Re the stand I saw this one at CC the glass is thick 1" and metal legs are sturdy. It is a one tier platform, they show two stacked in the picture. Quite long 48", not too high 10". Looks like a good match for the Pany.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Planet-3-TV-Stand--55015-/sem/rpsm/oid/95993/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Has anyone figured out what the service menu settings are in this thing?? I was able to get into it, but wasn't able to move around much. It took me a while to get past the first screen, then I got the color screens and got stuck there too....finally got past that but didn't know what any of the setting other than hpos and vpos were.

Also, how does one exit it without turning off the tv?? There's got to be a better way.

bump


hrmmm...ok, so no one knows the service menu settings or how to get out of the service menu without essentially rebooting the tv???

as for the stand, I'm gonna pick up one of the Gusdorf stands that CC has for 69.99. The base will stick over the sides by about 1/2 inch on each side, but considering I'm officially poor after buying the tv, I'll take what I can get.


::edit:: BTW, I tried calling panny tech support about the service menu thing and the color decoder, but they had a 90 minute hold time....tried calling back later and kept getting a busy signal. Is this pretty much the level of support I can expect from them?? Pretty disappointing if it is. Does anyone maybe have a better phone number to call?

I'm looking at getting the Tech-Craft stand PLC5000. Is it the same as the Panasonic stand, or will the TV at least fit in nicely? I'm concerned about the dimensions of the base under those speakers.

The Stand allows for 40 1/2" wide for the base of the TV and 55 3/4" total width, and 7 3/4" for the height of the base under the speakers.

bump...


sorry to keep kickin this thread up, but someone has got to know the answers... :confused:


and what's the deal with panny tech support hold times? called them again this morning and it's a 70 minutes wait.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=352423

That link SHOULD get you to every post Topp Robertson has on the subject on the Panny DLP. If not, just search under "Username" for him. I think he's probably answered any questions you might have

JW

Originally posted by lostcause

and what's the deal with panny tech support hold times? called them again this morning and it's a 70 minutes wait. [/B]

lostcause,

what can I say? The Panasonic tech support guy is a busy man! :p

I also thought that somewhere in this 60-70 pages was a post saying how to exit the service menu without turning off the TV, but I could be wrong.

People do seem to be happy with Topps' calibration settings. I'd check that out.

Originally posted by dmcwhinnie
I'm looking at getting the Tech-Craft stand PLC5000. Is it the same as the Panasonic stand, or will the TV at least fit in nicely? I'm concerned about the dimensions of the base under those speakers.

The Stand allows for 40 1/2" wide for the base of the TV and 55 3/4" total width, and 7 3/4" for the height of the base under the speakers.
What is the difference between this one and the panasonic stand? I saw the panasonic stand and the tv together and it is really nice.

DLP-Dave, the only thing I found talking about exiting the service menu was by turning the TV off. I found the shortcut to get in, but it doesn't work to get out. I'm hoping there is a better way, since the service menu is apparently the only way of telling what resolution is being fed to the tv. I'd hate to have to turn it off, wait a couple of minutes before I can turn it on again, then wait another minute for the lamp to warm up, just to know if it's a 1080i or 720p feed coming in. I will read back over Topp's posts though and see if I missed something.

And I'm actually starting to believe that there really is only one tech support guy at panasonic!! I hope and pray nothing ever goes wrong with my set!!!

I'm hoping the only difference between the Panasonic stand and the Tech-Craft stand is that the Tech-Craft is a few hundered dollars cheaper at CC.

If you really wanna go cheap, http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Gusdorf-36--TV-Stand/sem/rpsm/oid/110771/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

I just picked one up and yeah, it's cheap and not all that flashy, but it works just fine. The base of the panny fits almost perfectly on it. Only drawback is not a lot of room for components. My receiver is the only thing that fits on the top shelf, and my dvd player and satellite box on the bottom. No room for my vcr yet. If you have more than 3 components, and game consoles and stuff, then get a different stand.

The lamps are over $500 for the Panny. Anybody know why they are almost 3X the cost of the lamp for a Sammy?

I don't know about the older models, but the Panny website lists the 50DL54 lamp at $299.

TY-LA2004 LAMP, DLP 299.00

Lamps for older models (the 52DL10 and 52DL54) are $518, up $100 from last year.

Does anyone know when (or if) the PT-50DLD64 model will become available? I notice that a few Internet merchants mistakenly list its description, when they are actually selling the PT-50DL54.

It also seems that Panasonic is not heavily marketing their DLP product line, and it is not available at my local vendors. I wonder how this will affect future availability/price of lamp bulbs?

Since this thread is back up, has anyone tried using the built-in side speakers as the L/R channels of a surround system? It would probably require opening them up and running a speaker wire out, but it would save me quite a bit of space if this could be done.

Any ideas/comments besides "I'm nuts for even thinking about it"??

Hey, Is this place still alive, its been dead for a while. Anyone purchase the Panny S97 DVD to go along with this set. What's your review?
Caboman

Originally posted by caboman
Hey, Is this place still alive, its been dead for a while. Anyone purchase the Panny S97 DVD to go along with this set. What's your review?
Caboman

Funny that you should ask! I purchased the PT-50DL54 on Boxing Day, and the S97 several days ago for use along with it. I took delivery of the PT-50DL54 yesterday, and quickly got everything hooked up and running.

I should preface this with the fact that I am fairly new to the whole "A/V scene", but I was absolutely floored by this combination. I had seen this TV with other players, and thought it looked simply amazing - but with the S97, it takes things up another notch. If you've already got a good 480i player, like the RP-82/RP-91 or their vairants, the scaler in the TV is very good and you may not notice a huge difference. However, I'm convinced that this player is clearly among the best on the market for under $500.

I should also note that I did see a bit of macroblocking last night in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, but it doesn't really bother me and I think that it's a more than acceptable trade-off considering how good the output looks. (Furthermore, the Brain Dump thread seems to indicate that there may some day be a firmware-based fix from Panasonic.)

I've got it connected via HDMI outputting 720p, with the settings configured as per the "Initial Settings" in the S97 Brain Dump thread. The TV is configured with the settings/tweaks provided by Topp Robertson. (Thanks Topp!!) This is looking just great for me, until my Avia disc arrives in the mail and I can further tweak things on my own.

Edit: Though my experience with the set is wonderful, I am a bit upset with Panasonic, as the remote and owner's manual were not included in the box with my PT50DL54. I've already sent them an E-mail in regards to this, and hope to have it resolved soon. Thankfully, my universal remote is capable of handling most of the functionality on the Panasonic.

Great, thanks for the info, I hope to have my S97 connected via HDMI by next weekend, had to send my GEFEN switch back for a firmware upgrade.
Caboman



Originally posted by dakewldude
Funny that you should ask! I purchased the PT-50DL54 on Boxing Day, and the S97 several days ago for use along with it. I took delivery of the PT-50DL54 yesterday, and quickly got everything hooked up and running.

I should preface this with the fact that I am fairly new to the whole "A/V scene", but I was absolutely floored by this combination. I had seen this TV with other players, and thought it looked simply amazing - but with the S97, it takes things up another notch. If you've already got a good 480i player, like the RP-82/RP-91 or their vairants, the scaler in the TV is very good and you may not notice a huge difference. However, I'm convinced that this player is clearly among the best on the market for under $500.

I should also note that I did see a bit of macroblocking last night in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, but it doesn't really bother me and I think that it's a more than acceptable trade-off considering how good the output looks. (Furthermore, the Brain Dump thread seems to indicate that there may some day be a firmware-based fix from Panasonic.)

I've got it connected via HDMI outputting 720p, with the settings configured as per the "Initial Settings" in the S97 Brain Dump thread. The TV is configured with the settings/tweaks provided by Topp Robertson. (Thanks Topp!!) This is looking just great for me, until my Avia disc arrives in the mail and I can further tweak things on my own.

Edit: Though my experience with the set is wonderful, I am a bit upset with Panasonic, as the remote and owner's manual were not included in the box with my PT50DL54. I've already sent them an E-mail in regards to this, and hope to have it resolved soon. Thankfully, my universal remote is capable of handling most of the functionality on the Panasonic.

Finally got my Avia disc yesterday, so I'm going to give calibration a try with my S97 tonight. If you're interested, I'll post my settings.

I'm still amazed each time I turn this TV on. XBox games look simply amazing at 720p.

Edit: Does anyone know how long Panasonic will sell replacement bulbs for this set? I'd imagine that there will eventually be a time at which you cannot buy these bulbs any more. How long does a manufacturer typically wait before this happens? 10 years? More?

Originally posted by dmcwhinnie
I'm hoping the only difference between the Panasonic stand and the Tech-Craft stand is that the Tech-Craft is a few hundered dollars cheaper at CC.
I looked at both, and I would say go with the Tech-Craft. For one the middle shelf is adjustable. Second the spacing is much better on the tech-craft. The panasonic stand shelves are only about 6" in spacing. Way to small.

Originally posted by Big Worms
I looked at both, and I would say go with the Tech-Craft. For one the middle shelf is adjustable. Second the spacing is much better on the tech-craft. The panasonic stand shelves are only about 6" in spacing. Way to small.

I agree - and, I'd say that the TechCraft stand is at least as good in terms of quality.

Speaking of stands, for anyone looking for a really inexpensive stand that seems to suit this TV well, consider this:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=42127&langId=-1&parentCats=10104*10174

That's what I'm using currently, and it's working really well for me. You can't beat the price, and the quality is pretty decent.

Originally posted by dakewldude


Edit: Does anyone know how long Panasonic will sell replacement bulbs for this set? I'd imagine that there will eventually be a time at which you cannot buy these bulbs any more. How long does a manufacturer typically wait before this happens? 10 years? More? [/B]

I would like to add has anyone found this lamp less than $300?

I've posted this in the HTPC forum, but I'll post it here as well because I know many of you have had success in getting this working with the Panny:


I've been trying to solve this problem for a couple of days now, and if anyone here has a solution I'd appreciate it immensely.

My HTPC was connected to my previous set via S-Video, which looked horrible, so I immediately acquired a DVI-HDMI cable to take advantage of higher resolutions.

I decided at the same time to reinstall Windows XP on my HTPC - I was pleased to have a picture via HDMI right off the bat, and completed the entire XP installation without any problems while connected via HDMI. After installing Windows, the first thing I did was install the latest ATI Catalyst drivers. The installation went without incident, and I was asked to restart the system. Windows came back up just fine at 1080i resolution.

Here's where the trouble begins - if I restart the system again immediately, even without changing a single setting, I am not able to get back into Windows. I see the system POST, and the Windows XP splash screen, after which I get absolutely nothing on my TV. I have no idea why this could be.

If I hit the reset button on the system and boot into safe mode I get a picture again, but booting into Windows regularily just doesn't work. Here's something that I find even more strange - I can get into Windows if I connect the TV via S-Video, and un-plug the DVI cable from the back of my HTPC. Once Windows is up and running, I can plug the DVI cable back in, switch my TV to HDMI input and violla, it works perfectly (until I reboot again, of course).

To summarize, it seems to work as expected for the first restart after installing the driver. After that, Windows will not load as long as the DVI cable is connected. Again, if I unplug the DVI cable, boot into Windows with S-Video display, then connect the DVI, it works great.

The only other thing of note is that when I have the DVI cable connected, I don't think Windows actually ever finishes loading. (In other words, I don't think it's just that I can't get any video output.) I can press keys / hit CTRL-ALT-DELETE as many times as I want and nothing happens.

Has anyone experienced anything like this? You guys are the most knowledgable people out there regarding this stuff - I sincerely hope one of you can come up with a solution. Thanks in advance!

A post was made on another thread (by Rogo...i think...can't find it!) re: a Panasonic 1080p set in the TI display at CES. Anyone have any info and/or has seen it there?

I purchased my PT-50DL54 about 3 months ago and have been quite happy with it. However in the last two weeks a disturbing issued cropped up and that was when set had no signal but was turned on when the screen is grey it appeared like waves were flowing across the screen. I didn't think too much because I wasn't sure if I noticed before or not and maybe it had always been there. I do not see the waves when there is input into the TV however it is concerning. Now last night all of a sudden it appeared as if one pixel was constantly white in the upper middle of screen. Upon turning the set off and back on the issue went away. I do have an extended warranty from a local dealer that I purchased it at. Should I request a new set or what?
Spencer

Ready to pull the trigger. You guys still think that this DLP is the best around?

Have any of you Panny DLP owners started seeing rainbows since you got your set? This seems to happen with all the other DLP's but the Panny DLPs have significantly less rainbows according to some people.

This is still my top choice too, and would like to know how things are going for you owners. As far as PQ, I have been convinced for a long time both in SD and HD.

Waiting a bit to pull the trigger, because rainbowing concerns on DLP have scared me off of buying online, but I haven't found a decent price yet at a B&M. If only there were some online sites which were local, but alas, I am out of luck on that.

Anyone try to connect the new Panny S97 DVD player via a switch. I have the GEFEN 4x1 HDTV switch, I am not able to get a picture, just a bunch of distorted lines. I have switched ports, powered devices off/on all to no avail. Looks like a compatibilty issue with the switch. Just wondering if any body has this setup.
thanks,
Caboman

I would buy this set again. I have seen rainbows but doesn't bother me and it doesn't happen very offen. I don't think it's too noisy. It's a great set and great picture at a great price. That's the bottom line.

