HDTV picture settings forum: Panasonic TC-P65VT50 picture settings

Review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-tc-pvt50-series/4505-6482_7-35118305.html

Related products:
Panasonic TC-P55VT50

Calibration report using these settings:
http://scr.bi/K9YGQ4

Below you'll find the settings I found best for viewing the Panasonic TC-P65VT50 in a dim room via the HDMI input. Your settings may vary depending on source, room conditions, and personal preference. Check out the Picture settings and calibration FAQ for more information.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9996461-1.html

Calibration notes: THX Cinema mode came closest to my ideal settings in terms of grayscale, but was a bit dim at 30Fl. THX Bright room upped light output to about 40Fl, but its grayscale was a bit less-accurate. In both cases the grayscale looked too green, and both THX modes' default contrast settings, despite appearing to allow some adjustment, represent those modes maximum light output. In other words, turning up Contrast in THX Cinema past the default 76 doesn't make the picture any brighter. Those limitations mind I opted to use the extensive Custom controls to improve the picture over THX.

The result was better than either THX mode, especially in terms of grayscale, and much better than what I experienced on last year's VT30--although it wasn't as perfect as I expected to get given the level of control available.

In its favor Custom finally employs proper color balance with program material, and the color management system didn't require much tweaking to get as good as possible. That's fortunate because tweaking the CMS is frustrating; its controls for red, green and blue luminance were basically ineffective, and cyan luminance and hue, as well as blue luminance, varied significantly between measurements, making them impossible to adjust correctly. The other controls worked better, and I used the saturation controls to affect RGB luminance as well as I could. I still could only achieve "average" scores in the final measurement however, and while the difference between average and good on my scale is tough for the human eye to discern, I'm sure with proper control over RGB luminance I could get them all "good."

The grayscale offers both a standard two point system and a 10-point system, the latter with a gamma detail control for all ten points as well. I was able to get the best results using the two systems in conjunction and mostly avoiding the gamma detail control, although I did tweak it a bit at certain levels. I was again frustrated by significant fluctuation from measurement to measurement though; in the worst case at 40 and 50 IRE, I saw swings of a full footlambert (which seems minor but has a big impact on gamma measurements at that luminance level) and up 1000K without changing any adjustments. The crucial 20IRE measurement also varied enough to measure only "average" when I did my final calibration run, despite being close to dead-on after I finished adjusting it the first time. In short, at many IRE levels the actual light output and color of gray seems to be more of a moving target than on most other high-end TVs I've calibrated.

I tried reducing maximum light output to see if the measurements became more consistent, but it didn't help much. I saw similar swings in THX Cinema as well, where 60 IRE was particularly volatile. I'm curious how some other reviewers/calibrators can achieve seemingly perfect charts with their VT50s (my guess: they're better at calibrating than me), but in my case the measurements, and thus the charts, were less consistent than I expected. That said colors still looked superb on this set with program material, and my Custom calibration looked quite a bit better--with more contrast and a less-green grayscale--than either THX mode.

If you'd like to compare between a calibrated Custom and THX, it's worth noting that in both THX Cinema and THX Bright Room the picture won't be improved much (if at all) by changing the default settings. I tweaked Color in Cinema among others, and the default value of +46 was best.

My TC-P65VT50 was aged 150 hours before review, measurement and calibration.

--Picture menu
Picture mode: Custom
Contrast: +84
Brightness: +58
Color: +50
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 0
Color temp: Warm 2
Color mgmt: Off [grayed out]
C.A.T.S.: Off
Video NR: Off

-- Pro settings submenu
Color space: Normal
W/B high R: -2
W/B high G: 0
W/B high B: 0
W/B low R: 0
W/B low G: -7
W/B low B: -2

W/B detail adjustment menu:
[listed as Red, Green and Blue gain, respectively]
100 IRE: -2, 0, -2
90 IRE: -3, 0, +1
80 IRE: 0, +1, -1
70 IRE: 0, 0, 0
60 IRE: 0, 0, +2
50 IRE: +2, +3, +1
40 IRE: 0, 0, -1
30 IRE: +1, -1, 0
20 IRE: +3, -1, +2
10 IRE: -2, -1, +1

Red hue: 0
Green hue: +6
Blue hue: 0
Red Saturation: -8
Green Saturation: -6
Blue Saturation: 0

Color detail adjustment menu:
Yellow hue: 0
Cyan hue: 0
Magenta hue: 0
Yellow saturation: -2
Cyan saturation: 0
Magenta saturation: 0
Red luminance: 0
Green luminance: 0
Blue luminance: 0
Yellow luminance: 0
Cyan luminance: 0
Magenta luminance: 0

Black extension: 0
Gamma adjustment: 2.4
Panel brightness: Mid
Contour emphasis: Off
AGC: 0

Gamma detail adjustment menu:
100 IRE Gain: 0
90 IRE Gain: 0
80 IRE Gain: 0
70 IRE Gain: 0
60 IRE Gain: 0
50 IRE Gain: +4
40 IRE Gain: 0
30 IRE Gain: 0
20 IRE Gain: -1
10 IRE Gain: 0

-- Aspect adjustments submenu
Screen format: Full
HD size: Size 2
H size: [grayed out]
Zoom adjustments: [grayed out]

-- HDMI settings: [no change from default]

--Advanced picture submenu
3D Y/C filter: Off [grayed out]
Color matrix: HD [grayed out]
Block NR: Off [grayed out]
Mosquito NR: Off
Motion smoother: Off
1080p pure direct: Off
Black level: Light
3:2 pulldown: On [often grayed out depending on source]
24p Direct in: 60Hz [96Hz with 1080p/24 sources]

Note: This post was edited by its original author Added link to calibration report on 06/04/2012 at 7:12 AM PT

Note: This post was edited by its original author Added note regarding hours aged. on 06/04/2012 at 11:23 AM PT