Philips 42PF9630A HD Plasma [Text View] - Page 6

simms51

02-24-06, 12:39 AM

Hi all a newbie here. I just wanted to share my experience with this set, I have the 50" model. I was looking to buy a new big screen set. I started out looking at the 1080p mitsubishi dlp lcd. Went to BB and settled on a 60" set, but they didn't have it in stock. I went down their plasma aisle and the philips jumped out at me. My son happens to work at BB and I was going to use his employee discount to buy a new set. I asked him how much the philips set would be with his discount. After he told me what it was, my jaw hit the floor, and I said "wrap it up, I'll take it!".
I am using an HD STB with HDMI connection and I and everyone else who stops by my house are very impressed.
Now to show how impressed I really am. Where I live, we have a new IMAX theater here and last year when Polar Express in 3D came out I took the family to see it. I was totally blown away by this movie. The snowflakes and the golden ticket blowing around made you think they were going to fall in your lap!
Yesterday I got an LG LDA-511 up-convert player. I hooked it up using the other HDMI connection. I put in my copy of Polar Express and fellas, let me tell you, I thought I was sitting in the IMAX theater again! The PQ was darn near 3D quality. I am a very happy philips owner. I also want to thank everyone for their input and help on this website. It has been very helpful to me, I am using the ambilight 2 feature that I found here. I apologize for the lengthy post but I wanted to share my experiences with all of you.

praveensg

02-24-06, 01:25 AM

rolento76

02-24-06, 08:45 AM

My son happens to work at BB and I was going to use his employee discount to buy a new set. I asked him how much the philips set would be with his discount. After he told me what it was, my jaw hit the floor, and I said "wrap it up, I'll take it!".

Congratulations on your purchase. I, too, was lucky enough to take advantage of my brother's BB employee discount right before he left for a new job. I think my jaw is still sitting on the BB show floor. And that was last August. :D

rolento76

02-24-06, 08:50 AM

Congratulations on your purchase simms. The Philips turned out to be one hidden treasure. And so did the Ambilight 2. I just tweaked my TV (with shaky hands of course :p) and the Ambi2 makes one helluva difference. Thanks guys. Im gonna be getting my new DVD player tomorrow along with some good HDMI cables. What player goes well with this TV? Also, any recommendations to get them damn cables?
I have had great experiences with my Toshiba upconverting DVD player. It even came with its own HDMI cable which was a hidden plus. Many have had good experiences with the Sony upconverting players also. It appears Simms is having a good experience with the LG upconverting player.

As for cables, I like to use PriceWatch (http://www.pricewatch.com) to find a good dealer of generic cables. The HDMI cable that came with my DVD player is a generic cable and I find no difference using that cable and the monster cable I have connecting my STB to the TV (only difference is price :rolleyes: ).

simms51

02-24-06, 03:49 PM

Thanks fellas for your responses. Again I used my son's BB discount, ( man I hope he doesn't quit his job for awhile), and I purchased the LG model LDA-511 upconvert player and also a monster HDMI cable. The player lets the user select between any number of settings from 480i, 480p, 720p abd 1080i. At this time I decided to go for the "gusto" and selected the 1080i setting.IMHO I am very pleased with this combo.

On my "old" setup, I was using a 5 disc Sony dvd player using the component video hook-up. I wasn't sure if I could tell a difference using the hdmi hookup but was I pleasantly surprised!

ANGLICO

02-24-06, 06:57 PM

ronaldk988

02-26-06, 01:52 PM

rolento76

02-26-06, 04:12 PM

I enabled the stereo amibilight feature on my 9630 and wasn't impressed at all! My whole family wanted me to go back to the mono ambilight.

On stereo the light seemed to always favor the left, no matter what was happening on the screen.

Ron
Don't forget to follow the last step:

8) Now under your standard menu you will have additional ambilight settings to control how the right and left lights work (TV\Ambilight)
9) Set Seperation to Maximum and balance to 0 for maximum 'stereo' effect

ronaldk988

02-26-06, 05:01 PM

Aha!!!!!
Thank you - now I see the benefits!!!! (of the Stereo Ambilight)!!!!!

rolento76

02-27-06, 08:35 PM

mlandau & Rolento,thanks for posting that link and the letter.
oldrty,I feel for you brother,that is a drag!
Just for the record,I guess I should feel lucky,I've had mine since Sept.05,and have'nt had a problem,and don't fall into the affected range for the recall.Hope not too many others do.
My set falls in the range of the recall. I made the call today and Philips will contact a service center near me and have the replacement parts sent to them so they can complete the repair. I hope this goes smoothly since the TV has been nothing short of perfect since I bought it. The repair seems simple enough but I still wrestle with the idea "if it ain't broke, why fix it". I guess this is better than finding out my TV burnt out due to component arcing.

praveensg

02-27-06, 10:14 PM

Good luck with the service rolento. Here are a few screenshots of the TV I took this evening. If you see ghosting, it's coz of the slow shutter speed. These pics dont do justice to the TV actually :)

John C.

02-27-06, 10:45 PM

Casey Jones

02-27-06, 11:24 PM

My set falls in the range of the recall. I made the call today and Philips will contact a service center near me and have the replacement parts sent to them so they can complete the repair. I hope this goes smoothly since the TV has been nothing short of perfect since I bought it. The repair seems simple enough but I still wrestle with the idea "if it ain't broke, why fix it". I guess this is better than finding out my TV burnt out due to component arcing.

Well seems like I have an earlier model serial number also and need the Ambilight upgrade. Last Thursday I contacted Philips and was pleasantly surprised with the expeditious help I received. It wasn't more than 15 minutes after I had called Philips and they had returned my call providing me with the name of the local authorized repair center that would be handling my "in home" upgrade. I further contacted the repair center tech. and was advised they had already received an authorization fax from Philips and the parts (which are in stock) will arrive this week. So far I am extremely pleased with Philips customer service. But to be honest that is what I had expected would be the case all along. I know of many people in my area who have had positive experiences with Philips also. I'll keep everyone informed of the results and maybe even take a few pics. :)

rolento76

02-27-06, 11:34 PM

Rolento,sorry that you have to go through the recall,but it does seem like a simple fix.Do you have to bring the set to the service center,or can they do an in-house repair?
Seems like they could do it on site,and save their customers alot of headaches with having to pack and transport the plasma.
It sounds like they are going to come out to my home to do the repair. They did say that the repair will be completed with as little inconvenience as possible. Hopefully they can come out on a weekend. I would think it would be easier to do the repair in-home since it is a simple repair kit that they can bring with them rather than come out and take my TV. I guess we'll find out once I schedule an appointment. I'll be sure to post how everything goes during this repair process from scheduling to finish.

rolento76

02-27-06, 11:36 PM

Well seems like I have an earlier model serial number also and need the Ambilight upgrade. Last Thursday I contacted Philips and was pleasantly surprised with the expeditious help I received. It wasn't more than 15 minutes after I had called Philips and they had returned my call providing me with the name of the local authorized repair center that would be handling my "in home" upgrade. I further contacted the repair center tech. and was advised they had already received an authorization fax from Philips and the parts (which are in stock) will arrive this week. So far I am extremely pleased with Philips customer service. But to be honest that is what I had expected would be the case all along. I know of many people in my area who have had positive experiences with Philips also. I'll keep everyone informed of the results and maybe even take a few pics. :)
So what do you think Casey? Do you think we'll still have stereo ambilight after this?

imaginary

02-28-06, 02:26 AM

hi,
I just purchased the 9630A plasma tv and i am having some problems with it. First, my left Ambilight rattles from the speaker, it rattles even on low volume and it is extremely annoying when watching a movie or even satellite, has anyone had this problem? and if so is there any way to stop this (again, this only happens on the left side). Also, this might be a really stupid question, but I've searched everywhere and for the life of me I cannot figure out how to get sound through HDMI. I have an Oppo DVD player hooked up via HDMI cable to the HDMI-1 port on the tv and I get a stunning picture, but no sound.. how can I get sound to work?

thanks in advance!!

imaginary

02-28-06, 01:56 PM

rolento76

02-28-06, 02:00 PM

Ok so I still can't get sound to work through HDMI, I have everything plugged in correctly, the DVD plays but there's no bloody sound. I'm thinking of returning this TV today due to the no sound issue when playing DVD's and as well as the left Ambilight rattling when there's sound coming through. Is my tv faulty (no sound issue) or am I just doing something wrong? Also, would a rattling Ambilight be grounds for a return?

I'm confused what to do :(
I would think that a rattling Ambilight would definitely be grounds for a return. The ambilight modules should not move at all. Movement may be indication that the set was damaged in transport.

As for the lack of sound through HDMI, it could be a setting or a physical problem. If this were my set, I would return the unit if it still falls under the store return and exchange policy. If not, I would contact Philips support for warranty service. I hope this helps.

imaginary

02-28-06, 02:11 PM

It still falls under the return/exchange policy.. i purchased the tv yesterday. It was the last factory fresh one they had, they had one that was open box as well. Is the rattling a common problem among these tv's? I absolutely love the tv but can't stand the rattling, so hopefully they can order another one from the warehouse, but I'm afraid that it could potentially have the same rattling problem

mlandau

02-28-06, 02:34 PM

up to now, no one has mentioned rattling on this model or any of its cousins.

John C.

02-28-06, 03:56 PM

Imaginary,are you sure it's the Ambilight rattling,and not the speaker on that side?It's pretty well known that the speakers are'nt the greatest on these plasmas,usually,if you get one of these,you have it hooked up to a theatre system.I don't have mine hooked up to one yet,and if I turn the volume up too loud I'll get a buzzing or rattling sound(distortion).

imaginary

02-28-06, 05:56 PM

i'm positive, because when i push down on the ambilight with my finger the rattling goes away. I will be returning this tv today and see if I can get an exchange.

Casey Jones

02-28-06, 09:41 PM

So what do you think Casey? Do you think we'll still have stereo ambilight after this?

Yes we will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) Today at about 9:30 this morning I received a call from the repair tech. that Philips had sent the kit 2nd day air to them and they were ready to install the upgraded Ambilight. Now keep in mind I contacted Philips on Thursday and not counting the weekend they installed the upgrade in just over 48 hours from my call. Talk about customer service!!! About an hour later he arrived at my home and began the upgrade. In total it took about an hour and a half to finish and replace the plasma on the wall. What is actually being installed is a new Ambilight inside the left and right ambilight housings of the plasma. It includes the bulb , the bulbhousing, new harness and lens. In addition the wiring was positioned as indicated in the bulletin and a red dot installed on the PDP serial number sticker. We tested the unit and it worked perfectly. My total number of hours usage was 721 since last August , about what I thought. I was also pleased to here from the tech that his company does the authorized repair work for Philips and all other brands of plasma as well as CC which I have an extended warranty with. I took at few pics of the panel with the back off which I will post when I have a little more time to upload the pics.
All in all I have to say Philips responsiveness was nothing short of outstanding in providing me with great customer service and support. And remember I never recieved a notice about the upgrade , I had read about it here. Kudos Philips bigtime.

Casey Jones

02-28-06, 09:47 PM

i'm positive, because when i push down on the ambilight with my finger the rattling goes away. I will be returning this tv today and see if I can get an exchange.
I bet you have a loose screw inside the speaker unit.

imaginary

02-28-06, 10:32 PM

well i just got back from the store and had the tv exchanged, there is no rattling whatsoever now. Really happy with it now!! =)

John C.

03-01-06, 10:17 AM

My total number of hours usage was 721 since last August
Casey,good to hear your opperation was painless. :cool:
Regarding the hours of usage,is there somewhere one can look in the service menu or somewhere to check that?
Thanks
Imaginary,good luck with the new one!

Casey Jones

03-01-06, 11:06 AM

Casey,good to hear your opperation was painless. :cool:
Regarding the hours of usage,is there somewhere one can look in the service menu or somewhere to check that?
Thanks
Imaginary,good luck with the new one!

You need to enter the CSM(Customer Service menu), its set up like the menu screen on your plasma. you select Hours of Operation to see how long the PDP has been used. :)

iontyre

03-01-06, 11:36 AM

Geez Casey you must not watch a whole lot of TV. I've only had mine since November and I'm already past 800 hours!!!

John C.

03-01-06, 05:12 PM

Casey,I've looked through the menus,and can't find the Customer Service menu.Could you point me in the right direction?
Thanks again

imaginary

03-01-06, 05:46 PM

on your remote just press 1 2 3 6 5 4

John C.

03-01-06, 08:24 PM

Thanks!

GPC2

03-01-06, 10:53 PM

On Philips website you will find firmware version BX23U-1.0.13.0_01441 dated January 25, 2006 (date has now been updated) available for download. This is the latest firmware version. :)

That's interesting that a new firmware "fix" would be released now - especially since my TV started wigging out again today.

I am wondering if the HDMI connection is to blame. I have the D* H10 HD Receiver hooked up via HDMI and whenever I switch from an HD channel to an SD channel (and vice-versa), there is about a 3 or 4 second green screen. The green screen is sometimes accompanied by snow (as was previously discussed in this thread). That phenomenon always seemed a bit strange to me and I am really wondering if the 9630A can handle those switches.

I will be downloading the new upgrade tomorrow and hopefully that will (temporarily) solve my problem again. Local tech support is completely and totally useless and unresponsive, so that really is not an option.

I am really getting frustrated with this TV. I really can't complain about it when it works, but when it starts wigging out (like it is now), I get extremely angry.

Hopefully if the fix doesn't work, Philips will eventually consider swapping out my TV for a new one.

jdef

03-02-06, 07:03 AM

I would think that a rattling Ambilight would definitely be grounds for a return. The ambilight modules should not move at all. Movement may be indication that the set was damaged in transport.

As for the lack of sound through HDMI, it could be a setting or a physical problem. If this were my set, I would return the unit if it still falls under the store return and exchange policy. If not, I would contact Philips support for warranty service. I hope this helps.

The SA 8300 by default doesn't send audio through the HDMI (At least the TWCNYC Passport version). You can enable the audio through the settings menu in the cable box.

jdef

03-02-06, 07:05 AM

jdef

03-02-06, 07:08 AM

You do have the FORMAT button on the remote (near the bottom) that will take you to a screen that will allow Widescreen or Automatic - automatic will adjust the screen to get rid of bars both horizontal and vertical - EXCEPT ESPND since they have decided to add the funky grey/black strips my TV does not see this and therefore will not stretch ESPND....every night I activate the sleep timer in case I fall asleep in front of the TV watching a logo station.

You can use the cable box to zoom or stretch ESPN

kypassat

03-02-06, 09:11 AM

praveensg

03-02-06, 12:09 PM

I have the 42PF9630A hooked to a Moto DCT6412 via component. My HD channels look great but the SD stuff looks bad. Will moving to DVI make a difference on the SD channels? How are most of you guys hooking your 42PF9630A to your cable box....Component or DVI? Also, I need to check but the Moto box might also have an HDMI connection.

Please help...the Wife is not liking this SD picture!

thanks!
kypassat
I have hooked the TV up to my SA box using component cables and the SD picture is pretty good. Not outstanding as in a regular CRT but it's quite good. Try HDMI. If that fails, then it's the cable box that's the culprit. Nothing wrong with the TV as such :)

iontyre

03-02-06, 03:19 PM

That's interesting that a new firmware "fix" would be released now - especially since my TV started wigging out again today.

I am wondering if the HDMI connection is to blame. I have the D* H10 HD Receiver hooked up via HDMI and whenever I switch from an HD channel to an SD channel (and vice-versa), there is about a 3 or 4 second green screen. The green screen is sometimes accompanied by snow (as was previously discussed in this thread). That phenomenon always seemed a bit strange to me and I am really wondering if the 9630A can handle those switches.

I will be downloading the new upgrade tomorrow and hopefully that will (temporarily) solve my problem again. Local tech support is completely and totally useless and unresponsive, so that really is not an option.

I am really getting frustrated with this TV. I really can't complain about it when it works, but when it starts wigging out (like it is now), I get extremely angry.

Hopefully if the fix doesn't work, Philips will eventually consider swapping out my TV for a new one.

The "wigging out" you refer to is the green screen/snow you see when switching between SD and HD? That is not a problem, it is HDCP sync occuring, and there is nothing you can do about it. 3 or 4 seconds is about right. Firmware isn't going to get rid of that, nor will a different TV make a difference. Welcome to the wonderful world of video copyright protection!!!

Actually, if you are seeing a green screen during sync you are lucky, my sd8300 only puts out snow. Green screen would be a lot more pleasant.

simms51

03-02-06, 04:25 PM

kypassat,.... I have the 50" version of this set and I also have the Motorola 6412 cable box. The back of the box does indeed have a connection for HDMI and that is how I have my set connected. The PQ quality, IMHO, is very good.. You might want to try using the HDMI connection.

GPC2

03-02-06, 04:49 PM

The "wigging out" you refer to is the green screen/snow you see when switching between SD and HD?

No. I was saying that I think the green screen/snow issue is what was causing my TV to wig out. Check my post on page 40, I have an attached pic that shows what my screen looks like when it is screwed up.

I am currently unable to watch HD on my plasma through HDMI cables. I can watch HD through component, and I can watch SD through HDMI, but no HD through HDMI. I am really sick of this and I will be trying the new firmware update when I get home - hopefully that will solve this problem.