Is this thread dead or what??

Has there been any new info re: Panasonic's new DLPs for 2005? The only one discussed and reviewed appears to be the 50" that is presently out. Any news?

Originally posted by Ed Weinman
Has there been any new info re: Panasonic's new DLPs for 2005? The only one discussed and reviewed appears to be the 50" only. Any news?
You know what is weird is Panasonic has no mention of it on their CES website section. I wonder if they are even going to come out with a new line. Was really hoping for a 56"

I was also hoping for a 56" or 60ish" version. (The PT-50DL54 model is shown on the Panasonic site...but, only this one DLP set.)

I believe they are coming out with 56" and 61" versions in August, though they don't have info on their site yet, that I could find. If you look at dlp.com press releases from CES, it has that information.

I too have been looking for info on Panasonic's 2005 lineup. I've been trying to hold out for their 52" DLP but with integrated ATSC/QAM tuner. But without any info on whether such a thing is forthcoming, I may fold and have to get something else. I can't wait forever you know. :rolleyes:

Any firmware available for 50 inch DLP model?

I was at my local Tweeter Audio store yesterday discussing the Panny 50DL54 and the salesperson remarked that they have been notified that this model has been discontinued. I didn't think to ask whether he meant that Tweeter has decided not to offer it anymore, or if they have been notified by Panasonic that it is a discontinued unit. Perhaps new models are due out sooner than expected????

I almost wish it was discontinued...maybe the price would go down a bit...most likely Tweeter is just going to stop selling it. The new 56" and 61" Panny DLP's aren't scheduled to debut till August, and I can't imagine they are that far ahead of schedule.

I do know that the 60" version of the DL54 was discontinued a while back, so perhaps he was confusing the two, also.

When calibrating this tv with DVE dvd, what picture mode and temp provides the closest point to 6500K??

After months of agonizing whether to buy a DLP, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered one from Vanns. Now you folks waiting for prices to drop, here's your opportunity. Everytime I make a major electronics purchase prices start falling fast!!!

Originally posted by bigdave48
After months of agonizing whether to buy a DLP, I finally pulled the trigger and ordered one from Vanns. Now you folks waiting for prices to drop, here's your opportunity. Everytime I make a major electronics purchase prices start falling fast!!!

DAMN, and here i bought mine 3 days before you... if I would have only waited!! :)

Originally posted by jodeci
When calibrating this tv with DVE dvd, what picture mode and temp provides the closest point to 6500K??

According to posts in this thread, the "Cinema" mode is closest to 6500K. Adjusting the "WB" value in the service menu can bring it even closer.

Originally posted by DLP-Dave
Have any of you Panny DLP owners started seeing rainbows since you got your set? This seems to happen with all the other DLP's but the Panny DLPs have significantly less rainbows according to some people.

This is still my top choice too, and would like to know how things are going for you owners. As far as PQ, I have been convinced for a long time both in SD and HD.

Waiting a bit to pull the trigger, because rainbowing concerns on DLP have scared me off of buying online, but I haven't found a decent price yet at a B&M. If only there were some online sites which were local, but alas, I am out of luck on that.

DLP-Dave,

I purchased my Panny in November's and haven't seen rainbows until about a month ago. It's not that often that I see them, but enough for me to notice. I've never saw rainbows before this. But for the price and the quality of the picture, I'd still buy it in a heartbeat. I was concerned about rainbows too but bought mine from an online dealer that had a 30 day return policy. Unfortunately, the last I checked (a few months ago), they are no longer selling this set. Overall, I had and am having a great experience with this set. Source material will definitely affect PQ. But I've notice that even with SD through comcast digital cable box, I some of the shows look darn good. I've also noticed that if I'm watching split screen, the PQ is as good as my CRT set, regardless of signal. Just goes to show that increased screen size just magnifies the artifacts inherent in the signal.

At times, I still marvel at the picture I get with pure HD signals. BTW, I was concerned about the fan noise before, and admittedly I do here it at times. But it has become background noise/white noise so that I don't even notice when I'm watching tv. I only notice it when I choose to hear it. Hope that helps.

Enjoy whatever set you decide to get!

I just ordered this TV, question... I have an OLD Panasonic DVD player (w/ compondent outputs) This is not a progressive scan DVD player... Will I still get a High quality image Or do i need a progressive scan DVD player?


Thanks
Kurt

I do not see smooth color transitions. ie. different color tones on people's faces. I see the same problem in HDTV cable and DVD movies. I'm not sure if it is the Comcast HDTV box (720p) or my Philips DVD DVP642 player. Any suggestions to fix the colors on the set?

Pulled the trigger and ordered one of these online today. Tweeter wouldn't come down enough and I was getting annoyed with them. Saved a few hundred.

Should have it next week. I'll post an out of the box review after I get it. I'm pretty new to HDTV and have spent the last 3 weeks researching and comparing sets. I'd like to think I did some good research and made a wise choice. It basically came down to this, samsung xxxx63, jvc dila, and the panasonic 50" LCD because of the price. Wasn't a huge fan of the LCDs personally. I was afraid of gaming and lip-sync possible problems on the Samsung. The JVC was very close. I read a bunch of posts and it seemed like the blacks are better on the Panasonic, although they both looked great to me in person. I have never seen a rainbow on any of them, so I don't know what I'm looking for or I just haven't seen the right video on them.

I'll post a bit more after I get it in case folks are in the same boat. I had a decent budget but wanted to stay under $2500. CRTs weren't really an option b/c I don't like the size.

Thanks to everyone here. Reading the board was very helpful. You just have to know when to quit reading or you'll talk yourself out of anything.

I am thinking of getting the TechCraft PLC5000 stand for this TV. It seems almost identical to the Panasonic stand. My only worry is that this set and stand are going to be placed in an area that is 8" higher than the rest of the room. Given that, is this stand going to be too high? The actual base of the TV only sits 15 3/4" above the ground on this stand meaning that the center point of the picture vertically would be about 45.5" off the ground compared to the level of the ground where the viewing area will be...

If this is too high, any ideas on a stand that would be more suited to the needs of the room? Or is there no such beast?

Users manual suggests a 30 degree angle up or down. I'm just putting it on a table I already have. It's about 2" or 3" too wide but that shouldn't be a problem. No kids or anything like that worry about and it's a very sturdy table.

Originally posted by DLP-Dave
My only worry is that this set and stand are going to be placed in an area that is 8" higher than the rest of the room. Given that, is this stand going to be too high? The actual base of the TV only sits 15 3/4" above the ground on this stand meaning that the center point of the picture vertically would be about 45.5" off the ground compared to the level of the ground where the viewing area will be...
Dave,

Ideal height is really subjective. I know there are "official" guides telling you what height you TV has to be at, but from personal experience I'd say there is a comfort range for most people.

Part of the equation is how far back you're sitting. For me, the Panny is on a 35" stand, and our seating is about 10-11' back. I don't have any issues with the viewing angle as far as brightness, contrast, or clarity. Some people may find the viewing angle to high to be comfortable, but my wife and I are fine with it. Ideally, I'd like to lower the TV about 10" but that's just not possible.

Scott

Scott,

Thanks a lot...you mean the stand itself is 35" and the base sits on that, so the center point of the screen would probably be about 57" high?? If that is the case and you find it acceptable from that viewing distance, I don't think I should have a problem with 45" up then.

Originally posted by wabbit
I do not see smooth color transitions. ie. different color tones on people's faces. I see the same problem in HDTV cable and DVD movies. I'm not sure if it is the Comcast HDTV box (720p) or my Philips DVD DVP642 player. Any suggestions to fix the colors on the set?
Wabbit,

What your describing sounds like color banding. DLP sets, in general, have a difficult time accurately reproducing color gradients. One easy place to spot them is in out-of-focus background shots. Instead of a smooth transition from center to edge, you'll see distinct bands of color.

For me, this is most noticeable on SD signals, and less bothersome on DVDs and HD pictures. It's particularly bad when watching my Panny DRM-E80 DVD recorder (which also suffers from the same problem - thereby compounding the issue).

I don't know of any solution, just make sure that you've calibrated your TV. Of all the DLP sets I looked at, the Panny seemed to be the least objectionable. I would guess it's due to 10-bit color depth, and the extra color wheel segment.

Scott

Batlin:

I'm in the same situation you are. Sounds like we have the same old DVD player. I think the picture looks great, Finding Nemo was incredible with the component outputs, but I don't have anything to compare it to. My limited understanding was that unless you fork over a lot of money on a high quality progressive scan player, the TV does it as well or better than the cheap one's you'll see out there. So for now, I'm holding off maybe for HD DVD.

Originally posted by DLP-Dave
Scott,

Thanks a lot...you mean the stand itself is 35" and the base sits on that, so the center point of the screen would probably be about 57" high?? If that is the case and you find it acceptable from that viewing distance, I don't think I should have a problem with 45" up then.

Yes, Dave, that's correct. Some people may find the height difficult on their necks, but we've gotten used to it. We had been using the same stand with our old 32" CRT and projection screen, so it wasn't a problem. I do wish that the base of the Panny wasn't so tall, but it wasn't a deal-breaker for me.

Scott

Dlp-Dave, my pt-50dl54 is on a console table that is about 30" tall and I have no problems at all. Also my seating is to the side, about 8 to 10 feet away, not directly in front. This set has an incredibly liberal viewing angle. That was one of the main reasons why I bought it.

Originally posted by gunner2377
Batlin:

I'm in the same situation you are. Sounds like we have the same old DVD player. I think the picture looks great, Finding Nemo was incredible with the component outputs, but I don't have anything to compare it to. My limited understanding was that unless you fork over a lot of money on a high quality progressive scan player, the TV does it as well or better than the cheap one's you'll see out there. So for now, I'm holding off maybe for HD DVD.

WONDERFUL!! one less thing for me to buy :)

thanks for the info

How easy is it to damage the screen on the Panny? I have a 4 year old and a 4 month old and I am getting a bit worried about them damaging the screen. The 4 year old isn't interested in touching the TV screen I have now, but Murphy's Law would dictate that he will find himself utterly fascinated with the new one.

well, I wouldn't recommend taking markers to it. These screens are not very durable. (any TV) If you have youngins and/or large pets get something with a protective screen...Mits,Hitachi,Sony XBR....

Does anyone know how to get into the panny service menu? What page of this thread is it on?

Service menu instructions: THE USUAL DISCLAIMER APPLIES! YOU CAN SERIOUSLY MESS UP YOUR TV DOING THIS, SO DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Set sleep timer to 30 minutes
Go to cable / antenna input and switch to channel 124
Turn volume all the way down with the remote
Press down volume button on the unit itself
CHK will appear in red in the top-left corner.
Press the power button on the remote control to get into the service menu
with "CHK" displayed.
Press power on the unit itself to exit the service menu
(turns off the unit but doesn't erase your user mode settings).

Originally posted by dakewldude
Finally got my Avia disc yesterday, so I'm going to give calibration a try with my S97 tonight. If you're interested, I'll post my settings.

I'm still amazed each time I turn this TV on. XBox games look simply amazing at 720p.



Did you ever calibrate your set? Were the settings you came up with the same as Topp's? Does anyone use a GameCube with this machine? If so, how is it?

Just resolving very last issues before heading over to the B&M to buy...

Press recall while holding down the vol- on the set app 10 seconds
Exit,, vol- while pressing the OK button center of vol ch.

Power button on remote to get second level, ok to access power to return to first menu for exit.

wb,, white balance should be set to 0. 1 = pink whites. Yes Pink Whites.
Best white is 0 with color temp warm perfection!!! cool is blue way blue
Some settings are factory set non adjustable

Best settings are factory in the service menu

Color temp warm
Intensity 14 average sometimes as low as 9 high as much as 18
tint 32
bright 31
pic 63 works best overall but its kinda bright
sharp 41 good average for no ringing 5-10 for best compromise 41

setting vivid

standard all drop brightness some, cinema will drop it allot and soften the image.
These settings do more than previous pany it is independent of the presets

Example make all settings the same then toggle between cinema, standard,vivid and you will see.

Noise reduction off
auto color off etc.

This set was demoed in my home against pany x53 Toshiba dlp 52 Sony 611e i think. and others mitsu excluded would like to compare it next.

Sony is very good just a touch foggy and blacks sub par but only side by side did this become obvious. By its self the sony is outstanding.

Toshiba is foggy also with more lit up blacks its also noisy no matter what
more prone to blocking and just a busyness in the picture that sharpness could only minimize.
The toshiba could not produce a 10 ire window at normal brightness level of 50 the panny did at normal of 31 hence the better black detail.

Crt is just Dieing i suppose.
This set does blacks so well that it almost never reminds you that it is anything but the finest crt with color so natural that the crts just cannot do.

It is so much better than any set I have tried over the last 3 years.
I have wanted the clarity and purity brilliant white brightness of fixed panel for some time but was unwilling to comprise in other areas, that is until the pt 50 dL.

