Larry,

Thanks for the reply. My cable box aspect ratio is set up for both 4:3 as well as 16:9.
When I get home I will delete the 4:3 and see what happens. Hope that won't screw up the sd channels.

Sam

Threads Merged!

Dave

I guess the installation rebate sealed the deal. After lurking around here for a few months, I just ordered a px50. I ordered directly from the Panasonic website thru my company's employee discount program. (large US Auto Mgf.) About $600 - $1200 bucks less than any online or B&M store with free shipping. I also picked up a Sanus tilt mount from Overstocked.com for abount half the going rate.

After looking at the display model at CC for the last weeks, I think the PQ is unmatched by any model side by side in the store.

Anyone have any suggestions for the best hookup advice for D*, component or HDMI for HD, SVideo for SD or Cablecard for cable?

Has anyone used HDTVsupply.com for cables? Prices look great, about quality and service?


Pureroll,
I have the same EPP access, but was curious about the installation rebate, if it applied to such purchases. Not to drag the thread back in that direction, but how did the sales rep explain the rebate? And free shipping too, right?

Larry,

Thank you. That worked. This STB shows TV selection first and then the aspect ratio.
i.e. 16:9, 4.3 zoom etc. When I saw 4.3, 16.9 zoom I thought it was both. My mistake, still learning. BTW the Pic in HD is stunning. SD pic quality I thought was lower. I will play around with the aspect ratios to see if I shd select 4:3 Tv for SD channels. Not difficult to change on my STB.

Sam

Need Help on checking the hours used on PX50

Please help newbie here..
Anyone knows how to check the hours used on PX50? Step by step

already checked on BruZZi's Plasma FAQ but no info on new PX50.

Tks in advance :)

Need Help on checking the hours used on PX50

Please help newbie here..
Anyone knows how to check the hours used on PX50? Step by step

already checked on BruZZi's Plasma FAQ but no info on new PX50.

Tks in advance :)


1) Access the Service menu:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5533440&&#post5533440

2) Then...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5535181&&#post5535181


Please let me know if It works. :)

Tks alot BruZZi

It works !!

I know this doesn't 'officially' belong on this thread , but can someone tell me the basic differences between the Panasonic TH-42PX50U and the Panasonic TH-42PHD7UY ?(the HD model not the ED model)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Brentski

Pureroll,
I have the same EPP access, but was curious about the installation rebate, if it applied to such purchases. Not to drag the thread back in that direction, but how did the sales rep explain the rebate? And free shipping too, right?


I did everything online. Per the rebate form, all you need is your purchase receipt, upc code from the box, and installation receipt. I am using a local installer so I will just copy his receipt and send it in with the rebate form. Yes, Free shipping until the EOM. So all I paid was the EPP price and tax.

Just curious, how much did you pay to have the installation done? And what exactly did they do? I am trying to decide whether or not to mount my tv over the fireplace myself or to have someone else do it.

Does anyone know of an installer in Atlanta?

I know this doesn't 'officially' belong on this thread , but can someone tell me the basic differences between the Panasonic TH-42PX50U and the Panasonic TH-42PHD7UY ?(the HD model not the ED model)

The PX50 has 8th generation glass, 7UY has 7th generation glass.

The PX50 has a lot more inputs than the 7UY.

The PX50 has a built in tuner and cable card slot where the 7UY does not.

The PX50 has speakers, the 7UY does not (although they're optional and $$$)

The PX50 comes with a table stand, you have to pay extra for it on the 7UY.

The PX50 has an in-home warranty, but you have to carry the 7UY in for repair.

I think the 7UY has better and more comprehensive aspect control but i'm not sure. There may be other differences but this is all just off the top of my head. I went with the PX myself.

You can download the owners manual for each display from the Support section on the Panasonic website. That's the best way to learn what each has to offer.

Just curious, how much did you pay to have the installation done? And what exactly did they do? I am trying to decide whether or not to mount my tv over the fireplace myself or to have someone else do it.

Does anyone know of an installer in Atlanta?

I paid about $100 per hour which included cables, about 4hrs to hang and hookup all components and speakers.

I recommend professional help, hanging above a fireplace is tricky without help.

I am thinking seriously about the PX 50 and was looking at CC. The guy my local at CC said they could do 10% off MSRP, but it seems others have done better at their local CCs. I would prefer to go the B& M route vs. the internet, although I would do the internet if savings were that significant (TVA, E-Cost). Curious about GmanAVS's deal where they matched E-Cost (with shipping/handling included). I am guessing that means his after tax cost was the same as E-Cost total cost. I did not know if certain CCs in different city's may have different price points for the same item.

If this is out of line to ask, I apoligize - I am the preverbial newbie, so please delet/edit as needed.

I just bit the bullet on a 42PX50. I debated the exactly the same issue as you did, but then decided on TVA based on their superb reputation on this forum, plus their "pixel perfect" guarantee. From what I have observed, TVA provides better service than even brick and mortar stores, and were certainly a joy to work with during the purchase. Even though e-cost was so much cheaper, I went with TVA because of their reputation.

Out of interest, Cambryn at TVA looked at the rebate and thought it related only to the costs paid for delivery/installation. That's her interpretation anyway. We'll see how much I get back...

I am thinking seriously about the PX 50 and was looking at CC. The guy my local at CC said they could do 10% off MSRP, but it seems others have done better at their local CCs. I would prefer to go the B& M route vs. the internet, although I would do the internet if savings were that significant (TVA, E-Cost). Curious about GmanAVS's deal where they matched E-Cost (with shipping/handling included). I am guessing that means his after tax cost was the same as E-Cost total cost. I did not know if certain CCs in different city's may have different price points for the same item.

If this is out of line to ask, I apoligize - I am the preverbial newbie, so please delet/edit as needed.Are you looking at the TH-42PX50U or the TH-50PX50U? I bought my TH-50PX50U at CC about three weeks ago and it is an awesome display when 1080i or 720p signals are input to the PDP. So far during the break-in period, my panel has performed more than satisfactorily; and given I'm using TWC Albany, NY; my expectations from a home-theater entertainment system have been exceeded. I decided to go the B&M route and also purchased extended warranty protection because a $5K investment for my home entertainment system was 'significant' to me. CC promised me a 'pristine' (April Osaka build) PDP and this is what they have delivered. Good luck with your PDP when you decide to buy one.

One reason I like the B & M idea is if I have problems I do not have to pay to ship the set back to TVA or whomever. TVA certainly sounds like one to put on the short list for an on-line purchase, which I may end up doing. Right now I am just waitinig for the PX500 and the new Sammys (XX52 and XX72).

One reason I like the B & M idea is if I have problems I do not have to pay to ship the set back to TVA or whomever. TVA certainly sounds like one to put on the short list for an on-line purchase, which I may end up doing. Right now I am just waitinig for the PX500 and the new Sammys (XX52 and XX72).

you can get a good price at circuitcity... just be persistent and patient. If they don't give you the deal one day, go back a couple of days later and try a different salesman. Keep trying!

Just think of the worst case scenario if you bought from an online retailer, what if it took 2 weeks to ship, and when it came, it was broken? or had dead pixels? or you just really didn't like it anymore? You have to ship it back, which takes another week. Then it takes another week for them to credit back your credit card... it'll be a long time before you might have a pdp!

Actually, having purchased today I should receive it by Friday for the long weekend (touch wood). If that really happens - wow, I will be a TVA customer for life!

I have a question about the break in period that people have been talking about for the new 42PX50s. Why is there no mention of this in the Panasonic manual.?I see that it was discussed in an earlier white paper. But it evidently was removed from a more recent white paper that can be found on another thread. I would think that if a break in period was necessary, Panasonic would tell their customers to go easy. Certainly car makers do. Any thoughts?

I have a question about the break in period that people have been talking about for the new 42PX50s. Why is there no mention of this in the Panasonic manual.?I see that it was discussed in an earlier white paper. But it evidently was removed from a more recent white paper that can be found on another thread. I would think that if a break in period was necessary, Panasonic would tell their customers to go easy. Certainly car makers do. Any thoughts?

I've found copies of the replaced white paper in various places including here:

http://www.cyberselect.co.uk/products/plasma_facts_and_myths.pdf

I'm at about 80 hours now so I'll continue the break in just to be on the safe side.

I posted these links on an older 50/500 comparison thread, but wanted to make sure everyone got a look see! They have some really great content and pics of the px500 that I hadn't seen before!! If you're looking to buy the px500, it's a must read!


Hey guys,

I'm pleased to announce that i just came across the panny UK site that features some nice info on the new px models, look and see!

Informational site, be sure to check out the tv ad and the 360 view:
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/plasma-tv/th42pv500cab/index.htm#

05 viera brochure:
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/plasma-tv/th37pe50cab/th37pe50.pdf

I've had my panel about a month. After an hour or so (I assume after it starts getting warm) I'll hear a single "crack" sound coming from the set. To my ears, it *sounds* like the bezel/plastic casing simply expanding, but I'm a little paranoid about this. It's probably been happening for about a week - it coincides with a cold spell we've been having here, the house is probably floating around the low 60s, temperature wise (I refuse to run the furnace in May). It will happen more than once though in a viewing session - say after an hour, then again another hour later for example. The PDP is mounted on the included stand with plenty of ventilation.

Anyone experience anything similar? Should I be concerned? :confused:

Does anyone know if Panasonic will introduce a commercial version of the TH-37PX50U? The space for my television is only 39.2" wide. I like the image provided by the TH-37PX50U, but would prefer an all black bezel and stand. In general, I'm not too crazy about the physical appearance of Panasonic's residential line. They appear a little too flashy. However, by comparison, I think the Aquos LCD series from Sharp looks very nice in silver.

Thanks for the help.

Best,
Michael J
New Jersey

Does anyone know if Panasonic will introduce a commercial version of the TH-37PX50U?

If the past couple of years are any indication, Panny should release the new commercial models in October/November. Someone posted a calendar of the release dates for the past few years a week or so ago. I'll search for it...

Here comes a rank guess: Yes.

The reason for this is that there is already a consumer 37HD.

Another question posed here is will there be a commercial 37ED? Panasonic has released this consumer model in Germany and I think I saw it on the British website. But they did NOT release it in the USA. So, we wait and wonder. . . .

Here comes a rank guess: Yes.

The reason for this is that there is already a consumer 37HD.

Another question posed here is will there be a commercial 37ED? Panasonic has released this consumer model in Germany and I think I saw it on the British website. But they did NOT release it in the USA. So, we wait and wonder. . . .

in my uneducated opinion, i think one key issue is decreasing prices. when there's hundreds/thousands separating the cost of a consumer vs. commercial (or ED vs. HD, for that matter) producing separate versions becomes worthwhile. but as prices continue to drop, and the gaps between models continue to shrink, i think you'll see less of this (or, at least, less among those options -- in the future it will be more 720 vs. 1080, etc).

I am thinking seriously about the PX 50 and was looking at CC. The guy my local at CC said they could do 10% off MSRP, but it seems others have done better at their local CCs. I would prefer to go the B& M route vs. the internet, although I would do the internet if savings were that significant (TVA, E-Cost). Curious about GmanAVS's deal where they matched E-Cost (with shipping/handling included). I am guessing that means his after tax cost was the same as E-Cost total cost. I did not know if certain CCs in different city's may have different price points for the same item.

If this is out of line to ask, I apoligize - I am the preverbial newbie, so please delet/edit as needed.

It is up to the individual CC floor manager to pricematch so it varies by time of day and by store.

I sent you a lengthy PM detailing the step by step process to get CC to pricematch, I don't belive tha admins favor me posting it here.
(happy to send it to anyone that asks)

My "all in" cost was indeed just a smidge >$4k

thanks to everyone for this valuable forum, as after all my research, i purchased a 42px50 from tv authority. i'm grateful to write that i do not believe i have the green push issue (or have not noticed it yet; march 2005 build), and the picture is simply outstanding.

i did quite a bit of fact finding for a dealer, and i chose tv authority after watching others do so in this forum. kin b. was a rockstar agent, and i can easily say this is one of my best big ticket online buying experiences. quick processing & ship, always returning phone calls, etc. everything you want when dropping 4 boxes of ziti on a piece of equipment.

pm me if you want any details, and i will admit ... in all my hurry to get the tv up and running, i didn't even break out the camera to take photos of the unboxing, but she is gorgeous!!!

thanks again!

Thanks jenz! I appreciate the feedback! Enjoy your plasma! I'm sure you'll make up for your lost time with it this weekend :)

I've had my panel about a month. After an hour or so (I assume after it starts getting warm) I'll hear a single "crack" sound coming from the set. To my ears, it *sounds* like the bezel/plastic casing simply expanding, but I'm a little paranoid about this. It's probably been happening for about a week - it coincides with a cold spell we've been having here, the house is probably floating around the low 60s, temperature wise (I refuse to run the furnace in May). It will happen more than once though in a viewing session - say after an hour, then again another hour later for example. The PDP is mounted on the included stand with plenty of ventilation.

Anyone experience anything similar? Should I be concerned? :confused:

Nevermind all...managed to find the answer in the manual for the 7UY...expansion, like I thought (hoped).
Whew.

I noticed that the tops and bottoms of HD channels were cut off. Since there is no scaling involved with HD channels I am wondering if my 42PX50U is defective. My TWC cable box is hooked up via Component inputs. Especially visible for news and very annoying. The same program on SD channel comes fine with Just, Zoom or Full Mode.

Wondering if anyone else noticed this. I believe my STB is SA 3250

Your TV is fine. This topic has been talked about many times on this forum. HDTV depending on your STB cannot be zoomed or aspect mode changed. SDTV can be changed to JUST or whatever you want.

Catslick,

Yes I am aware of that. The problem was my STB was set up incorrectly. The problem is resolved now. Thanks.

Sdsam

Okay, has anyone viewed a grayscale gradient from DVE or Avia on their new 8th gen Panny yet? I have the previous gen and am curious if the increased grayscale can finally produce a smooth transition from white to black on this test. My Th-42PD25U displays banding on the lower end of this scale. This is a great test for false contouring. So how do the new units look on this test?

Okay, has anyone viewed a grayscale gradient from DVE or Avia on their new 8th gen Panny yet? I have the previous gen and am curious if the increased grayscale can finally produce a smooth transition from white to black on this test. My Th-42PD25U displays banding on the lower end of this scale. This is a great test for false contouring. So how do the new units look on this test?I believe my Avia DVD arrived via UPS today. I'll check it out when I get home tonight. Any suggestions?

Catslick,

Yes I am aware of that. The problem was my STB was set up incorrectly. The problem is resolved now. Thanks.

Sdsam

Glad you got it resolved. Enjoy your new PDP.

optivity - IIRC, it's listed under Video Tests->Special tests->Vertical Grayscale Ramp. If viewed on a CRT it's a completely smooth transition. On digital displays with insufficient grayscale bit depth there are bands visible at the darker end. In theory it should take 12 bit processing to completely eliminate this false contouring and the new Panny's still aren't there yet. But the new Panny's offer an enhanced palette for darker shades so I'm interested to see if a smooth gradient can finally be achieved.

I believe my Avia DVD arrived via UPS today. I'll check it out when I get home tonight. Any suggestions?

I have read that there are differences in the Avia DVD's for Plasma Calibration. What DVD should a person buy for EDTV? Or maybe it doesn't matter but i read that HDTV and EDTV use different DVD Calibration disks. Does anybody know if there is one suited better than another depending on if you have the HDTV or EDTV Panasonic PDP? Thank you for any information anyone can provide on this subject.

