Are you guys that are having problems only having it with a certain resolution? Or do you have it regardless of if its in 480, 720 or 1020?

It happens on all resolutions.

So now, my plasma shut itself down and the little red light on the left-bottom of the set is blinking seven times quickly.

So now, my plasma shut itself down and the little red light on the left-bottom of the set is blinking seven times quickly.

Please please please take your set back and get on with your life.

So now, my plasma shut itself down and the little red light on the left-bottom of the set is blinking seven times quickly.


If you download the service manual there is a section in there that explains how to interpret those sequences of flashing LED's. At least you'll have a better idea of what is wrong when you call for service.



Please please please take your set back and get on with your life.


So are you telling the folks here that they will have no problems if they return this TV for another brand????? This forum is FULL of people who are having issues with all of the TV's being sold today. LCD, Plasma, Panny, Philly, Vizio, etc.

If you download the service manual there is a section in there that explains how to interpret those sequences of flashing LED's. At least you'll have a better idea of what is wrong when you call for service.






So are you telling the folks here that they will have no problems if they return this TV for another brand????? This forum is FULL of people who are having issues with all of the TV's being sold today. LCD, Plasma, Panny, Philly, Vizio, etc.


All TVs have their issues. However, the the black screen problem with the Philips is a serious issue. Having no picture on a TV is like having a car that won't start. The only recourse to returning the TV is to have a technician try to repair it under warranty. I would not be willing to risk my $3000 investment on a repair when the store is willing to take it back.

I have the 50" version of this display. Watched Good Night And Good Luck last night. I've never seen so much pink and green in a B&W movie. Anyone know how to fix this?

All TVs have their issues. However, the the black screen problem with the Philips is a serious issue. Having no picture on a TV is like having a car that won't start. The only recourse to returning the TV is to have a technician try to repair it under warranty. I would not be willing to risk my $3000 investment on a repair when the store is willing to take it back.


Well if you paid $3000 you paid too much anyhow :p

Look, sometimes you buy a Ford (or model X) and they have a recall. Stuff happens. I know its easy for me to say cause my TV isn't affected ----- but for me, this was and still is the best Plasma deal I found.

I watch plenty of B&W movies too, haven't seen any pink and/or green.

I watch plenty of B&W movies too, haven't seen any pink and/or green.

Well then maybe it's my Oppo DVD player. I'll try again with my Denon and see if there's any improvement.

Nope, I have an Oppo as well. Connected via DVI-HDMI

I have the 50" version of this display. Watched Good Night And Good Luck last night. I've never seen so much pink and green in a B&W movie. Anyone know how to fix this?

The other night I watched some of American History X on one of the movie channels. I also noticed a lot of greenish tint. I just figured it was due to my picture settings (which look good on regular color broadcasts).

Unfortunately, returning the set isn't an option since the return period has expired. Now, the plasma is completely useless. It quit running and the red light blinks. I can't get it to reboot or turn on at all. I've called for service and hopefully they can find something that would explain the problems.

Also, I too have noticed a severe green tint on occasion. The most noticable was during the Simpsons the other night. The plasma looked terrible, but my 13inch set looked fine.

All TVs have their issues. However, the the black screen problem with the Philips is a serious issue. Having no picture on a TV is like having a car that won't start. The only recourse to returning the TV is to have a technician try to repair it under warranty. I would not be willing to risk my $3000 investment on a repair when the store is willing to take it back.

If that were anywhere near accurate, we wouldn't be on this forum vetting the issue.

A more accurate analogy would be a car that runs really well 99% of the time, but stalls a red light occasionally. This car is made by a reputable global manufacturer with virtually no chance of disappearing in the next 5 years. And the car, aside from this occasional stalling problem, has performance, ride and options that compare favorably with much higher-priced luxury models. Under these circumstances, would you be inclined to try to work with the manufacturer to see if the stalling problem could be resolved, or immediately return it?

Personally, I'm willing to work with Philips a bit on the issue. Akai, Vizio, Maxent, etc. may make fine products, but I was more comfortable with the Philips name, as I've had good luck with their products for years. Pioneer and Panasonic (among others) make fine plasmas, but the price difference basically got me a media console, Yamaha 5.1 HT receiver (on clearance at BB :D ) and a Toshiba upconverting DVD player.

Had a service rep come by today. When I described the symptoms, he said that he had run into this problem recently, and was very sure that the problem was a "crystal on the SSB board". Said they would schedule a time within the next week to come out and replace it. Will let y'all know how it turns out.

That is GREAT news Smirley! Please keep us posted. Oh yeah... and ask the tech for details so we can share the info with the tech who shows up at our door. :)

iv had this tv since christmas and like it so far. sd signal thru direct tv is just so so but hd thru antena is great. but in the last few weeks ive had an issue with getting no signal over my antena when switching over from my direct tv. usually if i turn off the tv for 30 sec and turn it back on it will then recieve a signal. i have the antenna diplexed with my sat line. i already replaced both diplexers and no help. i have another tv in the house using diplexers and rock solid with that tv. no signal loss ever. any ideas? thanks

Has anyone here NOT experienced black screen. It seems like everyone with this set has had it at least a few times. Im getting ready to return mine since I picked up the new Vizio 42". The Philips beats the Vizio in PQ but at $500 more than the Vizio with no signs of a good set out there out there, I will be forced to stick with a 100% functonal OK PQ Vizio.

No Black screen for me yet.

Granted, it's only a couple of weeks old. It already had the latest firmware on it too, so I guess I lucked out and got a fresh box at Costco.

*shrugs*

Has anyone here NOT experienced black screen. It seems like everyone with this set has had it at least a few times. Im getting ready to return mine since I picked up the new Vizio 42". The Philips beats the Vizio in PQ but at $500 more than the Vizio with no signs of a good set out there out there, I will be forced to stick with a 100% functonal OK PQ Vizio.


Back a few pages plenty of us dicussed not having BS. In fact I have no problems with my set at all.

I just bought this tv from costco. I went in the service menu, but I could not find a way to just the screen alingment. Picture on the set is way off to the right. Local chanel logos are only seen halfway. Is there a different serivce menu for the convergence? I tried searching but no luck.

Thanks in advance.

I just bought this tv from costco. I went in the service menu, but I could not find a way to just the screen alingment. Picture on the set is way off to the right. Local chanel logos are only seen halfway. Is there a different serivce menu for the convergence? I tried searching but no luck.

Thanks in advance.


just use the arrow buttons on the remote to move the picture sideways, or up and down.

I had the black screen lastnight despite trying the solution of using a high grade Monster power strip with Clean Power. I now have the TV plugged into an APC Voltage Regulator and that is my last resort.

When the black screen occurrs for me, the green LED on the front of the panel stays lit. After the reboot there is no flashing whatsoever of the green LED or the red LED. Even a few minutes after the reboot as the service manual suggests may happen. In addition, the 'Error Log' is also empty. Can anyone else please confirm that their black screen issues also do not cause any flashing LED's (green or red) that would indicate an error? As far as I can tell what I am experiencing here is not a 'protection' but a reboot of the TV for some reason.

Mine behaves exactly like yours. I use Belkin UPS. It happens any time. I use the TV with my HTPC via HDMI input

macroprod.... My set does the very same thing as yours. I also have everything plugged in to a monster power strip. However, I will say that it seems I have been experiencing the black screen less frequently. Now, it might occur once every 2-3 weeks or so.

My TV is about 3 weeks old. Exchanged it at Costco due to black screen on my first one. So far I have only seen the black screen 2 times. According to the service manual the TV will reboot if a power dip or surge is detected. I am trying the voltage regulator and if that doesn't work I'm giving up on this TV and Philips. I hope it doesn't come to that.

I still want to see the correlation between purchase places and BS issues. Seems a LOT of ppl on here with BS issues bought them at Costco. Got mine at Sears, zero problems. Anyone else have no problems and want to name the retailer?

I still want to see the correlation between purchase places and BS issues. Seems a LOT of ppl on here with BS issues bought them at Costco. Got mine at Sears, zero problems. Anyone else have no problems and want to name the retailer?
I also got mine as Sears...

I also got mine as Sears...

I got mine at Circuit City this past December and haven't had this problem.

No problems here but I just got mine a week ago. Picked it up @sams for $1799. It was the last one (display model). Btw how long did you guys have your sets before you noticed the bs issue?

I had my second (replacement) TV 5 days before it happened to me for the first time.

Got mine a Circuit City.

I have the service guy coming out next week. They're a replacement service, so they don't actually look at the boards looking for a problem. They replace the main board or the power supply. I explained the problems (mostly the fact that the set doesn't turn on now) and he discussed it with his techs. They decided to replace the power supply. Has anyone else had their PS replaced?

Oh, also when I did have the BS the green light stayed on like others have said. Now I just have a blinking red light. I tried reading the service manual....WOW. That thing sure sucks to read and decipher.

Got mine at Sam's. First BS happened on the second day. My symptoms are the same - green light stays on, no flashing.

Haven't had a BS in a couple of weeks. One thing I've been doing is unplugging it for at least a few minutes every couple of days - not sure if that's helped or it's just coincidence. I'm still waiting on a follow-up from the service company....

I got mine at Sears, haven't had any problems whatsoever, for what it's worth.

I'm like many here that love this TV and want to keep it vs. getting a new set of problems with something else. I came across this in Outlaw Audio's forum regarding ground hum. Seems the guy had a problem with it as well as digital freeze ups on his cable box. His mention of "digital freeze ups" got me wondering if this was the same thing as our BS.

I too encountered the problem and at first, purchased an inexpensive ground loop isolator. While the hum was totally eliminated, I encountered countless digital freeze-ups of the picture on my HD cable box. In addition, the "music on demand" channels were unusable due to constant and lengthy drop-outs.

Scott recommended that I give the Jensen solution a try. I visited their site and after reading their technical data I recognized that ground loop elimination is one of their core competencies. I purchased the VR-1FF nearly a year ago. Like the inexpensive transformer it totally eliminated the hum. However, the digital freeze-ups were also completely eliminated by the Jensen piece.

My particular set of circumstances was pretty severe and while more expensive than most of the other transformers, the Jensen solution totally cleaned up my problem.

Are there other products that would have done the job? I am sure that some are out there. But in my case, I did not have the time for a lengthy science experiment. The Jensen piece removed a lot of frustration in my home and that means a lot (especially when my wife was watching Lost and the picture froze). Like anything else however-YMMV. Just my two cents.

This is the "Jensen" device that he is referencing
http://www.jensen-transformers.com/datashts/vrd1ff.pdf

The Jensen device is $60. Does this sound even close to a possible cause of the BS? I wasn't clear from his statement if the freeze ups were existing or caused by the inexpensive transformers...but it caught my attention.

Hi all, I feel like this is a support group for Philips owners... I am new to the forum & to the thread as I bought my Philips at that warehouse shop so often mentioned here about a week ago. I have Xbox 360 & Cable hooked up via component & DVD via basic video cable. (Just ordered a basic gold plated HDMI cable for the cable box so I can move my progressive DVD to component.) I had the Black Screen happen 3 times (once like every two days) while watching cable. I have the audio from cable box to surround sound receiver so the only thing that drops is the video. Never during DVD's or while playing Xbox 360. I am not surprised since Cablevision is usually a mess anyway (although their HD does look very good). It is unfortunate as I really like this TV (My other complaint is grey sidebars insead of black & that formats can't be changed when cable is via a HD source)

I read somewhere on the Philips site that some TV shutdown issues can be caused by electrostatic charge buildup? And that could be remedied by unplugging the TV for 10 minutes from time to time. I have no idea the correlation, but I did read on here that someone began unplugging their TV every couple of days did not have the problem again?

Honestly, its not enough for me to return the TV right now since it was such a value. I know folks with fairly high end sets who have other issues. I was reading that the 1080P Scepter that I was going to order online before this has a bad flicker & luminous issues.

Hopefully it can be resolved shortly or a comparatively priced option will be available at the store at some point in the future...

In the meantime, I emailed Philips, if I hear back, I will let you all know...

I emailed Philips, too. My email was dispatched off into the great unknown never to be seen or heard from again (or replied to). It was exactly what I expected out of them, to be honest.

I too have Cablevision and the occasional bout of black screen. I have noticed one station in particular has generated a black screen incident more than any other. And although my studies are not scientific in nature, I do not find myself watching this channel more than any other. That channel is WTBS and the 'Everybody Loves Raymond' TBS commercials sent my set into a tizzy a few times. I am not sure what is causing the 'black screen' (video signal, static, etc.) but perhaps it can be traced by us reporting these experiences here and finding some common ground.

Got mine at Sam's. First BS happened on the second day. My symptoms are the same - green light stays on, no flashing.

Haven't had a BS in a couple of weeks. One thing I've been doing is unplugging it for at least a few minutes every couple of days - not sure if that's helped or it's just coincidence. I'm still waiting on a follow-up from the service company....

Hey Smirley, curious if you read somewhere to do that or if it was just a shot in the dark? Thanks!!

Hello all, I have had my tv for about 3 weeks now and no issues what so ever. (knocks on wood) I bought it at CircuitCity, and have only been running a RCA HDTV antenna thru coax (comcast is not ready at my condo yet) and a DVD player thru av1.

I have had the BS reoccur (after none for about 2 months) last week. Each time it happened, it occured during a sporting event...and the times before when it happened, it was during a sporting event. I have no idea if that has anything to do with it, but perhaps there is something where if the action is moving very quickly, the set can't handle the input????????? such that you might find in a sporting event where the camera is moving fast while action is occuring quickly on the screen. thoughts?

eh, i watch hockey, HD and SD, all the time, and there is plenty of camera movement, and I've never had a problem.

Hey Smirley, curious if you read somewhere to do that or if it was just a shot in the dark? Thanks!!

It was mentioned on one of the Philips threads that disconnecting the power causes a reboot of the TV that does not occur by just shutting it off. Being a firm believer in the value of an occasional reboot, I decided to give it a try. It's not a panacea, though...my wife reported a rather lengthy blackout a couple of days ago, despite a power disconnect pretty recently.

Also, I swapped out my connections on my HD-DVR last night and experienced another problem. I switched to an HDMI cable to the TV and optical cable to my Yamaha AV receiver. I always have the TV volume all the way down and push sound through the receiver. After the switch, I started getting a "clicking" sound - I thought it was an issue with the audio cable, but the sound was coming from the TV speakers. I shut off the receiver and tried to turn up the TV volume, but no sound other than the clicking would come through. I shut down the TV and turned it back on, and the sound came blaring out of the TV speakers...everything worked normally after that.

It was mentioned on one of the Philips threads that disconnecting the power causes a reboot of the TV that does not occur by just shutting it off. Being a firm believer in the value of an occasional reboot, I decided to give it a try. It's not a panacea, though...my wife reported a rather lengthy blackout a couple of days ago, despite a power disconnect pretty recently.

