT30: 50″ – 65″ (Better black level, +1 HDMI port and VGA input, THX certified)
ST30: 42″ – 65″ (Entry-level 3D TV)

S30: 42″ – 60″ (1080p 2D plasma, worse motion clarity than ST30 and no 3D support)
X3: 42″ – 50″ (720p 2D plasma)

Unfortunately, I can barely fit a 50″ TV where I have my GT30. I made the conscious choice of buying a TV slightly larger than I would have liked, because the GT30 buys you THX mode (which does a _really_ good job with skintones), an extra HDMI port, and a slightly lower black level than the ST30.

Picture Quality
—————

Getting back to picture quality, I have a SONY Super Fine Pitch FD Trinitron (CRT) set in my bedroom that I use as a benchmark for image quality.

The GT30 does not have the pure black level or white performance of the CRT (or even many local dimming LCDs). However, color accuracy and black gradiation (i.e. being able to see fine details in shadowed scenes) are actually better than my calibrated CRT.

Unenhanced motion clarity is indistinguishable between the two sets, and the GT30 earns a lot in this respect when it comes to displaying 24 fps material (48 Hz mode causes flickering, but even with simple 3:2 pull-down, the TV displays 24p video well).

Panasonic has added a more advanced Motion Smoother this year, with two levels – it creates artificial motion enhancement similar to LCD 120/240 Hz, and therefore has limited appeal.

Physical Appearance
——————-

Typically I do not care about the physical appearance of a television (which is why I still prefer high-end CRTs to flat panels), but the design of this TV is definitely worth mentioning… compared to last year’s GT25 model, this TV is lightyears ahead.

The bezel has been shrunken on all sides of the panel, and the depth is equally impressive. Were it not for the speakers, and clunky stand, this TV would be about an inch deep. As a result, the television requires “break out” cables to attach analog audio/video devices, and the total number of analog inputs has been reduced to 3 (Component, Composite and VGA D-Sub). This does not bother me at all, since the only analog device I have connected to any of my TVs is a Nintendo Wii. The extra HDMI port more than makes up for it.

I would also like to give kudos to Panasonic for putting the power button on the FRONT of the TV this year (it was on the side last year).

Long-term Value (Viera Connect)
——————————-

Viera Connect is a promising new feature for 2011, that is essentially an evolution of Viera Cast.

Consumers can look forward to a growing software base in the future (as Software Engineers like myself develop software for the new open platform). The beauty of this new platform is that it operates independantly of official firmware release schedules. This is important, because firmware updates for aging products are few and far between – 2010 and older Viera models will likely NEVER receive support for Hulu, etc…

With this TV, two or three years from now, consumers can still download new or updated Viera Connect applications from the Viera Connect marketplace. Another thing I found nice about Viera Connect’s marketplace, is that you can buy TV accessories (such as 3D glasses, SD cards, etc…) directly from software built-in to the TV, and rest assured that the product is compatible with your particular model.

Sound
—–

Sound quality leaves room for improvement. This being the second-to-highest model from Panasonic, lacks the sub-woofer and higher quality speakers found on the VT line.

Adding insult to injury, US Viera televisions do not have analog audio out, so to improve the audio quality you must connect them to an A/V receiver (which also draws a lot of power) that supports optical S/PDIF.

In future years, I hope that Panasonic will consider improving the sound quality on the GT line.

Power Consumption
—————–

Power consumption is good, but definitely not great. This is the only performance measurement that local dimming LED backlight LCDs come out on top in. That said, Panasonic has redesigned the construction of their panels this year, to improve phosphor response time (reduces 3D cross-talk), and improve luminous efficiency. Remember that this TV uses tinted 3D glasses, which darkens the picture… so brightness is important in 3D.

As a result, brightness is up, and power consumption is down vs. last year’s model. Unfortunately, one consequence of the new design is “fluctuating brightness,” which occurs when the TV transitions from a bright scene to a dark scene – in extreme cases, it can take the TV multiple frames to recognize the change in brightness and adjust its image processing. This was irritating at first, but I hardly notice it anymore.

Plasma Buzz
———–

On a final note, I have noticed a lot of people complaining about plasma buzz. I feel obligated to point out that the buzz is especially bad within the first 100-200 hours of operation, and decreases somewhat over time.

There are a number of factors that play into the buzzing, including altitude, viewing distance and picture settings. Granted operating altitude is not easy to change, but the buzzing can be reduced by sitting farther from the TV set, and dialing down the contrast setting (buzzing is directly related to how bright an image is).

A lot of people have TVs too large for their viewing distance and have contrast set way too high, and only ever realize it when plasma buzzing or dithering becomes a nusiance.

Pros and Cons
————-

—–
Pros:
—–

Plasma image quality

* Pure black level is not as good as CRT or local dimming LCD, but…
images with light and dark areas really shine

–> No blooming between nearby light and dark areas (LCD)
–> No image geometry warping related to brightness (CRT)

* Excellent motion clarity without artificial techniques like 120/240 Hz

THX mode

* Accurate skintones
* Almost no picture setting tweaks required to get exceptionally good image quality

Consistent black level

* Panasonic claims that the black level will not rise after 1000+ hours of operation with 2011 models, due to manufacturing changes.

Power consumption vs. Screen brightness SIGNIFICANTLY improved over 2010 models

* In fact, it is so good that the 50″ GT30 actually qualifies for Energy Star 4.0

Viera Connect

* New in 2011, free/paid applications can be downloaded through the TV and the selection of applications will grow over time.

—–
Cons:
—–

Viera model lines segmented by size in the US

* Could mean buying a TV that is too large

Average speaker quality on ST30/GT30

* US Viera models do not have analog audio out

–> Requires a dedicated power-hungry A/V receiver to improve on TV’s speakers…

Power consumption

* Improved in 2011, but still nowhere near local dimming LCD performance

Fluctuating brightness

* Movie enthusiasts may find the delay in bright image processing frustrating…

–> I have found the issue has almost no negative impact on gaming performance, or general TV viewing.

Netflix Performance

* Given the state of the Netflix app on Viera Connect as of June 2011, audio noticably stutters…

–> Mitigated by the fact that Viera Connect will allow users to download an updated version of the
Netflix app whenever the bug is fixed.

Calibration
———–

For those who are interested, I have had my GT30 professionally calibrated in THX mode.

If you do not want to shell out $300+ to schedule a calibration on your set, but still want the best picture quality possible, the most important thing you can do is dial the color setting down to around 45. The default THX settings over saturate colors, and if you become used to the over saturated colors, you will never appreciate the advantages of a properly calibrated THX mode. Also, do not use C.A.T.S.! If you have a viewing environment that has varying levels of external light, you would be much better off maintaining two sets of picture settings. In my case, between night and day, all I need to do is adjust my contrast from 60 to 45. C.A.T.S. can detect differences in brightness, but it messes with more than just the white level.

You may be tempted to set the Black Level setting in “Advanced picture” properties to dark because it looks more natural, but this causes black crushing (loss of detail in dark video). Try to learn to live with lighter blacks (this can be especially difficult if you are used to high-end CRTs) and you will begin to appreciate the amazing black performance of Plasma technology.

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful.
Unbelievable Picture
By C. Wilson
The picture quality this TV puts out is crazy good. Colors are bright and vibrant without being over saturated and unrealistic. Blacks are inky black, and shadow detail is great as well. One of the reasons I bought the GT30 over the ST30 is the THX mode which gives really good out of the box picture without any aftermarket calibration. If you’re into tweaking the picture though, there are two professional picture modes that allow very in depth picture controls.

1080P Source Material with a high bitrate (such as blurays or Vudu HDX) look incredibly sharp and stunning, while not looking sharp to the point of unrealism as some LCD’s look. 720P sources look very good as well if a bit softer. 480i/p sources look alright. I only spent a few minutes watching SD and the experience was unexpectedly unimpressive. Motion on the GT30 looks very smooth and realistic without displaying the terrible “soap opera effect” that 120/240Hz LCD’s seem to suffer from.

I tried using the Viera Cast software that Panasonic builds into these Tv’s and I found to be pretty laggy. It wasn’t very responsive and I found the design to be a little on the ugly side. Vizio and Samsung have much more polished media platforms built into their Tvs. It’s possible Panasonic will improve performance with firmware updates in the future. If I was planning on using Viera Cast I would mark my score down but I have a Media Center PC and PS3 that replace all the functionality Viera Cast offers.

