Anniversary Recap, pt. 2 - The Recappening

So, in my last post I mentioned The Wifey's reciprocation for her Shiny New Ride. As a reward for faithful servitude To say thank you, she was going to surprise me with a bad-ass new 58" Panasonic plasma I'd been eyeballing for some time. Unfortunately, her surprise was ruined by the retailer being out of that item. Not the store, but every store in the not-at-all-small Great State of Texas. Warehouses, too. All. Out.

They will pay dearly, once the whole world domination thing finally goes through.

Fortunately for me, I had a backup plan for the 58". I had also been eyeing the 54" version of the same TV. Four inches less diagonal, but about $200 cheaper. Win, right? Only if you don't count how the retailer was out of that model as well. Stores, warehouses, Texas, yadda-yadda.

%$@#&!

Okay, howzabout a 50"? Still eight full inches larger than the 42" LCD that died on me, and I have a buddy with the previous year's version, and it looks great.

Out.

Right before going full-on-postal, I decided to do a bit of research. After all, having spent 10 years in the high-end custom install business I knew there are always several models in each size. A quick look at Panasonic's website revealed that there was a model that was, electronically, pretty much a carbon-copy of the one that had been selling for $699(!) but had a stay-clean bezel and an anti-glare screen (a must for plasmas, anyway). MSRP $1199, on sale for $869. My local retailer had it. Huzzah! Off we went...

...Only to find out they couldn't get their hands on either of the two they showed to have in stock. They did, however, stand scratching their heads while I located an Open-Box model. That's basically any item that someone returns within the 30-day, no questions asked return period on TVs and stuff. Enticed by an additional 10% off, I had them lift the lid on the box.

Epic Win.

My guess, judging by the plastic still factory-installed on the bezel, the condition of the styrofoam, etc., is that the box was opened, the TV was too big/small/spensive for the original intention, and was subsequently returned. This thing was probably never plugged in. It promptly came home. Course, since a ride home in the bed of a truck going 70+ m.p.h. in 40-degree weather can set conditions for the releasing of the Magic Smoke if you turn it on immediately, it sat in the box in the hall overnight to get back to room temp.

The next morning two things happened: first, the TV was all assembled and set up. Second, it became readily obvious that HOLY SHIT THIS THING OVERDRIVES GREEN. Seriously. Red was pushy, everything else was normal. Resolution was great. Green, however, looked like it had been mega-amplified. Calibrated the basic settings (with test patterns. You cannot set up a TV with your eyes. Anyone who says they can is lying) and same result. Great black levels, great overall light output - for a plasma - but green. Lots and lots of green.

I searched every menu. Nothing. I tried all the tricks I knew of. Nothing. I was just starting to look for a replacement (Best Buy carries nothing else I'm even remotely interested in, and nothing that can come close to this plasma's picture for less that three times the price) when I decided to see if anyone else had this problem. "It couldn't just be me," I thought, and I was right.

In a certain picture mode, the Panny deliberately overdrives red and green. "Why," you ask? Simple. Torch mode. "WTF is Torch Mode?" you ask? That is when a manufacturer sets the display up from the factory to be as bright as possible (which means the picture looks like shit, BTW. All of them.) so a consumer will be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The TV has to be bright, because it's going to be mounted to a wall along with dozens of other TVs competing to be the flame du jour.

Plasmas have to be the Little Engine That Could on those giant video walls for one simple reason: LCDs are, as a general rule, have much greater light output than plasmas do. Plasmas generally have way better black levels and can reproduce color much more accurately than LCDs do, but who gives a shit when you literally have north of 75 flat-panel displays all calling your name? Factor in the high ambient light being brought to you by the bazillion-watt mercury-vapor lights they run in those retail stores and you have a recipe for disaster for plasma makers. How do you compete, when most folks either don't give a damn about picture quality or think picture quality means brighter TV?

If you're Panasonic, you cheat. Overdriving red and green tricks the average Joe into believing the display is brighter than it actually is. It can now compete with other TVs. Well, I'm not average Joe, and I a) know what actual picture quality is and b) give a damn, two shits, and a fuck about picture quality.

So it would have been real nice, Panasonic, if you'd just told me about that little "feature" before I quite nearly returned your shit.

Now, having been corrected, I can tell you that, dollar for dollar, you will not find a better picture than you will on a Panasonic TC-P50S2. 'Specially when you got that shit for 10% off.

Thanks, Honey. I lurves my new TV!



tweaker