In my opinion the crt is dead and rightfully so.

All of these sets come slightly out of focus. It is amazing what a 8th inch movement will do to this set usually up with your right hand.
Panel beside the bulb and instructions are other places in this thread.
Inside panel their are one knob on left and one on right of lens left locks
unlock by turning the adjust then re lock. Its best done with fixed image white against dark or someones eye. Do it at about 3/4s up in center this is where you watch most of the time.

Hats off panny did outstanding job cant wait till the 61 come out then the 50 goes to the bedroom???? unless someone beats it.


ymmv sources hd TiVo e 86 Hughes and voom. side by side with independent set top box for each unit.

don't know if this is a place to do a quick review of the panasoinc 50" DLP but hey i will throw my 2 cents in. Got my TV two days ago and i am completely impressed with the TV. Got the Panasonic s97 DVD player to go along with it and movies look fantastic hooked up through the HDMI connection. HDTV is great - watched CSI in HD last night and it was like watching a different show.

Downsides i have heard

Fan noise - mine is so low i cannot hear it unless the TV is off and I walk right up to it. Maybe some TVS got a bad batch - maybe they have made a change but mine is not bothersome of noticeable from sitting distance.

Rainbows - haven't seen one yet. my gf didn't see one either and no complaints on her end.

regular cable and digital cable picture - not that great but what do you expect after watching HDTV and switching over to there. the digital channels are better but anything is going to look like crap next to HDTV.

Personally I looked at a lot of TVS and found that it had the best quality, value and features. Also the extremely good price i got it for helped too. :)
i would recommend it just on that but i will wait for a few weeks until i give a full endorsement.

Has anyone tested their ups with this tv? I plugged just the tv into my belkin 800va ups and turned the power off at the circuit breaker. The ups seems to kick in, but the tv goes right off. Just curious...Thanks!

My set is pretty sensitive to power fluctuations. Before I put it on a UPS, a power variation that caused a momentary fluctuation of the lights would cause it to shut down. Maybe the response on your UPS is a little slow, or varies the voltage, and the set is seeing enough fluctuation for the set's protective circuits to kick in?

Originally posted by heeljeff
Has anyone tested their ups with this tv? I plugged just the tv into my belkin 800va ups and turned the power off at the circuit breaker. The ups seems to kick in, but the tv goes right off. Just curious...Thanks!

I also have a Belkin ups and had the same experience. I unplugged the ups and the tv went off.

Can a 50dl54 owner tell me ... when using POP, can you resize either of the windows, or is the only option to have it split screen?

Also, how extensive are the video settings on this tv?

Thanks!

Are you guys sure you have it plugged into the right outlet on the UPS? Most UPSs have two sets of outlets. One row is battery backup and the other is just surge protection. Make sure you have it plugged into the battery backup ones. Also make sure the battery is actually connected. Some come with the batter terminals disconnected and you have to open them up and connect the battery before using them.

Yeah, I checked and made sure it was plugged into the correct outlet. After the tv goes off, I tried turning it back on. The light blinks a few times but the tv goes off again. I tried the self-test on the ups and had the same result. Tonight I'm going to try with another appliance...

I just bought a nice wooden piece of furniture and set it up this afternoon for when I get the tv. Does the dlp have any rubber grips on the bottom? I was wondering if I should get a rubber mat or something to put under it so it doesn't scratch it.

Originally posted by spider12
Does the dlp have any rubber grips on the bottom?

Nope, just checked. Nothing that I can see (although I'm not going to lift it to check tho:) )
Just use some of that white 1/8" thick styrofoam wrap stuff and scribe it to fit the bottom.

JW

Alright, Panny DLP users!

I am getting this TV, but I am one of the few people on this earth that doesn't own a
DVD player currently. I have read Bob Pariseau's long post on DVD players, and am wondering if this set has a superior scaler, and I should just get a good progressive player, or if I should get one of the new upconverting players. I don't want to spend a lot of money. What are the rest of you using? What would you recommend?
Thanks!

PS - many of your glowing posts caused me to look for and get this tv.

This TV looks really nice, and I'm just about ready to buy. I've done a lot of reading in this thread and elsewhere, and I have one final question with regard to hooking up a computer via HDMI.

Is the Panny DLP any different from other DLP brands in terms of HTPC use? Does it matter that I won't have a VGA input? Some people in this thread report using 800x600 (4:3) and tweaking the overscan. I have a 6600GT in my computer. It has HDTV resolutions as presets. I can do 720x480x60Hz. Will this enable me to view my computer in widescreen with 1:1 pixel mapping? I can't seem to figure out whether the Panny DLP is any different from other DLPs in this way. Would a different brand make more sense for my needs? I really like the specs/PQ/price of the Panasonic.

Want info and ratings??
http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers

Mine's a JVC XV-N44S
Canadian Tire 2 yrs old
$129
Sitting 10' away
Looks great to the point that I can't see how it could look much better (although there's always a "better" :-)

Originally posted by griffin75
Is the Panny DLP any different from other DLP brands in terms of HTPC use? Does it matter that I won't have a VGA input? Some people in this thread report using 800x600 (4:3) and tweaking the overscan. I have a 6600GT in my computer. It has HDTV resolutions as presets. I can do 720x480x60Hz. Will this enable me to view my computer in widescreen with 1:1 pixel mapping? I can't seem to figure out whether the Panny DLP is any different from other DLPs in this way. Would a different brand make more sense for my needs? I really like the specs/PQ/price of the Panasonic.

I meant to say 1280x720x60Hz in my post above.

My Panny arrived this afternoon, got it hooked up and sat back dazzled. This is a big improvement over my old 27" CRT. Thus far I love it, no problems. My son's Nemo DVD was fantastic!
I was a little concerned buying something like this online, however, my experience has been excellent.

HI BIGDAVE

Panny is a great set. I checked it out at my local B&M and loved every bit of it. if its ok and allowed here, could u pls share the price u paid and the site u did the purchase at. You could also PM me if possible

good luck
raj

Originally posted by bigdave48
My Panny arrived this afternoon, got it hooked up and sat back dazzled. This is a big improvement over my old 27" CRT. Thus far I love it, no problems. My son's Nemo DVD was fantastic!
I was a little concerned buying something like this online, however, my experience has been excellent.

Good to hear. Mine will be here in a day or two. Looking forward to it.

Originally posted by gnrajagopal
HI BIGDAVE

Panny is a great set. I checked it out at my local B&M and loved every bit of it. if its ok and allowed here, could u pls share the price u paid and the site u did the purchase at. You could also PM me if possible

good luck
raj
I know I'm not supposed to discuss prices in this forum, but I think I can say where I bought my Panny. I ordered it from Vanns.com. They have a bundled deal that includes the PT50DL-54 and a Sony Gx-300 DVD recorder. The price of this bundle, coupled with free shipping and no sales tax was a dealmaker for me.
This vendor maintains a good reputation, and I have been satisfied with prior purchases from them.

Thnx Big Dave!

I bought the panasonic DLP TV 4 months ago, and I absolutely love it. It has beter clarity and all the features you can ask for. Can somebody repost the cal. specifications including the service menu options. Why do we have to go to the service menu. I bought this tv online from ABT store in chicago.Their service was fabulous, it arrived on time without any problems.

For Topp's settings, check page 22 and 38 of this thread.

Just a little FYI on the calibration settings on these TV sets (maybe all TV sets for all I know, but I’ll concentrate on the one that I have for now).
I used Topp’s settings to change the out-of-the-box settings to something more realistic when I got my TV in mid December. After Christmas, New Years, bills, somehow contracting cancer and going for surgery and the like I finally got around to looking for DVE here in Ont. Well it’s damned hard to find I tell you. I ended up ordering it online in early Feb.from e-bay for $14.88 plus tax, exchange rate, shipping, customs, yadda-yadda etc. for $25.00cdn delivered from a great place with 100% feedback called DVDMaxim. I Then “officially” calibrated the Cinema setting last night and you can physically see the differences especially using the colour filters. I realized my blue and red were spot-on but I have to get my green more pronounced using the Tint. I also expanded my contrast ratio by going back and forth between Brightness (getting black down to being black) and Picture (contrast- stopping white just before saturation) Long story short—spend the extra 1% of your TV and get a calibration disk like DVE. It’s worth it

JW
PS My settings were close to the other settings mentioned in this forum but were still off.

I got my panny delivered Yesterday afternoon and from the moment i connected the HDMI up and turned it on, I was in video heaven. Even the delivery guys sat down and watched it a bit with me... watching fish spawn on Discovery HD.. never thought it would be so interesting...

There was a post not long ago about a guy who spend HOURS in the store looking at the Panny and not seeing any RBE until he got it home.. I am the same way, i NEVER saw RBE in store on this set (although i was able to see it on other sets) but once i got watching this one i saw it after about 5 min.. and can see it on demand... I don't see it as a deal breaker though, I'd still buy it if i saw the RBE in store.. one thing that was actually quite amusing is I did a test pattern of a circle to on the THX Optimizer.. It was funny cause I couldn’t even see the circle all I saw was a bunch of rainbows in a circular shape. :) But it isn’t bad on reg. HD programming...
The fan is noticeable only when the sound is down and i am sure it is a factor of me not having much furniture in my room and it just reverberating off the walls. Really don’t notice it when TV is on.
I am using an OLD 1999 Panny DVD non prog. scan with component video and the picture is absolutely amazing, i threw in Ice age and was blown away.. I then threw in Star Wars and again was blown away... I had never seen DVD on HD tv before so it was a treat :)

Questions I have.. Is it OK to run the Side Black Bars all the time for SD transmissions? Or should I run Grey? Or Stretched? I prefer the black bars but don’t want to burn anything (yes i know DLP isn’t prone to burn in I just want to cover my bases)

-Kurt

No issue with burn-in, black bars are fine.

I still have an interlaced dvd player. Is there a benefit to getting a progressive scan player with this set? My understanding is that the dvd itself has an interlaced signal but a progressive player deinterlaces it before sending the signal. Does the progressive scan doubler in this tv do the same thing as a progressive player? If that's the case, I'll save myself the expense of buying a progressive player.

I got my 50" Panasonic DLP and s97 a week ago. So here are my answers to your questions:

1. can't answer that i have no idea.

2. I have the s97 hooked up through HDMI and it looks fantastic. I updated the s97 to the latest firmware also. Have played around with the matrix, lord of the rings return of the king, some star wars movies, etc and they all look great. Best looking DVD on a TV that i have ever seen myself.

3. Fan noise? well the fan noise on my HTPC is louder then the TV. the only time that i notice it is when the house is quiet and i shut the TV off. The fan runs for another minute. Personally, i can't pick it out when the TV is on. Whether they made a change to quiet the fans or people are just really picky i have no idea.


Originally posted by AkaStp
A few questions about the Panny DLP...

1. Does this TV have an all digital path from the HDMI input to the display (like the Samsung DLPs) or is the HDMI input coverted to analog on entry to the TV?

2. Is anyone using the Panasonic S97 upconvert DVD player via HDMI with this TV? If so, how is the resulting PQ?

3. Is fan noise a real problem with this TV?

Originally posted by spider12
I still have an interlaced dvd player. Is there a benefit to getting a progressive scan player with this set? My understanding is that the dvd itself has an interlaced signal but a progressive player deinterlaces it before sending the signal. Does the progressive scan doubler in this tv do the same thing as a progressive player? If that's the case, I'll save myself the expense of buying a progressive player.

I am not 100% sure, but i have an old interlaced DVD player with component out and it looks beautiful... I am pretty sure the TV converts it to progressive once it gets to the tv.... I say save the money.. I did and it looks great

-Kurt

Well sorry to hear you see rainbows. I have not seen one on my 50" DLP and am completely happy. for people looking at DLPs buy it from a dealer that will allow you to take it back and if you see rainbows return it. Personally for the money nothing beats it in terms of PQ and I am 100 percent satisfied with mine.

" am not 100% sure, but i have an old interlaced DVD player with component out and it looks beautiful... I am pretty sure the TV converts it to progressive once it gets to the tv.... I say save the money.. I did and it looks great"

I have to disagree. Spent the money on an upconverting DVD player with HDMI out. I have the Toshiba V592 upconverting player. I have used it's component out and two other component DVD players. The HDMI hook up on the Panny is superior to component.

As for fan noise. The fan noise on my TV was audible for about 3 months. Not terrible but annoying at very low audio levels. The fan noise disappeared. I did not just become accustomed to it, it is actually not audible until you turn the set off. After about 1 minute the fan switches of unlike some other brands.

I have never seen RBE on it.

Got a question for you. Are you running HDMI and able to change the aspect ratio? It says in the manual you can not. Or are you switching between Component and HDMI depending on if it's a HD signal or not? I personally do not like stretching 4:3 programming as it looks really bad that way IMO.

Originally posted by batlin27
I got my panny delivered Yesterday afternoon and from the moment i connected the HDMI up and turned it on, I was in video heaven. Even the delivery guys sat down and watched it a bit with me... watching fish spawn on Discovery HD.. never thought it would be so interesting...

