Panasonic VIERA TC-P65GT50 65-Inch 3D HDTV $2,125.99 or 2019.70 with discovercard shipped at Rakuten.com
 

DEAL IS DEAD.




www.rakuten.com previously buy.com is selling the Panasonic VIERA TC-P65GT50 for $2125.99 including budget shipping and not tax (at least in Texas). This is currently $373.01 less than Amazon (more for Texas because Amazon charges tax in Texas).

This deal gets better if you have a Discover card. By clicking the shop discover link for buy.com you get an additional $106.29 cashback reducing total to $2019.70.

This deal still gets better because at check out if you put in promo code: rakuten5x you end up getting 10625 rakuten points that convert to $106.25 of rakuten credit. So you say why would I care about that. Well your new TV comes with zero 3D glasses so you can either get the panasonic 2 pairs of Panasonic VIERA TY-ER3D4MU 3D glasses for about $9.73 or get 6 pairs of Samsung SSG-4100GB/ZA 3D glasses for $7.75 after using your points. These Samsungs are supposed to work with this TV. Please research the differences before choosing.

I know everyone hates buy.com aka rakuten.com for whatever reason but I have purchased and returned multiple items from them without any problems.

TV
http://www.rakuten.com/prod/panas...74905.html

Panasonic Glasses
http://www.rakuten.com/prod/panas...14796.html

Samsung Glasses
http://www.rakuten.com/prod/batte...57025.html


Had one person get a successful price match with Amazon to 2125.99+25.00 shipping. YMMV


If you're worried that your tv is not going to be covered by Panasonic because you bought it from Rakuten.com. I called twice and chatted once and the reply was the same each time. The TV is covered. The people on the phone added the obvious info that the TV must have been purchased new and you must have the receipt. See chat transcript below

Transcript from Panasonic dated Feb 6, 2013 1:16:56 PM
In response to question: Plasma HDTV
System: Welcome to Panasonic Chat. A transcript of this chat will be emailed to you once you disconnect.
Agent Ashlee R. says: Hello. How may I assist you?

Customer billy says: hi i was wondering if you could tell me if buy.com or rakuten.com is an authorized panasonic retailer
Agent Ashlee R. says: not that I am aware off , you can call Sales at 1-800-405-0652
Customer billy says: If the product is purchased new from a retailer not on your list is there a warranty still?
Agent Ashlee R. says: yes
Customer billy says: ok thank you for verifying that for me. I appreciate it
Agent Ashlee R. says: Thank you for visiting. Please contact us at anytime.

Customer billy says:
ok have a good day. bye
System: http://www.chatredirect.panasonic...survey.jsp

Panasonic Corporation of North America
www.panasonic.com

Amazon should price match it now I'm thinking I'm gonna order

Not sure if they will or not but you lose out on the discover card cash back and over a $106 in redeemable points. Great price either way though. Good luck. Can't wait to get mine.:)

Really worried about their return policy etc. plus I wanna use my amazon store card

Sent from Slickdeals App for iPhone & iPod Touch.

TV people at amazon are closed. So no go on PM but they noted my account. I'm sure by in the AM they will be sold out and probably not wanna PM

I called Amazon, too. I think cbiggers is correct. Tomorrow it won't be here for the price. The Rakuten return policies look OK to me and the 5% CB on Discover and the points for glasses pushed me over the edge. Just purchased. Thanks, OP!

No Problem. Glad I could help. I think these 2012 tv's are going to get harder and harder to find and to get the 65" GT for just over $1900.00 after cashback and points is going to be hard to beat. Please post back once you get your TV letting everyone know how the order/delivery process went. I'll do the same. Thanks

This is the very top rated television in the current "just in" issue (March 2013) of Consumer Reports, BTW. They say it has a price of $3700 for it...

In for one. No tax to Texas and Discover cash back set it over for me. I think these tvs will start running out of stock soon so I didn't want to miss out. Thanks

Glad I could help. Would be great if you could chime in on your experience with Rakuten after receiving your TV. Congrats!

i'm still gonna try PM to amazon. they were supposed to call me back but I'm going to call them.