If, as I suspect, the green screen effect is what is causing my TV to "break" like it does, that will be a serious problem. 99% of my viewing is sports and I am a frequent channel clicker, so I am frequently going back and forth between SD and HD.

Let's go Philips. Ge on the ball!!

Casey Jones

03-02-06, 10:20 PM

:) No. I was saying that I think the green screen/snow issue is what was causing my TV to wig out. Check my post on page 40, I have an attached pic that shows what my screen looks like when it is screwed up.

I am currently unable to watch HD on my plasma through HDMI cables. I can watch HD through component, and I can watch SD through HDMI, but no HD through HDMI. I am really sick of this and I will be trying the new firmware update when I get home - hopefully that will solve this problem.

If, as I suspect, the green screen effect is what is causing my TV to "break" like it does, that will be a serious problem. 99% of my viewing is sports and I am a frequent channel clicker, so I am frequently going back and forth between SD and HD.

Let's go Philips. Ge on the ball!!
Its not a "Philips" problem, rather it looks like a local issue. I use the SA 8300 HD DVR connected via HDMI to HDMI and dont have that problem. Arent you using dish I think you mentioned that in an earlier post. Have you used the online troubleshooter on Philips site yet?

John C.

03-03-06, 12:25 PM

Hey guys~
Casey got me curious when he said you could check your "Hours of Operation" by accessing the Customer Service Menu.So I pressed 123654,and got the 1st page of the "CSM",the 1st line being "sw version",the 3rd line "set type",the 4th "production code",etc.,but of 5 pages I don't see "Hours of Operation".
Casey,you also said;You need to enter the CSM(Customer Service menu), its set up like the menu screen on your plasma. you select Hours of Operation to see how long the PDP has been used.,
Which makes me think that this menu is interactive,but the CSM on my screen is static,I can't press anything to access more info,it's just a list.Any ideas?Thanks

ANGLICO

03-03-06, 01:13 PM

markyoung04

03-03-06, 01:24 PM

You can use the cable box to zoom or stretch ESPN

I would have to set the 6412 to stretch all stations, right now I pick and choose what channels the TV stretches, put a format shortcut on my Harmoney 880 to quick change if I don't like the "stretch" it provides...

markyoung04

03-03-06, 01:25 PM

This TV only does BLACK on the bars when watching regular TV right? I has seen posts on other sites saying you can make it grey or a lighter color...just curious.

ANGLICO

03-03-06, 04:28 PM

This TV only does BLACK on the bars when watching regular TV right? I has seen posts on other sites saying you can make it grey or a lighter color...just curious.
I'm able to make the sidebars gray through my cable box (SA-4300HD). I couldn't find anything on the TV menu to do this.

Chiahead

03-03-06, 05:22 PM

This TV only does BLACK on the bars when watching regular TV right? I has seen posts on other sites saying you can make it grey or a lighter color...just curious.

I don't think the TV can change that. I know some of your stations you watch may transmit them differently. All my HD stations transmit black for the side bars on their standard programming, except 1. Our NBC affiliate transmits grey bars. This TV seems to auto stretch if it sees black, but doesn't recognize the grey bars as empty space, so it thinks its part of the picture and won't let the auto stretch happen.

GPC2

03-03-06, 05:24 PM

:)
Arent you using dish I think you mentioned that in an earlier post.

No I am not using dish, I have D*.

Have you used the online troubleshooter on Philips site yet?

No, I haven't used the troubleshooter. I actually didn't know about it. Maybe when I get home I'll mess with that.

Casey, the thing is though, once the screen gets all messed up, I can't use the HDMI inputs AT ALL - not just with my D* H10 receiver. I have tried to view DVDs using the HDMI inputs after the screen gets screwy and I have the same results. I usually have to revert to component cables.

GPC2

03-03-06, 05:37 PM

John C.

03-03-06, 06:33 PM

Geez Casey you must not watch a whole lot of TV. I've only had mine since November and I'm already past 800 hours!!!
Yikes!!!I've had mine since Sept. and I'm at 1810 hours!
Holy Crap!!!LoL
ANGLICO,thanks for the info :)

iontyre

03-03-06, 10:58 PM

Just checked mine, actually at 1135 hours.

Casey Jones

03-04-06, 11:07 AM

John C.

That didn't work for me either. Type 062596 then press INFO. That will bring up a warning screen. Press the Red button to bring up the listings. I would just read, don't make any changes unless you know exactly what the results will be.

Yup thats the correct code to use. Keep in mind one thing when reading your hours of operation. According to the service manual the PDP adds 1/2 hour (.5) to the timer for each on cycle. So the actual hours in use will be less. :)

Casey Jones

03-04-06, 11:08 AM

This TV only does BLACK on the bars when watching regular TV right? I has seen posts on other sites saying you can make it grey or a lighter color...just curious.
With the SA STB'S you can change the color of the bars not sure about the 6412.

Casey Jones

03-04-06, 11:10 AM

No I am not using dish, I have D*.

No, I haven't used the troubleshooter. I actually didn't know about it. Maybe when I get home I'll mess with that.

Casey, the thing is though, once the screen gets all messed up, I can't use the HDMI inputs AT ALL - not just with my D* H10 receiver. I have tried to view DVDs using the HDMI inputs after the screen gets screwy and I have the same results. I usually have to revert to component cables.
Never that good at acronyms what is "D*"? Also is your DVD player progressive scan ? If so was the player set to progressive mode when this occurred?

Casey Jones

03-04-06, 11:11 AM

I'm able to make the sidebars gray through my cable box (SA-4300HD). I couldn't find anything on the TV menu to do this.
Dont you mean the SA 4200HD?

Casey Jones

03-04-06, 11:15 AM

Yesterday I downloaded the new software and when I plugged my jump drive into my TV, it didn't recognize any new software.

Is it really a new software update, or is it just a repackaged old version?

I am really at my wits end.

TV is pissing me off.
You should have checked first what software version your set has installed. Then see what version the latest firmware update is. The PDP will not install an earlier version of the firmware, you can not go back. Its all in the manual you just need to familiarize yourself with it. :)

ANGLICO

03-04-06, 02:47 PM

Dont you mean the SA 4200HD?

Correct. I've been trying to convince my wife to upgrade to the 8300 and had that on my mind.

GPC2

03-04-06, 05:09 PM

You should have checked first what software version your set has installed. Then see what version the latest firmware update is. The PDP will not install an earlier version of the firmware, you can not go back. Its all in the manual you just need to familiarize yourself with it. :)

Casey, I understand that, but there was talk of a new upgrade, and I know I hadn't had a firmware upgrade since early February, so I assumed that it was a new upgrade.

GPC2

03-04-06, 06:38 PM

Never that good at acronyms what is "D*"? Also is your DVD player progressive scan ? If so was the player set to progressive mode when this occurred?

D* = DirecTV

Yes my DVD player is progressive scan and yes it is set to progressive scan. I tried turning it off, but it didn't work.

The funny thing that I just noticed while running through different tests is my DirecTV H10 receiver will not display HD channels with the HDMI cable or the component video cables. My Sony DVD player (DVP-NS70H) will not properly show DVD's with the HDMI cable, but it will show them with the component cables.

...and where is Philips' online troubleshooter? Are you referring to the customer support live chat?

Thanks for all of your help.

Casey Jones

03-04-06, 10:22 PM

D* = DirecTV

Yes my DVD player is progressive scan and yes it is set to progressive scan. I tried turning it off, but it didn't work.

The funny thing that I just noticed while running through different tests is my DirecTV H10 receiver will not display HD channels with the HDMI cable or the component video cables. My Sony DVD player (DVP-NS70H) will not properly show DVD's with the HDMI cable, but it will show them with the component cables.

...and where is Philips' online troubleshooter? Are you referring to the customer support live chat?

Thanks for all of your help.

I dont have DISH so I cant help you with that but since the SA8300 HD DVR works with HDMI I would say its something with your receiver. Maybe someone else on here can assist you with that. I have the Sony DVP NS 90V upconverting DVD player ( the model above yours) and mine works flawlessly with the PDP using HDMI to HDMI connected to HDMI 2 on the PDP. And by the way the picture quality upconverted is outstanding. My HDMI resolution in the DVD setup is set to 16X9 . The type of signal output from the HDMI output is set to YCBCR. Hope that helps. They have renamed the online troubleshooter its now called freq. asked questions. Go to Philips site, select customer support, input your model number as select freq. asked questions. Hope this helps. :)

GPC2

03-04-06, 11:26 PM

Does anybody know if I restore my TV to the factory settings will the software also be rolled back to the version that came with the TV?

Casey Jones

03-05-06, 07:16 AM

:) Does anybody know if I restore my TV to the factory settings will the software also be rolled back to the version that came with the TV?

A factory reset will not do it . According to this info from Philips you can do it, however I havent heard any reports as to its successfulness. This is off there site if you choose give it a try. Seems to imply you need more than one version of the current software available on your usb memory drive at the time.

• If you try to upgrade to a software version lower than
the current vers i o n , a confirmation will be aske d .
D ow n g rading to older software should only be done in
case of real necessity.• If an error occurs during the upgrade you should retry
the procedure or contact your dealer.
( When the software upgrade was successful, re m ove
the USB portable memory and re s t a rt your TV with
the power switch B at the right side of the T V.
Your TV will start up with the new software.

N o t e : Once the upgrade is finished use your PC to remov e
the TV software from your USB port a ble memory.
Automatic software upgrade pro c e d u re
M a nual software upgrade pro c e d u re
For a manual software upgrade copy the “ a u t o r u n . u p g ”
file in a dire c t o ry called “Upgrades” located in the ro o t
of the USB portable memory.
& I n s e rt the portable memory that contains the
d ownloaded software upgrade.
é Select S o f t w a re Upgrade in the Installation menu .
Go to Local upgrades/ap p l i c a t i o n s.
The TV will list all compatible images available on the
USB portable memory and display the data for each
selected upgrade image.
“ Select the correct upgrade image and press the re d
color button to start the upgrade.[/Your TV will re s t a rt and will automatically go to the
upgrade mode. After a few seconds it will display the
status of the upgrade pro c e d u re.
Warning• If you try to upgrade to a software version equal or
l ower than the current vers i o n , a confirmation will be
a s ke d . D ow n g rading to older software should only be
done in case of real necessity.
‘ When the software upgrade was successful, re m ove
the USB portable memory and re s t a rt your TV with
the power switch B at the right side of the T V.
Your TV will start up with the new software.

Hope this helps. :)

rolento76

03-06-06, 11:51 AM

Yes we will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)
All in all I have to say Philips responsiveness was nothing short of outstanding in providing me with great customer service and support. And remember I never recieved a notice about the upgrade , I had read about it here. Kudos Philips bigtime.
So did you return the Ambilight setting back to the factory setting before the Ambilight repair, or did you simply leave it on stereo Ambilight?

I am hoping to have my repair done this week. The repair center has the replacement kit in stock. The reason why I had to wait is because the woman I spoke to forgot to call in the next day to setup my appointment (since I called in to Philips after working hours). I called in today to find out what happened. No harm done though.

GPC2

03-06-06, 06:27 PM

OK,

I got home today and I had a little epiphany. For some unknown reason I decided to try and unplug the TV from the surge protector and plug it back in. I tried it and it worked!! I now have a TV that can function properly on the HD channels using an HDMI cable. As a side note, I bought the Hr10-250 from Blockbuster the other night, so hopefully I won't have these types of problems anymore.

kuau

03-06-06, 11:31 PM

Casey Jones

03-06-06, 11:36 PM

So did you return the Ambilight setting back to the factory setting before the Ambilight repair, or did you simply leave it on stereo Ambilight?

I am hoping to have my repair done this week. The repair center has the replacement kit in stock. The reason why I had to wait is because the woman I spoke to forgot to call in the next day to setup my appointment (since I called in to Philips after working hours). I called in today to find out what happened. No harm done though.

Just left it on stereo ambilight. :)

rolento76

03-06-06, 11:38 PM

I am using my 32PF320A/37 with a 8300HD Box. I am hooked up via HDMI. When I setup my 8300HD, How should I set it up? 720P or 1080i? Or should I add all the different modes 480p. 480i, 480p widescreen.
Thanks
This can be a matter of taste. I prefer to have my 8300HD pass all the signals and let my TV do the scaling.

rolento76

03-06-06, 11:58 PM

Just left it on stereo ambilight. :)
So my recall service experience is not going very well. After Philips had forgotten to set me up with a service center, I reminded them and I finally got a call back from the service center assigned to my recall service. The repairman said that they would have to take my set to their shop because the repair would take several hours. I questioned this and so I told him I would call him back. I called Philips and I asked them if it was normal for the shop to take the TV for this kind of repair. The representative said that some shops do take the TV. I questioned Philip's intention of "minimal inconvenience" as stated in their recall letter, especially since I would be without my TV for a day. The representative put me on hold and called the service center assigned to me. When she got back on the phone, she said the service center was willing to do the repair in house. I then called the service center to make an appointment. When the repairman answered, I asked if Philips confirmed that they would be willing to perform the repair in house. He put me on hold (hand over the receiver) and I can hear in the background a different man yelling "That is not what I said!". This different man picks up the phone and insists that they have to take the TV in a very defensive attitude. I reiterated what Philips said and the guy said that they would be willing to do the repair in house if the right conditions were met. I informed him that there would be ample room to lay the TV on a soft surface and there would be plenty of lighting. I also mentioned that I have an understanding of hardware repairs since I am in the computer business so I was aware that this repair was not extensive enough to require transport and possible mishandling. He then took on a demeaning tone and mocked me by saying that "computer repairs are nothing compared to this. You open a computer and you have everything there. With the plasma, there are hundereds of screws, you have to take the whole back off, etc." I was taken aback and I argued that his comparison was a sorry excuse. So I repeated myself and asked if he would come by and do the repair in house. He said he will come by to determine if he can do it in house and if he could, he will. But something tells me that he will try to find any excuse to take it back to the shop. Already I have no trust in this service center's abilities. I set up Friday as the day they are to come by. If he insists that he must take the TV after seeing that I have plenty of room and lighting, I'll tell him to get out. What a way to make me feel at ease about this recall service! I certainly can't wait to see him on Friday so I can either thank him for repairing my TV in house or punch him in his mouth for treating me in a condescending manner.

Casey Jones

03-07-06, 12:23 AM

So my recall service experience is not going very well. After Philips had forgotten to set me up with a service center, I reminded them and I finally got a call back from the service center assigned to my recall service. The repairman said that they would have to take my set to their shop because the repair would take several hours. I questioned this and so I told him I would call him back. I called Philips and I asked them if it was normal for the shop to take the TV for this kind of repair. The representative said that some shops do take the TV. I questioned Philip's intention of "minimal inconvenience" as stated in their recall letter, especially since I would be without my TV for a day. The representative put me on hold and called the service center assigned to me. When she got back on the phone, she said the service center was willing to do the repair in house. I then called the service center to make an appointment. When the repairman answered, I asked if Philips confirmed that they would be willing to perform the repair in house. He put me on hold (hand over the receiver) and I can hear in the background a different man yelling "That is not what I said!". This different man picks up the phone and insists that they have to take the TV in a very defensive attitude. I reiterated what Philips said and the guy said that they would be willing to do the repair in house if the right conditions were met. I informed him that there would be ample room to lay the TV on a soft surface and there would be plenty of lighting. I also mentioned that I have an understanding of hardware repairs since I am in the computer business so I was aware that this repair was not extensive enough to require transport and possible mishandling. He then took on a demeaning tone and mocked me by saying that "computer repairs are nothing compared to this. You open a computer and you have everything there. With the plasma, there are hundereds of screws, you have to take the whole back off, etc." I was taken aback and I argued that his comparison was a sorry excuse. So I repeated myself and asked if he would come by and do the repair in house. He said he will come by to determine if he can do it in house and if he could, he will. But something tells me that he will try to find any excuse to take it back to the shop. Already I have no trust in this service center's abilities. I set up Friday as the day they are to come by. If he insists that he must take the TV after seeing that I have plenty of room and lighting, I'll tell him to get out. What a way to make me feel at ease about this recall service! I certainly can't wait to see him on Friday so I can either thank him for repairing my TV in house or punch him in his mouth for treating me in a condescending manner.

I would contact Philips and let them know about your contact. I dont know what area of the country you live in but I would opt for another repair center. As far as screws are concerned there are maybe 30 that need to be removed. You may want to check with them to see if he has received replacement parts prior to fridays visitation. Good luck!!!!!! :)

rolento76

03-07-06, 08:47 AM

I would contact Philips and let them know about your contact. I dont know what area of the country you live in but I would opt for another repair center. As far as screws are concerned there are maybe 30 that need to be removed. You may want to check with them to see if he has received replacement parts prior to fridays visitation. Good luck!!!!!! :)
They actually have the replacement kit in stock at the service center. That was one of their selling points (at least in their minds): "We have the kit in stock so you can have your TV the next day!" So I said, "How about I have my TV the same day by bringing the kit with you and performing the recall service in house?"

Going over the recall service instructions and the rear panel removal in the service manual, I find that the hardest part would be taking all 100+lbs down for the repair. If I had the option, I would do it myself.

