Contrast is WHITE LEVEL, not picture contrast. Curious as to why anyone would calibrate a TV without first setting all controls in the middle of their range of operation. When C.A.T.S. is turned on, the sensor reads ambient light and the TV adjusts itself for the appropriate level of illumination consistent with the environment within which the TV is being watched. Pretty hard to do that if the WHITE LEVEL is already set to the maximum. I guess Panasonic added C.A.T.S. because it was a totally useless feature and they had a shipment of sensors.
Running Contrast at or close to 100 will enhance any tendency to burn in an image, use a lot more electricity, shorten the lifespan of the circuits, unnecessarily stimulate the phosphors thereby shortening their useful life and causing the TV to "dim" prematurely, if it happens to make it to a decade with some voltage circuits set at the maximum.
Why is contrast set at 100 on Cinema, Custom and Vivid modes? For electronic testing at maximum voltages and because retailers like to display overly bright TV's in their overly bright stores. Why is contrast set at 50 on Standard mode? Because that is where the home user should be and contrast to 50 is the final operation after all inspection is complete and the TV is to get boxed. The packing department checks for that 50 setting before they box the TV. That way they don't ship any duds or any untested TV's.
Do take note that no other setting is at maximum. This one control, set at its limit, will make it past the 1 year warranty, but will result in a pretty rapid turnover of plasma televisions if left that way.
Review:
http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-tc-p50u50/4505-6482_7-35149658.html
Calibration report using these settings:
http://scr.bi/Nj6LKj
TV software/firmware version tested: 1030-1030 (Status1: 01000-30008; Status2: 00000-00000)
Below you'll find the settings I found best for viewing the Panasonic TC-P50U50 in a dim room via the HDMI input. Your settings may vary depending on source, room conditions, and personal preference. Check out the Picture settings and calibration FAQ for more information.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9996461-1.html
Calibration notes: As usual with lower-end Panasonic sets, the Custom picture mode was much less accurate both before and after calibration. With program material Custom demonstrated significant red push and oversaturation, as well as too-light gamma. The one advantage of Custom over Cinema was superior light output; Cinema maxed out at 33 Fl (and clipped white a bit more), while Custom was able to hit my target of 40, if just barely.
Cinema was superior so I used it in my review and calibration. Its grayscale was relatively red, however, and gamma slightly too bright--both issues I couldn't address since the available controls were negligible. Due to my tweaking the color and brightness controls, the post-calibration grayscale actually measured slightly worse than the pre-calibration version, but the difference would be tough for the human eye to discern.
--Picture menu
Picture mode: Cinema
Contrast: +100
Brightness: +56
Color: +45
Tint: +1
Sharpness: 0
Color temp: Warm 2
Color mgmt: Off
C.A.T.S.: Off
Video NR: Off
-- Aspect adjustments submenu
Screen format: Full
HD size: Size 2
H size: [grayed out]
Zoom adjustments: [grayed out]
-- HDMI settings: [no change from default]
--Advanced picture submenu
3D Y/C filter: Off [grayed out]
Color matrix: HD [grayed out]
Block NR: Off [grayed out]
Mosquito NR: Off
Motion smoother: Off
Black level: Light
3:2 pulldown: On
24p Direct in: 60Hz
Since the controls were minimal and calibration was easy, I calibrated both Custom and Cinema so I could compare them directly. Cinema is the most accurate, but users may also want to see what the brighter Custom looks like. If nothing else, its interesting how different two sets of nearly identical numbers can look.
--Picture menu
Picture mode: Custom
Contrast: +96
Brightness: +59
Color: +45
Tint: +1
Sharpness: 0
Color temp: Warm 2
Color mgmt: Off
C.A.T.S.: Off
Video NR: Off
-- Aspect adjustments submenu
Screen format: Full
HD size: Size 2
H size: [grayed out]
Zoom adjustments: [grayed out]
-- HDMI settings: [no change from default]
--Advanced picture submenu
3D Y/C filter: Off [grayed out]
Color matrix: HD [grayed out]
Block NR: Off [grayed out]
Mosquito NR: Off
Motion smoother: Off
Black level: Light
3:2 pulldown: On
24p Direct in: 60Hz
Note: This post was edited by its original author added link to calibration report on 08/23/2012 at 8:47 AM PT
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