3D performance is very good. So far I’ve watched Tron Legacy on 3D bluray and played some 3D PS3 games; the 3D picture is very immersive and THX color accuracy remains very good in 3D mode. I’ve had bad experiences with 3D crosstalk on a friend’s Samsung C7000 LCD and it can get very annoying and distracting. Thankfully I haven’t experienced any of that on the GT30 in a dark or light viewing environments.

I’ve heard some early reports of the GT30 exhibiting floating blacks when viewing material that changes from a darker to a lighter scene suddenly. I haven’t experienced any of this. I watched Black Swan on bluray to test this and black levels remained dark and consistent throughout with no slight jumps in brightness.

I’m also very impressed with the design of the GT30. It’s about as thin as my Motorola Droid and it looks stunning mounted on my wall. Panasonic has traditionally lagged behind the likes of Sony and Samsung when it comes to the design of their Tv’s but they really stepped up their game with the GT30. Having a TV that looks almost as stunning when turned off as it does when turned on is an unexpected plus.

Overall the GT30 is an incredible TV that makes no compromises when it comes to picture quality. If you want to spend more money, the VT30 it will probably improve upon the GT30 in some way when it’s released but I’m having a hard time coming up with things they could improve outside of their Viera Cast platform.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
Fluctuating brightness no longer a problem; great for games
By E. J. Paul
Admittedly, I was hesitant to purchase this TV because of the mixed reviews. Many people here (and on various forums and review sites) complained of distracting brightness fluctuations that significantly detracted from the viewing experience. I decided to just go with it and I must say I don’t regret my purchase at all.

First, yes, the brightness fluctuations were distracting. Notice the past-tense “were” there; as in, the fluctuations are no longer distracting because they are no longer a problem. For North America, Panasonic has acknowledged and addressed the fluctuations. For sets manufactured prior to August 2011 a repair is available in the form of an SD card software update or a very simple hardware replacement (pre-updated hardware for non-Panasonic repair techs as an alternative to updating the software with an SD card). So, don’t let the looming shadow of brightness fluctuations deter you from this TV–if you get a set and it is a problem, call Panasonic and they’ll fix it. On the other hand, you may not even notice them at all. So again, don’t let it hold you back.

I discovered this TV while looking for an affordable way to pick up a quality 3D HDTV, mostly for gaming. 3D performance is very good. Many have claimed this TV is crosstalk free (crosstalk is the phenomenon where the image intended for only one eye bleeds a bit into the wrong eye causing a double-image effect), but it simply is not; however, the crosstalk is generally not very noticeable in movies and games and in the case of games you can usually adjust the strength of the 3D effect to somewhat mitigate the crosstalk. For anyone wondering if plasma tech is ok for games the answer is yes, it is fine. Some people recommend about 100 hours of “break in” before leaving any static images on the screen. I don’t know if this is technically necessary but there’s nothing wrong with being cautious and conservative…100 hours really isn’t much time for a TV at all. Some with a critical eye may occasionally notice image retention, but it is temporary. Just be mindful about leaving static images on the screen for long periods of time (for example, don’t leave a game paused for several hours…just turn off your TV if you won’t be using it, you’ll save electricity). Many games have health bars, maps, or other fixed images on the screen, but in my experience these don’t cause long-term problems: first, the TV will imperceptibly shift pixels around to keep them changing; second, most games have cutscenes, pauses, and transitions that change up the picture frequently enough that it won’t really matter. Again, just be mindful and you shouldn’t have any problems.

This set replaced a Sony XBR LCD from 2008 and so far (2 months of ownership) I don’t miss LCDs at all. Frankly, at this screen size LED backlit 3D capable LCDs are just too cost prohibitive in my opinion. Yes the power consumption is higher than an LED lit LCD so the long-term cost of ownership is higher in that respect, but I haven’t noticed any difference in my electricity bill compared to my CCFL lit LCD; so, if you’re coming from an older LCD the power consumption probably won’t be a lot different.

See all 233 customer reviews…

Panasonic Tc P65gt30 65 Inch Surround Entertainment Image

Panasonic Tc P65gt30 65 Inch Surround Entertainment Pic

Panasonic Tc P65gt30 65 Inch Surround Entertainment Picture

Panasonic Tc P65gt30 65 Inch Surround Entertainment Image

Panasonic Tc P65gt30 65 Inch Surround Entertainment Photo

Pascbt100 Panasonic Sc Bt100 Blu Ray Theater

Amaya Mills — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 05:17:32 +0000

Pascbt100 Panasonic Sc Bt100 Blu Ray Theater

Pioneer’s DEH-6200BT is a CD, digital media, and iPod receiver with built-in Bluetooth,allows hands-free calling, built right into the unit. Expand choices by adding HD Radio, XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio, and exaggerate your scheme with three RCA preamp outputs.

Pioneer’s DEH-6200BT is a CD, digital media, and iPod receiver with built-in Bluetooth. Enjoy the comfortableness of hands-free calling, built right into the unit. Expand your choices by adding HD Radio, XM Satellite Radio or Sirius Satellite Radio, and exaggerate your scheme with three RCA preamp outputs.

iPod Control:	Built-In (Cable Required)
iTunes Tagging:	Yes
USB Input:	Yes
Sound Retriever:	Yes
RCA Pre-Outs:	3 sets (4V)
Display:	Segment OEL (12×1)
Bluetooth:	Built-In
CD Formats:	CD/CD-RW, MP3, WMA, AAC
HD Radio:	Ready
SAT Radio Ready:	Yes
Auxiliary Input:	Built-In (Front)
Key Illumination:	Red
Power:	MOSFET 50W x 4

What’s in the Box
Pioneer DEH-6200BT In-Dash CD Receiver, Wiring Harness, Installation Hardware, Owner’s Manual

Most helpful customer reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful.
Great car stereo
By C. Dreher
Definitely recommending this product to my friends.

Pros:

1. GREAT SOUND! What a difference from my previous stereo.

2. USB works great. I’ve tested with an 8GB drive but it probably can handle much higher capacities.

3. Sleekness looks really good without becoming a gaudy light show.

4. Plays songs reliably from USB (other stereos randomly cut songs way short)

5. Surprise feature: Supports limited RDS. While not a feature called out, you can view text from a radio station for song title and station information. However, there are no advanced RDS features enabled (ex: can’t scan for radio stations by genre).

Cons (all minor):

1. Doesn’t ship with a faceplate case (come on Pioneer, please spring for the 60 cents of plastic).

2. No microphone mute option during a Bluetooth phone call.

3. Microphone sound quality is good but not great. If you are extra finicky you can use a different mic. I’m sticking with the factory mic.

4. Display does not alternate through Artist, Album, Song Title, etc. You have to explicitely change these yourself.

5. The manual is written so-so. There are a few things that are not explains well (ex: what is “private mode”) and sometimes it says you can “press the M.C.” and that “pushing the M.C.” also does the same thing. Overall, the manual is mostly ok.

6. When you are in Repeat:Track mode and want to jump to another track you want to repeat on, the unit changes to Repeat:Folder instead of staying in Repeat:Track mode. Seems odd to me.

7. Does not ship with a remote control (optional upgrade), but I’ve never used the remotes from my past stereos anyways.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Good product some minor preference issues
By Anthony Gadd
Sound is awesome, Ipod control works great as well as the bluetooth. It synced to my iPhone perfectly. The only issue I really had with is that the main knob is too shallow so when you want to turn up or down the volume its like your pinching it and not grabbing it. Overall I am happy with it and would buy it again, the calls are clear and the sound is awesome!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
Very nice with a few flaws…
By terry
Really like my Pioneer stereo yet there are a few issues that I really don’t like.

* Red? Looks nice in the dark but for me difficult to see during the day. The phone icon that tells you that your phone is connected via bluetooth is really bad, unless it is dark.

* Adjusting volume control is tricky… the center control knob is low profile so it does not feel effortless to adjust volume or settings.

* Not sure if it has something to do with the iOS 4 update but now my phone is hit and miss if it will charge by the radio. No issues on the audio coming across the usb cable. Don’t see where you can use bluetooth to stream audio, yet works fine with the phone.

* Wish they would have provided an USB port in the back… would love to run the cable from the back of the unit for iPod controls and use the front for usb keys or something like that.

* I like to listen to talk radio on the AM dial yet I have to switch through 3 banks of FM to get to AM. Why can’t I disable the extra banks of FM that I’m not ever going to use?

* Sounds great yet it has tons or setting which take a while to tweak… hate the graphic equalizer… nothing but numbers… I’m a visual person… like to see all of the bands at once for that visual picture. All you will get is the band frequency and +/- numbers.

