That doesn't sound like BSOD, that sounds alot more serious -- BSOD was just a firmware upgrade issue.

It's possible that the firmware you have was fatally flawed and a simple upgrade would fix it -- do you know what software version you were running? Can you get into the OSM to see what version you're running?

Did you ever upgrade firmware in the last 2+ years or so ?:confused:

I'm not sure how CC would treat this since they don't carry ANY Philips products -- probably a store credit. I would get either a Panasonic/Pioneer plasma or a 1080p LCD (Sharp, Sony) as good replacements after doing some AVS research. Of course, I'd try to fix this TV first and then get a similar Philips, if possible (maybe CC gives you cash, but I doubt it).

Good luck...let us know what happens. ;)

What is BSOD?

just wondering

BSOD = Black Screen Of Death

The guy came out today and he is ordering some new parts. He said he thinks the power supply went bad. I will know for sure in a couple of days when the parts come in.

I think I have the same problem. Believe it or not, right at the start of the Red Wings Game last night :( , TV flashes colors almost like a pixilation of the HD signal and then goes black. Tries to turn back on, but never does, but the red light is blinking away.

I have suffered from the BSOD, which was resolved about a year ago, and now my baby is dead! I tried to turn on with USB loaded with latest firmware, but TV will not startup. It reads the USB but cannot get past the power on stage and the red light just keeps on blinking.

Based on other posts, it sounds like this is a power supply issue and not sure if it's worth spending the money to repair :(......

Any ideas?

The guy came out and replace every part in the tv just to be safe. It is still not working. Circuit city is going to try to replace the parts again instead of just giving me a replacement value gift card. I already filed complaint against them.

1. Im paying For HD and DVR service that im not getting.
2. I can't just leave work anytime I want just so they can TRY to come fix the tv.

It has been 3 weeks now with no resolution. I will never buy warrany at CC again, it is not a piece of mind at all.

Ask CC for a replacement TV.

Ask CC for a replacement TV.


I have tried multiple times to ask for this. I spoke to the manager of the warranty department and told me they are just continue to try to fix the tv. They are not willing to help at all. They told me I can rent a tv for $50 a week. Yeah right!!

I went to the CC store and they told me they can't do anything on the store level. The manager told me the only people that can help me is the corporate office. I call the corporate office and they transfer me right back to the warranty department. Im very dissatisfied. Like I said I filed a complaint to the BBB and the local news company.I have attached the letter that I wrote to BBB. Please Read!!!

Scag, contact Philips USA -- the email for the CEO is on the 9630 or 9631 threads going back a few months -- and tell them your situation. Tell them you'd take a good-working Philips 9631 as equal value rather than this endless repair morass.

Hey PhilipsPhanatic - Any idea what is wrong when the red power indicator on the TV flashes 7 times and this cycle repeats. I have seen where you have referenced the service manual to help torubleshoot this problem. Any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated!

My TV is dead and out of Warrantly. Based on Previous repair bills, covered under warrantly, seems like $500 is the minimum repair. At this point I can buy a brand new set for under $1,000 so may have to ditch this set -what a shame as I love this TV and my wife loved the Amilight feature......

Hey PhilipsPhanatic - Any idea what is wrong when the red power indicator on the TV flashes 7 times and this cycle repeats. I have seen where you have referenced the service manual to help torubleshoot this problem. Any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated!

I haven't referenced it myself -- but I know that SEVERAL posters have ID'd the problem, again on the main 9630 and 9631 User Threads. I'd read them BACKWARDS (most recent posts first) and find the relevant problems and see how they were resolved. I believe it's a circuit board problem, no ?

My TV is dead and out of Warrantly. Based on Previous repair bills, covered under warrantly, seems like $500 is the minimum repair. At this point I can buy a brand new set for under $1,000 so may have to ditch this set -what a shame as I love this TV and my wife loved the Amilight feature......

I know, I feel for ya.....and now you can't get Philips top-notch features + plasma + Ambilight, you have to pick and choose 1 or 2 or the other. :mad:

Question: How many hours did you have on your set and how long did you have it?

Purhased February 2006. Serviced July 2006 - entire screen replaced due to bad pixel and sm circuit board + power supply to resolve BSOD issue. Little did they know a firware upgrade resolved the issue. Mostly problem free since July repairs until recent failure: estimating 5 hours a day use for almost 2 years on the new screen ~ 3600 hours of use. Not sure how check actual since I can't get to service menu.....

