can some one please tell me how to roll back the firmware to older ones, i installed the new ones

Is the newer one causing you problems? What's happening ?

Thanks, Zheld.....

Do you find any specific screen formats and any of the pre-set color/contrast settings useful for particular viewing?

I know most people said they liked the AUTOMATICE feature -- is that a good, all-purpose feature regardlss of whether you're watchign SD, HDTV, or DVD's ?

What about any presets for things like CINEMA, SPORT, etc -- not sure if they can be altered, but with a few already programmed, did you find any particularly useful for one kind of viewing as opposed to another (movies, sports, news channels, etc) ?


I'm not an expert on picture calibration settings, but right now my Personal settings are Contrast 58, Brightness 53, Color 69, and Sharpness 4. I just recently adjusted the settings from lower numbers now that I've logged about 200 of my own hours on the set. I just noticed that the Rich and Mulitmedia picture modes have the same settings: Cont 84, B 40, Col 62 and Sharpness 4, while the Natural and Eco modes both have settings of Cont 63, B 40, Col 51 and Sharpness 3. Soft mode has settings of Cont 74, B 40, Color 55, and Sharpness 2. The Rich and Mulitmedia modes make the picture pretty sharp, but I wonder if the Contrast setting is too high to run on a regular basis.


As far as the automatic mode, it is cool, but when you first see it, you'll think you've lost your mind, as you actually see the set scaling the picture to fill the screen. When I first saw it, I thought one of the camera operators on the show I was watching was whacked out on crystal meth. I didn't realize it was the set doing the scaling of the picture until a few hours later.

I usually use Automatic mode, but there may be times when you want to disable it, especially if you watch a lot of 4:3 shows. A lot of people cringe at the thought of stretching 4:3 shows into a 16:9 AR, but for most shows, it doesn't bother me too much. It's easy to change modes if you want though. Simply press the blue button on the remote and the picture mode screen pops right up. Each time you press the button, it switches to a different mode.

Also, sometimes the Automatic mode gets confused. I've seen this happen most often during credits of shows displayed on a black background. Sometimes the set will scale the text to gigantic size. This also happens sometimes during commercials on HD stations, as some commercials are still shot in 4:3 and shown on HD channels, and sometimes the set gets a little puzzled switching back and forth quickly from 16:9 to 4:3. However, about 85% of the time, the Automatic mode is great.

FWIW: The Philips outlet store models are not used. If you remember, not too long there was a national recall on thePhilips units for wiring issues in the amib-light device (not at all connected with the display electronics).

Anyway, Philips had to repair the unshipped units and consequently couldnt sellthem as NEW. Thats why the abundance and low price of the units on their website.

BTW..... I recently bought a 32PF7421D/37 LCD and was just completely amazed at the options and quality of the device. The stunning shell blends in with the Pottery Barn atmosphere that my wife was so worried I'd ruin in her home and the picture, even the HD thru unencrypted straight cable was impressive.

Needless to say, I ordered to 50PF9731/37 as well and just received it a couple days ago. Breathtaking. It really is a step above my Panny Vierra that I so cherished.

Ambilight? I really thought it was a gimmick until I watched a few movies with it doing its thing. It truly enhances the picture experience and decreases fatigue of the eyes that you'd get with the 2hr flicks.

Is the newer one causing you problems? What's happening ?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

thin green line shows up after playing 10 -15 min, not sure the firmware update caused it
just to make i am trying to roll back

No, sorry if I was confusing in the post. I meant to say I love the 32PF7421D/37 that I bought for the bedroom so much that I bought ANOTHER Philips plasma for a different room (the 50PF9731/37). I am extremely pleased with both devices.

As a result of my new toys, I have one lucky 2 year old who will get a 42 in Panny in his playroom to make room for daddy's new 50in.!

Hey, for those interested, I finally copied my highlighted posts from all 67 pages of the Philips 9630/9631 threads. So far, it's about 17 pages in Word :eek: :eek: But considering that the 67 pages of threads on the Philips' models is probably over 100, it's alot easier to navigate for helpful tips.

Anyway, I'm going to go through it and eliminate posts that don't make sense, rambling thoughts, incoherent posts that made sense when I read it but don't now, etc.

That should shorten it a bit further. There are useful tips, links, suggestions, warnings etc, all sprinkled througout the rest of the pages. I'll try and keep it to those items only.

Again, give me a few more days to cull the stuff and if you haven't done so, private post me and I'll shoot it over to you. It's good we have AVS and this thread but having 15 months of posts highlighted and synthesized might help some of us, especially newbies. :)

Can somebody with the newer 9631 series post their feature codes in the forum? Curious what they have moved around. Just do the 123654 and jot down the digits. Thanks!

How quickly do they ship ?

And why does their component cables have 5 strands/connections instead of 3 ???

http://www.shopjavaco.com/page/shopjavaco/PROD/Audio_Video/RCA-5AV-PWRG

I was looking at that one, looks to be the premium one of their component (would also probably get their 6' HDMI).

Just got to read the board, been on a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean. :) They ship the cables by USPS. They've shipped almost immediately I've gotten them within a week.

Just got to read the board, been on a 9 day cruise to the Caribbean. :) They ship the cables by USPS. They've shipped almost immediately I've gotten them within a week.

Thanks, Anglico, I got mine in time for the 9631....only thing is I didn't have the STB at the time and it's DVI which means I have to hope I can get a DVI adaptor at Wal-Mart or CC or CompUSA or I place another order with them. I may also get more of the short cables -- got 1 set of big ones for future use when I thought a new locations might need them, but unwieldly to use them now when 6' is plenty.

Can somebody with the newer 9631 series post their feature codes in the forum? Curious what they have moved around. Just do the 123654 and jot down the digits. Thanks!

Umm....I would do this if you can tell me it won't screw anything up....I've used my new Philips for only about 12 hours and if you goto the 9631 thread you'll see even connecting a DVD was a chore and confusing. So I'm a bit cautious...and nervous. ;)

Just hit the numbers and then what? How do I leave that menu or on-screen thing? It won't put "AV1" or "HDMI" and leave it on the screen, will it? I thought I read something like that with regards to on-screen something-or-other.

Has any brave soul looked into the service menu?

I have a newer model and just wanted to compare the whitepoint and offset settings to this model. The green-blue offset definitely seems higher than it should.

As a result, things seem a tad green on the new tv, but I've heard no such complaints on this set.

Thanks,

Yerp

Umm....I would do this if you can tell me it won't screw anything up....I've used my new Philips for only about 12 hours and if you goto the 9631 thread you'll see even connecting a DVD was a chore and confusing. So I'm a bit cautious...and nervous. ;)

Just hit the numbers and then what? How do I leave that menu or on-screen thing? It won't put "AV1" or "HDMI" and leave it on the screen, will it? I thought I read something like that with regards to on-screen something-or-other.

I have noticed the numbers leave the screen quicker now with the latest firmware release.

Can somebody with the newer 9631 series post their feature codes in the forum? Curious what they have moved around. Just do the 123654 and jot down the digits. Thanks!

Well I got this, if I'm wrong or there's more that I missed, tell me what to do to get back to the TV. This time I hit MENU to exit and then used FORMAT to go back to AV1 (my STB).

SW VERSION.....BJ24U-1.4.0.0_02671

SBY Processor Version.....001.008.001.014

Set Type -- 9631 model number

Production Code -- nothing there

Code 1......000

Code 2.....0000


Did I find what you needed ??

Black Screen: Today, I had the TV go off twice a few hours apart; power button styed ON, screen went off but then came back within 5-7 seconds each time.

I presume I experienced the dreaded BS that has been oft-cited here, as opposed to some cable/channel glitch (happened on 2 different channels)? How long does the BS stay there and what's the solution to getting the TV back on?

Have we DEFINITIVELY isolated the cause of this problem in the 9630/9631 Philips models and/or come up with a solution ?

Good News.....I finished with the Summary of AVS Philips 9630/31 posts/tips/helpful hints etc. :) It's about 14 pages in Word, organized by category.

I'm just gonna wait for responses to some of my posts and others in the last week on this thread and the 9631 thread so I can include them, and then anybody who PM'd me will get it via e-mail. Look for it over the weekend.

what is the difference between the new 42pf9631 and the older 42pf9630. It just looks like its a different casing and doesnt' have the speakers on the side. I see the 9631 advertised in Best Buy circular and doesn't show lights above and below only on the sides like the old one so what are the differences besides the casing?

what is the difference between the new 42pf9631 and the older 42pf9630. It just looks like its a different casing and doesnt' have the speakers on the side. I see the 9631 advertised in Best Buy circular and doesn't show lights above and below only on the sides like the old one so what are the differences besides the casing?

Very slight differences...go to the 1st post on the 9631 thread for a quick summary of the changes, upgrades, downgrades, sidegrades, etc.

Only the larger LCD's have 4-sided Ambilight, I don't believe any of the plasmas do. Both 9630 and 9631 are 2-sided Ambilight.

Great set, can't go wrong either way. :)

what are the model #'s of the larger lcds with 4 sided ambilight?

what are the model #'s of the larger lcds with 4 sided ambilight?

Don't know, fewer people here have those models but goto the Philips website for more info.

I like Ambilight too, but wouldn't get an LCD just for that reason (to get 4-sided). JMHO.

i guess right now its just the 42pf9831d LCD model with 4 sided ambiight and its mostly out in the uk and not in the us quite yet though some online retailers seem to have it.

Can anyone with a 9630 recommend any stores or links that have options for stands for my 42" 9631? Right now, it's on a stand 35" tall. :)

I usually sit in a couch 18" tall which means straight-ahead eye level is 35"- 42" for most people sitting down. With the new stand, the 9631 is 33" tall and the TV glass begins at 8" from the base.

I would ideally like something either wood (with draws) or maybe a transparent glass/lucite stand, with room for other components and maybe some TV manuals.

Thanks !

reasonably priced with a decent look-


Z-Line Designs TV Stand (23541S


It's sold at CC and some other places.

I own a 42PF9630A TV since Mar 2006. Since the release of the latest firmware, I have had NO problems with anything resembling the black screen (BS) issue anymore. :) However, I am still trying to figure out how to reduce the pixelization/solarization that I sometimes get with dark and/or blue (such as underwater) scenes. I can adjust the brightness (from 50% up to 60% or 65%) and that will reduce the pixelization/solarization effects. But, this will also slightly increase the video noise and compromise the black levels of this TV making them more grayish. On other threads for other plasma TV's, I've seen hints at adjustments in the service menu to alleviate this problem. Does anyone know if there is a setting in the service menu(s) of the Philips 42PF9630A that might reduce or eliminate the pixelization/solarization when viewing dark and/or blue scenes ???????????

Nope...go back to the menu and hit the paddle down key (I think *grin*) to flip to the next page. I can't remember what page it's on, but it'll have several groupings of numbers. They are the same numbers that are printed on the sticker on the outside of your box and outside of your TV that identify what features/model/etc. it is. No, this will not mess up your TV, it is the diagnostics page that the Philip's tech will have you go into to get your SN if your TV is mounted on the wall.

Well I got this, if I'm wrong or there's more that I missed, tell me what to do to get back to the TV. This time I hit MENU to exit and then used FORMAT to go back to AV1 (my STB).

SW VERSION.....BJ24U-1.4.0.0_02671

SBY Processor Version.....001.008.001.014

Set Type -- 9631 model number

Production Code -- nothing there

Code 1......000

Code 2.....0000


Did I find what you needed ??

Ybarra, I don't get it, if I hit MENU and then go down, I'm at the SETTINGS page with TV, SETUP, etc. :confused:

The Tips/Helpful Hints Summary Sheet is all finished....I just want to get some answers to these questions to wrap it up. Once I get them, I'll incorporate them into the Summary Sheet and e-mail it to all who gave me their email.

(1) OK to watch shows with bars on the side during the break-in period ? I'm talking about smaller bars (usually on top/bottom) from DVD's; 4:3 shows that you don't want to stretch, etc. (This includes shows that your STB box can stretch if you change the output setting, like ESPN-HD, but that AUTOMATIC doesn't stretch).

(2) Why am I hearing alot more static in my portable radio when the TV is on than I did before when I had a CRT ?

(3) My TV takes about 5 seconds from the time I click ON to seeing a picture -- normal ?

(4) Logos -- if you switch the channel for a few seconds/minutes every 20-40 minutes, is that usually good enough to prevent 'logo burn-in' ?? Are the logos and stock-ticker lines a problem mostly when you leave it on for hours on end without changing the channel (assuming the channel doesn't get rid of the ticker or logos)?

(5) Any reason why Super Zoom seems to 'fit' CNBC better than AUTOMATIC (the top ticker bar is too high and partially off the screen).

(6) I hear a buzzing/crackling noise when I go behind the TV and it's on (much much more quieter when it's off) -- is that normal ??

The Tips/Helpful Hints Summary Sheet is all finished....I just want to get some answers to these questions to wrap it up. Once I get them, I'll incorporate them into the Summary Sheet and e-mail it to all who gave me their email.

(1) OK to watch shows with bars on the side during the break-in period ? I'm talking about smaller bars (usually on top/bottom) from DVD's; 4:3 shows that you don't want to stretch, etc. (This includes shows that your STB box can stretch if you change the output setting, like ESPN-HD, but that AUTOMATIC doesn't stretch).

(2) Why am I hearing alot more static in my portable radio when the TV is on than I did before when I had a CRT ?

(3) My TV takes about 5 seconds from the time I click ON to seeing a picture -- normal ?

(4) Logos -- if you switch the channel for a few seconds/minutes every 20-40 minutes, is that usually good enough to prevent 'logo burn-in' ?? Are the logos and stock-ticker lines a problem mostly when you leave it on for hours on end without changing the channel (assuming the channel doesn't get rid of the ticker or logos)?

(5) Any reason why Super Zoom seems to 'fit' CNBC better than AUTOMATIC (the top ticker bar is too high and partially off the screen).

(6) I hear a buzzing/crackling noise when I go behind the TV and it's on (much much more quieter when it's off) -- is that normal ??

1 The dark bars are not much of a problem. You might see s residual image, but watching a few other channels for a few minutes will erase the ghost image.

2 ???

3 Yes, mine takes 10 to 15 seconds to turn on.

4 Logos that are transparent are fine. It is the solid logos you are looking for, and the stock tickers. Haven't seen any problems here, but I usually don't watch many of those channels.

5 ???

6 don't know what normal is, but of course it will be quieter turned off. :)

The only image burn in I would fear is the PIP set to split screen. That bright yellow box can cause problems. I would play on the PS2 and watch TV, since you can't turn off the box (only switch it from left to right) I have a line burned down the center of my screen. It is bright images, not dark, that is more likeley to cause burn in. Small PIP is fine, because you can select the main image, and the bright yellow box turns light grey.

Mainly for the first 100 hours, be careful, but never leave the image on for hours on a DVD menu screen, or a video game. Take a break every hour or so. Your TV, eyes, and family will appreciate it.

Been a while since hitting the fora here, and it's been roughly 8 months of ownership.

Still an impressive TV, IMO.

Took a week+ vacation and let the neighbor-friend house sit (ok, TV-sit, it's all good) and he got a new roomie who got back from Iraq.

Was funny when they told me he (new roomie) had never seen the Spiderman 1 and/or 2 movies, and what happened to be laying right by the dvd player/tv...yup. I was laughing pretty good among the words "motionless", "captivated", "drool-inducing", and "WOW/OMG". Kung-fu Hustle (16x9, IIRC) and a few others were played, also. Even one of the SO's/GF who's not into electronic stuff, said she thought the TV was gorgeous.

Back on topic/the questions at hand:

4:3 movies really start to annoy/vex me after a while, and I've not yet found a decent solution to scale them up to a decent height on screen, while only losing the sides of the images.
There only seems to be the various zoom/scaling which never looks right.
Anyone found a manual setting, or trick or DIY way to tweak things? (like the avia setup/alignment sort of thing, only for movies?)

The second one has confuzzled me to no end as to "why" it came about, and I hope someone could shed some light on this particular glitch:
Got a computer in the room, hooked to the HDMI(2) via a DVI to HDMI cable.
Computer has a Radeon 9800pro in it, and initially the Screen resolution was set to 1024x768 and worked very well for a long time as long as the TV was on first (no big deal).
I'm fairly sure that after a firmware update to the TV that took care of some of the longish
channel-switching delays and av/input/output switching delays/corruption (I'd seen both on occasion).
The problem with switching corruption/delays went away to be replaced by the display not showing an image if the card is set to anything over 800x600, and frequently the video card will set itself to 720x480(?) even if left at a higher/lower res.

These odd behaviours point to both the TV and Vid card, but I've wondered if anyone else has seen this, and knows how to fix it?

Been a while since hitting the fora here, and it's been roughly 8 months of ownership.

Still an impressive TV, IMO.

Took a week+ vacation and let the neighbor-friend house sit (ok, TV-sit, it's all good) and he got a new roomie who got back from Iraq.

Was funny when they told me he (new roomie) had never seen the Spiderman 1 and/or 2 movies, and what happened to be laying right by the dvd player/tv...yup. I was laughing pretty good among the words "motionless", "captivated", "drool-inducing", and "WOW/OMG". Kung-fu Hustle (16x9, IIRC) and a few others were played, also. Even one of the SO's/GF who's not into electronic stuff, said she thought the TV was gorgeous.

Back on topic/the questions at hand:

4:3 movies really start to annoy/vex me after a while, and I've not yet found a decent solution to scale them up to a decent height on screen, while only losing the sides of the images.
There only seems to be the various zoom/scaling which never looks right.
Anyone found a manual setting, or trick or DIY way to tweak things? (like the avia setup/alignment sort of thing, only for movies?)

The second one has confuzzled me to no end as to "why" it came about, and I hope someone could shed some light on this particular glitch:
Got a computer in the room, hooked to the HDMI(2) via a DVI to HDMI cable.
Computer has a Radeon 9800pro in it, and initially the Screen resolution was set to 1024x768 and worked very well for a long time as long as the TV was on first (no big deal).
I'm fairly sure that after a firmware update to the TV that took care of some of the longish
channel-switching delays and av/input/output switching delays/corruption (I'd seen both on occasion).
The problem with switching corruption/delays went away to be replaced by the display not showing an image if the card is set to anything over 800x600, and frequently the video card will set itself to 720x480(?) even if left at a higher/lower res.

These odd behaviours point to both the TV and Vid card, but I've wondered if anyone else has seen this, and knows how to fix it?

BEST SOLUTION:

Get a regular monitor for the computer...and use the TV for television only!

Ybarra, I don't get it, if I hit MENU and then go down, I'm at the SETTINGS page with TV, SETUP, etc. :confused:


push 123654 and it will bring up the customer service window. Then use the paddle up/down buttons to flip between pages. To exit, just push the menu button.

I got my television fixed about three weeks ago. They replaced the main signal board again. Now I am able to use the USB port again to upgrade the firmware. They had already installed the latest firmware so I didn't need to do it myself, but I did verify that I could access the USB memory card to recognize the firmware file as well as view photos.

The problem with the blurry screen went away with the firmware upgrade, as I had expected, since this is the second time I've had the main signal board replaced. Occasionally whe I turned the TV on, there picture quality would be poor and off-center, with dark lines running across horizontally and if you let it stay that way for a while you would get horizontal interference bars running up and down across the screen. Before the firmware upgrade the only thing you could do was turn the TV off and wait a few minutes, and then turn it back on. Usually that works. I had this problem before and it apparently was fixed with the firmware upgrade.

Two things I noticed that didn't get fixed, which are of little consequence to me, but as still puzzling are:

1. The preset color settings and color temperature options cause the colors to be way off. The warm color temperature setting made the picture blue and the cold color temperature setting made the picture red. The other preset color options are way off too, either being orange/brown or blue/green. I use the personal setting which provides an excellent picture and since I don't plan on changing the settings since I am happy with the picture quality.

2. I have a DVD player connected via HDMI1 but I can view the picture when the TV is set to both HDMI1 and HDMI2. I don't believe this is normal. Not really an issue until I get a second HDMI device to connect, then I'll see if there is a problem.

I have had two distinct problems since the repair. Once, the television's relays clicked a couple of times and the TV turned itself off while I was watching it. It is connected to a surge protector, but it hasn't happened since so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've already had the power supply replaced the first time this unit was repaired.

The second problem has happened more than once, although I don't know if I should blame it on the TV or the cable box/signal feed. On 2-3 occassions I have either lost the picture (black screen) and still had audio, or lost both while the TV was still on. The first time I this happened, I changed the channel thinking maybe the problem was with the channel I was watching. It made no difference. I turned the TV off and then back on and everything started working again. Another time I lost both video and audio and again changing the channel did nothing, but this time I just waited and both came back. Again, I don't know if the TV did it or the cable box (Scientific Atlanta HD3245, I think) was the culprit.