Overall I’m happy with the product but don’t think I would choose this model due to my list above… Don’t get me wrong, it still a good unit… just needs a few changes for me.

See all 30 customer reviews…

Pascbt100 Panasonic Sc Bt100 Blu Ray Theater Picture

Pascbt100 Panasonic Sc Bt100 Blu Ray Theater Pic

Pascbt100 Panasonic Sc Bt100 Blu Ray Theater Image

Pascbt100 Panasonic Sc Bt100 Blu Ray Theater Pic

Panasonic Viera Tc P46s30 46 Inch Plasma

Aaron Medina — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:17:31 +0000

Panasonic Viera Tc P46s30 46 Inch Plasma

Panasonic VIERA TC-P46ST30 46-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

3D Technology Checklist

This product is 3D-related. To aid you get a great 3D experience, use the checklist underneath to see to it you have everything you need. 3D observing requires:

	A Display First, you’ll need a 3D-ready display–whether it’s a 3D HDTV, 3D projector, or 3D computer monitor. These displays have more processing power than frequent 2D models for displaying 3D images in rapid succession.
	A Source Your display may be ready for 3D playback, but you’ll still need a device to read 3D content. This may be a cable box with a subscription to a 3D channel, a 3D Blu-ray Disc player, or a PlayStation 3 system.
	3D Content 3D content–the actual entertainment, in other words–will be played back using the source noted above, whether it’s a 3D broadcast from your cable provider, a 3D Blu-ray Disc, or a 3D video game.
	3D Glasses For now, the immense majority of 3D HDTVs require glasses for 3D viewing. Many use powered “active shutter” glasses, others polarized “passive” glasses. You’ll need one pair per viewer, and they’ll have to be compatible with your display, whether they’re the same brand, or a pair of “universal” glasses designed to work all over brands.
	HDMI Cable To connect your source (such as a 3D Blu-ray Disc player) to your display, you’ll need a high-speed HDMI cable. Cables with this identification feature bandwidth speeds up to 10.2 Gbps (gigabits per second), for carrying the 3D signal without any loss of quality.
If you want to get more info with regards to 3D, shop our 3D products, watch videos, or interact with other customers, we invite you to visit 3D 101, our client center in regards to everything 3D.

Most helpful customer reviews

996 of 1044 people found the following review helpful.
Great PQ, but HORRIBLE (delayed) brightness fluctuations
By jimmienoman
To preface this I have had 2 P50ST30s (one replacement because of the problems I will talk about below) and Amazon was awesome with the whole return and replacement. One of the best companies I have dealt with. This is a very long review as I would like you to understand what you are buying beforehand.

ALL VERSIONS OF PANASONIC 2011 TVs ARE EXHIBITING THIS PROBLEM.

I was excited when I first set up my TV and took the time to age the phosphors in the TV for 150 hours by running slides (a step that can be skipped but the phosphors degrade in the first 100 hours faster than the rest of it’s life). I set up the blu-ray player and after dialing in the settings it looked awesome. Then the brightness fluctuations happened.

The best way I can explain brightness fluctuations ( Fluctuating Brightness or FBr) is will be a leap in lighting. When you have a dark scene the whole picture will darken some to give more detail to a shadowed area. It is necessary to give great picture quality in any plasma. Normally what will happen is that it will gradually fade into darker or lighter, this TV does it all in one step. A drastic comparison would be a pitch black room where you turn a light on vs turning a dimmer light on gradually. What you see on the screen is picture that will switch from dark to lighter. It is most noticeable when you have 2 scenes switching back and forth (think dialogue between 2 characters where it switches between ones face to the other) and one scene is darker than the other. You can easily see this in the movie Hereafter around minute 40.

This problem is exacerbated by a delay in the video processing of the switch between darker scenes and lighter scenes. In almost all video they will have scenes cut and pasted together. When this happens the lighting usually will change for various reasons. When the scenes cut from one to another this TV will take about 0.5-1 second to process the lighting difference to adjust to give more detail to shadowed areas. Given that it does it in one leap as mentioned above, it severely distracts you from watching the movie and enjoying it.

Darker Movies will usually bring out these symptoms to it’s max. When I went to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, I came to the point where I started counting the fluctuations instead of watching the movie. I counted 56 total in one watching. My wife didn’t watch HP with me but she commented on it while watching Castle a few times, then more and more on other shows.

The reviews are definitely favorable as it has a great picture quality without doubt. Most professional reviewers mention fluctuating brightness problem, but gloss over it. Why they did I am not sure. It seems that some sets show this dramatically, while others don’t. My first one (the one I counted 56 fluctuations on for HP) I would say was very bad compared to a slightly less worse one that I got the second time around. I re watched HP on the second one to see if I could just enjoy the movie, got to the point I started counting again and only counter 32 which were more tame but still easy to spot without even looking for them. To make sure it just wasn’t me seeing things because I knew when they were, I made (yes she wasn’t to happy about it) her watch Tron with me. We first started Tron in 2d and she saw it some; then I popped in the 3d disc and she was pointing it out in every other scene.

I placed a complaint with US Panasonic as this was unacceptable, trying to explain it the best as I am now. I was walked through changing multiple settings (CATS off, trying all modes, changing contrast and all other settings, using 3 different HDMI cables along with composite and component cables) with nothing relieving the issue. Their response was that this is a feature of the TV and that it was working properly. Some of their exact words in the email I later received were ” the picture dimming (fluctuating brightness) is negligible and should be considered within the TV’s design specification.”

In Spain a gentleman Documented this for Panasonic to prove that something was wrong. If you would like to see how bad this is; there has been a video posted by a member of a great forum for high def junkies that shows this instance (Google ” VT30 hereafter ” and it will show in the youtube vids) if you would like to see exactly what I am talking about. The TV here was the VT series which is Panasonic’s flagship model and cost well over $1,200 of this TV.

Since the posting of the above video Spain got a firmware update to 1.520. The same person posted the exact same scene with the same setup which you can also view by clicking on his name or clicking on it on the right hand side. It eliminates this problem, since then Europe Panasonic have acknowledged that there is something that they are looking into (circumventing saying there is a problem). But US Panasonic calls this a feature that is working as intended. Unlike US Panasonic which I have opened 2 cases with them about this problem, one for both TVs, and just receive it’s a feature of the TV which is working properly…

I am hoping that this is heeded as a warning to many as I feel terrible about Amazon being outstanding in it’s Service trying to rectify what is obviously not their fault. I am a man that researches any large purchase to the T to try to avoid these problems. I weighed my options and since the professional reviewers either made no mention of this problem or said it was a minor problem; I decided to buy this Panasonic. I post this in hopes that those that do their research won’t feel gypped as I do.

If you would like to read more comments a Facebook page was created in hope that it would have an effect as it did with Sony. It is on facebook under “My 2011 Panasonic TV is Defective”.

UPDATE 7/26 : Various Panasonic emails have said that there will be an announcement this Wednesday 7/27. Also a A reliable higher up in Panasonic NA has said that there is a FW that will be aimed at fixing “panel dimming” very soon (this term has a different meaning then Fluctuating Brightness, but all other FW fixes in Europe that fixed the FBr were released to fix another problem). This could or could not be a fix to the above problems, but hopefully putting 2 and 2 together means we will be getting a FW fix this Wednesday. Whether this is a fix to the above problems or not remains to be seen. Since I published this report it has been confirmed that all European models are now shipped with the Firmware that fixes FBr, while here in NA it hasn’t been addressed. Here is to hoping for a statement Wednesday.

*UPDATE* 8/6/11 : First there has been no true announcement from Panasonic NA as of yet. But after getting all the data collected and sent forward to the engineers (yes many people that owned the TV put in this work), the engineers were able to replicate the problem. Since then there is now a patch. This is not a Firmware update, instead it changes other “software” in the TV like the EEPROM. Since it is not strictly a Firmware update they cannot simply have your tv download it from the internet like normal. It REQUIRES, at least as of right now, a tech to come out to install it on your TV.

Note that this fix has been confirmed to be loaded on TVs coming from the factory now. When this change occurred I cannot tell you neither can anyone that you can talk to, so please do not hound amazon, Panasonic or any other retailer. I assume the earliest we will see TVs with this update will be very late July produced TVs if not August. If you decide to buy a TV from Amazon please just allow them to come out and patch the TV instead of sending it back. If you send it back Amazon has to eat the shipping and this is one company that tries it’s hardest to help the customer. So please do not make them eat the cost or else they WILL eventually have to change the policies they have. It may take a few weeks to get the rep out, butit is worth it to allow amazon to keep its very lax and customer happiness driven CS.