There was a post not long ago about a guy who spend HOURS in the store looking at the Panny and not seeing any RBE until he got it home.. I am the same way, i NEVER saw RBE in store on this set (although i was able to see it on other sets) but once i got watching this one i saw it after about 5 min.. and can see it on demand... I don't see it as a deal breaker though, I'd still buy it if i saw the RBE in store.. one thing that was actually quite amusing is I did a test pattern of a circle to on the THX Optimizer.. It was funny cause I couldn’t even see the circle all I saw was a bunch of rainbows in a circular shape. :) But it isn’t bad on reg. HD programming...
The fan is noticeable only when the sound is down and i am sure it is a factor of me not having much furniture in my room and it just reverberating off the walls. Really don’t notice it when TV is on.
I am using an OLD 1999 Panny DVD non prog. scan with component video and the picture is absolutely amazing, i threw in Ice age and was blown away.. I then threw in Star Wars and again was blown away... I had never seen DVD on HD tv before so it was a treat :)

Questions I have.. Is it OK to run the Side Black Bars all the time for SD transmissions? Or should I run Grey? Or Stretched? I prefer the black bars but don’t want to burn anything (yes i know DLP isn’t prone to burn in I just want to cover my bases)

-Kurt

Originally posted by Polymer
Got a question for you. Are you running HDMI and able to change the aspect ratio? It says in the manual you can not. Or are you switching between Component and HDMI depending on if it's a HD signal or not? I personally do not like stretching 4:3 programming as it looks really bad that way IMO.

You change ratio with the device feeding the set. I have an DirecTV HD TiVo and the run HDMI only. I don't had to stretch standard programing. Same thing holds true with my Momitsu DVD player. I control ratio with the player. Works great!

Originally posted by Polymer
Got a question for you. Are you running HDMI and able to change the aspect ratio? It says in the manual you can not. Or are you switching between Component and HDMI depending on if it's a HD signal or not? I personally do not like stretching 4:3 programming as it looks really bad that way IMO.


Yea I am running HDMI, and no it wont let you change the Aspect Ratio, I have only watched HD programming with the HDMI (all SD programming is run through my Tivo (s-video and separate d* receiver), and i do that with the 4:3 side bars.. looks pretty good that way)
One thing that kind of sucks it that it wont let you do PIP with HDMI!!! I was hoping now that i have two receivers i could.....

Question I have, every once in a while the screen will go black for about 1-2 sec and then come back to normal.. on HDMI.. i actually had my screen go completely blank on s-video too... the lamp was on because i could see the glow of the screen but i couldn't get anything to show up.... these might be two separate problems though...

Also... I put a test pattern on the screen and centered the v-pos and h-pos... (DVD, Component 1) now my s-video (SD programming) for which i run 4:3 with side bars, the box isn't centered on the screen, it is off by about 3/4 of an inch... Anyone else have this?

Thanks
Kurt

Well, I regret to say that I have sold my Panny...less than a week after I bought it....the rainbows reared their ugly (and intolerable,) head, and I could not bear it. They were jarring, ignoring them was impossible....
The screen looked great, and I would have kept it if it weren't for the rainbows. Luckily I knew a guy who was about to buy the same tv. He can't see the rainbows.

Also, I must say that I was dissappointed in one area of the viewing experience...the color banding was worse than I expected it to be, especially in darker scenes. By color banding I mean that transitions between lighter and darker areas or between areas of similar color were 'stepped' and not smooth as with a CRT. I realize this is inherent to most digital displays, I just didn't expect it to be so noticable.

Anyhoo, I bought the Hitachi 51S715 which will be delivered tomorrow. Just wanted to post here to let people know that if you see rainbows...they do still exist on this set.

How many times are you going to post that you sold your TV because you see rainbows?

On another note, my set came in today. Didn't have to play with it but am looking forward to getting out of work this evening.

Crap, didn't realize that I posted on this forum yesterday..thought it was on another one. I'll edit the first post.

I think it is a given that rainbow seers will see rainbows on ANY one-chip DLP. However, from a lot of anecdotal evidence, they do seem to be less prevalent and less severe in general on the Panny.

Should have bought the set from somewhere with a return policy. Hope the hitachi works out better for you.

I agree with the rainbow thing - it sucks if you see them but i have not had one complaint from anyone who has viewed my set.

It wasn't a problem selling it...I sold it for the same price I bought it for...since I got a good deal, the guy didn't mind paying that since he wouldn't have to wait.

Like I said, it was a great set, I was blown away by it's brightness and color. Would have loved not to have sold it. I guess if I ever want a dlp, I'll have to wait for a 3 chip design.

I couldn't go with an LCD or DILA, as I wasn't satisfied with their black levels. The Panny has EXCELLENT blacks for a digital display.

So I'm off to CRT land. Wish me luck.

Good luck, KungFool! I'm in an even worse spot...the Panny DLP is my only hope. The SDE is terrible on LCD IMO. I don't like the PQ or the reliability on the JVC. The Panny is the best DLP and the one least likely to have serious rainbow problems. I don't want a gigantic 200 pound beast of a CRT as my TV.

So if the Panny doesn't pan out (it arrives tomorrow), then it's back to wait mode with my 20" Mitsu for who knows how long....until plasma and or LCOS come out with something affordable.

Sorry that rainbows ruined it for you, but glad you still realize what a great display it is.

Yeah, although the weight of the Hitachi CRT (about 187 lbs) is more than twice that of the panny, the dimensions are actually quite similar (with the panny being on a stand. I had the PLC5000, which rocks BTW).
It's only about 5 or 6" thicker. The panny on the stand is actually a bit wider and taller.

Ok, now I have had my TV go blank on HDMI too.. i was watching an HD college Basketball game and all of a sudden the screen went black.. wouldnt respond to anything... the green power light was one.. i could see the lamp was on.. just no picture.. couldnt change inputs, tried to change resolution of my box... nothing...
I had to power off then on...
Anyone have this?

Got mine this morning. Delivery guy was great. It was supposed to be curbside but he come up and helped me unload it. We took it out the box and carried it inside. I stood back and thought, "They always say it looks bigger once you get it home."

After an hour or two of running, I put in Topps suggestions and played around with that for a bit. I have Avia but probably wont get around to that for a few days. Haven't messed with the service menu at all.

After a couple hours the picture seemed better; almost like it needed to warm up for awhile. I've heard this is common.

Discover looks great. ESPNHD basketball was pretty darn cool. Survivor, Tilt and CSI looked fantastic.

Can't really hear the fan unless I'm trying to hear it. A non-issue so far. I don't think I've ever seen a rainbow. Tonight on Survivor, in one scene there were palm trees in the far background against a bright sky. The leaves seemed to rainbow colors. I focused on them and they certainly weren't green. I'm guessing it's the feed. Haven't seen anything else and that's while trying. I'm sure in a day or two I'll loosen up and just enjoy it without trying to find all the problems. All this through components. Haven't ordered a DVI->HDMI cable yet. (should I?)

Only DVD I've tried was Primus and it's not exactly the best to test. However, it seemed black where it should be and looked good. We plan to watch a movie tomorrow night.

I have sound coming out of the TV at the moment. I'm going to run it straight to my receiver tomorrow. Couldn't get optical out to run on my Comcast Motorola HD-DVR. Not sure if it's supported right now. I'll run rca cables tomorrow to check for any lag.

Speakers on the unit are pretty good. I watched most of CSI from a side angle where my recliner is. Still loved the picture and I was only 7' or 8' away at probably a 30 or 40 degree angle. Great stuff.

Overall, I'm really impressed and happy about my purchase. The wife likes it. It's big, but I'm already getting used to that. Makes the room look impressive.

ACK, yet another question... anyone ever get a complete GREEN screen for about 5 sec and then goes back to normal programming?

:( i am scared i might be calling service....

I've had green flickers but it was related to the cable box. I was getting the same thing on my 27" CRT before the new set arrived.

With all your problems, it sounds like a service call is in order. No way it should be doing the things you've described.

Originally posted by rdank
Haven't ordered a DVI->HDMI cable yet. (should I?)

YES. It makes a noticeable difference. And you don't need to spend $100 plus for a "quality monster cable". Generic cables work very well IMHO.

I had my TV hooked up with the panasonic s97 through the HDMI and the HDTV box through components. Got a DVI - HDMI cable and got to play around with it last night. I don't know if it is the box or the cable but i like the picture from the components better. I had them both hooked up and was able to switch back and forth. Tried both HDTV and regular brodcasts. For the regular TV it made no difference. For the HDTV the DVI to HDMI made the picture look of all things a little softer. I thought it was me and had my gf sit down and i switched back and forth not telling her which was which and she picked the component output also. I didn't have a lot of time to play with it last night but i wanted the cable for my HTPC anyways so it is no big loss.

also my cable box is a motorola 6208 - anyone care to venture why the DVI-HDMI cable doesn't make the picture better or does it really just come down to a preference?

Originally posted by rdank
I've had green flickers but it was related to the cable box. I was getting the same thing on my 27" CRT before the new set arrived.

With all your problems, it sounds like a service call is in order. No way it should be doing the things you've described.

Which Cable Box you running? I have a D* H10....
I am wondering if my tv shutting off is related to the "power surge" problem I saw in an earlier post... i "think" it might be happening when my Heat/AC turns on in the house but i havent been able to reproduce.... Maybe i should pick up a UPS? i have it on a 3700J Surge Protector...

I'm running off a Motorola Comcast HD DVR box. Not sure the model number.

The power thing might be it. You can always shut off the heat, turn on the set, and then power on and off the AC/heat to see if it's tripping it.

Might want to hit up some place with a good return policy and get a UPS. If it ends up solving the problem, keep it. If not, return it if you wish.

The green I was talking about is just flickers. Sometimes half the screen, sometimes the whole screen. But, it was doing that on my previous set as well with S-video so it's definately the box. I might need comcast to come out and condition the lines or drop another one if it keeps happening. Last night was flicker free, though.

Thank you for the speedy replies!
Any recomendations on a good UPS? (hopefully under 100 bux)

Nope. I've never needed one before. I was going to start looking this weekend and figure out my best option with respect to power and price. With nice weather here till mid-next week, I haven't been in a hurry. While my power is fairly stable, it does flip off and on probably once every month or two during bad weather.

If you end up looking at some and picking one up, let me know what you decided. I'm thinking I'll put one in so I can turn off the set and let it cool should the power go out.

I am going to go to Frys either at lunch or after work today. and see what I see.. you can return anything to Frys :) Might be a good idea even if it doesnt fix my problem that way i dont lose another Tivo Harddrive to a Lightning storm :)

I have the Belkin 750VA UPS and seems to work great. I tested by removing power from the UPS and my TV and receiver kept working. Check the Belkin series for one that suits your needs. You might need a more powerful one (900, 1100VA...)

After having the set a couple days and watching a few hours of HD again last night, color me impressed. The picture on the Panasonic 50" is just incredible. I love it.

I got my Panny yesterday. Incredible pic right out of the box; all I have done so far is switch the picture to "cinema" and it looks great.

SD television, I would term "very good"...much better than I expected from a 50" TV. DVD is simply awesome. I haven't even got HD hooked up yet!

I watched in the dark and watched some DVDs that I thought would generate rainbows. I did see a handful, but ONLY when I looked away from the TV or lost focus on the TV (I didn't do this intentionally). When I am actually watching the TV, I haven't seen any.

Only minor complaint: They shipped me a TV that was manufactured in July 04!! I even asked them ahead of time to send me the most recent build. Would I be able to return it to get a newer one? The fan noise isn't that bad, but noticeable in some cases, and I heard the recent ones are better in that regard. I just feel when you plunk down $2500, you ought not to get something that has been sitting in a warehouse for 6 months.

What is the manufacture date for some of you others who recently got the TV? It is on the back towards the right side.

I'll try to provide a fuller report later.

got mine a week ago and the build date is December 04. I am in canada though. They probably don't keep huge stock up here and just order when they need it so thats why i got a later date.

I can't hear the fan unless the TV is off and I walk up to it. Then again where my TV sits there is not a solid wall behind it. more like a slatted screen that is not solid. So i might not be getting the reflected noise off a wall. But i find my PVR makes more noise then the TV - also my HTPC is way louder when it is running and it is pretty quiet as computers go.

As for both me and my gf have neither seen rainbows. Maybe we are just lucky and don't see them.

What i find is a worse problem is if the ambient lighting is low i see halo's around high contrast sceens like when you see a light colour object on a black background. I had lasik eye surgery and this is a common side effect to see halos and star bursts around lights at night. It is a factor of how much your eye dialates - some people get none others get more. The easiest way for me to see if it in the credits with white writing on black background. I saw that on my regular TV and at the movies. But with this TV i assume because the contarst is so high is see them on some scenes between objects. Easy fix is to increase the ambient lighting. It tends to get worse as i get tired and the eyes get woked at the end of a day. I would assume this would be a problem on all TV's that are bright and high contrast. It isn't a show stopper for me and has an easy fix. Just a warning for people who have had laser eye surgery.

Dave - Mine is July 04. I can't really hear the fan and when I do, it doesn't bother me. I sit a good 10-11' away and unless I turn the volume off and listen for the fan, it's non-existant.

