Panasonic Plasma No More

Conradicles
Conradicles Posts: 6,081
edited January 2014 in Electronics
We have heard the rumors, and now it is official:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57610172-93/panasonic-to-pull-the-plug-on-plasma-tv-panels/

Too bad, such a great product.
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,762
    edited October 2013
    Sad, still the best picture IMO...
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited October 2013
    Damn shame, best TV's on the market bar none. The general public never appreciates quality, always shops price.
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  • jbooker82
    jbooker82 Posts: 1,627
    edited October 2013
    I though they were cheap as well. Unless they were loosing money on sales.
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  • Tekkis
    Tekkis Posts: 120
    edited October 2013
    well there are quite a few stores that wouldn't even display Panasonic plasmas because they had a lower profit margin than the televisions in the same price range that also have in many cases an inferior picture than them
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  • lanchile
    lanchile Posts: 560
    edited October 2013
    I knew it!. I never saw plasmas tv's as a big hit. I never liked Plasmas TVs for many reasons. By the way, I work fixing TVs lol.
    Make it simple...Make it better!
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,762
    edited October 2013
    lanchile wrote: »
    I knew it!. I never saw plasmas tv's as a big hit. I never liked Plasmas TVs for many reasons. By the way, I work fixing TVs lol.

    Seriously??
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited October 2013
    Kreskin wrote:
    I knew it!. I never saw plasmas tv's as a big hit.
    Huh? Panasonic alone has sold hundreds of millions over the last decade.
    I never liked Plasmas TVs for many reasons.
    Is it the superior blacks/contrast ratio?The lack of motion blur?The deep natural colours?or the non restricted viewing angle that you don't like?
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  • 4xoddic
    4xoddic Posts: 372
    edited October 2013
    I will continue to enjoy viewing my Panasonic Plasma.
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited October 2013
    Looks like I bought mine just in time then thankfully
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,194
    edited October 2013
    When I learned about this awhile back, I felt another lose in our industry. Where is it going to end? now IF or maybe better put when my Elite Kuro goes down, what the hell am I going to replace it with? The ZT60 I thought was pretty damn close to the performance of my Kuro and I can get it in 5 inches bigger. I may have to scoop one up and put it away for that rainy day in the future.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,762
    edited October 2013
    lanchile wrote: »
    I knew it!. I never saw plasmas tv's as a big hit. I never liked Plasmas TVs for many reasons. By the way, I work fixing TVs lol.

    Yeah, they figured out they could make LCD's and LED's thinner, lighter and cheaper but sacrificing PQ IMO. I'll enjoy my Panny plasma until it dies...
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  • pglbook
    pglbook Posts: 2,222
    edited October 2013
    I sure am glad I recently bought a Panasonic 60ST60.
    It looks like I got it just in time.
    I love it - best picture of any TV out there, imho.
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited October 2013
    I'm strongly considering picking up another one while I still can, I'll keep it in storage...
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  • FTGV
    FTGV Posts: 3,649
    edited October 2013
    pglbook wrote: »
    I sure am glad I recently bought a Panasonic 60ST60.
    It looks like I got it just in time.
    I love it - best picture of any TV out there, imho.
    The ST series offers outstanding PQ for the money.I imagine dealers will soon start dumping their inventories at deep discounts.
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited October 2013
    Hopefully, OLED TVs will soon be widely available, and at lower prices to fill the void for those off us who want the best PQ. I am waiting until I can get at least a 72" OLED for $5K, or less.
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  • breal74
    breal74 Posts: 324
    edited October 2013
    Noooooo! Such sad news, but I am glad they are working on their OLED sets for that will be my next TV when my Panny dies. I absolutely love my TC-P65GT50 and my wife has actually called me once to say that she loves the picture of our Panny.
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  • lanchile
    lanchile Posts: 560
    edited October 2013
    ken brydson wrote: »
    Yeah, they figured out they could make LCD's and LED's thinner, lighter and cheaper but sacrificing PQ IMO. I'll enjoy my Panny plasma until it dies...
    Sacrifice PICTURE QUALITY? hahahaha. You are really late in technology. you are comparing the technology of long time ago.Today it is not just the time response that has improved (less than 2 nanoseconds time response) but, blacks/contrast ratio, colors, viewing angle, Reliability and do not forget LCD/LED TVs use less energy....But again...What do I know about TVs?...I just fix them lol
    Make it simple...Make it better!
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    edited October 2013
    lanchile wrote: »
    Sacrifice PICTURE QUALITY? hahahaha. You are really late in technology. you are comparing the technology of long time ago.Today it is not just the time response that has improved (less than 2 nanoseconds time response) but, blacks/contrast ratio, colors, viewing angle, Reliability and do not forget LCD/LED TVs use less energy....But again...What do I know about TVs?...I just fix them lol
    Improved, yes. On par with Plasma, no.