Now onto the results :

I have had this patch on my TVs for 2 days now. I compiled a list of FBr material that was bad during the data collection phase before we passed this on to the Panasonic Engineers so I had a list prepared to test this afterward to see if it was fixed or not. Running through 20 of the worst scenes over 6 movies (Harry Potter Deathly Hallows 1, Tron, Casino Royale, Hereafter, Battlefield LA). In these movies I saw not 1 noticeable FBr ( I say noticeable because FBr is in the driving mechanism of this TV). I noticed only 1 instance of a small FBr in the movie The Rite, but it was under extreme circumstances (dark background to near white background with a shadowed face in a scene change). Besides that I also watched some streamed video (Master Chef, True Blood, Band of Brothers etc) and got the same results of no FBr. Gaming (Fallout 3, Dragon Age Origins and Gears of War 2) was also the same, no FBr.

Overall it fixed the problem almost completely, if not completely. This patch surpassed my expectations and Panasonic owned up and fixed a glaring problem. There have been 3 forum users that have this fix and posted about it. They all report the same thing.

If you have purchased this TV or any other Panasonic NA ST30, GT30 or VT30 and have the problems mentioned above please call 1-800-973-4390. This is Panasonic Concierge and this is the number that was requested to call by the engineers. Tell them you have Fluctuating Brightness. Low end techs have been sent a memo regarding this. Many are now receiving emails to set up appointments.

Because of this fix I have amended my score of the TV. For this price this TV is amazing. I reserved 5 stars for the Pioneer Kuro (the gold standard), 4 1/2 stars for the VT series and dk8000. This TV 4 stars is an undervaluation, but it is all I can do on here. Honestly it would be 4.25 taking into account the above TVs superiority. I cannot express how happy I am with this TV now that it is fixed.

****UPDATE 8/22/11****
They have a limited amount of panasonic qualified techs that can install the update via SD card and will NOT give out the SD card for local non-panasonic techs to install as it has proprietary software on it. To alleviate the problem they send a new a-board to local techs that has the patch preloaded. The tech can then come out and install the new a-board under warranty claim (all free to you).

It is a simple procedure and only takes 15 minutes. This a-board replacement doesn’t void any warranty as it is done by Panasonic under Panasonic’s warranty by a qualified tech.

*WARNING* the a-board swap AND the SD patch will wipe your calibration and the ISF day/night mode (ISF day/night is only available if you have the TV calibrated and the tech turns it on in the Service menu), if you had one done. If you decide to do either of the fixes I would suggest buying a backup program (like controlcal) to save your settings. You can then reload them after the patch. It has been noted by calibrators that after either of the fixes that you will get close to the same results with the old calibration, but they say you will need a touchup to gray scale and colors to be as accurate as possible.

From good sources it has been said that any August build TVs should have the fix pre-installed. Unfortunately the build date isn’t on the outside of the box in the US. There is another way to check if it has been factory installed though. The 3-6 numbers in the serial number designate whether it has been fixed or not. These 4 numbers need to be 1215 or higher for the fix to be pre-installed. It will look like : xx1215xxxxxx .

Again if you order from Amazon, or any other online type store, they have no direct control on what comes out of the warehouse and you CANNOT request that it is an August build as they have no control on what goes out. If you want to be sure of what you get, you should buy local and specifically state you will only buy it if it meets those criteria.

The fix is easy enough to get that you should feel comfortable ordering this product. Don’t order this product and expect a 1215. Instead order this product expecting to have the tech come out. You may get a set pre 1215 that has no FBr as about 50% of the people report that they have no problem without the patch or you may get a 1215 build, but you should go into it expecting what you will most likely get. Then anything else is a bonus. If you don’t feel good about buying the TV and possibly getting a FBr one then I suggest not buying from online stores.

To those outside of the US. Panasonic divisions are completely separate as they use different components, different firmware etc so this fix is for US only. The US division is sharing this info with EU, Canada, Australia etc to try to get this problem fixed with those TVs also. The other countries are still in the beginning stages so don’t expect them to be exactly where the US is as the other countries have to test, document, confirm, create a fix (using different components/software mean they just can’t copy/paste the US fix to theirs) and then test the fix. I cannot give you an update on outside of US, but I would suggest that you make your voice heard by opening tickets and speaking out about the problem.

Lastly for those that do have the TV or those that are willing to buy the TV and get the fix after. Call up Panasonic Concierge at 1-800-973-4390 . Allow them to walk you through the steps they have and try them as it is possible that it could fix your problem. If they walk you through that and you still see the FBr they should have received info on how to push it to the next level. To make sure here is the Document that they can look up regarding this issue :

Service Hint (‘A’ Board replacement to fix the ‘brightness fluctuation” in the ST30/GT30/VT30).
SH-B34-11-03-REV

A majority of this info is me simply condensing what many others have done to get this in place. Thanks go to the great people of highdefjunkies.com especially 3 in particular, D-Nice for his initial findings and universal knowledge; AVjunkie and Gotchaa who helped consolidate/voice our problems to the techs.

160 of 167 people found the following review helpful.
Couldn’t be happier
By Vin
Like everyone else interested in making the big screen purchase, I spent hours every night reading reviews, shopping around, comparing specs and prices, and trying to decide whether I should go lcd or plasma. Ultimately, I ended up just going to the local BB and seeing which one looked and felt right to me. I purchased this beautiful 55in plasma and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’ve had it for over two weeks now and I don’t have a single complaint. The picture is great and the sound is just fine for my living space(apartment). The 2D-3D conversion is alright but you should not expect much from any television’s conversion. The 3D Blu-Ray is a different story – The Ultimate Wave Tahiti is AMAZING (I had to watch it twice because I didn’t follow a word because I was so blown away by the picture) and Resident Evil Afterlife was fun to watch (the 3D at least).
I realized that all the hours I spent reading super detailed reviews was somewhat a waste of time because when it comes down to it, I don’t really care about or even notice the subtle differences that so many people compare. I just wanted a solid tv with great picture at an affordable price and this was it.
The setup was beyond easy. The remote and on-screen menus are very user-friendly.
The widgets all work just fine. Watching youtube videos on a 55in can be entertaining.
My roommate and I are traveling surfers and licensed skydivers so we have plenty of GoPro HD videos that we watch on this tv using the SD card slot(we also watch them through the youtube widget)and they look phenomenal.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want a solid big screen with great picture at the right price then this is it. Highly recommend. If you have any questions then just leave a comment.

138 of 146 people found the following review helpful.
Fluctuating Brightness Can Break Your Movie Watching Experience…or not!
By Max Adams
My previous tv (which I sold off already, regrettably) was a Panasonic th-42pz80u. This was my first step into the wonderful world of plasma tv’s & I have nothing but praise for it. I recently decided that I wanted to squeeze the largest tv I could fit into my entertainment armoire & considering how much I loved my old tv I figured it was a safe bet to stick with the Panasonic brand.

Immediately after turning the st30 on & popping in Planet Earth on Blu Ray for a test run I was extremely happy with both the new size of screen in front of me & the fantastic picture quality. I played around some more, tweaking the picture & features on my new set & decided to start watching some of my select Blu Rays that don’t have letterboxing. I read somewhere that it’s best to watch movies that take up the whole screen for the first 100 hours or so of a new plasma. I’m no tech head so I just do what I’m told. :p

Not long into watching “Starship Troopers” I noticed my first flicker, or fluctuation. Every time the film made a cut there was an adjustment in brightness that came a half second later. I began rewinding it over & over & couldn’t believe my eyes. After the awful flickering in the beginning I continued to watch & noticed it happening throughout, though not as bad as the start of the film. I’ve watched a few movies since then, such as – Sin City (noticeable but not terrible), LotR Fellowship of the Ring (noticeable but not terrible), & OH MY GOD Final Fantasy: Advent Children. Final Fantasy was just unwatchable with flickering all over the place. For those who don’t know, Final Fantasy is entirely computer animated which might have something to do with it being so noticeable. I would expect the Pixar films to behave just as poorly but I can’t say for certain.

I started researching & discovered that the fluctuating brightness (or “FBr”) is not an unusual phenomenon. Just google “panasonic fluctuating brightness” & read up on it. The forum “high def junkies” is a good place to start as they have been discussing it in depth for a while.