Thanks for your help - You have been a great poster on this site over my short tenure with Philips :)

Purhased February 2006. Serviced July 2006 - entire screen replaced due to bad pixel and sm circuit board + power supply to resolve BSOD issue. Little did they know a firware upgrade resolved the issue. Mostly problem free since July repairs until recent failure: estimating 5 hours a day use for almost 2 years on the new screen ~ 3600 hours of use. Not sure how check actual since I can't get to service menu.....Thanks for your help - You have been a great poster on this site over my short tenure with Philips :)

Thanks, good luck with your situation and keep us posted....I'd contact Philips USA and ask for a trade-in of a similar TV. It's pocket change to them, you get 3 years out of it and then with the 2 1/2 you got on the other one, I'd say you got your money's worth.

Philips told me tough luck on a trade-in or any type of good will. Can't say I blame them as the have most likely lost enough money in this segment and have decided to cut their losses.

I could not wait any longer on the repairs so I replaced my Plasma over the weekend with a 50" panny - I have to say this set is a stunner and at just over 1K it puts my old 42" philips to shame, even without the ambilights :)

estimating 5 hours a day use for almost 2 years on the new screen ~ 3600 hours of use. Not sure how check actual since I can't get to service menu

On the Philips remote, hit "O=6+2+5+9+6" and then INFO and then you'll be able to enter the SM.

Scroll down and look for "PDP Hours" -- it's the lower number of hours (the first one has hours of operation + 1/2 hour for each click OFF/ON).

I could not wait any longer on the repairs so I replaced my Plasma over the weekend with a 50" panny - I have to say this set is a stunner and at just over 1K it puts my old 42" philips to shame, even without the ambilights :)

Because of the size? :confused: I really couldn't detect much difference in the picture between my 9631 and the 2007 Panasonics....and on features (PixelPlus, AUTOMATIC Format, etc), the Philips had the Panny beat hands-down.

Repair shop finally got back to me and told me the Main "Y" board is bad. Quote to repair is $477. 170 for parts (Main Y Board) and 300 for labor.

Already have $100 invested in the repair, so another 370 to complete. My concern is this will not fix the problem. I have had similar issues with the TV being repaired and they seem to replace one board after another until its repaired. That's fine when it's under warranty, but now it on my dime - ouch!

Because of the size? :confused: I really couldn't detect much difference in the picture between my 9631 and the 2007 Panasonics....and on features (PixelPlus, AUTOMATIC Format, etc), the Philips had the Panny beat hands-down.

Perhaps the size is a factor since the TV is now displaying in native 1920 x 1080, but the overall picture seems much better. My wife, who never comments on this stuff has noticed an improvement in the picture quality. For me I think the biggest improvement is SD content - the panny seems to handle this better. HD to HD the improvement is not as drastic, but I can still see improved picture quality over the old set.

Just checked my hours - 9,002. Bought the set in August of 2005, so almost 3 years. Haven't had any failures, only issue I have is the Picture settings go back to "Soft" anytime I switch inputs.

(Edit: Just resolved that issue thanks to this thread - HDMI1 input was set to "STB" - changed it to "Cable".)

I purchased my Philips 42pf9630a soon after they went on sale. Have had little quirks but unplugging and plugging back in usually solves them. Had the BSOD issue but installed the August 2006 firmware update and that solved it.
Now I have something different and can't find any info on threads that directly state it. The screen will go black, volume still on, with green LED still lit. The TV is taking input from a Motorola DCT6416 III HD Dual Tuner DVR unit (utilizing Time Warner Cable) and the Philips can go black watching a recorded DVR program or watching cable TV. Have not updated firmware since. Haven't noticed this happening while watching a DVD. Could this just be the Motorola unit acting up? Anybody have any thoughts?

Thanks,
Roger

I would definitely suspect the box. I have an AT&T U-Verse DVR connected via HDMI and occassionally experience this very problem. It is a known problem with U-Verse and HDMI. Apparently it is the protocol (HDCP) that is used to communicate between the two that is sometimes out of sync. I have heard some people say that turning on the TV first, and then the box helps (it didn't for me). Everyone unanimously agrees that it is an HDMI problem, and switching to component cables fixes it for sure.