Nice deal, already bought a 65VT50 for $2449, otherwise wud have jumped for it, a few points though:
Buy.com: Not an authorized Panny dealer, and return is a hassle, I wud rather PM bestbuy, pay tax but atleast be covered under warranty and hasslefree return.

Cool. Let us know how it goes. Will add it to thread if it works:nod:

You are 100% correct about the not authorized dealer but I have used buy.com/Rakuten a lot and I have returned a couple of products with zero hassle at all. I was wondering if you could share a personal experience where you had a tough time with a return to them? I want people to be aware of what they are or are not getting themselves into. Thanks.

Sounds like you got a great deal on the VT. Congrats.

So if they are not an authorized dealer how are warranty issues handled?? That doesn't sound good!

Ok so I called twice and chatted once. Every time I was told that as long as the TV was purchased new and you have a receipt then you are covered for the 1 year warranty. The chat was the least informative but it gives you an answer. You might want to chat with them just so you could have a copy of their response in your email for future reference. See below transcript


Transcript from Panasonic dated Feb 6, 2013 1:16:56 PM
In response to question: Plasma HDTV
System: Welcome to Panasonic Chat. A transcript of this chat will be emailed to you once you disconnect.
Agent Ashlee R. says: Hello. How may I assist you?

Customer billy says: hi i was wondering if you could tell me if buy.com or rakuten.com is an authorized panasonic retailer
Agent Ashlee R. says: not that I am aware off , you can call Sales at 1-800-405-0652
Customer billy says: If the product is purchased new from a retailer not on your list is there a warranty still?
Agent Ashlee R. says: yes
Customer billy says: ok thank you for verifying that for me. I appreciate it
Agent Ashlee R. says: Thank you for visiting. Please contact us at anytime.

Customer billy says:
ok have a good day. bye
System: http://www.chatredirect.panasonic...survey.jsp

Panasonic Corporation of North America
www.panasonic.com

Biggest concern with returns: Who wud pay teh return shipping, Its a 65" monster, after all.
Glad u clarified the warranty stance with panasonic, hopw they stand by their word, or better yet buy a Squaretrade 3 yr warranty from costco for 99$.
Overall good deal!

i'm on the phone with amazon right now trying to price match. haven't had a damn bit of luck price matching any tv in the last few weeks though. hopefully it goes through.

Thanks for clearing the warranty issue up with the chat at Panasonic. I called Rakuten customer service via phone and they also said there would be no issues with Panasonic honoring the warranty and, in fact, gave me Panasonic's phone numbers to call and verify.

I'm presuming you're returning it because it's damaged or defective not because you don't like it...The below should answer your question. The first speaks about the time frame for returns which is longer than most retailers 30 day policy and the second deals with oversized items such as this TV. The urls are inlcuded for reference:


http://support.rakuten.com/app/an...l/a_id/924

At Rakuten, we made our return policy as fast and painless as possible with a 45 day return policy; one of the best in the industry!

Items shipped by Rakuten may be returned for any reason within 45 days from the date of shipment with the exception of those items found here.

Items shipped and sold by a Rakuten Marketplace Seller are subject to the return policy of the seller. Please go here for more information about returning a Rakuten Marketplace Seller's item.



http://support.rakuten.com/app/an...l/a_id/921


What do I do if my specially shipped or oversized item is damaged or defective?
Published 07/30/2012 10:55 AM | Updated 01/31/2013 07:48 AM
If your oversized item was shipped by a Rakuten Marketplace Seller, please contact them immediately regarding the defect or damage in accordance to their return policy. You can find out more about how to contact a Rakuten Marketplace Seller here.

For items shipped by Rakuten, most oversized items such as televisions 32 inches and larger, washers, dryers, and refrigerators, require special freight delivery service. Please carefully inspect the item before you sign to accept the package.

