With SONY and JVC no longer manufacturing their phenomenal high-end CRT HDTVs, and Pioneer out of the Plasma business, the pursuit of picture quality is not as simple as it once was. Rest assured, however, that there are still a handful of manufacturers (i.e. Panasonic, Samsung, LG, ...) still investing in Plasma technology, because LCD is a giant leap backwards in terms of picture quality. When Pioneer - the previous undisputed leader in picture quality - left the industry, they sold their Plasma technology to Panasonic. While the amount of Pioneer technology (if any) present in Panasonic's current line-up is a matter of debate, most critics will agree that Panasonic currently holds the crown for picture quality.

Viera Size Segmentation (VT30 vs. GT30 vs. ST30)
------------------------------------------------

I was in the market for a VT30 this year... however, in the United States, Panasonic's size options are quite restrictive. In Europe, all lines of... Read more

The picture quality this TV puts out is crazy good. Colors are bright and vibrant without being over saturated and unrealistic. Blacks are inky black, and shadow detail is great as well. One of the reasons I bought the GT30 over the ST30 is the THX mode which gives really good out of the box picture without any aftermarket calibration. If you're into tweaking the picture though, there are two professional picture modes that allow very in depth picture controls.

1080P Source Material with a high bitrate (such as blurays or Vudu HDX) look incredibly sharp and stunning, while not looking sharp to the point of unrealism as some LCD's look. 720P sources look very good as well if a bit softer. 480i/p sources look alright. I only spent a few minutes watching SD and the experience was unexpectedly unimpressive. Motion on the GT30 looks very smooth and realistic without displaying the terrible "soap opera effect" that 120/240Hz LCD's seem to suffer from.

I tried... Read more

Admittedly, I was hesitant to purchase this TV because of the mixed reviews. Many people here (and on various forums and review sites) complained of distracting brightness fluctuations that significantly detracted from the viewing experience. I decided to just go with it and I must say I don't regret my purchase at all.

First, yes, the brightness fluctuations were distracting. Notice the past-tense "were" there; as in, the fluctuations are no longer distracting because they are no longer a problem. For North America, Panasonic has acknowledged and addressed the fluctuations. For sets manufactured prior to August 2011 a repair is available in the form of an SD card software update or a very simple hardware replacement (pre-updated hardware for non-Panasonic repair techs as an alternative to updating the software with an SD card). So, don't let the looming shadow of brightness fluctuations deter you from this TV--if you get a set and it is a problem, call Panasonic and... Read more