Also, I swapped out my connections on my HD-DVR last night and experienced another problem. I switched to an HDMI cable to the TV and optical cable to my Yamaha AV receiver. I always have the TV volume all the way down and push sound through the receiver. After the switch, I started getting a "clicking" sound - I thought it was an issue with the audio cable, but the sound was coming from the TV speakers. I shut off the receiver and tried to turn up the TV volume, but no sound other than the clicking would come through. I shut down the TV and turned it back on, and the sound came blaring out of the TV speakers...everything worked normally after that.

Wow, I haven't had any sound issues... I also keep the tv volume all the way down & listen through a receiver... I originally was quick to blame cablevision, because they seem to usually be the source of my woes, but this seems to be a much deeper issue.

I bet that it is some overheating issue that Philips doesn't want to address since they are working on the overheating ambilight tv's. I did get this response to my email:

Thank you for your email to Philips Customer Care. We understand your concern regarding your 42PF7220A/37. For us to provide the best customer care and problem determination for your product, you may call us at 1-888-PHILIPS 7AM-11PM EST Mondays-Saturdays, and 8AM-11PM on Sundays. You will be listening to an Interactive Voice Response Unit so please follow the voice prompts accordingly and choose the best category that suits your product.

But I haven't had the open clear mind needed to wade through customer service evil robot menus yet... Perhaps this weekend...

I just got this display and being new to this I am a bit confused as to the optimum screen format setting on the Philips and my Pioneer DV-563a DVD player. I've put my DVD player into progressive scan video mode using 16:9 format and the Philips is using Widescreen mode. The DVD player is connected using Composite video. I'm confused because I'm not sure if this setting is the least distorting as far as images go. Is there a better setting?. Some of my confusion is due to the fact that I am not clear as to what Movie Expand 16:9 is as compared to Widescreen and so on. Is there a document (online?) that describes these modes on the Philips in more detail so I can understand which one I should use in a particular situation?

Another thing I'm looking for is a recommendation for a DVD player that can provide a better image quality than my current player on my Philips. Anything $200 or less.

Oppo Upconverting DVD Player works nice, I have one.

I generally use widescreen so it plays the movie in its native format. The Move Expand just fills the entire screen if you dont like black bars.

With the Oppo via HDMI-DVI, you only get the Widescreen and Auto choices. It will Upconvert to 480, 780P, and 1080i (on the Phillips anyhow) and it looks great. Well it depends on the res you set but ..... That way the TV doesn't have to do any conversions.

http://www.oppodigital.com/

Thanks for the Oppo info. Another question: should I bother with playing a Burn-in DVD that I got off another thread in the avsforum? Of course I'd like to properly burn-in/break-in my Philips display but if just watching various DVD's and not letting a static image display for too long is enough then that's what I'll do.

I'm not familiar with a burn-in dvd myself. I just watched a variety of TV, DVD's, and played PS2 during the break in and I've had no problems.

The burn-in DVD just displays a set of solid color and grays, each for 60 seconds, in a loop. I think the idea is that one plays this for some number of hours to properly break in a plasma display. Note that this info may be old and not apply to the Philips plasma which is why I ask.

I just bought the Philips 42-inch 7220 at Costco. Turned it on, picture looks great (I'm not an expert). And then the picture disappeared. Come here to discover this is a known issue.

I switched the S-video so I could watch the NCAA championship, and finally two days ago got around to trying to see if I could troubleshoot this. Plugged the component cables back in and gave it a try. Worked for about ten minutes, then black screen. While pulling the Moxi box from the rack to make sure the cables were seated properly, suddenly the picture came back. Manually moving the cables around caused the picture to disappear and reappear.

So I switched to new component cables, and the problem has not recurred in (knock wood) 2 days.

Just saying anybody who has this set and the black screen problem and hasn't yet tried new component cables, it might be worth a try.

Just returned my 42" 7220 to Costco last night. I really liked the PQ but I won't spend hard earned cash for a set that has a glitch out of the box. Right now I have the new Vizio 42" which runs fine but I still miss my 7220. :(

PeteMccabe, I see that you also bought your 7220 last week when Costco's seemed to have it in stock for a few days only. I also purchased the 7220 at a Los Angeles Costco and have had no problems with him.

The picture is excellent, and certainly have had no problems [Knocking on Wood] with it or the picture. Prior to this I had the Vizio 42" and that one had problem after problem. So I returned it and got this one for the same price. I am glad to hear that you are also enjoying your 7220. I have not had any problems with it, and have it hooked up with HDMI to HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV, so I have an absolutely awesome and crisp feed.

WuHungSix, Sorry to hear that you had to return your 7220. What problems did you have with it that made you return it? It seems you and I are in the same situation, except reversed. You took the 7220 in and have the Vizio 42", and I took my Vizio 42" and got the 7220 instead.

Does anyone have another link to the 7220a service manual? The link that was posted here doesn't seem to work anymore. I'm getting the red flashing light at the bottom left too when the screen goes black.

Thanks,

Dave

Does anyone have another link to the 7220a service manual? The link that was posted here doesn't seem to work anymore. I'm getting the red flashing light at the bottom left too when the screen goes black.

Thanks,

Dave

Sorry I don't have a link, but my set also had the red flashing light. It flashed 7 times in a row and I couldn't get the set to turn on anymore. The service guy came out and replaced the whole power supply. Which surprisingly to me it's darn near the whole back of the unit. Without the power supply, there's hardly anything left in the TV. I haven't had the BS yet, but I do have a big problem with little red and green specs in one large spot in the display. It comes and goes once it's warmed up. The technician saw the problem and Philips said that would be the actual plasma display itself. I figure since I have a long warranty on the set I might as well run it until it gets too annoying or my warranty is about to end. Maybe in a couple years I can get the newest display through my warranty :-)

Does anyone have another link to the 7220a service manual? The link that was posted here doesn't seem to work anymore. I'm getting the red flashing light at the bottom left too when the screen goes black.

Thanks,

Dave

Hi Dave, I do not have a link, but I actually have it in pdf format. I could email it to you if you like.

Steve

Everyone is mentioning a black screen problem but I've seen nothing about my problem.

I have a green vertical line runding the whole length of the screen on the far right side. I am using a Comcast HD DVR box with HDMI to HDMI into the tv. When i go into the settings of the box and check the diff resolutions they all get the green vertical line on far right of screen in slight variation of width etc and some have a little bit of black blank screen next to them as if the screen is off center to the left or something.

Is there anyway to adjust screen position? What are the service menu codes to see hours used ? and i might find something for position in there though it might not be that

the only res there isn't a green line is on 720p so while comcast tells you to set 1080i i set 720p so at least on the few HD chans i get no green line but all std chans do.

Please advise.

Quatre - use the menu wheel on the remote to shift the screen position.

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

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

Any suggestions, please.

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

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

Any suggestions, please.

You should post in the 9630a thread, this is the thread for the 7320a.

Hi Dave, I do not have a link, but I actually have it in pdf format. I could email it to you if you like.

Steve


Hey Steve... yeah that would be great. My email is draylan00@hotmail.com. Thanks!!

-Dave

Hey Steve... yeah that would be great. My email is draylan00@hotmail.com. Thanks!!

-Dave
Hi Dave,

I have tried, but it doesn't look like it's going to go. The thing is it's a 30mb file, so I guess it was kinda crazy of me to think that I could email it. Just for the heck of it, I searched the web (PHILIPS_SM_15540.pdf), but it's not out there...<insert conspiracy theory here>... I am going to try breaking it up...

Steve

Here's another thing I recently learned about the 7220. I bought a universal remote, but I found that the TV/Vid button on the URC did not map to the "AV+" button on my philips remote (which is used to change inputs). I figured I'd just use the menu, but would you believe it, you can not change inputs using the on-screen menu.

This means, by the way, that if you lose your remote, you will be able to operate the TV using the buttons on the side of the TV, but you will not be able to change inputs(!) since there is no AV+ button on the tv itself.

The solution to this problem is fairly straightforward: on the universal remote, press 01 and let the TV tune to channel 1 (which will be a black screen in most setups). Then press channel down, which will take you to HDMI-2 input. Press channel down again to cycle through all the available inputs.

Hope this helps. It (finally!) let me put my Philips remote in the drawer and use my universal remote. Now if I could just get a universal remote that will operate a Moxi box.

Hope this helps. It (finally!) let me put my Philips remote in the drawer and use my universal remote. Now if I could just get a universal remote that will operate a Moxi box.


My Harmony 659 operates both my Phillips and Moxi just fine. Easy online programming. Does input changes just fine too.

My Harmony 659 operates both my Phillips and Moxi just fine. Easy online programming. Does input changes just fine too.

Yeah, I've got the Harmony 628 and it controls all of my components just fine. A few extra button pushes for some functions, but 100% better than the 4 remote nonsense.

So the tech came out yesterday to replace the crystal on the signal board. After about 20 minutes, he calls me in and explains that after replacing the crystal (which apparently has to be melted off), the TV will not power on. Says that the whole board will need to be replaced - if they don't have it in stock, could take up to 2 weeks before it can be repaired. So, considering that I was originally told that there could be issues if they just replaced the whole board in the first place, along with the prospect of not having my set for 2 weeks, I told him to close the ticket, I was going to return the set. So back to Sam's it went.

I was torn...looked at the Vizio 50", Akai 42" and the Samsung 42" ED (and Samsung 37" LCD). The Philips looked better than all of them to my eyes - the box had a new full-color sticker on the front that my other set hadn't, so I thought that I'd give Philips one more shot.

After a day and a half, no blackouts (knock on wood, small sample size). Also, there seems to be noticeably better quality on some aspects that my last set didn't handle particularly well.

1) There appears to be much less "black crush" and pixelation on out-of-focus areas on dark scenes

2) Fog/smoke are much sharper. It used to look kind of blocky and had a strobe-like effect (large portions would move in steps rather than smooth transitions).

I don't think that it's just wishful thinking, there definitely appears to be an improvement in image quality. I'm hoping that whatever was causing the black screen was a defective processing component that has now been corrected.

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys use to clean the screens with? I haven't touched mine with anything other than a Swifter Duster.

The Philips looked better than all of them to my eyes - the box had a new full-color sticker on the front that my other set hadn't, so I thought that I'd give Philips one more shot.

You just explained my very same experience which I posted a few weeks back. Returned mine to Costco for another one because Philips had updated their packaging. My thought was that whatever was causing the black screen may have been resolved. Got the whole speech from the Costco folks about how they never heard of this problem and how they've never had any of these Philips come back. Got the new one home and 5 days later.... black screen again!

I wish you luck with your new TV, Smirley. Eventually we'll find the culprit here.

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys use to clean the screens with? I haven't touched mine with anything other than a Swifter Duster.

I use a microfiber cleaning cloth. There are some cleaning solutions that claim to be LCD and Plasma-safe, but I haven't had the need. Make sure you avoid any paper-based products and any cleaning solutions with ammonia or alcohol.

Well, I finally experienced a brief 'black-screen' issue after about a month from purchase. It happened with the new Sony N75 upconverting DVD player via HDMI.

The interesting thing is that when it happened, the bright blue LED HDMI light from the Sony player went off and remained off until the event was over. The blue light came back on and everything played fine for the rest of the movie.

I just find it interesting that when a black screen occurs, the tv is possibly losing the connection to the input device (handshake problem). From the previous reports, it seems it is happening to pretty much all inputs except the coax cable input (please correct me if this is inaccurate).

I also noticed that in the firmware updates, this was at least addressed, even if it hasn't still been corrected. There just seems to be a robustness problem with these connections that still continues. Has anyone had the courage to rollback 2 or so updates and try again? Maybe the last two updates created a problem?

Anyway, just rambling, but I thought I would share something that I could physically observe in relation to the black screen.

Well, I finally experienced a brief 'black-screen' issue after about a month from purchase. It happened with the new Sony N75 upconverting DVD player via HDMI.

The interesting thing is that when it happened, the bright blue LED HDMI light from the Sony player went off and remained off until the event was over. The blue light came back on and everything played fine for the rest of the movie.

I just find it interesting that when a black screen occurs, the tv is possibly losing the connection to the input device (handshake problem). From the previous reports, it seems it is happening to pretty much all inputs except the coax cable input (please correct me if this is inaccurate).

I also noticed that in the firmware updates, this was at least addressed, even if it hasn't still been corrected. There just seems to be a robustness problem with these connections that still continues. Has anyone had the courage to rollback 2 or so updates and try again? Maybe the last two updates created a problem?

Anyway, just rambling, but I thought I would share something that I could physically observe in relation to the black screen.


So did the power from your TV actually go off, or did you just lose picture? It could just as easily be a problem with the DVD player handshake end if you didn't lose TV power. True BS issues involve a power issue at the display, with the LED's changing color and having to power the TV back on, often having to unplug it. Just asking as you didn't mention any of that in your post, just the DVD side.

Sorry - I didn't include more information.

The little green light of the tv never went off nor changed color. No flashing, no turning off, nor red colors. The screen just went blank for about 5 seconds and came back on.

The second time it happened, the tv had a hard time switching AV inputs (from HDMI 1 (DVD) to TV). It stayed blank for a long time in TV mode. I had to turn it off via remote and back on for it to lock into a station/channel. I just thought it was a weird quirck, but who knows.

Oh well, if it's not a real BS issue, then I apologize. Just hoping to help track down this crazy problem to an otherwise excellent tv.

For those of you with the low sound issue... I believe it's with my comcast signal. It's been horrible since day one. Low internet speeds, scrambled cable tv....They even had to add a signal amplifier. So my philips switched to low sound only when I switched to a channel that had a bad signal...The video corrects itself after a few seconds the audio was still very low. Turning off and on the tv didn't work, but turning off and on the TV and the cable box did. Maybe it's your signal?

Hello Everyone,

I bought the 42PF7320A/37 the day after Christmas from BJs WC and didn't experience the black screen issue until about mid March. The first time I saw it, it blacked out for just a few seconds about 15 minutes after turning on, but then got worse everyday and eventually did it after being on for about an hour. I called Phillips and they referred me to my local repair shop - Norman's Electronics. They came out and I explained the problem - happens about an hour after turning on - happens with DISH network, over the rabbit ears, DVD, everything. He called Phillips and they recommended replacing the Small Circuit Board (the board at the bottom where all the connections go into). It took about 2 weeks to get the part in and they came back out today and replaced it. We'll see if it fixes it.

Keep us posted GaEgghead...... While I have a different model, 50PF9630A/37, I and many owners of other Philips' models have also experienced the black screen problem as well.

My black screen problem was after updating firmware but could have just been coincidence that it didn't happen before updating but seemed unlikely. I had red flashing led and did have to unplug tv to get it working again after awhile.

I also had some other haywire stuf on screen and a few solid green screens that i saw others mention but not many problems since but since it happened brand new Im exchanging for a new one figuring it can't be any worse i hope but sounds like many units do it so good chance next one does.

mine might have another issue with maroonish shadows or something on ppl on screen. which someone else on teh 42pf9630a thread said turned out to be a hardware problem and not just settings or something.

i hope my next one is better cus its an online order and a pain to exchange again.

if it is something philips can fix with firmware then hopefully they figure it out eventually which is hopefull considering mine didn't do it before update so its possible it is firmware related and more easily remedied cus i'm not taking a brand new set to repair shop or have guy come out and charge $200 just for the visit let alone parts though i guess it would be under warranty.

love the plasma though and just hope my next one is better and not worse cus then i'll feel stupid i exchanged.