If your oversized item is defective, please report the situation to Rakuten Customer Support using the "Ask a Question" link to the right and we will be glad to work with you regarding a refund or replacement.

If your oversized or specially shipped item is damaged:

The Carrier is Still There

If the item is damaged and the carrier has not left your location, please have the carrier note on the delivery paperwork that the item has been received in damaged condition, and that you are refusing the shipment. The carrier will then take the damaged item and return it to Rakuten.

Once the package has been refused and taken back by the carrier, please contact Rakuten immediately and inform us here. Based on stock availability and your preference, we will issue you a replacement or a refund once we have confirmed the refusal.

The Carrier has Left

If the damage has been discovered after the carrier has already left your location, please contact the carrier that delivered your item immediately to alert them of the situation. Then, please contact Rakuten Customer Support to report the situation using the "Ask a Question" link to the right and we will be glad to work with you regarding a refund or replacement. Please have the following details ready:

Digital pictures of the damage (if available)
A description of the damage to the contents
A description of the condition of the package
How the order was received (left at front door, signed for, etc.)
Please DO NOT ship the item back to Rakuten without first being instructed to do so. Additionally, please DO NOT discard the product itself, or any of the shipping box or packing materials. These items are needed by the carrier to investigate what happened. Without these items, we may have to deny your damaged item claim because of the shipping carriers’ claims guidelines.

No problem. I understand it's a big purchase and wanted to make sure we were going to be covered. Linked some good info about their return policy in the last post as well. This is a lot of work for a thread with 2 thumbs up lol:D

Scratch that. I'm the only one that give this thread a thumbs up...come on people rate the thread so we can get some more people chiming in on the tv and the deal

Amazon will price match but they are charging like $25 shipping. I have a 24 hour price match gurantee if i want to call and order it within 24 hours i'll get it for $2150 or so. another $350 and I could get the VT from pauls though. I do want to use amazon financing. Should I get the GT or VT?

I'm one of the two who bought it and that automatically gives a TU and a rep. But, a couple of people have given thumbs down which negates the thumbs up.

Ok thanks for the info. I'm a newb.

FYI

Hello Charles,

Your pre-order TV Low Price Guarantee request for the Panasonic VIERA TC-P65GT50 against Buy.com has been approved. If you place your order within the next 24 hours, you will qualify for a price match refund.

The current price for the Panasonic VIERA TC-P65GT50 on Amazon.com is $2639.00. The same television is currently listed on Buy.com for $2124.99.

Most large and/or Plasma televisions are shipped with free “Enhanced Delivery” by Amazon. The carrier will bring the television to the room of your choice, unpack the television, and allow you to plug-in the television to ensure it works before leaving. To account for this free service, we must select a comparable shipping method when processing TV Low Price Guarantee claims. In this circumstance, the comparable shipping method is “White Glove” and costs an extra $38.61 on Buy.com. Therefore, your refund may be lower than expected.

If you place your order within the next 24 hours, you will qualify for a refund in the amount of $ to the payment method used to purchase the television. The refund will be processed after the television is shipped. Please contact us below to accept the TV Low Price Guarantee after purchasing your television.

PM with a store if you can. We bought the 60 inch version from buydig.com and the sound messed up the first night and if we end up returning it, we have to pay shipping. =\ Hopefully buy.com doesn't carry the same policy.

After Shop Discover for 5% cashback by clicking through on the merchant and then purchasing the item, I saved $106. Also received 10625 rakuten points using the promo code rakuten5x which gives another $106 savings. Final out of pocket shipped price is $1913. Understandably, Amazon isn't going to match all that, so the question becomes are you willing to pay $250 more for the customer service of an Amazon purchase?

Some people actually like the GT a litlle better than the VT...from plasmabuyingguide.com

"There is a lot more picture quality performance in the higher end lines of Panasonic Plasma. The GT50 series has exceptional blacks and not as much of the magnifying effect as the VT50 series (due to the louvered screen overlay)"

The main reason I got this intead of the ST is because of the bright room thx setting...I have a bright room.