I want to see what this guy is all about so I will wait until Friday before I contact Philips again. I'll have my fingers crossed in one hand and a fist clenched in the other. :cool:

ANGLICO

03-08-06, 03:25 PM

ANGLICO

03-08-06, 04:29 PM

UPDATE

Called Omni again today. The lady said Phillips instructed what screws to use. She will relay my comments about using the larger screws instead of the small screws to Omni's engineers.

jes1955

03-08-06, 09:28 PM

I am mounting on the Omnimount U3T. I called Omni to determine which bolts to use. They told me 'D'. That means using the the holes where the small mounting attachments are. That is where the table stand is attached. The bolts look a bit understrength for that. Now, checking this thread I note people are using the extender rods. That indicates they are using the holes for the the spacers supplied with the TV. These are farther apart (approx. 31"), while the other mounting holes are only 25". I thought I would need the extenders until I was told to use the small screws. It seemed to make more sense to use the larger holes with screws ' J ''.

I hung the LCD version of this TV using the Omnimount UT3 tilt mount also. It worked very well. The TV came with adapter screws to use with a wall mount. These things would have stuck out from the TV over 2 inches! I don’t see how they could support the weight of the TV. Plus they would have made it stick out from the wall another two inches. Like you, I used the packet labeled “J”. They fit perfectly. The mount comes with extensions that you can screw on the sides to make the mount wider for wider TV’s. I only needed to use one set of extensions. I screwed them in on the left side and adjusted the centering of the mount accordingly.

MARCV

03-09-06, 08:38 AM

I am mounting on the Omnimount U3T. I called Omni to determine which bolts to use. They told me 'D'. That means using the the holes where the small mounting attachments are. That is where the table stand is attached. The bolts look a bit understrength for that. Now, checking this thread I note people are using the extender rods. That indicates they are using the holes for the the spacers supplied with the TV. These are farther apart (approx. 31"), while the other mounting holes are only 25". I thought I would need the extenders until I was told to use the small screws. It seemed to make more sense to use the larger holes with screws ' J ''.

I just mounted the 42pf9630a a few days ago with a Sanus VMAA26 mount (awesome mount). For what it's worth, I had the same concerns when I was told by Sanus CS that Philips approved the use of the smaller mounting pattern for the mount. I then spoke with a Sanus engineer that claimed the smaller footprint is utilized on the Philips production line and was what was used for mounting prior to the new larger VESA standard mounting points. Still not convinced, I called Philips, got a Supervisor for their Technical Support group and he confirmed what the Sanus engineer said and said it was OK to use as a mounting point.

I ended up getting my hands on some longer 36" Sanus tubes that allowed me to utilize the VESA 800x400mm larger footprint anyway.

Just joined and I'm glad to be on board! I hope this helps.

ANGLICO

03-09-06, 08:16 PM

I'm glad I'm not the only one who questioned the recommended mounting pattern. Got it mounted last night and it's not going anywhere.

Casey Jones

03-10-06, 05:19 AM

ANGLICO

03-10-06, 12:30 PM

If you care to read earlier posts on this, many many pages back its all there.

I did read the many posts. I contacted OMNI for clarification since the 9630 is not included on the parts reference list and realized their information was not correct. I mounted using the large VESA holes and the extender rods.

rolento76

03-10-06, 10:01 PM

So I had my recall service performed today. The service center called at 9AM to make sure I was home. They arrived quickly and upon entering my home, one of the techs exclaimed, "Wow, you do have a lot of room." It put me at ease that they can finally see what I was talking about and servicing my TV in-home would not be a problem. So now there were no hard feelings regarding the near-arguing we did on the phone regarding in-home service for the recall work. They said that they were defensinve about doing work in-home because many homes they have visited had too much clutter, not enough space, or other unfriendly working conditions.

The process did not take that long. It felt like they were in and out. The removed the back of my TV. They swapped out the Ambilight lamps. They plugged the TV in to test the lamps. Then they replaced the back and put my TV in its place and tested again. They even were amazed with the stereo Ambilight while watching the opening sequence of CSI: Miami in HD.

Overall, I am very happy with how this went and it goes to show that misconceptions can taint the good in all people. Bravo Philips and bravo State TV Repair Center in NJ.

Casey Jones

03-11-06, 05:31 AM

Wekurtz74

03-15-06, 10:06 PM

bigtvluvr

03-15-06, 10:10 PM

Welcome to the board, Wekurtz....congrats on the Phillips, I've been looking at their plasmas for years.

On this whole surge protector thing, I would guess like any other expensive item -- like a PC -- we want a decent surge protector, like Monster or something. But I do not know about the backup power thing. I guess it would prevent the set from going off if the power goes off and then on a few seconds later; not sure it's necessary or built for a lenghty power failure.

Philips experts, any thoughts on this? Is the surge protector the minimum one needs to purchase or do we really need to buy more stuff?

Shouldn't the TV's components protect agains a regular, run-of-the-mill power failure anyway ????? I'm sure the Philips or extended warranties would protect for a while, regardless.

Casey Jones

03-16-06, 02:35 AM

Hey everyone. Im new to the board and just bought my first HDTV - the 9630! I am wondering what folks here beleive is necessary as far as surge protection and power back up. Is power back up overdoing it?

I've been using a high quality surge protector for my Philips plasma and HTR setup and it seems to work fine. I dont find a power backup to be necessary. :)

ANGLICO

03-16-06, 11:11 AM

bigtvluvr

03-16-06, 06:35 PM

Agreed. A high quality surge protetor should be used at a minimum. I don't believe the circuitry in any entertainment unit is capable of sustaining repeated jolts. What you should also protect against is Low Voltage. This is important during the air conditioning season. I have all my electronics particularly my computers connected to units with automaic voltage regulators. My 9630 and HTR system are connected to an APC H-15 Power Conditioner.

Yeah, that's important. The volatage into our home wasn't high enough so the dishwasher motor had to work harder or draw more current or something. Bottom line, the motor burned out and had to be replaced. Weird thing is, we had been having 'quickie brownouts' lasting a few seconds or so for a while -- but the electric company couldn't diagnose it when they came over!!! We called a private electrician who found out the voltage or whatever was too low. When we sent that to the utility they reimbursed us for his bill and the new motor.

Is there a way to verify that your current or voltage or whatever is high enough? Obviousley, if you have the powere failures that's a sign you're very weak, but outside of calling an electrician, any way to check?

ANGLICO

03-16-06, 07:24 PM

Yeah, that's important. The volatage into our home wasn't high enough so the dishwasher motor had to work harder or draw more current or something. Bottom line, the motor burned out and had to be replaced. Weird thing is, we had been having 'quickie brownouts' lasting a few seconds or so for a while -- but the electric company couldn't diagnose it when they came over!!! We called a private electrician who found out the voltage or whatever was too low. When we sent that to the utility they reimbursed us for his bill and the new motor.

Is there a way to verify that your current or voltage or whatever is high enough? Obviousley, if you have the powere failures that's a sign you're very weak, but outside of calling an electrician, any way to check?

I'm not an electrician so I couldn't tell you. There's probably some tester you could plug into a wall outlet. The problem as I see it, is that the voltage fluctuates and it might be flowing within range when you test. I would recommend just using a power conditioner with automatic voltage regulator to be safe. My unit shows the voltage in and out. If it falls too low, say below 115, it automatically boosts it. They're not inexpensive, but a lot cheaper than big TV's and computer systems.

ANGLICO

03-16-06, 08:58 PM

Update Re: Voltage

Talked to my son who's an Electrical Engineer. He advises to get an electrician to check it. For the cost, it's worth it. If you try it yourself and screw up you can get killed; but we already knew that didn't we?

RoadRashTX

03-17-06, 03:48 PM

Automatic setting

I was wondering if anyone has had issues with the Automatic screen feature when watching sports?

Sometimes when I am watching hockey on Over the Air Digital channels it will be at full screen then shrink down and then go back after a few seconds. It does not do it all the time but I was just curious if anyone else has seen this. Is it something that the auto feature sees on the screen that causes this or could it also be issues in the Digital signal?

thanks
Mark

simms51

03-17-06, 04:54 PM

rolento76

03-17-06, 06:44 PM

It seems like a lot of people, me included, are having black screen issues with their set. I was on the other philips thread and found this interesting link:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/17/technology/philips_plasma.reut/index.htm

It doesn't specifically mention anything about the black screen, but maybe this will help?
That article is referring to the Ambilight service recall. There is a chance of component electrical arcing in some 42 and 50 inch models. Casey and I both had our units repaired with positive feedback regarding the recall experience.

bigtvluvr

03-18-06, 12:46 AM

That article is referring to the Ambilight service recall. There is a chance of component electrical arcing in some 42 and 50 inch models. Casey and I both had our units repaired with positive feedback regarding the recall experience.

What's this 'black screen' thing I see referenced here and on the 7630 thread?

Philips has had plasmas out since 1998, probably have the longest test-life in actual homes, so I would think any kinks/bugs would have been long worked out.

What gives ?

Casey Jones

03-18-06, 07:09 AM

That article is referring to the Ambilight service recall. There is a chance of component electrical arcing in some 42 and 50 inch models. Casey and I both had our units repaired with positive feedback regarding the recall experience.

Very true Rolento76. In fact its been about two weeks or so since we had the Ambilight update installed and we have noticed some nice improvements with the Ambilight also. The Philips PDP uses something called adaptive screen analysis to choose which colors from the screen to project on the side walls using certain Ambilight modes ( mono or stereo). We have noticed that the newly installed Ambilight module is capable of projecting more colors than before a real plus for us as the effect is now broader and colors are deeper. :)

simms51

03-18-06, 10:05 AM

bigtvluvr.... the black screen I, and others are having, is when the set loses the picture and the screen goes black all of a sudden. This also happens to some folks while watching a dvd. When this happens, there is still the audio, the power light stays on, and the set won't power off with either the remote or the power button on the set itself. After a few seconds or in some cases minutes, the set "re-boots" itself and the picture is re-stored. This usually happens intermittenly, sometimes more and sometimes less. It is very frustrating trying to figure out the cause. On the other philips thread there are numerous folks having this problem also.

ANGLICO

03-18-06, 02:55 PM

mlandau

03-18-06, 06:28 PM

I sometimes get a green and a pink tint, showing up as columns. I see it on many old televised movies and some tv shows. I also see it on "Bloomberg tv," on the bottom, grey part which has a scrolling headline.

By the way, I received my recall notice in the mail, today.

ANGLICO

03-18-06, 07:33 PM

I sometimes get a green and a pink tint, showing up as columns

What I see are more irregular splotches, but as I mentioned, only in the gray areas.

Wekurtz74

03-18-06, 08:15 PM

flynbw01

03-18-06, 08:29 PM

Setup Question: Hey, I'm trying to setup a 9630 and it's not finding any analog or digital channels. We have DISH network with an analog receiver -- only thing that is out of the ordinary is the cablecard was removed and re-inserted (would that affect anything?).

We tried getting the input via composite and are now trying coax.

Any suggestions??

Also, how do shift the 'input' so we can play a hooked-up DVD on the set? That way, we can at least know the screen is OK even if we're having trouble showing a TV input.

Wekurtz,
A little confusing, you mention a DISH analog receiver, and CableCARD. So, I assume you have your DISH receiver connected to AV2, you have active cable service connected to the Antenna input, and your DVD player is connected to AV1? First, make sure your Cable feed is really a cable feed, and not just a split off of your DISH, you won't pick up any channels if you are scanning the DISH signal.
To switch inputs and see if your DISH box, and DVD player are working, just press the AV+ button. A menu will pop up on the screen, and you can arrow down to the input you want to watch. Select 'ok' to switch to that input.
Give us a little more information on the DISH and Cable thing, and we might be able to help you out.

Wekurtz74

03-18-06, 08:34 PM

False alarm...we re-ran the channel search using the new input setup and it found 1 analogy channel -- that being the satellite receiver. So we have all the channels (forgot that it wouldn't find all the stations since we are using the satellite to change channels, not the Philips monitor).

Any quickie tips to improve SD viewing for a set that's on for all of 10 minutes? We turned to a hockey game and the TV is defaulting to a 16:9 setup. Doesn't look bad at all -- should we see how it looks at 4:3....use PP 2....fool around with any other easy-to-use adjustments?

Casey Jones

03-18-06, 10:24 PM

I don't know how many people watch anything in Black & White. I do, old classic movies and some documentaries, all on DVD. Now, here's the problem. When watching these there is a purplish tint in scenes with light shades of gray, such as clouds or fog. I can reduce this somewhat by using Normal, Rich, Warm, Cool settings. I can't eliminate it completely. This never appears on my 36" regular TV. Maybe plasmas are not completely compatible with B&W or the many shades of gray? I thought I'd put this on the forum before questioning Philips. Other than this tinting, the movies, etc. look great, nice and sharp, at least those that have been well restored..

I just finished watching Sin City a B & W DVD movie. It was well black and white no discolorations at all. I use an Upconverting DVD player also via HDMI. I also watch some old westerns on encore and yes they are black and white from the 50's no discoloration there either. For cable I use a SA 8300HD DVR STB. :) If your seeing splotchs blockiness etc. that is signal related also called false contouring. I watch the same channels as others do and I dont have that problem .Keep in mind that the larger the screen the more your going to see imperfections that were not noticeable on a smaller screen TV especially if the signal quality isnt high. And thats true of some DVD players also as well as some recorded DVD's. The recent posts concerning bloomberg etc. are SD signals or low quality digital at best. The cable companies provide these channels with a more limited bandwidth then many premium movie channels so the difference is very evident. For instance my SCI FI channel doesnt not look as good as my others do , its not the PDP just the broadcast. Unfortunaetly the signal provided to cable consumers across the US isn't of equal quality.

rolento76

03-19-06, 12:08 AM

bigtvluvr

03-19-06, 01:00 AM

Speaking of the Philips 9630, why is the user manual so thin? Outside of the language translations, it's pretty sparce. No detailed explanations of Ambilight, Pixel Plus 2, and all the features, tweaks, etc.

Is it possible there's another manual I'm not aware of? Maybe you have to hit the Philips website? Or maybe someone should just read this entire thread and/or other Philips threads on AVS ?

On thing I noticed on a DVD we played on it (albeit with composite jacks or an S-Video, can't remember): there was a very dark look to dark scenes. We watched 'Sith' and at times 1/2 of Yoda's face was green and half was darkened black. Ditto the screen at times or people's bodies. Dark clothes were almost invisible to see. On the other hand, during well-lit scenes (like near the end when Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi are talking about Qui-gon) the scene looks very bright indeed.

The TV set had factory settings that we left pretty much alone. If anybody has a bunch of quickie basics that might not be covered in this thread, let me know.

BTW, I tried to use my DVE disk on my non-HDTV and found it very difficult (everything seemed to be in-tune, which was impossible since it's a 1995 27" CRT). I hope using the disk on a real HDTV allows for some real tweaking. Maybe it's best to wait a few weeks before doing the DVE since that's more intermediate-to-advanced and we're at the beginner stage ?

On a positive note, the aesthetics of the Philips set are very nice and the SD wasn't bad. We can't wait until we get HDTV on it and quality DVD pictures. On a scale of 1-10 (9 or 10 being my sister's HDTV which has been up a few years, 1 or 2 being a regular CRT with cable) I'd say the picture tonight was a "5", since it was SD just plugged into the 9630 with composite/S-Video cables.

Here's to even better viewing in the future !

Casey Jones

03-19-06, 05:53 AM

mlandau

03-19-06, 08:42 AM

A more complete manual is available on the DVD that came with your set, though it is not as complete as some of us might want. That same manual is available for download on the Philips site.

simms51

03-19-06, 10:49 AM

To all who are experiencing the black screen problems.... a forum member over on the Philips 42PF7320A thread has put together a survey he is using to get input from folks that are having this problem. Both 42" and 50" versions of our model as well as other philips model are included in the survey. I would encourage owners to take a few minutes and take it. Nerdzoo has done a thorough job of putting it together abd maybe this could be a start in the right direction so Philips will address this problem.

Here is the link for the survey.....

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=310171912834

Casey Jones

03-19-06, 12:39 PM

:) bigtvluvr.... the black screen I, and others are having, is when the set loses the picture and the screen goes black all of a sudden. This also happens to some folks while watching a dvd. When this happens, there is still the audio, the power light stays on, and the set won't power off with either the remote or the power button on the set itself. After a few seconds or in some cases minutes, the set "re-boots" itself and the picture is re-stored. This usually happens intermittenly, sometimes more and sometimes less. It is very frustrating trying to figure out the cause. On the other philips thread there are numerous folks having this problem also.

I've commented on this a few times so here goes again. When the TV set wont turn off as you describe its because the PDP has gone into protection mode. To see exactly why this is happening you need to look in the error buffer(log) and interpret the codes. The error buffer maintains the last five errors(if any) the PDP has encountered. Instructions on how to read and interpret this are contained in the service manual as well as how to gain entry into the service mode or CSM menu. If you cant or dont want to do this its very easy to have Philips schedule a service tech to come to your home and diagnose it as long as you are still under warrranty or extended warranty. I'm surprised no one experiencing this reported problem has done this yet.The diagnosis takes seconds to conduct . This is the only way you will be able to tell what your problem is, if you do in fact have one. The Survey although well intentioned isnt going to bring about a timely resolution , an individual Service call will. In addition you can review the reasons for issue of various firmware upgrades. And role back your existing firmware to an earlier version. Your manual has instructions on how to do this. Remember firmware upgrades are issued to resolve certain issue, issues that you may not be experiencing, If thats the case dont upgrade you dont need to " If it ain't broke dont fix it". I have never had this problem but if I did I would have a tech check it out yesterday and not wait .From what I can see all of you should still be under the manufacturers warranty as your panels are less then one year old. If you find no errors reported then its not a hardware problem with the PDP the internal VIPER software diganoses system conditions in real time and reports the variables. Rather a handshake problem with your source device(s)or a local environmental issue (power, static STB or SAT configuration ,cabling etc.) Looking forward to hearing about your problem being resolved. :)

John C.