I occasionally had this behavior when I first got the TV and ended up replacing the cable box twice (it was overheating the first time and had a defective video jack on the second) and my DVD player which was old and the component video output was going bad. After the repairs the first time around, I didn't have this problem anymore. Now that it has been repaired the second time, I get it again with about the same frequency as before.

Has anybody had audio/video dropouts since upgrading to the firmware on August 3? I am now out of manufacturer warranty but I bought a 1-year service plan from Philips and plan to use it frequently considering the history of this unit.

Hey all, it's been awhile since I've posted. I have owned the 50" model since December. I was one of those folks that would get the black screen of death, or BSOD. However, I have not experienced any black screens since I have updated to the latest firmware, (knocks on wood). This set continues to impress me. I don't know much about the new sets with pixel plus 3, but I'm happy with my "old" pixel plus 2.

I've had the 50 inch version of this set for about a month now and really only have one complaint, but it's a big one: I'm not sure what the technical term is for what I'm noticing but towards the light end of the color ramp (as objects on the screen get close to white), I notice distinctive tinges of both green and pink. This is especially bad when viewing pale skin in a brightly lit scene. I'm using HDMI and have already done most of the basic adjustments like turning the brightness and contrast down around 50.

I've put in both the Avia and the Essentials calibration DVDs and one particular test seems to illustrate the problem clearly: If I display the slide which is a smooth gradient from black to white, the whole ramp is perfectly gray except for about 15% of it towards the white end which turns from greenish to pinkish and then neutral again as it goes to complete white. I had a friend with the same set run this check as well and he's noticing the same thing, which makes me think this might be a modelwide issue.

Anyone else noticing this? I just can't seem to do anything in the service menu which will smooth this gradient out and/or elimiinate the pink and green tinges in light objects.

I tried to attach the HDMI today and got a picture after setting HDMI-1 on the SOURCE menu -- but I lost all sound.

Originally, I had component cables running from the STB to the AV1 video and audio jacks on the Philips. I unplugged the video cables and left the audio cables on both the STB and the Philips.

If HDMI-1 is highlighted in the menu for picture (SOURCE) purposes but the manual says to connect L-R audio in AV1, how do you get picture and sound together ??? :confused: :confused:

At least on the LCD version of this set you simply cannot use analog audio with the HDMI jack. Your only choice is digital audio over HDMI, or digital audio via the coaxial input (in the setup menus you can select which it will use).

Otherwise, if you have an A/V receiver, hook up analog audio through it.

At least on the LCD version of this set you simply cannot use analog audio with the HDMI jack. Your only choice is digital audio over HDMI, or digital audio via the coaxial input (in the setup menus you can select which it will use). Otherwise, if you have an A/V receiver, hook up analog audio through it.

Makes sense, though that's not what the Philips manual says or implies. Maybe I have to re-read it.

I just re-attached things as they were...didn't want to miss the Manning Bowl ! :D

My Philips plasma looked a bit darker after watching the football games -- I am still using PERSONAL settings during my break-in (35 brightness, 37 contrast, 42 color). But the drop in brightness or contrast (not sure what) was noticeable -- and then, when watching it again about an hour after I first noticed the drop, the picture faded before my eyes in about 30 seconds. Looked like someone turned up the black/dark level like on a CRT TV to about 90%. I could barely make out the outline of a head and mouth on the TV set.

I went to the RICH and SOFT and other settings in the Philips and because they are brighter, the picture is alot easier to see. Whether they are as 'bright' as before the intitial drop I'm not sure. But if the TV has darkened while during the PERSONAL setting that can't be good, period.

I watched a few seconds using RICH and SOFT and then went back to PERSONAL. It looked a bit brighter -- still darkened relative to earlier in the day -- and then faded again to a much darker outline. :(

Suggestions ???

BEST SOLUTION:

Get a regular monitor for the computer...and use the TV for television only!

You likely would not say that if you saw how fantastic FlatOut looked on that screen.

Just found it odd that a F/W update to resolve video sync issues does just that, but creates other anomolies such as the 800x600 issue noted above.

You'd think it'd at least be able to use the native resolution.

Nope...go back to the menu and hit the paddle down key (I think *grin*) to flip to the next page. I can't remember what page it's on, but it'll have several groupings of numbers. They are the same numbers that are printed on the sticker on the outside of your box and outside of your TV that identify what features/model/etc. it is. No, this will not mess up your TV, it is the diagnostics page that the Philip's tech will have you go into to get your SN if your TV is mounted on the wall.

Sorry it took me a while, Ybarra, have had a problem with my Philips and contrast/brightness issues.

I see this on Service Menu Page 2 (I gave you #1, #2 and #5 have nothing):

Options 1.......02384 00013 01578 09475

Options 2.......00025 00000 16928 00000

Did I get it ??? :confused:

I entered 1-2-3-6-5-4 but I saw nothing about hours of use on the Philips plasma, just the service menus.

How do I bring up the hours in use? I'd like to know when I get to 100 and 200 hours, because maybe going to normal viewing settings will alleviate the crushed black/darkness problem I'm having.

Bigtvluvr,
Once you have the HDMI cable going directly to your tv, use the digital audio out of the tv to the digital audio in of your receiver. See if that work around solves your problem.

Sorry it took me a while, Ybarra, have had a problem with my Philips and contrast/brightness issues.

I see this on Service Menu Page 2 (I gave you #1, #2 and #5 have nothing):

Options 1.......02384 00013 01578 09475

Options 2.......00025 00000 16928 00000

Did I get it ??? :confused:

OK...got it. They moved the guide bits on yours, but it's not implemented yet in the older firmware so no luck. Everything else looks normal for the most part. Looks like your model has a new processor (Jaguar?) which is probably responsible for the Pixel Plus 3. To figure out how many hours you have on your display the code is:

0,6,2,5,9,6,info

It will give a warning (press red button I think). Do NOT change anything. You will find 2 numbers in the list of menus. One is a calculation of hours on + 30 minutes (I think) for every on/off cycle. The 2nd is the number of hours on the actual plasma display.

Bigtvluvr, Once you have the HDMI cable going directly to your tv, use the digital audio out of the tv to the digital audio in of your receiver. See if that work around solves your problem.

thanks, Mland....but don't I want to go IN to the TV with audio? And OUT from the cable STB ?? Did I read you right?

Right now, my DIGITAL AUDIO IN on the Philips is connected to my DVD player. I have a cable STB, DVD player, and VCR all connected. I'm not sure if attaching the HDMI makes the connections easier or not, but I was looking at 'splitting' the cable signal if I didn't degrade the performance (see my SPLITTER THREAD on this section).

(1)Cable STB is connected to the Philips via component (2)DVD Player uses components and Digital Audio all connected to Philips (3)VCR connects to STB via CABLE IN and then uses L/R and Video components (or composites) to the AV2 jacks.

BTW, I've been worrying about my 'black/contrast/brightening' problem so I put the HDMI cable and splitter and PIP problems off to the side.

Of course, since the contrast/blackness problem happened a few hours after I tried to use the HDMI cable, I figured it was me who screwed up. I unplugged the HDMI to the Philips but left the DVI/HDMI adaptor hooked up to the STB. When I noticed the blackness, I thought maybe the STB was trying to send signals through it even though it wasn't connected to the TV. :confused:

I'll report back.....

0,6,2,5,9,6,info

I'm watching TV on the set and hitting those numbers, but unlike the code to enter the SM's, it's not lettting me enter the '6' at the end....just 0...6...2..5..9 and that's it. :confused: :confused: Do I enter the 1-2-3-6-5-4 before those 6 numbers you gave me ???? :confused:

There's no INFO on my remote, although maybe you meant once I get inside the software.

Can someone give me -- step-by-step -- the things to do to get to the TV's Hours Of Use reading ???

Right now I have the TV on and am watching through the STB. Start from there.

Thanks! ;)

bigtvluvr:

I'm lost with your hookup. I thought you said you hooked up the cablebox to the plasma via hdmi and lost the sound to your stereo receiver.

bigtvluvr: I'm lost with your hookup. I thought you said you hooked up the cablebox to the plasma via hdmi and lost the sound to your stereo receiver.

I tried to attach my HDMI from the Philips to the SA4200 Explorer and got video but lost audio. So I disconnected.

Right now, my priority was in (1) figuring out how to access the 'Hours Of Use' on-screen thing, since entering the 6-digit code doesn't work while watching the TV (I get as far as 5 numbers and it stops). This is important because.....(2) I want to goto normal Picture Settings and make sure that the 'dark/crushed black' look I've had for a week with my break-in settings (35-contrast, 37-brightness, 42-color, 1-sharpness) is caused by the settings and the Active Control being on (now it's off) which caused the picture once or twice to darken (while watching SD) before my eyes. I thought I was suffering a loss of contrast or brightness but the AC in Medium or Maximum seems to perform that function.

I'll get back to HDMI over the weekend....maybe. :D

Mland, I don't use a receiver....all items being connected are: the Philips TV, VCR, DVD player, cable STB. That's it.

(1) Main cable goes into cable STB.....

(2) Cable OUT from STB to AV1 jacks on Philips using component cables. L/R Audio on Philips connected to Audio OUTs on STB.

(3) Digital Audio IN on Philips connected to Digital Audio OUT of Sony DVD player; components used for video connected to AV3.

(4) L/R Audio and 1 Video jack connected from VCR to AV2 Philips inputs.

How's that ?

I disconnected the AV1 components on the Philips (and I think on the STB) and connected the HDMI and HDMI+DVI adaptor to the Philips and STB, respectively. I am not sure what I tried on Audio here but it didn't work (I had to do an audio connection from the STB to the Philips because the STB was a DVI unit).

here are some of the differences I noticed between the 42PF9631D and the 42PF9630A:

UPGRADES FOR THE 42PF9631D:

-Stereo Ambilight is activated by default.

- The set is more energy efficient. (372W when powered vs. 426W for the 9630A).

- The set has Pixel Plus 3, which is supposedly an upgrade from Pixel Plus 2 in the 9630A.

-Included stand is redesigned, and appears to be of better quality.

SIDEGRADES FOR THE 42PF9631D (Things that are different, not necessarily better or worse) :

- Speakers are now located in one piece at the bottom of the display, as opposed to two separate side speakers on the 9630A.

- All connectors now appear to be located on the back of the TV, as opposed to the bottom HDMI and and analog video and audio out connectors on the 9630A.

- Remote is redesigned slightly from the 9630A remote.

DOWNGRADES FOR THE 42PF9631D:

- Speakers are downgraded to 12W per channel, down from 15W per channel on the 9630A.

- Media card reader has been eliminated.

- The set has only 1 USB slot, as opposed to the two on the 9630A.

- Cable card reader has been eliminated. (What were they thinking?!?)

- The set weighs 5 more pounds than the 9630A. (97 lbs. vs. 92lbs.)

Other than these few changes, the sets appear to be the same. Any other differences that people have noticed?


Interesting, I think I'm happy with the older 9630. I have stereo ambilight activated on my 9630 and I dont use the stand as its wall mounted. The slight more energy efficiency of the 9631 and pixel plus 3 over 2 is nice but not deal breaker.

Speakers being on the bottom is somewhat of an upgrade to me instead of a sidegrade as I could go up to the 50" probably and still have some room for the ambilights to reflect on the back panel of the piece of furniture i have it mounted on where as old 50" with speakers on side might not but... i guess for the 42 though having speakers on the side with the older 9630 makes it look wider. On the other hand the side grade of connectors on the back instead of bottom i think its a downgrade for me who otherwise with my wall mount setup might not be able to access the hdmi connection etc.

The downgrades the weaker speakers would be a definite deal breaker for me as the old ones are already a little on the low side and it bedroom we often just use those and dont bothe turning on the receiver especially since i dont have the rear surround speakers in position as i didn't want to bother trying to hide the wire so just have them angled out in front for simulated surround.

No media card slot on the 9631 kinda sucks because we often put camera mem cards in the tv to view. As well the higher weight is not good because the older 9630 was already heavy enough.

I think I'll keep my 42pf9630 and look into the larger lcd models with ambilight on all 4 sides.

Quatre, didn't you post that same message a few weeks ago? The differences were noted in the opening post on this thread by Casey. ;)

Did you have any questions ???

Huh, I'll be darned, had a sound drop-out this morning while watching the weather channel report on tropical storm #8 or so.

Went from studio (sound still on) and flipped over to Ms. Mitchell...and silence.

Channel'd up/down and all was well. Made me raise an eyebrow and mumble "WTF, c'mon don't do that".

Never had any BS issues (knock wood). Of course reading this thread, the only "issue" I had was not translating BS to mean "bull shirt" equivalent, but BlkScrn. Took about 5 pages. <chuckle>

Setup has been trouble free, considering the heat/humidity in Georgia over the summer and the house thermostat set for 80'ish and my son vegging out over the summer break (TV on for most of the day I'd wager).

Using the stand on top of a set of drawers 3' off the ground and and 1' away from the wall, and a ceiling fan in the center of the room (natch) is about 5ft away and kicks off a nice push of air.

Theatre'ish seating via couch and loveseat at 11' and 6 or 7', respectively.

Considering the usage over the summer I'm well past the break-in point with settings of B 48, C 43 or 45, S 47(?) thx to Avia/Serenity and lots of tweaking to satisfaction.

Found myself playing again while watching "Count of Monte Cristo" (SP?):
Chateau d'If scenes (low light) and the Confrontation in the Steam bath (steam/fog/haze).
Could some of the "muddiness" be from PP? DVD (samsung 5 disk HTIB 5.1 SS) over composite cables, and considering the source it seems that PP is negated/not needed (IIRC from other posts).

Opinions/exp from AVS?

no the differences are posted in the 9631 thread not this one and i posted that in tat thread not this one but felt it was more appropriate for this thread as its prefering the older 9630 over the newer 9631

Could some of the "muddiness" be from PP? DVD (samsung 5 disk HTIB 5.1 SS) over composite cables...

Opinions/exp from AVS?

Cables are cheap, some of the "muddiness" is because you are running a composite connection. Spend a few bucks and get a component cable.

Philips support told me that they will soon have a firmware upgrade that will provide an IR cleanser for the PF9630.

What's an "IR cleanser?"

Philips support told me that they will soon have a firmware upgrade that will provide an IR cleanser for the PF9630.

Hope it is also for the 9631 !! ;)

Two things:

(1) I need to access my hours of use on my 9631. This tip from the 9630 thread isn't working: "One thing when reading your hours of operation (code key: 1-2-3-6-5-4). 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." :confused:

If I'm watching the TV (through a STB), what do I do -- and in what order -- to get to the hours of use thing? I really need to access it so I can safely move out of my breakin settings. :confused:

(2) The Tip & Summary Sheet from the 9630/9631 threads is complete. If you want a copy (some of you have already gotten it), PM me. :)

...hours of use...1-2-3-6-5-4

This is wrong. The customer menu doesn't have the hours. You need the service menu.

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."

There are two hours numbers in the menu. "Operation hours" behaves as you described. Then "PDP hours" gives actual panel-on hours.

If I'm watching the TV (through a STB), what do I do -- and in what order -- to get to the hours of use thing? I really need to access it so I can safely move out of my breakin settings.

To access the service menu:
On the tv remote:
062596
INFO
red button

However, now I'm confused. It doesn't matter what you're watching when you access the menu. Also, to simply move out of break-in settings, you don't need any secret menu - just the regular picture menu you access directly from the menu button on your tv remote or the buttons on the tv.

Mike

What's an "IR cleanser?"

Image Retention...a special white screen to remove an image that might be retained. This will not correct burn-in. Thats another related problem.

To access the service menu:
On the tv remote:
062596
INFO
red button

I tried that (again?)....I get as far as "0-6-2-5-9" and then hit the "6" and it doesn't enter....????? :confused: :confused: Yes, the "6" on my remote works and I tried entering it from "TV" instead of AV1 and the same thing happened. Could the 9631 be different than the 9630 on this small item? Doesn't seem likely, but.....

However, now I'm confused. It doesn't matter what you're watching when you access the menu.

I thought as much, I wasn't sure if the TV had to be on TV or AV1 or whatever. Since it didn't work for me last time -- or this time -- I thought I'd just ask.

Also, to simply move out of break-in settings, you don't need any secret menu - just the regular picture menu you access directly from the menu button on your tv remote or the buttons on the tv.

Right, I just wanted to see about how many hours I've had the TV on for. I've got my settings very low compared to others --- 35/37/42/1 -- and having had the set about 2 weeks this Sunday would like to up the Personal settings or use one of the pre-sets and/or calibrate. Probably safe and probably close to 100 hours, just wanted to check using that code and have been stymied so far.

Cables are cheap, some of the "muddiness" is because you are running a composite connection. Spend a few bucks and get a component cable.

Whoops, sorry, meant component (the Y-RGB/3 digital cables), the one that is a "Step below" HDMI.

Wrong "C"-word.

Might have to dink with Avia again.

My tv is in for repair and my replacement part is on BACKORDER till god knows when. It's been 2 weeks and they say 20 business days until Customer care can escalate it to Customer Relations.

Does anyone have the direct number to Customer RELATIONS or another avenue I can pursue? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!!!!

Mland, I don't use a receiver....all items being connected are: the Philips TV, VCR, DVD player, cable STB. That's it.

(1) Main cable goes into cable STB.....

(2) Cable OUT from STB to AV1 jacks on Philips using component cables. L/R Audio on Philips connected to Audio OUTs on STB.

(3) Digital Audio IN on Philips connected to Digital Audio OUT of Sony DVD player; components used for video connected to AV3.

(4) L/R Audio and 1 Video jack connected from VCR to AV2 Philips inputs.

How's that ?

I disconnected the AV1 components on the Philips (and I think on the STB) and connected the HDMI and HDMI+DVI adaptor to the Philips and STB, respectively. I am not sure what I tried on Audio here but it didn't work (I had to do an audio connection from the STB to the Philips because the STB was a DVI unit).
Since you mentioned that you are trying to use HDMI with an SA4200, you may want to go into the cable box settings for audio and make sure it is still outputting via the audio cables you originally hooked up.

PIP Questions: I still haven't been able to get PIP working.

(1) Do you need to be using the Philips TV as an input ? Right now, CABLE IN goes directly to my STB. I'm not using the Philips TV setting (using AV1, AV2, etc). If this is the case, then I need to definitely split my signal.

(2) Depending on the answer to (1) above, does using an HDMI cable help? If this is irrelevant to getting PIP, let me know.

(3) Right now, I am using component cables and L/R & video jacks. I have a VCR (video and L/R jacks) and DVD and STB (component cables). Assuming the VCR and/or DVD have tuners, I'm not sure why PIP isn't coming on.

The manual has nothing about troubleshooing on PIP so I'm counting on you guys !! :D

You can only PIP with HDMI. I have my Motorola DCT6412 via HDMI, and a second coax feed into the sets tuner. I can PIP with this setup. If you don't have HDMI, you can't PIP. At least from what I've tried.

You can only PIP with HDMI. I have my Motorola DCT6412 via HDMI, and a second coax feed into the sets tuner. I can PIP with this setup. If you don't have HDMI, you can't PIP. At least from what I've tried.

Are you saying that irrespective of HDMI, you HAVE to be using the TV's tuner (makes sense to me, but want to nail this down)?

Or do you need to do HDMI AND use the TV Tuner ?

Can you describe all your connections? I have the cable going to the STB; components connecting the STB to the Philips; and a DVD player (components - AV3) and VCR (video jack and L/R audio jacks - AV2) connected to the Philips, too.

You can only PIP with HDMI. I have my Motorola DCT6412 via HDMI, and a second coax feed into the sets tuner. I can PIP with this setup. If you don't have HDMI, you can't PIP. At least from what I've tried.

Not true. I have no HDMI, and I can use PIP. I have the cable directly into the tv, and my PS2 in the side input. I can only get PIP to work if I am watching a digital station, not an analog station. That would probably be why HDMI works (digital). Just make sure that one of the images on the PIP is digital.

Not true. I have no HDMI, and I can use PIP. I have the cable directly into the tv, and my PS2 in the side input. I can only get PIP to work if I am watching a digital station, not an analog station. That would probably be why HDMI works (digital). Just make sure that one of the images on the PIP is digital.

Makes sense, but since I must use the STB for HDTV and scrambled stations and digital stations, I am going to have to split my signal. :confused:

Hopefully, won't lose too much signal strength.

Not true. I have no HDMI, and I can use PIP. I have the cable directly into the tv, and my PS2 in the side input. I can only get PIP to work if I am watching a digital station, not an analog station. That would probably be why HDMI works (digital). Just make sure that one of the images on the PIP is digital.


Have you experienced any burn-in issues with the PS2 hooked up to your 42PF9630A?

Right now I am using L/R audio cables to my SA4200 STB and they connect to AV1 (video is through components).