In regards to the VT. It has these additional features
Viera touchpad controller...I use logitech harmony one
24P at 96Hz. This is supposed to smooth out image judder. Most people can't tell the difference between 48Hz and 96Hz and some state that you get more flickering at 96Hz.
ISFccc Alows a qualified professional calibrater to access more picture adjustments through the service menu. If you're using a service like best buy, it's pretty unlikely that they would even utilize the ISFccc feature as it takes a few hours to do a calibration of that magnitude and as far as I know they're limited to 2 hours.

But ultimately it's your call. I'm personally think the best bang for the buck for a bright lit room is the GT. Let us know what you end up doing

No they don't. They cover shipping for returns within the first 45 days for defects or damage only. Even if you can get a b&m store to do a pm, you're still out, in my case, 8.25% tax or approx. $160.00



I'm not but some people are. I would rather spend the extra money I saved on a Costco squaretrade warranty and some 3D glasses :)

TU from me. Best price on a 65GT50 right now

TY.You've been repped! I can't believe one person thumbed it down for not being a good price. I've been on the hunt for this TV for almost a month and this is the lowest I've found it.

If i order it will be through amazon because I want to use my amazon store card and amazon offers a 5 year squaretrade warranty. 5 year warranty to me is worth it.

Forgot you mentioned that earlier. Tried to answer your question about the difference between the vt and gt. hope it helped

Yea it did and thanks for this thread i reped ya. Unless I can get the 65VT50 way cheaper i'm probably going to get a GT. I just can't decide now on the 60 or 65. I'm just so picky.

The only possible way at this point to get a 65VT50 for cheaper would be to find an open box model locally and haggle. People have been able to pick them up for less than $2000 that way

I highly doubt any best buys here even offer that TV in stock. I live in Arkansas. So I doubt I could find one to haggle over.

I went from a 50" Pioneer PDP5060HD to a 70" Sharp 640U which is slightly too big and I'm not as big a fan of led...I sit 12 feet away and I think 65" will be perfect. If you're 10+ feet away. 65" would be the way to go.

Good thoughts, thanks. Was tempted by a 70" LED myself and I sit almost exactly 10' distant, as well. After reading reviews, etc. and then the Consumer Reports article on this TV, figured it would be the best bang for the dollar and fit the space best. My spot for the TV above a fireplace is above eye level and hope that doesn't take away from the view. Wonder if the stand will angle down? (Am guessing no.)

I've had this exact same TV since August and have been really impressed. PQ is great, no buzz, out of the box THX Bright setting looks great in our well-lit living room. For those concerned with reflection, it's about as good as you're going to find in a plasma.

Paid $2600 delivered from Amazon (taxes here in WA State) and have no regrets. This is a great deal @~$500 less.

Here is the manual for the TV if someone wants to get a head start on setup and it answered my question regarding tilt. It is able to tilt appx 10 degrees (5 degrees up and down).

http://service.us.panasonic.com/O...60GT50.PDF

R
 

unfortunately the stand is fixed. You would need to get a mount to be able tilt the tv. Thanks for the manual pdf. You've been repped.

Have received shipment confirmation. Coming via BTX Air Express. Supposedly (at this point) delivery is scheduled for Feb 13th.

The manual shows a 10 degree up and down tilt for the stand as well as 9 inches from side to side for an 18" swing. Very nice!

Nice! I missed that. That will work perfectly for you. WTH. I was the first to order and still haven't received a delivery update. Did you do the free budget delivery or the paid one?

I have decided to get the 50GT50 priced matched from Pauls to amazon for 1139.99. I decided it will work for now because I really want 65 or 70in 60 series and I can hang this 50 in my living room or in another room in my house.

I hope the GT series is great because i'm getting a price match right now and plan on ordering.