I haven’t lost all hope yet! There has been talk of Panasonic sending out a firmware upgrade to their Spanish customers on a case-by-case basis that actually FIXES this problem! Or at least adjusts it so the fluctuation isn’t visible to the naked eye. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this firmware makes it stateside so I can begin enjoying my tv. If that happens I will definitely change my rating of 1 to a 5 star. I’ll be keeping my eye on that 30-day return date in the meantime, however.

********EDIT**************

After emailing Panasonic & starting a case with them I waited patiently for an email or a phone call, but after a month none came. I kept up with the community on high def junkies & eventually discovered that Panasonic had started sending local repair guys out with a new A-Board, or if you’re one of the lucky few a much simpler fix was available if a Panasonic employee could come to your house. I called Panasonic to see what the status on my case was, only to find out they had closed my case without any kind of notification. Jerks. The person I spoke with on the phone was apologetic & knew exactly what I was talking about when I brought up fluctuating brightness. I was FINALLY getting somewhere. Within a week of that phone call they sent the replacement A-Board to my local repair shop & I had an “FBr” free tv!

For those curious, they did have to take apart my tv. After watching that terrifying ordeal it was just a simple unplug-this plug-in-that & they were done. VERY happy overall.

After the fix this is easily a 5-star tv in my book. I’m a little conflicted on showering it with nothing but praise, however. I didn’t exactly buy this tv day-1 of it’s release & it took them this long to even acknowledge there was a terrible defect in a large number of their sets.

For those few who complain about picture quality I will agree that right out of the box the picture quality doesn’t really jump out at you, but after buying a calibration disc & tweaking the custom settings it really looks amazing. Easily the best in its price range.

In short – if you’re on the fence about this set, don’t be. If you’re unlucky & get one that was built before they had this fix installed, Panasonic will handle it!

See all 313 customer reviews…

Panasonic Viera Tc P46s30 46 Inch Plasma Picture

Panasonic Viera Tc P46s30 46 Inch Plasma Pic

Panasonic Viera Tc P46s30 46 Inch Plasma Photo

Panasonic Dmc Gf2kr Megapixels Interchangeable Digital

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:17:31 +0000

Panasonic Dmc Gf2kr Megapixels Interchangeable Digital

The LUMIX DMC-ZS8 camera features a versatile 24mm ultra-wide angle and powerful 16x optical zoom LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens and Intelligent Resolution technology which adds delicate detail that surpasses even optical effigy quality in both photo and movie recording.

24mm Ultra Wide-angle 16x Optical Zoom LEICA DC Lens
The compact, versatile lens scheme is the hallmark of LUMIX ZS(TZ) series and now this lens scheme is exclusively redeveloped for the DMC-ZS8 in both optical and mechanical design. The new high-quality LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens scheme is even more versatile with 24mm ultra wide-angle* to powerful 16x optical zoom (35mm camera equivalent: 24-384mm). Comprising 12 parts in 10 groups, including an ED lens and 3 aspherical lenses with 6 aspherical surfaces, this innovative lens unit suppresses chromatic aberration which have a tendancy to occur in telephoto shooting. It likewise boasts a short total length of lens unit in spite of it is higher skillfulness with longer zoom range, which is made possible by development of a new mechanism for the structure of lens barrel. The lens scheme is likewise compatible with high shutter speed of min.1/4,000 sec.

*Converted to usual 35mm camera equivalent, at the greatest or most complete or best possible wide position.

Powerful 16x Optical Zoom
The DMC-ZS8 features a powerful 16x optical zoom lens (35mm camera equivalent: 24-384mm). This gives you highly natural expressions from humans and animals that you can’t get close to. It may also be employed for shooting movies, and is designed to suppress noise while zooming. This compact, pocket-sized camera may effortlessly go wherever you do for both daily snapshots and traveling.

Most helpful customer reviews

530 of 538 people found the following review helpful.
I love this camera – it’s ACE !
By Captain Zoom
For the majority of people looking for a “pocket” camera – they can stop looking. This will honestly do for pretty much everything you really need. It’s the newly released little brother to the more expensive ZS10/TZ20.

It is not perfect, of course, but even if you take a “money no object” approach to picking an upper premium compact camera – there is currently nothing on the market that is head and shoulders better than this – although there can always be a case made for different qualities.

Big Zoom – check

Good “glass” on the front – yep, Leica

Optical Image Stabilisation – uh huh, works quietly and efficiently in the background making your shots less blurry.

Good quality photos – sure – but with the caveat that a “full on” digital SLR will always do better. The photos come out are a nice colour (not too vivid – but also not too washed out) and they don’t come out a funny colour under artificial lighting (some cameras can struggle and give you a funny tint under striplights or old fashioned tungsten bulbs).

Noise levels – the “speckly” bits on photos that you sometimes get in dark conditions – is definitely there – especially at higher ISO’s – but you get this problem in dim lighting conditions even with all compact cameras to a greater or lesser degree. Even if you get an SLR camera – even up to a year or so ago – you’ll find that they aren’t infallible to this either.

HD Video – check, but in MPEG format. I think that this takes up more space than the newer AVCHD format on the SZ10/TZ18 – but I would be wary of getting a camera that uses this format if you have an older PC or laptop and especially if you have a netbook – in case the hardware can’t cope. I guess Windows XP/NT/2000 users should definitely be careful – and to a lesser extent even if you have a Windows Vista machines you might think twice – especially if you are on a laptop where the hardware will always be slower than the equivalent price PC.

I have a mixture of laptops and netbooks running Windows 7 through to XP so didn’t want to take the chance – especially as other family members and the kids will probably want to view some of the footage (family and my kids have the older machines whilst dad gets the upgrade LOL).

I do wonder if the AVCHD format on the more expensive ZS10/TZ20 is going to be a bit of an evolutionary dead end – just as BLU RAY hasn’t really taken off – even though it’s technically better than DVD – most people even if they have a big widescreen TV find that their DVD is fine (probably because the modern DVD players and TV’s will upscale the DVD resolution to give a semi-HD picture quality). The ZS10/TZ20 I think gives you the option to record in both (I think I read that somewhere but if this a deal breaker you should check to be sure).

If you only want a great point and shoot camera this is brilliant and has loads of options. Not only that but the options are really well laid out and easy to understand – by which I mean the dials and menus are set out in a common sense fashion and also instead of just little symbols/icons to indicate that you are in portrait mode or landscape mode – there is a little text underneath which tells you what it will do.

I’ve had a number of Nikon’s and Canon’s – and for some reason they can still make cameras with menus and buttons that were laid out by Martians – they can be so unintuitive even for people who are really experienced photographers – and you have to keep referring to the instruction book to work out what to press or what menu icon you are looking for – and even then it doesn’t stick in the memory because it’s all so counter-intuitive.

If you think you might – in a little while – like to step up in your photography later and get a bit more creative – or you are thinking of this a second camera to augment your SLR – then you’ll want to know that this has A LOT of manual control thrown in which is pretty unusual in the compact camera class and it has Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Full Manual modes which is quite a rarity in the pocket camera class.

If you are an experienced SLR user, I can tell you that the PASM options are pretty nicely implemented. Sensibly placed access buttons (the small round exposure button and Q Menu buttons to the right of the screen do this) and the menus are nicely set up to easily access the bits you want for Aperture / Shutter priority / full manual control. It’ll never be as good as your SLR but you can’t carry that around with you this easily and it won’t shoot HD video either (or probably not unless you have the latest generation).

The 16x optical zoom is class leading. You can get really good close ups if you want to.

You should only compare OPTICAL zoom when you are looking at different cameras and ignore the Panasonic advertising guys (or anybody else )who point to the overall 20x zoom – because if you include the quoted digital zoom – the extra 4x zoom basically just crops your optical zoom photo in camera – and your laptop software will do that – only better – though I guess it might be relevant if you don’t want to be doing with all that and just need an “okay” sort of photo).

It also has a really good wide angle lens – 24mm – which basically means you can get more scenery in the shot at the edges. The lower the number the better – and 24mm is currently the lowest I am aware of. The lower the number the more you can fit into the photo – so if you are looking at a nice panorama or want to take a photo with the whole table in the shot – you are more likely to get it with this lens than say if you compared it to other cameras – whose lens might start at 27mm, 28mm, 35mm. This small difference can be the difference between getting everything or maybe not quite getting everything into the shot that you want to.

OVERALL it feels nice in the hand – and it is quite light. It has a cool solid feel metal body and all the buttons and switches feel like they will last.

Of course none of this would be of any use if the photos weren’t top notch … but luckily they are in my opinion. Sure, you can get a little better photos perhaps – but bear in mind if you are reading other reviews – a lot of this is personal preference – like how you like your TV at home to be set up with brighter or more vivid colours or more contrast etc.