How do you go about hooking up your PC to the TV?

I bought my PT-50DL54 on 2/25/05 and its build date is Oct. 2004...i can't hear the fan unless i turn the tv off and stick my head behind the tv wile the fan it still running. I noticed that the sticker on the back of the tv identifies it as a PT-50DL54J... i wonder if the "J" is indicative of a build series or something.

Basically i have a custom built system in a small form factor case that i have hooked to the TV. Most video cards will allow you output S Video or you can use a regular monitor cable as the panasonic has those imputs. To get full wide screen on the panasonic i believe you have to have a vid card with DVI out and use an adapter that allows DVI to component or use a DVI to HDMI cable.

I use XP media Centre 2005 - but there are plenty of free Linux based programs that do the same thing. Media Centre is just an app that runs on top of XP - lets you control basic fucntions through a simple interface and a remote control. I use it to access pictures and Videos from my main computer (house is wired and have an ethernet connection behind the TV). Also can use it to access my music collection on my main system.

There are many walkthroughs online on how to set up a HTPC - do a search and take a look.

Originally posted by DLP-Dave
How do you go about hooking up your PC to the TV?

Originally posted by fourthirteen
I bought my PT-50DL54 on 2/25/05 and its build date is Oct. 2004...i can't hear the fan unless i turn the tv off and stick my head behind the tv wile the fan it still running. I noticed that the sticker on the back of the tv identifies it as a PT-50DL54J... i wonder if the "J" is indicative of a build series or something.

Ordered mine 2/10/05... mine is also a J model.. but my build date is Jan 05 :) brand spankin new!

-Kurt

Originally posted by batlin27
Ordered mine 2/10/05... mine is also a J model.. but my build date is Jan 05 :) brand spankin new!

-Kurt

could please share where u ordered the set

I ordered direct from Pansasonic.. My Employer gets me the Panasonic EPP price on their products....

-Kurt

Well, my July build also has the "J" at the end, so I guess that doesn't tell us anything. This Panasonic is a VERY VERY impressive set!!!

The fan noise is noticeable at lower volumes but not really bothersome; I have not decided whether to return it for a more recent build or not. If I knew of some specific issues they have fixed between now and then, I'd be more inclined to do so, but absent that, I feel since mine is working well, I'd probably be just as likely to get a set which is worse than a better one.

SD looks very good using a Dish 510 Receiver. DVD's look mind-blowingly good, and I am still waiting for the DIsh 811 to come so I can check out HD. Oh yeah, my sons haven't noticed any lag with the set while playing Gamecube, and they have played some games where they would have probably noticed - such as Need for Speed Underground.

OK... I have had my tv almost a week now.. and Here is my conclusion on the "Fan Noise" on this set...
I CAN hear it.. it is there.. a light "hum" but i can only hear it if the volume is off or very low.. BUT i will say.. for me i hear a high pitched noise on all CRT screens when ever the tv is on.. and THAT is more annoying then this tv.. Sometimes i will have the tv on mute and walk out of the room and back in the room after a while and be surprised the tv is on cause it is so quiet in the room...
So for me, at least with this tv.. Fan noise is not a problem...

-Kurt

Picked up the Omni Center Channel mount from UE for 34 bux this weekend. After about an Hour of fiddling with it and coming to the conclusion that the Panny was just too thin and too steep of a drop off i flipped it around and after a little modification i got it to work! If anyone needs help let me know.. I'll try and post a pic later on.. but it looks great in my opinion!

-Kurt

A couple of minor issues as I contemplate going into the service menu:

1) Has anyone done the recommended change of White Balance from 0 to 1, and if so, did it improve the PQ? What was the difference?

2) I seem to have a lot of overscan...for example, on Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, at the part where the creatures with wings are with Count Dooku in the "war room" and the creatures with wings are talking, the translation text appears at the bottom of the screen. At least half the text is invisible, because it is "below" the bottom of the screen. Is this more likely a problem of centering, or does the Panny just have a lot of overscan? Anyone else noticed the same problem on Star Wars?

3) When the TV is off and even on certain scenes when it is on, I can see a slightly bright spot in the middle of the TV towards the top. I would estimate that it is several square inches in size. I noticed this on the model at the store too. Has anyone else noticed this? I am not sure what this is...from certain angles, I cannot see it, but from other angles it is there.

I followed Topps calibration hints including the white balance change and imho it made a huge difference. It is easy enough to go back if you don't agree. The spot on the screen is just a light reflection. I believe it is addressed in the beginning of the operating manual.

Originally posted by DLP-Dave
A couple of minor issues as I contemplate going into the service menu:

2)... Is this more likely a problem of centering, or does the Panny just have a lot of overscan? Anyone else noticed the same problem on Star Wars?

3) When the TV is off and even on certain scenes when it is on, I can see a slightly bright spot in the middle of the TV towards the top. I would estimate that it is several square inches in size. I noticed this on the model at the store too. Has anyone else noticed this? I am not sure what this is...from certain angles, I cannot see it, but from other angles it is there.

2) Actually my Panny has a ridiculously low amount of overscan. After using DVE last week I realized that
a) I was off-ctr about 2.5% left and 1% up and...
b) my average was only about 2.0-2.5% overscan (right side 0% to the point that I can see a red border to the right of my tv w/ DVE but not w/ DVDs or BellXvu and the left side is approx. 4% over, therefore avg. is 2.5%
This is without tweaking anything

3) Mine too. I think page 2 of the users manual references light from outside sources causing a reflection from the inside of the TV back onto the inside of the screen. It disappears when the TVs on or ambient light is below a certain level.
JW

Originally posted by john caravello
I followed Topps calibration hints including the white balance change and imho it made a huge difference.

I followed them too when I got mine in December. They're a good starting point but I STRONGLY recommend DVE to fine-tune YOUR $2500 investment.
Topps info was close but his colour and tint info was not pertinent to my TV set. Spent the extra $20 and enjoy:D
JW

PS You have no idea what a couple of numbers up or down can do re. Col and Tint without looking through the colour filterd supplied w/ DVE. You can physically SEE the difference while looking through them as you change things.

Well, thanks for the help, guys...I am still interested in more feedback on the white balance change and on overscan.

Now, however, I have a bigger problem. Last night, I went to create a DVD for my son, and the TV would not turn on. I tried several times, but the power button kept blinking green for over a minute, so I'd turn it off, wait a bit and try again. This was over the course of about a half an hour. Finally I gave up on the thing and started making plans on returning it.

This morning, it seems to work fine again. However, since I'm within the 30 day return window and the set is an old build in the first place, I am pretty sure I am going to return it and get another Panny unit delivered. For $2500 I expect my TV to turn on all the time, not just when it feels like it.

Has anyone else experienced this problem with the set intermittently not working?

Just curious, what do you mean by blinking green?? The entire tv blinking on and off like the light show at a downtown bar... or just the green "temp" or "lamp" light on the bottom of the set. I got this TV too and want to know what to look for (5 yr warranty).

JW

Originally posted by DLP-Dave

3) When the TV is off and even on certain scenes when it is on, I can see a slightly bright spot in the middle of the TV towards the top. I would estimate that it is several square inches in size. I noticed this on the model at the store too. Has anyone else noticed this? I am not sure what this is...from certain angles, I cannot see it, but from other angles it is there.

this is normal. It's just a reflection. These screens are very reflective and if there's any light in the room, it may reflect off the screen and show up as a light colored spot or area. That's why you can only see it from certain angles. It's a reflection.

Originally posted by Jim Wy
Just curious, what do you mean by blinking green?? The entire tv blinking on and off like the light show at a downtown bar... or just the green "temp" or "lamp" light on the bottom of the set. I got this TV too and want to know what to look for (5 yr warranty).

JW

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. I am talking about the Power button. You know how normally when you turn the TV on, it blinks green for a few seconds and then turns solid green and your picture shows up?

Well, what happened was that I pushed the Power button, it blinked green but it kept blinking green for as long as I left it on. It never turned solid green and the picture never showed up. I tried this about 7 or 8 times over the course of half an hour. This was after it had been off for approximately 3 hours.

I went out to get a copy of DVE yesterday from bestbuy... On the packaged it said it was the NTSC version and on the back it said there are versions for PAL, NTSC and HDTV... but they didnt have the HDTV one... I looked online and they only list the NTSC version... I didnt pick it up because i didnt want to get the wrong thing...
What version do i get? (i know not to get PAL)

Thanks

http://store.yahoo.com/dvdinternational/dve-info.html

Below is an excerpt from the above-mentioned link from Joe Kane Productions...

"As seen on the pages of HE&D, DVD ETC., HDTV ETC. and Widescreen Review Magazines.

The year was 1997, and the disc for videophiles was Video Essentials, the ultimate home theater calibration tool of its time. Having sold over 300,000 copies, it was time to develop the next generation.

Now comes Digital Video Essentials, the most advanced program for calibrating today's televisions, including high definition, plasma and other state-of-the-art screens and home theater systems.

Featuring the visual work of renowned cinematographer Allen Daviau ("ET," "Empire of the Sun," "The Color Purple"), DVE is the one...the only...calibration program that will render all the other calibration programs obsolete.

Produced in the 1080 line progressive, 24-frame high definition format, DVE offers:

Technical features:

High-Quality conversion to 480p/24 for NTSC and 576p/25 for PAL formats

"True Progressive Mastering" used in MPEG encoding

1.78 widescreen

Basic, intermediate and advanced levels of video calibration

Red, green and blue color filters

Dolby Digital Pro-Logic, Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS ES multichannel audio test signals

More than 50 new video test patterns

1.78 widescreen anamorphic and 1.33 test materials"


All I see from their website is Pal and NTSC...both of which are formatted in 1080p (which is irrelevant if your DVD only does 480p :D )

JW

What is the manufacturer's warranty on the Panasonic DLP AND the bulb? I couldn't find this in the documentation I received when I got the TV.

UE is coming to exchange the TV tomorrow. They'll take the defective one out and put in a new one (hopefully with a newer build date too!!)

In the meantime, did anyone else do the change on White Balance in the service menu? How about the H-POS and V-POS? Do you need a calibration disk to be able to adjust that properly? I think I am going to play around in the service menu tonight on the one that is going to be taken away tomorrow...if it will turn on.

I believe the warranty is 1 year full and if the bulb dies in the first year it is replaced. After that you are on your own unless you get extended but most extended warranties don't cover bulb replacements.

DLP-Dave :

If you mess around in the service menu, please report back your findings. I'm interested in the white level setting among other things.

Thanks.

I messed around with the white balance setting yesterday, and to be honest, though I could definitely see a difference, I'm not sure which setting was better. To me it did make things slightly more reddish, not that that is necessarily bad. Some things seemed to look better to me, and some looked worse.

My only concern about the WB setting is whether Topp's setting is good for all Panny's or just happened to be the right one for that particular unit. I also adjusted the H-POS and the V-POS and it looked like Jim Wy's TV was very similar to mine...almost non-existent overscan on the sides, and slightly less than 2% on the top and bottom (after I centered it).

I'm exchanging for a hopefully newer and better unit today, so we'll see what the differences are.

This thread seems to be dead, or at least comatose. I'll take that as a good thing, that all the Panny owners are off enjoying their TV's. I did get my exchange model yesterday, and it was from October 2004. A little better, but still a bit frustrated. As long as it works, I'll keep it though.

I got my HD receiver from Dish yesterday, too, so I'm quite excited to hook that up.

Definitely haven't heard any of the first three from any Panny owner on this 70 page thread. I think #4 is found with any DLP to some extent, but I don't really know what they are talking about because I've never seen any clay faces, except for when I watched a horror movie about a clay golem!!

I remember also reading that some people on this thread thought that the clay face problem was diminished from their previous DLP.

Just a heads up, Tweeter drastically cut the price on the Panny DLP today. There have been at least 2 people to successfully pricematch it in-store at their local Tweeter.

Originally posted by rdank
Just a heads up, Tweeter drastically cut the price on the Panny DLP today. There have been at least 2 people to successfully pricematch it in-store at their local Tweeter.
Yes, this is about the best price I've seen on the Panny from a reputable dealer. I think you have to purchase by March 15 though.

Sorry but...what happens on March 15th?

Originally posted by Ed Weinman
Sorry but...what happens on March 15th?

The extra 10% off at Tweeter ends.

Ah!

Is their any current audio/video sync problems with the set? (not individual problems).

No lag problems that I've seen. I don't recall reading about any such problems in the last few weeks, either.

I finally got HD hooked up on Saturday morning. Absolutely beautiful!! No one wanted to leave the room for quite a long time.

This TV totally rocks - it is top-notch with any input, HD, SD, DVD, you name it. No home should be without one... ;-)

Unfortunately, I am a rainbow seer, but the rainbows don't bother me much on the Panny. I rarely see them unless I am distracted; then I see them out of the corner of my eye. I might see about a rainbow an hour at most when I am actually focused on the TV. None of my other family members that have watched the TV so far seem to notice them even as much as I do, and most don't see them at all.

Originally posted by rdank
The extra 10% off at Tweeter ends.
I ran to my local electronic's store listed above [trying to stay within the rules] and they did indeed honor the price on their website. They had to call the corporate office and were told to do so. The store manager wasn't very happy to have not known anything about this in advance of my coming in. I told him to watch this thread and he may learn something.