My question is about attaching the supplied table stand base that comes with the Panasonic 50PX50U (or 50PX500U). Although not advisable, is it reasonably possible that this can be done by one person alone? At 92.2 lbs for the 50PX50U (or 114.6 lbs for the 50PX500u), I know I can physicall lift the weight, but does the weight, size & shape combination make it unwieldly when placing it on the table stand base. Or does the procedure require a second person to align or secure the base while the panel is being lowered onto it?

optivity - IIRC, it's listed under Video Tests->Special tests->Vertical Grayscale Ramp. If viewed on a CRT it's a completely smooth transition. On digital displays with insufficient grayscale bit depth there are bands visible at the darker end. In theory it should take 12 bit processing to completely eliminate this false contouring and the new Panny's still aren't there yet. But the new Panny's offer an enhanced palette for darker shades so I'm interested to see if a smooth gradient can finally be achieved.Thanks for the tip, I'll try and start looking at this tonight. If I make any headway... I'll try and post up a pic!

My question is about attaching the supplied table stand base that comes with the Panasonic 50PX50U (or 50PX500U). Although not advisable, is it reasonably possible that this can be done by one person alone? At 92.2 lbs for the 50PX50U (or 114.6 lbs for the 50PX500u), I know I can physicall lift the weight, but does the weight, size & shape combination make it unwieldly when placing it on the table stand base. Or does the procedure require a second person to align or secure the base while the panel is being lowered onto it?

I found the panel suprisingly heavy and that's with two people. Maybe because it *is* unwieldy. I highly recommend you snatch someone to help. It doesn't take long at all. What we did is sit the panel on its face on the floor (per instructions) then looked at where the stand poles would go. Then we picked up the panel and carefully fitted the panel onto the holes (it's a blind task with two people since the holes are on the bottom.)

One other comment on this that may be helpful to you.....the stand is packed in a separate box inside the larger panel box. It is *under* the panel. You are going to need to lift the panel out before getting to the stand. Then there is a bit of assembly for the stand. The delivery guy was nice enough to volunteer to help me take the panel out of the box after delivery to inspect it. He didn't have to do that.

Thanks a lot for the info, the specific comments mentioned below are exactly the kind of perspectives, I needed to hear to help me decide to ditch the solo operation. I'm now convinced not to try the install alone.

1) "I found the panel suprisingly heavy and that's with two people"
2) "it's a blind task with two people since the holes are on the bottom"
3) "You are going to need to lift the panel out before getting to the stand."
4) "I highly recommend you snatch someone to help"

Thanks a lot for the info, the specific comments mentioned below are exactly the kind of perspectives, I needed to hear to help me decide to ditch the solo operation. I'm now convinced not to try the install alone.

1) "I found the panel suprisingly heavy and that's with two people"
2) "it's a blind task with two people since the holes are on the bottom"
3) "You are going to need to lift the panel out before getting to the stand."
4) "I highly recommend you snatch someone to help"

I agree with DanP. Don't attempt this by yourself. I have the 42" and it was too heavy and impossible for me to manipulate or try to handle. I had a friend help me and that made it relatively easy. Good luck.

Here (http://www.panasonic.co.jp/global/pdp/index.html) are a couple of interviews with Panasonic employees on the development of the new plasmas.

This may have been posted before. I've seen it a while ago in Japanese, but just noticed the translation.

Han

Hello all,

Today I emailed Panasonic directly(because I just couldn't take it anymore) inquiring about a release date for the px500 models and was surprised to see that I got a response back from them so quickly! I was sad to read it, yet none the less, I was surprised to see such a quick response! :( I pulled his name and email 'cause I kinda felt bad posting it up here without him knowing?

Comments: When will the px500 plasma be release to the US Market?
-Passionate Panasonic Customer
From: S......., J...... [mailto:..........@us.panasonic.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 4:42 PM
To: mscappa
Subject: RE: Pressroom Inquiry: Television

Should be end of June

How is the PX50 and PX500 different?

…When will the px500 plasma be release to the US Market?
Panasonic Customer:…Should be end of June

Thank you mscappa for obtaining confirmation of the late June release rumor!

Newbees: I advise you to set your firewall NOT to pass URLs
of dealers that shows PX500s IN STOCK today.

How is the PX50 and PX500 different?

lol
This has to take the cake for least effort to search. Please check the first post of this thread.

Simply
500
PC input
Photo viewer

50
does not

How is the PX50 and PX500 different?

From what we can gather so far, there are actually quite a few differences, including:

The 500's design(which I personally like better), no program guide on the 50's, no PC input, and no PIP or stretch. It also will apparently have a different sound system that incorporates two woofers below the screen.

Here's a quote from a popular online retailer on the subject:

A Step Ahead

The PX500 series offers a few special feature that the PX50 series doesn't have. First off, you get the convenience of SD/PC card slots. These slots make it easy to view photos taken with your SD Memory Card-compatible digital camera. You don't even have to connect a cable. There's also TV Guide. This built-in program guide provides a handy on-screen list for checking what's on the tube. It also makes it easy to set up the recording of a broadcast on your DVD recorder or VCR. A PC Input lets you connect your computer and view images on your plasma panel. Another handy feature is the Multi Window function, allowing you to watch two programs on the same screen. The sound system is also different, and you can read more about that below.

To Quote another reference. Allow me to refer you to a quote from "empire_of_one": To summarize the differences that I'm aware of so far:

- PX500 has Electronic Program Guide; PX50 doesn't.
- PX500 has SD Memory Card slot; PX50 doesn't.
- PX500 has photo viewer; PX50 doesn't.
- PX500 has PCMCIA slot; PX50 doesn't.
- PX500 has PC input; PX50 doesn't.

Differences I'm not sure have been confirmed:
- PX500 has two RF inputs; PX50 only has one.

Features reported on Japanese PX500 model; unsure if these will also be available in US model:
- PX500 has dual ATSC tuners (Japanese model); PX50 has a single ATSC tuner.
- PX500 has split-screen capability, including dual display of HD content, but no PIP (Japanese model); PX50 has no PIP or split-screen.
- PX500 can stretch/zoom HD content (Japanese model); PX50 has no HD stretch/zoom capability."

Thanks a lot for the info, the specific comments mentioned below are exactly the kind of perspectives, I needed to hear to help me decide to ditch the solo operation. I'm now convinced not to try the install alone.

1) "I found the panel suprisingly heavy and that's with two people"
2) "it's a blind task with two people since the holes are on the bottom"
3) "You are going to need to lift the panel out before getting to the stand."
4) "I highly recommend you snatch someone to help"

One other bit of elaboration.....while the holes are on the bottom of the panel and you can't see them while holding the panel, there are two screw holes on the back side near the bottom that you can see. You line up the poles to the screw holes then lower the panel. Then you ratchet in the screws (four in all) to secure the stand to the panel. So, two people can do it without too much difficulty.

Here are a couple of interviews with Panasonic employees on the development of the new plasmas.

This may have been posted before. I've seen it a while ago in Japanese, but just noticed the translation.

Han

Very interesting read (finally in English) on the G8 panel and its associated drive circuitry, color rendition and signal processing. I noticed that throughout the interviews that not only were the PX500/PV500 series mentioned quite frequently, but they were the only series mentioned. Doesn't the PX50 & PD50 series use the same G8 panel & drive circuits mention in the interviews or are they different? I also liked the promo video featured near the end of the article.

mscappa- Thanks. I did find E of 1's post (yes, skubish, I did a search 1st), but personally, I wanted to be sure there wasn't anything else that I might want.

optivity - IIRC, it's listed under Video Tests->Special tests->Vertical Grayscale Ramp. If viewed on a CRT it's a completely smooth transition. On digital displays with insufficient grayscale bit depth there are bands visible at the darker end. In theory it should take 12 bit processing to completely eliminate this false contouring and the new Panny's still aren't there yet. But the new Panny's offer an enhanced palette for darker shades so I'm interested to see if a smooth gradient can finally be achieved.I don't think this is what you're looking for... and I still have a lot more work to do...

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC00967.JPG

I've found copies of the replaced white paper in various places including here:



I'm at about 80 hours now so I'll continue the break in just to be on the safe side.


The latest Panasonic Plasma white paper is dated May 20 2005. It can bo found on Panasonic web site under latest Press Releases and News.


It makes no reference to a break-in period.

mscappa- Thanks. I did find E of 1's post (yes, skubish, I did a search 1st), but personally, I wanted to be sure there wasn't anything else that I might want.


NP, i hope i was able to help!

I don't think this is what you're looking for... and I still have a lot more work to do...

Nope, not it. It's a smooth gradient from white to black. The path I gave you previously was wrong...Sorry, I should've written it down.

Very interesting read (finally in English) on the G8 panel and its associated drive circuitry, color rendition and signal processing. I noticed that throughout the interviews that not only were the PX500/PV500 series mentioned quite frequently, but they were the only series mentioned. Doesn't the PX50 & PD50 series use the same G8 panel & drive circuits mention in the interviews or are they different? I also liked the promo video featured near the end of the article.

Yes according to Panasonic the PX50 & PD50 also have the G8 Panel. I own the PD50
and there is no mention in the owners manual as to what panel it has. I am under the assumption that all the 2005 Vieta series have the new 8th Generation Panel. Below is what was written on Panasonic's website for the TH-42PD50U Model:

Panel Type 8th Generation Plasma Panel

The latest Panasonic Plasma white paper is dated May 20 2005. It can bo found on Panasonic web site under latest Press Releases and News.


It makes no reference to a break-in period.

There is no mention on Panasonic's website or in there manuals about a breakin period. If you have done any research on PDP panels, all the articles and researchers claim that the first 200 hours of use are considered a breakin period to reduce the chance of burnin. If you turn down the brightness and contrast to below normal and avoid letterbox viewing within the first 200 hours you will greatly reduce any chance of possible burnin on your PDP. So although it is not mentioned it is not a bad idea to follow this rule. It can't hurt.

Thanks for the description of what to do during breakin period. I had thought it was only the first 100 hours. Should one try to calibrate the PDP with Avia/DVE when they first get the panel and then after the breakin period do it again or, preferably, have a professional do the calibration? So am I also to understand that you should not watch a 4:3 programing without stretching or zooming to fill the screen during the break in periods ( I assume that would go for DVDs that have a 1:2.35 (?)).

Thanks for the description of what to do during breakin period. I had thought it was only the first 100 hours. Should one try to calibrate the PDP with Avia/DVE when they first get the panel and then after the breakin period do it again or, preferably, have a professional do the calibration? So am I also to understand that you should not watch a 4:3 programing without stretching or zooming to fill the screen during the break in periods ( I assume that would go for DVDs that have a 1:2.35 (?)).

That's what the white paper said and actually it is still where I found it on the Panny website (first brought to light by optivity). So the notion that it has been taken off is not correct (unless my cache has grabbed a hold of it and won't let go):

http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/pressroom/cont2.asp?Filter=12&cont_id=822

My question is about attaching the supplied table stand base that comes with the Panasonic 50PX50U (or 50PX500U). Although not advisable, is it reasonably possible that this can be done by one person alone? At 92.2 lbs for the 50PX50U (or 114.6 lbs for the 50PX500u), I know I can physicall lift the weight, but does the weight, size & shape combination make it unwieldly when placing it on the table stand base. Or does the procedure require a second person to align or secure the base while the panel is being lowered onto it?

Well, I don't know about the 50PX50U and I would definitely recommend you install it with 2 people BUT the TH-50PHD7UY can be done with 1 reasonably strong person in a pinch. I know, my TH-50PHD7UY just arrived and I assembled the stand, unboxed the display, intalled it on the stand and had it up on it's new home on the table in under 40 minutes. I found putting the display on the stand a non-event but be careful not to guillotine your fingers when you let the display slide down on the pins (if the 50U is like the 7UY). I couldn't believe how well everything was packed.

Good news ladies and gents,

My new found friend at panny just repied to another email! Allbeit short and to the point, he speaks the panny truth. See below:

-----Original Message-----
From: mscapa
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 9:45 AM
To: S......, Jeff
Subject: RE: Pressroom Inquiry: Television


Hi Jeff,


Thanks for your prompt reply! I have to say, I really didn’t expect anyone to get back to me!

So do you guys not have an “official” release date for the px500 line? How does that typically work for new products?

You have eager customers DYING to get their hands on one!;) Can you not give me ANY other specifics?

Thanks again,

mscappa

From: S......, Jeff [mailto:........@us.panasonic.com]
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 5:57 PM
To: mscappa
Subject: RE: Pressroom Inquiry: Television

The PX500 is scheduled to ship mid June.

So if they are shipped in mid June when will they arrive at stores so I can buy one. I just bought a new house so i need a tv like now. Do you guys think the PX500 is worth the wait over the PX50??

For people who own the 42PX50U:
Can you tell me the width as measured from the edge of the legs of the stand?
I want to place it in a corner with very little clearance from the edge of the walls.
The table top is going to be narrower to allow corner placement and I want to calculate the minimum width of the table top.

The pictures suggest that the legs of the stand end a few inches from the corner of the TV. But an exact measure will help!

For people who own the 42PX50U:
Can you tell me the width as measured from the edge of the legs of the stand?


The front of the stand is the widest part. From outer edge to outer edge it measures 32 inches. The PDP itself measures 42 inches.

optivity - IIRC, it's listed under Video Tests->Special tests->Vertical Grayscale Ramp. If viewed on a CRT it's a completely smooth transition. On digital displays with insufficient grayscale bit depth there are bands visible at the darker end. In theory it should take 12 bit processing to completely eliminate this false contouring and the new Panny's still aren't there yet. But the new Panny's offer an enhanced palette for darker shades so I'm interested to see if a smooth gradient can finally be achieved.Vertical Grayscale Ramp... Complete with reflections caused by ambient light...

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC00977.JPG

I have narrowed my search down to a Panasonic plasma but am still uncertain whether I should get the TH-42PX50U, the TH-42PD50U, or wait until the Fall when the commercial units will be available. I do not need the built-in tuner or speakers since I have a cable box and surround sound. The only place I can get a commercial unit is through the local HDTV store (high prices!) or order it on the internet. I would really prefer to buy locally at a good price, which means BB or CC, but they don't carry the commercial models. So, do I buy the tv with speakers and tuner locally for a decent price now or wait until the Fall and spend top dollar for a commercial unit?

Second question. Can I run my component cable from cable box directly to the tv and the audio cable from the box to my a/v receiver? All the diagrams I have seen show both cables running through the a/v receiver then to the tv. I will be using the Harmony 659 remote and want to control everything through it.

Welcome pknoettner to AVS. I consider your post 4 questions:

1a. Buy the 42” HD Panny, or
1b. buy the 42” ED Panny.

2a. Buy the current consumer model (50u) now or,
2b. wait until the 8U is released in the fall (I guess HD or ED depending of the answer to the question 1).

You also indicated various additional elements of your decision process including not-needing the tuner or speakers and having to only buying a commercial model at top prices locally!? So a third implied question is:

3a. Pay top price to a local B&M or
3b. buy the Panny commercial on the internet.

4. You also asked about cabling for a particular remote.
[I won’t reply as I don’t have adequate authoritative expertise. However, reading similar posts, I note the best answer may be try everything and use what appears best in your situation. A better reply may be achieved from others if you indicate the model cable box model and your service. Another member may even have it.]

ANSWERS

1. Panny ED or HD. I speculate that is one of the most popular discussions on the Panny. Searching will produce other numerous threads on that issue. You may get a better reply if you indicate if you get OTA, type of cable service, % time watching DVDs, etc.

2. WAIT? Only you can answer that question. Further, the specs and date of release on the 8U are not know. Therefore, there is NO opinion if it is improved over the 7U (last year’s commercial).

3. Internet purchase? I suggest you search the forum for the overwhelming preponderance of POSITIVE opinions in dealing over the internet with these top Forum Sponsors: TVAUTHORITY, VISUALAPEX, or PLASMACONCEPTS (click their ads at the top of the screen!). In fact, many of the sponsors give assurances local vendors won’t. See if your local vendor will exchange the panel if it arrives with one dead pixel? I bet not. Check with forum sponsors on their Panny pixel policy. I bet it favorable differs. In short, you probably would be paying a lot more for NO reason at all buying the commercial locally rather than dealing with AVS top sponsors. You may even be getting a less!