If I connect an HDMI using the DVI adaptor, do I need to use the DIGITAL AUDIO OUT jack on the STB ?

Last time I tried to use the HDMI, I got no sound. :(

Right now I am using L/R audio cables to my SA4200 STB and they connect to AV1 (video is through components).

If I connect an HDMI using the DVI adaptor, do I need to use the DIGITAL AUDIO OUT jack on the STB ?

Last time I tried to use the HDMI, I got no sound. :(
Yes. Make sure you designate on the SA4200 settings that the audio goes out via Digital Audio Out and not HDMI.

Yes. Make sure you designate on the SA4200 settings that the audio goes out via Digital Audio Out and not HDMI.

The only Setting I see is to choose DOLBY DIGITAL or OTHER (there wouldn't be an HDMI choice since it's a DVI-box).

Right now, it's on Dolby Digital and I'm using the L/R jacks next to the component video jacks on the STB and these all run up to AV1 on the TV.

Should I switch it to OTHER ?? And where do I hook up the other end of a digital audio cable to if I use the DIGITAL OUT jack on the STB ?

Have you experienced any burn-in issues with the PS2 hooked up to your 42PF9630A?

Not from the PS2 itself. There may be some ghosting from the score or status bars never moving, but watching some regular TV makes that go away quickly. My only burn in issues was with the PIP bright yellow box on the side by side mode of the PIP. Since you can't turn the bright lines off, just move them from one side to the other, the line down the middle burned in after a few hours. After about 6 months of regular viewing, I can not really detect the burn in all that much anymore, but If I look for it I can see it on dark scenes. I think I caught it before it got too bad, but it is really annoying that Phillips would put such a bright line around the PIP box.

The small PIP mode should work fine because when the large image is the "focus" image, the bright yellow line is not there. There is a light grey line around the small PIP image, and that does not seem to be a problem.

Question, I Just orderd the SA 8300HD DVR to go with my Philips, does anyone experience the HDCP error message that I get with my Pace 550P box when connected thru HDMI??? Or was this only because of the older STB's? Or is it this specific tv? Any input would be appreciated thanx.

(1) PIP: Yes, you have to be careful. Sometimes the borders on the small PIP box are highlighted blue. Can you shrink the size of the PIP box, BTW ??

(2) HDMI & 8300: Yes, someone answer that question....I have a 4200 and am waiting for Cablevision to get 8300's so I can use the damn HDMI. No room to use HDMI/DVI and have room for digital audio.

(3) I split my cable signal and now have a separate line going right into my Philips -- but the channels are much darker than those through the STB (ironically, the sound seems a bit louder/stronger). Anyone else experienced this?

And the channels -- after loading the first 65 or so normally, the higher-channel and digital channels are given numbers like "81.164", "101.16" -- what gives ?? Why is it creating numbers like that for digital signals ???

Re: SA8300HD box.

I have that from Cablevision. Absolutely no problems. Never have seen that HDCP error.

bigtvluvr - I've always received cablevision's regular numbering, the HD are in the 700's. Channel 2 is 702 in HD.. Is that using the TV's tuner? I've never used it so i can't comment on that.

Anglico thanx for the reply hopefully when he comes and installs on thursday it will be nice and smooth.

I have an SA8300 box through Cablevision as well. It works fine with HDMI in this set, although for some reason CBSHD displays gray bars in non-primetime programming that sometimes prevent the set from scaling the picture to the full screen. No other problems though, although I'm not crazy about the box itself.

As far as the wacky numbers for digital channels, I know there's a technical explanation for why they're numbered that way, but I'm not well-versed enough in the subject to explain why that is.

My 9630 is now passed the break-in period. What are good settings to use permanently for contrast and brightness?

My 9630 is now passed the break-in period. What are good settings to use permanently for contrast and brightness?


I think you will see a lot of us have tottaly different settings, Id reccomend getting Avia, or some other from of calibration DVD, I think room atmosphere, lighting, placement, will all factor into everyone having different settings. Off the top of my head though, I think my contrast may be 65, color around 50 or so and brightness up aroudn 65 as well, sharpness 4, tint -1... I wouldnt take my word for it since Im not near the tv.

Wow, I'd always wondered what I was at hour-wise after my son's summer of vegitation '06 tour of the couch.

As of a couple of days ago, 1733hrs...wow, just wow. Now I don't feel guilty about knocking up the brightness a couple of notches to 50 or 52.

I'd also thought "damn the torpedos" and enabled Stereo Ambilight. Niiiiice.

Have you experienced any burn-in issues with the PS2 hooked up to your 42PF9630A?

No game console here, but do have PC hooked up as gaming station to play FlatOut.
It has some static dials and such, even left it paused for several minutes with no ill effects. Looks fantastic on screen, played for hours, as has the boy and the neighbor's son. I will say that on such a screen, going into full screen is...beautiful, but dizzying. Oye.

Been a while since going thru this thread, but does the TV have discreet codes or direct codes for input selection? Got a harmony800 and the menu drift from interruptions (dog, kid, my own less-than-slender frame) gets annoying

Wow, I'd always wondered what I was at hour-wise after my son's summer of vegitation '06 tour of the couch.

LOL very nice desription!

I use 50 contrast, 58 brightness, and 40 color. I hate "radioactive red" in my tv picture, so I always tend to keep my color setting low. Somehow it looks more "real world" to me. Red objects do not GLOW in the real world...

As far as the wacky numbers for digital channels, I know there's a technical explanation for why they're numbered that way, but I'm not well-versed enough in the subject to explain why that is.

Well, some are clearly HDTV channels -- the Philips tuner is giving me the NBC-HD channel I get through the STB on 704 but thru the TV tuner it's "101.704"

The thing is I have alot of 'dead' signals where the tuner found something but no picture is there. So if there's a way to DELETE these from the memory so I can UP/DOWN through the lineup alot quicker that would help.

The manual says nothing about deleting (or adding) channels via the TV's own tuner. I remember something about a signal strength filter but I'm not sure what I have mine on and if it's already not-accepting weak signals that isn't helping.

I think when I did the TV tuner autoprogram it found like 65 digital and maybe 300 analog channels (or vice-versa) and I would say only about 1/3rd are actually visible so I really want to delete the rest until there's something there (probably the companies activated the spectrum but aren't broadcasting).

I think the "strength filter" you refer to actually works like this:

If a channel is already programmed, but too weak to come in, you have two choices:
to either display the noisy signal that is being received or a black screen.

Mike

Well, some are clearly HDTV channels -- the Philips tuner is giving me the NBC-HD channel I get through the STB on 704 but thru the TV tuner it's "101.704"

The thing is I have alot of 'dead' signals where the tuner found something but no picture is there. So if there's a way to DELETE these from the memory so I can UP/DOWN through the lineup alot quicker that would help.

The manual says nothing about deleting (or adding) channels via the TV's own tuner. I remember something about a signal strength filter but I'm not sure what I have mine on and if it's already not-accepting weak signals that isn't helping.

I think when I did the TV tuner autoprogram it found like 65 digital and maybe 300 analog channels (or vice-versa) and I would say only about 1/3rd are actually visible so I really want to delete the rest until there's something there (probably the companies activated the spectrum but aren't broadcasting).

I did the same thing you did. I split the cable - one to my Cablevision SA8300HD and one directly for my tuner. I have those dead channels too and spent two hours removing them from the channel lineup. Yes, you can remove channels in the channel lineup but I will be able to recall once I get home. I believe it is in the same menu as the auto-program option.

Then I realized I have never used the direct connection to the TV (I thought I would in case the 8300 was busy recording two shows and I wanted to watch a third live show).

I am gearing up to get my hands on a TiVo series 3 so I can get rid of the 8300. I hope it plays well with the Philips TV.

Well, some are clearly HDTV channels -- the Philips tuner is giving me the NBC-HD channel I get through the STB on 704 but thru the TV tuner it's "101.704"

The thing is I have alot of 'dead' signals where the tuner found something but no picture is there. So if there's a way to DELETE these from the memory so I can UP/DOWN through the lineup alot quicker that would help.

The manual says nothing about deleting (or adding) channels via the TV's own tuner. I remember something about a signal strength filter but I'm not sure what I have mine on and if it's already not-accepting weak signals that isn't helping.

I think when I did the TV tuner autoprogram it found like 65 digital and maybe 300 analog channels (or vice-versa) and I would say only about 1/3rd are actually visible so I really want to delete the rest until there's something there (probably the companies activated the spectrum but aren't broadcasting).

Anything with a decimal is a digital station. Either HD or just digital. I had comcast, and got many channels, then Comcast decided to block many of them. You needed the set top box to unscramble them, so they just showed up as black screens. If you go to menu (at work, so no way to check where in there) you can turn off a channel. By doing that channel up and down will skip that channel, but you can still type it in to access that channel if you need, so you can remove rarely used choices, but still get to them by typing in the channel number itself.

Some of the black screens for me were PPV stations. I could watch whatever my neighbors were ordering on PPV, I just couldn't control it. Fast sorward, rewind, pause, end, I was at their mercy, but it definately was interesting to see what some of my neighbors choose to watch. I was surprised at how many people watched teletubbies and barny at almost midnight...

bigtvluvr,

Any chance you are the same person as corvette_kid1 in the Cablevision Yahoo Group? Corvette_kid1 has the same problem with dimmer picture, louder audio when splitting the cable before the TV.

Well, some are clearly HDTV channels -- the Philips tuner is giving me the NBC-HD channel I get through the STB on 704 but thru the TV tuner it's "101.704"

The thing is I have alot of 'dead' signals where the tuner found something but no picture is there. So if there's a way to DELETE these from the memory so I can UP/DOWN through the lineup alot quicker that would help.

The manual says nothing about deleting (or adding) channels via the TV's own tuner. I remember something about a signal strength filter but I'm not sure what I have mine on and if it's already not-accepting weak signals that isn't helping.

I think when I did the TV tuner autoprogram it found like 65 digital and maybe 300 analog channels (or vice-versa) and I would say only about 1/3rd are actually visible so I really want to delete the rest until there's something there (probably the companies activated the spectrum but aren't broadcasting).

DirecTV allows me to customize my channel selection so as to blocking what I call "dead" channels. Makes for must faster surfing!

For your information, I found a Philips posting on their website. It details a lot about their TV features . Although you have to read about 2/3 of the way through to get to the interesting stuff, it explains a lot of "what" the menu features (Pixel Plus, Dynamic contrast, Digital Noise Reduction, etc) do. It can be found here for Pixel Plus 2HD:

http://www.research.philips.com/password/archive/24/downloads/pp2-hd_backgrounder_europe-ap.pdf

or here for Pixel Plus 3HD:

http://www.press.ce.philips.com/apps/c_dir/e3379701.nsf/0/FD267EE47EE57091C125711F00434AA8/$File/PixelPlus3HD%20backgrounder.pdf

It all makes for interesting reading.

bigtvluvr, Any chance you are the same person as corvette_kid1 in the Cablevision Yahoo Group? Corvette_kid1 has the same problem with dimmer picture, louder audio when splitting the cable before the TV.

100% chance, yup, that's me ! :p

Taking advantage of multiple forums !! ;)

My major problem is the breakup of the picture...all the other glitches are minor. If I can't watch the playoffs next week, I'm gonna be p*****. :mad:

For your information, I found a Philips posting on their website. It details a lot about their TV features . Although you have to read about 2/3 of the way through to get to the interesting stuff, it explains a lot of "what" the menu features (Pixel Plus, Dynamic contrast, Digital Noise Reduction, etc) do. It can be found here for Pixel Plus 2HD:http://www.research.philips.com/password/archive/24/downloads/pp2-hd_backgrounder_europe-ap.pdf r here for Pixel Plus 3HD:
url]http://www.press.ce.philips.com/apps/c_dir/e3379701.nsf/0/FD267EE47EE57091C25711F00434AA8/$File/PixelPlus3HD%20backgrounder.pdf[/url]
It all makes for interesting reading.

Great, MORE reading !!!

I'm doing more reading for a television set than I did for WAR AND PEACE !! ;)

Seriousley, thanks for the posts.

Great, MORE reading !!!

I'm doing more reading for a television set than I did for WAR AND PEACE !! ;)

Seriousley, thanks for the posts.
A long time ago I never dreamed of having to ever update firmware for TVs or reboot when a TV freezes! (Though with the new firmware, I haven't had a BS since)

With every great advance comes a price. :D

PS I am JRA in the Cablevision forums. I don't post much there because of too much "in-fighting".

A long time ago I never dreamed of having to ever update firmware for TVs or reboot when a TV freezes! (Though with the new firmware, I haven't had a BS since) With every great advance comes a price.

I haven't done a firmware update since I got my 9631 earlier this month; is there a way to check how much updating I'll be adding? I read that some people rolled-back their updates because it caused more problems.

Also, have we deduced that the BS is caused by a firmware problem or is it a normal reaction to static/other buildup in the plasma? I've had it a few times; seems to happen every 2 days or so for about 10 seconds each time.

I haven't done a firmware update since I got my 9631 earlier this month; is there a way to check how much updating I'll be adding? I read that some people rolled-back their updates because it caused more problems.

Also, have we deduced that the BS is caused by a firmware problem or is it a normal reaction to static/other buildup in the plasma? I've had it a few times; seems to happen every 2 days or so for about 10 seconds each time.


I don't know about the "9631", but this latest firmware version BX23U-1.4.0.0_03081 update, released almost two months ago, seems to have solved the blackscreen (BS) issue for the 42PF9630A. The latest firmware addresses how the TV resets itself should a signal induced problem occur. I have had no more BS problems with my TV since installing this latest firmware and haven't seen any postings (i.e. complaints) on this "9630" thread about it in a long time. A buildup of static can cause the BS syndrome too, according to Philips' website. If your electrical outlet(s) and surge protector (if you are using one) are well grounded, then this should not be a problem.

I have been tinkering around with the TV signal processing feature settings (yes, ....again!) in the PICTURE portion of the 42PF9630 user menu. I'm trying to see if they will help minimize the solarization (or color banding) that I see in some of the programming on Comcast cable. My Comcast DCT6412-III box is connected to the TV via an HDMI cable. The signal processing features listed below don't appear to have much effect on the TV picture unless they are set to maximum:

Digital Processing: Pixel Plus
Dynamic Contrast: Maximum
Digital Noise Reduction: Maximum
Active Control: Maximum

Setting these features to maximum causes the picture to appear "dimmer" than if these features are set to medium, minimum, or off. I can get the picture back by moving the brightness and contrast from 50 and 65 upwards to about 55 and 70, respectively. Has anyone tried doing the Avia (or other) calibration with these signal processing settings at maximum to see what the corresponding brightness and contrast really need to be?

I think you're in for chasing your tail. Dynamic contrast and active control are just that: dynamic and active. They will change based on the picture content. I don't see how you can possibly calibrate like that.

Mike

I would like to add that I was one of those that would experience the black screen issue. However, I'm pleased to say that since I have upgraded to the latest firmware, almost 2 months ago, I have not experienced it. I know that earlier on in this thread, there was some who thought that some of us was only "imagining" that we were actually experiencing this. Some thought it was a power signal issue or static buildup or whatever. I'm just glad that Philips finally addressed the issue and I didn't have to take it to a shop where they could have it for who knows how long.

I just updated with the August firmware upgrade....it appears I had the May version in my 9631 purchased in early September.....question: what about the May and June upgrades between what I may have had and the August upgrade ?

Does the August upgrade incorporate them or do I need to upgrade them separately ?? Maybe I should have gone May, June, August -- otherwise I might be rolling back if I add May & June now ??

Setting these features to maximum causes the picture to appear "dimmer" than if these features are set to medium, minimum, or off. I can get the picture back by moving the brightness and contrast from 50 and 65 upwards to about 55 and 70, respectively. Has anyone tried doing the Avia (or other) calibration with these signal processing settings at maximum to see what the corresponding brightness and contrast really need to be?

That's what I noticed...I had the DYNAMIC CONTRAST accidentally (or pre-set) to Maximum and the first few days I had the TV I was watching a program through the VCR AV2 setup. It looked a bit dimmer than through AV1 STB but that was expected -- what wasn't expected was watching a show after I turned in the channel it darkened a ton. Almost tough to make out (I had my Contrast/Brightness settings way low because of break-in but the darkness relative to normal was noticeable).

Anyway, I'm now at Minimum with that setting. Once I fully calibrate with DVE I may set it higher.

Turning up the Contrast & Brightness like you mentioned seems to activate it. It didn't do it on mine at the time because mine were set in the high 30's or low 40's for break-in.

the august upgrade incorporates those you missed.

the august upgrade incorporates those you missed.

Thanks, Mlandau....so I guess each and every new update would be LARGER than the previous one, right?

Hey guys quick question, I accidently left my set on last night overnight about 9 hours, all of the inputs were turned off, so it only had that blank somewhat grayish not quite black screen when nothing is on but the tv. shuold I be worried? past break in period for quite a while... THANX guys.

That's what I noticed...I had the DYNAMIC CONTRAST accidentally (or pre-set) to Maximum and the first few days I had the TV I was watching a program through the VCR AV2 setup. It looked a bit dimmer than through AV1 STB but that was expected -- what wasn't expected was watching a show after I turned in the channel it darkened a ton. Almost tough to make out (I had my Contrast/Brightness settings way low because of break-in but the darkness relative to normal was noticeable).

Anyway, I'm now at Minimum with that setting. Once I fully calibrate with DVE I may set it higher.

Turning up the Contrast & Brightness like you mentioned seems to activate it. It didn't do it on mine at the time because mine were set in the high 30's or low 40's for break-in.

Dynamic contrast and active control will make it almost impossible to calibrate your system. Dynamic contrast attempts to examine the content and expand the contrast range. Like you said, a contrast in the low 40's to mid 50's you won't see much difference except on max which makes it dimmer. Active control on the other hand is what uses the light sensor to detect ambient light and adjust the set. Once you've calibrated your set, setting it on will theoretically dim the set at night and brighten the set during the day. Avia is worthless for adjusting contrast on a plasma, but it is good for adjusting color and brightness. When adjusting contrast, I would recommend the setting where the "white" first appears white to you and not grey. Theoretically, there is no such thing as a break-in period for the newer generation plasma's (including the 9630 and 9631 series). However, it is theorized that running the set at lower contrast settings will extend the life of the phosphors (plus as the phosphors dim I assume you can slowly crank up the contrast to compensate). If you have a tube TV, use Avia to calibrate it and then approximate it on your plasma and get used to both. After a week or two you'll find that anything above 60 will hurt your eyes unless you're in a very brightly lit room.

Thanks, Mlandau....so I guess each and every new update would be LARGER than the previous one, right?

not necessarily
It's software; they can remove code and make things more efficient. In general I assume new lines of code replace old; they wouldn't get added to the old.

One drastic example:
When they killed the TVGuide OnScreen the firmware got 2.5MB smaller.

Hey guys quick question, I accidently left my set on last night overnight about 9 hours, all of the inputs were turned off, so it only had that blank somewhat grayish not quite black screen when nothing is on but the tv. shuold I be worried? past break in period for quite a while... THANX guys.

You should be totally fine as long as there wasn't "no signal" or "channel not available" displayed all night.

Mike

Dynamic contrast and active control will make it almost impossible to calibrate your system. Dynamic contrast attempts to examine the content and expand the contrast range.

This sounds important and I'm still fooling around with DVE: are you saying TURN OFF Dynamic Contrast and Active Controll (anything else -- Pixel Plus) when utilizing DVE to calibrate ??

BTW, Ybarra, what do you have your Personal settings at ? Thanks.

Hey guys quick question, I accidently left my set on last night overnight about 9 hours, all of the inputs were turned off, so it only had that blank somewhat grayish not quite black screen when nothing is on but the tv. shuold I be worried? past break in period for quite a while... THANX guys.

Did you fall asleep? Always set the TV timer a few hours ahead so that if you doze off and wake up early AM (as I've done a few times!) the TV will turn off and doesn't have any frozen images from a DVD player, channel pattern, or VCR that burns-in. ;)

I can't count the number of times with my old CRT how many times I was watching TV and woke up the next morning having fallen asleep; alot of times when I watched a VCR tape at the beginning it would play to the end, rewind, and the image counter would be set at "0:00:00" on the on-screen program. :)

We have to rememer the plasma is basically a computer monitor with NO screen saver !! ;)

Did you fall asleep? Always set the TV timer a few hours ahead so that if you doze off and wake up early AM (as I've done a few times!) the TV will turn off and doesn't have any frozen images from a DVD player, channel pattern, or VCR that burns-in. ;)

I can't count the number of times with my old CRT how many times I was watching TV and woke up the next morning having fallen asleep; alot of times when I watched a VCR tape at the beginning it would play to the end, rewind, and the image counter would be set at "0:00:00" on the on-screen program. :)

We have to rememer the plasma is basically a computer monitor with NO screen saver !! ;)

Why cant they build-in a screen saver just like computers? That would be a great idea...and easy to do.