Well, I wish I could say it was fixed. An hour the man left, it screwed up again. This time though, it had some color mixed in parts of the screen as it blacked out. They will schedule a new service call and I'll keep y'all updated.
What's funny is that I replaced a 6 year old Sony Wega flat screen tube on which the picture would go into a 45 degree multicolor freakout. It looked like it did in the old days when you had cable and were trying to watch the playboy channel in scramble mode. I had this TV fixed 3 years earlier for the same problem - out of warranty. Sony stinks in my book, now Phillips too?

So did the power from your TV actually go off, or did you just lose picture? It could just as easily be a problem with the DVD player handshake end if you didn't lose TV power. True BS issues involve a power issue at the display, with the LED's changing color and having to power the TV back on, often having to unplug it. Just asking as you didn't mention any of that in your post, just the DVD side.
I have the same problem as Yerp. The power light stays green and I just lose the picture for about 5 seconds and then it comes back on. It happens with various inputs. I think there are others that have the same problem also.

I'm not sure if any of you guys have followed the other Philips threads, but there is a new firmware version available:

BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461
Following improvements are made:
• solution for sudden popup of menu or disfunctioning of keys on the television
• improved robustness in POD behavior
• improvements for playback of some specific streams not following standards.
• based upon customer feedback: the permanent channel nr is not displayed anymore when OSD is put to normal, this enables the customer to have the volume bar without permanent channel numbers

It was discovered on the Philips 50' thread, but I tried it on my 42PF7220, and it works flawlessly. I mentioned in the other thread that the wife is digging seeing the volume bar again (I had the OSD set to minimum before this update) without the channel display staying on the screen. Everything else looks great.

There is no mention of the BS issue, but I'm inclined that Philips wouldn't put that as a documented issue anyway. :rolleyes:

http://www.flattv.philips.com/2k5Upgrade

I've got a couple nit user interface issues with this Philips TV and I wondered if anyone has any advice in regards to fixing these issues. One thing that bothers me is that if I set the OSD Menu verbosity to Normal which I want to do so I can see the graphic volume setting when I adjust the volume, the TV channel number is always displayed on the screen and does not disappear. Is there a way to make this go away without setting the OSD Menu to Minimal?

Also, I've noticed that when I mute the volume while watching a DVD using AV1 input the mute icon constantly displays on the screen. If I do this when watching TV, the mute icon will disappear after a couple seconds and the CC text starts appearing. What I want when I mute when watching a DVD is for the mute icon to go away and not have any CC (captions) as I am running the DVD audio into my stereo.

I've got a couple nit user interface issues with this Philips TV and I wondered if anyone has any advice in regards to fixing these issues. One thing that bothers me is that if I set the OSD Menu verbosity to Normal which I want to do so I can see the graphic volume setting when I adjust the volume, the TV channel number is always displayed on the screen and does not disappear. Is there a way to make this go away without setting the OSD Menu to Minimal?

Also, I've noticed that when I mute the volume while watching a DVD using AV1 input the mute icon constantly displays on the screen. If I do this when watching TV, the mute icon will disappear after a couple seconds and the CC text starts appearing. What I want when I mute when watching a DVD is for the mute icon to go away and not have any CC (captions) as I am running the DVD audio into my stereo.

On the first question about channel number and volume display, nevermind as I just read the previous posts which describe a firmware update that takes care of this. I'm reluctant to install firmware that isn't specifically made for the 42PF7320a so I'm thinking of waiting until Philips officially releases such.

I've got a couple nit user interface issues with this Philips TV and I wondered if anyone has any advice in regards to fixing these issues. One thing that bothers me is that if I set the OSD Menu verbosity to Normal which I want to do so I can see the graphic volume setting when I adjust the volume, the TV channel number is always displayed on the screen and does not disappear. Is there a way to make this go away without setting the OSD Menu to Minimal?


See the post just above yours. :)

I don't know about the rest.

Harry

On the first question about channel number and volume display, nevermind as I just read the previous posts which describe a firmware update that takes care of this. I'm reluctant to install firmware that isn't specifically made for the 42PF7320a so I'm thinking of waiting until Philips officially releases such.


Here ya go then:

http://www.usasupport.philips.com/productDocuments.html?ProductGroup=TV_GR&Categorey=FLAT_TV_CA&SubCategorey=PLASMA_LARGE_32_42_SU&Product=42PF7320A%2F37&Submit.x=22&Submit.y=4&Submit=true

On the first question about channel number and volume display, nevermind as I just read the previous posts which describe a firmware update that takes care of this. I'm reluctant to install firmware that isn't specifically made for the 42PF7320a so I'm thinking of waiting until Philips officially releases such.

New FW just released yesterday for the 42PF7320a.

Click here (http://www.usasupport.philips.com/productDocuments.html?ProductCode=42PF7320A/37&subCat=PLASMA_LARGE_32_42_SU_US_CONSUMER)


BX23U-1.1.0.0_014661
Following improvements are made:

• solution for sudden popup of menu or disfunctioning of keys on the television.
• improved robustness in POD behavior.improvements for playback of some specific streams not following standards.
• based upon customer feedback: the permanent channel nr is not displayed anymore when OSD is put to normal, this enables the customer to have the volume bar without permanent channel numbers.


BX23U-1.0.14.0_01451
Following improvements are made:

• improved robustness in POD behavior
• improvements for playback of some specific streams not following standards.
• improved picture quality
• based upon customer feedback: the permanent channel nr is not displayed anymore when OSD is
put to normal, this enables the customer to have the volume bar without permanent channel numbers

Weird. Never even saw 1451

New owner of the 42PF7220... a few questions:

- I just tried upgrading to 1.1.0.0_014661 for the 7220. Current software is 1.0.13.0_01441. The upgrade screen comes up when the USB key is inserrted but then indicates that "no software is found". I checked that I got the firmware from the 7220 page on Philips support (though the upgrade file is identical to the one for the 7320). 128MB USB key, formatted FAT16, autorun.upg is the only file on the volume. What am I missing?

- Harmony remote users, do the discrete power codes from Harmony work for you? They all seem to be power toggles for me.

Thanks for any pointers,

Axel

Has anyone else noticed that installing this update disables the TVGOS program guide and removes the TV Guide US option from the service menu? Prior to installing this update on my 37pf7320a 37" LCD, I had been using the guide without any problems. After the update, the guide has disappeared on my set and I wanted to check if maybe I messed something up.

I noticed this firmware file is a couple of MB's smaller than the last one...maybe Philips discovered that the not-quite-ready TVGOS software was causing some of the problems people have been having, so they took the code out of the firmware altogether? I'm going back to the previous firmware version for now since I find the TVGOS program guide more useful than the volume indicator.

Noticed my 42PF7320A blacked out for the first time the other day. The BS lasted about 5 seconds. I've owned the set since Nov. 2005, purchased at Sams.

What do you guys think? Return it to Sams or call Phillips for a service call?

How long do you have to exchange Plasmas at Sams? Has anyone had a TV for like 3 years and then return it to Sams?

Axxel,

Make sure your thumb drive is formatted in FAT only. Not FAT16 or FAT32. That should get it going. :)

Axxel,

Make sure your thumb drive is formatted in FAT only. Not FAT16 or FAT32. That should get it going. :)

It's either FAT16 or FAT32, and your USB thumb drive must be FAT32 formated to work.

Put your thumbdrive in a computer, and click on "My Computer" icon. You should see your thumbdrive. Right click on the thumbdrive icon and select Properties. It should say File System: FAT32. If it says anything else, then it will NOT work.

Remember that you have to unzip the firmware file you downloaded from the internet, and then copy the unzipped file to the USB drive. It will NOT work if you don't unzip the file first.

It's either FAT16 or FAT32, and your USB thumb drive must be FAT32 formated to work.

Put your thumbdrive in a computer, and click on "My Computer" icon. You should see your thumbdrive. Right click on the thumbdrive icon and select Properties. It should say File System: FAT32. If it says anything else, then it will NOT work.

Remember that you have to unzip the firmware file you downloaded from the internet, and then copy the unzipped file to the USB drive. It will NOT work if you don't unzip the file first.


I hate to disagree -- I'm a Mac user and I just updated my tv last night with no problems. After reading your post I checked my thumbdrive because I don't even remember formatting it. Its formatted as FAT16 and like I said, the TV updated fine.

When you unzip the file, just copy the acutal updater file from the resulting folder onto the drive, not the folder itself. The "readme" file doesn't need to go.

Hi all, long time, first time

I've been reading all the Philips threads since buying my 42 in January.

I've had zero problems until a couple of days ago. While watching DVD through component I lost picture and sound for about five seconds; then both came back. I backed up the DVD and the same segment played fine.

To be accurate, the screen went off - not black and still on.

Does this even count as black screen? Anyone think it's a sign of things to come?
I realize others are experiencing fatal failures requiring power cycling or even unplugging. I was just wondering if anyone's troubles started with this temproary glitch.

Thanks,
Mike

It's either FAT16 or FAT32, and your USB thumb drive must be FAT32 formated to work.

At this point I've tried FAT12 (really old school), FAT16 and FAT32. In all cases the problem is the same. On insert of the key the "Upgrade" display appears, spends about 20s searching for updates, then tells me "No Updates Found".

I hate to disagree -- I'm a Mac user and I just updated my tv last night with no problems. After reading your post I checked my thumbdrive because I don't even remember formatting it. Its formatted as FAT16 and like I said, the TV updated fine.

Is your TV the 7220? Or the 7320? I'm wondering if the problem is specific to the 7220.

More generally, has anyone had success applying the new firmware to a 7220?

Axel

I applied the new firmware to my 50PF7220 without any problem. Make sure your tv is off. Then attach the drive. Then turn the tv on. It should auto-locate the file and update.

I've used my ipod to do the transfer, but I did try a previous version with a thumbdrive, and it didn't like it. Also tried using a digital camera, and that didn't work.

but I did try a previous version with a thumbdrive, and it didn't like it

Ah, that was the hint I needed, thanks. Switching to a different thumbdrive made it work. Odd, given that the thumbdrive I was using worked on several Win and Mac machines.

In any case, problem solved, thanks for the help,

Axel

FYI folks there is a new firmware revision available for the 7320. Dated 4/19 on the Philips support page.

BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461
Following improvements are made:
• solution for sudden popup of menu or disfunctioning of keys on the television
• improved robustness in POD behavior
• improvements for playback of some specific streams not following standards.
• based upon customer feedback: the permanent channel nr is not displayed anymore when OSD is put to normal, this enables the customer to have the volume bar without permanent channel numbers

This means if you set the On screen display to Normal, you get the on screen volume bar!!
Excellent. I did it and it works great. Not sure what POD behavior is, anyone know what that means?


Craig

...Excellent. I did it and it works great. Not sure what POD behavior is, anyone know what that means?


Craig

In the cable tv industry, POD is an acronym for a "point of deployment" module, and marketed as a CableCARD.

I wrote a complaint to the BBB about the Philips BS problem and their lack of addressing the issue. The response from Philips was that they sent a repair person and fixed the problem. Not so. I did have a repair person come out and he replaced the whole power supply. I was amazed to see that the power supply was the main part of the TV. It's HUGE! And when removed there's not much left in the shell.

Well, after replacing the power supply my TV now has red and green dots on the right side that come and go. We reported the problem to Philips and they noted it in my record. The Philips support person said it's a problem with the display screen, which means I would need a new TV. I decided to wait for a year or until it gets really annoying before I have it replaced. I have a warranty until 2011 so getting a new set once issues are resolved would be the best bet.

Three days after the new power supply I experienced the BS again. So, apparently it's not the PS but something else.

Just thought I would share....

Thanks for sharing Jeremy911, but now I'm even more worried. Tech guy is coming to my house in one week to replace power supply too. I wish Philips would get off their lazy ass and find a solution.

FYI folks there is a new firmware revision available for the 7320. Dated 4/19 on the Philips support page.

BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461
Following improvements are made:
• solution for sudden popup of menu or disfunctioning of keys on the television
• improved robustness in POD behavior
• improvements for playback of some specific streams not following standards.
• based upon customer feedback: the permanent channel nr is not displayed anymore when OSD is put to normal, this enables the customer to have the volume bar without permanent channel numbers

This means if you set the On screen display to Normal, you get the on screen volume bar!!
Excellent. I did it and it works great. Not sure what POD behavior is, anyone know what that means?


Craig

Yes, I noticed that with OSD on Normal that the channel indicator is gone but the volume bar display is there so that is good. I just wish that I could mute the AV1 input and have the mute icon go away after a couple seconds. That was not addressed in the latest firmware.

I upgraded my TV's firmware yesterday after not having a black screen event in a a couple of weeks. I started running an APC Voltage Regulator and was almost convinced that that may have solved the problem.

I updated the firmware, restarted the TV and within a few minutes: BLACK SCREEN! So, I unplugged the TV for a few minutes thinking it needed to 'reset' and after I plugged it back in I had two (2) additional episodes of black screen. Needless to say the firmware upgrade nor Philips has fixed this issue yet.

I like my TV... this is the only thing keeping me from loving it... but I am amused at the posts on here where people say they really want to buy this TV but they aren't sure after reading these posts and then ask "What should I do? Should I buy it and hope this doesn't happen to me?" Any of you reading this: I say stay FAR away! Send a message to Philips and buy another product. This is BS (and that doesn't stand for black screen).

There was nothing in the firmware update that said anything about it addressing Black Screen problems.

There was nothing in the firmware update that said anything about it addressing Black Screen problems.

Well, maybe not. But who can tell what the update addresses? What does this mean:

- improvements for playback of some specific streams not following standards.

Couldn't that be 'black screen'? Don't you think that after 6+ months of Philips TV owners, which includes many popular models, experiencing this same problem they should have at least admitted that there is a problem much less find a solution? I may not be willing to return my TV just yet as I have not found a replacement yet, but I would certainly advise anyone to not buy a Philips.

I think the affected people here (including me) have been giving Philips a pass on this. We should be outraged. This wasn't a cheap or inexpensive purchase.

For example:
- improved robustness in POD behavior

Have you read many posts here about people complaining about how they wish thier POD was more robust? They should get their priorities straight and fix the real issues.

And I appluad Jermey911 for filing a BBB complaint. Jeremy - can you PM me with the path you took to file the complaint. I'm going to do the same.

*Shrug* I continue to have no problems with mine, and the one person I recommended the set to has no problem with theirs. But I'd be outraged if I were you, and probably would have returned mine already. I watch other threads / discussions on other manufacturers, and all of them have their problems and unhappy customers.

I would have returned it already (for the second time) but the trouble is I don't know which TV to buy. My Costco is carrying a 42'' Pioneer and the Vizio models. I am not crazy about either of them. But this TV will be going back. I am finished being the guinea pig for Philips. :(

For everyones information, here's details on the complaint I filed.