I know you don't have U-Verse, but this sounds very similar.

I'm looking at buying this tv, Philips 42PF9630A/37 Plasma TV, but it seems like there are major problems with it. The tv is priced at 365.00 do you recommend this purchace? I'm a little nervous after reading all the problems on this thread.

I'm looking at buying this tv, Philips 42PF9630A/37 Plasma TV, but it seems like there are major problems with it. The tv is priced at 365.00 do you recommend this purchace? I'm a little nervous after reading all the problems on this thread.

You must be talking about this craigslist scammer...

"Philips 42 inches HDTV Plasma Flat Panel TV - $365 (columbus)" http://columbus.craigslist.org/ele/757382918.html

They are in England blah blah

Go to www.419eater.com

For those with warranty issues, a BBB complaint is virtually useless. File all complaints with the consumer section of your states Attorney General office. Your AG has the power to fine them or revoke their license to operate in your state. Filing a letter with the BBB is like beating them with a wet noodle. A complaint with your AG is like having the USS Nimitz show up.

So my 2 year old decided he was going to climb up on a chair and clean the flat screen for us.

Problem is, he sprayed it with bath and tile cleaner. Now the screen is permanently etched - the anti-glare coating is completely gone in some areas.

Can the front sheet be replaced or is it the actual panel? Seems like the panel is behind it and this is an anti-glare plastic sheet or something.

At least, I'm hoping that's the case - otherwise, it's ruined.

So my 2 year old decided he was going to climb up on a chair and clean the flat screen for us. Problem is, he sprayed it with bath and tile cleaner. Now the screen is permanently etched - the anti-glare coating is completely gone in some areas. Can the front sheet be replaced or is it the actual panel? Seems like the panel is behind it and this is an anti-glare plastic sheet or something.At least, I'm hoping that's the case - otherwise, it's ruined.

Try some Monster Microfiber cleaner and wipe and see if it's film or residue that can come off.

It's definitely the anti-glare coating that has been eaten away. Yesterday I was able to find a tv repair shop that had a front cabinet bezel from one they had replaced, I got them to sell the glass to me for $100.

This weekend I'll be taking the set apart and replacing the outer sheet.

while not being true 5.1 system, the sound bar by PHILIPS got pretty good review in CNET...which is something to consider

it also looks great...
Too bad CNET is heavily influenced by their sponsors monetary "donations"

I purchased the 50PF9630 back in November of 2005, it is mounted above my fireplace using an Omnimount T3 Tilt mount. I haven't had a single problem with my T.V., but recently my Omnimount broke, the two black levers/bolts that you turn to loosen to tilt the t.v. broke!! I woke up one morning, and my T.V. was tilted all the way down, I took the T.V. off the wall, and the dang mount broke! I can't believe it. I know the t.v. is heavy (132lbs) but the mount was rated to 200lbs. I've emailed Omnimount last week with no reply, so i'll have to call. I'm just lucky the t.v. didn't fall!! God, that would have been horrible!!

I had one more question, I was just wondering, I remember that the t.v. came with a what I think is an IR repeater or something when I bought it, I think the manual said to not use it, it was something for a future date, anyway, does anybody know what this actually does, and can it be used? It's a long thin cable attached to what looks like a white L.E.D. light?

I had one more question, I was just wondering, I remember that the t.v. came with a what I think is an IR repeater or something when I bought it, I think the manual said to not use it, it was something for a future date, anyway, does anybody know what this actually does, and can it be used? It's a long thin cable attached to what looks like a white L.E.D. light?
I thought it had something to do with adapting or attaching (via IR) to other audio video components. What a waste of hardware! Tried it in the IR jacks in the back of the TV, but didn't do a thing.

Those 2 IR lights that plug into the back of the TV I think are suppose to be for automatic picture adjust. Somehow, this television is suppose to use those IR sensors to gauge what the lighting is in the room the television is in and adjust the picture accordingly.

On a separate note, has anyone had to replace their HDMI inputs? I have a media center computer that I want to plug into this television, but I get a blank screen on the HDMI inputs. I made sure that the source for these inputs are "other". They don't let you choose computer. I know it is an issue with the HDMI inputs because my computer works on a small, 19" LCD television (bestbuy brand) that has the HDMI input.