I have narrowed my search down to a Panasonic plasma but am still uncertain whether I should get the TH-42PX50U, the TH-42PD50U, or wait until the Fall when the commercial units will be available. I do not need the built-in tuner or speakers since I have a cable box and surround sound. The only place I can get a commercial unit is through the local HDTV store (high prices!) or order it on the internet. I would really prefer to buy locally at a good price, which means BB or CC, but they don't carry the commercial models. So, do I buy the tv with speakers and tuner locally for a decent price now or wait until the Fall and spend top dollar for a commercial unit?

Second question. Can I run my component cable from cable box directly to the tv and the audio cable from the box to my a/v receiver? All the diagrams I have seen show both cables running through the a/v receiver then to the tv. I will be using the Harmony 659 remote and want to control everything through it.

I finally took the plunge and got my plasma tv. So far, I have been very impressed with the picture, but I have some questions...Thanks to everyone on this forum for all of their help, it made my decision a lot easier.
My setup:

SA8300HD Cable Box connected to TV via HDMI
JVC Progressive Scan DVD Player Connected to TV via Component
Sony VCR Connected to TV via Composite Cables
Digital Optical Cable from TV to Onkyo Surround Receiver

1. I get white lines at the top of the screen on some broadcasts, notably 720p resolution on HD channels when non-HD programs are being broadcast. How can I adjust those out?

2. Remote Control - Seems to have very poor range. If I am at an angle 15' away, it does not work. Also, every button I push, the "TV" light flashes 3 times. I can understand one time, but three? Is that normal?

3. I can't get sound out of my receiver through the optical cable connection. I have turned the speakers off on the tv, but still no luck. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Ashish

pknoetter:

Using a splitter, I run cable 1) to my Motorola digital HD STB, and 2) directly to my 42PD50. This allows me to receive unconverted (read: cleaner) local/analog signals directly at the PDP, and digital/HD signals from the STB, via HDMI cable to the PDP.

Because the Moto has DVI out, the HDMI connection requires separate audio cables in order to use the 42PD50's built-in speakers (which aren't all that bad for watching the local news or Spongebob with the kids). In this scenario, all local/analog channels and related audio are controlled by one remote (the Panasonic).

I also run a digital optical cable from the STB to my Sony 5.1 receiver. When I want bigger sound, as with a DVD or HBO/HD, I simply turn the receiver on and crank it up, using the 5.1 remote. BTW, the PD50's speakers are still active at this point. Yes, I do have to use the STB remote to change channels. Life can be tough in the digital world!

I have narrowed my search down to a Panasonic plasma but am still uncertain whether I should get the TH-42PX50U, the TH-42PD50U, or wait until the Fall when the commercial units will be available. I do not need the built-in tuner or speakers since I have a cable box and surround sound. The only place I can get a commercial unit is through the local HDTV store (high prices!) or order it on the internet. I would really prefer to buy locally at a good price, which means BB or CC, but they don't carry the commercial models. So, do I buy the tv with speakers and tuner locally for a decent price now or wait until the Fall and spend top dollar for a commercial unit?

Second question. Can I run my component cable from cable box directly to the tv and the audio cable from the box to my a/v receiver? All the diagrams I have seen show both cables running through the a/v receiver then to the tv. I will be using the Harmony 659 remote and want to control everything through it.

As for ED vs HD, just make sure the one you choose is best suited to your needs. I initially set out to get an ED since i watch about 80% SD, but in the stores with an HD feed i could clearly see the SDE at 8-9 feet (which would be my home viewing distance) on the 42PD50 but it was not there on the 42PX50U a few displays over. At 10 feet away i could still see a little SDE on the ED if i looked for it and i realized that this would not be acceptable to me. Through past posts on this forum i became reasonably confident that the HD units display SD only slightly worse than the ED unit so i went with the 42PX instead. HD is perfect, and SD is much better than i ever thought it would be so i'm glad i went with the PX instead of the PD. If i were beyond 10 feet i'd probably get the ED and try not to look for SDE.

As for sending audio directly to your HT Receiver, i guess that depends on your reciever. Some people have done it the way you want (video directly to the display but audio directly to the reciever) but i think i've seen a few posts where this introduced a slight but percievable audio delay in relation to the video. Maybe you can try this method now using your existing TV and see if there's any lip synch problem or not.

There is nothing to fear in buying a Plasma from a forum sponsor and having it shipped to you whether it be a commercial display from Visual Apex or Plasma Concepts, or the consumer 42PD/42PX from TVA. You won't find better service from most of other online suppliers yet their prices are still really low. The delivery guys all the online vendors use are basically frieght shippers and at best will help you carry the box into your house but you're on your own after that. If you have friends you help you set it all up this isn't a big deal. With the money you save you can offer a few neighbors 20 bucks each to help you for 15 minutes :D

Some advantages of buying a consumer model locally (like CC) is that you can return it fairly easily if you don't like it, it can usually be delivered sooner (like a day or two) and that the delivery people CC uses will assemble the table stand, help you move your old TV off the table, and set the new Plasma in it's place.

Edit: I just checked CC online and they've dropped the price another $125 less than i paid a week ago so i called and they're refunding the $125 difference to my credit card. Nice.

...Another question posed here is will there be a commercial 37ED? Panasonic has released this consumer model in Germany and I think I saw it on the British website. But they did NOT release it in the USA. So, we wait and wonder...No, there won't be any more consumer or industrial (i.e., commercial) 37" ED models released in the U.S. My distributor told me a few months ago Panasonic had determined that their plant capacity could be more profitably utilized by leaving the low end of the market to Korean, Taiwanese and Chinese manufacturers. They are hoping to avoid commodity-type pricing for as long as possible.

lkrz1 and pknoettner,

A number of people on the forum have gone through a similar decision process recently and chose to purchase the TH-50PHD7UY online (or if you prefer 42" the analog is the 42PHD7UY).

If you do a search on "50PHD7UY" you'll find some detailed posts and threads explaining the rationale.

Briefly, my reasons for choosing the 7UY model were:

*It has received outstanding reviews from all who purchased it, and has been out long enough for any minor bugs to have been worked out

*No-one has been able to say that the 8th generation models have any better picture quality than the 7UY

*The 7UY supports PIP, POP, and is great for PC inputs

*It supports multiple, flexible, expandable input options (blades), so is potentially future-proof for any future protocols

*The 7UY has a smaller "footprint" and I didn't require a built-in tuner or speakers

*The 7UY is available right now at a good price. And it seems that all who have purchased online through Visual Apex have been very happy with the experience.

I just ordered mine, so can't give any feedback on its operation yet, but I think there are plenty of people on the forum who can.

Best of luck with your decision,
Dave.

Threads Merged!

Dave

Has anyone tried going into the service menu of the PX50U and experimented with turning down the green drive? Is the green drive listed as GDRV like Sony used to or is Panasonic using something more arcane?

Just for another data point - I got my 42PX50U last night, and so far it has no hint of a green push (at least according to AVIA and my subjective evaluation). Man, this is a schweet screen!

Just for another data point - I got my 42PX50U last night, and so far it has no hint of a green push (at least according to AVIA and my subjective evaluation). Man, this is a schweet screen!

Based on posts in these forums the ones with the green push are in the minority - most of the PD and PX models seem to be ok so count yourself lucky :p

I have most of mine dialed out but it still sneaks in here and there and the settings needed to reduce it end up making skin tones a little less normal looking so i've had to compromise between the two, leaning more toward natural skin tones over green-tinged yellow.

Has anyone tried going into the service menu of the PX50U and experimented with turning down the green drive? Is the green drive listed as GDRV like Sony used to or is Panasonic using something more arcane?

The drive settings like that are for setting grey scale only. If it were set wrong a white screen would look green - so don't change that. It sounds like its a color decoder issue and that would be a different setting not the grey scale drive settings. You need a service manual to get see if color decoder settings are available in the service menu to adjust for a green or red push. The AVIA DVD has green, red, and blue filters and a test pattern to measure how much red or green push a display has - someone should try and measure it with that.

The AVIA DVD has green, red, and blue filters and a test pattern to measure how much red or green push a display has - someone should try and measure it with that.I used the Avia DVD r/g/b test pattern with the 50PX50U and the results look reasonably accurate to me. My current settings:

Picture Mode: Standard
Picture: +13
Brightness: -9
Color: +4
Tint: -5
Sharpness: +1
Color Temp: Normal
Color Management: Off
Video NR: Off
MPEG NR: On
Black Level: Light

Digital Optical Cable from TV to Onkyo Surround Receiver

3. I can't get sound out of my receiver through the optical cable connection. I have turned the speakers off on the tv, but still no luck. Any ideas?

If your Onkyo receiver is anything like mine (TX-DS575) you need to specify that the sound source is Digital Optical, and not analog. I have to reset mine every time there is a power failure. On my receiver there is a "Digital/Analog" button.

To everyone else: Long time lurker, first time poster. Thanks for all the valuable information posted to the board. I'm in the process of selecting a PDP, and I'm waiting for the PX500U to be released. At that point I will probably choose between it and the 50U.

I have narrowed my search down to a Panasonic plasma but am still uncertain whether I should get the TH-42PX50U, the TH-42PD50U, or wait until the Fall when the commercial units will be available. I do not need the built-in tuner or speakers since I have a cable box and surround sound. The only place I can get a commercial unit is through the local HDTV store (high prices!) or order it on the internet. I would really prefer to buy locally at a good price, which means BB or CC, but they don't carry the commercial models. So, do I buy the tv with speakers and tuner locally for a decent price now or wait until the Fall and spend top dollar for a commercial unit?

Second question. Can I run my component cable from cable box directly to the tv and the audio cable from the box to my a/v receiver? All the diagrams I have seen show both cables running through the a/v receiver then to the tv. I will be using the Harmony 659 remote and want to control everything through it.

I can't for the life of me know why anyone would want to spend thousands of dollars for obsolete technology like ED. For about one thousand more you get Hi Def and you're set for the next several years. All network and cable are going to HD. If you see ED and HD side by side there is no comarison- I don't care what anyone says about viewing distance. Come on, drop that monitor resolution you're viewing this on down and see for yourself the result.

Who cares about commercial model? Who cares if the TV has a tuner and speakers? Buying the PX50 now is like getting them for free. Besides what are you going to do with the TV in a few years? Sell it? Put it in another room? You may be glad you had the sperakers and tuner then.

I bought the PX50 and never looked back.

I used the Avia DVD r/g/b test pattern with the 50PX50U and the results look reasonably accurate to me. My current settings:

Picture Mode: Standard
Picture: +13
Brightness: -9
Color: +4
Tint: -5
Sharpness: +1
Color Temp: Normal
Color Management: Off
Video NR: Off
MPEG NR: On
Black Level: Light

I personally find that Avia test screen (color decoder error) almost impossible to read. Maybe I've got some color decoding issues with my own eyes.

I finally took the plunge and got my plasma tv. So far, I have been very impressed with the picture, but I have some questions...Thanks to everyone on this forum for all of their help, it made my decision a lot easier.
My setup:

SA8300HD Cable Box connected to TV via HDMI
JVC Progressive Scan DVD Player Connected to TV via Component
Sony VCR Connected to TV via Composite Cables
Digital Optical Cable from TV to Onkyo Surround Receiver

1. I get white lines at the top of the screen on some broadcasts, notably 720p resolution on HD channels when non-HD programs are being broadcast. How can I adjust those out?

2. Remote Control - Seems to have very poor range. If I am at an angle 15' away, it does not work. Also, every button I push, the "TV" light flashes 3 times. I can understand one time, but three? Is that normal?

3. I can't get sound out of my receiver through the optical cable connection. I have turned the speakers off on the tv, but still no luck. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

AshishWhy even use the TVs digital-audio-out interface? If you use the HDMI --> HDMI (STB to TV) interface this supports digital-audio for the TVs sound system. Connect the STBs digital-audio-out directly to your Onkyo receiver. Then from the settings menu on the SA8300 choose either HDMI-digital-audio for the TVs sound system or Dolby Digital output to use your Onkyo surround sound.

I can't for the life of me know why anyone would want to spend thousands of dollars for obsolete technology like ED. For about one thousand more you get Hi Def and you're set for the next several years. All network and cable are going to HD. If you see ED and HD side by side there is no comarison

While I agree that HD has a better PQ than ED, and that is what I wanted, I haven't found a set with the features I want for the price I can justify, when I have a 9' wide screen in my dedicated HT.

I just brought the 37PD25U home 6 days ago. It was under $1700 NIB from a local B&M. Compare to the 37PX50U with a typical 10% discount at B&M for $2700. You are right -- $1000 more or nearly 60% upcharge. On the other hand, I could have had a 42PX25U open box for about $2350.

I don't consider a digital TV set which supports HDTV, has built-in ATSC tuners, HDMI, PC input, HD component inputs, dual RF inputs, and CableCard to be obsolete. Can't say the same thing for my analog Mitsubishi CRT TV with S-Video input.

My cable company has no idea when they will start offering HD, and when they do, I can bet it will cost more than the $17/mo I now pay for cable and 10 or 12 OTA HD channels (not including the subchannels).

I'll get my 15 year old CRT is still good for several more years, and my ED plasma will be good long past that. Of course, I fully expect my next set to be HD, but it will be higher res than today's 1024x768 or 1024x1024i.

I can't for the life of me know why anyone would want to spend thousands of dollars for obsolete technology like ED. For about one thousand more you get Hi Def and you're set for the next several years... I bought the PX50 and never looked back.

I'm pretty sure you could have thought of a less inflammatory way to state this, but...

It's true that with only a $1000 MSRP cost difference between the 42PD50 and the 42PX50 it's a tough choice between them. But that cost difference is still a third of the total cost, so I wouldn't count ED out quite yet. HD signals look great on my PD50, so I'd say I'm set for the next several years too.

I'm sure in a year or two the 1024x768 resolution panel will be where the ED resolution is now, and people will be saying it's "obsolete."

As long as a TV, PDP or any other media device for that matter, can receive and display a 720p or 1080i signal it will never be obsolete.

And the last time I looked almost all current Plasmas (ED or HD) has this feature.

I would be very careful about making these type of "obsolete" statements.

Dave

If you spend any time cruising this and other video forums, you'd see that beyond a certain distance (my benchmark has always been *about* 8 ft for a 42" set), that there isn't a large difference in video quality between ED and HD displays. But there *is* that $1000 odd price differential that a lot of us have problems justifying. (Plus, SD is still king for prime time viewing, and SD most times looks better on an ED than an HD set.) Plus personally, I plan on only having my current display for about 2 years anyway, because of better and cheaper displays to be out in the future: Sony XRD, Toshiba/Canon SED, etc.

Plus, for a lot of us (me at least :) ), 1080p is the goal, not 1080i down-res'ed to 720 or 768p. So why spend more money now vs later on when I can get *exactly* what I want?

I can't for the life of me know why anyone would want to spend thousands of dollars for obsolete technology like ED. For about one thousand more you get Hi Def and you're set for the next several years. All network and cable are going to HD. If you see ED and HD side by side there is no comarison- I don't care what anyone says about viewing distance. Come on, drop that monitor resolution you're viewing this on down and see for yourself the result.

Who cares about commercial model? Who cares if the TV has a tuner and speakers? Buying the PX50 now is like getting them for free. Besides what are you going to do with the TV in a few years? Sell it? Put it in another room? You may be glad you had the sperakers and tuner then.

I bought the PX50 and never looked back.