    This article was written September 5th 2013. Pretty recently.
    The biggest advantage of plasma in most people’s eyes is the excellent black levels. Since each cell is lit individually, a plasma TV can produce a black image (or small areas of black) by applying no current to those cells. By contrast – no pun intended – LED TVs look much greyer. Even direct-lit LED TVs aren’t lit per-pixel, so cannot match a plasma TV for black levels.

    Read more: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/digital-home/3467197/plasma-vs-led-explained/#ixzz2jMOATS41
    Another issue of LED TVs (because of their LCD panels) is narrow viewing angles. Viewing angles depend on the type of LCD panel used. LED TVs with poor viewing angles typically lose saturation when viewed from the side (or simply not square-on) but colours might change completely or invert.

    Read more: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/buying-advice/digital-home/3467197/plasma-vs-led-explained/#ixzz2jMOUphoM
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • nguyendot
    nguyendot Posts: 3,594
    edited October 2013
    lanchile wrote: »
    Sacrifice PICTURE QUALITY? hahahaha. You are really late in technology. you are comparing the technology of long time ago.Today it is not just the time response that has improved (less than 2 nanoseconds time response) but, blacks/contrast ratio, colors, viewing angle, Reliability and do not forget LCD/LED TVs use less energy....But again...What do I know about TVs?...I just fix them lol

    Pretty sure no mass produced television is measured in nanoseconds.... That's billionths of a second.
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  • nguyendot
    nguyendot Posts: 3,594
    edited October 2013
    I am saddened by this. I sold my VT30 this year and miss the picture quality sorely. The Sharp is huge but the black levels and quality aren't even in the same league.
    Main Surround -
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  • gmcman
    gmcman Posts: 1,806
    edited October 2013
    What a bummer....I just picked up my S64 from Costco and freaking love it.....glad I did.
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  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,106
    edited October 2013
    I've always been a plasma guy. Since Pioneer bowed out of the plasma realm, it was really an uphill battle for Panasonic to carry on the plasma torch. The old myths of plasmas consuming lots of electricity, having burnt in images, and being overly heavy haunted the sets from the beginning even though they've largely been solved. My eyes may not be the best, but I've always preferred a good plasma over a LCD any day. I guess I'll be holding onto my panny until it dies, maybe i'll get one at discount while I still can.
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  • lanchile
    lanchile Posts: 560
    edited October 2013
    if you buy an LCD TV from Walmart...you know those $299.00...of course it going to be a bad and cheap LCD TV!!! but if you spend $$$$$ you will get an excellent LCD TV, like Sharp ELITE ($5000) that has better picture quality than any plasma today. oh and do not forget if you like watching TV in your living room and it has a lot windows and lights...LCD TVs are brighter than plasmas and that is a very bad point for Plasma, since the pictures will look deemed compared to the LCD. again We are talking about a good LCD TV here (not from the usual $299 from Walmart). But if you like Plasmas TVs...You better buy them now before they put them to rest forever!!!
    Make it simple...Make it better!
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  • Nightfall
    Nightfall Posts: 10,086
    edited October 2013
    CNET is a pretty big organization, right?

    http://reviews.cnet.com/best-tvs-picture-quality/

    Best picture quality we've ever reviewed
    Panasonic TC-PZT60 series
    Panasonic's ultimate plasma TV is the best-performing television we've ever tested. Both it and the less-expensive VT60 have finally surpassed the overall performance of the Pioneer Kuro, a legendary and long-extinct television that held the "best ever" mantle since 2008. And the ZT60 is just a bit better than the VT60, by virtue of its better performance in bright rooms. And that's it. Turn down the lights, and the two Panasonics at the top of this list are virtually indistinguishable.