This sounds important and I'm still fooling around with DVE: are you saying TURN OFF Dynamic Contrast and Active Controll (anything else -- Pixel Plus) when utilizing DVE to calibrate ??

If you're looking to calibrate, you should turn off AC and DC and leave them off.
If you personally like what they do for your picture, fine, but you won't have remotely calibrated results. This goes for color enhancement as well btw.

PP shouldn't affect anything but sharpness.

Mike

If you're looking to calibrate, you should turn off AC and DC and leave them off. If you personally like what they do for your picture, fine, but you won't have remotely calibrated results. This goes for color enhancement as well btw. PP shouldn't affect anything but sharpness. Mike

Great, thanks...what set do you have and what are your Personal settings at ??

And are you saying LEAVE OFF AC/DC/CE once I'm done with the calibration? Once I get good settings with them off, how does turning them back on to varous levels (min, medium, etc) 'cancel out' the calibration? :confused:

Great, thanks...what set do you have and what are your Personal settings at ??

And are you saying LEAVE OFF AC/DC/CE once I'm done with the calibration? Once I get good settings with them off, how does turning them back on to varous levels (min, medium, etc) 'cancel out' the calibration? :confused:

I have the 7320, so if you still want my settings, PM me and I'll PM them back to you. They may not be of any use to you, and they're not stictly relevant to this thread.

I am saying leave them off if you want constant results. They won't so much cancel your calibration as render it unpredictable. They all adjust dynamically based on the whole picture they see and with AC, your room light. There will by chance be times when the settings line up perfectly with your calibrated settings.

Dynamic Contrast evaluates your whole picture and tries to max your ratio on the fly while not losing detail. Watch Fargo and it will bring darks up to not disappear in the snow. Watch The Godfather and it brings the windows down to not bloom out in the dark den. You may totally prefer this, but you almost certainly aren't seeing a calibrated linear representation of what is on the disc.

There is no substitute for constant viewing conditions. Few of us do that though. Almost all of us view in a room with sun in the day and lights on at night. Acrive Control tries to adjust for both picture content and day and night on the fly. You may appreciate the dimmer picture at night. I prefer to just open/close curtains and turn on/off lights so my tv looks good while putting out the same picture.

Sorry, I'm unclear on exactly how CE works, but I prefer the TV show what it is sent and not try to improve on it. I tried it purely subjectively both ways and preferred it without. Exaggerated glowing reds drive me nuts, FWIW.

Pixel Plus seems to immensely help extrapolate detail on SD while doing no harm to HD (I don't even think it is used on HD), so I leave this on.

Hope this helps some,
Take care,
Mike

That upgrade seems to have totally fixed the BSOD problem (knock on wood).

This feature of Philips -- upgrading via the web -- is awesome. Surprised that a major glitch like tha wasn't fixed at the factory, but kudo's to them for catching it and makign the patch available.

(BTW, I used to be 'bigtvluvr :) )

I have the latest firmware upgrades. My problem is the Preferred Channels list is not keeping my choices. I'm using OTA at he moment.
Does anyone else have this problem?

Yeah. The latest upgrade fixed the black screen issue. I have not seen it since the upgrade (I have the 50PF9630A). Unfortunately I have other bugs. Here's my list of bugs so you guys can compare:

Bugs:

1) Forgets favorite channels. Doesn't matter how many times you check mark them, they disappear from the list on their own.

2) Preferred channels. This one drives me nuts. I delete out the 200+ or so digital channels that it detected that were really scrambled channels or something and the stupid thing keeps readding them automatically.

3) Syncing on the component inputs (1 and 3). For some reason mine will not sync right sometimes on SD content on inputs 1 and 3 using composite (primarily 480p sources). The picture is offset and the wrong color. I can turn the set off and on several times or the source (DVD player) off and on several times and eventually it'll sync. I've tried 4 or 5 different DVD players/recorders with the same problem as well as a PS2 and now a SA 8300HD DVR. When it does it on the 8300HD, I can switch to a 720p channel and it'll sync perfectly then switch back to the 480p sources and it is fine. Anyone else w/ this problem before I call service???

4. Pressing the power button does not immediately turn the set off. Sometimes when you turn the set off, it'll go to the black screen then kick back onto the grey backlit screen. The green light is off, but the display is definitely still glowing. After a few minutes you'll here the click and the screen will go black. I'm not sure if this is a cool-down procedure or something as when I've only had it on for an hour or so it usually turns off immediately or after 5-10 seconds. When I had it on for like 10 hours straight it took 5-10 minutes to click off.

Wish list

1) TVGOS. OK...now that you guys figured out that the BS was caused by something other than TVGOS...how about putting it back in?????

2) Video playback from USB. Why limit it to mp3 and jpg??? You already have the mp4 code in the firmware (certain non-US sets had an ethernet connector and show it as an extra source in the menu where you could play streaming media such as mp3 or mp4 and so forth). Why is it so hard to enable video playback from media cards and usb???

3) Digital audio passthrough when off. OK...in the TVGOS firmware one of the bugs was that audio would still be present on the digital coax out line when the set was off (it was cycling through channels and the audio would still be on...bizarre). Anyway...the digital audio in should be passed through when the set is off. That way a DVD can be connected to line 3 w/ the digital audio associated w/ it and when the set is off, I can pop in a CD or mp3 DVD and listen to music w/o the TV having to be on. Right now I have the analog audio of the DVD connected to the stereo and have my Sony receiver set to autodetect so it switches from digital to analog depending on whether or not it detects data coming from the TV on the digital audio line.

4) PVR features. According to the service guide, the groundwork already exists within the set for this to work...it just needs to be utilized via the firmware. I can't remember if it was Toshiba or Panasonic, but one of the other makers had an upgrade PVR that you could attach to the set that would simply stream the digital data to it (the PVR only worked with that particular set). Philips should enable DVR on the usb ports. It doesn't have to be full DVR (encoding of analog signals), but simply capture of ASTC or QAM streams so you can record and playback HD to your USB hard drive and utilize the video/audio out ports for capture of analog sources to your DVD recorder or VCR.

I'm using the "CHAT" option with Philips support right now....apparently it the first time the PREFERRED CHANNEL problem has been reported !!! :eek:

The Phone support are aware of the problem...says will be addressed in next Firmware upgrade...no release date given

Anybody notice that CC1 -- closed captioning -- does't work on some channels when watching the channel directly through the STB/AV1 input, but for some reason, when I watch it through the VCR/AV2 input, it comes in ???? :confused:

My VCR does not have it's own closed captioning ability, but for some reason, CC doesn't activate directly but when the picture is run through the VCR, it does. :confused: Only thing I can think of is my VCR sometimes does recognize the picture going through it's tuner -- if I'm watching a movie and hit DISPLAY I'll see the name of the movie or part of the title cut-off (if it's too long).

I'm using the "CHAT" option with Philips support right now....apparently it the first time the PREFERRED CHANNEL problem has been reported !!! Phone support are aware of the problem...says will be addressed in next Firmware upgrade...no release date given

Good work, SRJ !!

Syncing on the component inputs (1 and 3). For some reason mine will not sync right sometimes on SD content on inputs 1 and 3 using composite (primarily 480p sources). The picture is offset and the wrong color. I can turn the set off and on several times or the source (DVD player) off and on several times and eventually it'll sync. I've tried 4 or 5 different DVD players/recorders with the same problem as well as a PS2 and now a SA 8300HD DVR. When it does it on the 8300HD, I can switch to a 720p channel and it'll sync perfectly then switch back to the 480p sources and it is fine. Anyone else w/ this problem before I call service???

Ybarra, I'm not sure I understand what 'synching' is ??? :confused:

I'm using the "CHAT" option with Philips support right now....apparently it the first time the PREFERRED CHANNEL problem has been reported !!! :eek:

The Phone support are aware of the problem...says will be addressed in next Firmware upgrade...no release date given

That's a load of crap. I reported the problem to customer support the day after the 1.4 update was released. Their phone techs know very little. I reported the Progressive scan bug in the Philips 4300 and the phone tech actually told me it was how the unit was supposed to function (ummm...duh...no!!!).

That's a load of crap. I reported the problem to customer support the day after the 1.4 update was released. Their phone techs know very little. I reported the Progressive scan bug in the Philips 4300 and the phone tech actually told me it was how the unit was supposed to function (ummm...duh...no!!!).

OK, lets find out who or what (dept) puts up the firmware upgrades on the Philips website and e-mail that person/department with our needs/concerns. Anybody got a lead ???

This channel drop thing, if caused by an upgrade, should be easily fixable. Doesn't affect me, but I can understand your frustration.

Let's work on it. ;)

Good work, SRJ !!



Ybarra, I'm not sure I understand what 'synching' is ??? :confused:

Like I said...I turn on the TV and turn on a DVD player connected to input 3 and the picture appears slightly offset to the left, distorted, with the wrong colors. Adjusting with the paddle has no effect. Cycling power on both units often clears up the problem (pops on centered, no distortion, with the right colors). I've tried about a half-dozen DVD recorders/players, 3 sets of component cables, and have the same problem on input 1 using a PS2 with component cables. I recently upgraded to HDMI (monoprice.com is your friend...) on my SA8300HD so I don't have a problem with it anymore (I did with the component cables). It doesn't happen all the time and only happens with component sources (not S video or plain old yellow RCA).

OK, lets find out who or what (dept) puts up the firmware upgrades on the Philips website and e-mail that person/department with our needs/concerns. Anybody got a lead ???

This channel drop thing, if caused by an upgrade, should be easily fixable. Doesn't affect me, but I can understand your frustration.

Let's work on it. ;)

I wish...I specifically asked the tech to have the firmware team contact me both on the plasma bug, and also on the DVD recorder bug (I typoed the model...I meant the DVDR3400/37). For the record, Philips finally released a firmware update for the DVDR3400, but I already took it back so I can't vouch that it fixes the progressive scan recording bug. They honestly should make themselves more available. Many of us in this forum have a lot of good ideas and suggestions with no way to get them to Philips.

I wish...I specifically asked the tech to have the firmware team contact me both on the plasma bug, and also on the DVD recorder bug (I typoed the model...I meant the DVDR3400/37). For the record, Philips finally released a firmware update for the DVDR3400, but I already took it back so I can't vouch that it fixes the progressive scan recording bug. They honestly should make themselves more available. Many of us in this forum have a lot of good ideas and suggestions with no way to get them to Philips.

You know, we should probably write to the head of Philips or at least the guy running the USA operations. Philips has some great models and they're trying to reach critical mass in the States -- their head guys would probably want their marketing and tech people to be in contact with savvy folks like here on AVS. After all, the idiots at Sony never would have fixed the problem with the bulb on their RPTV LCD models if not for AVS.

Like I said...I turn on the TV and turn on a DVD player connected to input 3 and the picture appears slightly offset to the left, distorted, with the wrong colors. Adjusting with the paddle has no effect. Cycling power on both units often clears up the problem (pops on centered, no distortion, with the right colors). I've tried about a half-dozen DVD recorders/players, 3 sets of component cables, and have the same problem on input 1 using a PS2 with component cables. I recently upgraded to HDMI (monoprice.com is your friend...) on my SA8300HD so I don't have a problem with it anymore (I did with the component cables). It doesn't happen all the time and only happens with component sources (not S video or plain old yellow RCA).

Ybarra, is this like the difference in brightness/contrast that I have always noticed when you watch a channel through a VCR as opposed to watching it on the TV directly or through the STB directly ??? I still see a slightly brighter/different color-tones on a picture on the Philips when I watch a channel directly through AV1/STB and AV3/VCR -- this isn't what you mean, is it?

I always thought that was just signal loss or the change in running the picture through more non-component cables all the years I had cable TV and a VCR. Picture difference was always marginal and if I'm using the Philips, I don't watch the TV through AV3 for any length of time anyway, unless I'm just taking a brief timeout before I hit "PLAY" again on the VCR.

I'll add my vote to the "At Philips the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing." camp. It seems every individual gets different results. Even two people who both call get different results.

I could not tell if one of the new posters ("anyone else have this problem?") came in late without reading the backstory. Go back up this thread and the 427320 507320 and all the 9630 and 9631 threads. You can also click on my name and find my previous post on my uninmpressive esperience with support. This is why, though I technically have a working TV right now with 1.1, I am losing all faith in Philips. They either don't know what they're doing, don't care about customer satisfaction, or both. People have been complaining about favorites and channel drop since 1.2.

Mike

I could not tell if one of the new posters ("anyone else have this problem?") came in late without reading the backstory. Go back up this thread and the 427320 507320 and all the 9630 and 9631 threads.
Mike

:o Sorry Mike about 'double posting' the problem...let's hope they get a fix as soon as possible...

Ybarra, is this like the difference in brightness/contrast that I have always noticed when you watch a channel through a VCR as opposed to watching it on the TV directly or through the STB directly ??? I still see a slightly brighter/different color-tones on a picture on the Philips when I watch a channel directly through AV1/STB and AV3/VCR -- this isn't what you mean, is it?

I always thought that was just signal loss or the change in running the picture through more non-component cables all the years I had cable TV and a VCR. Picture difference was always marginal and if I'm using the Philips, I don't watch the TV through AV3 for any length of time anyway, unless I'm just taking a brief timeout before I hit "PLAY" again on the VCR.

No...no...no... That's another issue I posted about in one of the other threads or maybe this one...too many damn posts. My set always appeared "dark" on the tuner channels (except the digital channels). You could definitely see when you do a PiP vs. the tuner in my DVD recorder. I've tried at least a half dozen different DVD recorders and got the same results so I placed a service call. The tech told me he thought the darker one was actually right but he'd check the tech forums to see. Shortly after I tried doing a vs. with my VCR (high-end JVC SVHS) and it is identical to the Philips. My thoughts is that the newer DVD recorders have a crappy tuner in it with the automatic gain control way too high and it makes the picture bright and grainy vs. the dark and muddy Philips tuner. I just got my cable signal repaired and it is about 10db stronger. I'll disconnect from my SA8300HD box and check it directly in to see if the brightness is any better now that my signal is better.

They sync issue I have is very noticeable. For instance, a blue menu screen on a PS2 game will actually be green and distorted. It looks kinda like the old scrambled analog channels the cable company used to do whenever it would just barely sync up enough that you could see the picture (but the colors were off and there was some tearing near the edges of the screen). The next time it happens I think I'll take pictures and put in a service call. At the least, CC will replace my TV under my extended plan after 3 service calls and this will make #2.

:o Sorry Mike about 'double posting' the problem...let's hope they get a fix as soon as possible...
No apology needed
I just wanted to make sure you knew this was not new and you were not remotely alone, yet not to expect a whole bunch of "me too" posts from people who have already reported this if you look back.

I do know the previous sentence should be taken out and shot, but I just don't have the brain power to edit it right now.

Mike

I just got my cable signal repaired and it is about 10db stronger. I'll disconnect from my SA8300HD box and check it directly in to see if the brightness is any better now that my signal is better.

For anybody with SA cableboxes, what are the signal strength readings you get?

They can be found by doing this (I have a 4200):

(1) Hit & hold the round button between the CHANNEL UP/DOWN buttons on the STB.

(2) When the LED light above the envelope insignia flashes, release the round button and hit the INFO button on the STB.

(3) RF Parameter info should come on the screen with some other gibberish; there are 3 numbers that come under RF Parameters.

(4) Hit the EXIT button to get rid of it.

My numbers are -11, -4, -60. I think that's a good signal -- the first number was lower before they came out and fixed it and my HD and digital channels were pixelating.

Any more settings that 9630 users would like to report ???

I use PERSONAL for most everything -- anybody use the other factory presets ??

I'm contemplating getting an upscaling DVD player with Divx for my 9630, primarily because I should toss out my old progressive scan player. I'm wondering if anyone has had any noteable experiences, good or bad, with these "upscaling" DVD players. The plasma seems to be doing the job fine on it's own, but i'm dreading going to BB and doing a song and dance to get a salesman to help me compare units. any help would be appreciated.

BTW, my 9630 has dropped channels from the preferred, favorites, and locked channels since i got it outta the box. I updated the firmware released in august of '06, but no go. I spoke with customer service and they told me to wait for the next firmware update. How do you like them apples?

I'm contemplating getting an upscaling DVD player with Divx for my 9630, primarily because I should toss out my old progressive scan player. I'm wondering if anyone has had any noteable experiences, good or bad, with these "upscaling" DVD players. The plasma seems to be doing the job fine on it's own, but i'm dreading going to BB and doing a song and dance to get a salesman to help me compare units. any help would be appreciated.

BTW, my 9630 has dropped channels from the preferred, favorites, and locked channels since i got it outta the box. I updated the firmware released in august of '06, but no go. I spoke with customer service and they told me to wait for the next firmware update. How do you like them apples?

I have a Sony DVPNS70H and love it. I'm not sure if they still make this model. I bought it last year. It has HDMI output. Works well with my Philips.

from the preferred, favorites, and locked channels since i got it outta the box. I updated the firmware released in august of '06, but no go. I spoke with customer service and they told me to wait for the next firmware update. How do you like them apples?

I don't understand the frustration with this 'dropped channels' thing -- don't most of you change channels through a STB? Why is having preferred channels that important -- I couldn't make heads or tails out of my listing when I ran a splitter and scanned for channels in the TV.

When I did the STB scan, it found 1 input -- the STB.

When I did the TV input, it found like 340 digital and 80 analog -- and most of both were empty.

Only reason to use TV input is to use PIP.

BTW, yes, firmware upgrade is coming to fix whatever it is that bugs you guys. :)

I don't use a STB.

First I had regular cable, so just the basic, not digital box, was all I got. HD was still sent over the cable lines though.

Then I moved out of my house, and while waiting for my new house to be finished, I have rabbit ears on this thing and can pick up the OTA HD. If I keep loosing it, I have to keep initializing the channel list to find my stations. Gets real annoying real fast.

New house is at least ready next Friday, so I can go with Dish for more HD, and call it good.

Those of us w/o a STB don't want to live with a broken feature just because "most" people use a STB.

Do you have Sirius or XM in your car? Imagine not having it but being told "tough" if your alleged FM radio wouldn't retain FM presets - and you had to type in each station manually from memory or a list. That's about comparable.

We bought televisions expecting the tuner to work in every way. Otherwise we would have saved some dough and bought a monitor.

Mike

I'm contemplating getting an upscaling DVD player with Divx for my 9630, primarily because I should toss out my old progressive scan player. I'm wondering if anyone has had any noteable experiences, good or bad, with these "upscaling" DVD players. The plasma seems to be doing the job fine on it's own, but i'm dreading going to BB and doing a song and dance to get a salesman to help me compare units. any help would be appreciated.

BTW, my 9630 has dropped channels from the preferred, favorites, and locked channels since i got it outta the box. I updated the firmware released in august of '06, but no go. I spoke with customer service and they told me to wait for the next firmware update. How do you like them apples?


I have a Panasonic DMR-ES25 DVD recorder connected to my Philips 42PF9630A via an HDMI cable. I have a Comcast Motorola DCT6412-III DVR connected to my 42PF9630A via an HDMI cable also. To close the loop, the Panasonic is also connected to my Motorola DVR via an S-video connection.

I found it worked best to set the Panasonic DVD recorder HDMI output to 480p and let the Philips TV do the up scaling. That way the upscaling is done only once. If you set the Panasonic to upscale pictures to 1080i or 720p, then the TV will scale it again. Scaling the image twice causes degradation in my experience. Another advantage to setting the Panasonic to 480p is that the zoom features (automatic, superzoom, movie expand 16:9, 4:3, subtitle 16:9, etc) of the Philips TV remain active. Only automatic and widescreen zoom options were active when the Panasonic was set to 720p or 1080i.

I set the "4:3 Override" on the Motorola DVR also to 480p which yields a better picture on the standard definition channels. On high definition channels, the Motorola puts out 1080i and looks very good.

I got on the Philips "chat" webpage online; they told me the same thing about an impending firmware release. How 'bout them apples? Well, at least Philips appears to be working on the leftover bugs on this TV. At least the "black screen of death" issue appears to have been solved!!!!!

Those of us w/o a STB don't want to live with a broken feature just because "most" people use a STB. Do you have Sirius or XM in your car? Imagine not having it but being told "tough" if your alleged FM radio wouldn't retain FM presets - and you had to type in each station manually from memory or a list. That's about comparable. We bought televisions expecting the tuner to work in every way. Otherwise we would have saved some dough and bought a monitor. Mike

OK understood...when Philips offers an upgrade that fixes the problem please let us know and tell us how it makes using the TV's monitor easier. Maybe I'll use mine, too. :rolleyes:

OK understood...when Philips offers an upgrade that fixes the problem please let us know and tell us how it makes using the TV's monitor easier. Maybe I'll use mine, too. :rolleyes:
Your sarcasm tells me you missed my point. If you're not using your tuner, you are using your set as a monitor. Call it a display if you prefer. That's the very definition of a HD display or monitor, a set w/o a tuner.