03-19-06, 03:07 PM

I see alot of mention of the black screen problem,I don't have that,but do have an issue of the sound cutting out.
It can happen on any channel,and the only way to get it back is to shut the T.V. off and turn it on again,then the sound resumes.This has been happening for awhile,just wondering if anyone else has experienced this,or has any ideas about it?Thanks. :)

ANGLICO

03-19-06, 05:06 PM

I just finished watching Sin City a B & W DVD movie. It was well black and white no discolorations at all. I use an Upconverting DVD player also via HDMI. I also watch some old westerns on encore and yes they are black and white from the 50's no discoloration there either. For cable I use a SA 8300HD DVR STB. :) If your seeing splotchs blockiness etc. that is signal related also called false contouring. I watch the same channels as others do and I dont have that problem .Keep in mind that the larger the screen the more your going to see imperfections that were not noticeable on a smaller screen TV especially if the signal quality isnt high. And thats true of some DVD players also as well as some recorded DVD's. The recent posts concerning bloomberg etc. are SD signals or low quality digital at best. The cable companies provide these channels with a more limited bandwidth then many premium movie channels so the difference is very evident. For instance my SCI FI channel doesnt not look as good as my others do , its not the PDP just the broadcast. Unfortunaetly the signal provided to cable consumers across the US isn't of equal quality.

Thanks for your input Casey. I called Phillips last night. The rep said he had talked to several techs and the consensus was that it is a known problem with the technology. Today I read several forums and that seems to be the general agreement. It appears to be problem with non-CRT units. Not much the user can do about it. Apparently a set is susceptible to or it isn't. Right now my DVD player and STB are connected by Component, but I have one HDMI cable on order for the STB. I upgraded to the 8300HD. I have Cablevision and their signal has usually been pretty good. My DVD player doesn't have HDMI (yet), it's about 5 or 6 years old. I haven't tried to watch a B&W movie off cable, I'll have to try to catch one and see how it shows. Maybe an old Gene Autry or Roy Rogers on the Western channel.

Casey Jones

03-19-06, 05:09 PM

Casey Jones

03-19-06, 05:26 PM

:) Thanks for your input Casey. I called Phillips last night. The rep said he had talked to several techs and the consensus was that it is a known problem with the technology. Today I read several forums and that seems to be the general agreement. It appears to be problem with non-CRT units. Not much the user can do about it. Apparently a set is susceptible to or it isn't. Right now my DVD player and STB are connected by Component, but I have one HDMI cable on order for the STB. I upgraded to the 8300HD. I have Cablevision and their signal has usually been pretty good. My DVD player doesn't have HDMI (yet), it's about 5 or 6 years old. I haven't tried to watch a B&W movie off cable, I'll have to try to catch one and see how it shows. Maybe an old Gene Autry or Roy Rogers on the Western channel.

I have cablevision also and have been very impressed with the signal quality. When I first acquired my PDP I had a JVD DVD player a few years old that looked great on my previous TV a 32 JVC, non HD model. But it was apparent after viewing movies on my new 42 inch Philips plasma that defects I had never noticed before were appearing. I bought a new DVD player and sure enough those problems were history and yes the new one uses HDMI and WOW what a pic. I have my DVD player set to output 720P the native resolution of the PDP. As far as this BS they gave you about either you have it or you dont thats a load of crap. Its false contouring nothing more or less and related to signal quality. If that wasn't the case everyone would have the same problem and simply put they dont, I know I dont I would never accept it in the first place. I had read an earlier thread that some panny owners also saw what you described. Heres a few things you can do: Upgrade your DVD player to a newer current model, I had great success with the Sony DVP NS90V upconverting model connected via hdmi to hdmi just use a good quality cable. When I connected the SA8300HD DVR STB via hdmi to hdmi my picture quality took a big leap forward also, once again use a good quality cable. Since we both have cablevision then I would hope that your lines were upgraded like mine were a few years back to fiber optic cabling if so that helps immensely. So keep watching those westerns partner, and keep in touch see ya at the OK Corral! :)

bigtvluvr

03-20-06, 12:16 AM

Anybody use DVE to calibrate their 9630? I'm wondering:

(1) How long it will take (just for video)?

(2) Will I notice differences in the pattern since the TV has factory settings (i.e., will I look through the cellophane and notice differences in the blacks and whites and other settings that weren't clear on my old CRT)?

(3) Anybody using factory default on their 9630 -- if so, what's the upside and downside?

(4) I have a Monster set of component cables -- not the ultra-high end ones, just the basic component. Does the 9630 benefit from super-high priced cables for the satellite and/or DVD and/or VHS connections, or are basic components good enough?

(5) Should we take advantage of the HDMI/DVI inputs/outputs on the TV with either the satellite receiver or the DVD player? When to use component cables and when to use DVI or HDMI ?

(6) Our DVD player might be a non-progressive older model -- how big an improvement when you use a more up-to-date progressive (some of the older DVD players might not allow for component cables)?

simms51

03-20-06, 01:00 AM

Casey Jones

03-20-06, 03:26 AM

Casey Jones.... I have checked my error log and it does not show any, zip, zilch, nada. As far as the firmware updates go, I am using the latest one and I also checked all firmware updates on philips website and no where do I see any that addresses the black screen issue. As far as the survey goes, with all due respect, you have to start somewhere and IMHO, I think it's a start in the right direction. There are too many folks on this and other philips threads that is having this problem to be a coincidence. As far as returning my set, I am out of BB's return period. I will continually check out these forums to see if ther are any updates.

Just trying to help my friend :) . If your error log shows no errors then you established one point already , you have no reported hardware errors during operation. That means that the panel has shut down or protected itself so no errors were sent to the buffer. I would check to see if when this occurs you have any red blinking light from the LED next to the green LED power on the lower corner of the panel. The number of blinks from the red led indicate the the PDP has an error condition that CANNOT be sent to the error buffer as the panel went into protection mode and wont send a code to the buffer. The sequence of blinks tell the error problem they need to be interpreted.These are the same steps that a tech would go thru to diagnose the problem. If your out of the BB return period then just have a tech in to diagnose the problem and fix it and be done with the issue.But thats your call.

MacroProd

03-20-06, 09:25 AM

John C.

03-20-06, 11:12 AM

You need to furnish more info on what your sources are, how are they connected etc.
O.K.,thanks...I'm really not good at wiring this stuff up,but this is what I have.
Co-ax cable from outside to Cablevision Scientific Atlantica box (Explorer 4200HD).A 3 wire Monster component cable (Pr/Pb/Y) out from cable box in to plasma.Co-ax cable out from STB in to Toshiba DVD/VCR deck,then co-ax out from there to plasma.Left & right RCA audio cables out from STB in to L&R on the panel.
All on AV1 on the plasma.
I do plan on getting the HDMI cables soon,funds are low :) I'm sure I have this hooked up wrong somehow,but I'm really not having any problems,except for the sound cutting out,which happens pretty infrequently,say, once every couple of days or more.
Once again,thanks,appreciate any light you can shed on this.

Casey Jones

03-20-06, 11:56 AM

I've had the black screen about 5 or 6 times. I never had any blinking LED's and the error log is empty. The TV simply returns to normal operating mode within 5-20 or so seconds. The manual does state that the detection of a supply dip or a supply loss will lead to a cold reboot. Occasionally the starting of certain appliances in my home will dim my lights. It is possible the TV is very sensitive to this?

I have ordered an APC Voltage Regulator.
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=LE1200

If I find that this solves my problem, I will let you all know.

Yes, what you described a dip in the voltage below or above predefined thresholds as outlined in the service manual is one reason this can occur.Perhaps something to look for is to many appliances drawing on one circuit either intermittently or continuously . Older homes especially those that havent had the electrical service upgraded can contribute to this problem.

MARCV

03-20-06, 02:09 PM

Casey ---- I'm new to the forum but want to say thanks for all the info you've provided. Going through most of this thread, it's been a ton of info.

I've read postings about the service manual from about 6 months ago and you recently mentioned it. I know it was available online at one point, but I belive it's been removed. Can you or anyone you may know get us a new URL link or some type of softcopy of the service manual? It would be a HUGE help for the new owners of the 42pf9630a or 50pf9630a. I know the code is out there, but not the manual. Thanks.

MacroProd

03-20-06, 04:11 PM

The manual is here:

http://www.pcrescueoc.com/philips.htm

ANGLICO

03-20-06, 08:55 PM

MacroProd-

Thanks for the link. downloaded all 151 pages.

Casey Jones-

I see you have the Sony NS90. I've been looking for a deal on that for several days. All on backorder or not available, even Sony lists as unavailable. Must be a hot item.

MARCV

03-20-06, 09:18 PM

MacroPod

Thanks for the link. It's greatly appreciated!

Casey Jones

03-21-06, 04:35 AM

Casey Jones

03-21-06, 04:56 AM

:) O.K.,thanks...I'm really not good at wiring this stuff up,but this is what I have.
Co-ax cable from outside to Cablevision Scientific Atlantica box (Explorer 4200HD).A 3 wire Monster component cable (Pr/Pb/Y) out from cable box in to plasma.Co-ax cable out from STB in to Toshiba DVD/VCR deck,then co-ax out from there to plasma.Left & right RCA audio cables out from STB in to L&R on the panel.
All on AV1 on the plasma.
I do plan on getting the HDMI cables soon,funds are low :) I'm sure I have this hooked up wrong somehow,but I'm really not having any problems,except for the sound cutting out,which happens pretty infrequently,say, once every couple of days or more.
Once again,thanks,appreciate any light you can shed on this.

Your setup seems fine. I had the SA 4200HD before the SA8300HD DVR STB I have now and it worked fine. If I recall correctly the 4200 has a DVI output so if you intend on connecting it to your plasma you'll need a DVI to HDMI cable as well as a separate audio cable as DVI doesnt support audio. I think once you connect it that way you'll like the picture quality even more.You would have to leave your combo VCR/DVD out of that loop. I dont believe its HDMI or DVI or is yours ? I didnt catch your model number. One thing you may want to consider for the future is to upgrade to the 8300 mentioned above. Being able to record all the HD in 5.1 is just great. I feel its well worth the 9.95 a month.The 8300 also has an optical output for connection to your home theater which the 4200 doesnt, as well as a few more sound adjustments to the menu and HDMI output.
As far as that intermitent sound loss, not to worry. Thats a cable company issue not your plasma. If you call them on it I am sure they wont have a clue the cable companies usually dont. Keep in mind the person your talking to isnt as well versed on issues as you are.It happens sometimes as you say . If you read the many posts in the HDTV forum by city youll see. Members report watching such and such a show and then having the sound cut in and out cometimes but it always returns. Good luck with your system and enjoy! :)

Casey Jones

03-21-06, 05:07 AM

twodogs02

03-21-06, 07:48 AM

:) from John C post: Sound Loss

As far as that intermitent sound loss, not to worry. Thats a cable company issue not your plasma. If you call them on it I am sure they wont have a clue the cable companies usually dont. Keep in mind the person your talking to isnt as well versed on issues as you are.It happens sometimes as you say . If you read the many posts in the HDTV forum by city youll see. Members report watching such and such a show and then having the sound cut in and out cometimes but it always returns. Good luck with your system and enjoy! :)

I don't buy the cable provider is dropping the sound and here is why. I have the 50PF9630 connected to a Dishnetwork DVR HD via HDMI to the TV. Additionally I route a fiber cable from the DVR to my receiver. If I have both the receiver and TV volume on and the TV drops its sound, the receiver is still going strong. Switched to coax output then component (DVR to TV) same issue. Checked the service panel, no errors, called Philips, stayed on hold for an extended period of time only to get disconnected.

My TV drops sound just like John C experiences. When you power off and back on, the sound returns all the while the receiver is receiving a sound signal. This cannot be the provider, it is the TV.

nerdzoo

03-21-06, 09:10 AM

Preliminary results from the survey can be found at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=191283467998

I've had to disable the responses to the open-ended questions because by not doing so, the responses to the email question would have been revealed.

If you still want to participate in the survey, please follow the link below.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=310171912834

John C.

03-21-06, 10:06 AM

you may want to consider for the future is to upgrade to the 8300 mentioned above. Being able to record all the HD in 5.1 is just great. I feel its well worth the 9.95 a month.The 8300 also has an optical output for connection to your home theater which the 4200 doesnt, as well as a few more sound adjustments to the menu and HDMI output
Casey,thanks for your time :) I don't have a theater system yet,will probably upgrade to the 8300 when I get one.Like I said,the sound issue is intermittent,and was'nt sure if it was the cable or the panel,but
I don't buy the cable provider is dropping the sound and here is why. I have the 50PF9630 connected to a Dishnetwork DVR HD via HDMI to the TV. Additionally I route a fiber cable from the DVR to my receiver. If I have both the receiver and TV volume on and the TV drops its sound, the receiver is still going strong. Switched to coax output then component (DVR to TV) same issue. Checked the service panel, no errors, called Philips, stayed on hold for an extended period of time only to get disconnected.
worries me.I'm still under warranty,so maybe it's time to make that call,I'm just avoiding that because my wife and I both work,and it's hard scheduling an appointment around their time schedule. :(
twodogs02,good luck on your end,let us know if you find out anything more.

Casey Jones

03-21-06, 11:10 AM

Casey,thanks for your time :) I don't have a theater system yet,will probably upgrade to the 8300 when I get one.Like I said,the sound issue is intermittent,and was'nt sure if it was the cable or the panel,but

worries me.I'm still under warranty,so maybe it's time to make that call,I'm just avoiding that because my wife and I both work,and it's hard scheduling an appointment around their time schedule. :(
twodogs02,good luck on your end,let us know if you find out anything more.

To be very honest it doesnt make one bit of difference if someone buys it or not it is well accepted and attested to by posting on this forum and other sites that it does occur from time to time( even on the Cablevision IO forum). I will tell you this that both my STB and DVD player are connected using HDMI to HDMI cables to my PDP (I only listen to sound thru the TV rarely) and my sound is routed from my DVD player and STB using fiber optic cabling to my HTR. If I do lose sound its only for a second and that very rarely happens. Its always best to research technology prior to a purchase, it increases your understanding of the product the peripheral devices and sources. You learn all the possible caveats as well as the resolution. If you have spent anytime at all reading the numerous posts on this forum for this and other brand PDP'S you would see exactly what I am talking about. Me, I have spent a great deal of time reading all the posts on this forum whether it be about Philips, Panasonic, Hitachi, Pioneer, Fujitsu or any other brand. I've done this as I realize that situations that confront others could possibly happen to me and I want to know how to resolve it. Keep in mind also that many of the people who frequent these boards are individuals who believe they have a problem so they come here. It in no way reflects the much greater majority of Plasma owners who dont have any problems at all and dont seek out this forum or others for advice. Good Luck with whatever you do. :)

MARCV

03-21-06, 11:41 AM

I don't buy the cable provider is dropping the sound and here is why. I have the 50PF9630 connected to a Dishnetwork DVR HD via HDMI to the TV. Additionally I route a fiber cable from the DVR to my receiver. If I have both the receiver and TV volume on and the TV drops its sound, the receiver is still going strong. Switched to coax output then component (DVR to TV) same issue. Checked the service panel, no errors, called Philips, stayed on hold for an extended period of time only to get disconnected.

My TV drops sound just like John C experiences. When you power off and back on, the sound returns all the while the receiver is receiving a sound signal. This cannot be the provider, it is the TV.

Twogogs02 - I've had a few audio problems too, but I'm still not sure it's the TV. My setup is simple. Coax to the Philips, Cablecard in the TV and no players or recorders and no HDMI, but this is what I've found. The one ASSUMPTION I'm making is that you have a Dish ViP622 DVR or similar.

The optical Digital Out from the DVR can output both Linear PCM or Dolby Digital. 1- Depending how you have the Optical Output Setting selected on your DVR (DD only, PCM only, DD/PCM), 2- whether the program you are watching is PCM or DD audio, 3 - if it's copy protected audio and 4 - which device you are hooking up to will determine what you hear. For setting up the DVR, go to the user manual, Chapter 11, Page 91. I would post URL, but I have to have 5 posts on the forum

Your receiver is probably Dolby Digital and can decode both Linear PCM and Dolby Digital audio coming from the DVR and probably does not recognize any type digital audio copy protection. Basically you will hear whatever audio signal you input to the receiver through the optical cable.

The Philips is different through the HDMI. If the digital audio signal through the HDMI cable is copy protected audio content, the plasma will mute that Digital Audio Output. It all depends on what the Plasma is being told to do from the source device. Go to Philips User manual under HDMI, Page 35 about the HDMI audio copy protection. Again, sorry I can't post URL.

You mentioned switching to coax. What did you mean? Coax always goes in to the DVR. Did you mean directly into the plasma? If it was Component into the Philips, component is video only, how did you carry the audio from the DVR?

Good process of elimination will get us all answers to the no audio sooner or later. It comes down to understanding the setup/equipment of each case.

twodogs02

03-21-06, 12:36 PM

Twogogs02 - I've had a few audio problems too, but I'm still not sure it's the TV.