Business Info
NAME: Philips Consumer Electronics
BBB MEMBER: YES
CONTACT: Mr. Charles McManis
ADDRESS: 64 Perimeter Center
Atlanta, GA 30346-6400
PHONE: 888 744-5477
FAX: 404 601-3829
Website: www.philipsusa.com

I filed the online complaint at http://complaint.bbb.org/. I suggest others do the same to get Philips to address our problem. Basically in my complaint I described the BS issue and the lack of Philips to address it. I requested that Philips addresses the issue and either repairs the unit or deploys a firmware update to fix it.

In the cable tv industry, POD is an acronym for a "point of deployment" module, and marketed as a CableCARD.

Thank you very much. I continue to have isssues with my Cablecard losing access to 2 or 3 channels, and have called Comcast to come in and replace it for the second time. Hopefully it will work permanently.

I have the Costco 7220 model and upgraded just fine. Im just glad I have a volume display now. Now my only other complaint is there has to be an easier way to set the sleep timer. Itd be nice if they could reprogram a button when its on TV mode to go to the sleep timer, like the yellow button.

I have the Costco 7220 model and upgraded just fine. Im just glad I have a volume display now. Now my only other complaint is there has to be an easier way to set the sleep timer. Itd be nice if they could reprogram a button when its on TV mode to go to the sleep timer, like the yellow button.


If you have a harmony universal remote you could do that. :)

If you have a harmony universal remote you could do that. :)

How much is the harmony remote?

How much is the harmony remote?

Check out Logitechs website they have various models. I have the model 880 with the LCD color screen and love it. :) It has replaced 7 remotes.

Thank you very much. I continue to have isssues with my Cablecard losing access to 2 or 3 channels, and have called Comcast to come in and replace it for the second time. Hopefully it will work permanently.

I purchased the philips for my mom and she had cable company install card yesterday. The tech said that 9/10 cards do not work with this tv and to go to comcast and demand a hd cable box at the same monthly rate as card. He told her they will do this and do not take no for an answer !

Anyone else have a problem with this TV not remembering which Auto Picture setting was last used for an input? Whenever I switch off of AV1 and then back again, it sets the Auto Picture to "SOFT" from "PERSONAL". AV2 and AV3 remember their Auto Picture setting just fine, but AV1 seems to stick.

Any ideas?

I don't know if this is what you are referring to as the "black screen" but at least once a day and almost always after you turn it on for the first time in the morning I get the "cable card detected" message on the screen and have to shuffle around for the remote to turn it off before I can watch anything. Any suggestions?(i.e. TV problem or cable card problem).

Also my contrast turns itself up to 100 for no reason. I don't even use the stock remote so there is no access but every week or two I notice that the TV seems exceptionally bright and check the menu and sure enough the contrast is back up to 100. This is the only setting that changes and of course the only one that is associated with TV longevity. Any suggestions there also?

Everyone is mentioning a black screen problem but I've seen nothing about my problem.

I have a green vertical line runding the whole length of the screen on the far right side. I am using a Comcast HD DVR box with HDMI to HDMI into the tv. When i go into the settings of the box and check the diff resolutions they all get the green vertical line on far right of screen in slight variation of width etc and some have a little bit of black blank screen next to them as if the screen is off center to the left or something.

Is there anyway to adjust screen position? What are the service menu codes to see hours used ? and i might find something for position in there though it might not be that

the only res there isn't a green line is on 720p so while comcast tells you to set 1080i i set 720p so at least on the few HD chans i get no green line but all std chans do.

Please advise.

I have this in between menus on the XBOX 360... Its not very often that I am in between menus, so it doesn't really bother me, but it is too thick to simply move the picture all the way to one side. Haven't found a solution, but I haven't really looked because its seldom that I am between menus.. I never see it when playing games, viewing pictures, etc...

Hi all, long time, first time

I've been reading all the Philips threads since buying my 42 in January.

I've had zero problems until a couple of days ago. While watching DVD through component I lost picture and sound for about five seconds; then both came back. I backed up the DVD and the same segment played fine.

To be accurate, the screen went off - not black and still on.

Does this even count as black screen? Anyone think it's a sign of things to come?
I realize others are experiencing fatal failures requiring power cycling or even unplugging. I was just wondering if anyone's troubles started with this temproary glitch.

Thanks,
Mike

This is exactly what happens to me... I bought mine about 3 - 4 weeks ago.. It happens once every few days... It is a pain, but to be honest it doesn't bother me enough to return it... I have not seen any other unit that trumps it even with this problem.

The little LED light remains on, the picture goes off (I use surround sound & not the tv speakers so the volume stays on) 5 seconds later it comes back on crystal clear... I may bring it back at some point, but for now I can live w/ it. Love the picture... Although I saw the 42 inch Samsung plasma at CC for similar cost & am tempted.... . but I hate CC

jameskjensen: that's not the blackscreen problem people are referring to. I have this problem, as well. It's a bit frustrating, but the worst part of it is that the tv loses the "favorite channels," which is bad. It seems like the tv "forgets" that there is a cablecard in it every time you turn it off. Does that happen to you as well?

is there new firmware for the 42PF9630A?

does the PF7320A get the green screen problem on some units sometimes?

I had the black screen thing happen iniitially after upgrading to the latest firmware a couple weeks ago but not really since. Now i just get the solid green screen problem.

Also, sometimes when the tv is off I hear it click a few times like the sound of it turning on and off but have no idea what it is doing as it is powered off.

Mlandau:

My TV doesn't lose the favorite channels. If you accidentally turn the TV off and then right back on it always gives me the "Cable Card Detected" message but usually it just does it for fun right in the middle of what you are watching. It doesn't seem to do it so much during the daytime when you turn it on but just first thing in the morning. It is nice to see that everyones TV has their own special way of being a PITA.

Anyone else have a problem with this TV not remembering which Auto Picture setting was last used for an input? Whenever I switch off of AV1 and then back again, it sets the Auto Picture to "SOFT" from "PERSONAL". AV2 and AV3 remember their Auto Picture setting just fine, but AV1 seems to stick.

Any ideas?

You guys probably already know this but my problem was that AV1 was defined as STB. For some reason the TV always reverts back to SOFT for that type of input. I change the input description to OTHER and now the auto picture settings "stick".

I have the same problem (inconvenience) as well every morning. I'm wondering if the POD updates address this. I'm leery of updating the firmware since I've yet to experience the BS problems. Overall I love this set and am very happy with it.

I doubt a firmware update is going to CAUSE BlackScreen problems :-)

Quote:
Originally Posted by flynbw01
Desert Heat,
What source are you watching, and through what connection? Sounds like really bad compression on the source end, especially if you are getting it on your Sony too.




Actually I DO NOT get this on the Sony which is why I thought their might be a problem with the Phillips. However, I have now read posts from others describing what I am seeing and it sounds like it may be a characteristic of plasma or at least this application of it. I was just wondering if the firmware upgrades did anything to improve it. To be honest it is not really that big a deal for me as my normal viewing distance is about 7-8' from which the picture looks great! I am much more concerned about burn in! How problematic will it be with this model? I am still in the break in period and I have turned down the contrast to close to 50% after the first day. The first day I did have the contrast set rather high until I read posts here regarding break in and burn in. What worries me is I now notice in a completely dark room when the screen goes to black (i.e. between channels or a blank music channel) I can clearly see image retention in different parts of the screen. Is this normal? Will it go away? How do I get rid of it? Sorry for so many questions, this is my very 1st plasma so a newbie here I be

You guys probably already know this but my problem was that AV1 was defined as STB. For some reason the TV always reverts back to SOFT for that type of input. I change the input description to OTHER and now the auto picture settings "stick".

oh wow thanks. i hadn't heard about this and was wondering why it always reverted back to soft.

what descript would you suggest for a comcast moto hd dvr dstb with hdmi? I guess other as well.

oh wow thanks. i hadn't heard about this and was wondering why it always reverted back to soft.

what descript would you suggest for a comcast moto hd dvr dstb with hdmi? I guess other as well.


I use the "Cable" tag myself.

OOps never mind, its a STB, not a cable box.

oh wow thanks. i hadn't heard about this and was wondering why it always reverted back to soft.

what descript would you suggest for a comcast moto hd dvr dstb with hdmi? I guess other as well.

I just set AV1 and AV2 to "OTHER" and left AV3 set to "DVD". I don't know of any other quirks with the input descriptions, other than "STB" going back to SOFT. Who knows? There could be settings/macros the TV uses for the other input descriptions, but "OTHER" seems to be working for me.

Mlandau:

My TV doesn't lose the favorite channels. If you accidentally turn the TV off and then right back on it always gives me the "Cable Card Detected" message but usually it just does it for fun right in the middle of what you are watching. It doesn't seem to do it so much during the daytime when you turn it on but just first thing in the morning. It is nice to see that everyones TV has their own special way of being a PITA.

Who's cable card are you guys running? I have Comcast and have had problems with the card, but not this problem with the TV. Cable cards are temperamental I have learned and lots of people sometime have to replace them several times to get them to work right... the point being that it isn't necessarily the TV.....

I've got the Philips 42" plasma TV hooked up to my Powerbook via a DVI-HDMI cable. While I'm able to display DVDs playing on my powerbook on the plasma TV at 1280x720 non-interlaced resolution, the picture does not appear to be centered (there is more black bar on the right side of the screen). If I use overscan on the Display settings on the Powerbook the whole screen is used but then some of the sceen image is cut off on the left side. If I play the DVD using my DVD player connected with component video cables, the TV screen appears to be centered and more screen is used without using overscan. Anyone have any suggestions on how I can tweak my powerbook display output to the plasma TV to get it more centered and fill more of the screen without using overscan?

My update on the Black Screen Issue!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but my TV may be fixed. A service tech came to my house 3 days ago and replaced the Small Circuit Board. He mentioned that he had already done this for another owner and it solved the BS issue. He also said that it solves any audio drops that may have been occurring, which I did have happen a few times.

So far so good...I hope I haven't jinxed myself, but I figured I'd start to spread the potentially good news. If i'm error free for another week, I post another message with an update (earlier if BS reappears).

I've got the Philips 42" plasma TV hooked up to my Powerbook via a DVI-HDMI cable. While I'm able to display DVDs playing on my powerbook on the plasma TV at 1280x720 non-interlaced resolution, the picture does not appear to be centered (there is more black bar on the right side of the screen). If I use overscan on the Display settings on the Powerbook the whole screen is used but then some of the sceen image is cut off on the left side. If I play the DVD using my DVD player connected with component video cables, the TV screen appears to be centered and more screen is used without using overscan. Anyone have any suggestions on how I can tweak my powerbook display output to the plasma TV to get it more centered and fill more of the screen without using overscan?

I just discovered that my Philips plasma TV allows me to adjust the position of the image from the HDMI input right/left via the cursor button on the remote. So I've been able to center the picture but I am still not able to have the image fill the entire screen without resorting to overscan using 720p (1280x720) resolution.

My update on the Black Screen Issue!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but my TV may be fixed. A service tech came to my house 3 days ago and replaced the Small Circuit Board. He mentioned that he had already done this for another owner and it solved the BS issue. He also said that it solves any audio drops that may have been occurring, which I did have happen a few times.

So far so good...I hope I haven't jinxed myself, but I figured I'd start to spread the potentially good news. If i'm error free for another week, I post another message with an update (earlier if BS reappears).
That's the beauty of the BS and sound/audio drop out issue.
It's intermittent and very unpredictable on what causes it or when it will happen.

I didn't get the BS or dropped audio for about a month then out of nowhere, I get a BS while watching a movie on Encore and my sound has dropped about 3 times in the last 3 weeks.

When I say sound/audio drop, this is when the sound is muted/gone while watching a TV show or DVD and if you switch to another channel, it comes back. It's not muted, it's gone.
It's also not coming out the Audio Outputs on the TV because I checked that to on my stereo when the audio drop issue occurs.

I would wait at least a month to report back any findings that replacing the board resolved the issue.

I also have the latest BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461 software update.

Hello all,

I just bought one of these and got a new entertainment center. It's one of the ones where you have a pier on the left and right, Light bar on top, shelf below it over tv.

Problem is this: I am using a thermometer (one of the ones with the outdoor probe) and have the probe at the top of the tv right next the the vent i the middle. The temperature of this tv broke 100 degrees F last night.

Is this too hot??? I'm wondering if I just don't have adequate ventilation.

I am just really concerned about this, I don't want to cook the tv.

Thanks!

Shaun

I don't know if 100 degrees is too high but I know if I put my hand over the top of the TV after it's been on for a while, it's emitting some decent heat.

The TV does suck up 400 watts of power.
That's almost 3 times more than my 27" CRT(150w).

Yep. You could definitely let it do double duty during the winter as a space heater.

I just bought one of these and got a new entertainment center. It's one of the ones where you have a pier on the left and right, Light bar on top, shelf below it over tv.

I have the same type of entertainment center for my Philips...and yeah, it can cook! But I wouldn't worry, there is plenty of ventilation. My PC internals get much much hotter than that, and it's been going strong for years. You'll be a'ight. :D

I hope so. There is only a couple of inches on each side and the top. But the tv is towards the back of the entertainment center and there is nothing to hold the heat under the shelf, so I saw no reason why it shouldn't work. Just worried me. Don't want to burn up a brand new tv... :) Philips does state 4 - 6 inches all around the tv...




I have the same type of entertainment center for my Philips...and yeah, it can cook! But I wouldn't worry, there is plenty of ventilation. My PC internals get much much hotter than that, and it's been going strong for years. You'll be a'ight. :D

I hope so. There is only a couple of inches on each side and the top. But the tv is towards the back of the entertainment center and there is nothing to hold the heat under the shelf, so I saw no reason why it shouldn't work. Just worried me. Don't want to burn up a brand new tv... :) Philips does state 4 - 6 inches all around the tv...


Mines just on a glass TV stand - plenty of open space all around. When I walk by it I can feel the heat, and yes the top vents get pretty hot. In the winter the kitty likes to sit behind it cause its warm, lol.

Hello all,

I just bought one of these and got a new entertainment center. It's one of the ones where you have a pier on the left and right, Light bar on top, shelf below it over tv.

Problem is this: I am using a thermometer (one of the ones with the outdoor probe) and have the probe at the top of the tv right next the the vent i the middle. The temperature of this tv broke 100 degrees F last night.

Is this too hot??? I'm wondering if I just don't have adequate ventilation.

I am just really concerned about this, I don't want to cook the tv.

Thanks!

Shaun

I'm not sure about this TV (mine is mounted on the wall), but I know there are cases with UNIX servers that will shut down if the core temperature reaches a certain level to prevent any damage to the cpu. I would err on the side of caution personally, especially if Phillips is recommending a certain ventilation clearance. I have personnaly observed servers shutting down (either Compaq Tru64 or AIX, I can't remember which) because the a/c broke in the computer room. The server shuts down until the temperature has decreased. Just my two cents...

