Last of the Panasonic plasma's. If you missed out on the 50" version, why not go bigger! This is the best price I've seen on the 60" model. Harvey Norman currently advertising it for $1690, so there might be some further discounts to be had if you negotiate in stores, being that they're in clearance mode of current stock.
Link to model details - http://www.panasonic.com/au/consumer/tvs-projectors/plasma-t…
s60A - 2D , limited SMART features (no apps onTV) although has wifi, no anti-reflective filter, less HDMI inputs
had it for 2 months now … pretty happy with the black level and overall PQ
got it boxing day for $1290 delivered Good Guys … might still have stock
I bought the 65 inch st60a at Christmas time and it's an awesome tv picture is excellent and not overkill for unit
I paid just under $2000 at David jones on sale and staff discount on top, delivered in a week
How did you manage that, it was $2300-$2500 when I checked during Christmas. Must be your OZB charm.
It was on sale 2199 and I got a staff discount for an extra 10%
I bought one as a gift for my sister for $1645 at JB couple of weeks ago. But when I saw the special price this week, went back to jb and got $49 back. Good tv though.
I bought one as a gift for my sister
Hi nadan, this is tight, your long lost brother.
haha, lost brother where would I find you :)
Hey bros, You'll find me at your nearest JB hifi. Don't forget to bring your credit card.
I must not be a real OzBargainer. There's no way I'd walk into a shop and ask for $50 back from a $1,600+ purchase.
Absolutely agree.. You win some, you lose some. I'll keep my dignity thank you.
I never knew that dignity can be purchased or lost by how much you pay? But, I expect that from you since you are an associate.
But, seriously who wouldn't want $50? I am more than happy to lose my dignity by going to the store which is less than 1Km from my house and get $50 back.
They guy bought a flipping excellent gift for his sibling, and you are having a go at him because he went in to claim $50? A free $50. Who the hell passes that up?
I made it pretty clear that I'd pass it up. If you like to go crawling back, begging for $50 cause you missed a deal, fine. I've got better things to do.
Missed the point. Your dignity is lost when you crawl back in there, crying because you want your $50. Each to their own.
Good for you, I walk in there straight up, I don't crawl. Wtf are you doing on this site. Crawl out of here.
I'd feel too weird to do that as well.
This is an Awesome TV. Bought 50" ST60 for 1097 at DickSmith 1 month ago.Very happy with the purchase.
I think I might push the button on this deal…..
You guys that own them… a question or two.
What are they like in a normal, sort of not dark ro-+om.
And how do you find the screen reflectiveness when watching
My living room is pretty bright.Reviews said that this tv reflects more than some LED Tvs. but I still got this. Compared to my old LG plasma TV this reflects less.Picture quality is just awesome.Get this before they stop making this.
I had mine next to a wall of glass sliding doors and it was way too reflective so I had to move it. Put a LED in it's place which was definitely better for the kind of light I was getting but still not perfect.
I just checked it out in store. the image seems so dull compared to the led tvs next to it. and I played around with the menu settings and it didn't do much. any thoughts?
robbo452, you might want to read: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-57424341-221/why-do-pla…
"The problem is not the TV, or the beholder. It's the store. For most people (TV reviewers excluded), the only place to directly compare two different televisions is in a local store. This could be anything from Best Buy to Costco to a specialty retailer. The lighting in nearly every store (especially Costco, and often BB as well) is significantly brighter than what you have at home.
This bright lighting negatively affects your perception of plasma TV performance in multiple ways. At the same time, it plays to LCD TVs strengths."
"LCD TVs are brighter, too bright, in many cases. If you're looking at a bright LCD in a brightly lit store, your irises are going to be tiny. As such, a perfectly normal plasma will look dim by comparison. Take these exact same TVs home, put them side by side, and the LCD will look excessively bright, perhaps requiring you to turn down its backlight. Once the two TVs' light outputs are more aligned, the better contrast ratio and black level of the plasma will give its image more "depth."
Plasmas generally appear 'duller' comparatively, especially in store, because LEDs are always put in overblown torch mode to attract customers. It may look colourful, but the picture is wildly over-saturated and inaccurate, and you're crushing detail to get that image pop. At home is a different story. Unfortunately, because of this, it's not recommended to base a purchase decision on in store observation alone. I'd recommend instead to read a collection of reviews and base it more off trusted opinion and calibration stats.
In terms of accurate picture - blacks, contrast, motion - plasma blows LED away. No plasma fanboy here either as I've owned CCFL LCD, LED and plasma. It has it's cons too, but plasma is the superior technology, for sure.
TV display models in stores really don't do any TV justice. In an extremely bright and reflective show room, which they usually are, you're not really getting an accurate assessment of black depth and contrast. Also there's no telling how long some of those TVs have been running for, what content they've been running and how poorly optimised they are.
Could also be what you're accustomed to; if you stare at LCDs all day long and come home to an LCD, then you've probably come to see that kind of overly bright, overly saturated, undefined image as a natural benchmark, whereas I have a Plasma at home and every LCD I compare it to looks like garbage to me.
At most retailers, the LCD panels are usually way too bright and colours way too saturated.
If you like your TV more "natural" and action more fluid, go with the plasma.
What you could try is compare faces (skin tones blotchy?) and movement (smear, artificial panning?) to make a call.
Mind you, a lot of people don't care and actually prefer the more vivid and artificial look, so each to their own.