Mike

Your sarcasm tells me you missed my point. If you're not using your tuner, you are using your set as a monitor. Call it a display if you prefer. That's the very definition of a HD display or monitor, a set w/o a tuner.
Mike

What sarcasm ???

I'm serious...when it's fixable, please post it. I'm dead serious. It'll help others and I might try and receive TV signals this way, too. I just got my 9631 and I'm trying to keep things simple at first.

Sorry you misinterpeted my sincerity as sarcasm ! :rolleyes:

Why no STB??? Because some of us wanted the unit for our bedrooms or other Wall-mounted type scenarios where we intended to use a cablecard and the built in tuner. If it's in the den w/ the VCR, DVD-R, stereo, etc., then what's the harm in adding a STB, right? If it's by itself on your bedroom wall w/ the power and cable mounted behind so all you have is the hung unit...you don't want cables going to a converter box sitting on your dresser or something. That's the other reason I'm PO'd that they dropped TVGOS...the built in tuner is practically worthless w/o TVGOS.

On another note, my 50" in my den now has a SA8300HD. I set it up for upscale 2 which basically upscales all SD to 480P and all HD to 720P so my plasma only upconverts the 480P signals. I got the cheapest 15' HDMI cable w/ ferrite from monoprice.com...I was worried it would be a skinny weak cable, but the lowest grade cable is as thick as a piece of coax. I'm glad I didn't go with the thicker (more expensive) cable as it would be too thick to bend well. As it is I'm thinking of getting the little flat HDMI port saver extenders so I don't have a small loop hanging under my panel because I didn't want to stress the cable. I also got a 15' DVI to HDMI to use with my wife's Dell e1705 laptop. Works like a champ. Dungeon Siege 2 on a 50" :D.

I've read a lot of posts that discuss "calibrating" your set. I'm assuming that calibrating one's set is more than just adjusting the various settings (Personal) that control the contrast, brightness, tint, etc.. Is that correct?

I just bought the Philips 50" xx31. It will be installed on my fire place this Tuesday. Wondering if anybody here has any input on the new series of Monster brand Component Cables. The Ultra THX types. I'm using Philips Brand cables right now and have to make a decision this weekend. Keep using those cables, or go up to the Monster Cables. Running the cables through the Fireplace (brick) makes it kind of a one time deal. So the question is, should I stick with the Philips brand cables or "upgrade" to the Monster High Dollar/High Popularity type cables? FWIW, I think the picture is brilliant with the regular Philips Comp. Cables. The TV is awesome. Running it right now at 50 Contrast. I know they say there is no longer concerns with the "break in" periods, but I figure better safe than sorry.

Thanks in advance for any help.

AP

Hey guys i've had this t.v 42PF9630a/37 model since last year august and it's been great so far. i recently went in to the SERVICE MENU to enable the Stereo Ambilight feature and to my surprise it actually worked! so thanks for that tweak to whomever is responsible for that information.

My question is in the service menu there's two options to "Store" the first one is the one i used to Store my settings the one in the main service menu after i activated the Stereo Ambilight feature. The second "store" has "group 1" "group 2" "store" set up and i accidently selected that store option instead of the store option in the main menu. My question is, is that store option under "group 1" "group 2" "store" Do anything at all? cause i forgot whether my default setting was either group 1 or group 2 im wondering if its set as store now instead of the default setting.


thanks

What sarcasm ???
I'm serious...when it's fixable, please post it. I'm dead serious. It'll help others and I might try and receive TV signals this way, too. I just got my 9631 and I'm trying to keep things simple at first.
Sorry you misinterpeted my sincerity as sarcasm ! :rolleyes:
OK, then I'm confused. Sorry.
Maybe perhaps you shouldn't end several posts with the rolling eyes (sarcastic) icon, then?

Earlier you said,
I don't understand the frustration with this 'dropped channels' thing -- don't most of you change channels through a STB?...
When I did the STB scan, it found 1 input -- the STB.
So, again, by the standard definition, you already are using your Philips as a monitor. When you just feed one out from the STB, tune with the STB and not with the TV, you're using the Philips as a monitor.

So when you said,
tell us how it makes using the TV's monitor easier. Maybe I'll use mine, too. :rolleyes:
I thought you thought (follow that?) that I was only describing using the TV as a PC monitor or something - something you were not yet doing. Again if you have an HD panel that doesn't tune, it's a HD monitor or display. To be called a television it has to tune. Hence to me you are already doing what you say you will maybe do in the future. I'm not at all talking about plugging a PC into it. I don't do that either.

Sorry for any miscommunication.

Mike

"calibrating" your set
...
Monster brand Component Cables...I think the picture is brilliant with the regular Philips Comp. Cables
...
no longer concerns with the "break in" periods

You can certainly get a calibration disc like Avia VE or GG, or you probably already have the THX optimizer supplied on many movies. With any of these you can adjust all the personal settings you mentioned in the user menu. A "full" calibration requires a colorimeter (light sensing/testing equipment) and going into the service menu to adjust the individual color gains and cuts.

Concensus seems to be Monster is fine but seriously overpriced.

I think you might be confusing burn-in and break-in.

Screen burn-in has become much less of an issue with every generation of panels. However many manufacturers and most here would suggest you still should really break in your panel. You should stick to low brightness, full screens and no static images for at least the first hundred hours; more wouldn't hurt.

Mike

...in the service menu there's two options to "Store"
...
My question is, is that store option under "group 1" "group 2" "store" Do anything at all? cause i forgot whether my default setting was either group 1 or group 2...

Either store will work. They do the same thing.

Also, it's not option 1 or 2. It's both.
This also explains the two stores.
Every single setting you can make in the service menu is represented by the two option lines.

You can either make changes menu style, or change the option numbers. They change the same things. You have to know the numbers for every setting (they are in the service manual), but it allows you to quickly change many things just by entering numbers.

Mike

Wow... thanks for the quick response mike! i was just worried i changed something in the service menu that i shouldn't have... so which ever "STORE" option you choose be it the "store" in the main service menu or the "store" in the sub categorys that is also in the service menu but is under the "group 1" "group 2" it doesn't matter?


thanks a lot guys! really appreciate all the help

... thanks for the quick response... so which ever "STORE" option...it doesn't matter?

He he
no problem
I hadn't even looked at your post time - just coincidence. I just got here myself.

Correct, either store does the same thing. Also, if you make a change but forget to hit one of the stores and simply exit, your change won't take.

Mike

You can certainly get a calibration disc like Avia VE or GG, or you probably already have the THX optimizer supplied on many movies. With any of these you can adjust all the personal settings you mentioned in the user menu. A "full" calibration requires a colorimeter (light sensing/testing equipment) and going into the service menu to adjust the individual color gains and cuts.

Concensus seems to be Monster is fine but seriously overpriced.

I think you might be confusing burn-in and break-in.

Screen burn-in has become much less of an issue with every generation of panels. However many manufacturers and most here would suggest you still should really break in your panel. You should stick to low brightness, full screens and no static images for at least the first hundred hours; more wouldn't hurt.

Mike


Great answers.... for everything. Thanks!

Anybody suggest any types of Component Cables other than Monster Brand? Philips, RCA, JVC, etc? Just trying to find out what has worked for others. Oh, and I too think Monster is SERIOUSLY over priced!!! I have some Monster Cables and a Monster Power Conditioner as well... both were bought at whole sale prices though. Way over priced other wise but the product seems to be a good one.

Why no STB??? Because some of us wanted the unit for our bedrooms or other Wall-mounted type scenarios where we intended to use a cablecard and the built in tuner. If it's in the den w/ the VCR, DVD-R, stereo, etc., then what's the harm in adding a STB, right? If it's by itself on your bedroom wall w/ the power and cable mounted behind so all you have is the hung unit...you don't want cables going to a converter box sitting on your dresser or something. That's the other reason I'm PO'd that they dropped TVGOS...the built in tuner is practically worthless w/o TVGOS.

Does the 9630 have this capability ?

I understand your qualms with the STB and the wires.

On another note, my 50" in my den now has a SA8300HD. I set it up for upscale 2 which basically upscales all SD to 480P and all HD to 720P so my plasma only upconverts the 480P signals.

How do you do this? What are the pros and cons of doing this?

OK, then I'm confused. Sorry.
Maybe perhaps you shouldn't end several posts with the rolling eyes (sarcastic) icon, then?

I just thought it was a blue smiley face !!! :) :rolleyes:

Earlier you said, So, again, by the standard definition, you already are using your Philips as a monitor. When you just feed one out from the STB, tune with the STB and not with the TV, you're using the Philips as a monitor.

Well, I can still tune the picture using all the menu screens even though I get the picture through the STB. I don't know how to tune with the STB -- there's a few audio options (not using speakers now so not important) and the NORMAL/STRETCH/ZOOM is OK on Hi-Def channels that have bars on the side when I watch for a long period of time (the AUTOMATIC feature on the Philips won't stretch those channels).

I have a SA 4200.

So when you said, I thought you thought (follow that?) that I was only describing using the TV as a PC monitor or something - something you were not yet doing. Again if you have an HD panel that doesn't tune, it's a HD monitor or display. To be called a television it has to tune. Hence to me you are already doing what you say you will maybe do in the future. I'm not at all talking about plugging a PC into it. I don't do that either. Sorry for any miscommunication.
Mike

Whew....again....when I put my SOURCE to TV I do get TV channels, including some Hi-Defs....but it's easier to just use AV1/STB and use the remote and put the numbers in direct. Alot of the channels have changed places/numbers (esp. the hi-def and digital ones) when I inputed them directly into the TV.

Again, when I first connected the TV using the STB it found 1 input. A few weeks later, I installed a splitter and the Philips found like 80 analog channels and 340 digitals -- and most of both were empty. So having to use the UP/DOWN to find channels or inputing them using the Philips remote (and alot of them being differently numbered than through the STB) I said screw it. Plus, the picture on SD looked more staticky through the TV input (though NBC in HD looked equally good through both).

Finally, I went through every channel via the TV input and didn't find ESPN-HD and a bunch of digital channels (all my HBO's, for example) so I just didn't see any point to using that input (except when I wanted to use PIP and watch a HD channel). FWIW, I have Cablevision and an SA 4200.

Anyway, that's why I am an STB person. And since my signal is a bit low anyway, running the splitter might be costing me a bit of strength. I may KO the splitter and just use the STB in the near future.

Anybody suggest any types of Component Cables other than Monster Brand? Philips, RCA, JVC, etc? Just trying to find out what has worked for others. Oh, and I too think Monster is SERIOUSLY over priced!!! I have some Monster Cables and a Monster Power Conditioner as well... both were bought at whole sale prices though. Way over priced other wise but the product seems to be a good one.

shopjavaco.com has excellent cables and was mentioned in this thread months ago and I have it as a reference place in my Philips 9630/9631 Useful Tips Sheet.

Bought some components and HDMI cables. Unfortunately, can't use the HDMI cables with my stupid 4200 box -- need to upgrade and get the 8300. :mad:

shopjavaco.com has excellent cables and was mentioned in this thread months ago and I have it as a reference place in my Philips 9630/9631 Useful Tips Sheet.

Bought some components and HDMI cables. Unfortunately, can't use the HDMI cables with my stupid 4200 box -- need to upgrade and get the 8300. :mad:

Right, I got all my cables from JAVACO.

What's keeping you from getting the 8300? Are you with Cablevision? There was no additional charge as I remember, just an exchange. The only extra charge is the monthly fee if you want to use the recording function which I do use. I just set it once and my wife has her General Hospital daily fix.

Right, I got all my cables from JAVACO. What's keeping you from getting the 8300? Are you with Cablevision? There was no additional charge as I remember, just an exchange. The only extra charge is the monthly fee if you want to use the recording function which I do use. I just set it once and my wife has her General Hospital daily fix.

Yeah, just procrastinating....I am gonna get it this week. Wanna use the HDMI and see if anything looks improved, though in all fairness components and Hi-Def are very very nice.

Petition Solution? If others can set up one of those online petitions, I could obtain from my Wall Street contacts the appropriate people to contact @ Philips here in the US and in the Netherlands.

We could tell them we like their products and offer solutions to help them become more consumer-friendly. Off the top of my head would be an quick-response e-mail system for troubleshooting; a technical ombudsman to offer suggestions/needs for firmware upgrades; suggestions for future models/designs (things to definitely avoid, things we'd love to see).

Thoughts ?

Sorry, just one more to clarify...
Well, I can still tune the picture using all the menu screens even though I get the picture through the STB.
When I say tune I mean change channels, hence using the ATSC/QAM tuner.
I meant that in each use of the word and meant nothing about adjusting the picture settings.

Mike

Is anybody still having black screen problems after the August 3 firmware upgrade?

Sorry, just one more to clarify...When I say tune I mean change channels, hence using the ATSC/QAM tuner.I meant that in each use of the word and meant nothing about adjusting the picture settings.Mike


Gotcha Mike, understood...I think. :)

So when I watch TV (rarely) using the "TV" input (the one above the AV1 input), that's using the TV's tuner, right? When I inserted a splitter and had the Philips look for channels the 2nd time (1st time was when connected to STB), it found 400+ channels, most digital, and most of them 'empty.'

That's what you are talking about, right ?

Like I said, a few channels are good there but aside from that dropped preferred thing you guys talked about, I scrolled through every channel and empty space and couldn't find a bunch of the regular digital channels I get through the STB, let alone some of the Hi-Def's, so I just use the STB. If anybody out there has Cablevision and finds using the TV's tuner better than their STB, let me know.

Maybe using a Cablecard helps, but the 9631 doesn't have it and I'm not sure Cablevision uses them anymore (at least in my area).

Is anybody still having black screen problems after the August 3 firmware upgrade?

I haven't had one BSOD (knock on wood) since the upgrade and most people seem to find it totally fixed. I use my TV alot, too so that's a good sign.

Don't tell me the upgrade didn't fix yours ???!!! :confused:

So when I watch TV (rarely) using the "TV" input (the one above the AV1 input), that's using the TV's tuner, right?
Exactly, specifically in your case the QAM tuner
The ATSC tuner is for digital over the air via antenna; this is all I am using.

I'm not surprised you're not using it much or at all. It sounds like in your case it is flaky and more trouble than it is worth. I suppose it could possibly be the TV; more likely those digitals are encrypted and any TV would be blank w/o cablecard or STB.

Mike

Every single setting you can make in the service menu is represented by the two option lines.

You can either make changes menu style, or change the option numbers. They change the same things. You have to know the numbers for every setting (they are in the service manual), but it allows you to quickly change many things just by entering numbers.

I forgot the other awesome aspect of the option numbers:
If you jot down just the two lines of option numbers, you have an instant record of every single setting in the service menu (!)

That's pretty cool.

Mike

When I inserted a splitter and had the Philips look for channels the 2nd time (1st time was when connected to STB), it found 400+ channels, most digital, and most of them 'empty.'


When I was with Comcast I used to have many channels. Most had something on them. After a few months Comcast scrambled the channels, and they went blank. You need to "upgrade" to digital cable to use their STB to unscramble them. Some of the blank channels in a few of the ranges were actually PPV channels that my neighbors were watching. On Fridays and Saturdays I could get free PPV, just couldn't control it, or know when it started.

Philips Tips Sheet Reminder: If you have the 9630 or 9631 (or even larger size equivalents, plasma or LCD) you will probably find the compilation of posts from the User Threads on the former models useful. Just PM me and I'll send it.

I haven't had one BSOD (knock on wood) since the upgrade and most people seem to find it totally fixed. I use my TV alot, too so that's a good sign.

Don't tell me the upgrade didn't fix yours ???!!! :confused:

I had the signal board replaced the second time and the August 3 upgrade was already installed.

I don't know if this is exactly what you guys were having but about 1/3 of the time when I turn the TV on, I get sound but no picture. However, the OSD works so there's gotta be a problem with the handling of the incoming video signal.

I hope there's going to be another firmware release but I kinda doubt it's going to happen now that this is a discontinued model.

I had the signal board replaced the second time and the August 3 upgrade was already installed. I don't know if this is exactly what you guys were having but about 1/3 of the time when I turn the TV on, I get sound but no picture. However, the OSD works so there's gotta be a problem with the handling of the incoming video signal.

OSD ???? What's that stand for?

You're not on the wrong input relative to your wiring, are you (using AV1 for instance but cables connected to AV3) ??? SOUND BUT NO PICTURE is one of the troubleshoots that's covered in the manual. Can you play VCR's and DVD's ??? If so, then it's almost certainly not the plasma, the monitor, or the TV itself. Let us know how this gets resolved.

I hope there's going to be another firmware release but I kinda doubt it's going to happen now that this is a discontinued model.

I would think so.....the 9631 and 9630 are nearly identical, and Philips is TV advertising the 9631 right now.

If anything, to make sure we keep getting timely and useful upgrades, we really should do something on the "Contact Philips" thing I posted a few posts back. It's in our interest -- and theirs -- to keep us all informed and happy.

OSD ???? What's that stand for?

On-screen display

Mike

On-screen display

Mike

Brain-lock !! Thanks ! :D

I was told by the Philips rep, on their chat page of their website a month or so ago, that a new firmware update was in the works for the 42PF9630A. Has anyone heard of the status or progress of this latest firmware update?

I love the ambilight on my Plasma HDTV. Does anyone have any idea how long they (the bulbs) are expected to last and how easy it will be to replace them when the time comes?

I was told by the Philips rep, on their chat page of their website a month or so ago, that a new firmware update was in the works for the 42PF9630A. Has anyone heard of the status or progress of this latest firmware update?

I think someone on another Philips thread -- 7321 ? -- said that it would be out in a week or so. Don't quote me but I think it's coming out soon.

I love the ambilight on my Plasma HDTV. Does anyone have any idea how long they (the bulbs) are expected to last and how easy it will be to replace them when the time comes?

Yea, I've gotten used to it also. On the Philips technical support website for the 42PF9630A/37, there is an "Accessories" link for replacement parts for this TV:

http://www.ceusaparts.philips.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/phpModelSearchResultView?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&pageSize=5&isProduct=FALSE&isItem=FALSE&isBundle=TRUE&published=1&publishedOperator=EQUAL&skuCaseSensitive=yes&skuOperator=EQUAL&keyword=MODEL&keywordCaseSensitive=yes&keywordOperator=EQUAL&keywordType=ALL&distinct=yes&sku=42PF9630A/37

It has a listing of replacement Ambilight bulbs.............for US$103.00 each. I imagine you could "google" and find a cheaper source for the bulbs.

I've read a lot of posts that discuss "calibrating" your set. I'm assuming that calibrating one's set is more than just adjusting the various settings (Personal) that control the contrast, brightness, tint, etc.. Is that correct?

I just bought the Philips 50" xx31. It will be installed on my fire place this Tuesday. Wondering if anybody here has any input on the new series of Monster brand Component Cables. The Ultra THX types. I'm using Philips Brand cables right now and have to make a decision this weekend. Keep using those cables, or go up to the Monster Cables. Running the cables through the Fireplace (brick) makes it kind of a one time deal. So the question is, should I stick with the Philips brand cables or "upgrade" to the Monster High Dollar/High Popularity type cables? FWIW, I think the picture is brilliant with the regular Philips Comp. Cables. The TV is awesome. Running it right now at 50 Contrast. I know they say there is no longer concerns with the "break in" periods, but I figure better safe than sorry.

Thanks in advance for any help.

AP

Calibrating is changing the personal settings using something like Avia to try to get the best dead-on color. The calibrations in the service menu should be left alone as no set should be so out of calibration that the user menu can't fix it. Avia does NOT work well for the contrast settings as Plasmas don't suffer from "blooming." You need a blue filter to calibrate your color. Be sure to turn off all the Philips tweaks in setup that will skew your calibration. To get your contrast, try to go as low as possible w/o your whites looking grey. Most people end up w/ contrast settings around 50 or below. The brighter the white, the more of a chance of burn-in and it will age your plasma faster (plus it just hurts your eyes!!!!). You COULD pay to have it professionally calibrated, but honestly, I did my set w/ Avia and it looks better than anything on Circuit City's floor right now and all my friends comment about how good the picture is. The Samsung glass inside these Philips units has a very good PQ and the Pixel Plus 2 does a wonderful job (I have the 50PF9630A).

You'll probably find above the fireplace ending up being awkward. I didn't like having to look up all the time so I ended up getting an Omnimount U3 Tilt and installing it on the wall. The Ambilight looks way better against a wall and the mount/tilt puts it perfect for viewing w/o neck strain on a couch. Build a bookshelf for your TV nook and put your components in it.