Very rude. This is a forum to help people not to disparage them. To answer pknoettner's second question the setup you describe is how I have it and it works fine. I have a optical audio cable connected from my DirectTV H10 receiver to my AV receiver and the component connection goes from the H10 to the TV.

im guessin pannys are the best, from what ive read here..?

im guessin pannys are the best, from what ive read here..?

One of the best -- there are many. PIONEER, HITACHI, NEC, etc.

Look for threads on all of these here. There are many users with both positives and negatives on all of these sets.

One of the best -- there are many. PIONEER, HITACHI, NEC, etc.

Look for threads on all of these here. There are many users with both positives and negatives on all of these sets.


True, true....but I'm hopin' the px500 will change that! :p

im guessin pannys are the best, from what ive read here..?

Well they're probably the best value, but the new models have less features and cost less than previous models but still have excellent picture quality. There are better plasmas out there, but you'll pay a lot more for em.

Well they're probably the best value, but the new models have less features and cost less than previous models but still have excellent picture quality. There are better plasmas out there, but you'll pay a lot more for em.


What do you mean less features? Like what?

For those of you that do own one of the Panny's, what mode do you use for 4:3 material? "4:3", zoom, full, or just?

For those of you that do own one of the Panny's, what mode do you use for 4:3 material? "4:3", zoom, full, or just?I use 'Just' mode to view 4:3 SD programming. After less than (1) month I have become accustomed to viewing SD material using Just mode & do not get the impression that there is any BIG distortion when viewing a 480p broadcast using this aspect ratio.

What do you mean less features? Like what?

For starters, on 50U compared to 25U, no PIP/Split screen, only one RF input, no PC input connector.

For those of you that do own one of the Panny's, what mode do you use for 4:3 material? "4:3", zoom, full, or just?

I use JUST mode on my 37" ED. For many shows, I barely even think about it, right from day 1. Every once in a while, my JUST SD cable image is so good, I have to check if I am watching an OTA HD channel. Compared to my 31" CRT, I notice a little vertical cropping, but actually see more of the horizontal image. And FYI, yes, 37" only shows a 30" effective 4:3 image, but with the slight zoom of JUST mode, the image is actually larger than my 31".

For the most part, in JUST mode, larger people appear wider, and 2 heads on a screen has more noticeable "fathead effect" than a single head in the center.

I originally posted this in a different area, but it might be more appropriate for this area:

I bought the Sanyo DP42545 at Wal-Mart last week. I was reluctant to buy it without having seen any reviews yet, but I wanted to see what $2,000 would get me in a 42" plasma. I had also tried the Sylvania 6842PE 42" Widescreen Plasma Display, but I returned that because I decided I wanted an integrated tuner. Anyway, I think that I may have made a mistake because neither I nor my wife are particularly impressed with the picture on the Sanyo. I have looked at CNET and they give the Panasonic TH-42PD50U a pretty good review. I am thinking of returning the Sanyo and getting the Panasonic from one of the internet dealers. My questions are:

-Has anyone here ever bought a large screen TV from an internet dealer and what were your experiences?

-Is there much difference from one plasma TV to another?

I got mine from an online retailer and was satisfied. Try EPHOTOCLUB

...
My questions are:

...Has anyone here ever bought a large screen TV from an internet dealer and what were your experiences?
...


Much better than an individual's response to your question - - - > Search this forum for the overwhelming preponderance of POSITIVE opinions in dealing over the internet with these top Forum Sponsors: TVAUTHORITY, VISUALAPEX, or PLASMACONCEPTS (click one of their ads at the top of the screen!).

For starters, on 50U compared to 25U, no PIP/Split screen, only one RF input, no PC input connector.

On the 50's, but not on the 500's!

On the 50's, but not on the 500's!

Until the US Models are released (or any brochures for the US Market) we cannot know for sure what features the PX500 will have or not have.

Every thing for the US Market is speculation at this point.

Dave

Is it normal for the 42pd50 to make clicking sounds when it is off? The sound is like the sound it makes when you turn it on and hear a couple clicks.

Scott

"Just", OK, thanks...

Any chance of a PowerBuy on the 50PX50 sets from TVA? :D

I'm ready for that group buy!

I got mine from an online retailer and was satisfied. Try EPHOTOCLUB

Wow! Very nice prices there!

Almost too good to be true!

Until the US Models are released (or any brochures for the US Market) we cannot know for sure what features the PX500 will have or not have.

Every thing for the US Market is speculation at this point.

Dave


True, it's not official until it's official, but I'd be terribly disappointed if it's anything less than what they had at CES though! :(

Wow! Very nice prices there!

Almost too good to be true!


ebphotoclub -- interesting b/c they're saying you can use the $300 installation rebate coupon on regular delivery on the new models. the rebate coupon says "delivery/installation" so maybe that works ... wondering, can you do that? my assumption about the rebate was you had to buy some sort of separate "installation" package to get it. but if regular delivery charges qualify ... well, that's $300 bucks off the entire current line of models if you buy online and have it delivered.

mscappa,

Personally I hope that you are correct. I for one will be researching the PX500 upon its release.

Oh, thanks for taking care of the other thing.

Dave

Wow! Very nice prices there!

Almost too good to be true!

btw, place is rated under 2 out of 10 on resellerratings, below, lots of horror stories. still, very interested if that coupon can be used for regular "delivery"

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller3471.html

Also when I got my PD50 ephotoclub had free shipping. Everything went very well. It was shipped next day.

bee298,

I notice that you have 10 post and they are all in this thread. I also notice that half of them (are in one way or another) promoting "Ephotoclub".

People pushing any "On-Line Vendor" this hard would make me very, very "Cautious".

Dave

Good point Cheridave. Like I said, maybe too good to be true. Hmmmmmmm

I originally posted this in a different area, but it might be more appropriate for this area:

I bought the Sanyo DP42545 at Wal-Mart last week. I was reluctant to buy it without having seen any reviews yet, but I wanted to see what $2,000 would get me in a 42" plasma. I had also tried the Sylvania 6842PE 42" Widescreen Plasma Display, but I returned that because I decided I wanted an integrated tuner. Anyway, I think that I may have made a mistake because neither I nor my wife are particularly impressed with the picture on the Sanyo. I have looked at CNET and they give the Panasonic TH-42PD50U a pretty good review. I am thinking of returning the Sanyo and getting the Panasonic from one of the internet dealers. My questions are:

-Has anyone here ever bought a large screen TV from an internet dealer and what were your experiences?

-Is there much difference from one plasma TV to another?


Sounds like you were trying to save a little bit of money by buying no-name plasmas and buying your plasma from Wal-mart.

Let me offer one piece of advice, go to a real audio/video store like circuitcity, LOOk at the TVs you want to buy, and buy it there.

The little bit more money you spent on a brand like Panasonic and a real store will save you the trouble.

Just think about it, you've already packed up two different plasma TVs and returned it back to the store. You probably costed the stores a lot of money and trouble. They have to try and re-sell and open box item at a lower price, or sometimes they even throw away the plasmas.

If you did more research on the product, and didn't buy for the cheapest price, you would have saved all that hassle.

Now, i know you're going to be tempted to buy from an internet retailer selling the panasonic for the cheapest price... don't do it! Price and service go hand in hand. So if you spend money on a random internet company, be prepared to spend hours on the phone trying to get the credit card company to get your money back.

The 42pd50u is a solid choice

bee298,
I notice that you have 10 post and they are all in this thread. I also notice that half of them (are in one way or another) promoting "Ephotoclub". People pushing any "On-Line Vendor" this hard would make me very, very "Cautious".
Dave

Thank you for pointing that out for board newbees cheridave. In my opinion, it shouldn’t JUST make board members very, very cautious - - it should be the biggest red flag they ever saw in your life.

Back to waiting for reviews of the first US PX500, hopefully in late June. Two significant questions will remain until June, did the US PX500 model implement:

• the HD stretch mode, and [<-corrected my "SD" mis-post]
• dual tuners/split screen.

Shouldn’t dealers now have that info on spec sheets?

SA8300HD Cable Box connected to TV via HDMI

1. I get white lines at the top of the screen on some broadcasts, notably 720p resolution on HD channels when non-HD programs are being broadcast. How can I adjust those out?

Thanks in advance!

Ashish

Similar situation on my 50px50u when viewing Cablevision channel 704 (HDNBC I think)

Anyone?

I'm having difficulties with signal processing using the HDMI interface between TWCs SA8300HD-DVR & my 50PX50U. The TV at times will not display the correct signal being reported from the cable box (e.g. interprets 480p as 1080i and vice versa). It got so bad I decided to use the component input instead. My impression is these STBs are not quite ready for HDMI prime-time just yet... I've scheduled with TWC to have a CableCARD installed on June 10th so it should be interesting to see how the TV performs with the STB out of the mix.

Set up:
50px50u
Viewing distance 10ft
SA8300 HDMI - HDMI [Cablevision]
Sony DV 725 - Component - Component
Tivo SD 300hr Svideo - Svideo

I finally got around opening and setting it up on Fri. (after the PDP was delivered on Wed. by CC). Currently on its included stand, will be buying a wall mount and hanging it on Sat.

Cable inputs and connections straight forward and easy to do.

ITS BIG!! holy cow, going from a 34" CRT to a 50" PDP sure is an experience!
Happy to say my eyes adjusted quickly and have not incurred any motion sickness.

Factory setting out of the box was Vivid which I quickly changed to Cinema.

Spent about 2 hrs calibrating the set, first with DVE then AVIA back then to DVE (as a check). I don't have handy the settings, suffice to say I have been viewing all programming in Cinema, with all settings on Off, normal mode and blacks on dark. After the break-in period I will switch to and set the Standard mode.
~~one note, changing the sharpness setting had no discernable effect on any of the test patterns~~

PQ general comments:
** I'm no professional so all comments are very subjective to my eyes and I do not claim to be a PQ expert either **

1080i and 720p via the SA8330 looks great and , material shot in HD like the Yankees vs Red Sox HD broadcast was downright STUNNING (I'll never have to go to the ball park again!). Clarity, detail, life-like feel and punchiness all there.

SD was better than I expected tho the color saturation (Tint) needed to be toned down further. Watched some French Open Tennis on ESPN2 and the clay court looked awful without add'l tweaking. SD appears to be flat compared to HD material.

SD Tivo material looked the same (crappy) as on the CRT.

DVDs looked awesome. I played clips from The Matrix, LOTR ROTK, M&C, Gladiator, Van Helsinki, Meet the Fokkers, Shrek2 and Finding Nemo. Black and shadow details all there, always a life like picture. Tho I didn't get around yet to play a ****** transfer (like Star Trek The Next Generation) I don't expect to have any surprises. ~~ of note 480p looked a tad warmer/film like than 480i which had a bit more sharpness to it~~

No Macroblocking issue at all.

So far no Green Push, dead pixels or other panel specific reported issues.

Have been running the PDP 24/7 by playing in stretch modes chapter loops of various different DVDs... at 64 hours now.

Most of my viewing has been in total dark or with ambient lighting (cheapo HomeDepot rope light). I did notice during full daylight a loss of brilliance/punchiness. Notching up Contrast (picture) and Brightness above +10 (each) will take care of that.

Beefs (mild, already known issues so no surprises):

Remote not as intuitive and friendly as it should be, lack of a button for each specific input - very poor.

Only one HDMI input. Looks like I will not be upgrading my DVD player in the foreseeable future because of this.

Cannot set a specific display mode per inpaint, rather have to compromise with the general setting modes (Vivid, Standard, Cinema) by calibrating each and choosing wich to use by input. ~~ can it be done throughout the service menu?~~

Positives

Did I mention the PDP is BIG!!! Hey, if ur on the "size" fence, go bigger.... there is no going back.

WAF is high and as soon as it is on the wall (and found appropriate A/V credenza) she will be happy as ever.

Am probably forgetting some stuff, will post as I come up with it.

Overall the Panny is everything I wanted and more.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D

THANK YOU to all that have contributed to the Plasma and LCD Flat Panel Displays forum over the past 2 years, the knowledge gained here proved to be invaluable.

Is it normal for the 42pd50 to make clicking sounds when it is off? The sound is like the sound it makes when you turn it on and hear a couple clicks.

Scott

Anyone's 42pd50 making clicking sounds when it is off?

Scott

I can't get sound out of my receiver through the optical cable connection. I have turned the speakers off on the tv, but still no luck. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Ashish[/QUOTE]

I do not know what type of receiver you have, but on my Denon 4800, i had to go into the configuration screen of the Denon and tell it that optical was the choice for TV, DVD, etc.

I can't get sound out of my receiver through the optical cable connection. I have turned the speakers off on the tv, but still no luck. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Ashish


Did you check with page 14 of the manual?

Did you check with page 14 of the manual?

If you have a STB it goes from that to your receiver rather than TV to receiver.

Anyone's 42pd50 making clicking sounds when it is off?

Scott


Mine doesn't make any clicking sound after i turn it off that i am aware of, but then i usually leave the room after i turn it off. I will listen more closely to see if this is normal or possible concern with your set. I will let you know if i hear anything after shutting it off.

I simply looked a long time in my search for a PD50. And this company has very good prices and service. Just because it is not your place of choice don,t give me s--t. If some people want a better deal I was only giving them a place to look. This was my first and only thing to purchase from them. If I stepped on your nose fogive me.

Back to waiting for reviews of the first US PX500, hopefully in late June. Two significant questions will remain until June, did the US PX500 model implement:

• the SD stretch mode, and
• dual tuners/split screen.


Don't you mean "HD stretch mode"? I'm sure it already has SD stretch modes . . . .

Don't you mean "HD stretch mode"? I'm sure it already has SD stretch modes . . . .

Thank you RandyWalters, of course I meant "HD stretch mode" (post corrected). There was one report so-far that the Japanese model had it, but will the US model ship with it is the question.

Vertical Grayscale Ramp... Complete with reflections caused by ambient light...

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC00977.JPG

Thanks for posting the shot optivity. The new 8th gen panel appears to produce a smoother grayscale on the darker shades than my previous gen PD25 - as would be expected with the increased palette. However, it looks like the new Panny PDPs still have room for improvement to completely eliminate false contouring, though the banding in your shot is impresively minimal for a pdp.

Have any owners of the 8th gen's noticed false contouring? Judging by the pattern above, it's reduced but not eliminated. It was a fairly common complaint on the previous gen...

It also appears there is some green tint in some shades of the grayscale. My previous gen had a slightly purple tinge at certain shages. Ideally, an ISF'd display would of course produce this pattern with the same neutral shade of gray throughout.

Thanks for posting the shot optivity. The new 8th gen panel appears to produce a smoother grayscale on the darker shades than my previous gen PD25 - as would be expected with the increased palette. However, it looks like the new Panny PDPs still have room for improvement to completely eliminate false contouring, though the banding in your shot is impresively minimal for a pdp.

Have any owners of the 8th gen's noticed false contouring? Judging by the pattern above, it's reduced but not eliminated. It was a fairly common complaint on the previous gen...

It also appears there is some green tint in some shades of the grayscale. My previous gen had a slightly purple tinge at certain shages. Ideally, an ISF'd display would of course produce this pattern with the same neutral shade of gray throughout.

I have noticed no false contouring at all on my 50px50u (and hopefully I'll expunge this from my memory and not try to look for it!)

Your observations of green in certain bands is interesting....I see it also. Is this why we see a bit too much green only sometimes? Is it something that can be ISF'd out?

Edit: I just ran the same grayscale test pattern that optivity has screen captured (Avia DVD). Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera. Anyway instead of very faint green segments I see very faint red. Go figure. My tint is set at -3 but I notice no red push.

Mine doesn't make any clicking sound after i turn it off that i am aware of, but then i usually leave the room after i turn it off. I will listen more closely to see if this is normal or possible concern with your set. I will let you know if i hear anything after shutting it off.