Follow up to earlier post about my Small Circuit Board being replaced in hopes that it fixed my black screen problem. Well it may have solved the original problem, but now I have hybrid of the black screen issue. Last night I experienced it twice, once on DVR and another time on DVD player. Black screen problem appeared, but this time I was able to rewind the dvr and dvd, and was able to repeat the problem at the exact same point on the dvr or dvd. I was able to repeat the problem more than 5 times at the same point during an American Idol taping. Well, sufice to say I will be calling my Philips tech guy again.

Follow up to earlier post about my Small Circuit Board being replaced in hopes that it fixed my black screen problem. Well it may have solved the original problem, but now I have hybrid of the black screen issue. Last night I experienced it twice, once on DVR and another time on DVD player. Black screen problem appeared, but this time I was able to rewind the dvr and dvd, and was able to repeat the problem at the exact same point on the dvr or dvd. I was able to repeat the problem more than 5 times at the same point during an American Idol taping. Well, sufice to say I will be calling my Philips tech guy again.

I have a solution! Don't watch/tape American Idol! (sorry, I couldn't resist)

I have a solution! Don't watch/tape American Idol! (sorry, I couldn't resist)


*snicker*

Maybe the DVR just didn't record the subliminal messages

I just set AV1 and AV2 to "OTHER" and left AV3 set to "DVD". I don't know of any other quirks with the input descriptions, other than "STB" going back to SOFT. Who knows? There could be settings/macros the TV uses for the other input descriptions, but "OTHER" seems to be working for me.

yeah i figure for the comcast moto hd dvr dstb i could set either HD maybe, or pvr and see if those revert back to anything the way setting stb does cus hd or pvr would still describe it well enough better then other.

but it does work so its fine.

when i first got the tv i didn't see the AV+ button anywhere, i was like for a source or tv/video button etc.

i eventually discovered the channel button changed the sournce and then all of a sudden today saw the actually AV+ button and was like ok now i know why the manual called it that but why didn't they point out hwere ont he remote it was cus some how i overlooked it all this time camoflauged in with the number buttons. ugh, dumb me i guess though.

Has anyone here NOT experienced black screen. It seems like everyone with this set has had it at least a few times. Im getting ready to return mine since I picked up the new Vizio 42". The Philips beats the Vizio in PQ but at $500 more than the Vizio with no signs of a good set out there out there, I will be forced to stick with a 100% functonal OK PQ Vizio.

No black screen, owned since February.

Honestly, I haven't had one single problem.

Yes, I knew I'd get the American Idol jokes...lol.

I did some additional testing on my current black screen issue. Prior to having my Small Circuit Board replaced, black screen would appear intermittently, unable to repeat on demand, and on multiple inputs/connections. Now I have an episode of American Idol saved on my DVR and I'm able to repeat the black screen problem at the same location each and every time. My DVR is connected via HDMI. So I switched out the connection to Component and no black screen occurs when I play the american idol show at the same location. I've also already had the black screen occur on my DVD, also connected via HDMI. I use 2 different brands of HDMI cables (Monster & Radio Shack).

Any thoughts? HDCP? Handshake problem?

Thanks for any input!

Hi Guys - Picked up the 7320A at CC a couple of days ago (2 hr. drive each way) since Sams was out of stock. My question is this (since you all know the manual nor the CD manual are very good). When the TV is plugged into the surge suppressor & surge strip is on I see NO LED's on the TV front panel, when I turn it on (using the remote or the side switch) I get the green power LED. Is this normal operation or is there supposed to be a red LED when the set is powered off ("standby" mode)? Any input/thoughts would be appreciated, the set seems fine in all regards & I hate to bring it back for a blown LED:-)
Thanks in advance!

Hi Guys - Picked up the 7320A at CC a couple of days ago (2 hr. drive each way) since Sams was out of stock. My question is this (since you all know the manual nor the CD manual are very good). When the TV is plugged into the surge suppressor & surge strip is on I see NO LED's on the TV front panel, when I turn it on (using the remote or the side switch) I get the green power LED. Is this normal operation or is there supposed to be a red LED when the set is powered off ("standby" mode)? Any input/thoughts would be appreciated, the set seems fine in all regards & I hate to bring it back for a blown LED:-)
Thanks in advance!


Nope, I've never had any LED's on when the unit is off.

Now I have an episode of American Idol saved on my DVR and I'm able to repeat the black screen problem at the same location each and every time.

I think this is valuable. I have not been able to duplicate the BS and have been warry of having a service tech out because of it. Sort of like taking your car to a mechanic because of a weird noise then the car running fine while he test drives it. Thanks for keeping us posted...

When I called Phillips about the issue...they mentioned the cables as being a problem and wanted me to switch out cables and try again. I'm using component from the cable box. Haven't seen a BS watching DVDs yet.

Has anyone here NOT experienced black screen. It seems like everyone with this set has had it at least a few times. Im getting ready to return mine since I picked up the new Vizio 42". The Philips beats the Vizio in PQ but at $500 more than the Vizio with no signs of a good set out there out there, I will be forced to stick with a 100% functonal OK PQ Vizio.

No black screen problems yet, owned for a couple of months now. I use component cables for STB And DVD and a second s-video coming from STB. The one quirk I have seen is the picture sometimes get distorted...both image and color, almost as if one of the component plugs is lose or touching another. When I turn the TV off and back on again, it figures itself out and shows the image fine. This has happened a half a dozen times at most.

No black screen, owned since February.

Honestly, I haven't had one single problem.
ShaunATK, do you use your HDMI inputs?

Nope, I've never had any LED's on when the unit is off.
Thanks black_macleod - sounds good to me! The reason I asked was this "blurb" on the Philips FAQ's page:
"Question
Red (power) light is on.

Answer
Red light is on when television is in standby mode. Push power button on remote to activate TV."
I did see some odd behavior tonight in that the clock that was set to auto from one of the PBS stations was wrong (about 10 min. fast) yet the VCR in the other room with the same feature was correct, I re-set the plasma & its still off. Very odd, it used to be OK - I wonder if somehow the new firmware is at fault? :eek:

this Tripp Lite surge suprressor/power conditioner for even their $25k system, over more expensive ones. These products seem susceptible to a lot of marketing and hence high prices. (I bought the HT10DBS at Staples.)
Hi dok_indo - Do you happen to know or did you notice where that particular Tripp supressor is made? I checked their docs. & all I see is "designed & engineered in the USA" (which to me says - made in China!). Curious as I have used their products & have several of their older products around from when they were US made (obviously old) :o

Interesting (but good) - clock is correct when I turned the set (thats a dated term eh!) on this afternoon, must have gotten a bad time earlier in the day from the PBS station I had it set to & didnt refresh till later last night after the set was off. Im guessing the VCR in the other room pulled its info from another station or didnt/did refresh at some other time.

I stumbled on something interesting regarding the BS issue. I actually don't have it; but i'm sure those who do might find this interesting. This was taken from the FAQ for this TV on philips website.

Question: What does the latest software fix?

Answer: The latest software version (1.0.13) will fix the following:

* No audio when the Digital Audio In jack is used.
* Preferred Channel option is not in TV-Channels menu (to add and delete favorite channels).
* Intermittent, temporary loss of High Definition picture on Component input (YPbPr).
* Excessive number of digital channels loaded by Auto Programming.

Of course the most important being "Intermittent, temporary loss of High Definition picture on Component input (YPbPr)". Sure sounds like the BS issue to me. Too bad its only regarding component when I know many of you also experience it with other outputs. Perhaps its a sign Philips is actually admitting the BS issue exists and might also fix it using other outputs in future firmware builds?

I stumbled on something interesting regarding the BS issue. I actually don't have it; but i'm sure those who do might find this interesting. This was taken from the FAQ for this TV on philips website....

That support Q&A is somewhat dated now, it refers to the previous firmware update released around Dec/Jan. The most recent firmware is BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461 which was released last month. It seems to have greatly reduced the black screen problem,

I also have this TV. Can you turn off the speakers? (not mute) do you have problems removing a channel permanently?

I also have this TV. Can you turn off the speakers? (not mute) do you have problems removing a channel permanently?
Hi uknev - I just browsed through the menus & dont see where you can "turn off" the speakers. On another note does anyone have this set hooked up to a Pioneer 1015 receiver? I have some noob questions to ask :rolleyes:

uknev..... I own a different Philips model than you, but on mine, all I have to do is turn the volume down to zero. Hope this helps.

That seems to be the only method, on my old RCA I could turn off the speakers and use the TV volume control to effect the surround sound volume. My family complains about the multi-remote thing. Looks like we need to nag Philips to "correct" this.

That seems to be the only method, on my old RCA I could turn off the speakers and use the TV volume control to effect the surround sound volume. My family complains about the multi-remote thing. Looks like we need to nag Philips to "correct" this.
Funny - thats why I checked my menu - I as well had (have) and RCA that you could "turn off" the built in speakers :)

With this model just an antenna to pick up the OTA HD signals. Having a built-in tuner is sweet.

Tiga
Hi Tiga & others - how far does the OTA HD signal travel from the station? We live in the mountains & the closest broadcaster is some 100+ miles away. I wonder if the have "boosters" or some such like cell towers that bounce the signal along or?? :confused:

Hi Tiga & others - how far does the OTA HD signal travel from the station? We live in the mountains & the closest broadcaster is some 100+ miles away. I wonder if the have "boosters" or some such like cell towers that bounce the signal along or?? :confused:

Not sure I can give you a good answer for this. However this website may help. Based on your location it determines what type of antenna you will need and which way to point it. Good luck.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

Tiga

Thanks for the info. tiga - I'll check it out:-)

I had to check out Philips customer "service" today. Unforunately, I feel it was medicore at best. The person I spoke to did very little to help and even told me outright lies to try to get me to go away. Here's how the conversation went:

Good day! This is Mike of the Customer Care Department. How may I help you today?
User2178/Guest I was wondering if its possible to purchase a box for my plasma tv
User2178/Guest I need to ship it and don't have the orginal box
Customer Service ... I'm sorry for the inconvenience. You may purchase a box for your unit to any locl store like walmart, best buy or circuit city.
Customer Service ... Why you need to ship it? Is that for repair?
User2178/Guest Nope, I'm moving soon
User2178/Guest So theres no way to purchase one from Philips directly?
Customer Service ... I'm sorry but we don't sell box for the unit. You can only purchase the box through our retail stores.
User2178/Guest Alright... thanks anyways

I highly doubt Walmart will be selling me a box for this plasma considering walmart doesn't even sell this plasma! I also already contacted many local stores and all of which acted surprised when I said Philips told me I could purchase a box for this plasma at their store. A couple told me they would check if they had any they were going to throw out but no luck. I guess i'll have to move my plasma in the back of my intrepid, vertical, on the seat while someone holds it.

On a side note, why must every company outsource?! :mad:

Not sure I can give you a good answer for this. However this website may help. Based on your location it determines what type of antenna you will need and which way to point it. Good luck.

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

Tiga
Good site there although it only confirmed my gut feeling - we only can get 3 channels with an antenna none of which are HD. Darn! Id go back to dish or direct TV but then Id lose my cable modem connection, catch 22 situation I guess.

I highly doubt Walmart will be selling me a box for this plasma considering walmart doesn't even sell this plasma! I also already contacted many local stores and all of which acted surprised when I said Philips told me I could purchase a box for this plasma at their store. A couple told me they would check if they had any they were going to throw out but no luck. I guess i'll have to move my plasma in the back of my intrepid, vertical, on the seat while someone holds it.

On a side note, why must every company outsource?! :mad:
I dont know why when a salesperson/customer service/etc. doesnt have the CORRECT answer they just say "I dont know but I'll find out & get back to you" sure would be better for everyone involved. On your box quest it might be better just to to get some foam blocks and cut supports similar to the ones that were in the original box for the top & bottom of the set then get a big box (maybe like a refridge box) from Lowes or an appliance store & cut & tape it to fit around. The thing is with the original box if you cut the strapping & open it per the directions its kinda useless afterwards (though the foam blocks would be nice). Also it would cost quite a bit to ship that empty box even if you found one - just my thoughts :rolleyes:

I would suggest you make or have made a wooden box the same internal size as the original box. Go to home depot and pick up some of the pink insulation foam and build some corner blocks to support the tv. OR go to Circuit City, sears and ask if anyone sold the same tv and can they contact the buyer for their old packing materials. If you are in mid NJ I might be able to help you with the box.

I had to check out Philips customer "service" today. Unforunately, I feel it was medicore at best. The person I spoke to did very little to help and even told me outright lies to try to get me to go away....On a side note, why must every company outsource?! :mad:

That's kind of a low blow, giving Philips' Customer Service a lousy review because they couldn't sell you a cardboard box to move your television in. I didn't notice an outright lie either, in fact it seemed like they went out of their way to mention possible places that possibly could sell you a box. They could have just said something like "We sell consumer electronic goods, not boxes...Good day." :rolleyes:

I've only dealt with the Philips support people once, and they were very accomodating with my issue.

That's kind of a low blow, giving Philips' Customer Service a lousy review because they couldn't sell you a cardboard box to move your television in. I didn't notice an outright lie either, in fact it seemed like they went out of their way to mention possible places that possibly could sell you a box. They could have just said something like "We sell consumer electronic goods, not boxes...Good day." :rolleyes:

I've only dealt with the Philip's support people once, and they were very accomodating with my issue.

Telling me Walmart, which doesn't carry this TV, will sell me a box is an outright lie. The sales rep didn't feel like asking his superior and decided to just make up something. If he would have said "We can't sell you a box.. you might want to try Best Buy." I wouldn't have dissed the support. Instead, he told me some random stores sold them and to go talk to them. Isn't this a classic "get you off the phone" tactic? Matter of fact, I probably would have respected him if he simply said "Hmm.. that's a hard one. We don't sell them, sorry." Instead, he told me to check elsewhere and cause me more of a headache.

I compare it to when you ask someone for directions and they obviously have no clue what you're talking about yet they give you some BS directions just to get you to go away. A simple "I have no clue" would be sufficient yet oddly they felt the need to make up something because for some weird reason saying "I don't know" isn't in their vocabulary.

Telling me Walmart, which doesn't carry this TV, will sell me a box is an outright lie. The sales rep didn't feel like asking his superior and decided to just make up something. If he would have said "We can't sell you a box.. you might want to try Best Buy." I wouldn't have dissed the support. Instead, he told me some random stores sold them and to go talk to them. Isn't this a classic "get you off the phone" tactic? Matter of fact, I probably would have respected him if he simply said "Hmm.. that's a hard one. We don't sell them, sorry." Instead, he told me to check elsewhere and cause me more of a headache.

I compare it to when you ask someone for directions and they obviously have no clue what you're talking about yet they give you some BS directions just to get you to go away. A simple "I have no clue" would be sufficient yet oddly they felt the need to make up something because for some weird reason saying "I don't know" isn't in their vocabulary.
May be you misunderstood what they meant.
They could of of meant that you see/check if they(Walmart) had large boxes from the items they put on the floor. Many department stores keep/throw away large boxes out back once they unpack floor items.

