55" Panasonic VIERA TC-P55VT50 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV $1600 + Free Shipping

Quote from HarleyF150 : Ok, any input to my dilemma would be greatly appreciated. This is a great price for this TV! I was originally looking at the TC-P60GT50 that Amazon has for $1699 with 2% credit to be used towards a future purchase. The first dilemma is, do I go with the VT or the GT?

at this price, definitely the VT.

Quote : The second dilemma is, this will be my first Plasma purchase, and they aren't particularly known for their brightness levels. I am a gamer, and my wife and I like to watch our fair share of movies. The TV is going into a well-lit room. But we can always draw the shades, and the light isn't at our backs. Going from a 65" LCD CCFL backlight to the VT or GT Plasma, will we be disappointed?

i have an old 42" 720p panny plasma. i don't know what your current tv looks like, but i have my brightness settings turned down and i have no problems watching tv with my windows open on a sunny day. reflections off the glossy glass can sometimes be a problem, although it doesn't happen to me very often. also the viewing angles are just amazing compared to my other tv, an equally old sony dlp rear projection tv.

Quote : The picture looked amazing to me in Best Buy on both units, but naturally a lot dimmer than the other LCD LED backlit TVs they had on display in the Magnolia room. My wife can't stand the soap opera effect that a lot of the new LCD/LED TVs are known to have. That was virtually non-existent on the Panny.

i'll bet a dollar that what you were seeing was the effect of the insane settings they use on some tv's to make them appear more vivid. sony was notorious for this. with the viewing angles and the fact that plasmas can duplicate that "film" quality for movies, i really don't understand why people buy lcd tvs.

Quote : So, to sum up: 1.) Any gamers own Plasmas out there, and how are your experiences vs. LCD/LED sets? 2.) Would you go with the 55VT50 or pay essentially $66 more and get the 60GT50?

the panny has several presets for different applications. i think if you're going to use the tv for gaming as well as watching tv and movies, you could play with the presets to your advantage. this article [plasmatvbuyingguide.com] has a good breakdown of the different presets and what they do.

Quote : I know I could have put this on an AVS forum, but I wanted to ask here first. Besides, finding your specific issue on an AVS forum is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

amen.

amazon price matched on this after an hour talk with Rep. Best deal on Best panny plasma..love it. Repped!

CNET review [cnet.com]

Quote from srjay : amazon price matched on this after an hour talk with Rep. Best deal on Best panny plasma..love it. Repped!

How did they price matched the coupon which is not on paul's website

i bought a vt today i got best buy to price match adaroma superbowl add in witch i found on slickdeals then i went on dealcatcher and applied for AE CARD $150 CASH BACK
then i went and picked up in deaware tax free bought the tv for 1350.

Quote from vijay22 : How did they price matched the coupon which is not on paul's website

coupons listed in paulstv site. http://www.paulstv.com/coupons_12-28-12.asp

Quote from srjay : coupons listed in paulstv site. http://www.paulstv.com/coupons_12-28-12.asp

Thanks

Quote from LingL : I live in Natick, MA and Pauls TV is five mintues away from my house but we never got anything from them before as their prices were high in store. Finally pulled the trigger before Christmas for the GT and paid $1,249 , no sale tax, free white glove shipping and 2% Discover Card bonus. What surprised me was I ordered before midnight on Sat. and the TV sat in my living room in the evening of Monday! The delivery company called our home at noon on Monday and left a message while we were not at home. My husband saw a truck outside my house when he came home early. Lucky that we caught them as we didn't receive any advance notice but this time it worked out great! Why go to Best Buy and bother to PM?

yeah, my TV died 2 years ago on a Monday morning. I called Pauls TV(in Natick), when i got home from work at 10pm, the NEW tv was set up, on the table I bought AND my old TV was gone. Very happy with Pauls!

Thanks floridafuzz and etherised! All the responses are helping! Reps to both of you!

Etherised, lol @ the last part! You feel my pain too.

Anyone else have any suggestions they would like to share against my post, please feel free. I'm repping those who give any positive feedback to aid in my decision.

3d glasses seems expensive..http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-T...TY-ER3D4MU

Quote from HarleyF150 : Ok, any input to my dilemma would be greatly appreciated. So, to sum up: 1.) Any gamers own Plasmas out there, and how are your experiences vs. LCD/LED sets? 2.) Would you go with the 55VT50 or pay essentially $66 more and get the 60GT50? I know I could have put this on an AVS forum, but I wanted to ask here first. Besides, finding your specific issue on an AVS forum is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I will try to reward any positive feedback with reps! Thanks!

On (2), I am planning to go with the 60GT50 myself. I looked at the additional features that the VT50 provides over GT50 on Amazon and I am not sure if they appeal to me as much as the 5-additional inches on the GT50. The only reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet is because of the price drop on the VT50 :-D. I am hoping the P60GT50 has a price drop in the near future.

You could potentially use your mobile phone in place of the smart pad by using the Viera app. As for how much ISFccc and 96Hz playback mean, I asked the same question on this forum in another thread and another SDer pointed me to a thread on avsforum posted by an enthusiast where he couldn't observe a huge difference. http://slickdeals.net/f/5792058-P...00-shipped : check VarmintCong's response to my post (http://slickdeals.net/forums/show...stcount=14).

Hope this helps.

Quote from Tintinet : Banner on the Paul's website says "We pay the tax." Paul's website states "We pay the sales tax." FWIW.

You're right... sorry for the bonehead comment. I guess they take out the tax when you're in the final screen... first screen is estimate.

i like to watch my "Honey BOO BOO SHOW" on big screen.

Quote from woodygg : I've had both... unless you have seriously bright rooms with reflection issues when looking directly at the tv... these tv's are far superior in pq to lcd/led. and in addition you get a much better viewing angle when needed. i game on ours as well... personally i'd get the 60" over the 55" (i have the vt55" ) - but if you do watch a lot of movies the vt may be worth it - but it will be subtle differences, at best. i never had any image retention issues at all on my old panny plasma... when gaming i mean. just my personal experience on that set.

IR issues are reported more in 2012 panasonic models (ST/GT/VT60). Read up on the web.