Do NOT buy monster cables. If you do, bend over and grab your ankles. www.monoprice.com as well as others have great cables. The cheapest grade HDMI cables at monoprice cost about 1/10th and perform as well or better than Monster and are very thick (RG6 thick) so be sure to buy some of their mini "cable strain" hdmi adapters so you don't have a huge loop hanging down from your plasma (wtf was Philips thinking putting the HDMI and coax ports on the bottom of the TV!!!!). Anyway, the cable strain adapters are a must especially if you buy the higher grade (THICKER) cable. Even w/ the cost of the adapters you're way less than monster and will have a better cable.

I, personally, think the latest generation Plasma's do NOT have a break in period, but others here disagree. It's up to you. Burn-in is still a problem, but not as bad as it used to be. Philips has built in Pixel-orbiting (the speckly pixel noise you see when you get way up close is the Pixel orbiter) to help prevent burn in and I've played video games for hours w/o burn-in.

After 9 months of good viewing, my 9630a crashed. Called phillips service who referred me to a local tech. Told me that it's most likley a board issue and may take up to two weeks to get the part if they have it in stock plus the added time for the repair. Hearing all of this I was not very receptive especially after paying over $2500 plus. It makes you wonder what will come next. So I packed it up and back to costco we went. Scratching my head trying to decide on what to buy, I came across the new Vizio VXL37 LCD. For 1/3 the cost of my 9630a I bought the Vizio. I would have to say that the picture quality and features of this set is very impressive. Will see what the future brings.

Thank God for costco!!!

After 9 months of good viewing, my 9630a crashed. Called phillips service who referred me to a local tech. Told me that it's most likley a board issue and may take up to two weeks to get the part if they have it in stock plus the added time for the repair. Hearing all of this I was not very receptive especially after paying over $2500 plus. It makes you wonder what will come next. So I packed it up and back to costco we went. Scratching my head trying to decide on what to buy, I came across the new Vizio VXL37 LCD. For 1/3 the cost of my 9630a I bought the Vizio. I would have to say that the picture quality and features of this set is very impressive. Will see what the future brings. Thank God for costco!!!

I would have gotten the Philips fixed...how would you compare the vivideness of the Vizio to the 9630 ???

Very good if not better.

Odd... I looked at Plasma's the other day and didn't think the Vizio as good, course I didn't take time to mess with the calibration and I'm sure the Costco guys don't do it right.

Odd... I looked at Plasma's the other day and didn't think the Vizio as good, course I didn't take time to mess with the calibration and I'm sure the Costco guys don't do it right.
I agree, It does sound odd. The wife noticed right away a big difference in picture quality over the 9630a. My 9630 had a great picture. but I think the new vizio vxl37 may have an edge. Go figure.

I agree, It does sound odd. The wife noticed right away a big difference in picture quality over the 9630a. My 9630 had a great picture. but I think the new vizio vxl37 may have an edge. Go figure.

Could be....could be calibration, the particular sets received, or even how each one works with the particular signal you send it.

As long as you're happy with the plasma, that's all that matters ! :)

Could be....could be calibration, the particular sets received, or even how each one works with the particular signal you send it.

As long as you're happy with the plasma, that's all that matters ! :)

Yeah...I looked at it again over the weekend. The Vizio only had an 800:1 contrast ratio and it did NOT look better than the Philips. The only thing I could give it was that it had the matte finish so it didn't have as much glare.

Yeah...I looked at it again over the weekend. The Vizio only had an 800:1 contrast ratio and it did NOT look better than the Philips. The only thing I could give it was that it had the matte finish so it didn't have as much glare.

Which has a matte finish? The Philips 9630/31 have the thick black bezel all-around.

You know, originally I liked thin bezels (or none) or silver ones like on the 7320. But I read in CNET over the weekend that you WANT a black border because it makes it easier to see the TV contrast/color/PQ/etc.

Would you agree?

So I'm kinda getting to appreciate that thick black border which wasn't the case the other day when I checked out the silvery Panasonics or older Philips, or that nice glass-like Sony BRAVIA LCD. :)

Which has a matte finish? The Philips 9630/31 have the thick black bezel all-around.

You know, originally I liked thin bezels (or none) or silver ones like on the 7320. But I read in CNET over the weekend that you WANT a black border because it makes it easier to see the TV contrast/color/PQ/etc.

Would you agree?

So I'm kinda getting to appreciate that thick black border which wasn't the case the other day when I checked out the silvery Panasonics or older Philips, or that nice glass-like Sony BRAVIA LCD. :)

The 37" Vizio LCD had the matte finish. I noticed the 50" Vizio Plasma does quote itself as having a 10,000:1 contrast ratio but I didn't compare those two (I compared the Philips 37" vs. the Vizio). Yeah, I have the 9630 that has the huge silver speakers on the sides and the huge black border in the middle. The TV just feels massive compared to the other vendors (and it weighs a whole lot more because of the ambilight assemblies) and the black border does seem to make the screen's contrast stand out. The software bugs are annoying, but I have to say the PQ of the Philips is amazing and the ambilight is a must (especially for the larger sets). I've had the set almost a year and it still wows me every time a sit to watch a movie or watching Dallas Cowboy football in high def.

Speaking of picture quality, what is the longest anyone on this forum has used the 42PF9630A, with the sidebars or letterbox bars showing, and not had that to produce side/letterbox bar image retention or outright burn-in? In the past 8 months of owning this TV, I have been using the zoom or other scaling features as recommended to elliminate the side/letterbox bars, but this seems to cause (or at least aggrevate) the "clay-face" or "crayon" effects of some SD video channels. Using the widescreen video mode uses all the resolution of the incoming signal to help reduce or eliminate the crayon effect, but that also allows the side/letterbox bars to appear.

I have had the bars on for hours, and only get a ghosting image that goes away pretty quick with other channels that cover it. My only burn in was with the PIP bright yellow box.

About to get the 50-inch version of this from Best Buy...just a question:

I am a big gamer and I hear two conflicting things about burn-in. Some salespeople and even some gamers have told me, "as long as you don't leave a game on pause for like 10 hours...you're fine." And then I'll read on forums that people gamed for an hour and reported seeing burn-in...or IR.

So...which is it? Is burn-in only risky after extended periods of inactivity or simply after minimal use? Seems there is a lot of contradictory evidence out there.

Of course, I know it all depends on how bright you have your set, etc. But I know, on my previous projection XBR2 that I am switching over from, you really have to crank the contrast because the set is too dark for gaming, otherwise.

Do you have to crank up the settings on the Phillips as well, in order to see the graphics clearly?

Thanks....

About to get the 50-inch version of this from Best Buy...just a question:

I am a big gamer and I hear two conflicting things about burn-in. Some salespeople and even some gamers have told me, "as long as you don't leave a game on pause for like 10 hours...you're fine." And then I'll read on forums that people gamed for an hour and reported seeing burn-in...or IR.

So...which is it? Is burn-in only risky after extended periods of inactivity or simply after minimal use? Seems there is a lot of contradictory evidence out there.

Of course, I know it all depends on how bright you have your set, etc. But I know, on my previous projection XBR2 that I am switching over from, you really have to crank the contrast because the set is too dark for gaming, otherwise.

Do you have to crank up the settings on the Phillips as well, in order to see the graphics clearly?

Thanks....


You should find the plasma quite a bit brighter than a projection TV, so you might not need to crank the brightness very much. I read that the first 100 to 200 hours are where burn-in is the biggest risk and when you want to run the plasma with the lowest contrast and brightness that you can tolerate. IMHO, you might want to avoid playing video games on this set during this "break-in" time or at least run the video games for very short periods initially while periodically checking for image retention or signs of burn-in. I suppose you could then increase the game time and check for image retention or signs of burn-in as you go. If you use the PIP feature, people have reported burn-in using the PIP dual-screen mode with it's yellow border as opposed to using the PIP with small window mode.

I am a big gamer and I hear two conflicting things about burn-in. Some salespeople and even some gamers have told me, "as long as you don't leave a game on pause for like 10 hours...you're fine." And then I'll read on forums that people gamed for an hour and reported seeing burn-in...or IR.

So...which is it? Is burn-in only risky after extended periods of inactivity or simply after minimal use? Seems there is a lot of contradictory evidence out there.


For the game, just IR, goes away quickly when watching another channel. Only burn in was with PIP.

I would play games for hours on end, not a problem. Cut scenes and stuff tend to take away the static part of the image anyways.

The 37" Vizio LCD had the matte finish. I noticed the 50" Vizio Plasma does quote itself as having a 10,000:1 contrast ratio but I didn't compare those two (I compared the Philips 37" vs. the Vizio). Yeah, I have the 9630 that has the huge silver speakers on the sides and the huge black border in the middle. The TV just feels massive compared to the other vendors (and it weighs a whole lot more because of the ambilight assemblies) and the black border does seem to make the screen's contrast stand out. The software bugs are annoying, but I have to say the PQ of the Philips is amazing and the ambilight is a must (especially for the larger sets). I've had the set almost a year and it still wows me every time a sit to watch a movie or watching Dallas Cowboy football in high def.

(1) Yeah, it is heavy but as long as it's not on a glass stand, who cares, right?

(2) You still having software bugs? Didn't the May and August updates fix that, especially the BSOD ?? I presume you have that problem with the preferred channel, right?

(3) Speaking of bugs, my friend installed his HDMI cable tonite....there is a blue "HDMI" in the upper left corner that doesn't fade away. I thought I saw it mentioned here before and I did put something in there on our Philips Tip Sheet, but the solution -- using the cable STB remote -- didn't seem to be relevant. What did work was just hitting "00" on the Philips remote -- it cancelled the HDMI reference which I feared might burn-in over time (besides being annoying).

(4) BTW, also I think noted a while ago, if you use HDMI as your SOURCE and call it "Digital STB" or some other items, I think it keeps defaulting to SOFT as the picture setting. Since most of us use PERSONAL, this is annoying. Setting HDMI to "PVR" (or maybe even other designations) seems to fix this glitch.

That's another software glitch that should be fixed. Designating each of the input sources is just labeling, but for some reason, it interferes with default settings.

Speaking of picture quality, what is the longest anyone on this forum has used the 42PF9630A, with the sidebars or letterbox bars showing, and not had that to produce side/letterbox bar image retention or outright burn-in? In the past 8 months of owning this TV, I have been using the zoom or other scaling features as recommended to elliminate the side/letterbox bars, but this seems to cause (or at least aggrevate) the "clay-face" or "crayon" effects of some SD video channels. Using the widescreen video mode uses all the resolution of the incoming signal to help reduce or eliminate the crayon effect, but that also allows the side/letterbox bars to appear.

(1) Most of us seem to be using AUTOMATIC to always stretch side-to-side and top-to-bottom on most SD showing (even DVD's). If the PQ is 4:3 SD, then stretching doesn't really matter since it's SD, and if it's DVD or HD material, stretching is much less (sometimes just thin bars on top/bottom) or not at all.

(2) Use AUTOMATIC, not SUPERZOOM or the other features UNLESS they get rid of recorded lines (i.e., sometimes when I use my VCR -- I don't have Tivo or a DVR -- to record HD programming, I have grey bars at the bottom and 16:9 or 16:9 subtitle allows the show to fill the screen and eliminate the grey bars).

(3) What's the 'clay face' or 'crayon' effect ?? Haven't really noticed it.

(4) I think you want to only use WIDESCREEN for a DVD or HD that doesn't completely fill the screen and you want it in original aspect ratio -- I think. Just like using 4:3 on SD shows the channel in it's original aspect ratio. For regular SD viewing or even HD that is less than full 16:9, go with AUTOMATIC.

My only burn in was with the PIP bright yellow box.

Has that gone away ??

We really should tell Philips to get a software upgrade that changed that stupid PIP/Side bright yellow bar. It serves no purpose -- the softer BLUE bars that come on when you are moving the PIP box around would be much better, if not the standby grey bar that the PIP box becomes.

Newbies, remember: The bright yellow box on PIP will disappear as you hit the buttons in the circle command; hit the LEFT and RIGHT buttons and the bright yellow goes on and off. When the PIP box is yellow, the TV functions will apply to it; when you shift it off, then the bigger box is commanding.

When the colored buttons come up at the bottom, hitting RED will bring up the directional arrows to move the little PIP box and it will also turn it blue on the borders. When finished, make sure it's grey-bordered and NOT bright yellow.

About to get the 50-inch version of this from Best Buy...just a question:

Congrats, and if you haven't, ping me for the Philips Tip Sheet which should help you with the 50" model. My only concern is that BB's customer service has been found lacking by many -- like CC's years ago before they turned theirs around.

I am a big gamer and I hear two conflicting things about burn-in. Some salespeople and even some gamers have told me, "as long as you don't leave a game on pause for like 10 hours...you're fine." And then I'll read on forums that people gamed for an hour and reported seeing burn-in...or IR.

So...which is it? Is burn-in only risky after extended periods of inactivity or simply after minimal use? Seems there is a lot of contradictory evidence out there.

I heard this back in the 1970's when I got our Magnavox Odyssey TV and was told to turn down the contrast. Ditto when I got an Atari 2600 in 1980.

I would have the Brightness and Contrast settings for the 1st 100 hours (1-3 weeks of viewing, depending on how much you use it) at about 32-35 each, maybe a few digits higher on brightness. For the 2nd 100 hours, you could take them to the low 40's and mid-to-high 40's resepctively. After that, for TV viewing, I would refer to the Tips sheet or go by posts here or on the 9631 thread and figure Contrast should be 55-70 (I have mine at 63) and Brightness 50-70 (mine's at 56).

To play it safe, consider these things:

(1) Maybe DON'T play any video games at all the first few weeks during the break-in.

(2) If you DO use the game system, make sure the Contrast and Brightess are turned down -- even if it's kind of dark. Suffer through it for a few weeks -- it's worth it down the line.

(3) The static images would be borders or things that don't change on the game console so do a change-of-pace: change games, switch back to the TV, etc. Avoid playing the same game for hours on end or using the system for hours on end. Even if you switch to TV and flip thru a few channels for 3-4 minutes every hour or so, that'll help.

(4) All of the above might be unnecessary -- but since they won't kill you, why not do it to be safe, right ???

Get a warranty regardless.

Of course, I know it all depends on how bright you have your set, etc. But I know, on my previous projection XBR2 that I am switching over from, you really have to crank the contrast because the set is too dark for gaming, otherwise.
Do you have to crank up the settings on the Phillips as well, in order to see the graphics clearly? Thanks....

Not sure...but if that's the case, then I would NOT play at all the first few weeks until you've passed the break-in period. Things were a bit dark for me watching TV (I'm not into gaming) the first 2-3 weeks or so (I passed 200 hours probably in 3-4 weeks) but it's tolerable. And if you're like me at a PC while the TV is on -- in other words, not watching it directly 100% of the time -- there's even less reason to worry about optimal settings that first 200 hours or so.

Look, if you are watching a game and it really looks better with the settings 1/2 way to normal from where you are, put it up there and then lower it back later. I did that for the 2nd half of a football game and then later that night it went back to my 1st 100 hour lower settings while watching news, documentaries, and other non-HD stuff.

Don't overlook the obvious solution here. Although the plasmas still seem to have more "fluid" or life-like motion, if you play a LOT of video games (and you have kids who play them too), then you might consider getting an LCD television, either Philips brand or some other. The pixel response time(s) are now advertised as ~8 ms or so. Early in the year when I was TV shopping, they were advertised in the 16 ms to 32 ms range.



(1 ms = 1 millisecond = 1/1000 of a second)

Has that gone away ??

We really should tell Philips to get a software upgrade that changed that stupid PIP/Side bright yellow bar. It serves no purpose -- the softer BLUE bars that come on when you are moving the PIP box around would be much better, if not the standby grey bar that the PIP box becomes.

Newbies, remember: The bright yellow box on PIP will disappear as you hit the buttons in the circle command; hit the LEFT and RIGHT buttons and the bright yellow goes on and off. When the PIP box is yellow, the TV functions will apply to it; when you shift it off, then the bigger box is commanding.

When the colored buttons come up at the bottom, hitting RED will bring up the directional arrows to move the little PIP box and it will also turn it blue on the borders. When finished, make sure it's grey-bordered and NOT bright yellow.


No one else notices it anymore, but on dark scenes I do.

For the newbies, that message only works for the small PIP, if you have the large side by side, you can't get rid of the yellow box, it is either on the right or left side, so the center pretty much stays on no matterwhich side you choose, that center line is were my burn in resides.

No one else notices it anymore, but on dark scenes I do.
For the newbies, that message only works for the small PIP, if you have the large side by side, you can't get rid of the yellow box, it is either on the right or left side, so the center pretty much stays on no matterwhich side you choose, that center line is were my burn in resides.

Yes, side-by-side is the killer but the little PIP box too has that bright yellow. Could they have chosen a WORSE color to give IR or burnin ?? :confused:

Chia, how long were you using the side-by-side in terms of days/weeks/months of use before you had the problem? And did it show up on a day when you had used the side-by-side for a particularly long period of time (30 minutes or 3 hours, whatever)? Just curious.

Hope you're enjoying the TV nonetheless. Doesn't seem like a killer -- I can see purplish/black bars in dark scenes on SD on my 9631, but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment and other times (HD, DVD) it's not visible.

Chia, how long were you using the side-by-side in terms of days/weeks/months of use before you had the problem? And did it show up on a day when you had used the side-by-side for a particularly long period of time (30 minutes or 3 hours, whatever)? Just curious.

Hope you're enjoying the TV nonetheless. Doesn't seem like a killer -- I can see purplish/black bars in dark scenes on SD on my 9631, but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment and other times (HD, DVD) it's not visible.

Is was maybe about 4 hours straight (I kept changing the sides it was on, since the center covered different pixels, but no luck.

I still do enjoy it , and it is pretty faint, but just since I know it is there, thats what really bites.

Knowing someone purposely choose neon yellow, just boggles my mind.

Is was maybe about 4 hours straight (I kept changing the sides it was on, since the center covered different pixels, but no luck. I still do enjoy it , and it is pretty faint, but just since I know it is there, thats what really bites. Knowing someone purposely choose neon yellow, just boggles my mind.

Don't use it at all, see if it keeps fadin, and look into these 'whitewash' and 'pixel shift' things I've seen on AVS, including some British guy selling a disk. Maybe there's something there that can help.

I don't remember, but maybe even scan the 9630/31 User Threads and see if anybody talked about this, though It hink it's such a specific topic a dedicated thread is more likely to be useful to you.

Don't worry about it if it's that minor. Like getting a scratch on a new car a few weeks or months after you get it -- at first you're PO'd, then after a while you recognize it's normal and the rest of the usage really pleases you.

Don't use it at all, see if it keeps fadin, and look into these 'whitewash' and 'pixel shift' things I've seen on AVS, including some British guy selling a disk. Maybe there's something there that can help.

I don't remember, but maybe even scan the 9630/31 User Threads and see if anybody talked about this, though It hink it's such a specific topic a dedicated thread is more likely to be useful to you.

Don't worry about it if it's that minor. Like getting a scratch on a new car a few weeks or months after you get it -- at first you're PO'd, then after a while you recognize it's normal and the rest of the usage really pleases you.

I've said it before, but I guess it's worth mentioning again. As long as you are running any of the newer firmwares (actually for quite a few revisions back), they added pixel orbiting automatically (can't turn it on or off) so that helps w/ the burn in. If you already have some burn in, you can take a memory card (or usb stick or whatever) and put a pure NTSC white image on it. Then display that image on your set for ~1 hour or so. It should whitewash the screen and remove any burn-in that isn't permanant. Do also remember that this will age your screen a little faster so don't do it often. I have heard rumor that Philips will be adding a whitewash function in a future firmware revision.

I've said it before, but I guess it's worth mentioning again. As long as you are running any of the newer firmwares (actually for quite a few revisions back), they added pixel orbiting automatically (can't turn it on or off) so that helps w/ the burn in. If you already have some burn in, you can take a memory card (or usb stick or whatever) and put a pure NTSC white image on it. Then display that image on your set for ~1 hour or so. It should whitewash the screen and remove any burn-in that isn't permanant. Do also remember that this will age your screen a little faster so don't do it often. I have heard rumor that Philips will be adding a whitewash function in a future firmware revision.


(1) What exaclty is 'pixel orbiting' ??

(2) What is a 'whiteash' and how exactly does it work ?

(3) If Philips adds a whitewash function is this hardware or firmware; in other words, just newer TV's will have it or they'll add it via the web upgrades for all of us who have recent model TV's ?

(4) Any thoughts on these DVD's being sold -- one by a guy from the UK over here on AVS -- that supposedly 'excercise' pixels or get rid of stuck pixels and/or fix IR and/or burnin ??