I have owned this television since May of 2005 and have only had the BSOD, but that was fixed with the firmware upgrade. Knock on wood, I have not had any other problems until now, the HDMI inputs not working. Any information would be appreciated.. Thanks,

~John

I don't know if it would make a difference, but maybe you could change it to HD instead of 'other', I haven't had any HDMI issues, thank god.

With my Philips 720 plasma HDTV will I see a big improvement in movies with a Blu Ray DVD player?

Yes it will make a great difference. I use the PS3 as my blu-ray and also have a HD-DVD player (useless, I know) and the picture is significantly better than a standard dvd movie. it's amazing to say the least. The difference between 1080p and 1080i/720p is really hard to tell, unless your sitting close to a large display, otherwise, the average person can't tell the difference. You will be pleasantly pleased with the blu-ray movies.

Just checked my hours - 9,002. Bought the set in August of 2005, so almost 3 years. Haven't had any failures, only issue I have is the Picture settings go back to "Soft" anytime I switch inputs.
(Edit: Just resolved that issue thanks to this thread - HDMI1 input was set to "STB" - changed it to "Cable".)

When you say 'switch inputs' -- you mean change SOURCE ??? You don't mean changing the cable connections physically, do you ?? :confused:

No, not physically - whenever I would change inputs via the menu, the picture settings would change back no matter what I had them set at. Turns out if you label one of the HDMI inputs as STB it will do this. I renamed it something else and now my picture settings (color, brightness, contrast, etc) are retained.

No, not physically - whenever I would change inputs via the menu, the picture settings would change back no matter what I had them set at. Turns out if you label one of the HDMI inputs as STB it will do this. I renamed it something else and now my picture settings (color, brightness, contrast, etc) are retained.

Yeah, I remember that glitch from over 2 years ago on these sets. If that's the worst thing that can't be fixed though and remains a problem, I'll take it !! :D

Does any of you live in the Detroit Metro area and has a non-functional TV Plasma 42" Philips Model 42PF9630A that you would like to rid of for parts? (I'm just looking for this particular TV, NO OTHER TV'S)
If so, please email me to mmarks@markstechnology.com.

Thank you,
Marks

what part are u looking for i have so many parts for this tv

richman2k7---this one is kinda directed at you. ive had the 9630 for a little over a year, i got it off my brother inlaw. its worked great til last week when after about 25 minutes of use the screen got colored lines in it. there is a post in here somewhere that someone took pics of that look identical. anyway, i shut it off and turned it back on about 3 times within the next hour, at no point did i let the tv run for more than 5 minutes. so were talkin about 15 minutes tops of runtime the screen actually blacks completely out except for a few random blue and red dots all over the screen. naturally i verified that it wasnt my cable box or any of my inputs and what not. ive read on many posts that it could either be a power issue or that the 3 "video cards/boards" could be bad. when the tv is on the led in front is green and in the back (cover removed) there are 2 led's directly above the rca input board. one of them is solid green and the other is flashing. also, i do notice that what appears to be the "main" board in the center, sounds like a "pulsing" of electricity constantly. ive not been able to find any threads that stated what exactly the fix was or if anyone has a schematic so to speak of what each board is and where its located. thanks for any inputs

also, while ive got the tv apart im curious. ive tried hooking my computer (vista,desktop) to the tv a million times wasted money blah blah. anyways, i guess vista doesnt recognize most tv's unless they have a straight vga-vga connection. im wondering if its possible to find another "input board" that would have a vga connector as opposed to all the rca and composites and what not?

well im sorry to hear that your power supply is good well i fix so many phillips tv ur problem is like i said before u need to replace the y sus board and also the y upper buffer board and the lower and your tv is back and up i promise u that this is ur problem i have 2 of this tv with the same problem and now is good to go well im going to be honest with u these parts are hard to find but i do fix the y sus board for 150.00 with 6 months of garrantee and the other 2 boards i have a friend of mines knows a place that also fix the upper and lower boards ok just let me know this is your problem

Mark - I just sent you an email. I have this TV gathering dust in the basement - needs a y-sustain board and for $400 i decided to replace with a new Panny....

why $400 if i could repair this board for 150 with 6 months garantee so why are u going to get rid off a good tv

why $400 if i could repair this board for 150 with 6 months garantee so why are u going to get rid off a good tv
Are you going to repair the tv or just the board?