In technical terms – compact cameras are never going to match SLR cameras – because their sensors just aren’t as big. This is also one of the reasons that you get more “noise” (or speckly bits) in photos from pocket cameras. The camera reviewers who do this for a living always seem to forget they are reviewing a pocket camera – as they probably all have SLR’s at home – and they get a bit obsessed about how the photo appears when you look up close with a magnifying glass. Surely most people simply look at their photo on their laptop/Mac/PC and go “ooh that’s nice” before deciding whether to print it or not ?

Bottom line – this gives great photos that I am more than happy with even compared with my SLR (a two year old Pentax K20) – and if you want a compact/pocket camera with the ability to take great scenery or panoramic shots and then also zoom really close on things as well then this will do a great job for you. I think you’ll be pleased with this as your main or secondary camera. Try not to get too hung up on specialist reviews – a compact camera is never going to give you technical quality photos of a large SLR – but you can video with it and even the newer SLR’s don’t do that very well – though heaven knows why not – maybe they just have a slow escalation marketing policy and are going to deliver that to the market as the desire for SLR’s with video capability increases. And remember that if you wanted a whopping great SLR you’d have got a whopping great SLR.

Also – go and have a look at all the cameras “in the flesh” in a store – to see if the size suits you. There aren’t any smaller camera’s with this big a zoom, but there are plenty of camera’s which are smaller and more pocket / handbag friendly.

IF you consider the size too big then you should definitely look at other camera’s, but if the huge range zoom is just what you are looking for (like me) – then this is for you I reckon (unless you have a strong loyalty for one or other brand in particular I guess).

IF you really want lower noise on high ISO photos but don’t want an SLR and still want the big zoom then do have a look around at the competition and check out the specialist website reviews.

IF you just want a nice pocket camera that gives you nice photos – but you are on a budget then you should look at the outgoing models from all of the manufacturers – but do have a look at Fuji as they have currently (March 28th 2011) some nice deals on their outgoing models which would give you good zoom and reasonable photos eg Fuji Finepix with 10x zoom 12MP photos.

And finally don’t get hung up on the megapixels on a compact camera. The quality of the “glass” on the front of the camera is likely going to have just a big – if not bigger impact. Although there are exceptions – more expensive usually equals better glass. This is why getting a formerly $400+ camera which is currently being discounted due to a newer incoming model can be a worthwhile strategy – as the originally more expensive camera will generally have better quality lenses. Anything above 10MP is going to be fine 90% of the time – and more megapixels actually often means more grainy photos in darker conditions.

Here’s my snapshot on two good alternatives – although there are potentially important subtleties amongst them and numerous alternatives from other manufacturers like Pentax and Fuji. There are lots of minor but potentially irritating features out there such as how fast can they take photos – how do they perform in low light with the flash off – how realistic are the colours (which can definitely be a personal taste thing) – and also really important day to day things away from how good the camera is technically in delivering a good photo or video – eg are the buttons and switches and menus in just the right or wrong spot for you – and does it feel good in the hand to you – you may prefer a lighter camera, bigger or smaller buttons.

Canon PowerShot SX210 has 14.1 MP and 14x zoom – has only a 28mm lens – which isn’t too bad – looks a good bet and has pretty nice write ups. ISO goes up to 3200 if you look at the SX200 – though of course it’ll probably give you a speckly ol’ photo. FWIW I didn’t think that the difference between 24 and 28mm on the wide angle zoom was that much of a difference – but having had it now for a while I have to say that there’s no way I’d go back.

Nikon CoolPix S 8100 has 12.1MP, significantly worse wide angle lens at 30mm so you won’t be able to get so much scenery into the shot, only 10x zoom but is therefore smaller and more pocket / handbag friendly. It has a fast shooting 10 frames per second though the TZ18 can do similar job if not quite so fast. It has less manual control as it has no Shutter and Aperture Priority.

ME … personally … I did have a good look at the SZ10/TZ20 and in fact nearly got it – but in the end I decided that it’s a bit heavier (though not much) and I couldn’t see that the extra money for Geo-Tagging and Stereo video sound were much use to me. I mean the stereo Mics are 5mm apart and worrying about the battery drain on the geotagging would have driven me crazy – constantly turning it on and off to save power … and I figured that I would make do with simply remembering where I was when I took the photo. If I really want to know where I was at the time I take a photo of a road sign or landmark nearby ? Works for me anyway )

I wanted big zoom – on a compact camera – with a wide zoom and I already have an SLR so this is perfect. Although there are no doubt one or two better cameras out there, they aren’t that much better to make me worry.

Good luck and have fun picking your camera.

166 of 166 people found the following review helpful.
Read 100′s of reviews and settled for this one and love it.
By K. Gehrke
I purchased this camera (in black) a few weeks ago with the Lowepro Ridge30 case Lowepro Ridge 30 Camera Case (Black) and Transcend 8GB Class 10 SDHC card Transcend 8 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC10E. I was tired of my old cameras not getting the right shot because they were never fast enough. That was my main criteria for purchasing this camera. After UPS dropped off the camera on a Friday, I took the kids to the park to see what it could do. The camera’s ability to capture fast action shots is amazing. Kids coming down slides, crossing the monkey bars, or spinning on the merry-go-round…this captured them all crystal clear. Keep in mind, I did have to do some experimental shots first, but on fast action, set it to sports mode and fire away. Saturday was off to an outdoor Graduation. Again, the colors, ease of use, and quality of the shots was better than I was expecting. Sunday, we were off to the amusement park. I wore cargo shorts and the camera was in the side pocket all day wrapped in a napkin in a ziplock bag to protect it from rain and water rides. It took abuse from roller coasters to bumper cars. This is where I was stunned by the photos. I was able to take pictures of the kids on the roller coasters with their screaming, eyes wide open, hair blown back, “I’m going to kill you dad for making me ride this” expressions. See my pictures in the zs8-black photo’s. BEAS62 has included some photos of closeups and the quality of the zoom. I have taken similar photos and had the same results. In my opinion, this is a great everyday-general use camera. As for the battery, I took 300 pictures between two weekends before it went to ‘low battery’. Most shots (80%) were outdoor with no flash and most shots were turning the camera on and off to take 1-5 shots at a time.

When I began this journey of trying to find a camera to take fast action shots, I was in the mindset that only a DSLR could achieve this. I have had, and used many others, in the past and have been let down. Finally I accepted that nothing was going to take these action shots without shelling out $800+. But I don’t want to shell out that much, not now at least. Besides, I want a camera small enough to throw in my pocket during trips/events and not have it hanging from my neck shouting “tourist”. The reviews on Amazon were not enough alone to convince me. The negative reviews, I felt, were lacking more detail. Some, I get it, you dropped the camera and panasonic wont fix it so now you bash them here. After weeding out the bashing, reading professional reviews on other sites, I had it narrowed down. I did have a spending limit of $250. What sold me was others recommending this one for the fast action shots, however, several of those reviewers did comment on poor low light pictures being grainy. Most of my pictures are outdoors or indoors with good lighting. I have taken several indoor photos and played with some of the scene modes. Quality indoor photos can be taken when the right scene mode is used. Auto mode does not always take the best picture. Use the different scenes for the appropriate picture. I feel many reviews are based on this Automatic picture setting. No camera I have seen will take the best pictures in Auto mode. This is not a $50 film camera of yesteryear. These are advanced electronics, the other modes are there because they take the best shots. Auto mode is there for those who don’t want to stray away from the basics. Those folks are the ones who should not gripe. Mom…Dad…Grandpa…Grandma…I understand technology is too much for you, but if you are not willing to use the features as they are available or intended, don’t review it based on your lack of fully testing the product. I may have passed up several better cameras because the ratings were by less-than-amateur users. I digress.

What I like about the camera:

1. 24mm ultra-wide angle lens. No more backing up to get everything in the picture.
2. 12 element in 10 groups Leica lens. Well known high quality lens.
3. 16x optical zoom. This baby zooms and zooms. Equivalent to 24-384mm lens
4. Intelligent Scene Selector sets the scene automatically. Played with a little and should be useful.
5. Auto focus subject tracking detection. No need to keep pressing shutter button half-way to readjust focus. This helps with the kids and fast action shots.
6. Optical image stabilization, not electronic…keeps the quality of the picture during shaking.
7. 2 speed zoom, fast or slow depending on how fast you swivel the lever.
8. 720p HD motion video. Not the best, Its not 1080p but only blu-ray and some camcorders are. 720p is what your local NBC/ABC/CBS networks broadcast.
9. Face recognition. great for finding photos on your computer.
10. The buttons and menu. Easy to navigate and menu buttons have “teeth” so you know what/where you are pressing.
11. Instant on. From pressing power to 1st shot is like 1-2 seconds. Once the lens motors out, its ready. No waiting.