Congrats, and if you haven't, ping me for the Philips Tip Sheet which should help you with the 50" model. My only concern is that BB's customer service has been found lacking by many -- like CC's years ago before they turned theirs around.



I heard this back in the 1970's when I got our Magnavox Odyssey TV and was told to turn down the contrast. Ditto when I got an Atari 2600 in 1980.

I would have the Brightness and Contrast settings for the 1st 100 hours (1-3 weeks of viewing, depending on how much you use it) at about 32-35 each, maybe a few digits higher on brightness. For the 2nd 100 hours, you could take them to the low 40's and mid-to-high 40's resepctively. After that, for TV viewing, I would refer to the Tips sheet or go by posts here or on the 9631 thread and figure Contrast should be 55-70 (I have mine at 63) and Brightness 50-70 (mine's at 56).

To play it safe, consider these things:

(1) Maybe DON'T play any video games at all the first few weeks during the break-in.

(2) If you DO use the game system, make sure the Contrast and Brightess are turned down -- even if it's kind of dark. Suffer through it for a few weeks -- it's worth it down the line.

(3) The static images would be borders or things that don't change on the game console so do a change-of-pace: change games, switch back to the TV, etc. Avoid playing the same game for hours on end or using the system for hours on end. Even if you switch to TV and flip thru a few channels for 3-4 minutes every hour or so, that'll help.

(4) All of the above might be unnecessary -- but since they won't kill you, why not do it to be safe, right ???

Get a warranty regardless.



Not sure...but if that's the case, then I would NOT play at all the first few weeks until you've passed the break-in period. Things were a bit dark for me watching TV (I'm not into gaming) the first 2-3 weeks or so (I passed 200 hours probably in 3-4 weeks) but it's tolerable. And if you're like me at a PC while the TV is on -- in other words, not watching it directly 100% of the time -- there's even less reason to worry about optimal settings that first 200 hours or so.

Look, if you are watching a game and it really looks better with the settings 1/2 way to normal from where you are, put it up there and then lower it back later. I did that for the 2nd half of a football game and then later that night it went back to my 1st 100 hour lower settings while watching news, documentaries, and other non-HD stuff.

Fanatic...thanks for the good info...will definitely follow your advice.

Also, I watch a lot of sports....so for the ESPN logo, etc...should I try to avoid watching this kind of stuff for the first 200 hours?

Fanatic...thanks for the good info...will definitely follow your advice. Also, I watch a lot of sports....so for the ESPN logo, etc...should I try to avoid watching this kind of stuff for the first 200 hours?

No...just make sure you don't watch ESPN on Sunday from "SportsReporters" through Chris Berman's 2nd after-midnight NFL review. :D

Switch channels every now and then....when you goto the bathroom or get snacks or take a break during halftime, switch to other channels.....some dumb movie station, CNN or FNC, TVLAND or Nickolodeon. Whatever.

The logo on ESPN and other stations shouldn't be a problem...they've faded (I think) from years ago. It's BRIGHT images or constant hour-after-hour of the same thing (stock ticker that doesn't disappear during commercials) that causes IR or burnin. I think ESPN's logo disappears during commercials. If I'm wrong, then just switch every 20-40 minutes. Heck, I do that on any TV to see what's on. :D

Again, just go with very low Contrast and Brightess the first few weeks, depending on how often you use the TV. Some people might run theirs to a 'safe' DVD or TV channel with nothing threatening on when they're away from the plasma, but I don't like that. If you want to accumulate break-in hours, make sure it's stuff you're watching at that time.

Again, any channels are safe -- just be cautious.

Avoid games, frozen images from a PAUSED DVD or VCR or TIVO or DVR, static images from an OSD from the TV or DVD, and that bright-yellow PIP box or the side-by-side (don't ever use side-by-side for more than 1 minute).

Can someone post the original factory default settings for ALL the Picture settings? I think I inadvertently changed mine, even though I mostly use the Personal setting.

If there's a way to bring back Factory Default on all of them, I could then just re-change my Personals back and leave the others unchanged.

Hmm...I have the 7320 but I think the 96s are the same.

I'm pretty sure you can only change the Personal in the first place.
Try. Go to Soft or something; change something; now you're in Personal.
Now your Personal = Soft + change you made.
Go back to Soft; it should be exactly where it was before you changed it.

IOW everything but Personal should still be at factory no matter what you've done.

Mike

Factory default is "Rich". I looked when I first had my TV and Personal and Rich were set exactly the same. So, flip it back to 'Rich' and you are back in the default settings.

I think you can change any of the data points for any of the settings -- Personal, Rich, Multimedia, etc.

The Personal is just a place for you to be able to have your likes and dislikes without upsetting the others.

The original settings on Personal aren't a concern since I use that for myself; it's the other settings I wanted back to factory default for reference purposes.

If you set the picture to 'rich' (or any of the presets), and then make adjustments, it becomes 'personal'. Try it out. 'Rich' is the factory default setting.

If you set the picture to 'rich' (or any of the presets), and then make adjustments, it becomes 'personal'. Try it out. 'Rich' is the factory default setting.

Yes, I see that....what gives ?? Is that a glitch ???

I figured to keep all the others as they were set at the factory anyway and just change personal.

I didn't know that if I wanted to slightly modify one of the non-Personal presets that that change moves over onto the Personal setting. Dumb, IMO...what purpose doest that serve ?

Thanks for the heads-up.

If you guys dont mind me asking what settings are you guys using that you believe makes this t.v put out the best picture quality? This is how i have mine setup. If any of you could kindly post your settings as well i would highly appreciate it.

88 contrast
40 brightness
64 color
7 sharpness
pixel plus
maximum dynamic contrast
medium digital noise reduction
on color enhancement
0 tint
medium active control

If you guys dont mind me asking what settings are you guys using that you believe makes this t.v put out the best picture quality? This is how i have mine setup. If any of you could kindly post your settings as well i would highly appreciate it. 88 contrast 40 brightness 64 color 7 sharpness pixel plus maximum dynamic contrast medium digital noise reduction on color enhancement 0 tint
medium active control

m4, if you want, ping me your email and I'll send you a bunch of sample settings from the Tips Sheet. There are others listed throughout this thread and I have all of mine listed in the 9631 Thread which is alot shorter than this one.

Off the top of my head, my Contrast is 63....Brightness 56....Color 56......Shaprness is lower, like 3 or so......all the other settings are at MEDIUM (many here have them OFF) except color enhancement and PixelPlus.

Your contrast seems very high.....for everyday (PERSONAL) settings, why not use something under 70 and if there's a special program or something where you really want tons of contrast (not sure what....), then try RICH or some other setting or just turn it up in PERSONAL.

If you guys dont mind me asking what settings are you guys using that you believe makes this t.v put out the best picture quality? This is how i have mine setup. If any of you could kindly post your settings as well i would highly appreciate it.

88 contrast
40 brightness
64 color
7 sharpness
pixel plus
maximum dynamic contrast
medium digital noise reduction
on color enhancement
0 tint
medium active control


From earlier postings with other people on this blog, I use:

contrast = 65
brightness = 50
color = 45
sharpness = 2
pixel plus = ON
dynamic contrast = MAX
digital noise reduction = MAX
color enhancement = OFF
tint = 0
active control = OFF

If I use one of the picture presets, I noticed that they all use brightness = 40 (with the exception of VIVID). Is brightness = 40 the optimum setting for TV overall? I find it okay for SDTV but a bit dark for HDTV. The Philips "chat" website representative told me (almost a month back) that there was supposed to be another firmware update to the 42PF9630A. Has anyone heard if the firmware is going to be released soon?

My Panasonic DVD recorder went bad a couple of weeks ago, so I went to BB and bought another one. I did not go there intending to by a Philips DVD recorder, but that is what I ended up getting. It is a DVDR3400. SDTV and HDTV programs recorded on it look really good when played back via the HDMI connection. Certain dark blue scenes (expecially underwater scenes) can look "blotchy" with artifacting when viewing them with the 42PF9630A attached to my HD cable box. However, I found the color matching or scaling of those dark scenes works really well when routing the signal through the DVD recorder, although it reduces the HDTV resolution (1080i) down to EDTV (480p) which the TV then rescales. Maybe the smoother color is due to the fact that they both use the same 10-bit/color scaling. I suspect the cable box uses 8-bit/color or less.

If you guys dont mind me asking what settings are you guys using that you believe makes this t.v put out the best picture quality? This is how i have mine setup. If any of you could kindly post your settings as well i would highly appreciate it.

88 contrast
40 brightness
64 color
7 sharpness
pixel plus
maximum dynamic contrast
medium digital noise reduction
on color enhancement
0 tint
medium active control

You'd have to get a blue filter and a copy of Avia or something to calibrate your set, but just looking at your settings I would say that your screen is torch bright, your shadows are a little black, and you probably have people who look very clay faced. Contrast should be closer to 55 (depending on amount of sunlight in room). Brightness probably 45 - 50. Sharpness should be 3 or lower (I use 1). Drop dynamic contrast to medium. Everything else will probably work fine. If you use it in a dark room all the time, you can get rid of active control.

The Philips "chat" website representative told me (almost a month back) that there was supposed to be another firmware update to the 42PF9630A. Has anyone heard if the firmware is going to be released soon?

I think 'MJKOVAK' (sp. ?) mentioned on another Philips thread that they told him one was coming out in a week or so -- this was a few weeks ago. Not sure if it's for all plasmas, the 7320's, or the 9630/31 models. Hopefully, they're taking their time to get it right and that's why it's delayed.

Ybarra, you mentioned 'pixel orbiting' via firmware upgrades -- are you aware that the 9630 (and presumably the 9631) came equipped from the factory with an 'anti-aging circuit' according to HT Mag. Not sure if this is the same thing but the article implied it was standard, not a firmware upgrade. Myabe the firmware pixel orbiting is just a refinement ?

I did not go there intending to by a Philips DVD recorder, but that is what I ended up getting. It is a DVDR3400. SDTV and HDTV programs recorded on it look really good when played back via the HDMI connection. Certain dark blue scenes (expecially underwater scenes) can look "blotchy" with artifacting when viewing them with the 42PF9630A attached to my HD cable box. However, I found the color matching or scaling of those dark scenes works really well when routing the signal through the DVD recorder, although it reduces the HDTV resolution (1080i) down to EDTV (480p) which the TV then rescales. Maybe the smoother color is due to the fact that they both use the same 10-bit/color scaling. I suspect the cable box uses 8-bit/color or less.

What STB do you have?

I was looking into getting the DVR from the cable company but maybe I'll look into getting a DVD recorder. What are the advantages of the former vs. just getting it direct from the cable company and maybe just getting a quality DVD player instead of a DVD recorder ?

If you use it in a dark room all the time, you can get rid of active control.

Active control on MAXIMUM is a killer when you play back DVD's or VCR tapes...really darkens the picture. Had mine set there the 1st week or so accidentally and thought the TV had suffered a major loss of brightness.

Can't really tell difference in PQ/brightness between OFF-MEDIUM settings but I guess it really doesn't matter. MAXIMUM is the killer.

What STB do you have?

I was looking into getting the DVR from the cable company but maybe I'll look into getting a DVD recorder. What are the advantages of the former vs. just getting it direct from the cable company and maybe just getting a quality DVD player instead of a DVD recorder ?


I have Cablevision's 8300HD. I like it. You can record a huge amount on it. The box doesn't cost extra, but the ability to use its recording functions has a small monthly fee. To me it's worth it, especially since we got TCM recently. Now I'm in movie heaven. I very rarely watch "Prime Time Nausea". My DVD collection is growing. Many of the films on TCM I had previously recorded on VHS. Now instead of copying from the VHS tapes to DVD, I simply record them on the DVR and then transfer them from the DVR to a DVD recorder at my leisure. The 8300HD has that function.
If you do get it, let me know. I have some tips.

What STB do you have?

I was looking into getting the DVR from the cable company but maybe I'll look into getting a DVD recorder. What are the advantages of the former vs. just getting it direct from the cable company and maybe just getting a quality DVD player instead of a DVD recorder ?


I have a Comcast DVR; it is a Motorola DCT6412-III unit. The main advantages to it are: dual NTSC/ATSC tuners, the ability to store programs in HD on the internal hard drive, time-shifting, HDMI output, digital decoding of premium channes, and online channel guide with record timer. If you start watching a program at the beginning and decide somewhere in the middle that you want to record it, then the Motorola box can capture the whole thing (as long as you didn't change channels in the meantime). The disadvantages of it are: all those extra USB, firewire, and video/audio input ports are not active, "small" 120 GB hard drive, and (apparently) only 8-bit/color depth. It works well with the 42PF9630A unless you are looking at a really dark blue or sometimes a dark red image (such as an underwater scene). In that case, you can see "blockiness" or artifacting.

I have Cablevision's 8300HD. I like it. You can record a huge amount on it. The box doesn't cost extra, but the ability to use its recording functions has a small monthly fee. To me it's worth it, especially since we got TCM recently. Now I'm in movie heaven. I very rarely watch "Prime Time Nausea". My DVD collection is growing. Many of the films on TCM I had previously recorded on VHS. Now instead of copying from the VHS tapes to DVD, I simply record them on the DVR and then transfer them from the DVR to a DVD recorder at my leisure. The 8300HD has that function. If you do get it, let me know. I have some tips.

My mother LOVES TCM...she'd love to get that or have me transer them to DVD. Feel free to post here or on the 9631 thread or PM me about those tips -- I can always include them in the year-end Philips Tips Sheet update.

I have a Comcast DVR; it is a Motorola DCT6412-III unit. The main advantages to it are: dual NTSC/ATSC tuners, the ability to store programs in HD on the internal hard drive, time-shifting, HDMI output, digital decoding of premium channes, and online channel guide with record timer. If you start watching a program at the beginning and decide somewhere in the middle that you want to record it, then the Motorola box can capture the whole thing (as long as you didn't change channels in the meantime). The disadvantages of it are: all those extra USB, firewire, and video/audio input ports are not active, "small" 120 GB hard drive, and (apparently) only 8-bit/color depth. It works well with the 42PF9630A unless you are looking at a really dark blue or sometimes a dark red image (such as an underwater scene). In that case, you can see "blockiness" or artifacting.

So you have BOTH a DVD recorder and the cable company's DVR ? Sweet.... ;)

So you have BOTH a DVD recorder and the cable company's DVR ? Sweet.... ;)

I know your comment was directed at Magna, but actually I have 3 DVD recorders as well as the Cablevision DVR.

I know your comment was directed at Magna, but actually I have 3 DVD recorders as well as the Cablevision DVR.

OOps, right.....can the DVD recorders record cable programs or they just copy a DVD ?

No. The anti-aging circuit IS the pixel orbiter. I think I was commenting on all these people who see "rapidly moving pixel noise" when they get close to their panel and thought something was wrong. Now I believe there was talk of adding a whitewashing feature in future firmwares (don't know if it's true or not), but no...the pixel orbiter is already there.

My system is currently set up at
Contrast-65
Brightness-45
Color-55
Sharpness-4
Color Temp-Normal
Digital Process-Pixel Plus
Dynamic Contrast-Off
Color Enhancment-Off
Tint-2.
Active Control-Minimum
Dnr-Medium

I was told to keep all of the extra"picture related" settings to off, or else they would affect the setup when I ran my Avia disc. Seems to work for me, but we all know we have our specific tastes ;) Im glad this thread came back to life after a bit of quiet time.

Any ideas or comments as to the effect of changing dnr or active control to either the extremes, etc.. Thanx guys and gals!

Any ideas or comments as to the effect of changing dnr or active control to either the extremes, etc.. Thanx guys and gals!

I don't see ANY changes moving DNR from MAX to OFF (is it just me?). FWIW, I have the 9631 and can't see any changes either on PixelPlus vs. Standard, which is strange since it's a big selling feature.

As for Active Control, if you have it on MAX you should see the picture darken considerably (at least I do with my settings including C=63 and B=56). Once it's at MED, MIN, or OFF, I can't tell any difference at all. Maybe if the Contrast and/or Brightness was set very high or very low.

OOps, right.....can the DVD recorders record cable programs or they just copy a DVD ?

My DVD recorder can record programs off of the DVR, but it records as 480p. The DVDR3400 is one of the few DVD recorders with component input, but that connection only works if the DVR output is hard-set to 480i, which overrides the 720p/1080i on the HDMI port. So, I use the S-video connection for video input and otherwise set the DVR to 1080i. The DVD recorder outputs video on the HDMI connection as 480p, which the 42PF9630A upscales. I don't think you can do DVD-to-DVD-+R/RW directly due to the DeCass copy protection.

My system is currently set up at
Contrast-65
Brightness-45
Color-55
Sharpness-4
Color Temp-Normal
Digital Process-Pixel Plus
Dynamic Contrast-Off
Color Enhancment-Off
Tint-2.
Active Control-Minimum
Dnr-Medium

I was told to keep all of the extra"picture related" settings to off, or else they would affect the setup when I ran my Avia disc. Seems to work for me, but we all know we have our specific tastes ;) Im glad this thread came back to life after a bit of quiet time.

Any ideas or comments as to the effect of changing dnr or active control to either the extremes, etc.. Thanx guys and gals!



Who told you that? Do you feel the automatic picture enhancement settings result in a better or worse picture after calibration?

OOps, right.....can the DVD recorders record cable programs or they just copy a DVD ?

I use mine to record from cable. As I mentioned in my other post, I burn the movies directly from the Cablevision DVR. I can't give you any technical data as Magna has. I never bother to experiment with the I or P formats or Upscaling. If it looks good to me that's all I care about.

Who told you that? Do you feel the automatic picture enhancement settings result in a better or worse picture after calibration?

One thing's for sure...they should all be OFF when calibrating.

Like I said, some might change the appearance slightly when watching, others I can't detect any changes at all, even for PixelPlus !!! :confused:

Magna, Phanatic said it best, basically the conesensus is that if you are calibrating with an avia(or other brand) disc, the objective is to create a picture closest to the source being displayed(dvd) if you have all of those extra settings turned on, you somewhat are not starting with a clean slate to calibrate, color, brightness etc... Those settings are always going to be adjusting the picture regardless of what you have your settings at, and in turn you wont be recreating the closest possible picture that the dvd was intended for... hope that made sense.

As much as Im sure we all love our sets here, (ive only had mine a year or so) I cant help but read every new article related to upconverted dvd players, or HD-DVD or Blue-ray, and think I should of waited and purchased a tv with 1080p ability. As for you guys any plans to buy a set with 1080p (true HD) anytime soon? just curious. thanx guys

As much as Im sure we all love our sets here, (ive only had mine a year or so) I cant help but read every new article related to upconverted dvd players, or HD-DVD or Blue-ray, and think I should of waited and purchased a tv with 1080p ability. As for you guys any plans to buy a set with 1080p (true HD) anytime soon? just curious. thanx guys

Absolutely not !! :eek:

Not only would you not have had your set for the last year, but I don't think there's any major benefit to buying 1080p right now. If I could buy my Philips with or without the 1080p capability, all else the same (except the price, of course) I would not get it. Outside of a few HD-DVD's or Blu-Rays and maybe Xbox and/or PS3, how much true 1080p source material is out there ? :confused:

I'm not even sure there's a compelling reason to get 1080p a year from now. 18-24 months, maybe. 3 years, definitely.

Hey, my set is 25% cheaper now in under 3 months, but I don't regret buying it as I would have missed out on lots of good sports viewing.

I hope Philips adds 1080p to their larger plasmas in 2 years or so. In the meantime, let's hope that Philips R&D spends the $$$ on improved PQ, more features, and better customer service. I'll get the 1080p on a LARGE plasma when I buy again in a few years. :)

As much as Im sure we all love our sets here, (ive only had mine a year or so) I cant help but read every new article related to upconverted dvd players, or HD-DVD or Blue-ray, and think I should of waited and purchased a tv with 1080p ability. As for you guys any plans to buy a set with 1080p (true HD) anytime soon? just curious. thanx guys

What good would it do to have a set that can scale to 1080p when most of the HD content being produced these days is 720p? In other words, do you really see a difference between 720p and 1080p, or is it just the principle involved?

The major advantage I see in getting an upconverting dvd player is to use the 1 HDMI interconnect instead of the 5 cables I'm using now.

I just got DishNetwork's HD receiver VIP 211, I couldn't spring 200 bucks for the HD-DVR, but I like what I see. The channels that are on the Voom Network seem to look the best. A cool feature is that I can connect my OTA antenna and the receiver will add my local HD channels to the program guide. So I don't necessarily have to pay 5$ for local programming.