Good process of elimination will get us all answers to the no audio sooner or later. It comes down to understanding the setup/equipment of each case.

Now here is a post with some value but I feel the need to address Casey's recent comments, or lack there of.

Casey, if you want to exclude my findings then offer a rebuttal. You recent post suggest I (and John C at minimum) should consider you the "expert" just because you read post after post after post after post. I would consider this if I knew the background of the people whose posts you read. Just because you read post on this site and others, doesn't make you an expert with this problem; I can argue it makes you the farthest thing from it because the posts you read are from people who may or may not know what they are talking about. Your posts to me seem very bias toward the Philips product, I often interpret your posts as if you are defending the TV. This isn't an attack on you Casey, I'm just trying to point out that I think, at times, you lose your objectivity - we all want to believe we made the best purchase with our hard earn money....

Casey your post should have addressed my argument, instead you offer up very little to resolve the issue - "the TV sound has been tested through a receiver while the TV had sound routed to it using using various audio sources (coax, digital, fiber optic, HDMI)." Your offer is "Hey look at me, I'm the expert because I read this and that"....again..I'm not buying it. Offer a suggestion or post some links that support your research MARCV's comments are constructive and helpful, thanks MARCV for taking time to give me something I can work from.

As MarcV said, testing gets to the underlining problems. If I've had sound dropping out of my TV all the while my receiver constantly blasts sound, even when the audio source to the TV is coax, digital, HDMI and fiber and I've tested it, then I think I have a good basis for my argument. The sound NEVERS returns to the TV unless I power off and on, this is not a one or two second sound loss as some suggest happens periodically, it's complete sound loss until the power is cycled.

MarcV, I thought about that HDMI protection and tested using coax, digital, fiber and HDMI. With each of those sources going to the TV, the sound has dropped over each source while the receiver is plugged in and producing sound. I've been researching which formats come across which outputs, still gathering information on this but thanks for getting me closure and saving me research time.

On another note, I reviewed the survey that's been started, 33% of the respondents report this same problem. My hypothesis on this, if I extrapolate this over the mass market (33% is not realistic since most of the people who will respond are those with problems) that use cable and satellite TV, then we have a lot of angry people who loose sound often. If this were the case Casey, don't you think there would be a heck of a lot more published articles about the lousy service these cable/satellite providers give their customers? I still believe its the TV, hopefully I'm wrong, but my testing to date says otherwise.

twodogs02

03-21-06, 03:02 PM

rolento76

03-21-06, 03:15 PM

All outputs from DVR to TV:
Coax out to coax in - sound loss with fiber cable to receiver (HTR)
HDMI out to HDMI in - sound loss with fiber cable to HTR
Component video out to in w/ digital out (RCA) to AV1- sound loss with fiber cable to receiver
Coax out to coax in - sound loss with digital cables (RCA) to HTR

All these configurations have had the TV drop sound while the receiver still produces sound. The only way to get the TV sound back is to power it off and on. I have sat there for 15 minutes waiting for the sound to return, even went to the other TV to make certain it had sound on the same channel during these extended outages, it always does.
I wish I could help. The only sound drops I have experienced were momentary. I can only recall once when my sound dropped completely but a reboot of my cable box, rather than the TV, repaired the problem. Have you tried power cycling the DVR rather than the TV to see if the sound comes back? I, too, have Cablevision like Casey and Cablevision is notorious for sound drops according to the Cablevision newsgroup. In your case, I would be worried that it is a hardware problem with the TV. Have you checked the TV error logs in the service menu to see if there are any detected hardware problems?

MARCV

03-22-06, 08:18 AM

[QUOTE=MARCV]
You mentioned switching to coax. What did you mean? Coax always goes in to the DVR. Did you mean directly into the plasma? If it was Component into the Philips, component is video only, how did you carry the audio from the DVR? [QUOTE]

All outputs from DVR to TV:
Coax out to coax in - sound loss with fiber cable to receiver (HTR)
HDMI out to HDMI in - sound loss with fiber cable to HTR
Component video out to in w/ digital out (RCA) to AV1- sound loss with fiber cable to receiver
Coax out to coax in - sound loss with digital cables (RCA) to HTR

All these configurations have had the TV drop sound while the receiver still produces sound. The only way to get the TV sound back is to power it off and on. I have sat there for 15 minutes waiting for the sound to return, even went to the other TV to make certain it had sound on the same channel during these extended outages, it always does.

Twodogs --- If it were me, first thing I would check the settings on the DVR for the Digital Audio Output (which you may have already done) just to eliminate the possibility of the setting being wrong. I think as I mentioned it was Chapter 11, page 91 of the DVR manual.

I'm confused on one thing. You mention a few times "sound loss with fiber cable/digital audio to receiver (HTR). That implies to me digital audio (fiber) to the receiver with sound output through the receiver speakers that is being lost. I'm missing something. What input is the fiber cable going to on the HTR? Also are there other audio connections beside the fiber cable being made on that same input ( i.e - DVD)?

You mentioned the "other TV", is that a modulated signal from a ViP622 DVR going to the second TV? If it is, being standard audio, I would run a similar scenario from DVR to TV with component video and standard audio through red/white RCA to the Philips AV1. The scenarios you mentioned above are all running digital audio. If the sound does drop through the standard audio RCAs, then it MAY be the an audio problem with AV1. If that happens then I would also try coming in on AV2 with a standard video/audio RCA setup to check if the audio drops.

By the way, check what version of firmware you currently have on the Philips, it may be as simple as an update.

Casey Jones

03-22-06, 11:31 AM

Now here is a post with some value but I feel the need to address Casey's recent comments, or lack there of.

Casey, if you want to exclude my findings then offer a rebuttal. You recent post suggest I (and John C at minimum) should consider you the "expert" just because you read post after post after post after post. I would consider this if I knew the background of the people whose posts you read. Just because you read post on this site and others, doesn't make you an expert with this problem; I can argue it makes you the farthest thing from it because the posts you read are from people who may or may not know what they are talking about. Your posts to me seem very bias toward the Philips product, I often interpret your posts as if you are defending the TV. This isn't an attack on you Casey, I'm just trying to point out that I think, at times, you lose your objectivity - we all want to believe we made the best purchase with our hard earn money....

Casey your post should have addressed my argument, instead you offer up very little to resolve the issue - "the TV sound has been tested through a receiver while the TV had sound routed to it using using various audio sources (coax, digital, fiber optic, HDMI)." Your offer is "Hey look at me, I'm the expert because I read this and that"....again..I'm not buying it. Offer a suggestion or post some links that support your research MARCV's comments are constructive and helpful, thanks MARCV for taking time to give me something I can work from.

As MarcV said, testing gets to the underlining problems. If I've had sound dropping out of my TV all the while my receiver constantly blasts sound, even when the audio source to the TV is coax, digital, HDMI and fiber and I've tested it, then I think I have a good basis for my argument. The sound NEVERS returns to the TV unless I power off and on, this is not a one or two second sound loss as some suggest happens periodically, it's complete sound loss until the power is cycled.

MarcV, I thought about that HDMI protection and tested using coax, digital, fiber and HDMI. With each of those sources going to the TV, the sound has dropped over each source while the receiver is plugged in and producing sound. I've been researching which formats come across which outputs, still gathering information on this but thanks for getting me closure and saving me research time.

On another note, I reviewed the survey that's been started, 33% of the respondents report this same problem. My hypothesis on this, if I extrapolate this over the mass market (33% is not realistic since most of the people who will respond are those with problems) that use cable and satellite TV, then we have a lot of angry people who loose sound often. If this were the case Casey, don't you think there would be a heck of a lot more published articles about the lousy service these cable/satellite providers give their customers? I still believe its the TV, hopefully I'm wrong, but my testing to date says otherwise.

I've said many times I am no expert and I never claimed to be(read my earlier posts).I see from your 5 posts your not an expert either so we share that distinction. My first plasma was purchased last August as stated in older threads so nah no expert. In fact by stating that I obtain alot of info from reading posts on this site and others it explained that I am no expert. Be careful not to read into things. I do know people in the electronic service tech industry that I can contact if I choose to and yes have a personal friend who works for Philips, so I have some insight into whats going on there. And may be in a position to share knowledge that might not be as readily available to others. Further locally we have a group of plasma owners who get together regularly and talk plasma and lcd. And yes many in our group own Philips products as well as other brands .So to a pretty fair extent I do have an understanding of whats happening. I wont tell you what I do for a living as you may think I am an expert which I am not. I try when I can to help people with problems they may encounter and I think that I have been somewhat successful at that as evidenced by many replys that I credited the group on this thread for not myself(read the posts). Additionally numerous PM'S from people frequenting this thread many of which had lead to problem resolution. I think you realize(or should) that all of us are presented with many differing viewpoints and many suggestions as to how something can be achieved or resolved. With that understanding it goes without saying that its up to each and everyone of us to pick and choose that which we believe is best and pursue it as we as individuals see fit. If you dont like or believe something then ignore it. As far as bias towards the Philips line, no thats not true at all. Sure I own a Philips plasma and have had a very good experience with it. Why? I dont have any special magic, in fact I am usually the guy who gets the thing that needs fixing (my luck). Its because its a solid product! But I also own another plasma in the rec room and a LCD in the bedroom now. The only bias( as you mentioned) that appears regularly is the bashing on this site of Philips products. Many times by people who never even owned one. I happen to know from experience that many of the supposed problems arent problems at all but something that is being done wrong by the user or various connections whether it be electrical or whatever. Or just sheer reluctence to have it looked at by a Tech. People come on here and bash without really knowing whats really happening, (Did you read any of the threads on Joe six pack???)so I chose to level the playing field by offering other alternatives and many have worked. If you have read this thread you would see that this is about the third group of people who have joined since the thread began. And all new users (early adopters) run into situations that many blame on the product. In fact if you review the thread many of these so called Philips problems were resolved by the users once what was occuring was understood. A good portion of what some say on here is either enuendo(hope I spelt that right) or conjecture. I myself try fact and believe in indivdual education (service manual, faq's, user observations etc.).Not as you say if its written I believe it thats just ridiculous, rather if it worked for someone else try it it may just work for you also. And when I dont offer a suggestion I simply state get a service tech to look at it ( read my past replys). As far as the black screen issues and sound issues some are experiencing I feel for you, but I offered another possibility to look into. And what I stated there was correct. Is it the only one of course not but it seems that many are trying all routes in hope of a resolution. It was no surprise to me whatsoever that by posting alternatives on the 7320, 7220 and 9630a threads that I would get a response like yours, I was just waiting to see how long it took. Its always easier to shoot the messenger. But again I thought I would help. To be very honest with you I could care less if you or anyone else follow my advice or not it has no effect on me whatsoever, your the one with the problem not me.( and I have stated that before read the posts). I offered advice in good conscience. :)

PS---------Oh and look at Rolento76S' post above this one about the sound drops on Cablevision. Seems my advice is accurate on that one also. :)

cbrr03

03-22-06, 02:34 PM

can someone tell me a good wall mount for this tv. The one at Best Buy is a Samus and they want like $300 for it.

ANGLICO

03-22-06, 02:58 PM

Check out the Omnimount U3t. You can get it for less than half of that and works perfectly.

pdsullivan

03-22-06, 03:05 PM

cbrr03

03-22-06, 04:13 PM

Check out the Omnimount U3t. You can get it for less than half of that and works perfectly.

thanks!

twodogs02

03-22-06, 04:25 PM

SD PQ on my 50PF9630 is OK, would I like it to be better, of course, but I didn't buy the 50" for SD PQ. My buying decision was focused on a set that produced the best HD PQ (I use an LCD mainly for SD), and the 9630 was better than Panny IMO. I use an LCD for SD since the 50" screen size tends to magnify the irregularities in SD. I watch a lot of SD programming on my LCD but when I watch it on the plasma I'm disappointed. Thinking it was the placebo effect, I placed my LCD and plasma side by side using the same satellite feed and the difference was noticeable but to me it's not a big deal since I didn't buy it for that reason.

I'd also encourage you to evaluate Philips ambilight. At the store it seemed like a gimmick but get the set home in a dark room with a good movie with sound coming from your receiver and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Don't discount this feature even if you believe the Panny has better PQ - I did at first - but my wife saw beyond the flashing lights and I'm thankful for that.

simms51

03-22-06, 04:42 PM

twodogs02... I second your assessment on this set I also own the 50" model. When I was at my local BB, the PQ just jumped out at me. If only we can get the black screen issue resolved, :rolleyes: I would be one happy camper, or T.V. watcher. :) :ro

pdsullivan

03-22-06, 04:57 PM

Thanks for the comments. Along with ambilight, the "auto" function allowing different format types to be displayed properly is an advantage. My family will also be using this set and I can't see them adjusting outputs without crying foul.
there is also the whole costco return advantage should I have issues.

MARCV

03-22-06, 09:34 PM

can someone tell me a good wall mount for this tv. The one at Best Buy is a Samus and they want like $300 for it.

This is purely going to be determined by what type of flexibility you want and personal preference. The most important thing to be aware of is the mounting points on the back of the your Philips plasma.

The unit conforms to what is known as VESA. The mounting points are VESA 800 which means the mounting points are 800mmx400mm. Make sure that the mount is VESA 800 compatible, which is not that common. You may need an adapter plate for the mount you buy. The question may come up about the using the four mounting points that currently have the four plastic mounting knobs that are screwed in (two used for the stand). Read post #1349 to #1352. This talks about the smaller mounting pattern used for those knobs for the Omnimount and what I did for using the Sanus VMAA26.

I wanted a mount that could rotate a true 90 degrees from the wall to accommodate a sitting area in a bedroom. I also wanted the flexibility in case I ever move the plasma to another room. You may not need that much flexibility. Also make sure the mount is rated for the weight of the Philips and then some. Swinging my 42" unit (92 lbs) 24" away from the wall and the turning it 90 degrees was a bit concerning the first few times. I highly suggest that you don't skimp on the quality of the mount.

The BB Sanus VMSA mount for $349 is a rip off because of the price. Great quality but they are selling it at Sanus list price.

BasketCase

03-23-06, 04:21 PM

ColorBurst

03-23-06, 05:52 PM

I am deaf and I have the Philips 50PF9630A TV and I noticed a strange problem with Closed Captioning and I am wondering if someone can confirm what I have found.

If I connect my DVD player in progressive scan mode using the Pr, Pb, and Y connections, I notice that closed captioning will not function at all.

I need to move the cable to the "Video" input then closed captioning works.

Does anyone have information whether closed captioning works with the Pr, Pb, and Y connections with progressive scan mode? I am wondering if this is a problem with my DVD player, or if it is a Philips issue.

I'm talking about closed captioning, not subtitles.

Interesting... I did some checking and here's what I found:
For all types of NTSC programming, captions are "encoded" into Line 21 of the vertical blanking interval – a part of the TV picture that sits just above the visible portion. For ATSC (digital or high-definition) programming, three streams are encoded in the video: two are backward compatible Line 21 captions, and the third is a set of up to 63 additional caption streams encoded in EIA-708 format.

NTSC DVDs may carry closed captions in the Line 21 format which are automatically sent to the TV and turned on and off by the TV remote or the set-top decoder. All video DVDs may carry closed captions as a bitmap overlay which can be turned on and off via the DVD player – as by selecting a subtitle track labeled either "English for the hearing impaired" or more recently, "SDH" (Subtitled for the Deaf and Hard of hearing). Both Line 21 and DVD bitmap subtitle formats can co-exist on the same DVD, providing two very different methods of displaying captions from the same DVD. On some DVDs, the captions may contain the same text, while on other DVDs, the Line 21 version contains more captions to cover non-speech information than the DVD bitmap subtitles.

The composite video standard includes all of the video siginal, so I would expect line 21 captioning to be passed along to the TV however the component video standard ("Y Pr Pb" progressive) uses 3 siginals (brightness or luminance, and 2 colors or chromas) to build the picture and so far, I find no mention that line 21 captioning is included with component siginals.

Casey Jones

03-23-06, 10:57 PM

Can any current owners of the 50PF9630A panel comment on the PQ of standard definition content? I will be using an HD cable connection. I am trying to decide between this one and the Panny 60U.

I'm sure comments are somewhere in this thread, though the search function makes it a little tough to locate.

Thanks in advance.
Have you considered waiting until the second quarter of this year for the new Philips model release of the 9631? You said you were thinking of the Panny 60U a newly released model(which some threads say has already been released) so why not wait until you can compare them? I know you can save a few bucks by buying a soon to be discontinued model .If your considering a purchase at this late date in the existing model year you may be best served by holding off a little longer to see what the newest models offer. If history repeats itself they will once again improve over the past years offering.

In any event you asked about SD:
The quality of the SD picture can very depending on the signal quality of your source connection STB or SAT or OTA . Even if you have a good quality signal you will notice that certain channels (NTSC) may appear clearer then others. All in all you should find its very watchable. In my case (Cablevision ) I was pleased that the SD programming looked as good as it did, many looked better then my prior CRT TV, I was prepared for the worse. I know that many cable companies are limiting the bandwidth available for NTSC broadcasts in favor of the all digital and HD channels. Depending on your particular cable provider this could also be a factor. If you have a friend or nieghbor who has a PDP you might look at theres to get an idea of what you can expect. Of course it wont look at good as your Philips :) .One good thing is that many of the major broadcasting stations have an HD equivalent that more often then not broadcast 16X9 HD equivalents of there SD programming during prime time. I think once you see those sd channels in HD your gonna get very spoiled. :)

Casey Jones

03-23-06, 11:07 PM

Interesting... I did some checking and here's what I found:
For all types of NTSC programming, captions are "encoded" into Line 21 of the vertical blanking interval – a part of the TV picture that sits just above the visible portion. For ATSC (digital or high-definition) programming, three streams are encoded in the video: two are backward compatible Line 21 captions, and the third is a set of up to 63 additional caption streams encoded in EIA-708 format.