No, I can wait. Took the budget delivery. Your notification hopefully will show up soon! Am still hoping that it will come earlier than the current estimated date, but need some time to get everything ready, too. Am replacing a 47" LCD that is off to the side of the fireplace, so this will be a big upgrade. :cool:

Well I placed my order at amazon for the 50GT50. got it for $1139. Going to buy a 5 year squaretrade warranty for it through amazon. Thanks for all the info guys! Hopefully the 60 series are even better than the 50s because I plan on buying the biggest 60 series they make.

After all that you went 50", aw man what a let down.

I know how depressing it was but i plan on grabbing the biggest size 60 series. If a better deal hits though I maybe persuaded to buy it. But now I'm not stressing about missing a good deal

not worth it ,
this tv will drop to 1800 in march

I think this tv won't exist in stock in March but that's just me. Let me know when you find one:lmao:

Congrats to all that got in on the deal. It is officially dead. Price is now $3101.06 from a third party seller on Rakuten.com.

ok let me give you a hint since I have owned panasonic plasmas since 2007 went from a PX60U to VT10, GT25, to now my 60" ST30 . I bought my ST30 60" tv for 1099.00 amazon priced matched it for 1159.00 cost for shipping. Anyway i bought this set last march 2012. So yes this 65" GT50 set is still available and will drop to around 1800.00 BTW when the new 2013 plasmas come out in 2 months the ST60 will blow it out of the water , the 60 " ST60 can be preordered right now through panasonic EPP site for 1614.00 and the ST60 65" is going for 2334.00 which will be a superior set.

this thread should be all the way thumbs down.. :lol::lol::lol::lol:
good luck for the people who bought obsolete tech, not to mention some company that is not reputable. Whoever bought this set from this company probably bought a return

Do me a favor and post when the price drops to 1800.00 so I can say you were right. I think I can live with a discounted price of $1913.00 for an absolete 65" GT. And for comparison purpose IF I could buy the 2013 ST60 at EPP pricing it would come $2556 at my local tax rate. That's only $613 more than this deal for a 5" smaller TV. I guess that's chump change for you for a SMALLER TV. I'm just trying to tell people about something that I thought was a good deal. You're just trying to troll.

There is a big difference between 60" and 65" for price and when youre looking for deals. 60s are a dime a dozen. I thought you would of realized that having so many panasonic tvs but maybe you never look for 65"s. BTW, the ST60 will not blow the GT50 out of the water. They use the same panel. The PQ from the ST60 will be about the same as the ST50 from this year which isnt as good as the GT. It might be a tad brighter and have speech recognition and a drawing pen, but these are all things I dont care about in a tv.

Well, we know how you got some thumbs down now on this thread even with the great price. I think it should have gone FP with the price and activity. Sad. :shake:

Its has been proven yearly that the picture quality gets better . The ST60 is a better choice unless you are jumping into a VT50 series.

So you just spent about 2k on a 65" GT , i would of just spend a few hundred more to get a VT65 , plus next year the VT60 will cost about the same for a 60" what you just paid for a GT50 65" lol. 4.9 inches of screen is not worth the dough , maybe for 1700-1800 no tax , free shipping .. 2k is too much for a tv set that is already obsolete
no trolling here just facts

in less than 6 months your tv will depreciate to 1100.00 dollars used . While i am able to still get 650-800 dollars for my set i bought back in January 2011 for my ST30 60"

Come on bro. After all the work I did trying to answer everyones questions you think I'm the reason that this isn't front page because of a post I wrote after the deal was dead? You're right about one thing, I should have never taken the time out to reply to CSIG1001. He has the right to post his opinion. That was my fault.

Will post when I get my tv and let everyone how the delivery process went. If anyone needs recommendations on HDMI cables or break in calibration settings let me know and I can point you in the right direction. I'm patiently waiting for delivery:D

Sorry for any misunderstanding!! I thought the thread should have been FP yesterday. Nothing at All to do with your recent post. Please re-read my post as am in agreement with you. And your reply to CSIG1001 was appropriate.