Used to think the same. Bought the 65" model and next to my LG LA8600, there's no comparison. I honestly hardly watch anything on the LED anymore. You'll learn to appreciate the deep blacks and awesome, realistic colour. When you do, there's no going back.
plasma also has that odd dithering noise, you need to be at least 8 feet away but even then I can notice it in darker scenes
thanks everyone :)
Tempted.
I'd really like to see the 50" to go back on sale. At ~1000 that was truly a bargain. Such quality for such a price. The only real gripe with this model was the 3D performance and many users are reporting that the latest firmware updates have improved it thoroughly. There is also a work-around for the input lag and I've seen people report results between 40-50ms (better than some more expensive LCD) I believe it required turning off a lot of unnecessary processing so the PQ is retained too. Even a 50" is more than enough in size for my room or else I would have taken the plunge on this 60" immediately.
A few points from me, an owner of this particular TV:
A) Store models don't do it justice. You need to calibrate the settings for it to suit you.
B) Panasonic has discontinued Plasma's, so this is the last chance you can pick up one of these.
C) Don't get this unless you watch Blurays. Standard Definition TV and DVD's will look horrible at 60" regardless of what TV you get.
D) There is a little delay when it comes to gaming, but it has not impacted me once.
E) When you've calibrated the TV and start watching movies, you WILL LOVE THIS TV.
For this price, you would be stupid to pass this up if you are after a new TV. I would give the TV a 10/10 and would recommend it highly.
Some great points. I'd just add regarding DVD, the picture quality can actually look very good if the player has a specialty/quality upscaler chip and deinterlacer in it. In my experience, this makes a huge difference. Main reason my Oppo 983h and Toshiba XDE players are still all hooked up. If you let the player handle all the processing and just pass the 1080p signal, it's quite astonishing just how much you can squeeze out of DVDs.
"D) There is a little delay when it comes to gaming, but it has not impacted me once."
For some people it's "a little", but AVSforums pretty much say the Panasonics range are the worst for gaming.
True on both points. DVD upscalers do wonders. I'm just a videophile, so I always see the flaws in SD now. (Downloads look terrible, but since I can't successfully stream 720p-1080p, I stick with SD).
Panasonic's ARE the worst for gaming, but don't let that put you off. I play CoD and other shooters and I honestly cannot see the delay. Any my eyes and reflexes are beyond average. I would still recommend the TV, even with the delay.
If you dig through the picture settings there is a Game Mode option that you can turn on to reduce the response time.
Not sure how the people on AVSforums missed it. Or maybe you're all saying that even with Game Mode on it still lags? In that case, I don't have that problem.
As an owner of this particular model, I have no problems with Xbox games. I don't even put into game mode. I think the issue has been exaggerated just a bit.
So question for people buying this deal, would you get extended warranty for this?
Rule of thumb; always get extended warranty. Sure it might turn out to be a waste of money, but if your TV dies in less than 3-5 years (whatever the timeframe is), you could end up with a new TV. JB does a great deal on extended warranty.
Depends on whether you can fund replacing it later (an excuse to upgrade?) or want to go down the statutory warranty route. Extended warranty is simply an insurance policy.
Statutory warranty works. A friend of mine has his faulty plasma replaced by Samsung after 2 1/2 years when the warranty was officially 1 year.
I'd say you should expect a $1600 TV to last 2-3 years at least.
Credit card extended warranty is handy too though there may be a claim excess depending on your card conditions.
This is terrible advice Dagmar. Australia has very good consumer rights, and these extended warranties rarely cover anything more than the statutory warranty doesn't.
Rule of thumb; never get the extended warranty. The salesman usually gets a commission for something you already have.
Great TV, got one last Nov for slightly less than this.
Excellent TV, great price. Picked one up not long ago for this price. Someone on whirlpool got $1475 so you may be able to get a bit more off if you bargain hard.
thank you AMG, got this tv for $1475 today. Cant wait to set it up.
This is a fantastic TV for the money, buy it!!!!!!
The pic quality is top notch.
I paid 2K for my 60 inch pana PLASMA delivered about a year or so ago. No major concerns with it, except for the fact that like any plasma, operates better in darker rooms. If its well lit, go LED/LCD. Also, screen burn is crazy. I watch a lot of footy on Foxtel, an the fox footy logo is very much entrenched in the top right corner of my screen (clearly noticable on white background!) Nice post OP.
Plasma Panels use more energy that LED & LCD, right?
Do they offer any huge advantages over the "greener" ones?
They do, but the diff may be $40 for the year.
My brother has one of these, impressive telly but it gives off some heat. I am pretty sure if you suspended a chicken from the ceiling in front of the panel it would roast it pretty good.
Agreed….
My Samy 64 kicks out some heat!
Just bought this tv for $1475.
where? how?. I'm pretty tempted to get this, or even the 50 if I can find it cheap.
I've been waiting for my vintage TH-42PX8A (2008) to die before upgrading, but if this is my last chance to grab another Plasma I probably should!.
jb roselands. just negotiated it down
Mate, don't wait. Chances are your plasma will still be going strong after the last new Pana plasmas are long gone. My 2005 Pana 42" is in storage. Watching a 50" ST60 now, the smallest with a swivel base, I think.
$1,475 is a great price. I got it for $1,560 including delivery, definitely worth going instore to bargain. Can't wait to get it!!
What's the difference between the s and the st?
http://www.appliancesonline.com.au/panasonic-th-p60s60a-60-i…
$1399 for the s