NTSC DVDs may carry closed captions in the Line 21 format which are automatically sent to the TV and turned on and off by the TV remote or the set-top decoder. All video DVDs may carry closed captions as a bitmap overlay which can be turned on and off via the DVD player – as by selecting a subtitle track labeled either "English for the hearing impaired" or more recently, "SDH" (Subtitled for the Deaf and Hard of hearing). Both Line 21 and DVD bitmap subtitle formats can co-exist on the same DVD, providing two very different methods of displaying captions from the same DVD. On some DVDs, the captions may contain the same text, while on other DVDs, the Line 21 version contains more captions to cover non-speech information than the DVD bitmap subtitles.

The composite video standard includes all of the video siginal, so I would expect line 21 captioning to be passed along to the TV however the component video standard ("Y Pr Pb" progressive) uses 3 siginals (brightness or luminance, and 2 colors or chromas) to build the picture and so far, I find no mention that line 21 captioning is included with component siginals.

Question. Since all current DVD's are NTSC encoded is the closed captioning displayed by players using the DVI or HDMI connection standard? I am assuming from what your saying that it is not as its still an NTSC signal.

ColorBurst

03-24-06, 02:05 AM

Question. Since all current DVD's are NTSC encoded is the closed captioning displayed by players using the DVI or HDMI connection standard? I am assuming from what your saying that it is not as its still an NTSC signal.

HDMI and DVI are digital interface standards.

HDMI is independent of broadcast video standards and can carry uncompressed digital audio, video and auxiliary data.

DVI carries digital video information and can also support the analog VGA standard - audio is not supported.

I'm not sure if NTSC line 21 captioning is passed to the TV using these interface standards as it's not mentioned in my reference material.

Perhaps someone in the industry can fill us in?

twodogs02

03-24-06, 08:44 AM

[QUOTE=twodogs02][QUOTE=MARCV]
You mentioned switching to coax. What did you mean? Coax always goes in to the DVR. Did you mean directly into the plasma? If it was Component into the Philips, component is video only, how did you carry the audio from the DVR?

Twodogs --- If it were me, first thing I would check the settings on the DVR for the Digital Audio Output (which you may have already done) just to eliminate the possibility of the setting being wrong. I think as I mentioned it was Chapter 11, page 91 of the DVR manual.

I'm confused on one thing. You mention a few times "sound loss with fiber cable/digital audio to receiver (HTR). That implies to me digital audio (fiber) to the receiver with sound output through the receiver speakers that is being lost. I'm missing something. What input is the fiber cable going to on the HTR? Also are there other audio connections beside the fiber cable being made on that same input ( i.e - DVD)?

You mentioned the "other TV", is that a modulated signal from a ViP622 DVR going to the second TV? If it is, being standard audio, I would run a similar scenario from DVR to TV with component video and standard audio through red/white RCA to the Philips AV1. The scenarios you mentioned above are all running digital audio. If the sound does drop through the standard audio RCAs, then it MAY be the an audio problem with AV1. If that happens then I would also try coming in on AV2 with a standard video/audio RCA setup to check if the audio drops.

By the way, check what version of firmware you currently have on the Philips, it may be as simple as an update.

OK, I've upgraded to the latest firmware, checked the DVR sound output settings and made sure I was using an output the DVR was configured for. Last night the sound dropped again but I did not have the receiver on, so I turned it on. The DVR was sending the sound to the HTR via a fiber optic cable using PCM. The sound played as soon as the receiver powered up but the TV was silent. Turned the TV off and back on, TV has sound. Another 20 or so minutes went by and the sound dropped again. This time I swapped out the DVR receiver for an older Dishnetwork receiver (301).

Ran coax directly to the TV and used RCA output to the receiver for sound. Watch TV for about 35 minutes and the sound dropped again all the while the receiver is chugging along. By this time it was late so I figured I'd give Philips a call tomorrow evening.

I'm at a loss to explain this, everything is telling me this has to be the TV. Anyone have any ideas what I might be missing? Two different STB using various outputs to the TV and various outputs to the receiver. "Houston - I think we have a problem." :confused:

rolento76

03-24-06, 09:10 AM

[QUOTE=MARCV][QUOTE=twodogs02]

OK, I've upgraded to the latest firmware, checked the DVR sound output settings and made sure I was using an output the DVR was configured for. Last night the sound dropped again but I did not have the receiver on, so I turned it on. The DVR was sending the sound to the HTR via a fiber optic cable using PCM. The sound played as soon as the receiver powered up but the TV was silent. Turned the TV off and back on, TV has sound. Another 20 or so minutes went by and the sound dropped again. This time I swapped out the DVR receiver for an older Dishnetwork receiver (301).

Ran coax directly to the TV and used RCA output to the receiver for sound. Watch TV for about 35 minutes and the sound dropped again all the while the receiver is chugging along. By this time it was late so I figured I'd give Philips a call tomorrow evening.

I'm at a loss to explain this, everything is telling me this has to be the TV. Anyone have any ideas what I might be missing? Two different STB using various outputs to the TV and various outputs to the receiver. "Houston - I think we have a problem." :confused:
My guess would be the TV as well, especially since your sound drops are not momentary. Let us know how everything with Philips' customer service goes. When I had my recall service, they did a great job with negotiating for me with the local Philips authorized service center.

cbrr03

03-24-06, 10:37 AM

question for you guys................

Ok, I got a Scientific Atlanta HD cable box from Time Warner yesterday and hooked it up to this tv through a HDMI cable and now there are permanent grey bars on the side of the screen. When I go to the format menu for the tv, only Automatic and Widescreen are available. The zoom functions and movie functions are not available anymore. Then I hooked up the HD box with the supplied green, red, and blue cables and it does the same. Only the HD channels will format to full widescreen.

When I had my regular non-HD box then all of the screen format functions were available. I hate the side bars and would rather just zoom the picture to fill the screen. Any reason for this, and is this normal?

ehanson555

03-24-06, 11:26 AM

question for you guys................When I had my regular non-HD box then all of the screen format functions were available. I hate the side bars and would rather just zoom the picture to fill the screen. Any reason for this, and is this normal?

Does this happen for all channels (SD and HD), or just certain HD channels? Some HD broadcasters send out the gra bars as part of their signal. The Philips cannot automatically stretch the screen when the signal is using the gray bars. Black bars are not a problem when using Automatic mode. CBS and UPN in the Boston area use the gray bars and I have the same problem as you.

Edit: I should also add that the only formats available to select when viewing HD content are Automatic and Widescreen.

cbrr03

03-24-06, 11:41 AM

no, this happens on every channel. It put grey bars on all of the regular channels. The HD channels work fine, its every other channel that I'm having a problem with. Maybe its something wrong with the box?

mlandau

03-24-06, 12:49 PM

You have to setup the cable box for your tv. You have to set it for 16:9 tv and acceptable signals of 720p, 1080i, 480p widescreen and 480p regular. You get into the setup function (I think), by turning off the box and simultaneously hitting the "guide" and "info" buttons, with your tv on. You then follow the instructions. Use the custom setup when it asks.

Afterwards, if it works, you use the "settings" button on the remote, you may have to hit it twice to get into the correct mode, and set the signal for passthrough.

Casey Jones

03-24-06, 12:56 PM

HDMI and DVI are digital interface standards.

HDMI is independent of broadcast video standards and can carry uncompressed digital audio, video and auxiliary data.

DVI carries digital video information and can also support the analog VGA standard - audio is not supported.

I'm not sure if NTSC line 21 captioning is passed to the TV using these interface standards as it's not mentioned in my reference material.

Perhaps someone in the industry can fill us in?

I have a friend I will ask when I see him next, thanks for the info. :)

cbrr03

03-24-06, 04:19 PM

RoadRashTX

03-25-06, 04:10 PM

I was wondering what most people set their picture settings to after the first 100 hours of use.

MArk

bigtvluvr

03-26-06, 02:54 AM

Weird Problem: We were running the DVD player to the 9630 and getting an OK picture. So we disconnected the S-Video connector and used a new pair of Monster component cables (basic component, nothing lavish). Anyway, even though all we did was disconnect one wire and insert the Monster cables, we couldn't get a picture through either AV1 or AV3.

Did we do something wrong? It's an RCA DVD player from about 2002 -- not progressive, but did have the componenet OUT jacks.

Either the component IN jacks on the 9630 are bad, the Monster cable is bad, or the component OUT jacks on the DVD are bad -- right ???

I can get my hands on another DVD progressive player to see if that one works but if anyone has any suggestions, please post.

ANGLICO

03-26-06, 12:10 PM

Either the component IN jacks on the 9630 are bad, the Monster cable is bad, or the component OUT jacks on the DVD are bad -- right ???

Possible, but are you certain the cables are in the correct jacks? I don't know how Monster are coded, but I've seen cables that are red, blue & green others red,blue & yellow. Easy to confuse the blue and green shades.

HT_Newbie

03-26-06, 12:48 PM

bigtvluvr

03-26-06, 01:16 PM

Possible, but are you certain the cables are in the correct jacks? I don't know how Monster are coded, but I've seen cables that are red, blue & green others red,blue & yellow. Easy to confuse the blue and green shades.

No, me and a friend double-checked....the blue & green are tough to see in the back of a TV with poor lighting, but our flashlight illuminated everything OK.

We even switched the colors in case the DVD player was color-coded incorrectly on the component OUT jacks. Nothing.

Very frustrating....it made using the DVE disk to calibrate that much harder and less useful (we couldn't even see the side bars on that PLUGE thing). All we could do on the Basic Calibration was color, sharpness, and tint. Will try the PLUGE darkness/contrast stuff again when I get the component thing resolved and hopefully do more of the Basic Calibration (anyone done it in it's entirety? How about the Advanced ?).

Wekurtz74

03-26-06, 01:22 PM

Recently purchased the 9630 and am very happy with it. Still trying to calibrate it properly. Has anyone found a setting level for each of the visual levels (brightness, color, etc) which they have found optimal? Thanks if advance!

ANGLICO

03-26-06, 01:35 PM

bigtvluvr-

If you have another TV with Component inputs, that may help eliminate the 9630 inputs..

ANGLICO

03-26-06, 01:48 PM

Thanks to everyone in this forum. I've learned a lot and my 50" '9630 will be here on Wednesday. Now I'm planning the other components which will include a cablevision HD DVR, an upconverting DVD player (not sure which one yet), and a tivo.

I would like to setup a 5.1 system and I'm looking at receivers and speakers. Here is my question: there are so many inputs on this TV that my inclination is to connect the set top box and DVD through HDMI and the tivo using component, but use the receiver for sound? If I do that will I have change both video input on the TV and the audio input on the receiver? That sounds like a pain. Would a good remote solve this?

The HT receivers with HDMI switching are pretty pricey and with all of the inputs on this TV it seems unnecessary. I'm new to this so forgive any illogical points I may have made.

1- Connecting the STB and DVD throug HDMI is what I would do. The audio from both should go into your HT system. All you need to do is go to the menu and shut off the volume on the TV.

2- If you are getting the Cablevision DVR (I assume the 8300HD), why do you need TiVo? doesn't that provide the same capabilities as the 8300HD box?

3- The Logitech Harmony 880 remote can be programmed to replace practically all remotes and their functions. I've replaced 5 remotes with one 880. I still keep them as backup, though.

hennyhog

03-26-06, 02:25 PM

bigtvluvr

03-26-06, 05:48 PM

bigtvluvr-

If you have another TV with Component inputs, that may help eliminate the 9630 inputs..

Problem solved...there was a menu 'switch' activated from the DVD remote control. I was looking for it on the back of the DVD player!

The switch allows you to switch the output from S-Video or composite to component.

Sorry for the dumb error...thanks to all for the suggestions !

bigtvluvr

03-26-06, 05:51 PM

I bought this TV a few days ago & its being delivered as we speak. I have Direct TV which will be coming over this week to upgrade my system to HD. I sprung for the DVR with Tivo because I now have it...& couldn't do with out. If anyone else has the similar setup, could you give me insight on how you have yours configured....meaning cables, inputs, output,.....mainly how its hooked up. Greatly appreciate any feedback!!

I'll let the experts speak and address any specifics you have, but first off: get component cables. You don't have to get the $150 THX or Monster top-of-the-lines, but get a decent pair of Monster component cables at a miniumum. You might want to use the HDMI inputs on the 9630, but that presupposes your other equipment has the corresponding output and/or you have an adaptor if they only have the DVI output. I'll let others tell you how to do that if you want to go that way.

While were on the subject of cables, can some of the vets here share their thoughts on whether there's any benefit to getting top-of-the-line cables from Monster or THX? Or are you just paying for gold-plating, especially if your DVD player is average? Similarly, what about using the HDMI inputs on the TV -- noticeably better than the components or no ??

ANGLICO

03-26-06, 07:00 PM

I'll let the experts speak and address any specifics you have, but first off: get component cables. You don't have to get the $150 THX or Monster top-of-the-lines, but get a decent pair of Monster component cables at a miniumum. You might want to use the HDMI inputs on the 9630, but that presupposes your other equipment has the corresponding output and/or you have an adaptor if they only have the DVI output. I'll let others tell you how to do that if you want to go that way.

While were on the subject of cables, can some of the vets here share their thoughts on whether there's any benefit to getting top-of-the-line cables from Monster or THX? Or are you just paying for gold-plating, especially if your DVD player is average? Similarly, what about using the HDMI inputs on the TV -- noticeably better than the components or no ??

First, glad you got your component problem sorted out. It can be frustrating can't it?

Regarding the cables, I don't use 'top quality' cabling. I have used Monster and see no difference between that and less expensive. I believe the name 'Monster' does its job well in convincing some people that it's the best they can get. It would sell as well or better if they named it 'Extreme' for today's culture.
I bought my 3meter HDMI cables online for about one tenth of what a 2meter Monster would cost. Works fine.

HDMI definitely better.

HT_Newbie

03-26-06, 11:16 PM

1- Connecting the STB and DVD throug HDMI is what I would do. The audio from both should go into your HT system. All you need to do is go to the menu and shut off the volume on the TV.

2- If you are getting the Cablevision DVR (I assume the 8300HD), why do you need TiVo? doesn't that provide the same capabilities as the 8300HD box?

3- The Logitech Harmony 880 remote can be programmed to replace practically all remotes and their functions. I've replaced 5 remotes with one 880. I still keep them as backup, though.
Angelico,

Thanks. So just to be clear, I can connect all of my devices straight into the PDP, then connect the audio digital out to my receiver? Then as I cycle through the video inputs on the tv, the audio source to the receiver will changes as well?

On the DVR vs. tivo, I hear you. However as a 6 yr tivo veteran, and 1.5 yr cablevision dvr person, I can honestly say that the interface on the tivo is head and shoulders above anything else. Also my tivo can burn dvd's for the car which is awesome for the kids. HOWEVER, the dvr can record HD shows. So I settled on keeping both.

MARCV

03-27-06, 10:28 AM

[QUOTE=MARCV][QUOTE=twodogs02]

OK, I've upgraded to the latest firmware, checked the DVR sound output settings and made sure I was using an output the DVR was configured for. Last night the sound dropped again but I did not have the receiver on, so I turned it on. The DVR was sending the sound to the HTR via a fiber optic cable using PCM. The sound played as soon as the receiver powered up but the TV was silent. Turned the TV off and back on, TV has sound. Another 20 or so minutes went by and the sound dropped again. This time I swapped out the DVR receiver for an older Dishnetwork receiver (301).

Ran coax directly to the TV and used RCA output to the receiver for sound. Watch TV for about 35 minutes and the sound dropped again all the while the receiver is chugging along. By this time it was late so I figured I'd give Philips a call tomorrow evening.

I'm at a loss to explain this, everything is telling me this has to be the TV. Anyone have any ideas what I might be missing? Two different STB using various outputs to the TV and various outputs to the receiver. "Houston - I think we have a problem." :confused:

It's time to call Philips for a visit. At least if they start telling you it's not the TV, you're ready.

ANGLICO

03-27-06, 12:26 PM

Angelico,

Thanks. So just to be clear, I can connect all of my devices straight into the PDP, then connect the audio digital out to my receiver? Then as I cycle through the video inputs on the tv, the audio source to the receiver will changes as well?

On the DVR vs. tivo, I hear you. However as a 6 yr tivo veteran, and 1.5 yr cablevision dvr person, I can honestly say that the interface on the tivo is head and shoulders above anything else. Also my tivo can burn dvd's for the car which is awesome for the kids. HOWEVER, the dvr can record HD shows. So I settled on keeping both.

Yes, assuming the audio source input to the receiver is also changing. With the Logitech 880, I just select 'Watch TV' or 'Watch DVD' and everthing is setup automatically. One button does it all.

Thanks for the clarification on TiVo.

