Reddit mentions of Panasonic VIERA TC-P50ST60 50-Inch 1080p 600Hz 3D Smart Plasma HDTV (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P50ST60-50-Inch-Plasma-Glasses/dp/B00AVRJK3K/ref=sr_1_2?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1373858804&sr=1-2

Your comment got me thinking. At Amazon, the 50" S60 is $679.99, while the 50" ST60 is $979.99. I really don't care about 3D -- saw Gravity in 3D in the theatre, and while it was well-done 3D (there's a lot of crappy 3D out there), I think I still would have enjoyed it more in 2D. So other than the 3D, one fewer HDMI input, and no SD input, is the ST60 really $300/44% better than the S60? (How much difference is there between the "12,288 steps" shades of gradation of the S60 and the "30,720 steps" of the ST60?)

We have no money now (hoping for a good bonus from work in March), but I'm tempted to sign up for their "Special Financing for 24 Months" deal, that appears to apply to either TV, and that also appears to say, in the fine print:

> 24-Month Financing Offer: No interest if paid in full within 24 months. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional balance is not paid in full within 24 months. Minimum monthly payments required. Offer is subject to credit approval.

Hmmmm ... $679.99/24 = only $28.34/mo, and $979.99/24 = $40.84. Wonder if I can get my treasurer (i.e. my wife) on board with this.... Does anyone here have any experience, good or bad, with Amazon's store credit card? ETA: OR what are the odds of being able to get one of these at a lower price in the next couple of months, e.g. Black Friday or Christmas/New Year's?

Panasonic ST50 or ST60. It's not a 'half-decent' tv, it's an excellent tv. It's plasma so refresh rate doesn't really apply. Best black levels and lack of motion blur you can find in your budget. Right now on Amazon you can get the ST60 60" for $1500 and the 50" for $1000.

I just bought this, ran it through D-nice slides/settings and am thrilled with the picture quality. I mounted it on this from monoprice and it really opens up my relatively small living room. Good luck!

P.S. Stock speakers suck on modern TVs, check out /r/zeos for some help in that department.

Sounds like it's about time for you to upgrade your TV.

You can get a 40"-42" 1080p HDMI TV for quite cheap nowadays.

If you have some money to spare a Panasonic Plasma 50" is considered one of the best gaming tvs on the market.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P50ST60-50-Inch-Includes-Glasses/dp/B00AVRJK3K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1375815892&sr=8-3&keywords=panasonic+42+plasma+1080p

Samsung 40" LED 1080p + 4 year warranty $500~

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN40EH5300-40-Inch-1080p-Color/dp/B0074FGR74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375814944&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+led+42

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P50ST60-50-Inch-Includes-Glasses/dp/B00AVRJK3K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374480656&sr=8-1&keywords=50ST60

Amazing plasma. ^

Thank you so much! Very helpful. You confirmed many of my suspicions, that plasma is still a major force in the market and won't be outdated any time soon. The ST60 is definitely something I was looking at, since it seems to be the flagship of the panasonic plasma series. Since I'm not huge on 3d and the S60 is much cheaper, I think I'm going to go with that one. Now I'm just debating whether to wait until black friday.

Rather than replace it with an LED, why not buy the last generation of plasma Panasonic every manufactures http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P50ST60-50-Inch-Includes-Glasses/dp/B00AVRJK3K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1383241674&sr=8-3&keywords=panasonic+st60

They were the best on the market at the time and they are still the best TV for their price today. At the $1000 price point, there is really not even any competition if you are going for the best image quality. (If you want the biggest TV for the money, look elsewhere.)

The heat isn't really an issue with the newer models. I had an older Panny plasma from 2006 that got quite hot and sucked a ton of juice from the wall. I bought a new model earlier this year that has an 8" larger screen inside of the same sized case, is 30% lighter, and uses 40% less energy, is 1080p instead of 720p and supports 3D. Oh, and the picture is borderline reference quality after calibration. It was the same price as the one I bought in 2006. God, I love technology.

For those that have been on the fence about getting a new TV, but are the kind of people that care greatly about image quality and high quality products... get one of these Panasonic plasmas before its too late. There will be no replacement for years to come. At the $1000 price point of a P50ST60, the closest competitor in the LCD/LED front runs around $1600, and the image quality still isn't as good. You aren't going to find similar levels of image quality until you hit $2000.

What's the difference between that TV and this one here?

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-TC-P50ST60-50-Inch-Includes-Glasses/dp/B00AVRJK3K/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

I don't care about 3D, smart, or any of that stuff really except picture quality and input lag/response time. Can any Plasma TV buffs help me out here?