Thanks for the help. Just to be clear. It is not when I turn it off. Really, I'm not sure when it's doing it except that now and then when I'm in the room with the TV it will sometimes make a clicking sound. Yeah, let me know if you notice yours doing it.

Thanks,

Scott

Stupid question: any relationship between false contouring and macroblocking? (I know what MB is, but still a little fuzzy on false contouring...) TIA. :)

Kevin - No relationship. False contouring is caused by an insufficient color palette which produces bands of color rather than smooth transitions. It's easily noticable on walls with shadows.

MB enhance is a bug in Faroudja chips that enhances the already existing "block structure" of compressed MPEGs. It looks like blocky fast moving digital noise and is typically most visible in shadows.

I was wondering what was going on with the dark scenes on my Plasma. I guess it's macroblocking according to the above description. That is the one thing that I don't think I'll be able to live with on this new display. Shadow areas look like crap sometimes. Is this inherent in all Plasma's?

Scott

What is the deal with the neon green problem? I haven't seen any mention for sometime now. Has everyone gotten used to watching the Simpson's in green or is the problem gone?

I'm ready to buy, but concerned about this problem. Someone ease my fear!

I called the Rebate hotline for panasonic. They said that it is OK to have a different vendor to install the Plasma as long as there is a receipt for it. In passing I asked if a Plasma TV stand qualifies for the rebate and she said yes.

It would be nice if someone else calls to check on this and confirms it.

What is the deal with the neon green problem? I haven't seen any mention for sometime now. Has everyone gotten used to watching the Simpson's in green or is the problem gone?

I'm ready to buy, but concerned about this problem. Someone ease my fear!There is no "neon green" problem. If someone observes any tendency towards "green push" on their 50U PDP simply turn the color control setting up from the default (0) to 2 to 4 and the tint control down from it's default (0) to -2 to -5 to eliminate any emphasis on the color green. If you want to add "red push" to the panel... :eek: turn the tint control setting down some more. :p

What is the deal with the neon green problem? I haven't seen any mention for sometime now. Has everyone gotten used to watching the Simpson's in green or is the problem gone?

I'm ready to buy, but concerned about this problem. Someone ease my fear!

I got my 42PX50U last week. I've been searching for "green push" since so many people noticed it. Last night I watched two HD sports events and a DHDT documentary that I recorded on DVR (truly stunning PQ on that) with no push.

However, an SD game on Comcast Sportsnet did seem to have it.

I think I may have overadjusted, because on Standard (it comes with Vivid picture) Baseball Tonight seemed a little red.

Rich N.

The tendency towards "green push" is most evident during SD programming that consists of cartoon characters like: Homer Simpson & SpongeBob. Any evidence of "green push" can be eliminated by adjusting the color (+) & tint (-) settings.

The tendency towards "green push" is most evident during SD programming that consists of cartoon characters like: Homer Simpson & SpongeBob. Any evidence of "green push" can be eliminated by adjusting the color (+) & tint (-) settings.

I don't think it can always be eliminated - mine was pretty bad when i first got it and while i have been able to dial it almost completely out, it's still slightly there on lots of yellow items on the screen. If i adjust the color and tint so that yellows are always true yellow, faces are too pink or red and actual red stuff is too red. In order to get skin tones looking correct, i have to put up with slight green tinting on many yellow scenes and green things are a little too green. Turning Color Management off helps a lot.

Thanks for the help. Just to be clear. It is not when I turn it off. Really, I'm not sure when it's doing it except that now and then when I'm in the room with the TV it will sometimes make a clicking sound. Yeah, let me know if you notice yours doing it.

Thanks,

Scott

Scott last night i listened very carefully and had friends over who also took part . We did not notice any clicking noise at all. Also on the MB you are experiencing. Are you using Cable or OTA? I was having some MB on my set and it was eliminated when i had TWC come in and run me a new line. My MB was being caused by a bad signal. Hope you get your issues resolved because i truly love my PD50. Maybe you just got a lemon and can return it for a new set. Good luck.

Scott last night i listened very carefully and had friends over who also took part . We did not notice any clicking noise at all. Also on the MB you are experiencing. Are you using Cable or OTA? I was having some MB on my set and it was eliminated when i had TWC come in and run me a new line. My MB was being caused by a bad signal. Hope you get your issues resolved because i truly love my PD50. Maybe you just got a lemon and can return it for a new set. Good luck.

I'm not too concerned with the clicking sound, unless someone thinks I should be, it's just kinda strange to be laying in bed with the TV off and all the sudden hear it click like its trying to turn on. I've only heard it happen a few times.

As far as the hook up, I've got it connected to my whole house Russound system with composite video. Pic quality is very good except for sometimes in dark areas. The plasma is in my bedroom where I don't do my critical viewing, so I'm not too concerned with PQ. Other people have mentioned green push, but I have not noticed it. I set up the TV with DVE. I think I set
Picture 0
Brightness 0
Color -7
Tint -1
sharpness -15
Overall I love the tv, but apparently it doesn't handle blacks well with a composite signal. I may try connecting a DVD player directly to it just to see a comparison. If I do I'll update ya'll.

Scott

Do you think the "green push" is related to a bad manufacturing run. I wonder what the serial numbers are of the sets that display this anomaly.

Do you think the "green push" is related to a bad manufacturing run. I wonder what the serial numbers are of the sets that display this anomaly.I'd like to know how the final settings are applied to each PDP before it gets passed for shipment? My impression is... it is common for any display device to exhibit some red or green push; and this is not a big deal provided it can be adjusted to render colors accurately.

All I know is that in a store comparing a PD50U to several other plasma's I saw a yellow surf board that was GREEN. Not slightly green or "green push", but solid green. Other yellow objects were just fine. Only every so often did it display a yellow item as green. In fact, if it weren't side by side another display, I wouldn't have even noticed it was wrong.

Will the settings adjustments fix this? It seemed like some type of color decoding issue.

From what I've seen, this happens in the vast minority of screens. All I know is that I'm thoroughly enjoying my new 42PX50U, and it has absolutely no sign of green push. Yellow is yellow, and everything looks so lifelike. In fact, my wife and I find we are watching far more HD content (even if it's not all that interesting), just because the HD picture is so stunning!

I am going to buy either the 42PX50U or 42PD50U in the next week. I have a choice from my cable provider (Charter) of either having a cable box that has a HMDI output to the tv or using a Cablecard that works with high definition. I realize that I sacrifice two way communication with the cablecard but what about the quality of the picture I will see? A HMDI connection from the box to the tv should be super, but is the picture any better using a cablecard and having the cable go directly to the tv? Also, anyone using either a Scientific Atlanta or Motorola box with the Panasonic plasmas? Is any one better?

I am going to buy either the 42PX50U or 42PD50U in the next week. I have a choice from my cable provider (Charter) of either having a cable box that has a HMDI output to the tv or using a Cablecard that works with high definition. I realize that I sacrifice two way communication with the cablecard but what about the quality of the picture I will see? A HMDI connection from the box to the tv should be super, but is the picture any better using a cablecard and having the cable go directly to the tv? Also, anyone using either a Scientific Atlanta or Motorola box with the Panasonic plasmas? Is any one better?

The picture via CableCard should be better because there is one less level of decoding.
The Cable Box has to decode the data to feed into the HDMI input where it is again decoded.

I forgot to mention that the Cablecard is $1.50 a month while the box is $9.99 a month. If the picture is better with the card then I will go with it and connect directly to the tv. I saw both of the tv's at BB yesterday, one next to the other, and I could not tell the difference in PQ from 10 feet away with HD. When I asked them to switch to a local standard station I thought the PX had slightly better PQ from 10 feet, but the tint and contrast was off so much that it was a tossup as to which was the better picture. They were both set to vivid when I arrived, so I asked them to change it and the PQ improved right away. No green tint was visible.

All I know is that in a store comparing a PD50U to several other plasma's I saw a yellow surf board that was GREEN. Not slightly green or "green push", but solid green. Other yellow objects were just fine. Only every so often did it display a yellow item as green. In fact, if it weren't side by side another display, I wouldn't have even noticed it was wrong.

Will the settings adjustments fix this? It seemed like some type of color decoding issue.

Did you happen to check the picture settings? If someone pushed tint all the way to the right, things will look green. If color management is on things will look green. If the vivid setting is on by default, guess what? If you don't check these things first then it is wrong to assume a color decoder problem.

Let me clarify what I saw:
- Green bay packers uniforms, perfectly green and yellow as appropriate.
- Grass on field, perfectly Green.
- Yellow field goal posts, perfectly yellow.

Then the footages switches to a guy surfing:
- Yellow surfboard shows up as green on the PD50U, but yellow on other displays

Everything looks great, except occassionally an object that should be Yellow is completely (not slightly) Green instead of Yellow.

I think I'll take the risk and order a PX50U. If the colors are wrong, I'll call Panasonic. They have a good reputation. But, I'm worried that something is going on here.

"My impression is... it is common for any display device to exhibit some red or green push; and this is not a big deal provided it can be adjusted to render colors accurately."

Actual color decoding errors are not easily fixed at all.

Greyscale errors can be fixed by user or calibrator settings to get linear tracking and evenness, but if the color decoder is screwed, the problem is much harder.

Anyone know when this baby is coming out? This set has features that the 50U doesn't. From what i gather it will be relatively close in cost to the 50U. The PQ on the 50U is awesome but doesn't have PC input, TV Guide, etc. Please keep us updated an any new info.

Just compared PD50 and PX50 at a store, they were mounted on top of each other. PD50 picture was absolutely horrible, it was DULL and Blurry... at any distance, the PX50 was just MUCH SHARPER and Brighter, huge amount of details....this was on a HD feed from satelite, it was even blurrier than a Hitachi right next to it (althogh had better color/black)... was totally disappointed.

When the guy switched to SD, the picture got better for PD50, still much blurrier than PX50 but it did a much better job smoothing out the poor signal artifacts and it looked much more like CRT while PX50 that had a sharper picture showed all the noice and artifacts which made the picture not that great.

I tried changing setting to see if the PD50 is not setup right, but the guy said they just took it out of the box and haven't unpacked the remote yet... but I really do not believe the adjustment can make the picture sharper as it was just not sharp at all... when I saw an NEC ED Plasma vs. HD... it was not as blurry, it was pretty darn close... is PD50 really that bad of this unit was an exception?!

white lines at the top of the screen on some broadcasts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by ashishp

SA8300HD Cable Box connected to TV via HDMI

1. I get white lines at the top of the screen on some broadcasts, notably 720p resolution on HD channels when non-HD programs are being broadcast. How can I adjust those out?

Thanks in advance!

Ashish



Similar situation on my 50px50u when viewing Cablevision channel 704 (HDNBC I think)

Anyone?Similar situation on my 50px50u when viewing Cablevision channel 704 (HDNBC I think)

Anyone?
I see it also some times on the 42pd50 when watching DVD in letterbox coming through the component inputs. Anyone have any idea what this is?

I tried changing setting to see if the PD50 is not setup right, but the guy said they just took it out of the box and haven't unpacked the remote yet... but I really do not believe the adjustment can make the picture sharper as it was just not sharp at all... when I saw an NEC ED Plasma vs. HD... it was not as blurry, it was pretty darn close... is PD50 really that bad of this unit was an exception?![/QUOTE]

I own a PD50, and if you have been reading past post's of all the people who own or have reviewed this PDP and claimed how beautiful the PQ was. You even state in your post that they just put it out with no adjustment and no remote to check settings. Maybe the feed was bad, think? You can not put all your apples in one basket. Is this the only place you checked or the only research you have done? Do you really feel all these people including myself would spend thousands of dollars on a PDP that was blurry?

Just compared PD50 and PX50 at a store, they were mounted on top of each other. PD50 picture was absolutely horrible, it was DULL and Blurry... at any distance, the PX50 was just MUCH SHARPER and Brighter, huge amount of details....this was on a HD feed from satelite, it was even blurrier than a Hitachi right next to it (although had better color/black)... was totally disappointed.

When the guy switched to SD, the picture got better for PD50, still much blurrier than PX50 but it did a much better job smoothing out the poor signal artifacts and it looked much more like CRT while PX50 that had a sharper picture showed all the noice and artifacts which made the picture not that great.

I tried changing setting to see if the PD50 is not setup right, but the guy said they just took it out of the box and haven't unpacked the remote yet... but I really do not believe the adjustment can make the picture sharper as it was just not sharp at all... when I saw an NEC ED Plasma vs. HD... it was not as blurry, it was pretty darn close... is PD50 really that bad of this unit was an exception?!

Something must have been wrong with the way the PD50 was set up or the connection or sumthin. I directly compared the PD and PX at two different CCs and the PD looked almost as clear and sharp as the PX on their recorded 1080i loop at both stores. When i stood within 8 feet the PD exhibited SDE where the PX did not, but when i stood more than 10 feet away the PD's SDE disappeared and two displays were almost identical and looked better than most of the other brands on the same wall. I was planning to get the PD but since i sit about 8 feet away from the screen i decided to get the PX based on SDE alone. If my viewing distance were more than 10 feet i would have bought the PD because the slightly better HD PQ on the PX wouldn't be worth the extra $800 premium. The PX's black bezel was also a determining factor but it was mostly to avoid SDE. I have since gone back to validate my decision by looking for SDE and it's still there on the PD even at 10 feet so i'm glad i got the PX. SD cable looks great - much better than i thought it would and is about equal to my former 32" HD Panny tube TV which also looked great except the tube had slightly better black levels.

My bet is on a bad feed or connection. I couldn't see $800-1000 worth of difference b/t the PD50 and PX50 and went with the PD. The 4 Panasonics (2005 and 2004 ED & HD) were the finest looking 42" PDPs in CC to my eyes when I bought, although I honestly thought the 2005 PD outperformed the 2004 PX.

EDIT: Hey, congrats to me, I just made the senior member club with this post!

WOOHOO!

Does anyone find the fan noise objectionable. I was thinking about getting a 50 incher, but not if it annoys me while I'm watching.

Does anyone know if the PX50U will work with the ATI-HDTV adapter from a PC? If so, do I set the resolution to 1280x720 and use 720p on the adapter?

Here is the link to the adapter: http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2537967

Thanks for the help.


Fan Noise:

So far I have not heard any noise coming from the PX50U. I hear most of my noise from the DVR recorder I have.

My bet is on a bad feed or connection. I couldn't see $800-1000 worth of difference b/t the PD50 and PX50 and went with the PD. The 4 Panasonics (2005 and 2004 ED & HD) were the finest looking 42" PDPs in CC to my eyes when I bought, although I honestly thought the 2005 PD outperformed the 2004 PX.

EDIT: Hey, congrats to me, I just made the senior member club with this post!

WOOHOO!When I first saw the TH-42PD50U at Tweeters I was "shocked" that it's picture looked every bit as good as any HD Onyx, Pioneer or LG PDP being displayed. If I had been in the market for a 42" ED-PDP I would not have hesitated to buy this Panasonic 8th generation ED display. Instead, this provided me with enough confidence to purchase a 50PX50U last month and I have not been disappointed at all. There was either something wrong with the display "alexb76" saw or the way it was set-up.

Does anyone find the fan noise objectionable. I was thinking about getting a 50 incher, but not if it annoys me while I'm watching.I hear no fan noise from my 50PX50U. My SA8300HD-DVR makes more noise than the PDP.

Thanks to everyone in the forum who posted here. My PD50 arrived yesterday. It's a Mexico April build. I turned off the color management and adjusted color and tint and see no green push on my unit. I use the Fifth Element as my demo disc and it looked amazing on the PD50. D* SD looks as good as possible for SD. I never could have done it without you all!

... It's a Mexico April build....

This is the first I have seen anyone post that there set was built in Mexico, all the others said Japan (Osaka?) as I recall. Anyone else get one built in Mexico? Also, is it just the PD's being built there, or the PX's too?