It's ANGLICO, I'm hardly Angelic. :)

noahhadas

03-27-06, 06:21 PM

I bought this TV a few days ago & its being delivered as we speak. I have Direct TV which will be coming over this week to upgrade my system to HD. I sprung for the DVR with Tivo because I now have it...& couldn't do with out. If anyone else has the similar setup, could you give me insight on how you have yours configured....meaning cables, inputs, output,.....mainly how its hooked up.

Greatly appreciate any feedback!!

Hennyhog, While not an expert, I have the exact system you describe and have been enjoying it for a while. The setup is very simple thanks to the hdmi capabilities of the TIVO and TV. The DirecTV tech will get your signals to the TIVO. From there, you will need one hdmi cable to the TV, and a digital audio cable to your home theater system (assuming you have one - if not, I will guess that you will buy one once you hear the so-so sound quality from the TV speakers). If you get an upconverting DVD player, another hdmi cable to the second hdmi input in the TV and your set.

FYI, depending on the area in which you live, you might need an OTA antenna to pick up HD locals. Also, there have been a lot of complaints about HDMI problems with the HD10-250 DirecTV box. I have fortunately not encountered any. To get all the details, visit the TIVO forum and look at the HD thread. http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=36
Good luck!

noahhadas

03-27-06, 06:29 PM

Yes, assuming the audio source input to the receiver is also changing. With the Logitech 880, I just select 'Watch TV' or 'Watch DVD' and everthing is setup automatically. One button does it all.

Thanks for the clarification on TiVo.

It's ANGLICO, I'm hardly Angelic. :)

Without the Logitech 880 or equivalent, you will have to switch the audio input to match your video source. So if you are watching a DVD, you'll need to switch both the TV and HT to the DVD source. I still haven't been able to justify the $250 for the 880 rather than getting off my fat a-- and pushing a button. :o

rolento76

03-27-06, 06:44 PM

Thanks. So just to be clear, I can connect all of my devices straight into the PDP, then connect the audio digital out to my receiver? Then as I cycle through the video inputs on the tv, the audio source to the receiver will changes as well?

I have my STB plugged into HDMI1 and my upconverting DVD player plugged into HDMI2. Then I have the digital out from the TV plugged into my receiver for sound. Since HDMI carries audio, the audio source changes when I switch between the STB and the DVD player without me having to touch the receiver. A simple, easy setup.

ANGLICO

03-27-06, 09:17 PM

Without the Logitech 880 or equivalent, you will have to switch the audio input to match your video source. So if you are watching a DVD, you'll need to switch both the TV and HT to the DVD source. I still haven't been able to justify the $250 for the 880 rather than getting off my fat a-- and pushing a button. :o

It's easily available for less than $200

Magna2006

03-27-06, 09:36 PM

I recently bought a Philips 42PF9630A from Best Buy. I have this TV hooked up to my Comcast cable box (Motorola 6412 Phase II) through an HDMI cable. I may have found a temporary "workaround" to the volume display problem. In the setup menu(s), I set the OSD to NORMAL. That produces the volume display when turning the sound up or down. I noticed the channel/port being used "HDMI 1" is displayed for an extended amount of time long after the volume display goes away. Well, I tried punching "000" on the keypad. This replaced the "HDMI 1" on the screen with 000 which then also disappeared after a few seconds like the volume slider did! I can then further adjust the volume as desired without the "HDMI 1" channel display coming back. If I change the channel or make some other menu entry, then the "HDMI 1" comes back; but then I can enter "000" and get rid of it again. That might solve the potential burn-in problem until Philips can put out a proper software fix (if ever). Is there any way to change the channel display in the service menu?

HT_Newbie

03-27-06, 10:24 PM

Casey Jones

03-28-06, 01:24 AM

I have my STB plugged into HDMI1 and my upconverting DVD player plugged into HDMI2. Then I have the digital out from the TV plugged into my receiver for sound. Since HDMI carries audio, the audio source changes when I switch between the STB and the DVD player without me having to touch the receiver. A simple, easy setup.

Wouldnt you have to then turn down the TV volume manually when your outputting the sound from your Plasma to the HTR? I have mine set up simiilar to yours STB via HDMI to HDMI1, DVD player via HDMI to HDMI2 so the audio signal is carried to the plasma via HDMI in both instances. In addition to this the audio is outputted to the HTR from my STB(SA 8300 HD DVR) as well as directly from my DVD player via separate fiber optic cables to the HTR for 5.1 sound. I have two activities set up on my Harmony 880 remote for watching TV one is for regular viewing and listening the other for HDTV with 5.1 sound. As well as separate activity for DVD viewing with 5.1 sound via the HTR. This works fine but I have to turn down the volume on the PDP when listening to TV when sending the sound to the HTR or both the PDP and HTR play sound . Does your connection method eliminate this meaning turn off the PDP sound when selecting HTR as your sound source?The only other way I can prevent both from playing is to use the mute which I dont want displayed on the screen or by going into the STB menu and making a sound adjustment which I dont care to do each time I change.

Casey Jones

03-28-06, 01:55 AM

rolento76

03-28-06, 09:02 AM

Wouldnt you have to then turn down the TV volume manually when your outputting the sound from your Plasma to the HTR? I have mine set up simiilar to yours STB via HDMI to HDMI1, DVD player via HDMI to HDMI2 so the audio signal is carried to the plasma via HDMI in both instances. In addition to this the audio is outputted to the HTR from my STB(SA 8300 HD DVR) as well as directly from my DVD player via separate fiber optic cables to the HTR for 5.1 sound. I have two activities set up on my Harmony 880 remote for watching TV one is for regular viewing and listening the other for HDTV with 5.1 sound. As well as separate activity for DVD viewing with 5.1 sound via the HTR. This works fine but I have to turn down the volume on the PDP when listening to TV when sending the sound to the HTR or both the PDP and HTR play sound . Does your connection method eliminate this meaning turn off the PDP sound when selecting HTR as your sound source?The only other way I can prevent both from playing is to use the mute which I dont want displayed on the screen or by going into the STB menu and making a sound adjustment which I dont care to do each time I change.
In all honesty, I have never used the TV's speakers. The only time I have heard them was when I first installed the TV and when the service reps were testing the TV after the recall service. All I did was turn the TV volume down to 0 in the regular audio menu and the sound is still passed from the TV to the HTR through the TV's digital audio out. Every time I power on the TV, it has stayed at volume 0 with no mute mentioned on the screen. I do not switch between using the TV speakers and the HTR. My wife and I watch everything with the sound coming from the HTR. I can see the hassle if I had to switch between TV audio and HTR audio once in a while.

Casey Jones

03-28-06, 10:34 AM

In all honesty, I have never used the TV's speakers. The only time I have heard them was when I first installed the TV and when the service reps were testing the TV after the recall service. All I did was turn the TV volume down to 0 in the regular audio menu and the sound is still passed from the TV to the HTR through the TV's digital audio out. Every time I power on the TV, it has stayed at volume 0 with no mute mentioned on the screen. I do not switch between using the TV speakers and the HTR. My wife and I watch everything with the sound coming from the HTR. I can see the hassle if I had to switch between TV audio and HTR audio once in a while.

Thanks for the info. In effect we both set the volume to zero. I guess I could always update an activity to have the STB control the volume of the PDP.

iontyre

03-28-06, 02:41 PM

As far as cables go, I got my HDMI - HDMI cable (6 footer) from a company called S-Video.com for all of $9.45 shipped. It works PERFECTLY! No way I'm going to be scammed by Monster cable and their outrageous ripoff prices for digital cables. I have a set of component Monster cables and they don't work any better than the Walmart $7.00 specials I've tried. Don't be fooled!

MacroProd

03-28-06, 03:25 PM

I too am very disappointed with Monster. I would NEVER buy their overpriced stuff again. I bought an $80.00 power strip/surge protector with 'Clean Power'. Nowhere on the package did it state what the Let Through Voltage rating was or if it complies with UL 1449, the Standard for Transient Voltage Surge Suppressors. However I figured at that price I was getting 'top of the line', so I bought it. I opened the package and nowhere inside does it state this information. I went to their website and nowhere on the website does it have the info either. I sent them an email asking what the exact specs were and I never received a reply. Maybe they don't even know because they are just buying them in bulk and putting their name on the box?

Other manufacturers of much less expensive surge protectors make this information plainly clear. I should have never paid such a premium for a surge protector.

My Scientific Atlanta 4200HD cable box from Cablevision comes with a package of heavy gauge component cables approximately 8 feet in length. I use them to connect my STB to my TV and I can't tell a difference at all between those cables and more expensive cables. The only difference. The ones I am using were free. :)

simms51

03-28-06, 11:39 PM

Casey Jones

03-29-06, 05:36 AM

rolento76 and CaseyJones....... On my set-up, I have my Moto 6412 STB connected to the PDP with HDMI1 and I am using a fiber optic out from the back of the STB to the back of the receiver. I am also using my LG up-convert dvd player to HDMI2. I have the T.V.'s speaker volume down to 0. Is there any advantage to using the digital coaxial connection from the T.V. to the receiver, like you guys have done? Thanks for your responses.

I'm not using the audio connection from the PDP to my HTR. I connect from the STB to my HTR .

rolento76

03-29-06, 08:52 AM

rolento76 and CaseyJones....... On my set-up, I have my Moto 6412 STB connected to the PDP with HDMI1 and I am using a fiber optic out from the back of the STB to the back of the receiver. I am also using my LG up-convert dvd player to HDMI2. I have the T.V.'s speaker volume down to 0. Is there any advantage to using the digital coaxial connection from the T.V. to the receiver, like you guys have done? Thanks for your responses.
The advantage that I enjoy is that all my switching is handled by the TV. I leave my HTR to one setting and I let the TV decide which component feeds the audio. The other advantage is less wires. I do not have additional digital audio cables from my cable box to the HTR nor from my DVD player to the HTR.

oldrtyfrog

03-30-06, 08:54 PM

Hey guys....just wondering if anyone has experienced this problem that I'm having. I just recently moved my component cabinet about 20 feet from my tv, which means I had to buy 35ft hdmi cables (I ran the cables under the house). My problem is that when watching DVDs on my Sony DVP-CX995V DVD player, a white line will flash across the screen every few minutes, and sometimes the whole screen will turn solid green for about 5 seconds. The dvd player is using the HDMI2 input. Before the move, I was using component cables and had no problems. Both hdmi cables are from monoprice.com. The other hdmi cable is used for my DirecTV box which I have no problems with. Anyone ever heard of this? I hope it's not a bad HDMI port because this is already my THIRD set (I've had bad luck with this tv). My current software version is BX23U-1.0.13.0_0
Thanks for listening!

rolento76

03-30-06, 10:39 PM

simms51

03-31-06, 04:15 PM

Magna2006

03-31-06, 09:15 PM

Casey Jones

04-01-06, 06:04 AM

Which menu is it that tells me the hours of TV usage? If I enter 062596 and then hit the INFO button, I can then get into the service menu. In the service menu, there is an "Hours Operation" and also an "Hours Operation PDP". Which one gives the true "ON" time of the TV set?

So far, I have had the set about 2 1/2 weeks and have been really happy with it. :)

It has "cycled" off and on again, but only a couple of times and I think they were due to either power drops or video signal jumps coming into the set. Philips told me that overheating can cause this to happen also, but the set does not seem to put out a great deal of heat, even with ambilight turned on.

I run the contrast = 65 %, the brightness = 45 %, and color = 48 %. I assume that after 100 hours, that I can turn up the contrast to, say, about 70 or 75 % and the brightness to 50 or 55 % ? Those higher figures correspond to the "normal" setting on the "Picture" menu. So far I have had zero problems with image retention nor true burn-in. But, can anyone tell me how long you could have the black bars, either on the sides or top & bottom, before image retention or burn-in becomes a problem?

At the beginning of this forum there is a Sticky for the Master burn in thread. It has alot of info you may be interested in reading. Its generally accepted that for the first 100 hours to vary the content you view on your PDP keeping images with black bars to about 15 percent of your viewing time. Lowering the brightness and contrast to below 50 percent during the period helps also. After the first 100 hours you can begin to increase your viewing of these sources.

Question: The 9630a has many format options automatic mode being one of them. This should sense and eliminate black bars and fill the screen with the picture image . What type of content are you viewing that has black bars?

Magna2006

04-01-06, 09:09 AM

Casey Jones

04-01-06, 12:43 PM

Some movies have a top and bottom black black bar even if the movie is advertised as widescreen and the TV is otherwise running in 16:9. This may be due to some movies being produced with a 2.33 ratio as opposed to 1.78? I can have the 42PF9630A/37 to "stretch" the movie to fill the screen, but it can leave the people in the images looking a bit "long". I had a couple of "plasma parties" since getting this TV to have my friends over to watch movies. They all seem to like the TV too, but they mentioned noticing this effect. I can get the TV to crop 4:3 shows vertically to fill the screen (or let the TV scretch the image horizontally). I don't seem to be able to get the TV to crop 2.33 movies horizontally to fill the screen (only allowing the TV to strech 2.33 shows vertically).

Anyway I could just let the 2.33 movies have a thin black bar on top and bottom. But, to come full circle now, how long could I do this before burn-in really becomes a danger?

Also, I think the "hours operation PDP" must be the true usage time. Yes?

I can tell you from my own experience that if your watching any of the HD channels from the major broadcasting studios especially during prime time or HBO ,MAX, SHO, STARZ, INHD, etc. the screen should be filled with the image broadcast using automatic and not be noticeable. Are you using a HD STB you didnt say? If so have you set the display modes on it? The PDP if your connected using a DVI or HDMI connection should only have automatic or widescreen format mode as a possible selection the others should be unavailable. Also if your using a non digital video connection such as a component video cable all aspect modes are available as the signal is still analog. If your watching the older SD(NTSC) then all modes should be available. Many of the picture format modes on all plasmas can and do stretch and zoom but I dont find it as exaggerated as you state. Perhaps its new and noticeable to you. If your friends also have plasmas they should also be aware of it. Philips unlike many other plasma manufacturers give you the much wanted automatic mode. In fact the new panny 60U now has something called Hfill an automatic mode like yours. Keep something else in mind also many of the movies shown on HD channels are not high def at all. They are older transfers not shot with an HD camera and many have just been digitized. In any event they are actually upconverted to HD resolutions and shown. Since upconversion cannot add pixels that arent already there depending on the transfer some will look alot better then others. Sure a 2:35:1 stretched to full screen will show the effect no doubt. I own a Sony upconverting DVD player NS90V and it really provides a great picture, I find however that I enjoy it much better when I output it to the plasma using 720P( the plasmas native resolution) as the images dont show a stretched appearance and the screen is totally filled. :)

rolento76

04-01-06, 12:52 PM

Barmat

04-02-06, 12:48 PM

Hi all,.... I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Today I was on Philips web-site and it looks like they have expanded the serial numbers for the recall. I am certain that my set was not originally included, but it looks like it is now. My serial number starts out as YA1A0534xxxxxxx. Folks may want to re-check their serial numbers again to be sure. I'll be giving them a call.

Where is a link to the serials you found? On their web site it only lists serials that start with AG1*******. Remember this is a thread for the 42" not the 50".
http://www.misc.philips.com/recall/

John C.

04-02-06, 12:55 PM

Hi all,.... I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. Today I was on Philips web-site and it looks like they have expanded the serial numbers for the recall. I am certain that my set was not originally included, but it looks like it is now. My serial number starts out as YA1A0534xxxxxxx. Folks may want to re-check their serial numbers again to be sure. I'll be giving them a call.

Simms51,do you have the 50"? I have the 42",and my serial # starts out the same as yours.I went to the Philips site,and for my set,if you have serial #s AG1A0518xxxxx through AG1A0528xxxxx,you fall within the recall range.Just wondering if I'm reading this wrong.

Wekurtz74

04-02-06, 05:52 PM

To follow up on the post a few back regarding cables, I refuse to pay "monster" prices for HDMI cables. I have seen several online for under $20-$30 per cable for a 1 meter cable. Does anyone have any recommendations on any less expensvie brand of HDMI cables they have been using with their 9630A?

BTW- just switched from satelite back to cable -- better pricing on HDTV. TV looks great, bt hoping a switch to HDMI cables from the current coax will make it look fantastic.

Magna2006

04-02-06, 06:09 PM

When you hit the AV+ button on the remote to the 42PF9630A, the channel selection menu comes up that contains AV1, AV2, AV3, HDMI 1, HDMI 2, TV, etc. Does anyone know how to make the menu only to display the port/channels that are currently in use? I am only using channel ports AV1 and HDMI 1. It would be nice to be able to simply switch between the two channel ports I have connected up to my cable box and DVD recorder rather than have to scroll the entire list when switching ports.

simms51

04-02-06, 06:35 PM

Barmat..... I used the same link you have. I do have the 50" version, but I figured since these are the same model, just different sizes, it would be O.K. to post here. I'm assuming they both share the same "innards"?

John C...... Yes I do have the 50" size of this model. I am on the Philps site almost daily to check for things like firmware updates, etc., and that is how I noticed the expanded serial numbers for the 50" set. Sorry for any confusion.