Oops. I must be tired. Thanks for clarifying:D

I bring facts to the argument about the differences in the tvs and you bring nothing but opinions. Personally I think the difference in price is not worth it for the VT. You keep talking about 60inch tvs, this thread is for a 65inch tv. Obviously if you get a smaller tv its going to be cheaper. I will not be selling my tv so I am not worried about its value in 6 months but yours would not be worth $800. Man, who says my tv is worth more than yours?! So wierd.

Facts?
or just stating trends of yesteryear?
Just because it happened, doesn't mean it will again. I don't see any official announcement about price drops, etc.... by panasonic. That would be fact.
You're just taking a guess. A guess based on history. But a guess nonetheless.
Also, I don't even know if the 60 series even has a fixed release date yet.

I bought my first Panasonic after owning a Samsung , all I can say is Wow!

I was at the best buy in Gaithersburg, MD yesterday and saw a TC-P65GT50 open box for $1400 if anyone is interested.

Nice great deal.

The way prices are now it is possible to get th vt 65 for around what you paid for a few hundred more.
It's a better tv overall the the GT . Motion handling , blacks and color reproduction, totally different panel.

Hey guys. My order has changed to shipped. I am like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. Also for the people interested in the VT series keep in mind that it has a different filter which does result in better blacks at the cost of brightness. I unfortunately have windows everywhere so I stuck with the GT because it has the brightest screen. No matter if you go with ST GT or VT, I'm sure you'll be happy.

To everyone who purchased the TV with your discover card I found some pretty good benefits that might come in handy.

Price Protection

Discover covers the difference if you find a better price.

Shop with confidence now. Don't miss out on the sale price later. If you see an item you purchased at any store at a lower price within 90 days, Discover will cover the difference.


Extended Product Warranty

Protection after the warranty ends.

No need to worry about expired warranties. Discover will extend the terms of a purchased or manufacturer's warranty for up to 1 additional year.

Excellent info and thanks for pointing it out. :nod: My TV is scheduled to be delivered Wednesday of next week. Did you get a date yet?

No problem:) No not yet. They're using ABX airborne and it just says shipping info received so hopefully I'll find out by this evening. Are you going to get the Costco warranty? I'm wondering if they'll start it after the second year is up since Discover handles from year 1-2.

Also, for everyone that bought the TV (all 4 of you :P ) Are you going to get the Panasonic glasses or the Samsung glasses...or what are you going to do with your points before they expire??? Please share.

Which glasses work with this TV? I can't see 3d myself due to a lazy eye but my girlfriend can so ill need some glasses

Sent from Slickdeals App for iPhone & iPod Touch.

I'm not going to get the Costco warranty as the Discover warranty will likely handle any issues. Am pleased enough with that. As to the glasses, my current plan is to get 2 pairs of the Panasonic glasses and 2 pairs of the Samsung. Also, am looking to get a 3D blu-ray player and am leaning toward the Panasonic DMP-BDT220 model -- sells for around $92 on Amazon.

Heads up on the Rakuten points: They are not available for use until 15 days after your item is shipped and then MUST be used within 20 days or they will expire. Set your reminders so you don't miss out on the that $106 saved!

I linked 2 different glasses on the first page. Check it out. The Samsungs are way cheaper but some people say they let in too much light.


Cool. Thanks for the heads up. Will probably go the same route as you on the glasses. My wife and I can use the Panasonics and guests can use the Samsungs.

Woohoo! Update on delivery. They called and it is set up for Monday delivery (the 11th).:bounce: Only problem now is we might have a blizzard in this area. :mad: Anyhow, that is some pretty fast shipping.

thats awesome you lucky dog. So far Im showing thusday delivery. post when you get it!

Got the TV in late this afternoon. Unboxed and all is good. Everything works perfectly. Have it set up now and am learning some of the features. Took a about 8 minutes to DL the internet updates. Beautiful picture! (Although don't really have it customized as wanted yet.)