What I don’t like about the camera:
1. Battery. Its a proprietary battery and needs to have the microchip. There are generics, but if it doesn’t have the microchip to talk to the camera, the camera wont turn on. Beware on buying generic batteries.
2. No viewfinder. Hard to see the lcd in direct sunlight, but then so is my smartphone and laptop. Not that big of a deal, as shots with direct full sun on screen are rare for me.

When purchasing, I would recommend the Class 10 SDHC cards from a reputable company. Panasonic recommends at least a Class 6. For a few bucks more, get the Class 10. I have yet to wait for the the camera to ‘write to disk’ before taking the next shot. It is also fast enough for HD video, again, no waiting or buffering/glitching. As for cases, watch the sizes. I originally ordered the Lowepro Ridge 10 because the dimensions said it would fit. It didn’t. I went to my local target and they had the ridge series. The 30 fits it with a little wiggle room to spare. The 20 would be too snug and risk breaking the zipper. The ridge 30 has a zipper for the camera, a flap and pouch that fit the charger (but barely, and I would not walk around with it in…just a good place to store it when it sits in the closet), and a zipper on the flap for an extra memory card or battery. Comes with shoulder strap and closed belt loop.

…more to come, I will update the zs8-black

172 of 174 people found the following review helpful.
Amazing quality and zoom feature
By texasbbj
I upgraded from the Z3 and this is my 3rd Lumix camera. I am a insurance adjuster and take over 300 pictures per day and these cameras get alot of heavy work and is constantly used in conditions that is not the average user. What I wanted most from a work camera, was the ability to zoom in and the wide angle. I take alot of photos on roofs where damages have occured and the ability of this camera to do those things, is unsurpassed. The old one had a 12x zoom which I thought was great, until I used this 16x zoom. Quite amazing to say the least. With your typical camera of this size, you might get a 5 zoom and you will just not believe the difference with this 16 zoom. Next would be the 24 wide angle aspect. Again, quite amazing. I can stand 25 feet in front of a house and get the whole house in the photo. With typical cameras, you would have to stand across the street.
Next would be the picture quaility. Absolutely great as well. Clear, crisp,perfect lighting and on and on.
Easy to use and set the settings as well.
Although a little more pricey than most, it is soooo worth it!!!
Take a chance on this one, if you are unsure. You will NOT be dissapointed!! Love it! Love it!

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Panasonic Dmc Gf2kr Megapixels Interchangeable Digital Photo

Panasonic Dmc Gf2kr Megapixels Interchangeable Digital Picture

Panasonic Dmc Gf2kr Megapixels Interchangeable Digital Image

Panasonic Dmc Gf2kr Megapixels Interchangeable Digital Photo

Panasonic Dmc Gf2kr Megapixels Interchangeable Digital Image

Panasonic Tc P60st30 60 Inch Surround Entertainment

Demetrius Wade — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 05:17:31 +0000

Want to buy a high-def TV but just don’t recognise how to figure out the specifications to choose the best sets? Here’s a short guide to numerous of the most mutual specs you’ll be faced with.

Contrast ratings – a measurement of the darkest blacks to the lightest whites – Panasonic boasts of a 18000:1 contrast rating for their best plasma. In almost each case, you’ll find that plasma TVs have better contrast ratings than any other high-def TV, but you don’t inevitably need off-the-charts contrast ratings to have a television you’ll enjoy. An 1800:1 makes most persons happy, and in a darkened room you many times can’t tell much difference, though it will be evident in a showroom.

1080p and 1080i – These numbers refer to the horizontal lines that make up your television image. Traditional televisions – and established TV broadcasts – have a 480i; most progressed high-def TVs have 1080 or better. The p and i refer to the method the television uses to interpret these lines. An i is an interlaced picture, where each other line refreshes, ordinarily each 1/60 of a second. A p displays all the lines at once, and refreshes either each 1/60 or 1/30 of a second. Look for sets that have a high number and the p for best pictures. Also, for best results look for Blu-ray sets that match this number for your television; some televisions designed for interlaced images cannot handle a Blu-ray set only for p.

Scaling – Refers to the idealisti solution for your television’s picture. This is more primary for a front-projection DLP TV than any other set, as it determines the greatest or most complete or best possible and minimum picture for good viewing.

Artifacts – Auras, ghost images, sharp edges, and other distracting things that may detract from your high-def TV’s good effigy processing. A television reviewed as having few or no artifacts is always better than one that has a heap of complaints.

De-judder processing – this refers to the sometimes-jerky motion when frames alter too slowly. Because high-def TVs are in essence computing devices, this depends to a great extent on internal processor speed as well as good programming at the factory. Some experts complain that sure sets do too good a occupation at de-juddering, and as a result the effigy is unnaturally smooth in motion. Most buyers are happier with this sort of set, though, so the better your de-judder is the happier you will in all likelihood be.

Resolution – Most sets have at least 1920 x 1080 resolution, referencing the vertical x horizontal lines your set will display. High resolutions indicate better pictures, provided everything else works well.

Color-temperature presets — With values like Cool1 and Neutral, these presets skew your television’s color settings toward blues or reds. These settings are not inevitably a make-or-break thing for your high-def TV, but it’s nice to be capable to skew your picture without fiddling with each color setting. Most high-def TVs have a lot of other color settings you may mess around with, but none of them are critical.

There are various other specs, with more being invented each day, but these will have to support you choose a outstanding high def TV for your needs.

Panasonic Tc P60st30 60 Inch Surround Entertainment

Panasonic VIERA TC-P60ST30 60-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV

3D Technology Checklist

This product is 3D-related. To aid you get a outstanding 3D experience, use the checklist beneath to make sure you have everything you need. 3D watching requires:

	A Display First, you’ll need a 3D-ready display–whether it’s a 3D HDTV, 3D projector, or 3D computer monitor. These displays have more processing power than ordinary 2D models for displaying 3D images in rapid succession.
	A Source Your display may be ready for 3D playback, but you’ll still need a device to read 3D content. This may be a cable box with a subscription to a 3D channel, a 3D Blu-ray Disc player, or a PlayStation 3 system.
	3D Content 3D content–the actual entertainment, in other words–will be played back using the source brought up above, whether it’s a 3D broadcast from your cable provider, a 3D Blu-ray Disc, or a 3D video game.
	3D Glasses For now, the tremendous majority of 3D HDTVs require glasses for 3D viewing. Many use powered “active shutter” glasses, others polarized “passive” glasses. You’ll need one pair per viewer, and they’ll have to be compatible with your display, whether they’re the same brand, or a pair of “universal” glasses designed to work all over brands.
	HDMI Cable To connect your source (such as a 3D Blu-ray Disc player) to your display, you’ll need a high-speed HDMI cable. Cables with this identification feature bandwidth speeds up to 10.2 Gbps (gigabits per second), for carrying the 3D signal without any loss of quality.
If you want to get more selective information in regards to 3D, shop our 3D products, watch videos, or interact with other customers, we invite you to visit 3D 101, our client center with regards to everything 3D.

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ALL VERSIONS OF PANASONIC 2011 TVs ARE EXHIBITING THIS PROBLEM.

If you would like to read more comments a Facebook page was created in hope that it would have an effect as it did with Sony. It is on facebook under “My 2011 Panasonic TV is Defective”.

Now onto the results :

It is a simple procedure and only takes 15 minutes. This a-board replacement doesn’t void any warranty as it is done by Panasonic under Panasonic’s warranty by a qualified tech.

Service Hint (‘A’ Board replacement to fix the ‘brightness fluctuation” in the ST30/GT30/VT30).
SH-B34-11-03-REV

BOTTOM LINE: If you want a solid big screen with great picture at the right price then this is it. Highly recommend. If you have any questions then just leave a comment.

********EDIT**************

For those curious, they did have to take apart my tv. After watching that terrifying ordeal it was just a simple unplug-this plug-in-that & they were done. VERY happy overall.

In short – if you’re on the fence about this set, don’t be. If you’re unlucky & get one that was built before they had this fix installed, Panasonic will handle it!