If you go to one of these stores, make sure you ask about the 10% clearance discount. They didn't offer it me immediately, but as soon as I showed them the screen capture from their site, they okayed it. Should be delivered on Thursday in the AM.

The model of the set was never in doubt. This was the deal that made me decide on where to buy it. I'd much rather buy it from a local, dependable store than an online store that I'm not sure of and that doesn't have a return policy. Not to mention that since delivery and setup are free, it was a better price than anywhere I shopped online. A big thanks to rdank for the heads up.

Now, does anyone have any experience with a 4 year extended warranty from Repair Master for this unit? The retail store above offers their warranty for twice as much and for a year less coverage. They do offer one bulb replacement...not sure about Repair Master. Thanks in advance for any advice.

In the documentation included, there is something about an extended warranty through Panasonic. I haven't called yet for details. Number is 800-637-2007. Seems to suggest they have "early bird" pricing available as well.

If you call and get details, would you mind posting? I just haven't really had the time or thought about it when I did.

Originally posted by rdank
If you call and get details, would you mind posting? I just haven't really had the time or thought about it when I did.
Well I called and I waited and waited and waited. Finally, the operator said she'd have someone call me back. They did and I wasn't impressed by the warranty prices at all. They do include in home color adjustments etc. which others don't, but the cost is 599.95 for one year and 849.95 for two years...and that does not cover bulb replacements. She said they are renewable ad infinitum (I guess so at those prices).

No kidding. Those prices are terrible. Guess I might send in that info card where the number came from. It should give me a good laugh when I get their info back.

Thanks for posting that info. Guess I might consider a different warranty later this year.

I just ordered my Panny DLP today as well from my local B&M with pricing help from DLP-Dave. My local store gets it from a store in suburban Minneapolis that reports that this set is their best selling tv. My local store is now thinking about carrying this tv for this reason, and they can't wait to see it also... Should have it either tomorrow or Wednesday!

Derek,

Wow, that is very interesting! I think this TV is well on it's way to cult-hit status. You know, like the great movies which hardly anyone has ever heard of?

I think this TV is firmly in that category. Just out of curiousity, Derek, could you find out the name of the store that your local store gets it from?

Panasonic doesn't seem that interested in marketing this set, though. They are sitting on a gold mine.

I know it's not a chain. I will find out when he delivers my tv.

Anyone thinking of buying the Pany DLP should move pretty quickly. Purchased one over the weekend at the great price but was shocked at what the extended warranty price was.

In calling Panasonic today to find out who the closest dealer would be since I will be going the Visa extended warranty route I commented on the stores moving it on their clearance list. I was told by the CSR that they have discontinued the model. Her listing of 2005 models had a DLP note but no model number yet. She thought they would begin shipping in July. Considering how difficult it is to find this model I cannot imagine they will be available that much longer.

I also was happy I did not buy the stores extended warranty as I discovered today that they have a 50 mile limit from the store.I would of paid for something that would of been worthless.

So let me get this straight Tweeter has this for the listed price on their website plus another 10%?

How does this compare to the Toshiba 52HM84?

Correct on the 10%. At least 2 people have successfully price matched in-store to the $2499 + 10% additional off.

This is regarded by many as the best DLP picture available.

The website price is considerably lower then the in-store price which makes the extra 10% clearance discount such a great deal. The in-store price has not changed so I cannot imagine how this company is not going to take some real flak down the line from some very upset customers who will feel they have been ripped off.

In any event, I am very happy to have purchased a great set at a price much lower then I had budgeted for a HDTV. Who knows this set may become a collectors item.

I went to tweeter and they did the 2499, but would not do the 10% extra b/c tweeter.com no longer has them in stock.
I was kinda upset about that, thats $225 i missed out on. Any tips on how to get it?
Thanks Rob

That does not make any sense at all. The stores stock and their website stock is all the same company. I would now just try ordering it on-line and it's Free delivery anyway.

I think the salesperson just did not want to give the further discount.

Well thats the thing, try to add the tv to your cart online. He said they are not the same stock, there are other tweeters by me should i try them tommorrow? How did you get yours, what did you say?

Well! It was a great deal and the warehouse for on-line does seem to be out. I guess the first thing I would do is call them and see what the situation is. Next you could always pay the $2,499 and then send a letter to Tweeters corporate office asking for a refund.Having a storefront and also selling mail order I cannot imagine treating my customers differently.

I had to pay sales tax so the price I paid was actually a bit higher then the lowest priced Internet company which does have a very good reputation. If you are in an area where you can call other stores it looks like the decision on the extra 10% is being made by each store manager so that is also a route you could go.

I have a real sense the total stock of this model is going to disappear pretty fast.

Originally posted by rxtrom
I went to tweeter and they did the 2499, but would not do the 10% extra b/c tweeter.com no longer has them in stock.
I was kinda upset about that, thats $225 i missed out on. Any tips on how to get it?
Thanks Rob
I made a screen capture of the price on their site from the shopping cart and presented that to my local Tweeter this morning. I wound up paying $2249 (free delivery and setup if you live within 25 miles) and judging from the reaction of the store manager, I didn't think it would stay on the corporate site too long. I've been looking at this set for a couple of months and this was the best deal I could find anywhere, so I jumped on it (thanks again rdank). I just checked this evening and the set itself is missing from their site. BTW, they kept my printed copy.

Interesting how they had their page set up. I couldn't print out the 10% price to save my life. It would show on the screen but the only thing that would print out was the 2499 price. I even downloaded the site page into MS Frontpage and it wouldn't allow me to print out the lower price. Had to do with the webpage coding. I had to use Snagit to copy a picture of the page.

As far as warranties go, I found the 4 year Repair Master (starts after the original runs out so a total of 5 years) in home warranty for $184 and free shipping. They also have a new bulb replacement warranty for 3 years (starts after teh original warranty runs out for total of 4 years) for $139 and free shipping. Combined, that's still considerably cheaper than Tweeter's 4 year warranty (which starts at day of purchase) and only allows for 1 bulb replacement during the length of the contract.

Heck yeah, BJMoose. Welcome to the Panasonic DLP owner's club. Those Repair Master warranties you found look pretty interesting. I might have to research those myself. Appreciate that info.

It is off their site now. That's a shame. I guess once their warehouse stock ran out and they kept having to sell it in store for that price they nixed the item all together.

Glad at least a few people were able to get this price locally. My friend ended up paying just about the same as I did from an internet site. Good deal.

Originally posted by rdank
Heck yeah, BJMoose. Welcome to the Panasonic DLP owner's club. Those Repair Master warranties you found look pretty interesting. I might have to research those myself. Appreciate that info.
You can find info and the prices I quoted (bulb replacement is 129 not 139) from one of the sponsors of the AVS site [TVA]. One thing I need to check out on the bulb replacement...there's a discrepancy on the site. The ad says it runs concurrently with the orginal warranty. The info and explanation of the warranty says it starts after the original expires. It replaces up to two bulbs during the covered period. Tweeter only covered one and was much more expensive. Can't wait til the Panny arrives on Thursday morning.

Just as I thought, the price difference between the in-store price and their web-site price was a recipe for a public relations disaster. Looks like the store managers raised a real stink . I am curious though on how the website actually fulfills the orders. As there are regional warehouses serving the stores I cannot imagine that the website does not use those warehouses. Considering the escalating costs of shipping it would not make any sense to ship from one warehouse. The stores are still able to order the Pany so it is an interesting question.

It could also be that Tweeter was trying to get rid of their warehouse stock on the Panny, and they have succeeded.

I have Been reading this forum for months and have learned way too much information. I took the plunge today and bought the Panasonic DLP after agonizing over whether to go with CRT projection, LCD or DLP. The set arrives Monday...can't wait. Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone who posts to this forum as I never would have got this much information from a salesman.

Well, I guess someone put the kibosh on the deal. It's not even listed on their website anymore. I can't find the TV!

Sigh...I always miss the deals.

Nick

There are always deals .You can find this model at about the same price as the Tweeters deal on the Internet. Look for the site named after a famous President. They have a very good reputation.

I just purchased this unit today from a local retailer for $2374. I just now discovered this forum, but from what I've read on this thread, I made a wise choice. I looked at this model at three different locations and was impressed by the PQ over other similar units every time.

I am picking it up Friday and can't wait to get it set up. I do have a few general home theater questions, hopefully someone will feel like answering.

I also picked up a Harmon Kardon home theater 5.1 receiver w/Infinity speakers. I don't have the model numbers in front of me, but it is a very nice system. The salesman talked me into purchasing the top of the line Monster cables for all of my audio/video connections. The cost of all the cables came to over $600. Does this sound out of line? And can I get by with a slightly lesser quality cable (I see Monster makes different levels of quality)? I understand the importance of quality cables, but am wondering if I need the absolutely best (and of course most expensive) cables.

Thanks in advance for your help. I am new to the home theater scene and want to make educated decisions.

Dartgod welcome and congrats on the purchase! I am still trying to save up for this unit.

On your other issue, take them back! You don't need Monster cables. Read through some other posts in this forum and you will easily find out that I am not alone in telling you this. Plenty of other cheaper choices.

Take back the cables. Or, better yet, hook them up and see how it sounds. Then, go to Walmart, etc. and buy reasonably priced cables and see if you can tell a difference.

If you can you'll be the first person I know that has.

Just a heads up, I purchased this tv today and was able to get it for a very good price at Ultimate Electronics. Just about as low as you can find it online. Unfortunately I couldn't fit it in our car so its being delivered tomorrow.
btw, I don't think it is, but if this post is in violation of posting rules I apologize and mods can delete it.

mouth,
would you care to mention the deal you got at UE?

thx.

I've heard rumors that Panny is going to discontinue this model, has anyone else heard this? Also, I have seen some web sites with a 60" Panny with tuners, but they all say pre-order at this point. Does anyone know where to get one now? The only reason I haven't bought one already is because I wanted at least a 60".
Also, has anyone heard about Panny having plans for a model with the xHD3 chip? Would love to hear about any news or substansial rumors. Thanks

Originally posted by Dartgod

The salesman talked me into purchasing the top of the line Monster cables for all of my audio/video connections. The cost of all the cables came to over $600. Does this sound out of line?
I don't know about video cables, but there is great controversy about whether cheap (like Radio Shack's best) and expensive audio cables sound different. Researchers did double-blind tests and found that people cannot hear the difference, not even nose-in-the-air audio salesmen.

They have a bridge for sale near me! Bring them back NOW!

Yes the new models are coming out. From what has been said there will not be a 50" - only a 56" and a 61" (?). They will have the speakers on the bottom not on the sides currently. No idea what chip is being used. There was a picture of the new ones floating around from CES do a search and see if you can find it.

Originally posted by jefho
I've heard rumors that Panny is going to discontinue this model, has anyone else heard this? Also, I have seen some web sites with a 60" Panny with tuners, but they all say pre-order at this point. Does anyone know where to get one now? The only reason I haven't bought one already is because I wanted at least a 60".
Also, has anyone heard about Panny having plans for a model with the xHD3 chip? Would love to hear about any news or substansial rumors. Thanks

Panasonic announced but did not show a 1080p DLP. Here's a picture of one of the 720p models from the show.

I am currently waiting to see the new Samsung models coming out, put really like the Panny DLP. If the imformation is above, I need to get the 50 now before they go out of stock. WHat sizes are coming out.

I am glad I got this one before it was discontinued.. I dont like the look of the new one.

Got my new Panny today. It's all set up and we're currently watching Harry Potter with the kids. I'm impressed...no rainbows for any of us, no ghosting, and the fan sound level is more than acceptable. I used Topp's initial settings from earlier in this thread to get started. I will calibrate with Avia and DVE this weekend for finetuning. I've examined the Samsungs, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Panasonic and to my eyes this is the best of the four. Can't believe I got such a great deal from a local reputable dealer on this set.

BJMoose,
Let us know your calibrated settings when you get done...it's interesting to see how much variation there is. Also, did you use Topp's White Balance change of 0 to 1 and how did that look?

Does this tv show 1080i or 480p, etc when flipping channels? I don't see any indication of that in the manual. Seems like a useful bit of info to show. Also, the manual says POP not available with HD signal (or something like that)--I'm assuming this means the HD signal must be on the left and not that you really can't show an HD signal in split screen.

Thanks for the info.

p.s. The price seems to have quickly dropped on this model--is this simply indicative of new models rolling out or is there some major flaw that no one is talking about??

I don't believe anyone has found a way to see what signal is being displayed. I wish it would, but it not really a big deal.

Not sure about the POP thing you wrote about. HD signals are available on both right and left side of split screen. HMDI and RGB are not available in split screen, I don't think (my cable and DVD are both on component right now). To compare images, throw the same channels on split screen with one in HD. HD signals actually look pretty good in split screen. I've had the split screen up tonight for a couple hours watching 2 basketball games at once. Pretty cool.

As far as the price drops on the Panny, I suspect that Panasonic has, or will very soon, cease production on this model, and that is what is leading to the "clearance" prices.