I was wrong on the stand, it does not move side to side or up and down, turns out that was for the 50" GT television, not this one.

Came in a huge box. Will need two people to get it set up and on the stand. My wife and I were able to do the job, though, including lifting it up on the counter by the fireplace.

Woohoo! Very excited about this! :)

Posted above about the new TV!!! Very cool. :)

Cool, looks good. Just curious if you saw what the build month is? Can you hear any of the phantom buzz when displaying alot of white that people have talked about in the past? Mine still hasn't shipped. They had a problem verifying my telephone number on my credit card even though it matches buy.com's info.

The build month was April of 2012. I get ZERO noise/buzz with lots of white which was worrisome from reading some other reviews. I did find that the settings seemed pretty dim (to me anyhow and that includes the bright THX which had washed out whites) and adjusted them to my preference on the Custom Menu which is now set to 98% contrast 55% white and 75% sharpness. The rest I left alone. Maybe later, I'll look for more detailed adjustments, but for now, this thing looks gorgeous.

Be careful with the stand, lift the set by ONLY by the edges and don't push or stress the stand as you can possible break it. The base is made of plastic under the decorative silver covering. Mine popped like broken plastic, but it is fine. Scared me a bit.

That first picture posted was prior to adjustments and was a bit washed out. Don't think the cell camera will do it justice anyhow, so am not going to try to get a better one. But, the picture is excellent. No regrets here. :)

That thing is a beast. Looks awesome. Congratulations on your new tv! Box looked like it arrived in great shape. Did you open the box with the driver there or wait? I would recommend going to avsforum.com and checking out some of the calibration settings some of the pros have posted. Might give you a decent baseline to start from. 2 more days. I can't wait!

I'm going to look around for suggestions on calibrating it. You'll have to post what you end up using.

No, the driver didn't stay around. I helped him carry the box from his truck in the street into the front hall, looked it over for exterior damage (there were no rattles while carrying it) and then signed off. The big box has 4 plastic corner tabs that must be popped open and removed (at arrows in pic) and then you lift the top of the box off of the bottom to get to the set inside.

See pics of box with top first removed and of the contents laid out prior to putting on the stand:

cool. Thanks for posting the pics. It looks like its well centered in the cardboard box and well insulated. I bet that stand is bigger than some peoples actual tvs lol. Below is a url to get you started. I'm going to try a black ops and D-nice's settings and see what looks better for me and then adjust accordingly. Most of these guys do their settings in a lowly lit room so I usually adjust brightness to compensate for my bright seating area. Congrats! I'm glad you had ZERO problems with buy/rakuten.com

http://www.avsforum.com/t/1403635...price-talk

It's looking better. Not a bad pic for a cell phone. Colors are good and contrast and brightness looking good. Daytime pic in a bright room.

That looks awesome! I can't wait. It's going to be the best valentines day gift I ever got me...I mean my wife :-)

UPDATE 02/14/2013

Got the tv this morning. It arrived in great shape. Was worried initially because the box had a tear from something pushing in on it. The TV is set in the middle of the box so it was not damaged:)

Anyways. Doing the break in slides for a 100 hours so its sitting there for 4 days just like you see in the picture flipping from color to color. It's hard to resist but I'm going to busy this weekend so it should be do-able. The only buzz I get is when the slide is on a white screen and its pretty minimal compared to my old Pioneer. Can't wait to put it up. I'll post pictures once I do.

Glad your tv came in OK and looking forward to more pictures!

I'm just running the TV as normal and enjoying it, but being somewhat careful not to leave it on a channel with a bright logo, or a scroll bar at the bottom or sides for any length of time. Have been using it about 4 or 5 hours per day. It will be broken in soon enough. I think the worry about burn-in is over done. Personally, haven't seen a bit of a problem anywhere and am using high contrast and a bright screen.

Looking more closely, guess you are leaving it in the box for the break-in? How can you stand not using it? :lol:

Running in the box could create heat dissipation issues. Most technical forums recommend reducing brightness and contrast to 50% during initial break-in.