Also, with regard to the green push, I believe I posted above that I saw the green push in an uncalibrated set at Tweeter. Similarly to the poster above, the salesdrone informed me that the remote was not available, and the set had just been hung on the wall and turned on, with no adjustements. Watching a NASCAR race (I asked him to put something HD on) I saw a green car in the lead. If I had not glanced to the right, and seen that the car was actually yellow, I would never have realized that the color was wrong. Which begs the green push question. If you don't know an object is supposed to be yellow, I am thinking you may miss it when watching...

Darren

Thanks to everyone in the forum who posted here. My PD50 arrived yesterday. It's a Mexico April build. I turned off the color management and adjusted color and tint and see no green push on my unit. I use the Fifth Element as my demo disc and it looked amazing on the PD50. D* SD looks as good as possible for SD. I never could have done it without you all!

Pwald let us know if you have any issues with your new set? There has been some mention on whether the PDP was made in Mexico or Japan. I was just curious to know if there really is any kind of quality control issues or if it really matters at all. Congratulations on your new set and enjoy,

This is the first I have seen anyone post that there set was built in Mexico, all the others said Japan (Osaka?) as I recall. Anyone else get one built in Mexico? Also, is it just the PD's being built there, or the PX's too?

Also, with regard to the green push, I believe I posted above that I saw the green push in an uncalibrated set at Tweeter. Similarly to the poster above, the salesdrone informed me that the remote was not available, and the set had just been hung on the wall and turned on, with no adjustements. Watching a NASCAR race (I asked him to put something HD on) I saw a green car in the lead. If I had not glanced to the right, and seen that the car was actually yellow, I would never have realized that the color was wrong. Which begs the green push question. If you don't know an object is supposed to be yellow, I am thinking you may miss it when watching...

DarrenAgreed... While watching my 50PX50U (April Osaka Build) my 6-year-old-nephew first drew my attention to a "green" SpongeBob... Too bad the salesman wouldn't let you "play" with the remote. For me... a simple color/tint control adjustment made SpongeBob "yellow" again... My nephew concurred... "SpongeBob looks normal!"

Do you think the "green push" is related to a bad manufacturing run. I wonder what the serial numbers are of the sets that display this anomaly.

I think you are correct on this.

I've been to numerous retailers over the past two weeks, and the "neon-green over yellow" is gone. Makes me think they swaped out the bad display models for good ones.

I don't think it can always be eliminated - mine was pretty bad when i first got it and while i have been able to dial it almost completely out, it's still slightly there on lots of yellow items on the screen. If i adjust the color and tint so that yellows are always true yellow, faces are too pink or red and actual red stuff is too red. In order to get skin tones looking correct, i have to put up with slight green tinting on many yellow scenes and green things are a little too green. Turning Color Management off helps a lot.

Randy,

I have had my 50px50 for 4 weeks now and have the exact same observations as you. The adjustments took care of most of the green problem, but I ended up as you did, in having to live with just a little off color on the faces. I did notice though that that skin tones vary quite a bit, depending upon which channel I'm looking at. Even though my source is Directv, the local news broadcasters exhibit different flesh tonal qualities.

azarby

I have a 50PX50 coming on Monday. I'll be measuring it with OpticONE and checking color accuracy, including yellows. I'll post my results. All color processing will be shut off, of course.

Also hoping to dive into the service menu to adjust greyscale and perhaps the color decoding if it's accessible (there were some adjustments on the 42PWD7UY I had last year, though not as comprehensive as I would've liked).

The only thing I find disappointing about Panasonic consumer models is the complete lack of available adjustments in the user menu.

I'd like to know for what % of the new Panasonic PDP owners... is this their 1st D*TV? I found the picture renderings were quite different when I bought my 1st HD ready CRT-TV a couple of years ago. Coincidentally, it was also a Panasonic. I suspect... the provider source and cable infrastructure play a more significant role in determining the end-picture rendered by the PDP than most people realize.

I have been leaning toward buying one of these new pannys but after reading this I am seriously having second thoughts.

This will be my first HDTV big ticket purchase. If I'm going to drop $3000 bucks on a TV I want it to work and work right. I don't want to have to compromise facial color just so something that is supposed to be green is actually green.

The more I research the more confusing this gets. Just when I start to actually settle on a brand and model I discover the thing doesn't know the difference between green and yellow.

Maybe I'll just buy a CRT. Good grief!!!!

In my what by now seems like never ending search for a plasma display, I wondered into the Magnolia Audio and Video Store in Canoga Park, CA, yesterday. As I walked in the door, I had norrowed my choices down to three:

Fujitsu 5040
Pionner 5050HD
Panasonic 50PX50U

The only one of the above I had not yet seen in person is the Panasonic. Between the Pio and the Fuji, my eyes like the Fuji better, but my wallet hates the extra $$.

So, I walk in the front door, and low and behold, all three of these displays are on the wall together. How could I be so lucky? A salesmen came over and let me adjust the color settings on each of the three displays to my liking. I tried to adjust each so that they looked the same, with the same source. I then stared at each monitor for at least 10 minutes, doing my best to evaluate performance.

The verdict (and why I may be crazy): To my eyes I prefer the Panasonic, and this includes both SD and HD sources. This of course goes against the recommendation of every salesperson I have talked to, all of whom have said nothing bests the Fuji.

I think my mind is finally made up. I'm placing my order for the 50Px50U today. . . unless someone here convinces me to wait for the 500U. :)

I have been leaning toward buying one of these new pannys but after reading this I am seriously having second thoughts.

This will be my first HDTV big ticket purchase. If I'm going to drop $3000 bucks on a TV I want it to work and work right. I don't want to have to compromise facial color just so something that is supposed to be green is actually green.

The more I research the more confusing this gets. Just when I start to actually settle on a brand and model I discover the thing doesn't know the difference between green and yellow.

Maybe I'll just buy a CRT. Good grief!!!!

There are plenty of people here who have the new Panny and do not have the yellow-is-too-green issue. CRTs tend to suffer from red push so some whites tend to have a pinkish tint so by going CRT you might just end up trading green push for red push. No technology is perfect.

As far as I know, both the Fujitsu and the Pany are using a Panasonic panel. So the main difference between those two should be the quality of the internal electronics (interlacer + scaler etc). There most people here on the forum prefer the Fujitsu. Personally I've not seen either model, so I can't really say. If you like the Pany more, then go ahead! It's a lot cheaper, I guess, so you should only go with the Fujitsu if you really like it significantly better...

I have bad news for you fingerscrossed...but I don't think anyone has made a 100% perfect display for all users yet. Every display type (PDP, LCD, CRT, DLP) has pros and cons vs. the others, and within each display type the same thing. This one pushes red, that one pushes green, that one over there doesn't have the deepest blacks...

If there was a perfect display out there, I imagine we could narrow the Display Devices forum down to a single thread.

There are a lot of very very pleased owners of these Panny sets out there, myself included. Remember who you're dealing with here at AVS...the pickiest of the picky, obsessive people. It took me months to "untrain" my eyes from seeing rainbows on my DLP front projector, something I didn't notice until I read thread after thread about it here...don't let that happen to you. Know your features, know your budget, then judge with your eyes, not what we say...and then uncross your fingers and pull that plasma trigger! You'll know it when you see it.

EDIT: I see Randy and I are on the same page...I feel smart now, ha ha.
I was mid-post. Sorry.

I had always heard that the Fuji electronics, specifically the AVM II processor, was significantly better than anything else out there, except for maybe Runco. Understanding this, I still thought the Panny looked better. The shadow detail and the black levels simply looked better (the whole "inky black" thing I guess).

Something must have been wrong with the way the PD50 was set up or the connection or sumthin. I directly compared the PD and PX at two different CCs and the PD looked almost as clear and sharp as the PX on their recorded 1080i loop at both stores. When i stood within 8 feet the PD exhibited SDE where the PX did not, but when i stood more than 10 feet away the PD's SDE disappeared and two displays were almost identical and looked better than most of the other brands on the same wall. I was planning to get the PD but since i sit about 8 feet away from the screen i decided to get the PX based on SDE alone. If my viewing distance were more than 10 feet i would have bought the PD because the slightly better HD PQ on the PX wouldn't be worth the extra $800 premium. The PX's black bezel was also a determining factor but it was mostly to avoid SDE. I have since gone back to validate my decision by looking for SDE and it's still there on the PD even at 10 feet so i'm glad i got the PX. SD cable looks great - much better than i thought it would and is about equal to my former 32" HD Panny tube TV which also looked great except the tube had slightly better black levels.

I am gonna go back and see if I can change the settings and try to find out if there's a connection problem. I have seen PD50 at another store and the PQ was nice, but it was not next to a PX50 and at a bad location that made evaluation very difficult. They may even have set it up so it intentionally looks worse so people shell out the extra cash for PX50!

Will report back!

Remember that the Fujitsu is based on the 6th gen Panny glass, while the PX50 is 8th generation glass (more colors, more greyscale gradations, and higher brightness)

Lucky you....you got to see three of the better panels next to each other and all of the same screen size....and apparently with good source material. Since you were able to make adjustments did you see any sign of green emphasis on the Panny (or maybe you didn't look for that).

"The verdict (and why I may be crazy): To my eyes I prefer the Panasonic, and this includes both SD and HD sources. This of course goes against the recommendation of every salesperson I have talked to, all of whom have said nothing bests the Fuji."

Eye of the beholder nearly always trumps eye of the "expert".

Enjoy your new Panasonic.

I did not see the "green push" issue on the Panny. However, I did not carefully look for it. What I did notice is that although the Fuji was brighter, with what I can simply say looks like more light output, the Panny had more vibrant colors, with better saturation. The Panny, after adjusting it, and with HD material especially, has a "come look at me picture" that jumps off the wall. I could not stop looking at it.

I am gonna go back and see if I can change the settings and try to find out if there's a connection problem. I have seen PD50 at another store and the PQ was nice, but it was not next to a PX50 and at a bad location that made evaluation very difficult. They may even have set it up so it intentionally looks worse so people shell out the extra cash for PX50!

Will report back!My local BB doesn't display it's PD50U in the same section as the rest of their PDPs. Instead they placed it along with the LCD FPs. I wonder why? Is it because there is not enough shelf space in the plasma TV section or perhaps the PD50U is a $2500 ED-PDP that outperforms many HD-PDPs costing $2K - $3K more? :rolleyes:

I am gonna go back and see if I can change the settings and try to find out if there's a connection problem. I have seen PD50 at another store and the PQ was nice, but it was not next to a PX50 and at a bad location that made evaluation very difficult. They may even have set it up so it intentionally looks worse so people shell out the extra cash for PX50!

Will report back!

I hate to say it alexb76 but you may be right on the money concerning intentionally making it look worse to shell out more cash for the higher priced model. I have owned my PD50 for over a month and i had green push issues but through adjustments of tint, brightness, contrast, picture etc they have all been resolved to my liking. This forum has helped me out enormously. Everyone sees things differently and what may look good to one person may look awful to someone else, and i agree with other posters that every model, concept and manufacturer all have there issues. I love my PD50 and i hope you will not think badly on the Panasonic sets due to one viewing which i feel was just a bad feed or setup. You can always purchase one and if you do not like it take it back provided the retailer will allow it. My sets PQ was much better in my home than it appeared on display at CC. I was very skeptical at first too and did much research and even through everything i read was not good every technology that i looked at had there issues. I finally just bit the bullet and bought one and i have not been disappointed. Good luck to you.

Hi all, just thought I'd add my observations on the green push issue.

I was at CC a couple of weeks ago and they had a great setup for comparing sets. Three 50's and one 42 in a grid.
Upper right - 50PX50
Upper left - 50" Sony (no model number cause I couldn't get past the price)
Lower left - Pio 5050 (to me, easily the best "looking" set)
Lower right - 42" Hitachi (sorry no model number)
Playing was an HD boxing match which was an excellent example for comparison, movement from the boxers, static images of the ring and meaningful background detail (spectators.) I'll preface this by saying that just standing back and taking in an over-all impression (not picking things apart), to me, the Panny displayed the best picture. But I did see the green push problem -

First off, one of the boxers had yellow trim on his shoes. You couldn't tell that from the Panny cause on it they were "neon" green. By neon I mean that the color seemed to bleed past the actual edges of the trim. The interesting point here is that while the Sony and Hitachi both looked yellow, the Pio also showed some green (although only around the edges.)

Next, there was a yellow "Everlast" logo on the floor of the ring. Again, the Panny showed it as green, but this time I also saw some green on the Sony set. Both the Pio and the Hitachi displayed it as yellow.

Note that there where other yellow objects shown but those were displayed correctly on all the sets. My only conclusion is that plasmas have a tough time with some shades of yellow and some handle it better that others. I'm hoping that the 50PX500 improves in this regard. If dialing out the green push comes at the expense of other colors then that is not acceptable to me. I understand that no set is perfect, but if you're willing to start making compromises then you have to start considering some of the off brand sets that are coming out at even cheaper prices.

Hi all, just thought I'd add my observations on the green push issue.

I was at CC a couple of weeks ago and they had a great setup for comparing sets. Three 50's and one 42 in a grid.
Upper right - 50PX50
Upper left - 50" Sony (no model number cause I couldn't get past the price)
Lower left - Pio 5050 (to me, easily the best "looking" set)
Lower right - 42" Hitachi (sorry no model number)
Playing was an HD boxing match which was an excellent example for comparison, movement from the boxers, static images of the ring and meaningful background detail (spectators.) I'll preface this by saying that just standing back and taking in an over-all impression (not picking things apart), to me, the Panny displayed the best picture. But I did see the green push problem -

First off, one of the boxers had yellow trim on his shoes. You couldn't tell that from the Panny cause on it they were "neon" green. By neon I mean that the color seemed to bleed past the actual edges of the trim. The interesting point here is that while the Sony and Hitachi both looked yellow, the Pio also showed some green (although only around the edges.)

Next, there was a yellow "Everlast" logo on the floor of the ring. Again, the Panny showed it as green, but this time I also saw some green on the Sony set. Both the Pio and the Hitachi displayed it as yellow.

Note that there where other yellow objects shown but those were displayed correctly on all the sets. My only conclusion is that plasmas have a tough time with some shades of yellow and some handle it better that others. I'm hoping that the 50PX500 improves in this regard. If dialing out the green push comes at the expense of other colors then that is not acceptable to me. I understand that no set is perfect, but if you're willing to start making compromises then you have to start considering some of the off brand sets that are coming out at even cheaper prices.

Since you didn't check out how tint was set, whether picture was set to vivid or whether color management was on it is not possible to conclude, IMO, if you saw green push or a poorly adjusted TV. Note that it *does* come poorly adjusted out of the box.

Threads Merged!

Dave

Just compared PD50 and PX50 at a store, they were mounted on top of each other. PD50 picture was absolutely horrible, it was DULL and Blurry...

I've had my PD50U for about a month now and I can tell you that its anything but "DULL and Blurry". Since I watch less than 2 hrs of TV a day, I'm still inside the break-in period and running everything at about 50% or less and even then the picture is as good or better than my Neighbor's 65" Samsung DLP.

I've also looked at the units at BB and CC and haven't seen any appreciable difference except for the SDE at about 5-6 feet. I have the set about 9' away from my couch and dont notice any SDE on HD or SD.

I also suspect that this is a underhand sales trick by the store. I noticed the same thing at this one store. The picture was not adjusted at all and when I asked for the remote, the guy handed me an el-cheapo plastic remote that could call up the main menu but not navigate any further. When I asked for the 'real' remote he told me this was it. I'll post some pics later if you like. I'm going to Borders to pick up the Discovery 'Blue Planet' DVDs today :D

Since you didn't check out how tint was set, whether picture was set to vivid or whether color management was on it is not possible to conclude, IMO, if you saw green push or a poorly adjusted TV. Note that it *does* come poorly adjusted out of the box.