I think the signal format is shown in the service menu. Unfortunately, the only way to exit the service menu once you are in is to turn the TV off.

I just remember the 40 inch height of the box.

Just bought a 50DL54 and I'm trying to get the remote to operate my Yamaha receiver. I only see 2 codes in the manual--101 and 102--neither of which work. I've tried the code-by-code approach also with no success. The receiver is brand new, so I would think their would be a code for it. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate it!!

Just got my Panny DLP last night. Turned it on this morning and its beautiful, and I don't even have a STB yet. Anyone try the Tosh v592 DVD/VCR combo? It was rated high on secrets, but I read somewhere it doesn't work with this tv...

Derek77.
I am using the V592 with a Panny DLP. The picture is as close as you will get to HD if you use the HDMI connection.

Progressive scan is very good but does not compare to HDMI with this TV.

I think that you will be very pleased with the Panny.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by hb2
Just bought a 50DL54 and I'm trying to get the remote to operate my Yamaha receiver. I only see 2 codes in the manual--101 and 102--neither of which work. I've tried the code-by-code approach also with no success. The receiver is brand new, so I would think their would be a code for it. If anyone knows, I'd appreciate it!! [/QUOTE

hb2,
I've got a Yamaha RX-V650 receiver, and the same problem you have. I got the Panny remote to operate my other equipment though. I spent half a night doing an internet search regarding this problem and came up empty handed.
I finally bought a Logitech Harmony remote to control all my equipment. I highly recommend it. It solved my problem, and now I finally have one easy to use remote, so easy even my wife can operate the home theater now. Logitech is currently offering a 25% rebate through March 15.

Originally posted by DLP-Dave
BJMoose,
Let us know your calibrated settings when you get done...it's interesting to see how much variation there is. Also, did you use Topp's White Balance change of 0 to 1 and how did that look?
Okay, I've calibrated my set with DVE for both the HDMI and Component modes. Not a whole lot of difference between the two, but not exactly the same as Topp's settings. I've come to the conclusion that even after tweaking with DVE, the PQ is somewhat subjective...depends a bit on one's eyesight and personal preference.

One question I have for anyone who used DVE and a Panny S97 to calibrate this set---did you get all three bars to show in the grey scale pluge? I could only get the 2 inside bars to show. I was a little disappointed in that you can't adjust settings for Cinema mode differently for both HDMI and Component. My Toshiba let me adjust each mode separately. To overcome this deficit, I used the Cinema mode for HDMI and Standard for Component.

HDMI: Color 17, Tint 26, Bright 20, Pict 60, Sharp 0, CTemp Warm

Component: Color 14, Tint 26, Bright 18 , Pict 60, Sharp 0, CTemp Warm


I tried the White Balance setting at both 0 and 1 and I settled on 0. Some things looked better at 1, but I wanted to reduce as much of the pink tint on faces as possible so I decided to go back to 0.

I watched Spiderman 2 (SuperBit Edition) after the adjustments and I have to admit I am really impressed. Even with all the reds and blues that populate this movie, skin tones remained fairly consistent. I've noticed however that skin tones change from one source to the other and even within the same source they can change depending on the lighting etc. If I have a chance this weekend, I'm going to re-calibrate using Avia to see if there's a noticable difference.

Originally posted by BJMoose

I tried the White Balance setting at both 0 and 1 and I settled on 0. Some things looked better at 1, but I wanted to reduce as much of the pink tint on faces as possible so I decided to go back to 0.

I came to the same conclusion...returned my WB to 00 because of the redness/pinkness.

I've also noticed the changes in skin tone from source-to-source and scene- to-scene...returning WB to 00 helped, and adjusting color and tint settings also helped.

I've got DVE calibation disc but haven't used it yet.

Originally posted by BJMoose
Okay, I've calibrated my set with DVE for both the HDMI and Component modes. Not a whole lot of difference between the two, but not exactly the same as Topp's settings. I've come to the conclusion that even after tweaking with DVE, the PQ is somewhat subjective...depends a bit on one's eyesight and personal preference.

One question I have for anyone who used DVE and a Panny S97 to calibrate this set---did you get all three bars to show in the grey scale pluge? I could only get the 2 inside bars to show. I was a little disappointed in that you can't adjust settings for Cinema mode differently for both HDMI and Component. My Toshiba let me adjust each mode separately. To overcome this deficit, I used the Cinema mode for HDMI and Standard for Component.

HDMI: Color 17, Tint 26, Bright 20, Pict 60, Sharp 0, CTemp Warm

Component: Color 14, Tint 26, Bright 18 , Pict 60, Sharp 0, CTemp Warm


I tried the White Balance setting at both 0 and 1 and I settled on 0. Some things looked better at 1, but I wanted to reduce as much of the pink tint on faces as possible so I decided to go back to 0.

I watched Spiderman 2 (SuperBit Edition) after the adjustments and I have to admit I am really impressed. Even with all the reds and blues that populate this movie, skin tones remained fairly consistent. I've noticed however that skin tones change from one source to the other and even within the same source they can change depending on the lighting etc. If I have a chance this weekend, I'm going to re-calibrate using Avia to see if there's a noticable difference.

BJMoose...... I have the same thing as you....s97 and just recalibrated using DVE this morning.

To see the 3rd bar (below black) you need to increase the brightness on the S97 to +1 or +2. I have mine at +2 and on the TV the brightness is set to 34 using DVE

Cheers

Subbie

I bought my panny dlp in sept 2004 from amazon.com

I think almost everyone is getting warrantech's repair master warranty.
What is the best place to buy the extended warranty for the TV and for the bulb ?

thanks

mudit

Well, just about to buy the 50" Panasonic DLP, but for the first while I'll need to put it on top of my entertainment unit (until I build a new one and the kids stop cleaning the TV screen with honey on bread). The shelf height is 44", viewing distance about 13-14 feet. I would expect some degradation of picture quality (ie less than perfect), but I could make this sacrifice for approx a year if it is bearable. Should I go ahead and buy or wait until a proper setup can be accomodated? Can the TV be tilted to accomodate the height setup? Thanks.

That height is probably not ideal, but if your furniture is average height, it will be more than watchable (although you may develop a stiff neck). However, for kids (or adults) who lay on the floor to watch TV, I expect that would be unacceptable.

Also, the center of gravity for these sets is much different from CRT displays. Not only should you not tilt it forward, but since you have small children, you should figure out a way to wire the set to the wall to keep it from tipping over accidentally. With no kids around, these sets are pretty safe, but some of the strangest things seem to happen with kids in the vicinity.

All that being said, the likelihood of finding this model around too much longer is slim. The new 2005+ models are not far away and word has it that the 50" model is not included in those plans.

Great thread, thanks everyone for all of your helpful information. I am anxious to purchase my first HDTV and have been comparing the Panny PT-50DL54 with the Sammy HL-P4674.

I recently read the Consumer Report's review of Rear Projection TVs and saw that the Panny was the #2 rated set behind the Sammy 85 series which is out of my price range. Unfortunately they didn't review the Sammy 74 series so I don't know how that compares to the Panny. Have any of you compared the two models? What are your thoughts?

It sounds like the current Panny will soon be replaced with the new model. I was interested in getting a model with a built-in tuner & CableCard slot. Will the new model have these features? What advice can you give regarding the current model or waiting for the newer model?

Lastly, I plan to use the TV almost exlcusively through an HTPC. I know there isn't a DVI port but I can use an HDMI/DVI cable or the RGB. Which of these connections provides the best image? Is any quality lost when the picture is filtered through the PC rather than straight into the TV?

Thanks for your help.

Doug

I'm returning my 50" panny dlp this week. :( Its a great set, with a stunning picture, but I can't watch it. Just some minor observations:

-The silk screen effect. Not horrible, but definitely noticeable on moving bright objects. Relatively minor, but slightly annoying.

-Dithering? Don't know if its what is referred to as dithering or not, but details blur a bit on moving images. Particularly noticeable with a panning camera shot. Again, not really a deal breaker.

-Rainbows... Ugh, my worst nightmare come true. I don't know how long I spent at stores trying to see them; never noticed so much as a hint. The panny uses hd2+ chip and the 8 segment color wheel, which should make rainbows minimal. Within five minutes of getting the tv set up at home, I saw my first rainbow. Now I feel like Im wearing prismatic lenses. Thats all I can see are rainbows. I haven't been able to watch a complete movie on the tv because I feel sick and my eyes hurt.

Im not trying to talk bad about the set, sometimes Im blown away by the PQ, but the rainbows kill it for me. I guess its crt for me.

Hi again!

I've had my Panny DLP since Thursday, and today I saw my first rainbow on Coach K's suitjacket during the Duke game. It was a closeup, and he was wearing a black and white pinstriped suitjacket (very small pinstripes) I only saw it once, and I assume it was because of the fine detail of his suit.

On another note, I was disappointed to see this set at Sam's Club this weekend, it makes me feel Wal-Mart chic... but I know I still got a great tv. Their display had a Dec. 2004 build date, so if anyone still wants this set at internet prices, I would go there. Am loving the set, can't wait to get my HD box on Tuesday. SD looks great.

that sucks that you had to return it. I have had my set for almost a month now and not seen one rainbow and neither has my GF - guess we are just lucky.

If you are seriously thinking about this set, I would do it right now. I just bought mine today and there is a digital TV special going on at UE (in Texas at least) that put the price $200 dollars lower than the lowest price I have seen mentioned in all 73 pages of this thread. In fact, I got the last set that UE had in the state of Texas, so these units look to be gone in no time. They had incredible extended warranties there too that covered up to 2 bulb replacements over three years, and even returned half the price to you at the end of the warrantee if you never needed a service call! And for less than $300 if you can believe it.

I can't wait to finally get one of these sets in my hands.

Just got my set this AM. It's a "J" model with a January '05 build date. Woohoo!
Watching saving Private Ryan...looks great!

What are you referring to when you say “J” model? I just bought this TV—and love it—but would like to know what you are talking about with reference to certain models.

I think they are all "J" models, as far as I know. I had a July build and now an October build, and they were both "J" models.

On the back of the set the model number ends in a "J".

Hi Everyone,

I just purchased one of these from Sam's yesterday and have some questions.

1. Does anyone have digital cable (Insight, Time Warner, other) and how do the channels look. Mine look kind of grainy and not sharp. I know some of the signals are analog but I thought it would have been clearer. I have adjusted my settings to the ones Moose posted.

2. How do you adjust the white setting. I could not find this in the settings menu. My wife claims all of the faces have a pink tint and the reds are too bright.

3. Can you actually isf calibrate this set. I had a salesman at a small AV store that said DLP's do not need calibration.

Thanks,
Eric

Originally posted by erictepe
Hi Everyone,

I just purchased one of these from Sam's yesterday and have some questions.

1. Does anyone have digital cable (Insight, Time Warner, other) and how do the channels look. Mine look kind of grainy and not sharp. I know some of the signals are analog but I thought it would have been clearer. I have adjusted my settings to the ones Moose posted.

2. How do you adjust the white setting. I could not find this in the settings menu. My wife claims all of the faces have a pink tint and the reds are too bright.

3. Can you actually isf calibrate this set. I had a salesman at a small AV store that said DLP's do not need calibration.

Thanks,
Eric


Here is a new note-24 was awsome in HD. Is it possible to be getting a poor signal for your regular channels but not your HD?

Eric

I've got Comcast digital cable and most all the digital channels are pretty darn good. Not grainy at all. Analog channels aren't great, but certainly watchable.

I used Topps setting off page 22 and skin tones look pretty darn good. That's one thing I noticed in stores that varied greatly and tended to look red. I'd say this has more to do with your current setting than the TV. Try turning down the red color maybe? (check Topps post, can't remember what setting is basically red off the top my head.)

Wonder if a service call to your cable company would be usefull. They could look at your lines and test your signals. If it's split a few times coming in, they might be able to rerout the signal through a better splitter.

Also, it did seem like after 20 or 30 hours the set seemed to settle in. Maybe it just took awhile to warm up to the settings. Still, to me it seemed like some of the neon-ish colors (lime green, purples, etc.) seemed to calm down just a bit and not stick out so much. They are still vibrant, just not as bright and eye catching. I was very pleased.

damn....with prices dropping like crazy, I may just have to pick one up and relegate the 44" toshiba to the bedroom if I can get them down to around 2K. it's a shame they don't have a direct replacement for 2005 though.

Good luck negotiatiating. This model appears (at UE at least) to be in short supply and dwindling rapidly. Mine arrives tomorrow, so hopefully I'll finally have something to post of meaningful value.

I've had a few days to digest the features of this set now and I can report that so far, it is great. Like rdank above, I used Topp's settings originally, and have since fine tuned them to my own taste using both Avia and DVE. HD is nothing short of spectacular as have been the several DVDs I've experimented with (using the Panny S97 with 540 firmware).

I had the opportunity to experience the 50" Samsung and the 52" Toshiba for about a week and a half before settling on the Panasonic. Overall, to me, the Panny has the superior PQ, much so over the Samsung, and minimally over the Toshiba.