Anyway, the UPS Store, U-Haul, storage unit locations, UPS or even FedEx can probably get you the box you need. You'll just need to go there and give them the dimensions and I'm sure they can help you out.

I sure wouldn't expect any manufacturer to stock boxes to sell to customers.
It's your call to throw it away or save the eye sore(large box) for later use.

Just to let you guys know, there is a new firmware version out there as of this past Friday...

Here you go:

220A/37 version: http://www.usasupport.philips.com/productDocuments.html?ProductCode=42PF7220A%2F37&isPopUpSubmit=false&SearchByModelNo=true

320A/37 version: http://www.usasupport.philips.com/productDocuments.html?ProductCode=42PF7320A%2F37&isPopUpSubmit=false&SearchByModelNo=true

Notes:

BX23U-1.2.0.0_01471
Following improvements are made:
• Channel map changes of the OOB channel table are reflected in the TV's channel map
• Robustness improvement to support streams which have wrongly set Audio Only bit
• Solution for sudden audio drop
• Audio improvement to avoid click in sound in case of high input signal
• Make RRT5 functionality user controllable
• Data only channel are filtered out after installation
• Give priority to SCTE21 above SCTE 20 compliant captions to prevent duplicate characters in the CC text
• Improvement of CC processing on scrambled HD channels


These are offical, so use them if you want. I plan on tonight when I get home from work :)

cheers.

I know this is technically not a thread for my unit, but there are a half dozen Philips threads going so I figured I'd cross post in case someone wasn't trolling all the threads. I've had my unit for 3 weeks or so. It is the 50PF9630A/37. I, too, have had the black screen problem. I had it playing a PS2 game in 480i through component cables in input 1. Unit rebooted by itself in 1-2 minutes. I'm using the older firmware because I use the Gemstar guide w/ the remote wands (don't know why they removed it from the newer firmware...). I, too, have the mysterious click noises when the unit is off. One of the big things that is driving me nuts is digital coaxial out. I have my DVD connected to input 3 with the coaxial optical connected to the TV and assigned to input 3 and then the TV connected to the stereo. Everything works fine when the TV is on. When I turn the TV off, it doesn't pass through the digital signal anymore (so I can't play a CD or mp3 CD in my DVD player w/o the TV being on). OK...no big deal...I understand that would make sense. So I connected the r/l rca of the DVD to the stereo thinking that when the TV is off, the digital cable will be dead and the stereo will auto switch to the RCA...wrong!!! For some reason I hear audio from TV stations over the digital output when the TV is off...worse yet...it changes from station to station like the TV is scanning stations while it is in standby. Anyone else have this problem???

Good info! - Whats a RRT5?

I, too, have the mysterious click noises when the unit is off.
The clicking noises are the set going on every 3 hours to check for new channels - perfectly normal.

The clicking noises are the set going on every 3 hours to check for new channels - perfectly normal.

That's nice to know. Am I to assume that the Black Screen is really a CineOS bug since it happens on every model unit including the LCD units? I've heard of people getting the small signal board replaced and other things replaced, but the symptoms and the way the unit reboots itself to me looks like a firmware bug. I'd move to the later firmware, but I find the guide too useful since I'm not using a cable box at this time and "EPG" is not able to be enabled on the new firmware. RRT I believe is the equivalent of the V-Chip ratings for digital broadcast channels.

Just to let you guys know, there is a new firmware version out there as of this past Friday...

Here you go:

220A/37 version: http://www.usasupport.philips.com/productDocuments.html?ProductCode=42PF7220A%2F37&isPopUpSubmit=false&SearchByModelNo=true

320A/37 version: http://www.usasupport.philips.com/productDocuments.html?ProductCode=42PF7320A%2F37&isPopUpSubmit=false&SearchByModelNo=true

Notes:

BX23U-1.2.0.0_01471
Following improvements are made:
• Channel map changes of the OOB channel table are reflected in the TV's channel map
• Robustness improvement to support streams which have wrongly set Audio Only bit
• Solution for sudden audio drop
• Audio improvement to avoid click in sound in case of high input signal
• Make RRT5 functionality user controllable
• Data only channel are filtered out after installation
• Give priority to SCTE21 above SCTE 20 compliant captions to prevent duplicate characters in the CC text
• Improvement of CC processing on scrambled HD channels


These are offical, so use them if you want. I plan on tonight when I get home from work :)

cheers.

Hum... they must of removed them because now they have the original ver1.1 released on 4/19/2006.

EDIT:
Well, it says on the link that the release is 4/19/2006 but if you unzip the file, the autorun is dated 5/15/2006. I guess I'll install it tonight and see wht version it installs.

Hum... they must of removed them because now they have the original ver1.1 released on 4/19/2006.

EDIT:
Well, it says on the link that the release is 4/19/2006 but if you unzip the file, the autorun is dated 5/15/2006. I guess I'll install it tonight and see wht version it installs.
Doesnt the readme file state the version? I think it did previously.

Doesnt the readme file state the version? I think it did previously.
Does this new update put back TVGOS??

Yes, this is a new version: 1.2.0.0_01471


Older version was 1.1.0.0_01461.

Does this new update put back TVGOS??

No...it does not. I called tech support and they gave me the canned answer "TVGOS is still officially a planned future feature upgrade."

Is anyone else having problems with the digital audio out on this tv? I have my ps2 connected via component, and my comcast cable connected via HDMi... and when I redirect the signal from the digital audio out on the television to my reciever, I get some problems. The ps2 works perfectly, but the cable sound lasts 3 seconds before disappearing. I don't know if this is a dolby digital problem, or HDMI problem, or what... but anyone have any ideas on what might be going on here?

PS: I can have an optical cord come straight from the cable box to the reciever, and the sound works fine, but I would love to be able to save that cord for a different use.

No...it does not. I called tech support and they gave me the canned answer "TVGOS is still officially a planned future feature upgrade."
Hi - Whats TVGOS?
Thanks

Hi - Whats TVGOS?
Thanks

TV Guide On Screen

Thanks black_macleod - thats what I was thinking, I beleive I upgraded the software before I had time to notice if I had it or not. :rolleyes: What exactly did it do?

HI all,

First time poster. I've read most of this thread thus far. My problem seems similar to one other that I have read. I have previously had the BS problem, but that was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. But...here's what's up now.
One giant dead TV. No green LED. Flashing red LED, with three 7's and one 5 in the code. After replugging in the set, I would get normal sound from channel, a green power LED, and some red and green pixels on the screen, mostly right side, no particular order or picture. This would last for about 5 seconds before the green LED went out, screen would blacken, and the red LED would come on.
Called Philips. Got a local service provider to come get TV. Service says I need a Small Signal Board. SSB is on backorder with no Estimated Shipping Date.

Anyone have more info about this signal board? Anyone else have the same or similar symptoms? Emails in the Philips Customer Service Great Abyss regarding parts status have been met with nothing but silence.

Is anyone else having problems with the digital audio out on this tv? I have my ps2 connected via component, and my comcast cable connected via HDMi... and when I redirect the signal from the digital audio out on the television to my reciever, I get some problems. The ps2 works perfectly, but the cable sound lasts 3 seconds before disappearing. I don't know if this is a dolby digital problem, or HDMI problem, or what... but anyone have any ideas on what might be going on here?

PS: I can have an optical cord come straight from the cable box to the reciever, and the sound works fine, but I would love to be able to save that cord for a different use.

Sometimes there are issues with redirecting the digital audio input from the HDMI connection to the digital audio output due to copy prevention methods that HDMI devices use. Maybe the cable companies or record companies don't want Digital Music channels or DVD-Audio albums to be recorded as a perfect digital copies, or maybe the copy-prevention software used in the TV just needs fine-tuning. Your best bet is to continue using the digital audio connection from your cable box to your A/V receiver.

This is from the Philips manual:

Due to legal requirements, it is possible that with certain copy protected PCM
audio qualities from a device connected to the HDMI input, the DIGITAL
AUDIO OUTPUT signal is muted.

I have the 42" lcd version of the tvs you are all talking about. Have also read the entire thread. I too have the BS issue. Bought mine 2 weeks ago, and have had it happen twice.

Are you all serious? Is this still a problem? I figured since they (plasmas and now lcds) have been doing this for about a half a year, Philips would step up. Guess not.

Hum... they must of removed them because now they have the original ver1.1 released on 4/19/2006.

EDIT:
Well, it says on the link that the release is 4/19/2006 but if you unzip the file, the autorun is dated 5/15/2006. I guess I'll install it tonight and see wht version it installs.
Cute - I just checked the readme file thats dated 4-19-06 & it doesnt show version 1.2.0 just 1.1.0. It would be nice if they kept their site updated properly (a big problem with a lot of sites it seems).

I have had my 7320 since Jan without any major problems. I upgraded the firmware twice since I bought it.

Recently, I downloaded the philips firmware upgrade BX23U-1.2.0.0_01471 from the philips website and and having the following problems:

1. Mapped channels are disappearing. While changing channels with the remote control, 4.1, 26.1 disappearred. I couldn't punch in the numbers. I had to go back into weakchannel and remap them by storing the channel again.

2. After a scan, I took the X off of all the analog channels using the preferred channel option. Changing the channels through the remote skips over these unmarked channels. Turned the TV off and turned it back on again, all the unmarked channels are now back on the preferred channel list.

These two issues did not happen before the upgrade. I went back to the philips site and downloaded the firmware upgrade again - they took off BX23U-1.2.0.0_01471 and put back the older upgrade BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461

I am going to load the older upgrade and see if it fixes these problems. Apparently, there was a problem with this upgrade. The autorun.upg file was dated 05/15/2006 filesize 10,512kb. The one on the site now is dated 4/7/2006 filesize 10,430kb. I hate to go backwards and don't know if the TV will let me. Anyone else have these problems?

rich, from what I read, yes it will let you go backwards, but will just confirm that thats what you want to do.

rich, from what I read, yes it will let you go backwards, but will just confirm that thats what you want to do.

thanks, I will try it ... I didn't want to make a bad situation worse.

thanks, I will try it ... I didn't want to make a bad situation worse.
I think its best to store all of the different versions on a drive, cd, etc. in case these problems pop up - I WISH I had the original version of the firmware (mainly just for S's & G's) but its always good to be able to go back "just in case". Ive have done this before with computers/hard drives/etc.

I have had my 7320 since Jan without any major problems. I upgraded the firmware twice since I bought it.

Recently, I downloaded the philips firmware upgrade BX23U-1.2.0.0_01471 from the philips website and and having the following problems:

1. Mapped channels are disappearing. While changing channels with the remote control, 4.1, 26.1 disappearred. I couldn't punch in the numbers. I had to go back into weakchannel and remap them by storing the channel again.

2. After a scan, I took the X off of all the analog channels using the preferred channel option. Changing the channels through the remote skips over these unmarked channels. Turned the TV off and turned it back on again, all the unmarked channels are now back on the preferred channel list.

These two issues did not happen before the upgrade. I went back to the philips site and downloaded the firmware upgrade again - they took off BX23U-1.2.0.0_01471 and put back the older upgrade BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461

I am going to load the older upgrade and see if it fixes these problems. Apparently, there was a problem with this upgrade. The autorun.upg file was dated 05/15/2006 filesize 10,512kb. The one on the site now is dated 4/7/2006 filesize 10,430kb. I hate to go backwards and don't know if the TV will let me. Anyone else have these problems?


the preferred channels not saving bug is the reason i downgraded, and all is good!

I have read similar posts like this one, but thought I'd chime in...

Upgraded my firmware lastnight in hopes of fixing the black screen issue. Bam! It happened twice within an hour of the upgrade. I am sorry to say, but this tv is going back.

Hey guys maybe Im losing my mind here but when I "tune" to different channels after a split second the picture ( & text say on a news channel, etc.) comes in "crisper". I dont recall noticing this previously but it could be I wasnt paying attention. Also our cable company signal (analog) does vary in quality from day to day (its poor in general). Im thinking this is the Pixwl Plus "kicking in"? Thoughts.
Thanks in advance!

Alrui, mine does the same thing. I think it has to do with your picture setup in the tv menu... maybe? How is your HD content?

**On another note. I am going to trade my new philips in for another one this week at BB. I hate to let it go. But hope that the bs problem will be taken care in the near future through firmware.

The repair shop has had my TV for 3 weeks now and the first thing they did was upgrade the software (after 5/15/06). They have been unable to catch it in the act of BS whether it be a cold start or on all day. They're closing the W/O on it but not before I go there and witness it for myself. What a mess this TV is. If you're thinking of buying this TV, I advise against it. I regret it.

Alrui, mine does the same thing. I think it has to do with your picture setup in the tv menu... maybe? How is your HD content?

**On another note. I am going to trade my new philips in for another one this week at BB. I hate to let it go. But hope that the bs problem will be taken care in the near future through firmware.
Thanks epluth! - I think it must be the pixel plus, I don't have any HD content per se (just 480p out of the DVD which looks great!). Like I mentioned our cable signal is poor to say the least - no HD whatsoever (the companies site says "10 HD channels" yet when you ask them about a card, etc. they say "oh we don't have it yet its coming" then you ask when & the reply is "we don't know"!) Id dump them & go back to DISH but they do offer cable modem which is why I switched. Which TV are you getting?

Thanks epluth!...Which TV are you getting?
Well right now I cannot decide if Im going to return the 9730 for a new one or go for the sony xbr-40... I am going to look at them this weekend, and make my decision then. Looked into other brands, but its down to these... Man, talk about a wrestling match just to get a 3 thousand dollar tv to function the way it should. Thanks Philips!

the preferred channels not saving bug is the reason i downgraded, and all is good!

I rolled the firmware software back to version BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461 and it took. Unfortunately, it is still losing the preferred channels. I did a complete scan (digital and analog), took the X off the analog channels in the preferred channel area, used the remote control and the channels skipped fine. After turning the set off, waiting a few minutes, turned it on and the analog channels are back in the preferred channel list. This never happened until I upgraded the software.

Be aware before you upgrade -

Well, I have decided to keep the Philips... funny. Anyway, exchanging it for a new one when BB gets it in stock from the warehouse. Now I just have to figure out how to hook my mac up to it like I had planned. (for a screensaver effect only, not using the pc with it)

2 things for you guys with the Philips... does your power button on the tv "click" when you push it, like the way all the others do next to it? Mine doesnt click, it is odd, more like a "hard push". Wondering if thats a bad switch.

Also, which may or may not be a cause, on the ambilight, do you notice the black screen only with the lights on? Or just anytime. Both times I got the BS, my lights were on... Just a thought.

Well, I have decided to keep the Philips... funny. Anyway, exchanging it for a new one when BB gets it in stock from the warehouse. Now I just have to figure out how to hook my mac up to it like I had planned. (for a screensaver effect only, not using the pc with it)

2 things for you guys with the Philips... does your power button on the tv "click" when you push it, like the way all the others do next to it? Mine doesnt click, it is odd, more like a "hard push". Wondering if thats a bad switch.