Actually, I was trying to point out that "out of the box" I saw various degrees of improperly displayed yellows on all three of the 50" sets. The Panny was simply the most consistent offender. I'm assuming that none (with the exception of the Hitachi) had been adjusted, but I also assume that the Panny would require the most adjustment and I'm concerned that could affect other colors. I'll leave it to others that already own the set to determine if this is the case.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no green push "issue".

Did my 50px50 have green push out of the box? Yes.
Could it be adjusted out without unnaturally affecting other colors? Yes.

Right now, I'm watching DVD via HDMI (DVD-S77), and SD and HD via component (SA-8000HD). Post adjustments, I see no green push with any source. And I know how it looks like because it was there pre-adjustments.

Right now, I'm watching DVD via HDMI (DVD-S77), and SD and HD via component (SA-8000HD). Post adjustments, I see no green push with any source. And I know how it looks like because it was there pre-adjustments.


Hey jrock65
Just curious; what was your reasoning behind DVD via HDMI and HD via component... and not the other way around?

TIA

shane

Hey jrock65
Just curious; what was your reasoning behind DVD via HDMI and HD via component... and not the other way around?

TIA

shaneThe SA8000HD doesn't have an HDMI interface, he needs to upgrade to an SA8300HD for that and even then not all cable providers support D* over HDMI.

The SA8000HD doesn't have an HDMI interface, he needs to upgrade to an SA8300HD for that and even then not all cable providers support D* over HDMI.

heh, heh... :o
Yeah, I guess that would answer that dumb Q. Thanks Opt.
Still a troglodyte with no HD... yet.

shane

Randy,

I have had my 50px50 for 4 weeks now and have the exact same observations as you. The adjustments took care of most of the green problem, but I ended up as you did, in having to live with just a little off color on the faces. I did notice though that that skin tones vary quite a bit, depending upon which channel I'm looking at. Even though my source is Directv, the local news broadcasters exhibit different flesh tonal qualities.

azarby

I experienced the same thing as you and RandyWalters.

I've had my TH-50PX50U Osaka April '05 build for 2 weeks now and have tried it with 8000HD/component and 8300HD/HDMI connections. Adjusting the tint and turning off color mgmt. gets the picture close to natural, HOWEVER, what continues to annoy me is the "green ghost" that will show up on fast moving objects of flesh tones or lights in the background such as a waving hand or when the "camera" pans across a scene. Further, white smoke, fog, clouds are not white unless you turn the color down to the point that everything is washed out.

One other problem I have is that I have yet to get the 8300HD/HDMI combination to work when in "PassThru" mode on SD channels without the occasional audio/video dropout, although it doesn't exhibit this behavior on the HD channels.

The SA8000HD doesn't have an HDMI interface, he needs to upgrade to an SA8300HD for that and even then not all cable providers support D* over HDMI.


what the he77 is d* !?!?!?!?! i always see people write that

what the he77 is d* !?!?!?!?! i always see people write that

DirecTV

I experienced the same thing as you and RandyWalters.

I've had my TH-50PX50U Osaka April '05 build for 2 weeks now and have tried it with 8000HD/component and 8300HD/HDMI connections. Adjusting the tint and turning off color mgmt. gets the picture close to natural, HOWEVER, what continues to annoy me is the "green ghost" that will show up on fast moving objects of flesh tones or lights in the background such as a waving hand or when the "camera" pans across a scene. Further, white smoke, fog, clouds are not white unless you turn the color down to the point that everything is washed out.

One other problem I have is that I have yet to get the 8300HD/HDMI combination to work when in "PassThru" mode on SD channels without the occasional audio/video dropout, although it doesn't exhibit this behavior on the HD channels.'

- Just had my Mar '05,' 50U delivered today.......definately a green push its almost impossible to get a clear clean yellow ,very obvious on the cartoon channels.....waiting to get set up with DirectTV HDTV Tivo hoping that will correct it , otherwise its going back......

Hi,

I just received a new Panasonic 50PX50U Plasma TV. I'm very happy with it other than one problem. When the TV is displaying an HDTV signal, there's some humming noise coming from the TV speakers. This is noticeable if the volume is turned all the way down, or the audio settings are such that the TV speakers are disabled. My TV is connected to Comcast cable TV using the regular coax RF cable (I'm not using an STB right now). I notice this problem with all HDTV channels. It doesn't happen when displaying SD channels - in that case the speakers are silent when they are disabled or the volume is turned all the way down. The humming when displaying HDTV isn't loud, but it is noticeable.

It would be very helpful if people could check if they have the same problem with this set, and let me know. I don't know if it's just my unit, or if it's a more general problem. It seems like some noise problem in the electronics which may have to do with shielding or circuit board design, or maybe there's some defect in my unit.

Thanks!

As far as I'm concerned, there is no green push "issue".

Did my 50px50 have green push out of the box? Yes.
Could it be adjusted out without unnaturally affecting other colors? Yes.

Right now, I'm watching DVD via HDMI (DVD-S77), and SD and HD via component (SA-8000HD). Post adjustments, I see no green push with any source. And I know how it looks like because it was there pre-adjustments.

Yes there is a "green push issue", just maybe not on your particular set. Too many people here have reported it and continue to report it. Just because it doesn't affect every set out there doesn't mean there is no issue. So it seems we have some examples with no green push, some with extreme green push, and others with varying degrees of green push that we're able to either completely eliminate through the user menu or almost eliminate. I've been screwing with mine now for almost two weeks and writing down all my settings but still i see green tinted and green fringed yellows on some channels and some scenes. It's annoying. It's definitely is an issue.

So I can be clear, exactly which models seem to be having this green push issue?

So I can be clear, exactly which models seem to be having this green push issue?

From what I observed, it shows up on the "8th generation" models: TH-42PD50U, TH-42PX50U and TH-50PX50U.

Yes there is a "green push issue", just maybe not on your particular set. Too many people here have reported it and continue to report it. Just because it doesn't affect every set out there doesn't mean there is no issue. So it seems we have some examples with no green push, some with extreme green push, and others with varying degrees of green push that we're able to either completely eliminate through the user menu or almost eliminate. I've been screwing with mine now for almost two weeks and writing down all my settings but still i see green tinted and green fringed yellows on some channels and some scenes. It's annoying. It's definitely is an issue.

Re-read what I said. I said as far as I'm concerned, there is no issue.

Didn't mean to imply that others don't have it.

I went into a local store today (not a big chain) to get pricing on the PX50U. They did not have the PX50U, but were expecting to receive PD50U's and PX500U's on June 10th. I bought a PX500U because the price was too good. The normal price was $800 below MSRP and I was able to get him to drop it another $500. This put the price of the PX500U at the same price as the PX50U at CC.

So, they are expecting to have PX500Us around June 10th. He showed me an email from the Panasonic rep. comfirming they expected to deliver these to the store by mid June.

I am still unclear if it comes with a stand. He tried checking with the rep and responded that he is pretty sure it does. I think there are 2 different stands (the funky one and the same/similar one to the PX50U stand).

Yes there is a "green push issue", just maybe not on your particular set. Too many people here have reported it and continue to report it. Just because it doesn't affect every set out there doesn't mean there is no issue. So it seems we have some examples with no green push, some with extreme green push, and others with varying degrees of green push that we're able to either completely eliminate through the user menu or almost eliminate. I've been screwing with mine now for almost two weeks and writing down all my settings but still i see green tinted and green fringed yellows on some channels and some scenes. It's annoying. It's definitely is an issue.

Randy, have you been able to confirm the excessive green tint with another TV in the house.....or store? I've got over 100 hours on my TV now and with tint at -3 I feel that sometimes there is too much green but when I compare a scene with a cheapo CRT (ideally not the best comparison but I've never noticed too much green in that TV) in the house I see about the same green tint. I just spent about 15 minutes watching this ESPN2 bowling trick shot program that included green-yellow balls and green-yellow background. Sometimes I think that my 50px50u shows maybeperhapscouldbe a bit too much green but it is just a bit. I suppose if I chose other colors to examine I would find similar discrepencies. Or maybe I'm just green-yellow blind. :confused: BTW, I'm not trying at all to doubt what you are seeing. If you think this thing is going to bother you maybe you should return the set for another of the same model or perhaps another make. Or cajole a Panny tech to come over and change (if possible) some internal green settings (again, if that's possible).

Foos-man -- Check your PMs...thanks


I'm debating the 50U vs. 500U, and would like to know how important the Cable TV Guide feature is when using Cablecard. How do people with that configuration on the 50U get program information?

Randy, have you been able to confirm the excessive green tint with another TV in the house.....or store? I've got over 100 hours on my TV now and with tint at -3 I feel that sometimes there is too much green but when I compare a scene with a cheapo CRT (ideally not the best comparison but I've never noticed too much green in that TV) in the house I see about the same green tint. I just spent about 15 minutes watching this ESPN2 bowling trick shot program that included green-yellow balls and green-yellow background. Sometimes I think that my 50px50u shows maybeperhapscouldbe a bit too much green but it is just a bit. I suppose if I chose other colors to examine I would find similar discrepencies. Or maybe I'm just green-yellow blind. :confused: BTW, I'm not trying at all to doubt what you are seeing. If you think this thing is going to bother you maybe you should return the set for another of the same model or perhaps another make. Or cajole a Panny tech to come over and change (if possible) some internal green settings (again, if that's possible).I've set up the DVR to record "SpongeBob" @ 8 PM tonight on Nickelodeon. I'll try & post up some examples of a 'green' and a 'yellow' 'SpongeBob' later.

I've seen just too much about this "green" issue to buy one of these. I'm glad this forum is here. I'm looking into the Pioneers now. Lets see what dirt I can dig up about those...

Again, I have a 42PD50U, color mgmt off, tint at -5, picture at +10, brightness at 0, color at +2 and have NO GREEN ISSUES! The green issues are definitely there with color mgmt on and tint at 0 or higher, however properly adjusted I have no green issues.

For the record, Sponge Bob has a natural green tinge and the cheese holes are also green.

I've seen just too much about this "green" issue to buy one of these. I'm glad this forum is here. I'm looking into the Pioneers now. Lets see what dirt I can dig up about those...

Pick ANY tv in the world, get a bunch of tweaks talking about it, read what they are saying, and you'll NEVER pull the trigger. Trust me it never ends. Everyone's got an opinion, and there are just as many people with the exact opposite one. Good luck fingerscrossed, and don't lose too much sleep over all this.

Scott

Randy, have you been able to confirm the excessive green tint with another TV in the house.....or store? I've got over 100 hours on my TV now and with tint at -3 I feel that sometimes there is too much green but when I compare a scene with a cheapo CRT (ideally not the best comparison but I've never noticed too much green in that TV) in the house I see about the same green tint. I just spent about 15 minutes watching this ESPN2 bowling trick shot program that included green-yellow balls and green-yellow background. Sometimes I think that my 50px50u shows maybeperhapscouldbe a bit too much green but it is just a bit. I suppose if I chose other colors to examine I would find similar discrepencies. Or maybe I'm just green-yellow blind. :confused: BTW, I'm not trying at all to doubt what you are seeing. If you think this thing is going to bother you maybe you should return the set for another of the same model or perhaps another make. Or cajole a Panny tech to come over and change (if possible) some internal green settings (again, if that's possible).

I have compared it directly with my two other CRT TVs, and later with my 15" Sharp LCD TV, all connected to the same SD DVR so i was able to pause scenes with yellow things and compare. See post #109 in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5675063&highlight=philips#post5675063

FYI

Mine is a 42PD50u dated Feb 05 and made in Japan. I set it to standard, picture 0, brightness 0, color -7, tint -1 and sharpness -10. I see no green push whatsoever. I use DVE to set it up. The only issue I have so far is the poor picture in dark shadow areas which I think is the way I have it hooked up with composite video.

Scott

I have seen the Green Push on a Panasonic PD25 as well, the BEST TEST is Simpsons... see how their faces are shown... could be a Pana problem. At least on the commercial units you can manually adjust each color, but not on these!

A couple of SpongeBob's for your perusal:

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC01020.JPG

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC01024.JPG

A couple of SpongeBob's for your perusal:

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC01020.JPG

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC01024.JPG

This is not the "neon-green over yellow" that I have seen. On a BAD set, the fringes of any yellow color is bright green, then it fades to a greenish yellow.

Optivity, looks like you got a GOOD set.

That's kinda how he looks on my TV (which is the same as yours).

As you can see the first shot of SpongeBob was captured using the PDPs "default" Standard picture settings while the second shot has the tint control turned way down to -21. Using these settings would result in "extreme" red push for non-cartoon programs. I guess the colors used for cartoon characters may be exaggerated so perhaps this is not the best example to use to illustrate the tendency towards green push on the Panasonic 50Us.

That's kinda how he looks on my TV (which is the same as yours).Which SpongeBOB... 1 or 2... and what are your settings?

As you can see the first shot of SpongeBob was captured using the PDPs "default" Standard picture settings while the second shot has the tint control turned way down to -21. Using these settings would result in "extreme" red push for non-cartoon programs. I guess the colors used for cartoon characters may be exaggerated so perhaps this is not the best example to use to illustrate the tendency towards green push on the Panasonic 50Us.

Which SpongeBOB... 1 or 2... and what are your settings?

One......I don't adjust down the tint more than -3. I noticed when you dial it down it quickly goes from green to orange rather than green to yellow to orange. Anyway, when I look at web screens of Spongie he often has a green cast to him. I think there is a bit too much green in your screenies but if we were to scrutinize other colors as much as we have green we might see other foibles too.

One......I don't adjust down the tint more than -3. I noticed when you dial it down it quickly goes from green to orange rather than green to yellow to orange. Anyway, when I look at web screens of Spongie he often has a green cast to him. I think there is a bit too much green in your screenies but if we were to scrutinize other colors as much as we have green we might see other foibles too.I agree... I usually set the tint control somewhere between 0 to -5. Most color renderings seem accurate but the 50U does seem to be yellow/green "challanged" at times... :rolleyes:

Spongebob has a lightgreen tint to him in most images.

http://images.google.com/images?q=spongebob+squarepants&hl=en&lr=&sa=N&tab=wi&sourceid=tipimg

My TV is set to Color = -2 and Tint = -9. No green push or red push, and these settings checked out with DVE.

Here is some interesting engineering / marketing speak on the new Pannys. I'm wondering why they are only talking about the 500's?

Click on the stories under the panel (http://www.panasonic.co.jp/global/pdp/index.html)

Spongebob has a lightgreen tint to him in most images.Agreed... but he shouldn't look like this using the 50Us default settings... should he?

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC01020.JPG

Agreed... but he shouldn't look like this using the 50Us default settings... should he?

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/DSC01020.JPG

Yeah, the out-of-the box settings are definitely off.

But at least on my set, Spongebob seems to have the correct level of "greeness" with tint at -9.

btw, optivity, why do you leave "mpeg nr" on?

Yeah, the out-of-the box settings are definitely off.

But at least on my set, Spongebob seems to have the correct level of "greeness" with tint at -9.

btw, optivity, why do you leave "mpeg nr" on?Page 25 of the operating instructions state:

"MPEG NR (on?) Unique noise to DVD, STB, etc. will be reduced."

Since I'm using the HDMI connection to an SA8300HD-DVR it seems to make sense to leave it on... So far my experience has been the Sharpness, Color Management, Video NR, Color Matrix SD/HD and MPEG NR settings provide no discernible difference in picture renderings when using HDMI. I see a significant difference in the Color Matrix SD/HD setting using component. The SA8300 is set to pass 480p (std. format)/720p/1080i. My impression is TimeWarner Cable is providing me with a strong, high-quality(?) video signal.

BTW... I'm having a CableCARD installed next Friday.