It's tough for sure! But I have tons to do this weekend and another tv I'm using.
On another note, it is a big misconception that break in aleviates burn in. It's actually done so the phosphors can age evenly. I'm just being overly cautious.

Yeah you're right. I was home alone so I started the break in in the box until my wife got home. It was only a couple of hours and it was just warm when we took it out. As for the 50% I actually used custom settings from D-nice on highdejjunkies forum for my initial settings and planning on using his post break in settings after the 100hrs

Been absolutely LOVING this TV. I set up the contrast, brightness, etc to nearly top levels and just decided to use it and not worry. No Image Retention whatsoever. (No break in, merely make sure am not paused for more than an hour or so on one channel without movement.) Crystal clear blacks at this point and absolutely beautiful screen with no motion blur. The ability for it to read and share with my computer is pretty darn awesome, as well. All my pictures, music, videos are easily played on the new television right from my computer network and that is great as my music now goes into the surround sound system.

that's great. Finally started watching it and it has an amazing picture. Love the new tv. You're right about the image retention or lack thereof.

Ok, the waiting period has passed and was finally able to use my Rakuten points earned on this TV purchase. Bought two pairs of SSG-4100GB/ZA Samsung 3D glasses for $38 and a factory refurbed Panasonic DMP-BDT220 3D Blu-ray Disc Player for $80. Cost out of pocket after points $11.74. I could have bought a new (not refurb) player from Amazon for $10 more, but figured this was a great way to use the points.

Nice man. Congrats. Just used my points a few minutes ago. Got 2 pairs of the panasonic TY-ER3D4MU glasses and had them price match them to amazon. Ended up paying about 11 bucks also. Can't wait till they show up so I can start watching some 3d content

is the VT worth the $400-500 more price than this GT? thx

It really depends on your personal needs. I listed the differences between them a few pages back. I personally don't think so that's why I got the GT :-)

Probably my last post in this thread as it's getting to be old now, but did add the 3D Panny player to the mix today along with the Samsung glasses. A lot of fun to watch the 3D and the TV is far above expectations. No IR and no special care (am wondering where these people who rant about IR are really from -- possibly competitors???) and love the set. Great deal. Again thanks to IRPILOT you made my home theater and TV viewing room really pop at a great price.

thx for the reply. that is kind of what i thought

Thanks for the kind words and for your help with you know who. Glad you're getting good use out of the tv.

No problem

I am finally breaking my tv in, i am noticing a slight buzzing with the white break in screens, i dont know how this will affect normal tv watching. Have you noticed this at all?

I got the same thing on the white screen slides. Can't hear it during actual tv watching with white screens so it's a non issue for me. If you watch tv muted all the time up close you might have a problem. I have heard of people on the avs forum calling Panasonic and having someone come out to look at it but I would rather not have someone work on my TV. Just my personal opinion. If it gets worse within the year then I'll have them come out. Sorry for the late response. I don't monitor the thread anymore. Hope it helps though.

Ok... another post. :) I bought the Panasonic 3D glasses and tested them today against the Samsung glasses. They are more comfortable and they do block light from the sides. Nice that they can be recharged vs replacing the batteries, but that isn't really an issue -- button batteries are really inexpensive. The jury is still out on them. They don't really show the scenes any better than the much less expensive Samsungs. I think it might just be a matter of price vs comfort for me. Are they worth 3 times the price? Still deciding.

if it bothers you i suggest getting it replaced immediately by the merchant. I've been dealing with panasonic since december to get my tv repaired. don't expect panasonic to stand behind their product, their "concierge" is horrendous.

Thanks for the update. Are you seeing more cross talk from the Samsung's ? I'll probably get a couple for guests.

+1 on what he said about Panasonic service

I don't notice any cross talk from the Samsungs. Go for the extras for your guests. Think you'll be pleased overall.

That's great to know. Thanks.