Hello all,

I picked up a free 42pf9630a/37 tv that i was told had a bad Y MAIN. I replaced that- but it looks like the buffers may be bad as well, from reading the posts here. I was doing some research and came across a site that mentioned these part numbers as equivilants to the LJ41-02760a & 61a.

They are Samsung .
BN96-02034A
BN96-02216A

Does anyone have anymore info or thougts? As they are cheaper than going the other route & new.

Thanks

Got a 42PF963A in January 2006 from Best Buy and have loved the TV. Very few problems, especially after the firmware updates.

However, for the past month something strange started happening - occasionally when I would turn on the TV the screen would be completely black with no signal - not even the gray bar at the top letting you know which input you are currently set to. The ambilight still comes on and the TV seems to accept instructions from the remote (I could toggle ambilight, raise/lower volume) but no matter what no picture. I have tried unplugging the TV for a while but that doesn't seem to help.

A few hours goes by (usually overnight) and all the sudden it works perfectly again. Might be a few days or weeks of working fine and then all the sudden I get the black screen again.

I do have a 4year complete warranty with Best Buy but naturally when they came out the TV was working fine so they said there was nothing they could do. 5 days went by and now all the sudden it is having another breakdown. This time BB says they will be out next thursday and likely it will work while they are here. I was told I should see the green indicator light flashing to give me a code on the error, but it doesn't flash when powered on during a breakdown period.

Has anyone had similar issues? What could be the problem?

Shade, what firmware version are you running? Your problem seems similar to -- but not exactly like -- BSOD.

Upgrade firmware if you're not running the latest version for the 9630, which I believe is either 1.8 or 1.9.

Hey guys...I've got 2 problems I'm having and was wondering if anyone can replicate:

Prob. #1 - No digital audio passthrough on HDMI#2. I get audio passthrough (PCM or DD5.1 depending on source) from all other sources INCLUDING HDMI#1 and that includes an XBOX 360 and AT&T Uverse (tried both). When I move the cable over to HDMI#2 audio flashes for a brief moment and goes off. I have the unit in for service (ext. warranty) to try to fix it and they can't figure it out. Was wondering if you guys can try to replicate and report back. Audio works fine on the TV, I'm talking about digital coax passthrough to my Sony receiver.

Prob. #2-Sometimes when I turn on the TV using a component source (doesn't matter which one), I get distorted video. I'm not talking S-vid or yellow, I'm talking component. If I switch from interlace to progressive or vice versa it pops on just fine. If I switch to a 720P or 1080I source and back it pops on just fine. If I turn off the TV and wait for relays to click and back on it pops on just fine. Anyone else seen this? I've already had the small signal board replaced and it didn't fix it. It does it with all sets of components, all sources (DVD, PS2, etc.), and all cables I've used.

Thanks!

also, while ive got the tv apart im curious. ive tried hooking my computer (vista,desktop) to the tv a million times wasted money blah blah. anyways, i guess vista doesnt recognize most tv's unless they have a straight vga-vga connection. im wondering if its possible to find another "input board" that would have a vga connector as opposed to all the rca and composites and what not?

I do it by using a cheap DVI to HDMI cable. Works like a champ! I think I got it from one of the cable places mentioned around AVS for $5.

Prob. #2-Sometimes when I turn on the TV using a component source (doesn't matter which one), I get distorted video. I'm not talking S-vid or yellow, I'm talking component. If I switch from interlace to progressive or vice versa it pops on just fine. If I switch to a 720P or 1080I source and back it pops on just fine. If I turn off the TV and wait for relays to click and back on it pops on just fine. Anyone else seen this? I've already had the small signal board replaced and it didn't fix it. It does it with all sets of components, all sources (DVD, PS2, etc.), and all cables I've used. Thanks!

Distorted how? Wavy lines with the picture somewhat visible in the background ??? :confused:

Distorted how? Wavy lines with the picture somewhat visible in the background ??? :confused:

Yep...kinda like that. If the screen should be blue, it would actually be green with the picture slightly offset and wavy horizontal lines. Kinda like a what happens when a TV can't "sync" to the signal properly.

I used to have a similar problem, only when it was turned on with a SD chan. Do you have the current update? What is source signal ouput? 480p or 480i? Try changing that.