Magna2006

04-02-06, 07:00 PM

ANGLICO

04-02-06, 08:56 PM

JuniorBoy

04-02-06, 09:19 PM

I've seen several posts on this thread about rattling or buzzing speakers on the 42PF9630A. The internal audio amplifier and speakers on that TV don't seem to be designed to deliver a great deal of power. For at least some of the cases I have read here, the TV's internal audio amplifier and speakers are probably "clipping" the sound when the volume is set too high and/or the base level is set too high in the graphic equalizer. For most "normal" TV viewing, I have found that setting the auto-sound to "speech" generally works well even at somewhat high volume levels. This cuts down the base portion of the TV sound to the internal speakers and seems to do a lot reduce "clipping" of the audio. For movie viewing on that TV where I want some volume (and base too), I connect up an external stereo and crank up the sound that way.

I would be careful with the tv when this happens. My philips 50PF9630A plasma started doing this after about 6 months and, shortly thereafter, it was dead. I got the 7 blinking red lights and the tv would not turn on anymore. According to the repairman, the whole display panel needed to be replaced. As you can imagine, it was the start of the nightmare dealing Philips customer service.

iontyre

04-02-06, 09:59 PM

Best HDMI cable deals around at www.svideo.com. I got a 2 meter calbe for $9.45 shipped, and it works wonderfully.

Casey Jones

04-03-06, 08:28 PM

I've seen several posts on this thread about rattling or buzzing speakers on the 42PF9630A. The internal audio amplifier and speakers on that TV don't seem to be designed to deliver a great deal of power. For at least some of the cases I have read here, the TV's internal audio amplifier and speakers are probably "clipping" the sound when the volume is set too high and/or the base level is set too high in the graphic equalizer. For most "normal" TV viewing, I have found that setting the auto-sound to "speech" generally works well even at somewhat high volume levels. This cuts down the base portion of the TV sound to the internal speakers and seems to do a lot reduce "clipping" of the audio. For movie viewing on that TV where I want some volume (and base too), I connect up an external stereo and crank up the sound that way.

This plasma as others have TV type sound, not a HT for sure,lol! :) For something more then that you would have to have Woox technology (a flat speaker) and they do sound alot better. If your using a STB you may be able to go into the menu and adjust to either wide or narrow, that helps some but again its not HTR. :)

Casey Jones

04-03-06, 08:30 PM

Casey Jones

04-03-06, 08:45 PM

I would be careful with the tv when this happens. My philips 50PF9630A plasma started doing this after about 6 months and, shortly thereafter, it was dead. I got the 7 blinking red lights and the tv would not turn on anymore. According to the repairman, the whole display panel needed to be replaced. As you can imagine, it was the start of the nightmare dealing Philips customer service.

Are you implying that the limited range of audio sound in this plasma, and others, is in some way related to the problem your having with your plasma as indicated by blinking red lights?

JuniorBoy

04-03-06, 11:58 PM

Are you implying that the limited range of audio sound in this plasma, and others, is in some way related to the problem your having with your plasma as indicated by blinking red lights?

No, I wasn't referring to the limited range of the audio on the Philips. I am talking about unusual static and/or interference. I would really pay attention to this symptom because it could indicate some problems with the panel itself. The speakers were fine initially, but slowly deteriorated to this and resulted in the shorting out of the whole panel.

I'm not sure if the speakers themselves caused the tv to break, but I do believe that it is the result of a larger problem with the whole display panel itself with the circuitry. There is an speaker amplifier in the unit that connects to the Power Supply board. The speaker amplifier, which is a small board in itself, is connected to the large board that connects to the display panel. If I understand correctly, there is only about 3 or 4 boards that can be replaced on a plasma. They are all connected so the only repair that they could do is try to see if replacing any of those parts fix the problem. When you have a problem with the speaker amplifier board, you are basically have a problem with the entire panel itself, as it is part of the display panel board.

This is why I was told that the display panel is defective and needs to be replaced for my set to turn on.

semi-noob

04-04-06, 12:05 PM

enmoco

04-04-06, 08:49 PM

Where is a link to the serials you found? On their web site it only lists serials that start with AG1*******. Remember this is a thread for the 42" not the 50".
http://www.misc.philips.com/recall/
Phillips Plasma Recall 42"-50"

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

March 2006 From Consumer Reports:
Quote:
Philips recalls plasma HD television sets

Philips Consumer Electronics is recalling about 11,800 42- and 50-inch flat-panel plasma televisions, including those tested by Consumer Reports, because of a potentially faulty component that could cause electrical arcing. Company spokeswoman Katrina Blauvelt said there have been nine reports of arcing but no fires or damage outside of the television. The sparks didn't ignite because of flame-retardant materials inside the cabinets. No injuries have been reported.

The recall includes sets with "Ambilight," or ambient light technology that projects a soft glow onto the wall behind the set, to create atmosphere and an enhanced viewing experience, according to the company. If owners turn off the Ambilight feature, the hazard is eliminated. Specifically, the recall involves the following:

Model 42PF9630A/37 (42-in. display), manufactured between April and July 2005, and whose serial-number sequence begins with AG1A0518 through AG1A0528.

Model 50PF9630A/37 (50-in. display), made between May to August 2005, with serial numbers starting with AG1A0519 through AG1A0533.

Model 50PF9630A/37 (the same model as above with a different date code and serial-number sequence), made June through August 2005, bearing serial numbers starting with YA1A0523 through YAIA0534.

Model 50PF9830A/37 (50-in. display), made June through August 2005, bearing serial numbers beginning with AG1A0526 through AG1A0533.

The model and serial numbers appear on a label on back of the set. Owners can determine the date the set was made by examining the serial number. The fifth and sixth numbers represent the year the set was made; the seventh and eighth digits are the week. For example, if the serial number is AG1A0533, "05" is the year of manufacture, while "33" represents the week it was made. The recall involves sets made between weeks 18 and 34.

The serial number can also be accessed by pushing a series of keystrokes on the remote control. To do so, press 123654; a Customer Service Mode (CSM) will then appear on the screen. Line 03 displays the model number and Line 04 displays the production code--which is identical to the serial number. To exit the CSM, press "MENU."

If you own an affected set that has a red dot sticker on the back, the unit already has been repaired.

When Consumer Reports tested the television sets, our engineers didn't encounter any safety problems. See our Ratings of plasma TVs (available to subscribers.)

What to do

Once you've determined your set is involved, turn off the Ambilight feature using the "Ambilight On/Off key on the remote and contact Philips at 888-744-5477. When you call, you will be prompted to say or enter a "Priority PIN" number. At the prompt, enter the digits 4445, and you'll be connected with a live representative, who will arrange for free in-home repairs.

The representative will also be able to answer other questions about the recall.

jes1955

04-04-06, 09:42 PM

Hi all, I've read through this whole thread (yesterday) and now can't find the pages on wall mounts and what works and what doesn't. :( I have the 50PF9630a/37

I want to get the unit as close as possilbe to the wall and have no need to tilt or swivel. Does the VLMP2S work? I think this mount is only 1 1/4" from the wall, but I remember reading about not using the mounting spacers, using the table stand holes, all sorts of different configurations, etc.

Thanks for all the info in this thread. :)

The Omnimount UT3 tilt mount works very nice. I know it is a tilt mount, but it gets the TV pretty close to the wall. Not many mounts work very well with this TV. See this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=566931&page=3&pp=30) for some discussion on wall mounts.

Casey Jones

04-04-06, 10:29 PM

Hi all, I've read through this whole thread (yesterday) and now can't find the pages on wall mounts and what works and what doesn't. :( I have the 50PF9630a/37

I want to get the unit as close as possilbe to the wall and have no need to tilt or swivel. Does the VLMP2S work? I think this mount is only 1 1/4" from the wall, but I remember reading about not using the mounting spacers, using the table stand holes, all sorts of different configurations, etc.

Thanks for all the info in this thread. :)

The Omnimount U3 Tiltmount is only 2 5/8 inches off the wall, giving you some finger room for connections. :)

semi-noob

04-05-06, 11:27 AM

Thanks for the link and the advice guys. I still want to get it closer than 2 1/2" from the wall though. I'm not really worried about the connection space. If you have any other info let me know.

eee

markyoung04

04-09-06, 09:15 PM

At first I thought it was my 6412, but this time it was both HDMI ports. I paused the Masters for a few minutes and of course turned off my TV - 20 minutes later I came down, turned it back on and heard the Masters playing but and the screen went completely 100% GREEN, no stripes or bars, all green. So I switched to HDMI1 and put in a DVD same thing - both times when I turn the DVR or DVD player off and then on I get a brief glimpse of a nice pic then BLAH. The DVD gives a bunch of dark "stuff" but the HDMI2 input w/ my 6412 is all green. This happened last week I assumed it was the 6412 so I just let it go unplugged all night and never thought about again until earlier today. It is working again fine on both inputs - any thoughts? I my TV above my fireplace (we never use) and there is a big hole for a CRT 36" to fit so the venelation should be more than fine.....I don't think I heard audio via DVD but I know I heard it via Cable....any thoughts?

Quatre

04-10-06, 11:16 PM

this is a total noob question but I can't get a picture on my 42PF9630A using a Comcast HD DVR box.
I set HDMI 1 source to DSTB and PVR both I've tried, even Other, and I think Cable. There seems to be no way to just select HDMI 1 as the source, you have to do a stupid installation and let it find the channels which it doesn't, the bar just goes across and it never finds any channels.

Comcast has no clue. So this sucks, why doesn't the tv just let you view what you have plugged into the HDMI sournce? it doesn't need to autoprogram the channels the box does all the work. Please help. Am I doing something wrong.

Shouldn't I see it show a # after digital and analog channels found during that installation? the bar just goes across and no channels are found, i haven't let it go long because as i see the bar progress a little and no channels found i assume its not working and before when i let it run as it said it could take longer then half hour, i came back to the tv and it was off so i guess it just found no channels and tunred off

What is the AV+ button, i just have a select button at top whic lights up either CBL or Tv and has some other choices as well but nothing shows up when i'm on any of them

help

Quatre

04-10-06, 11:17 PM

50 pages on this thread maybe somehwere there was a post about setting up with comcast hd dvr box but there seems to be no way to search other then searching the whole forums which maybe this thread comes up but which page has a post about setting up 42PF9630A with comcast hd dvr box?

rolento76

04-10-06, 11:38 PM

Quatre

04-11-06, 01:04 AM

Scanning for channels only works with a coaxial (cable or antenna) connection directly into your TV. For your setup, make sure you are using an HDMI cable from your Comcast HD DVR to your TV through either HDMI1 or HDMI2. The buttons on top of your remote simply tell the remote which component to control if you did happen to program the remote. You use the AV+ button to change the input sources. Some cable boxes require additional settings such as resolution output and audio options.

The problem was I didn't know what the hell the AV+ button was as nothing is labeled that on the remote. If someone would have just said that it was the channel up button then I would have gotten it sooner.

Problem now is that from running that auto program thing which I though was usually just for coax cable directly but since I had no picture figured It was what I had to do, is that it now caused burn in of that menu screen.

I can see the menu of searching for channels and the writing Digital Channels found , Analog channels found burned into the screen on a black screen :(

Also worse yet I have a green line at the far right of the screen and its worse on some chans then others and also has a bit of black blank space there on the right as well next to the green vertical line as if the picture is moved to the left too much but there is no way to adjust picture centering.

I did notice on the comcast box when going through the diff inputs wiht box off and hitting menu to select resolution and such that when I chose 720P there is no green line down screen at far right. But it only shows in 720p on the HD chans so on non hd i have the green vertical line at far right.
sucks cause I dont think it had that at first but happened after the first 5 min or so of viewing.

This brings up a good question. What is the recommended resolution to set the stb to? 720p or 1080i for thie 42pf9630A? Comcast just tells you 1080i for every tv.

Will the green line go away? is there a way to fix? anyone else ever have this?

I guess I will have to have the online retailer send another and pick up this one and hope they dont give me a hard time unless i just get from local chain store and then return the one with green line. what a pain.

Also, as far as wall mounts go, what is everyone using? I was going to get this
http://www.niceelectronics.com/Electronics/discr14025.htm
but it just says PSWT and though that merchant says its the mount that everyone gets with the 42PF9630A but I saw at this website
http://common.csnstores.com/common/specsheet/pe_pswt.asp
it shows which model Peerless wall mount to get for which model tv and as you can see it shows PSWT PH50 for the 42PF9630A. They all start with PSWT so the fact that the niceelectronic page just says PSWT that doesn't tell me what mount it is but if they say its one that ppl get the the 42pf9630a then I guess it is the PH50 and/or at least works but i told them to make sure and either way i haven't received it yet, ugh

So anyway what wall mounts are ppl using? and do you think the PSWT (hopefully PH50) will work with this wall unit
http://store.ardinfurniture.com/Detail.bok?no=240&category=Entertainment%20Centers:Plasma%20Furniture
as can be seen in the picture it has a back panel to mount the plasma on but as we all know the 42pf9630a is very heavy for a 42in plasma at least so I hope that back panel will hold it and that the pswt (peerless brand) mount will work to mount the 43pf9630a on that wall units back panel.

any help/advice appreciated.

Quatre

04-11-06, 03:04 AM

what is the url to download the firmware upgrades I have a YA1A05... so i'm assuming that is 2005 and i prob have older firmware and hoping new will fix the green line probelm?

Quatre

04-11-06, 04:04 AM

ok i upgraded to the new firmware found on philips site and it got rid of the green vertical line at the far right of screen but I can see the screen is still off center to the left or at least there is a small blank area at the far right of screen.

does the service menu have a way to adjust/center screen position?

holy crap i left it on for a minute or 2 and I got crazy black screen of death and it kept clicking and even the ambilights flickered and some crap on screen and now i got slow flashing red light 5 times followed by 3 quick flashes frick!

what is this crap?!

Quatre

04-11-06, 04:24 AM

ok I found out you can use the round up/down/left/right round cursor thing in middle of controller to adjust picture, man that is probably how it got off center in the first place and there was no longer a green bar on the right side but now it was on the left if i adjusted picture too far to the right so i did it first notch with green bar on left out of site.

so that solves that but still leaves the black screen problem. strange that i didn't have it before the firmware upgrade and it did it again and said HD content compromised and some crap but after i reset cable box (unplugged) then the tv came back on and everything was working fine.

just seems like such a finnicky thing that i see myself having to unplug all the time etc. where is usually that is just the cable box that has problems sometimes.

so is black screen auto shutdowns and clicking on off sound , screen haywire symptoms something you should exchange it for? i would think but sounds like many do this, chances are a i get another one that does it?

tovmasta78

04-11-06, 10:43 AM

I had an issue creep up and was wondering if anyone had any insight. The other day I was connecting a sony dvd player to my 9630, so I switched my cable box over to HDMI, which worked fine. But then I went to connect the DVD player using the component input that the cable previously occupied, and was unable to get sound through the digital coaxial. I made sure the digital audio was on the correct input in the menu and everything. Then, when I tried to switch back to the cable box input, the picture was MUCH darker. I tried plugging the cable box back into component as it originally was but the picture was still very dark. My contrast and brightness levels had previously been around 42-45 and looked perfect that way. When I jacked the levels up to the mid-50's the picture looked normal again. I am less worried about getting sound out of my dvd player but I was wondering if anyone could explain this sudden drop in brightness??

cancelme

04-11-06, 12:43 PM

I bought the 9630A two weeks ago. the closed captioning works fine with analog cable channels. Last Sunday, i set up the TV connected with Comcast HDTV box. the picture is good. but i can't get the closed captioning even I have turned on the captioning in my TV. I don't know why. the signal goes through from Box to TV using Component Video cables.

I also didn't find the option on the hdtv box(scientific Altlanta) to provide the captioning function.

Any suggestions, please.

markyoung04

04-11-06, 09:34 PM

Quatre

04-12-06, 02:01 AM

yeah sorry about that, i was flipping out. everything seems to work ok except for the black screen attack and flashing red led that couple times which was ironically after I did the firmware upgrade, but it didn't do it when I turned it on this morn and early evening so maybe its done? and I dont think i should downgrade the firmware. I did get some solid green screens as well that some mentioned.

Considering i had only a comcast moto hd dvr stb box hooked to tv via hdmi and nothing else and it was doing all that I'm thinking I should try my luck with a new unit in exchange. the next one couldn't be any worse.

Once it has the black screen problem does it mean that is one of the defective sets? Will it go away or if the set is brand new and doing black screen, is your best bet to exchange for a new one while you still can? Co

Please advise.

Also the HDCP thing is annoying. and thats the only thing that happened this evening I forgot and I can usually get it to go away by doing something like typing in an hd chan. Does this set maybe have the same problem as my other older plasma where if you turn it off the tv on an hd chan and then later when you turn it on and the cable box starts on channel 8 you get the problem? I'll have to test that theory.

Philips website just says this about the HDCP error:

Question
I get the message “HDCP Not Supported”.

Answer

This could happen if your cable company uses Motorola or Pace brand cable boxes.

* Turn off the tv and the cable box.
* Then turn tv back on.
* Select the HDMI source by pressing the AV+ on the remote.
* Turn the cable box on.

If this does not work you will need to return the box to the cable company. They will either need to give you one that is from another manufacturer or disable the HDCP for that box

which sucks because comcast only uses Moto boxes as far as I know and I dont know if they can disable HDCP on the box. I'll have to ask though if this really would make things work better and not get the HDCP error blue screen. I wonder if its something comcast can walk you through to do yourself on the box?

plus if its just Moto and pace boxes then hopefully Comcast will get the tivo made boxes soon and it wont be a problem at all anymore.