Also, which may or may not be a cause, on the ambilight, do you notice the black screen only with the lights on? Or just anytime. Both times I got the BS, my lights were on... Just a thought.
I hooked up my Powerbook G4 using a DVI to HDMI cable & it worked fine (just be sure to select "mirror" or it wont work - jittery). Never noticed a true "click" with the power switch (which I like - tactical feedback as it were), I'll try to pay more attention to it next time. Ive been trying to avoid using those buttons & use the remote as that type of button broke on my RCA (tube) TV so I HAVE to use the remote now to turn it on.

Thanks Alrui. Yeah, I try to not use it too... also have had problems like that in the past.

I recently upgraded my vid card on my g4, and now have a dvi out and adc out. If I am not mistaken, I am using the adc for the 20" apple flat. Curious, when you say mirror, are you saying select that instead of "2nd" monitor? So esentially 2 screens with the same image, rather than left and right? Oh this is gonna be cool.

Thanks Alrui. Yeah, I try to not use it too... also have had problems like that in the past.

I recently upgraded my vid card on my g4, and now have a dvi out and adc out. If I am not mistaken, I am using the adc for the 20" apple flat. Curious, when you say mirror, are you saying select that instead of "2nd" monitor? So esentially 2 screens with the same image, rather than left and right? Oh this is gonna be cool.

Exactly - 2 screens W/same image - worked well though I only tried it once so far as the set was very new & I was worried about any burn in issues due to the menus, etc. in the browser, etc. Be prepared that cable is outrageous in price ($69 for a 12') in my case. Are you using it with a G4 desktop machine or a laptop?

it will be from my machine in the office (desktop). We are in the process of finding or building a new home once ours sells, and I will be running lines from the office to the living room. I am sure I can find some cable from newegg or somewhere cheap. Just have to find the shortest route between the two for long distance issues.

I just wonder if my mac will show full screen on it, and how good/poor it will look.

it will be from my machine in the office (desktop). We are in the process of finding or building a new home once ours sells, and I will be running lines from the office to the living room. I am sure I can find some cable from newegg or somewhere cheap. Just have to find the shortest route between the two for long distance issues.

I just wonder if my mac will show full screen on it, and how good/poor it will look.
It looks good - I had the TV in auto & it filled the screen, I guess I should try playing a DVD to see what the quality is really like. I have a G4 desktop computer in my office as well, used it today. Its a nice beit older machine, I would love a G5 dual but its probably best at this point to wait for Apple to update the desktops to the new Intel chips. Sorry to stray to far off topic :rolleyes:

Well, I've my Philips 42PF7320A since the first week of March and have been reading these forum posts ever since. Suffice it to say, I've finally had my share of BS issues as well as the worst problem of all. About 2 and a half weeks ago I shut the TV off at night to go to bed, and when I awoke the next morning to watch the Yankees, the TV turned on but then turned imediately off--the Red LED light blinked 6 slow blinks and then 3 quick blinks...Already hearing some of the problems other customers have had, I called Philips customer service, they in-turn gave me a local repair shop (here in Hawaii where I live) to call...the Repair center picked the TV up and has had it for exactly 2 weeks so far.
I called today to find out why it was taking so long, and apparently my TV is 1 of 8 Philips 42-Inch TV's in the shop (which all have the same problem) and the Parts that are required to fix the TV's are on back order with Philips because of the influx of repair issues with these models of TV's---Anywho the Repair Center said it's probably going to be another week to two weeks before it'll be ready to be delivered back to me =( Just thought I'd share my horror story with the rest of you!

Well, I've my Philips 42PF7320A since the first week of March and have been reading these forum posts ever since. Suffice it to say, I've finally had my share of BS issues as well as the worst problem of all. About 2 and a half weeks ago I shut the TV off at night to go to bed, and when I awoke the next morning to watch the Yankees, the TV turned on but then turned imediately off--the Red LED light blinked 6 slow blinks and then 3 quick blinks...Already hearing some of the problems other customers have had, I called Philips customer service, they in-turn gave me a local repair shop (here in Hawaii where I live) to call...the Repair center picked the TV up and has had it for exactly 2 weeks so far.
I called today to find out why it was taking so long, and apparently my TV is 1 of 8 Philips 42-Inch TV's in the shop (which all have the same problem) and the Parts that are required to fix the TV's are on back order with Philips because of the influx of repair issues with these models of TV's---Anywho the Repair Center said it's probably going to be another week to two weeks before it'll be ready to be delivered back to me =( Just thought I'd share my horror story with the rest of you!

Sryche22, thanks for the post. I too live in Hawaii, which shop is handling your problem? Independent electronics has been my repair shop and I've been working with them since November '05 and they have been very slow. I've only had BS and audio drops, but I didn't let them take my set, thank god. The issues I experience are so infrequent that there is no way they were going to duplicate in their shop. They have already replaced the Small Circuit Board and that didn't fix the problem. Now I just get the run around that they are contacting Philips and will get back to me, that was weeks ago. How stupid was I to buy from Circuit City who only has a 30-day return policy :( Otherwise I would return this TV today. This problem is so ridiculous and Philips doesn't even acknowledge that the problem exists.

Keep us posted, thanks.

Jerry808 ...I'm going through 'VCR TV & Appliances' on N. School St. in Honolulu....which is, from what I understand from the Philips customer service, the Official Philips Repair Center....so I'm surprised you went somewhere else...are you also on Oahu..or another island?
Unfortunately, with the TV not turning on at all...I really had no other choice but to let them take it, as it was already passed the 30-day return policy from Sears (I purchased the TV from Sears at Ala Moana)...I think I'm going to stick to Sam's Club from now on for future purchases..heh
Funny thing is, this TV is actually very cool...the HD picture was incredble, the amount of HDMI Jacks and the like was perfect...too bad it's just a bad couple of models

thanks for the posts, and sorry to hear... Please however keep us posted. I only have a few days in my 30 day return and am on the fence.

and thanks alrui, Im on it.

Epluth, if you didn't buy an extended warranty....and you are at least having BS issues....I would honestly return it....spending an extra $400-500 to get a better upgrade over this one would be well worth it---Coming from me knowing first hand that I was having BS issues within the 30-day return period, stupidly I thought it wouldn't get worse, but it did.
Worse thing is that I got my wife convinced that this was a great investment...now with the problems we're having, she's scared of any electronics that I want to buy now (looking into getting a new Boxed Home Theater System)..heh

the Red LED light blinked 6 slow blinks and then 3 quick blinks...the Parts that are required to fix the TV's are on back order with Philips because of the influx of repair issues with these models of TV's

Does this red LED only appear when the set has an error condition? as thankfully I have never seen a red LED, also do you know exactly what parts (board?) is bad & part #'s? I might want to get one when they are in stock "just in case". Where I live I truely doubt there is a service place for at least 150 miles :eek:

Does this red LED only appear when the set has an error condition? as thankfully I have never seen a red LED, also do you know exactly what parts (board?) is bad & part #'s? I might want to get one when they are in stock "just in case". Where I live I truely doubt there is a service place for at least 150 miles :eek:

From what I understand, you would usually only see the Red LED light when there is a problem with the TV. Everything that I've read and heard from the Repair people is that if you do have the red LED light, you're not able to switch the TV on after that because one of the cicuit boards inside needs to be reset (some sort of protection fault) As there are roughly 10-12 different circuit boards inside the TV, I'm not sure which has the problem (or if there are multiple boards that have problems) nor do I have their parts numbers =(

From what I understand, you would usually only see the Red LED light when there is a problem with the TV. Everything that I've read and heard from the Repair people is that if you do have the red LED light, you're not able to switch the TV on after that because one of the cicuit boards inside needs to be reset (some sort of protection fault) As there are roughly 10-12 different circuit boards inside the TV, I'm not sure which has the problem (or if there are multiple boards that have problems) nor do I have their parts numbers =(
Thanks - So you never have a red LED unless theres a problem, another fellow here told me he had never "seen red" either but I know there are a lot of "flat panels" that have a red LED on when the TV is "off" & they call it standby. I like this set-up better as to me off means nothing is lit (though the circuits are still "hot" inside similar to a tube TV but for different reasons - CRT).

It looks like Philips has taken the latest firmware off their download site and is offering version BX23U-1.1.0.0_01461 instead. I just loaded this on my TV and while I haven't verified that it fixed the disappearing channel problem, I can say that my TV appears to be working okay with the older firmware.

if you didn't buy an extended warranty....and you are at least having BS issues....I would honestly return it....spending an extra $400-500 to get a better upgrade over this one would be well worth it---Coming from me knowing first hand that I was having BS issues within the 30-day return period, stupidly I thought it wouldn't get worse, but it did.
Worse thing is that I got my wife convinced that this was a great investment...now with the problems we're having, she's scared of any electronics that I want to buy now (looking into getting a new Boxed Home Theater System)..heh


Yes, sadly it is going back today, as soon as the truck gets here. Dont want to be a traitor, but I will most likely buy the new samsung 46 LCD. Now the wife wants me to install lights behind it. Darn ambilights.

BS ISSUE...

HOWEVER. I went to all the B&M's yesterday to locate the replacement tv (turned out to be the samsung), and actually talked to a salesman who confirmed the bs issue. He says Philips is aware of it, and it may be due to bad power switches, and that they realize the firmware and other "repairs" havent fixed the issue... Who knows, but he was the only person out of all 4 stores I went to that finally admitted there was a problem.

sryche22,

Using the service locator on Philips website: http://www.bds.philips.com/servicelocator.aspx

They list two service techs for Oahu, and Independent Electronics is the only one that is listed as an "Authorized Plasma/LCD Servicer." The other service tech is the one you are using, VCR TV. I'm not promoting my service tech since he hasn't been able to fix the problem and has been very unresponsive.

If your set ever gets fixed, keep us posted, thanks.

I have the phillips 42pf9630a/37 and i was wondering what is the best way to calibrate this tv is the factory settings very good?? or does it need a good calibration and also can you calibrate each seperate input??? any info would be greatly appreciated

Well, I've my Philips 42PF7320A since the first week of March and have been reading these forum posts ever since. Suffice it to say, I've finally had my share of BS issues as well as the worst problem of all. About 2 and a half weeks ago I shut the TV off at night to go to bed, and when I awoke the next morning to watch the Yankees, the TV turned on but then turned imediately off--the Red LED light blinked 6 slow blinks and then 3 quick blinks...

This is the exact same thing that happened to me. The service man replaced the power supply and the TV worked for a while, however it has a terrible red/green and yellow speckling. But at least it turned on...for a while. Now, along with the BS issue I have lots of dropped sound and almost everyday an instance where either the TV goes black and doesn't come back on (permanent BS). When that happens, I can't do anything except unplug it. If that's not bad enough, it has issues now with turning off. Sometimes I it won't turn off and I have to unplug it.

This set is just one headache after another. The repair shop has now ordered a replacement board and will put it in when it arrives. It would be nice if that fixes the problems, but I'm not going to hold my breath. How many times do you have to have your TV repaired until you can demand a replacement?

Well add one more to the list...as of Tuesday of this week I've got the BS issue of sorts as well. Bit of background on how it got started though:

Watching TV on Tuesday out of nowhere my entire picture got a green hue to it. Thinking maybe the channel was having broadcasting issues I switched to another channel and found it had a purple hue. I turned the TV off...back on and everything was ok. About 5 minutes after that it shut off, came back on and worked alrite. I thought nothing of it and ended up turning the set off since I was going out for the night.

Next morning I turn it back on and I've got a gigantic green fluttering bar about 3/4 of the way down the screen. Now I'm starting to get concerned but I turn it off, back on and again everythings fixed. Head to work for the day, come home to watch the Oilers/Canes game and everything went to hell.

After about 25 minutes of watching the game my friend tried out my 360, right in mid-game I got random white lines/dots all over my screen and about 10 seconds later the set began clicking like it does when you turn it on and off. It did this about 5 times and then the red light started flashing 5 times, pause, repeat. The ONLY way I could recover my TV was to turn off my surge protector, unplug the TV, plug it back in and turn the surge protector back on. I tried updating to the latest version of the firmware hoping it would help (which it didn't) so I began watching for a pattern.

It seems almost every 25 - 35 minutes the TV has a fit (random garbage on the screen), goes through this "diagnostic" process and can't turn back on. It doesn't matter what input it is on, I've tried both the HDMI and Component both of which still showed the same behaviour. This can't be heat related, it's out more than a foot from the wall with nothing surrounding it minus the TV stand underneath so I'm sure it's safe to say that's ruled out. The thing that seems to make my "issue" stand out is that I have the red light on the front blinking 5 times, I've seen a few with 7, etc. in this thread but not 5.

Since I'm still in warranty (my receipt says I OK'd laying it down...it was on a 10 degree angle at most and worked until now so they can shove that theory if they try) I'm calling customer service tonight so I have a file...I'm sure they'll just tell me to take it to Best Buy where I bought it which means I have to get someone to come down with an SUV to transport it :(.

hm,

People what do you think of the Philips 42PF7321

I purchased the 42PF7320A just under 6 months ago from Sam's. Recently, I had a problem where every time I turned the TV on there was a vertical line about an inch wide going down the left side of the screen. This line started out black, and then random colors started to surface through the line (the rest of the TV was fine). After it seemed to "warm up" for about 10 minutes, the line was gone and everything was fine.

I went through the warranty program and they had to replace the board and re-sodder some wires. After missing my TV for 3 weeks, I was pretty steamed and called Sam's. They have said I can exchange it for the same model, or there is another Philips PF5321D-37 that is comparable in price. I cant find any info on this model, and I am not sure what to do. I also thought about putting some more money into maybe get a better brand, but I am not sure how much they have available. Before this problem, I had nothing but good things to say about the PF7320A. Any suggestions?? Is anyone familiar with the differences in the 7320A and the 5321D?

I purchased the 42PF7320A just under 6 months ago from Sam's. Recently, I had a problem where every time I turned the TV on there was a vertical line about an inch wide going down the left side of the screen. This line started out black, and then random colors started to surface through the line (the rest of the TV was fine). After it seemed to "warm up" for about 10 minutes, the line was gone and everything was fine.

I went through the warranty program and they had to replace the board and re-sodder some wires. After missing my TV for 3 weeks, I was pretty steamed and called Sam's. They have said I can exchange it for the same model, or there is another Philips PF5321D-37 that is comparable in price. I cant find any info on this model, and I am not sure what to do. I also thought about putting some more money into maybe get a better brand, but I am not sure how much they have available. Before this problem, I had nothing but good things to say about the PF7320A. Any suggestions?? Is anyone familiar with the differences in the 7320A and the 5321D?

Hmm...I did a look up on a couple sites, and it was actually Amazon.com that game me a "your search bares no results, but did you mean BLAH BLAH instead?"
this is where I found this model 'Philips 32PF5321D 32" Widescreen LCD HDTV" Maybe that's the new model coming out that Sam's told you about?...doesn't seem to be too much info on it yet though

It is shown on the Sam's club website. I would post the link, but it won't let me since I do not have 5 posts. It is listed as:

Model: PF5321D

Hmm...I did a look up on a couple sites, and it was actually Amazon.com that game me a "your search bares no results, but did you mean BLAH BLAH instead?"
this is where I found this model 'Philips 32PF5321D 32" Widescreen LCD HDTV" Maybe that's the new model coming out that Sam's told you about?...doesn't seem to be too much info on it yet though
I get that too for the 7421

I went to CC today and they had an open box buy on the TV for $1519(Im sure I could get it in the $1400's since its an open box). There was also a 3 year warrenty offered for $389 if I remember. Is this a good buy at that price? The pic looked good on non HD and great on HD. Just want to know if its worth the small hassles that some have occured and if I should get the warrenty.