Yep...kinda like that. If the screen should be blue, it would actually be green with the picture slightly offset and wavy horizontal lines. Kinda like a what happens when a TV can't "sync" to the signal properly.

Could be the cable/sat box either alone or working in conjunction with the TV, if it doesn't happen every day/all the time, it's going to be tough to isolate.

The wavy-line thing I identified in the Tips Sheet as an interference thing; on my TV, it happens(ed) when I would be watching a DVD on AV3, would switch to AV1 (my main TV watching input) and hit "OK" to confirm SOURCE switch and the lines would be there. I would go back to AV3/DVD (didn't matter if DVD was playing or still screen was there) and then change the channel on the STB to a high-def (if I had originally wanted an SD, or vice-versa). Then I would switch back from AV3 to AV1 and try again. Usually worked the first time, sometimes I would need to try it 2-3 times and I'd try different channels (ESPN-HD, CNBC, local channel, etc) that were not near one another on the STB.

This might very well be an electrical interference and/or STB thing because I dot NOT believ I have gotten it since I moved and now use an upgraded DVR STB. So it could be electrical, the cable signal, and/or the cable STB -- not sure which, and I would say I used to get this problem only when switching inputs and maybe 1-2 times a month, if that.

Worst case scenario, I'd turn off the TV but I tried to avoide ON/OFF quick startups and used the method above. ;)

Operation Hours Display: Does anybody have a count over 4,000 for the Operation Hours PDP display function in the Service Menu (that's the 2nd hours of usage counter, the lower number, at the bottom of the screen when you enter the SM) ??

My 9631 seems stuck at 4,000 hours but unlike the 1st number you can scroll over and apparently change/reset the numbers...I'm wondering if I should be resetting it to start over. Not sure why it's limited to 4,000 but then again I never understood why there were 2 different counters, anyway.

PhilipsPhanatic -

I upgraded the firmware for the first time in July of 2008 which I believe is the most current, correct?

What prompted me was that I learned it corrected BSOD which previously was a problem from time to time. It worked like a charm!

The issue I experience doesn't seem to be related to BSOD and I believe it is a coincidence that I updated firmware a few months before it broke.

Technician has been out and thinks the relays went bad and replaced them, but now there is a new problem.

The best buy repair program by the way is absolutely horrible. I hope they come through and either fix/replace shortly, but so far I get the runaround (I had the 4 yr warranty btw which promised me "peace of mind on my investment")

Problem with them include:
-No dedicated number to discuss my case. Everytime I have to call a general 1-800 #; enter menu of autoprompts, hold for operator, try to explain my probem (each time basically starting from scratch as there are no reference numbers or history available to them); they realize where my call needs to be directed and tranfer; more autoprompts; hold for representative; answer series of questions about my location, product, personal information; hold while they review the limited notes on my account; get back to talk to them - each time it is a new person, each time they are walking into the situation blind with little knowledge of what has or has not happened; do their best to help me and promise call backs (these rarely, if ever occur); get an appointment for technician that is 5-7 days away; they can't fix; repeat all of that.

Horrible

How should I address with them? BBB? Go in the store where I made purchase 3 years ago and demand to see manager?

Ideas?

Shade, I'd goto the store where you bought it and make a stink. BBY's warranty service has been lousy for years (not sure others are great/good but that's another story).

BTW, I reset my counter to "0000" hours and so far it's now stuck at that number, too!!! :mad: Oh, well.....as long as the TV continues to work, who cares, right ?

I think I have seen this posted before, but I have an annoying symptom on my 9630 - every now and then the bottom half of the picture goes black for a few seconds at most, then comes back on. If I tap lightly on the top right side of the case it usually comes back immediately. Never happens till its been on for a while, then stops after its been on a long time. Seems like its happening at a certain internal temperature. I already spent over $400 on one repair of this set, do you think its about to go again?

I had an issue where the middle 3rd would go grey. Up close every other line was off. It would flicker or stay off entirely. It was under warrenty at the time. (this was about a year ago.) Search back through this thread for the exact issue and what was replaced. But it was a circuit board going bad. After replacement, I have not had an issue.

I just purchased this TV, and to try out the HD we purchased a HD movie over Pay Per View, "Journey to the Center of the Earth," And it dident look very HD? We have Dish Network satelitte, do I need an HD cable going from the dish reciever to the TV? Is there an option to "turn on" the HD or does it automatically come on? Thanks for the noob questions!