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Panasonic Tc P60st30 60 Inch Surround Entertainment Photo

Panasonic Tc P60st30 60 Inch Surround Entertainment Picture

Panasonic Tc P60st30 60 Inch Surround Entertainment Image

Panasonic Tc P60st30 60 Inch Surround Entertainment Picture

Panasonic Tc P60st30 60 Inch Surround Entertainment Pic

Mount Panasonic Th 46Pz800u Viera Plasma

Brayan Long — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:17:30 +0000

The Panasonic 1080p plasma series is one of the most standard lines of plasma TVs on the market today. They come with increased contrast ratios for deep blacks and likeable shadow detail. In addition these Panasonic 1080p plasma models offer a smooth picture and bright colors that will appeal to movie lovers, sports fans and HDTV viewers alike.

If you are in the market for a new plasma then you have in all probability looked at assorted models and may very well be confused by all of the dissimilar makes and models. I will undertake to break down the basic divergences amongst models in the Panasonic 1080p plasma Viera series.

Lets take a look at the model numbers. A typical Panasonic Viera plasma model is TH-xxPZ80U. There are various things to look at in order to comprehend the model number.

1. TH-xxPZ80U – The xx will represent the size of the TV (for example 50PZ80U will be a 50″ model). Sizes range from as little as 42 inches and go up to 65 inches in the top of the line model.

2. TH-xxPZ80U – The PZ gives evidence of that this is a 1080p model. Panasonic does likewise offer a 720p model, but that would be indicated by a PX.

3. TH-xxPZ80U – This is where it starts to get even a bit more confusing. These indicate the person traits and feature sets of each model with a good 80U, better 85U, even better 800U, and best (at least until they come up with an even better model) 850U.

So lets dig in a little deeper and check out the traits and features of the dissimilar models.

80U – This is the base model. Of course these will be the least costly of the models and include all the fundamentals that give the Panasonic 1080p plasma TVs such a great reputation. They come with a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, 2 speakers and 3 HDMI inputs.

85U – The next step up in the model lines adds further and added contrast proportionality taking it up to 30,000:1 and add an input for PC connection.

800U – The next step up makes various additions such as 24p help and an further and added HDMI input as well as THX certification. Other considerations are the addition of 2 more speakers for a higher quality sound, altho if you connect your TV through an audio video receiver then you more then likely will not even use your TVs speakers. The 800U models likewise come with a swivel base which may be beneficial to those who do not choose to wall mount their plasma.

850U – The 850U represents the top of the line model by adding further and added shades of color gradation as well as pro setting menus and a studio reference mode.

Hopefully that gives a bit of clarity to the Panasonic 1080p plasma Viera series. There is sure to be a size and feature set that suits a wide range of budgets. So if you are looking at a new TV for the holiday season or for the digital changeover, a Panasonic plasma may be the right choice for you.

Mount Panasonic Th 46pz800u Viera Plasma

This mount is VideoSecu brand. Please report to Amazon.com if you recieve a mount without VideoSecu logo.Safety bolts system-Lift and lock mounting: Just attach the pre-assembled arms on the back of the display to the wall plate, then tighten the security screws lock the display in position as needed. Common wall and TV attachment hardware 6″ 3-Axis Magnetic Bubble Level and 7ft HDMI cable are included in the box.

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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome Product
By Achilles
We received this product in a very timely manner. Great Service. The product itself is easy to install and makes our flat screen look awesome in the room. What a great price too. Don’t fall for the big box store trying to talk you into their inventory of similar item. They charge over 3x the amount. This is a great product and great service.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Tilting Plasma TV Wall Mount
By Kim
The product itself is great, and was easy to put together. The level that is included in the base of the product was slightly off so I ended up taking it down and using my own level, but otherwise it was easy enough for just me to do it.

If you are mounting a 42″ tv, you will be at the edges of mount itself, so you will not be able to slide it a little if you want some minimum adjustment left to right.

Easy enough for just me to put up and am very happy with the construction quality of the product

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Good product
By Judi Boyce
This is a good, sturdy wall mount. It wasn’t hard to install. Hardest part was locating the studs in our wall.

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Mount Panasonic Th 46pz800u Viera Plasma Image

Mount Panasonic Th 46pz800u Viera Plasma Picture

Mount Panasonic Th 46pz800u Viera Plasma Photo

Mount Panasonic Th 46pz800u Viera Plasma Image

Mount Panasonic Th 46pz800u Viera Plasma Picture

Mount Panasonic Th 46pz800u Viera Plasma Photo

Compatible Th 50Pz85u Th 42Px80u Th 46Pz85u Th 58Pz800u

Dominic Love — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:17:30 +0000

Compatible Th 50pz85u Th 42px80u Th 46pz85u Th 58pz800u

This is our best selling swivel tv mount, and for good reason. It offers uttermost skillfulness with a greatest or most complete or best possible extension of 20.3 inches from the wall. It’s dual arm design is fantastically sturdy, and supports Panasonic plasma and LCD flat screen televisions. Is this the mount for me? * Do you prefer the look and feel of the dual arm design, and be grateful for it is unbelievable sturdiness? * Does a 20 inch wall extension meet your installation needs? Will this mount fit my Panasonic TV? * This mount works with 99% of Panasonic TVs on the market. For 100% certainty, however, please refer to the Compatibility Checklist below. Compatibility Checklist * Mounting holes on television ought to be less than 770mm (30.3 inches) apart horizontally and 480mm (18.8 inches) vertically. * Maximum weight capacity: 175lbs. Product Dimensions * Wall plate: 500mm width by 278mm height. * Box dimensions: 20.8 inch x 13.8 inches x 2.5 inches * Product weight: 14.0kg Range of Motion * Tilt: +- 15 degrees up and down and any angle in between. * Swivel: 60 degrees in both directions * Extension from wall: anyplace from 4.5 inches to 20.3 inches. Design & Construction * Solid toughened steel construction * Durable scratch immune finish. * Easy installation. Included in Box * Mount and all nuts, bolts and washers necessary for installation. * Product manual * Free 6ft HDMI Cable

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Compatible Th 50pz85u Th 42px80u Th 46pz85u Th 58pz800u Pic

Compatible Th 50pz85u Th 42px80u Th 46pz85u Th 58pz800u Photo

Compatible Th 50pz85u Th 42px80u Th 46pz85u Th 58pz800u Image

Compatible Th 50pz85u Th 42px80u Th 46pz85u Th 58pz800u Pic

Tilting Panasonic Tc P54z1x Tcp54z1x Television

Kole Hansen — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 05:17:30 +0000

Tilting Panasonic Tc P54z1x Tcp54z1x Television

This high quality tilting wall mount bracket supports most* 36″ to 63″ flat panel screen LCD/plasma TVs and monitors. The mount includes simple to align brackets and a distinctive wall plate that may be mounted to two studs or concrete and comes with mounting hardware and installation instructions for a quick and easy installation. It’s toughened steel construction supports up to 165lbs and has a variable 0° to -15° downward tilt. *Mounting holes on television will have to be 28″ or less apart horizontally and 18.5″ or less apart vertically

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Tilting Panasonic Tc P54z1x Tcp54z1x Television Photo

Tilting Panasonic Tc P54z1x Tcp54z1x Television Pic

Tilting Panasonic Tc P54z1x Tcp54z1x Television Photo

Tilting Panasonic Tc P54z1x Tcp54z1x Television Pic

Panasonic Viera Tc P60gt30 60 Inch Plasma

Calvin Edwards — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:17:29 +0000

Panasonic Viera Tc P60gt30 60 Inch Plasma

With the 2012 Panasonic TY-WL20U Wireless Adapter, you may set up your Panasonic VIERA HDTV freely without worrying in regards to LAN cable wiring. Once plugged into the USB terminal, you may take pleasure in VIERA Connect along with other online content wirelessly by accessing your Wireless LAN router.

Compatible with the following 2012 VIERA Models: UT50 Plasma Series (60-Inch, 55-Inch, 50-Inch, 42-Inch), 50XT50 Plasma, E50 LED/LCD Series (55-Inch, 47-Inch, 42-Inch), and the E5 LED/LCD Series (42-Inch, 37-Inch, 32-Inch).

Compatible with the following 2011 VIERA Models: VT30 Plasma Series, GT30 Plasma Series, ST30 Plasma Series, and the DT30 LED/LCD Series.

This product is not compatible with 2010 VIERA models.

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Panasonic Viera Tc P60gt30 60 Inch Plasma Photo

Panasonic Viera Tc P60gt30 60 Inch Plasma Picture

Panasonic Viera Tc P60gt30 60 Inch Plasma Image