Filter feeder
While the Infinite Black Pro panel can be found elsewhere in Panasonic’s plasma offerings, it’s bolstered here by the self explanatory High Contrast Filter Pro – a turbo-charged version of the vanilla flavoured High Contrast Filter found in the step-down GT30 and other models. Black levels are suitably extreme.
Advanced menu
The picture engine itself is built around Panasonic’s IFC (Intelligent Frame Creation) 600Hz Pro sub-field drive. This isn’t required to improve motion resolution, but it does do a powerful job curbing horizontal, diagonal and vertical picture judder. Unfortunately, it also bequeaths motion artefacts of its own and makes everything look kind of slippery. I tend to prefer IFC Off as the inherent panning judder is the lesser of two evils.
You get two pairs of active shutter glasses to view any 3D spectacle
Naturally, the sheer size of this panel can have a detrimental impact on viewing. Any 65in screen will be very intolerant of low bitrate channels, but this Panasonic relishes good sources like Sky HD and Blu-ray. Moving picture resolution, with or without IFC engaged, is a full 1080 lines. Colour gradations are smooth and hues are vibrant.
Crosstalk free 3D
Challenging Blu-ray test footage of an artfully lit violin and saxophone revealed rich wood textures alongside believable, glinting brass. 2D image clarity is sublime. The TX-P65VT30’s 3D performance is also excellent. Despite its width, crosstalk double imaging is noticeable only by its absence.
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COMMENTS
Why would you want to...
...hang your wife on a studwork wall?
Re: Power???!!!!!
This is The Register: quite a few readers are probably already contemplating back garden nuke plants as soon as Lewis has finished convincing local authorities of their safety.
EPG
The EPG will be in daily use. It looks dire, on this 65 inch TV you can't see the programme you were watching in a window ?
It's so heavy (weighs more than my wife) how feasible is it to hang it on a studwork wall ?
90% - really ?
Sensible distance
And there's the rub.
Apart from my well-documented indifference about 3D, Where would I put it?
This is a Tellie for Essex Millionaires , not the rest of us.
its a 4 and a half grand telly
you pay a pro the 200 extra quid to either cut out the studwork and build a mount box into the wall (frequently done in bathrooms for wall-mounted bogs) or you mount directly into the studs : assuming they're placed at happy distances.
either way, you dont mount something this heavy, and this valuable, by yourself unless you know what you're doing. serious: Im surprised it comes with built-in speakers : who the hell uses built-ins if they're spending over 2k on a screen?
Im not disagreeing with your criticisms, but you're judging this as a regular TV. its not a regular TV : its a massive unit that costs more than a second hand car. If you're shirking from the price of having someone install it, then you shouldnt be spending 4.5k on a TV this big anyway, IMO.
