We loved the VT50, and even gave it our Video Product of the Year award. Panasonic, though, didn’t just update their plasma flagship model, they made a whole new flagship model.
Sure, a bunch of improvements were mentioned, but how much better is the ZT60?
Well, they had a darkened room at their booth with the two side-by-side. Some skepticism and cautious enthusiasm after the jump.
Ok, first things first. I wasn’t allowed to check the settings on either TV. A few ticks of the brightness control could result in radically different black levels. I reviewed the VT50, and I remember the black levels being slightly lower than the one in this comparison. So on one hand, take this demo for what it is: A company trying to demonstrate why their new model is better than their old model.
That said, I don’t think the black levels were ever as low as what the ZT60 were showing. You practically couldn’t tell the pixels were on. Forget “KURO-like,” it’s practically “OLED-like.”
I can’t wait to test a production model.
Here’s another image to whet your appetite.
I didn’t do any contrast or brightness tweaking in Photoshop that would skew the perceptions. If the differences don’t look too significant in the photos, in person, with your eyes adjusted to the dark, they seem huge.
The ZT60 is on the left in all these photos.
FWIW, Panasonic told me they were both straight out of the box and put into Cinema mode. No calibration beyond that, but that might not exclude brightness and contrast adjustments. I still want to know if the red difference was due to it being wider gamut (and therefore inaccurate) or just a truer red (and then still accurate), since you can have two different shades of red still have the same CIE xy coordinates due to how the math works. That said, plasma displays at CES looked awesome.
While I want the ZT model, I'm pleased as punch with my now 2 generation old VT30. I'm sure the ZT is improved, but after all, you don't look at tv's side by side at home. Too bad what Panasonic has failed to do is convince everyone that with plasma, they have met or exceeded not the Kuro standard, but the CRT standard, which really went out with the last 32" Sony XBR that weighed several hundred pounds and was the largest screen that could be made, at least for the home. Maybe that's because Panasonic never really made a "memorable" home CRT, consumers don't "get it" or understand, or marketers just can't break through. Or mainstream journalists can't tell the truth that plasma with its contrast ratio, kills lcd/led especially considering the price. There really is not reason consumers can't be convinced if they're told what to look for. Maybe what the in-store demo should have is a special pair of glasses - frames only, with no lens!!!
Geoffrey,
Based on your description of the ZT60's black level, it seems like it is subjectively darker than your recollection of Pioneer's Kuro and a match for OLED. Would you go as far as to say that the black level was dark enough to give you the impression that the ZT60 was off?
That's the kind of black level I've been waiting for since I bough Panasonic's G10 over 3 years ago. If that's the case, I'm buying a ZT this year.
@vqworks It's hard to judge given the situation, though I'd bet the VT50, correctly set up, is darker than it appeared in the booth. Even so, the ZT60 seemed darker than I remember VT50 being. I'm sure we'll get a ZT60 soon so we can objectively measure it with test gear.
geoffrey,
i am owner of a pioneer kuros -5010 and have had it for five years know. the black levels on this plasma are as you guys have said in the past are the best in the world. i've been looking to upgrade to a bigger screen size like a 65 inch which i was thinking of purchasing the panasonic vt-50 because that set is the only one that has come close to the kuros in black level. but know you're saying that the zt60 is better. i've read the reviews in your magazine regarding the the vt-50 with pre and post calibrations and i was surely impressed with the number's. i spoke to kevin miller from the isf foundation about getting this tv professionally calibrated with the day and night viewing.
sholud i hold off on this purchase and wait for your review on the zt-60 to come out and compare both sets that way, or just jump on the upgrade band wagon and purchase the vt-50.