1) Are you sure you have a high def digital set-top box (cable box) from Dish Network?
2) yes, absolutely must be using either Component or HDMI cable to get a HD picture to the TV - not composite and I don't think Coax will cut it either but not sure.

You must use HDMI or Component like Shade said. Also, the Dish box must be HD capable (I have the 622VIP) and the setting in the box to turn on HD must be set.

Then you must know, that DISH scales down their HD (so does Direct and Cable) Antenna will most likely give you the best reception (least compressed).

Or try a blue ray DVD. Don't fall for the sattelight hype that they have 1080P, they may, but what they are showing on it has been crippled.

For Dish box questions, go to the DISH part of the forum, and see if your box is in there as a thread. They will be able to answer those questions better than we can.

9630 & FiOS Users: I was under the impression that all of the format options in Hi-Def would be blocked out except AUTOMATIC and WIDESCREEN (and most of the time they look the same since most HD stations broadcast most of their programming in 16:9).

But today I watched a few HD stations on a friend's 9630 and he had all 7 Format options...the screen changed shapes and sizes just like SD....on 4:3, it was a small rectangle with black bars on both left/right and top/bottom (like Sci-Fi Channel SD).

What gives? Is this FiOS related ??

I have no idea, I have never been able to have those options on an HD picture, only the Auto, Wide options... I have the most up to date firmware. Even with all other firmwares I was never able to do that.

Are you sure your friends FIOS box is outputting HD?

Are you sure your friends FIOS box is outputting HD?

Good point....that would explain it...but I believe he said he was using an HDMI cable so I presume it had to be outputting hi-def, right?

I'll double-check and report back.

Weird....:confused:

no, I use HDMI, and can still watch standard def channels. Usually the box (in my case dish) needs to have a setting to say send the high def signal. It can only send on HDMI or component, but it can still send standard over those too.

a question with my Philips 50PF9630. I turned it on tonight & got the sound first as usual then instead of the picture I heard the click as if it's going off. The power light flashed 2-2-2-3 repeatedly. It wouldn't respond to the remote so I unplugged it for a minute then plugged it back in & it came on just fine. Should I be worried or is this just one of those boot up glitches?

How about it, anyone seen this before?

Sorry indept,have'nt seen that,my 42pf9630 is still working fine,knock on wood.

a question with my Philips 50PF9630. I turned it on tonight & got the sound first as usual then instead of the picture I heard the click as if it's going off. The power light flashed 2-2-2-3 repeatedly. It wouldn't respond to the remote so I unplugged it for a minute then plugged it back in & it came on just fine. Should I be worried or is this just one of those boot up glitches?

I've had this problem with my 42PF9631, and wrote some about it on that thread. Philips customer service told me it was likely a bad power supply. I haven't had it repaired because it only adds a minute to my day to turn it on, doesn't seem like it's worth shelling out money to fix it.

It hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gone away either.

Thanks for the replies John C & TubaSaxT.

TubaSaxT,
Do you get the blinking red light? If so is it the same sequence of 2-2-2-3?
If it is a power supply I hope it goes bad soon, I have a Mack warranty on it til June 2010.

Here's my procedure:

Power on, either the TV turns on normally, or I get 6 red blinks that repeat every few seconds. Pressing the power button now does nothing.

I unplug the TV, wait for the residual power to run out and for the red blinks to stop.

Plug it back in, green light comes on, green light goes off, and I get six red blinks.

Press power, red blinks stop.

Press power, TV attempts to turn on again. It either does, or I get 6 red blinks.

I repeat those last two steps twice before the unit usually powers on. Quite annoying, but I'm not under warranty, and I don't feel its worth the money to fix.

Well, I ended up getting a 52" Samsung LCD last month, so I took the trusty Philips and mounted it outside, on the wall in a covered cabana. It did pretty well for the three and a half years we had it inside, let's see how it does outside now. Gotta tell ya, the Ambilight is awesome outdoors. :)

Well, I ended up getting a 52" Samsung LCD last month, so I took the trusty Philips and mounted it outside, on the wall in a covered cabana. It did pretty well for the three and a half years we had it inside, let's see how it does outside now. Gotta tell ya, the Ambilight is awesome outdoors. :)
I take it you don't live in Alaska:D

My black frame around the screen is now held in place by scotch tape! Anyone have luck gluing this back on, and if so, what did you use?
Ron

Does anyone have ideal settings for this? At a friend's out of state trying to do a quick calibrate for them. Thanks.

