Comparison with Samsung PN-64D8000:
I just happened to have a similar sized and freshly calibrated Samsung sitting right next to the VT30, so I couldn't resist a quick face-off. 1080P/24 HDMI from the Blu Ray player was sent to a high quality HDMI distribution amplifier, and both displays were calibrated to around 40 fL peak light output give or take a few percent. The room was totally dark except for at the very beginning. The Samsung was evaluated with Cinema Smooth turned off since it degrades the black level. Both 96 and 60 Hz modes were sampled on the VT30.
Lights on, power off:
The VT30 was a little more reflective. Both plasmas stayed fairly dark, retaining good contrast with moderate ambient light.
Lights off, test patterns:
The D8000 looked brighter and a purer white when displaying a full white field.
Looking at a moving white bar, I was able to see slight signs of the DSE on the D8000: the movement of the bar caused the screen to appear to have dirty fingerprints or smudges on it. The effect was only noticeable with this test pattern.
With a very dark PLUGE image, I could see the VT30's blacks were just barely darker to the eye in 60 Hz mode. It was such a slight difference, though, that I would definitely not be able to see it except in this instance where they were side by side in a pitch black room. However, the VT30's blacks became slightly darker with the 96 Hz mode engaged, and the difference became easier to identify.
A gray ramp looked a little off-white on the VT30 and purer on the D8000. The optimal brightness setting floated by about 1 click worth on the D8000 depending on the picture content, though neither the D8000 nor the VT30 were rock solid.
Lights off, video material:
I saw that shadow detail was exaggerated but neutral toned on the VT30. Dark suits and hair were not quite as dark as I was used to seeing them, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your room lighting. On reference grade material in a dark room, it looked a bit on the washed out side of neutral.
The D8000's presentation was a little more exciting and detailed.
Because Cinema Smooth was turned off, the D8000's pans were a little herky-jerky. The VT30's pans and motion looked good in both 60 Hz and 96 Hz modes, though 96 Hz mode is more correct for most Blu Ray material.
The D8000's flesh tones were nearly spot on at first (just a tiny bit too pink), and with a slight tweak of the red CMS adjustment I was able to get incredible flesh tones. On the other hand, the VT30's flesh tones were a little less rich and a little too bland, though they were unoffensive. If you routinely find yourself reducing color, the VT30 would be more to your liking.
I looked very closely at the letterbox bars on a 2.40:1 movie and couldn't see any floating blacks on the VT30. However, there was some subtle pumping going on above black; a slight dynamic action in the grayscale and gamma as APL changed. That's not too uncommon in plasmas, but some are more stable. The D8000 was similar.
With bright images the D8000 came away looking purer and more detailed. For instance, clouds just looked more true to life on the D8000, and some of the daylight scenes in The Dark Knight had more detail and verve.
Conclusion:
This is an excellent set, though it is hampered by non functional and not fully developed adjustments. For now, it produces a very good but somewhat unexciting image, though some firmware fixes could easily transform the VT30 into a jaw-dropping beauty.
TV mam od 2 tygodni i cisza