Has anyone played around with the slideshow feature on the 9630? I would like to know what spec jpg's look the best on the TV.

lots of great info here guys, many thanks but i have one question, this being my first HD tv i was horrified to realize the massive amount of overscan on hd sources, im loosing well over an inch in each direction, ive actually been watching dvds through my chipped xbox with a hd pack rather than my nice HDMI upscaling dvd player because i can adjust the overscan with the xbox media center to compensate for the overscan on the tv. is there anyway to do something about the overscan on the tv with hd sources, maybe a custom bios update that corrects the resolution or something? i just feel so stupid that i didnt realize just how much this tv overscans on hd sources, i mean what good is a nice clean hd picture when your missing an inch of it all around. am i going to have the same depressing results on a HD cable box as i am with this 1080i dvd player?

lots of great info here guys, many thanks but i have one question, this being my first HD tv i was horrified to realize the massive amount of overscan on hd sources, im loosing well over an inch in each direction, ive actually been watching dvds through my chipped xbox with a hd pack rather than my nice HDMI upscaling dvd player because i can adjust the overscan with the xbox media center to compensate for the overscan on the tv. is there anyway to do something about the overscan on the tv with hd sources, maybe a custom bios update that corrects the resolution or something? i just feel so stupid that i didnt realize just how much this tv overscans on hd sources, i mean what good is a nice clean hd picture when your missing an inch of it all around. am i going to have the same depressing results on a HD cable box as i am with this 1080i dvd player?

First, how do you know it's the Philips and not the DVD player that is responsible for the cropping?

Second, are you sure you're losing an inch of material -- how did you come to this measurement ?

Third, are you sure that the same problem wouldn't manifest itself on other TV's?

I'll admit to being a bit confused by this as I'm not an HDTV expert. But I've never noticed this problem watching my sources.

Your FORMAT and other settings are correct, right ?

Important Philips News:

(1) I am NOT seeing the Philips firmware upgrade listed on the 9631 thread. The August update is still the last one showing.

(2) If you goto the Philips site and keep clicking through the Flat-Panel TV's, onto the 9631/9630 models, you will be asked to participate in a questionaire. You must start from the main Philips consumer website and click through the site rather than jumping ahead right to the correct model # links. You know: TV's....Flat Panels.....42" or 50".....9630 or 9631....etc.

This is a great chance to let Philips know your concerns. Be honest, don't be nasty or snide in any typed responses, and be honest on the grading of the website, customer service, etc.

Here's what I wrote toward the end of the questions, when they asked for how I could give them an "Excellent" rating (the entire questionaire takes 5 minutes or less).

(1) I want firmware upgrades that are released on a TIMELY manner.

(2) If it will be a while for another firmware upgrade, please have an announcement stating "We expect to have another upgrade sometime in XXXXX. Please check back then." If it is delayed, then change the announcement forecast.

(3) Philips customer support (live talk or chat) must be improved. Philips customer service is HORRIBLE and that comes from people who own the TV's and want to work with Philips, recommend the products to friends, and already own a Philips TV.

(4) When you release a firmware upgrade, please do not have it 'degrade' previous fixes or technical features. A recent upgrade interferred with the ability to store preferred channels on the 9630/9631 models.

(5) MOST IMPORTANT: We want an ombudsman or pipeline to the chief Philips flat-TV technical people -- NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS or PHONE OPERATORS -- who we can relay our concerns to. We want our experiences and suggestions for the TV to be acted upon by Philips -- it's in our best interests AND YOURS. We also have many useful suggestions that can greatly improve the consumer friendliness of the TV's -- but only if you act upon our feedback.

Philips has a very good product at a very good price. You can make a quantum leap up in consumer awareness -- similar to what Sony did during the 1970's -- with a bit more attention to quality control, customer support, and client feedback.

Do this right, and you can be a leading name in flat-panel TV's for the next 20-30 years.

Do it wrong, and you'll follow the U.S. auto industry to oblivion.

Are we clear ????

First, how do you know it's the Philips and not the DVD player that is responsible for the cropping?

Second, are you sure you're losing an inch of material -- how did you come to this measurement ?

Third, are you sure that the same problem wouldn't manifest itself on other TV's?

I'll admit to being a bit confused by this as I'm not an HDTV expert. But I've never noticed this problem watching my sources.

Your FORMAT and other settings are correct, right ?


i came to the conclusion its the tv because when i even play a 1080I xbox game through the composite cables its overscaned just as much as the dvd player did in HDMI, i can only adjust the over scan on the xbox in the media player, not for games.

i determined about an inch by comparing the same scene of a dvd on the xbox and flipped back and forth on the same scene with the hdmi dvd player, i also hooked up the composite on the dvd player at 480I and it showed the whole picture, no overscanning while the hdmi did.

its 16 cursor clicks on the phillips remote controls picture movement buttons from left to right as well as 16 clicks for up and down for the amount of picture thats overscanned with any device displaying 1080I, i just hate to be lossing that much picture for anything in highdef. formats and other settings are correct, even with the automatic picture format on the tv is does not do anything for the overscaning.

my sony STR-DG1000 a/v receiver just came today and it has HDMI Up Conversion to 1080I so ill give it a shot tonight with everything going into it then just the receiver to the tv.

Important Philips News:

(1) I am NOT seeing the Philips firmware upgrade listed on the 9631 thread. The August update is still the last one showing.

(2) If you goto the Philips site and keep clicking through the Flat-Panel TV's, onto the 9631/9630 models, you will be asked to participate in a questionaire. You must start from the main Philips consumer website and click through the site rather than jumping ahead right to the correct model # links. You know: TV's....Flat Panels.....42" or 50".....9630 or 9631....etc.

This is a great chance to let Philips know your concerns. Be honest, don't be nasty or snide in any typed responses, and be honest on the grading of the website, customer service, etc.

Here's what I wrote toward the end of the questions, when they asked for how I could give them an "Excellent" rating (the entire questionaire takes 5 minutes or less).

(1) I want firmware upgrades that are released on a TIMELY manner.

(2) If it will be a while for another firmware upgrade, please have an announcement stating "We expect to have another upgrade sometime in XXXXX. Please check back then." If it is delayed, then change the announcement forecast.

(3) Philips customer support (live talk or chat) must be improved. Philips customer service is HORRIBLE and that comes from people who own the TV's and want to work with Philips, recommend the products to friends, and already own a Philips TV.

(4) When you release a firmware upgrade, please do not have it 'degrade' previous fixes or technical features. A recent upgrade interferred with the ability to store preferred channels on the 9630/9631 models.

(5) MOST IMPORTANT: We want an ombudsman or pipeline to the chief Philips flat-TV technical people -- NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS or PHONE OPERATORS -- who we can relay our concerns to. We want our experiences and suggestions for the TV to be acted upon by Philips -- it's in our best interests AND YOURS. We also have many useful suggestions that can greatly improve the consumer friendliness of the TV's -- but only if you act upon our feedback.

Philips has a very good product at a very good price. You can make a quantum leap up in consumer awareness -- similar to what Sony did during the 1970's -- with a bit more attention to quality control, customer support, and client feedback.

Do this right, and you can be a leading name in flat-panel TV's for the next 20-30 years.

Do it wrong, and you'll follow the U.S. auto industry to oblivion.

Are we clear ????


you may also reach this survery if you are a member of www.clubphilips.com/ they have had it on there for quite some time. Good info here, I think you said the bulk of what a lot of us are thinking... Any indication as to what we can expect to see in the next firmware upgrade? any expectations? any requests? Is our model now discontinued and will we continue to see future upgrades? Thanx guys.

you may also reach this survery if you are a member of www.clubphilips.com/ they have had it on there for quite some time. Good info here, I think you said the bulk of what a lot of us are thinking... Any indication as to what we can expect to see in the next firmware upgrade? any expectations? any requests? Is our model now discontinued and will we continue to see future upgrades? Thanx guys.

Good post, I never knew that 'club' or what existed. I'll check it out.

Thanks for the comments, I hope I hit on most of our concerns.

I should have mentioned that the Philips Technical Experts should host a chat room maybe every month -- even every 3 months -- where we could ask them questions, tell them about problems, etc. It wouldn't cost Philips much to have 1 or 2 of their people chat IM-wise with 20-50 people (or more) who want to offer suggestions, complaints, ask questions, etc.

As for future firmware upgrades, I wonder if they can alter the TV to handle 1080p? Probably not, I think that's a pixel thing that has to be addressed during the build, but who knows. Frankly, I don't care about 1080p and would just want good updates like the one that fixed the BSOD problem, fixes the dropped channel problem for those who got hit by that (wasn't me but I share their frustration), and other glitches.

One big change I just thought of: changing the color of the PIP box and the side-by-side from bright yellow to a light gray or non-threatening color to avoid burn-in. The little PIP box is already gray or blue when you move it around or turn the controls over to the big box. This should be EASY to implement !!!

Good post, I never knew that 'club' or what existed. I'll check it out.

Thanks for the comments, I hope I hit on most of our concerns.

I should have mentioned that the Philips Technical Experts should host a chat room maybe every month -- even every 3 months -- where we could ask them questions, tell them about problems, etc. It wouldn't cost Philips much to have 1 or 2 of their people chat IM-wise with 20-50 people (or more) who want to offer suggestions, complaints, ask questions, etc.

As for future firmware upgrades, I wonder if they can alter the TV to handle 1080p? Probably not, I think that's a pixel thing that has to be addressed during the build, but who knows. Frankly, I don't care about 1080p and would just want good updates like the one that fixed the BSOD problem, fixes the dropped channel problem for those who got hit by that (wasn't me but I share their frustration), and other glitches.

One big change I just thought of: changing the color of the PIP box and the side-by-side from bright yellow to a light gray or non-threatening color to avoid burn-in. The little PIP box is already gray or blue when you move it around or turn the controls over to the big box. This should be EASY to implement !!!

Yea changing the color of that would help a big deal for those who use it, ive never had channels being dropped, but sometimes when I have unchecked certain channels in the list so they dont show up when I am hitting channel up or channel down, they tend to reappear, and I have to go back to the menu and uncheck them again, very weird...

Yea changing the color of that would help a big deal for those who use it, ive never had channels being dropped, but sometimes when I have unchecked certain channels in the list so they dont show up when I am hitting channel up or channel down, they tend to reappear, and I have to go back to the menu and uncheck them again, very weird...

That's the glitch from the last firmware upgrade that a few posters on this thread and/or the 9631 thread mentioned.

You can tell that to Philips directly if you do the questionaire (see above).

Important Philips News:

(1) I am NOT seeing the Philips firmware upgrade listed on the 9631 thread. The August update is still the last one showing.

(2) If you goto the Philips site and keep clicking through the Flat-Panel TV's, onto the 9631/9630 models, you will be asked to participate in a questionaire. You must start from the main Philips consumer website and click through the site rather than jumping ahead right to the correct model # links. You know: TV's....Flat Panels.....42" or 50".....9630 or 9631....etc.

This is a great chance to let Philips know your concerns. Be honest, don't be nasty or snide in any typed responses, and be honest on the grading of the website, customer service, etc.

Here's what I wrote toward the end of the questions, when they asked for how I could give them an "Excellent" rating (the entire questionaire takes 5 minutes or less).

(1) I want firmware upgrades that are released on a TIMELY manner.

(2) If it will be a while for another firmware upgrade, please have an announcement stating "We expect to have another upgrade sometime in XXXXX. Please check back then." If it is delayed, then change the announcement forecast.

(3) Philips customer support (live talk or chat) must be improved. Philips customer service is HORRIBLE and that comes from people who own the TV's and want to work with Philips, recommend the products to friends, and already own a Philips TV.

(4) When you release a firmware upgrade, please do not have it 'degrade' previous fixes or technical features. A recent upgrade interferred with the ability to store preferred channels on the 9630/9631 models.

(5) MOST IMPORTANT: We want an ombudsman or pipeline to the chief Philips flat-TV technical people -- NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE REPS or PHONE OPERATORS -- who we can relay our concerns to. We want our experiences and suggestions for the TV to be acted upon by Philips -- it's in our best interests AND YOURS. We also have many useful suggestions that can greatly improve the consumer friendliness of the TV's -- but only if you act upon our feedback.

Philips has a very good product at a very good price. You can make a quantum leap up in consumer awareness -- similar to what Sony did during the 1970's -- with a bit more attention to quality control, customer support, and client feedback.

Do this right, and you can be a leading name in flat-panel TV's for the next 20-30 years.

Do it wrong, and you'll follow the U.S. auto industry to oblivion.

Are we clear ????


Speaking of timely firmware updates and their respective releases, it appears that Philips released a firmware update to the 42PF9631D that addresses some of these problems. Although the date on the firmware release on the webpage still shows an Aug 2006 posting date, the new firmware (now up version BJ24U-1.9.0.0_03161?) came out in late Nov 2006 and that is what you get if you ignore the post date and download the firmware file anyway. Since the the 42PF9631D and the 42PF9630A are functionally very similar, it seems that updates for the 42PF9630A ought to be released here soon too. In addition, I nominate PhilipsPhanatic for ombudsman.

Speaking of timely firmware updates and their respective releases, it appears that Philips released a firmware update to the 42PF9631D that addresses some of these problems. Although the date on the firmware release on the webpage still shows an Aug 2006 posting date, the new firmware (now up version BJ24U-1.9.0.0_03161?) came out in late Nov 2006 and that is what you get if you ignore the post date and download the firmware file anyway. Since the the 42PF9631D and the 42PF9630A are functionally very similar, it seems that updates for the 42PF9630A ought to be released here soon too. In addition, I nominate PhilipsPhanatic for ombudsman.

Thanks for the vote of confidence !

I am NOT seeing that firmware upgrade...the last one I have on my TV (from August) is BJ24U-1.8.00_03.

Only the Product Specification has a November date; can you post the link or click-directions to get to there ?

Although the date on the firmware release on the webpage still shows an Aug 2006 posting date, the new firmware (now up version BJ24U-1.9.0.0_03161?) came out in late Nov 2006 and that is what you get if you ignore the post date and download the firmware file anyway.

Are you kidding? :eek: Is Philips dumb or something? :mad: How the hell would we ever know this if you or someone else didn't ignore the posted date and decided to download anyway. :mad:

This is what drives me nuts about Philips :mad: ....they get us an upgrade, and they disguise it as the August one we already have.

I have the August one on my USB stick...if I download this one, it will NOT overwrite the August one, right? I want to keep the older upgrades in case I ever have to 'go back.'

so am i just going to have to get used to this overscan, do all you other phillips 42PF9630A users get the same fairly large amount of overscan on 1080I sources? 16 clicks each direction to the edge of the picture? i only ask because at this rate when i get my hd cable box im going to be missing half the score ticker at the bottom of the espn hd channels, its going to get very frustrating seeing half the ticker.

so am i just going to have to get used to this overscan, do all you other phillips 42PF9630A users get the same fairly large amount of overscan on 1080I sources? 16 clicks each direction to the edge of the picture? i only ask because at this rate when i get my hd cable box im going to be missing half the score ticker at the bottom of the espn hd channels, its going to get very frustrating seeing half the ticker.

By '16 clicks' you mean movements of the circular LEFT-RIGHT adjustment controls on the Philips remote ???

I can't 'click' mine more than 6-8 (I think) at the most....and I can see all of the ESPN HD ticker. Not sure what you say you are NOT seeing but if you put on ESPN-HD today and tell me what you are seeing/not seeing I'll see how it looks on my 9631.

By '16 clicks' you mean movements of the circular LEFT-RIGHT adjustment controls on the Philips remote ???

I can't 'click' mine more than 6-8 (I think) at the most....and I can see all of the ESPN HD ticker. Not sure what you say you are NOT seeing but if you put on ESPN-HD today and tell me what you are seeing/not seeing I'll see how it looks on my 9631.


yes, im referring to the circular center button on the phillips remote, if i center the picture it is 8 clciks to the left or right as well as up or down, i was just referring to the total amount of screen out of frame when i referred to 16 clicks.

im still waiting on my hd cable box to come in this week so the only 1080I sources ive been using are my upscaling hdmi dvd player and my xbox in highdef. i guess this overscan is prominate on all 1080I sources and hdtv's but i didnt realize it, this is after all my first hd tv, i guess i just never realized how much they actually overscan.

are there cable boxs that allow you to adjust overscan on them? its got to be possible to do since i can use the xbox media center settings menu to adjust overscan so the 1080I videos fit the whole screen, im just hoping that theres a comcast cable box that will also allow you to adjust the picture overscan.

yes, im referring to the circular center button on the phillips remote, if i center the picture it is 8 clciks to the left or right as well as up or down, i was just referring to the total amount of screen out of frame when i referred to 16 clicks.

OK, I see what you are talking about. Yes, I have it on my TV....my 'centered' position is such that I can move it RIGHTWARD 9 clicks and LEFTWARD 11 clicks.....UP and DOWN are both 10.

To be honest, with the 16:9 aspect ratio vs. 4:3 that I am used to, and considering that some data is broadcast in the transmission, I really never worried about what was just outside the 4 corners of the TV screen on HD (or SD) broadcasts. I guess there is a smidgeon of picture that I'm 'not seeing' but I'm not going to worry about it and don't think you should either.

If it can be corrected either by the Philips or the STB I guess I could do it but this is one 'problem' I will lose very little sleep over. You shouldn't either ! ;)

OK, I see what you are talking about. Yes, I have it on my TV....my 'centered' position is such that I can move it RIGHTWARD 9 clicks and LEFTWARD 11 clicks.....UP and DOWN are both 10.

To be honest, with the 16:9 aspect ratio vs. 4:3 that I am used to, and considering that some data is broadcast in the transmission, I really never worried about what was just outside the 4 corners of the TV screen on HD (or SD) broadcasts. I guess there is a smidgeon of picture that I'm 'not seeing' but I'm not going to worry about it and don't think you should either.

If it can be corrected either by the Philips or the STB I guess I could do it but this is one 'problem' I will lose very little sleep over. You shouldn't either ! ;)

good to know, you've given me a little piece of mind, im not missing much in those outside fringes anyway, hehehe, i just never knew about the overscanning before and thought i was doing something wrong or my tv had a problem.

good to know, you've given me a little piece of mind, im not missing much in those outside fringes anyway, hehehe, i just never knew about the overscanning before and thought i was doing something wrong or my tv had a problem.

Probably can be corrected by a firmware upgrade, but it's so minor it'd be one of the last things I would ask Philips to correct.

However, if you goto the Philips.com website or ClubPhilips and get to the questionaire, you can mention this 'glitch' -- assuming that's not how the TV was designed to work -- and they might get a patch to correct it.

It might also be common to most/all TV's and/or a result of the native res of the plasma being 1024x768 instead of 720.

In the meantime...ENJOY THE TV !!! :D

when i get my hd cable box im going to be missing half the score ticker at the bottom of the espn hd channels, its going to get very frustrating seeing half the ticker.

I guess you can either get a bit more TV picture at the top or show the ticker in it's entirety...myself, I never worried about extra 'air' above the football playes helmets at the top, and usually had the ticker a bit above the bottom of the visible TV panel or right on the border. I guess you can 'submerge' it to get that extra 1/2" or so, but again, this is really marginal.

Mention it to Philips and if they let you know if this is intentional or not, report back. :)

Are you kidding? :eek: Is Philips dumb or something? :mad: How the hell would we ever know this if you or someone else didn't ignore the posted date and decided to download anyway. :mad:

This is what drives me nuts about Philips :mad: ....they get us an upgrade, and they disguise it as the August one we already have.

I have the August one on my USB stick...if I download this one, it will NOT overwrite the August one, right? I want to keep the older upgrades in case I ever have to 'go back.'


okay quick question i see the new version BJ24u-1.9.0.0_03161 for the 42pf9631d are these okay to download and install on our 42pf9630's?? what i have on my tv now is BX23u-1.4.0.0_03081 which is the last one listed on the 42pf9630 list. Thanx guys!

okay quick question i see the new version BJ24u-1.9.0.0_03161 for the 42pf9631d are these okay to download and install on our 42pf9630's?? what i have on my tv now is BX23u-1.4.0.0_03081 which is the last one listed on the 42pf9630 list. Thanx guys!

I'm not sure if the 9631's (which are newer) have had the exact same upgrades as the 9630's since mid-2006 or not. There may be minute differences in the software even if the changes are the same since there are some slight differences in the sets (though I would bet the software is probably the same).

Still, I would wait for it to appear as an upgrade for the 9630 on the Philips site or contact Philips.

I'm still wondering why it's listed as an August upgrade...what's taking them so long to correct this ??

I'm not sure if the 9631's (which are newer) have had the exact same upgrades as the 9630's since mid-2006 or not. There may be minute differences in the software even if the changes are the same since there are some slight differences in the sets (though I would bet the software is probably the same).

Still, I would wait for it to appear as an upgrade for the 9630 on the Philips site or contact Philips.

I'm still wondering why it's listed as an August upgrade...what's taking them so long to correct this ??


so you also have BX23u-1.4.0.0_03081 on your set?

so you also have BX23u-1.4.0.0_03081 on your set?

No, I have BJ24U-1.8.0.0_03....I have the 9631 Philips.