I need some help
i have a 42pf9630 and i saw that i was still on 1.3 firmware.
so i went to philips site and copied and unzip the latest (seems to be 1.6) upg file put it on a usb stick and tried to upgrade
the tv finds the upgrade file and starts loading it.
then just stops, with "please wait......." on top,
nothing happens for hours.
what do I do ...help !!!

I need some help i have a 42pf9630 and i saw that i was still on 1.3 firmware. so i went to philips site and copied and unzip the latest (seems to be 1.6) upg file put it on a usb stick and tried to upgrade
the tv finds the upgrade file and starts loading it. then just stops, with "please wait......." on top, nothing happens for hours. what do I do ...help !!!

See the main 9631 thread.

anyone still follow this thread? I have had my 9630 for a few years and all of a sudden when I turn it on I get sparkles or what I would describe the image like looking at a sonogram. I can see the menu, but its mostly blacked out and cant see all the words. I can't get video on any of my inputs anymore. I have tried a firmware upgrade to no avail.

The tv is long past warranty and hesitant to start spending money on attempted fixes when i could get a new one for a few hundred. Anyone have this issue and know what board or anything else might need to be replaced?

Sorry tghodge,can't help with that one.
Yea,I know it's an old thread,but since this is for the 9630A,as a shot in the dark I'll post it here.
Have had mine for 4 or 5 years,always worked flawlessly.
Early this morning I unplugged it because of approaching thunder storm.(I've always done this,even though it's plugged into a surge protector.)
After storm, plugged it back in,and no power.Surge protector works,cable box & sound system is on,but T.V.
won't power on.Can't figure it out,did it just die all of a sudden because I unplugged it?

Quick follow up:
Very weird,unplugged it last night before bed,this morning wife plugs it in and it powers on with remote,then goes out again.She powers it on again and it's been working fine now for a few hours.
Power supply or something of that sort?
tghodge,I've never seen that problem on mine yet,how'd you make out?

anyone still follow this thread? I have had my 9630 for a few years and all of a sudden when I turn it on I get sparkles or what I would describe the image like looking at a sonogram. I can see the menu, but its mostly blacked out and cant see all the words. I can't get video on any of my inputs anymore. I have tried a firmware upgrade to no avail.
The tv is long past warranty and hesitant to start spending money on attempted fixes when i could get a new one for a few hundred. Anyone have this issue and know what board or anything else might need to be replaced?

Are you getting any blinking error message(s) from the green LED power indicator ?

Does the SM show an ERROR ?

There's a few people with 9630 and 9631 problems in the main User Threads (like this) and a few other Philips-related threads. Use the Advanced Search and scan them all. Could be circuit board related, doesn't sound like a capacitor problem.

Could be very inexepensive to fix, plus if you definitely isolate the problem you could buy a broken 9630 and cannibalize it for parts.

FYI: You 9630 owners might have to or want to re-set the PDP Operation Hours in the Service Menu. This counts the actual hours the set has been on. The 9631 freezes at 4,000 hours so I suspect the 9630 does also (can someone confirm this ?); if so, you need to set it to "0000" when it gets stuck at that level.

The first number -- the higher usage number -- should continue to keep going up. But for accuracy, it's best to re-set that 2nd number when it hits 4,000.

On the Philips remote: 0-6-2-5-9-6+ INFO (the "6" won't show on the screen) gets you into the SM...don't touch any settings, just scroll up or down....the 2 numbers are usually in the ratio of 75-80% so if your PDP Operation Hours has been stuck at 4,000 for a long time, you can still estimate the hours of use from the higher 1st number using that ratio (the 1st number is higher because it adds 1/2 hour each time the set is turned on/off).[

Quick follow up: Very weird,unplugged it last night before bed,this morning wife plugs it in and it powers on with remote,then goes out again.She powers it on again and it's been working fine now for a few hours.
Power supply or something of that sort? tghodge,I've never seen that problem on mine yet,how'd you make out?

A few other people with 9630's and 9631's noted the same problem and solution...I would go back over the last 5-10 pages or so of the relevant Philips Threads as they may have found a more permanent solution (capacitors ?).