Pwald let us know if you have any issues with your new set? There has been some mention on whether the PDP was made in Mexico or Japan. I was just curious to know if there really is any kind of quality control issues or if it really matters at all. Congratulations on your new set and enjoy,

Catslick..I spent some more time with the set last night trying to see if I could find any issues. I was concerned with the Mexico build also, but in fact I haven't found any problems except for the white lines on the top and bottom of letterbox DVD from my (old) non-progressive player on component. Still not sure what this is, but everthing else looks great. No HD yet but SD off the D* looks as good as it can get off s-video and composite (very little difference). I have a 60" Sony GW main set and the panny looks great in the bedroom. I'm watching from about 13'. I'm happy.

Any ideas aboout the white lines?

Catslick..I spent some more time with the set last night trying to see if I could find any issues. I was concerned with the Mexico build also, but in fact I haven't found any problems except for the white lines on the top and bottom of letterbox DVD from my (old) non-progressive player on component. Still not sure what this is, but everthing else looks great. No HD yet but SD off the D* looks as good as it can get off s-video and composite (very little difference). I have a 60" Sony GW main set and the panny looks great in the bedroom. I'm watching from about 13'. I'm happy.

Any ideas aboout the white lines?

Glad to hear your Mexico built PDP is doing well. I can't be of any help on the white line issue on Letterbox DVD play, as i have not noticed that issue with my PD50 and hopefully won't lol. I have a progressive scan DVD running component. Maybe it is related to the s-video or composite hookup. Maybe someone else can offer some suggestions if they have experienced or come across this problem. Thanks for the feedback. Maybe being manufactured in Mexico is not a death warrant.

Maybe being manufactured in Mexico is not a death warrant. Why would it be a problem?

Michael

Why would it be a problem?

Michael

Mexico isn't exactly known for it's high quality control standards.

Mexico isn't exactly known for it's high quality control standards. Actually, it is. But this is off topic and so we should drop. Still, a bit pre-judgemental on your southern neighbors...

Michael

Back to the thread. I took delivery one week ago of a TH-42PD50 (April, Mexico). It’s taken me a week to calibrate, recalibrate, get a new dvd player setup, etc. But now, I easily see green where there shouldn't be any – and two others at home have said the same without any mention by me of the green problem.

I see it on SD cable only, but I’m not sure if it is the tv or the signal – which is poor. I’ve only seen a couple of DVDs, but there doesn’t seem to be any excess green. There might be a bit on HDnet, but again, it might be me looking too hard. It's only clear on SC cable, which is confusing.

My settings came out quite different: picture +16, brightness -10, color -7, tint -7, sharpness -11. I’ll do it once again in another day or two - these are pretty far off the others here.

Has anyone gotten had any effective communication with Panasonic on this? This is definitely not right.

Michael

Actually, it is. But this is off topic and so we should drop. Still, a bit pre-judgemental on your southern neighbors...

MichaelExperience walking down the streets at Cozumel... then decide... ;)

Thanks to this forum, I just bought the 42PX50U. We have finished bolting it on its stand, and were surprised to see the stand in turn is supposed to be bolted to a piece of furniture. Problem is I plan on setting this on an antique buffet and don't really want to drill holes in it. Will I be signing a death warrant for the TV if I don't do this? We have no kids, but have some docile cats. Can I get some opinions on this? It's sitting on the floor until I hear back... :confused:
Thanks!

Thanks to this forum, I just bought the 42PX50U. We have finished bolting it on its stand, and were surprised to see the stand in turn is supposed to be bolted to a piece of furniture. Problem is I plan on setting this on an antique buffet and don't really want to drill holes in it. Will I be signing a death warrant for the TV if I don't do this? We have no kids, but have some docile cats. Can I get some opinions on this? It's sitting on the floor until I hear back... :confused:
Thanks!

Why do you think the stand is supposed to be bolted to a piece of furniture?? If you're basing this on the existance of the two small holes on the backside of the supplied table stand then you can ignore them and just let the TV sit on the table top or wherever you want to place the plasma. It looks like those two holes are there in case someone want's to screw the stand down to the table top to prevent it from being tipped forward, like by a small child or a severe earthquake for instance. Cats would have no effect on it whatsoever.

I have mine just sitting on my TV table and it's plenty stable (click link below). It would take quite a bit of effort to tip it forward but since i'm in earthquake country i have thought about utilizing these two screw holes but i've pulled and tugged on the TV and it's so stable that the building would have to be shaken apart before the plasma would fall over. I think the forward part of the feet would break off before the TV tipped over forward. It's really stable.

Thanks to this forum, I just bought the 42PX50U. We have finished bolting it on its stand, and were surprised to see the stand in turn is supposed to be bolted to a piece of furniture. Problem is I plan on setting this on an antique buffet and don't really want to drill holes in it. Will I be signing a death warrant for the TV if I don't do this? We have no kids, but have some docile cats. Can I get some opinions on this? It's sitting on the floor until I hear back... :confused:
Thanks!

Don't do it. I must have missed that part of the manual. I've never heard of anyone bolting their plasma down unless it's to a wall. You'll be fine.

Scott

http://img154.echo.cx/img154/3227/spongebob2ns.th.jpg (http://img154.echo.cx/my.php?image=spongebob2ns.jpg)

Guess I was wrong. Maybe I do have a green push. You tell me, since this was the first time I ever watced Spongebob, I have no idea what color he should be.

Scott

I'd like to know for what % of the new Panasonic PDP owners... is this their 1st D*TV? I found the picture renderings were quite different when I bought my 1st HD ready CRT-TV a couple of years ago. Coincidentally, it was also a Panasonic. I suspect... the provider source and cable infrastructure play a more significant role in determining the end-picture rendered by the PDP than most people realize.
I agree that the provider source determines the rendering (to any varying degree) of what one sees on the PDP.

What I have noticed is that when something is shot in HD (native 720p or 1080i), broadcasted in HD and then displayed on my 50px50u in HD , it is jaw-dropping (like the baseball games on ESPNHD or FOXHD. When something isn't native HD but up-converted, the PQ lacks that 3-D like effect and is less sharp. Furthermore I noticed (like viewing the French Open in HD) the HD channel displays the same over-saturation of color and lack of details as the SD channel does tho the picture is way better than the SD equivalent.

My take is SD garbage in -> <up-converted by broadcaster> -> HD garbage out.....

On a separate note, I am still amazed how good SD looks vs my expectations and there are days it looks better than others.... so again it really depends on what you PDP is being fed and we are all at the broadcaster/cable-dish provider's mercy. :(

In my what by now seems like never ending search for a plasma display, I wondered into the Magnolia Audio and Video Store in Canoga Park, CA, yesterday. As I walked in the door, I had norrowed my choices down to three:

Fujitsu 5040
Pionner 5050HD
Panasonic 50PX50U

The only one of the above I had not yet seen in person is the Panasonic. Between the Pio and the Fuji, my eyes like the Fuji better, but my wallet hates the extra $$.

So, I walk in the front door, and low and behold, all three of these displays are on the wall together. How could I be so lucky? A salesmen came over and let me adjust the color settings on each of the three displays to my liking. I tried to adjust each so that they looked the same, with the same source. I then stared at each monitor for at least 10 minutes, doing my best to evaluate performance.

The verdict (and why I may be crazy): To my eyes I prefer the Panasonic, and this includes both SD and HD sources. This of course goes against the recommendation of every salesperson I have talked to, all of whom have said nothing bests the Fuji.

I think my mind is finally made up. I'm placing my order for the 50Px50U today. . . unless someone here convinces me to wait for the 500U. :)

You will not be dissapointed, after one week I can't imagine having something else (welll a Fuji5040 would be awesome too).

I sent you a PM

Does anyone find the fan noise objectionable. I was thinking about getting a 50 incher, but not if it annoys me while I'm watching.

I have been running my Panny 50px50u 24/7 (using various DVD chapter loops when not watching TV myself) for six days now and before going to work in the am I check the panel and:

Have yet to hear a fan. I have several times put my ears close to the top and back.... nada.

I touch the front, top and back of the PDP. The plasma is cool to the touch (which baffles me since I thought it would heat up like a radiator).

Also:

I Have yet to also hear the famous "clicking" reported by others.

After calibrating (AVIA & DVE) the panel, no visdible green or red push. I love spongebob and have viewd 4 of the square fellow's DVDs..... hes as yellow as he was on my Sony XRB CRT (keeping fingers crossed this doesn't change)

Gman

http://img154.echo.cx/img154/3227/spongebob2ns.th.jpg (http://img154.echo.cx/my.php?image=spongebob2ns.jpg)

Guess I was wrong. Maybe I do have a green push. You tell me, since this was the first time I ever watced Spongebob, I have no idea what color he should be.

Scott
I think it's fair to say you have green push. ;)

Thank you Scot and Randy for your replies. The owners manual did say to bolt it down and provided plastic flexible clamps for that purpose as well--thats why I was nervous (my first plasma!). Your replies have calmed me down and I'm going to go ahead and put that TV up now. Randy, it will look just like yours, only higher. Thanks for show and tell!

Here is a picture of Sponge Bob from my PX50U.

I am not good at taking pictures, so it may be off color a bit. Sponge Bob looks yellow on my tv. I know the picture does not do it justice but I can honestly say he is yellow on my tv.

Does anyone know if the service manual might help with adjustments to overscan? I just need the HDMI underscaned a bit for my pc connection. Why do they set overscan for this knowing the picture will be this way? Nvidia drivers help with underscanning but i'm left with 5 pixels from the top down and all the way across not even being used. Maybe a new driver release will help with this. Over the last 6 months nvidia has really improved in their over underscan software but still needs work. I have seen that the 42pd25u has screen adjustments I am hoping the same for the 42pd50u.

Here is a picture of Sponge Bob from my PX50U.

I am not good at taking pictures, so it may be off color a bit. Sponge Bob looks yellow on my tv. I know the picture does not do it justice but I can honestly say he is yellow on my tv.

Yup, he looks good. Can you post your picture settings?

What is this world coming to when Spongebob has become the reference standard to judge picture quality. I only met Spongebob today, and I already hate him.


thegamer36, how is your source hooked to the tv? Component, composite, hdmi etc.? Also, what are the picture settings?

Scott

Here is a picture of Sponge Bob from my PX50U.

I am not good at taking pictures, so it may be off color a bit. Sponge Bob looks yellow on my tv. I know the picture does not do it justice but I can honestly say he is yellow on my tv.This is your SpongeBob:

http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/untitled.JPG

now meet Nickelodeon's SpongeBob Squarepants:


http://home.nycap.rr.com/nessus/img_spo_spo.JPG

I'd say your PX50U is showing signs of "green push." what are your picture settings?

What is this world coming to when Spongebob has become the reference standard to judge picture quality. I only met Spongebob today, and I already hate him.So true... and we have my six-year-old nephew to thank for this sad state of affairs! :rolleyes:

man you guys watch a lot of sponge bob! :D

Can we see some pics of some HDtv/movies and not some yellowish/green underwater cartoon character! As you can all see, NICK makes him a bit green anyway! Let see a movie or a game or something!

In regards to underscan: every display should be like my ancient Sampo 34". From the user menu you can adjust vertical/horizontal size, vertical/horizontal placement, pincushion, etc (just like a computer monitor). It was ahead of its time (it even accepts 720P)

How about some more mature screenshots guys? Maybe you could move up from Spongebob to, say, Big Bird.

I watched some basketball last night – on TNThd. No camera, some observations.

The floor, which had a greenish tint in SD, looked very nice – and not green. I am now more convinced that this may be a SD source problem. On DVD’s and HDtv, I can’t tell if my perception of the colors is true or influenced by this discussion.

Some of the greens were intense, even neon. Especially during commercials. Everyone watching immediately commented (no discussion with anyone at home on this green issue) on that – and only green. Seems that this plasma’s new basic green is “steroid green”.

I’ve calibrated twice using avia – still getting settings quite different from others here. Picture +10, brightness -9, color -5, tint -7, sharpness -11.

I think I’m going to have the set calibrated – get a ISF qualified, neutral opinion. Trouble is, I can’t find a qualified, reputable source locally (Ft lauderdale area), I have found one that tours http://www.lionav.com/services.html , but the dates available are past my 30 day Best Buy return window. I’m going to talk with the BB manager, explain the situation, and see if he will give me another 2 weeks.

Suggestions are welcome. Regards, Michael

I've seen too much mention of this to not think it's an issue. For me it's just too much money to settle for. Damn shame.

It would be nice if they could fix it because I like Panasonic. I wonder if it's a problem in the panel itself or the processor. I'm not holding my breath for Panasonic to announce a "fix". They have too many out and would lose a LOT of money. I think they already have a problem on their hands.

Keep in mind most people don't have this issue with the greens. I don't. My yellows are pure yellow and there is no sign of any green push. It's not every unit. It appears to be a minority.

I’ve calibrated twice using avia – still getting settings quite different from others here. Picture +10, brightness -9, color -5, tint -7, sharpness -11.I've "played" some with the test patterns on my Avia dvd to try and calibrate my 50PX50U and have achieved settings very similar to yours.

the dates available are past my 30 day Best Buy return window. I’m going to talk with the BB manager, explain the situation, and see if he will give me another 2 weeks.I just passed my 30-day-return-window on June 1st & received my 1st bill yesterday... $217/mo. for the next 24 months... :(

Can we see some pics of some HDtv/movies and not some yellowish/green underwater cartoon character! As you can all see, NICK makes him a bit green anyway! Let see a movie or a game or something!
How about some more mature screenshots guys? Maybe you could move up from Spongebob to, say, Big Bird.I'll try and post up some HD shots of programming that is more "mature" in nature... SpongeBob & cartoons in general seem to use colors that are exaggerated and not representative of this PDPs performance. I've been quite satisfied with my panel's rendering of HD content.

I wonder if my set is too dark? I need to set my contrast/picture to +20 or higher to have the image seem bright. It never seems as bright as a CRT in the other other room, but maybe plasma never is? If I turn my picture contrast setting to +10 it would be somewhat dim. A setting of 0 is very dim and below unusuable. For that matter, setting the default to Cinema, which I don't, results in a very dark washed out picture. Only in Vivid with the settings turned down does it appear bright enought. Maybe I am fixated on the wrong thing. I went to BB to look at other plasmas and they all seemed dimmer than CRTs, too, so maybe I am just focusing on someting not happening. Should a plasma appear as "bright" as a small CRT?

I wonder if my set is too dark? I need to set my contrast/picture to +20 or higher to have the image seem bright. It never seems as bright as a CRT in the other other room, but maybe plasma never is? If I turn my picture contrast setting to +10 it would be somewhat dim. A setting of 0 is very dim and below unusuable. For that matter, setting the default to Cinema, which I don't, results in a very dark washed out picture. Only in Vivid with the settings turned down does it appear bright enought. Maybe I am fixated on the wrong thing. I went to BB to look at other plasmas and they all seemed dimmer than CRTs, too, so maybe I am just focusing on someting not happening. Should a plasma appear as "bright" as a small CRT?Under the picture settings check to see what you have the Black Level set to: Light or Dark. IMO the Dark setting dims the picture too much with a lot of loss of detail. I use the Standard picture setting (warm or normal) with the Picture & Brightness turned down a few notches and my panel seems plenty bright to me. However, there is an added punch when the display is revved up to vivid mode. Eventually, I may run the PDP near that level during programs of special interest.

I have black to light. But Standard seems to washed out for me. Maybe I just like the look of Vivid. That bold look.

I have black to light. But Standard seems to washed out for me. Maybe I just like the look of Vivid. That bold look.There is a BIG difference regarding the brightness/intensity of the picture rendered when changing from Cinema --> Standard --> Vivid settings. Eventually... I plan to view some programs at levels approaching torch mode... but not during the panel's break-in period (e.g. 1st 100 to 1000 hours).