I possibly would have settled for a 52HMX94 Toshiba over this Panny, but only for the connectivity (2 HDMI ports) built in HD Tuner. The Cable Card capability doesn't mean that much to me because that locks you into a technology that will be changing every six months or so. The external box can be swapped easily enough.

However, since no retail stores in this state carry the HMX models and I was able to get a real steal (thanks again to rdank for the heads up) from a very reliable retail establishment with a good return policy and free delivery, I opted for the Panny and am happy I did.

I order the 4 year extended warranty from Repair Master along with the 3 year bulb replacement warranty. Now I'm ready for every channel to just magically turn to HD overnight.

Just got my pt50dl54 this morning. I've only had it a few hours, and only have progressive scan dvd to evaluate with at this point, but I can make one observation:

This TV's fan is just not that noisy. I had to remind myself to even listen for it after getting the set. Sure you can hear it if the volume is all the way off, but to make a comparison, it is quiet enough to be drowned out by cars driving by outside, the refrigerator compressor, any form or central heating/ac, or even television volumes where I can't completely hear all the dialogue. If you get a unit where you have to turn the volume up to 14 to drown out the fan noise, you should take it back because that has to be defective. I can completely overcome the fan noise at 8 which is barely enough volume to hear all the dialogue. Non-issue, at least with the set I received.

I agree the fan noise is not an issue, at least on my set. Other household sounds easily drown out the noise the fan makes. Just got HD hooked up this AM and am stunned by the beauty of the picture. How will I ever go back to SD?

What are the build dates on your sets? Mine is an October build, and while the fan noise is not really noticeable with the volume at 10 or above, from your descriptions it sounds like the fan noise on mine is a bit louder than yours. I heard that they may have addressed the fan noise issue with later builds, so I'm just trying to get a read on that.

I would say mine is at least as loud as a PC fan, maybe a bit louder.

Originally posted by DLP-Dave
What are the build dates on your sets? Mine is an October build, and while the fan noise is not really noticeable with the volume at 10 or above, from your descriptions it sounds like the fan noise on mine is a bit louder than yours. I heard that they may have addressed the fan noise issue with later builds, so I'm just trying to get a read on that.

I would say mine is at least as loud as a PC fan, maybe a bit louder.
DLP-Dave, I build computers and work with them all day long. My new Panny is also an October build and the fan noise is nowhere near as loud as my computer fans. When the TV is on at any level the fan noise is inconsequential. When I turn the TV on or off, during warmup and cooldown, I can hear it if I'm listening for it, but if I'm reading a magazine or a book, I don't notice it. My hearing is pretty good, but perhaps it's more a matter of what we're tuning in to. If yours is louder than a computer fan, I'd have a tech look at it.

My tv has a January build and I have to put my ear to the tv to hear the fan when its warming down. I assume its the fan, it just sounds like an electronic noise to me. When I turn the volume off, all I can hear is the normal sound of my refrigerator in the kitchen.

The build date on my Panny is January '05. I agree with BJMoose...I can hear it if it's quiet in the room, otherwise I can't.

I ordered my 4 year Warrantech RepairMaster extended warranty this morning from one of our advertisers here on the AVS forum. I found out that I couldn't purchase the bulb replacement warranty unless it was bought at the time I purchased my set and on the same invoice. That's okay since I found out that the 3 years runs concurrent with the manufacturer's warranty, so it really only adds 2 years of coverage. BTW, if you watch over 10,000 hours of TV within the 3 years and the bulb burns out, it's not covered because it lasted for its listed burn length.

I think I'll just spend the $250 for a new bulb before the original warranty runs out and have it on hand in case I need it. My TV watching pattern would suggest that I have about 6-7 years before I'd reach the 10,000 hour mark and if it doesn't burn out from anything else during covered year, it will probably last for its suggested lifespan.

Well, I'm still comfortably within the 30 day return period, so I may just exchange it out again. I'll pay closer attention tonight and compare to my PC to see which is really louder.

Dave, when I said mine was quieter, I meant considerably quieter. As I'm sitting next to my computer at this moment, I can here the air being circulated by the fan in my power supply. If the TV were in this room, I would never be able to hear the TV fan at warmup or cooldown. That fan noise sounds more like an ambient hum, and if I didn't know it was a fan, I would not be able to describe it as such.

I am at work too, around a bunch of computers and now that I am paying attention to the fans, I probably have to retract my statement that the TV fan is as loud or louder. And the TV fan is at a different pitch, more like an ambient hum, like you said, but I still think it sounds like mine is considerably louder than yours.

Originally posted by fourthirteen
I bought my PT-50DL54 on 2/25/05 and its build date is Oct. 2004...i can't hear the fan unless i turn the tv off and stick my head behind the tv while the fan it still running.

After having my panny for almost 3 weeks now, this seems to no longer be true...the fan has either gotten louder or i'm more tuned-in to its noise. I can hear it from about 14 ft. away when tv is at low volume. I can't hear it at normal volume. Definitely not a deal-breaker.

I put in a Playstation game, Beyond Good and Evil last night. It has black bars on the top and bottom so I changed the aspect ration to zoom which worked perfectly. Everything displayed correctly.

One of the options in the game is to change to progressive mode so it displays 480p instead of 480i. When I selected this option, it worked ok in that the picture was clearer, but it appears that the picture doesn't quite fit properly in zoom mode now. The life hearts at the top are now only displaying the bottom half. The top part of the hearts are being cut off which did not happen in 480i mode.

Anyone have any idea why changing to progressive mode would change something like that? Does overscan apply differently to different formats (480i, 480p)? Is there anything I can do to fix it?

Thanks.

If I remember correctly, Beyond Good and Evil has 16:9 support. So maybe when you set it to 480p, it also set it to 16:9.

I just got my TV in yesterday. I first say that the default color schemes are total crap. after just eyeing it on a few DVD's I managed a much better picture. I am really impressed with this TV--great bang for the buck. Gamecube games look awesome as well.

As far as fan noise goes, yes, I can hear it--but it's definitely not bad. If you have your volume set at a normal listening level you cant hear it.

Well, I did a test this morning...and my TV fan is indeed louder than my home PC fan. I don't think it is louder than the ones here at work however.

I sat about 4'-5' away from the TV, and I tried to listen for the fan at different volumes. With conversation going on, I couldn't really hear the fan at volume 10. At volume 9, I could still hear it.

Today I noticed a strange effect when I was watching Finding Nemo as kind of a test of the new set. As you can see from the attachments below, there is a distinct "ghost" or "halo" around certain images. The effect is clearly visible from 12-14 feet away and rather disturbing. This isn't normal is it?

And another.

Anybody ever seen anything like this?

Yes, when I first got the set, I saw the same exact thing on Finding Nemo. Do you have your settings set to Vivid? Once I set it to Cinema, the ghosting effect was completely gone, and I haven't seen it since.

Unfortunately, the ghosting/halo you see is in Cinema mode with the setting recommended on this thread, just with color set a little lower. This ghost/halo effect is present throughout the entire "Shark" scene.

I'm going to probably take my DVD player in to the store and see if I can reproduce it on one of the floor models with the same settings, cables, etc.

Just another data point:

I picked up my 50dl54 from tweeter, when the 10% closeout deal was in effect. I think they'll be dumping the floor model soon, so it's not too late for the bargain hounds. (As of 3/10, the manager told me it was not listed as "discontinued" so he couldn't sell the floor unit, yet.)

The fan was dead silent of the first few hours, but has gotten to a low rumble now. It's not as loud as my Xbox, and if it stays at this volume it's not a problem for me. I don't know WHY it would gain in volume, but once you view the picture, all is forgiven.
(I hope this is not a quality-of-build issue)

50" seemed big for a few days, but now I wish the 60" was avail in the US. Still, the picture is great, and the black-levels are good enough.

I have the HDTV via TW cable in Chapel Hill, the 8300 DVR. Recording HD is the icing on the cake, and helped me decide to buy at this time. I was able to get a $200 back-and-silver stand from CC, on close-out for $20. My cables are all from Wallmart., but I get a Monster picture and sound!
;)

If I have any complaints, it's the slight tendancy toward over-doing the reds in skin tones. I'm sure I can tweek this out once the set get's a few more hours on it.

Oh, and my lightgun for House of the Dead on Xbox won't work any more. Rats!

We've watched DVDs (amazing!) and Nova on PBS, INHD and many of the IMAX movies. I'm totally in awe. SD is very watchable, but why bother?
<grin> HDTV Via component, with optical audio (into my rcvr) for 5.1 surround.
This is my second TV, replacing a 14-year-old Toshiba 30" tube.

I hope it lasts as long!

Thanks, for all the advise and suggestions in this thread.

I agree that the set tends to reddish skin tones. I dealt with that by adjusting not the Tint, as you would imagine, but the Color setting. I found that a Color setting in the lower 20's helped with this.

I am still hoping that someone else will view the attachments of the ghosting/haloing seen on my set (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=5340080&fullpage=1) and give me some feedback on if I should be worried at this point.

What is really feeding my paranoia is that on my first day, I had one experience where the picture suddenly started going grainier and grainier, and then shadows began appearing in the corners as if there was a problem with the light engine/color wheel. I immediately turned off the set and then turned it back on after cooldown and have not seen this happen again. But now I am beginning to wonder if I have a problem.

Jambon, what DVD player are you using? Are you connected via HDMI or Component? I'm using a Panny S97 with the 540 firmware. We watched Finding Nemo right after installing the 50DL54. I didn't notice the ghosting that I see in your set. I'll replay it and try to find the frame you posted to examine it. So far, I've been very impressed by DVD playback. I was afraid that I expected more than what the TV could deliver, but that's not been the case.

Thanks for the offer Moose,

I am using a NAD 532 via component cables. The specific scene is "Sharks" and I see significant ghosting throughout that scene on Marlon, Dory, and the sharks. Otherwise the picture is fantastic, but it consistently has problems in that scene.

I appreciate your help in giving me a comparison.

I'm seeing something similar with my new 50DL54. I believe it is referred to as false contouring. I notice most with things like fog and low contrast scenes. It happens with my Pioneer 656 DVD player with component, as well as my Motorola digital cable box (S-Video) to a lesser degree. I'm going to call Panasonic tomorrow to see what they say.

Hey guys, my set has a problem dealing with fog, smoke and mist scenes also. I do not believe it is an specific set problem but one that all pt50dl54's have. It may possibly be an issue with all DLP sets. I don't know.

What does it do in fog, smoke, and mist scenes?

The picture kind of breaks up into little squares... like digital noise.

Any example of a DVD scene that makes the problem show up?

I just wanted to add that it's not the whole picture...just the places where th fog, smoke or mist is. I've seen this happen in backdraft, the towering inferno and the niagra falls documentary to name a few. I can't recall it happening with dvds, but I also haven't watched to many. It happens on digital cable. I've watched these several times and it always happens. The niagra falls show is in HDTV on PBS.

I just wanted to report back on my findings regarding ghosting/haloing in Finding Nemo on my new pt50dl54.

It's the source. I took my DVD player, cables, and remote control into UE today, set their TV to my home settings, and played the same scenes I attached earlier. The same effect was evident on multiple tested sets, even on LCD sets, even with different DVD players.

Apparently, the original movie intended these ghosts as kind of a soft "glow" that is being reproduced too literally by microdisplays, or on the other hand, microdisplays may not be able to reproduce the delicate gradation of light in the original.

This phenomena does seem to be related to what john caravello is describing - a failure to successfully render extremely fine gradations of light under some circumstances. Based on what I saw today, it may not be just a Panasonic or even DLP thing only.

Originally posted by BJMoose
That height is probably not ideal, but if your furniture is average height, it will be more than watchable (although you may develop a stiff neck). However, for kids (or adults) who lay on the floor to watch TV, I expect that would be unacceptable.

Also, the center of gravity for these sets is much different from CRT displays. Not only should you not tilt it forward, but since you have small children, you should figure out a way to wire the set to the wall to keep it from tipping over accidentally. With no kids around, these sets are pretty safe, but some of the strangest things seem to happen with kids in the vicinity.

All that being said, the likelihood of finding this model around too much longer is slim. The new 2005+ models are not far away and word has it that the 50" model is not included in those plans.

Thanks for the response and recommendations. I have four kids, it never ceases to amaze how many 'new' and strange things they can come up with! Up here in Canada, we are way behind the US as far as electronics, we won't be seeing the new DLP's for at least six months I imagine, so hopefully the 50" will be available for awhile yet, although I do like the look of the new models (speakers on bottom :) ).

Originally posted by jambon
.............. or on the other hand, microdisplays may not be able to reproduce the delicate gradation of light in the original.

This phenomena does seem to be related to what john caravello is describing - a failure to successfully render extremely fine gradations of light under some circumstances. Based on what I saw today, it may not be just a Panasonic or even DLP thing only.

I have seen this on every DLP I have watched. They all have a problem rendering color gradations. They tend to get very blocky and pixelized.

What do you guys know about the new model that will soon be available? What new features will it have? Do you think it is worth waiting for the new one or should I purchase the current model while it's still available and sold at a good price?

Speaking of price, I have been shopping around and TV Authority keeps popping up in these forums. Has anyone had a good or bad experience with them? Do you know of any other retailer that is currently selling this unit at a great deal?