    Anyhow, agree to disagree I suppose, Lanchile.

    OLED is going to be where it's at in the near future.
    afterburnt wrote: »
    They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.

    Village Idiot of Club Polk
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  • nguyendot
    nguyendot Posts: 3,594
    edited October 2013
    lanchile wrote: »
    if you buy an LCD TV from Walmart...you know those $299.00...of course it going to be a bad and cheap LCD TV!!! but if you spend $$$$$ you will get an excellent LCD TV, like Sharp ELITE ($5000) that has better picture quality than any plasma today. oh and do not forget if you like watching TV in your living room and it has a lot windows and lights...LCD TVs are brighter than plasmas and that is a very bad point for Plasma, since the pictures will look deemed compared to the LCD. again We are talking about a good LCD TV here (not from the usual $299 from Walmart). But if you like Plasmas TVs...You better buy them now before they put them to rest forever!!!

    While the Sharp Elite has very good picture quality, especially for a LED unit - it still cannot touch a ZT series plasma for overall picture quality. Also - those units have had a very high failure rate which is bad for how expensive they are. The Magnolia here has had every single one on display break to the point where they don't even put them out any more.
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited October 2013
    lanchile, just because you fix TVs does not mean you know anything about LED or Plasma picture quality. Why would you even think that? It makes no sense. Anyway, while LED technology has improved, other than you, no one would say LED is better than plasma in terms of picture quality. Of course, the best LED will be better than low end plasmas, but in an apple to apple comparison, the plasma will win.

    Out of curiosity, weren't you the person a few months ago arguing power cords made no difference because you could measure the voltage with your multi-meter?
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  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,106
    edited October 2013
    lanchile wrote: »
    if you buy an LCD TV from Walmart...you know those $299.00...of course it going to be a bad and cheap LCD TV!!! but if you spend $$$$$ you will get an excellent LCD TV, like Sharp ELITE ($5000) that has better picture quality than any plasma today. oh and do not forget if you like watching TV in your living room and it has a lot windows and lights...LCD TVs are brighter than plasmas and that is a very bad point for Plasma, since the pictures will look deemed compared to the LCD. again We are talking about a good LCD TV here (not from the usual $299 from Walmart). But if you like Plasmas TVs...You better buy them now before they put them to rest forever!!!

    I think that's a very good point as well. I know if I were using my TV mainly during the day time with open curtains and sun shining in, the plasma would be a tough sell for that purpose. Panasonic has invested into anti-glare/anti-reflective coating, but it never really gets rid of the light drowning out the screen. However, I mostly use my TV at night with dimmed lighting or in the dark for movies, and wow does it still impress me. I believe if it were a comparably priced LCD vs. Plasma, I would still take the plasma for my own viewing preferences. Of course, the LCD vs. Plasma debate has gone on and on, and plasma does fare much better on AV forums such as this one. However, to the general public, LCD is what they know, it's in their laptops, remotes, monitors, and thus to them it must be better than some obscure technology which isn't as ubiquitous as the LCD.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited October 2013
    LCD/LED whatever, all have tha same problems. The picture has an artifical cartoon like appearance and fast action still blurs. Plasma looks much more realistic, like film.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited October 2013
    So I guess my Panasonic P60ST60 is gong back...












    ...in the box and into storage as a backup because I just bought the P60ZT60! I really should be spending my money on other things (you know, like housing and food), but I found a good deal on one locally and decided to jump on it. I found a good deal on one locally and that was enough to push me over the edge. Maybe there will be $2400 OLED sets out in a year or two that have as good of picture quality as the ZT60, but I"m not counting on it and don't want to risk it. If I'm wrong that's not an absurd amount of money to gamble...
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  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,538
    edited November 2013
    Been enjoying my Panasonic plasma 58" for years, hopefully she will last a long time. I calibrated with DVE when I got it, and the picture is fantastic.
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