Thanks,

Paul

Hi all;

I haven't posted in a while and it looks as if the original pool of people experiencing the Black Screen issue a while back have stopped posting as well. I reported many pages back that I have had 2 of the same Philips TV's from my local warehouse store. Both had the black screen problem. I tried every solution I could think of (printed out the tech manual to read any error codes, tried Monster surge supressors and power conditioners, tried an APC Voltage Regulator... sat on the phone with Philips, emailed Philips - got no answer, etc.).

Today the second one I owned went back for a refund and I purchased the Panasonic 42'' HDTV TH-42PX6U from Costco. It's a beautiful TV and well worth the few hundred extra above this Philips.

I hope you all get your problems resolved. As for me, I gave up.

Shame on you Philips. You make me sick!

I went to CC today and they had an open box buy on the TV for $1519(Im sure I could get it in the $1400's since its an open box). There was also a 3 year warrenty offered for $389 if I remember. Is this a good buy at that price? The pic looked good on non HD and great on HD. Just want to know if its worth the small hassles that some have occured and if I should get the warrenty.

Thanks,

Paul

If you're talking about the Philips 42PF7320A, then no...I really wouldn't recommend it. Even though there are a ton of people who seem to have no problems with their TV's, the simple fact is that there are still a lot of other TV's that have some major problems. It's really not worth the gamble...because if you do happen to get one of the faulty TV's, it's a complete headache (even with a warranty) I'd say do a little extra reserach and go for something not Philips. The Panny's are an excellent alternative, and their price has come down some in the last 8-9 months.

Thanks a lot for the info. I did look at the Pan TH50PX60 also while I was there. It was around $3000. Im just sooooooooooo new at buying one of these and I want to get a good TV at a good price. Any specific recommendations would be great.

Thanks again,

Paul

Thanks a lot for the info. I did look at the Pan TH50PX60 also while I was there. It was around $3000. Im just sooooooooooo new at buying one of these and I want to get a good TV at a good price. Any specific recommendations would be great.


The Panny you mentioned is available at Costco for about $800 less than you stated. I just picked it up today, no coupon required. I also see that CC has the Panny for the same price (saw it on their website).

EDIT: Sorry about that. I thought you were asking about the 42'' Panny.

Was told by the CSR at SamsClub that the 42PF7320 has been discontinued. Now that is just what the CSR said, take it with a grain of salt, however I have no reason to not believe her. She check the computer systems before teliing me about 42PF7320 being discontinued.

The model that is replacing the 42PF7320 is the 42PF5321D/37. I just returned my 42PF7320 for the newer 42PF5321 yesterday. There are some interesting additions and deletions in features/functions in the new model.

I've owned the 42PF7320 for 7 months and used it everyday for 4-12 hours daily, so I have become very farmiliar with the 42PF7320 in it's operations and function as well as problems associated with the unit.

Before you jump in and buy a 42PF7320 or 42PF7220, you may want to hold off. I'm too sleepy to write a review on the new 42PF5321 right now, but I will do a review of the unit later tonight. I can say the PQ issues have been fixed (YES!), BS has been acknowledged and latest firmware has fixed this problem.

Stay tuned

Was told by the CSR at SamsClub that the 42PF7320 has been discontinued. Now that is just what the CSR said, take it with a grain of salt, however I have no reason to not believe her. She check the computer systems before teliing me about 42PF7320 being discontinued.

The model that is replacing the 42PF7320 is the 42PF5321D/37. I just returned my 42PF7320 for the newer 42PF5321 yesterday. There are some interesting additions and deletions in features/functions in the new model.

I've owned the 42PF7320 for 7 months and used it everyday for 4-12 hours daily, so I have become very farmiliar with the 42PF7320 in it's operations and function as well as problems associated with the unit.

Before you jump in and buy a 42PF7320 or 42PF7220, you may want to hold off. I'm too sleepy to write a review on the new 42PF5321 right now, but I will do a review of the unit later tonight. I can say the PQ issues have been fixed (YES!), BS has been acknowledged and latest firmware has fixed this problem.

Stay tuned

I would be very interested in hearing your review when it is available. Sears here in Hawaii says that the 42PF7320 is going clearance very soon (I asked why I wasn't told this when I purchased two months ago, and the sales associate just gave me a blank stare and said "I'm not sure". I'm still very skittish about getting another Philips, but I'm very close to demading that they give me the new model if they can't repair my current TV.

Was told by the CSR at SamsClub that the 42PF7320 has been discontinued. Now that is just what the CSR said, take it with a grain of salt, however I have no reason to not believe her. She check the computer systems before teliing me about 42PF7320 being discontinued.

The model that is replacing the 42PF7320 is the 42PF5321D/37. I just returned my 42PF7320 for the newer 42PF5321 yesterday. There are some interesting additions and deletions in features/functions in the new model.

I've owned the 42PF7320 for 7 months and used it everyday for 4-12 hours daily, so I have become very farmiliar with the 42PF7320 in it's operations and function as well as problems associated with the unit.

Before you jump in and buy a 42PF7320 or 42PF7220, you may want to hold off. I'm too sleepy to write a review on the new 42PF5321 right now, but I will do a review of the unit later tonight. I can say the PQ issues have been fixed (YES!), BS has been acknowledged and latest firmware has fixed this problem.

Stay tuned

This seems to be an exciting update...are you referring to the 5/29/06 update??? Thanks (I don't have a flash USB onhand, but will floor it to a retailer to get one if this will fix the problem)

This seems to be an exciting update...are you referring to the 5/29/06 update??? Thanks (I don't have a flash USB onhand, but will floor it to a retailer to get one if this will fix the problem)

And while I am on the subject is this the black screen issue - a few seconds of static, then screen goes black, then picture resumes - occurs about every half hour on 720/1080 picture quality thru HDMI...thanks!!!

Just wondering...has anybody checked whether the U.S. model of this Philips display will definitely accept 576p50 over HDMI? And if so, does it maintain the original 50hz refresh rate? (Basically, I want to be able to watch PAL DVDs without subjecting them to frame rate conversion.)

Thanks very much!

--Paul Curtis

I am desperate. We finally wall mounted this 42" Phillips and well, I can't get it to work past the setup menus. In other words, no TV program picture, no sound. Ideally we would have hooked TV up before wall mounting. But once we removed the stand (it was already attached/open box BB TV) it was hard to deal with the set.

I feel like a REAL idiot. I have been reading these forums for weeks, for hours and hours, and have yet to see anyone as stupid as myself. While it could be a problem with the Cablevsion, I can't seem to play DVDs either for example. How do I switch to HDMI 2, to try the DVD player, for example? I really feel very stupid. I think I assigned each thing to the appropriate source, like HDMI to cable, the digital audio to HDMI 1 (because of the HDMI to DVI adaptor), AV2 will be the Series 2 Tivo (called it other). I ran the setup, as cable, and it found no stations. But, if it is a Cable problem, how can I at least play DVDs?

I have no idea what I am doing wrong.

For starters, use the "AV+" button on your remote control (towards the bottom, left hand side of the remote on mine-I have a different model of your tv) to scroll through your inputs. That will get you to HDMI2 for your DVD player, or one of the others to get to the correct input for your tv. You didn't mention how you have your tv hooked up. Stay calm. You and your wife can laugh about it tomorrow.

Well TV goes in for repairs tomorrow...I'm beginning to wonder if it's an overheating issue even though the TV has more than enough space to breathe. Been trying different things out myself and it consistently shuts off damn near bang on every 30 minutes. After that turning it back on almost immediately it will begin to shutoff more and more frequently to the point I can't even get it to turn on again. As an example for anyone that watched NASCAR yesterday it went off multiple times yesterday but in particular on the 5th last lap, then third, then second, then last (yep missed the end of the race :().

Once the repair shop gets back to me I'll provide an update on what's going on...here's hoping it's a quick easy fix because not having my TV (well have a 27" in my room but not about to move it to main home theatre) is driving me up a wall!

First off, I AM the wife. I am the sort of the electronic geek though. Husband is in construction and did the wall mounting, moving electrical, fishing the cables behind the wall, etc. Well, the issue was a loose HDMI cable in the DVD player, AND a bad HDMI cable in the cable box, to start. Its very weird. I am trying to trouble shoot this. TV is running now with cable box through AV3, component video and digital sound cable right now. DVD running on the HDMI 2 cable, and Tivo series 2 running fine on AV2. Thats the good news.

HDMI 1 cable, that was hooked to the cable box, will not run on the cable box OR the DVD player. OK, bad HDMI 1 cable I think. But for kicks, I hook up the working (on DVD player) HDMI 2 cable to the cable box. It should work, I think. Nope. Then I think, maybe the HDMI to DVI adaptor is the problem, or even the HDMI output on the cable box. But, the only current explanation seems to be, BOTH the HDMI 1 cable is shot (the end plugged into the TV DID get bent with all the struggling to wall mount the set) AND either the adaptor or the cable box HDMI output. Seems odd 2 things would fail like that.

I like the set very much so far........

New question on the 42"Philips with Ambilight. Family really likes the Ambilight feature so far.

Does anyone else get a vibrating sound while watching this TV? It seems to be on the right side only, and is from the plastic casing over the Ambilights. It does not appear to be loose when I look at it, or touch it.

The set is within a 30 warranty, but I like it, and it looks great to us. Besides, it was a open box BB great deal, so I can't really exchange it for another set for the same price.........

This forum has been invaluable to us, thanks all!

PatMcNJ,

Many times on Cable Boxes you have to set it to "HDMI Output." If you are already doing that, then perhaps the HDMI port on the Cable Box is disabled by the cable company. I have a Scientific Atlantic 8300HD box and on my remote there is a "settings" button if you hit this twice I think and scroll down until you find video output (maybe audio output too). Sorry I can't be more specific, but I'm not at home at the moment. Hope this helps.

Oh, my I must look at the cable box. It is Sci american I think. They gave me directions on setting it up, in SPANISH only. Sigh.

I will try it!

OK...so now things are moving finally....the Philips Repair center called me today and said that my 42PF7320A was fixed and ready to be delivered back YAY!...so they are delivering the TV first thing tomorrow...I'll post back once I have everything hooked up and tested =)
Geez it took them about 17 or 18 business days to fix it (the parts were back ordered for a time though)

Oh, my I must look at the cable box. It is Sci american I think. They gave me directions on setting it up, in SPANISH only. Sigh.

I will try it!
Hi Pat - It looks like the Scientific Atlanta website has user manuals:

http://www.sciatl.com/consumers_new/index.htm

Look for your model then they make you "sign-up" for the "explorers club" to access the manual (I guess your an "explorer" if you need their info.). :rolleyes:

Now I have joined the B;ack Screen of Death Club. Can this issue be fixed? I have 2 weeks to return it to BB.

Now I have joined the B;ack Screen of Death Club. Can this issue be fixed? I have 2 weeks to return it to BB.
If you cannot live with the Black Screen issue, then take it back immediately. I've had my plasma for 7 months and have been trying to fix the black screen issue for the last 6 months. By the time I figured out it was problem it was too late to return. Philips keeps trying to fix the problem, but I have not seen one post on here that claims their plasma has been fixed. There are many people who have this same problem. A few claim they have not experienced it. It is still a great TV for the price and my black screen happens very infrequently. If you can afford a different model, I would return. Good Luck!

OK guys, I finally had a chance to compare the 42PF7320 to the new 42PF5321 and here's what i come up with.

Problem associated with my 42PF7320:
BS (Black Screen)
Pink Speckle on bright white or bright grey sceens or areas of the screen
Faint Diaginal bands (1 1/4" apart) only visiable durning bright white/grey images
Digital random video noise visable from any and all inputs (SD or HD)

Wondering if my set was the only one to exibit the pink speckle and randon video noise and faint vertical lines in bright sceens, I went to CC and sure enough their 7220 had the pink speckle at the very bottom of screen & the digital noise when the screen was mostly filled up with one color - very noticable when the screen had mostly red filling the image. This pink speckle is not very noticalbe from a distant, but within 6-7 feet it is. CC's video feed to the 7220 was Component HD

So I ventured to Sams and their 7320 was hooked up with the RF input. Naturally the PQ was much worse, but it suffered from the same pink speckle on high level bright colored sceens. It did not have the faint vertical lines noticed on my 7320.

I decided to return the 7320 and get the 42PF5321D/37 from Sams. I am happy to report any and all issues I experienced with the 7320 is GONE in this new model.

However there are a few features/items absent from the new Philips 42PF5321:
NO cable card
Only 1 HDMI input
No Audio output (but there is a workaround - use the headphone output, which is independetly controlled from the master volume)

The menu on the 42PF5321 is identical to the 42PF7320 with a few minor tweeks.

The tuner/input section is new - everything plugs in from the botton.

With this new tuner in the 42PF5321, I've noticed much better de-interlacing from 480i signals. Not sure what de-interlace processor they are using, but it's a VERY noticable difference. PQ is excellent

The built in digital tuner seems to have the same sensivity as the 7320 - no differences there.

Every internal circuit board has at least one LED to indicate proper function. This should make it easier for technicians to troubleshoot the set if it does fail. Some LEDS flash if the signal is interlaced other when progressive.

The glass is manufactured by Samsung.

Image retention seems to be much less frequent. I had MSNBC on for an hour with all their logos and "LIVE" Switching channels i did not notice any image retention of the dam logos. Now that really surprised me.

PQ with the Xbox 360 was ever so slightly improved.

Over all, in my opinion, this new 42PF5321 is a vast improvement vs the 42PF7320 for what I use the TV for.

Hope this helps others make their decision.

Cheers.

Now I have joined the B;ack Screen of Death Club. Can this issue be fixed? I have 2 weeks to return it to BB.

Unless you REALLY need 2 HDMI inputs and CableCard, return the TV to BB, get your cash back, and get a membership to Sams or Costco. Your membership fees will more then pay for the savings on a new plasma, and you never have to worry about problems. If problems come up, no sweat, just return it anytime. None of the 30 day return crap of the other stores.

The 42PF5321D/37 is the unofficial replacement for the 7320/7220 and is available from Sams at this time.


Sorry to hear your having problems, but at least you still have the chance to return it - unlike other folks who have owned their sets for a few months (unless they got it from the sams/costco)

Every internal circuit board has at least one LED to indicate proper function. This should make it easier for technicians to troubleshoot the set if it does fail. Some LEDS flash if the signal is interlaced other when progressive.
How were you able to find out about the diagnostic LED's? Are they visible without "wrenching"? Sounds like a great set.

return the TV to BB, get your cash back, and get a membership to Sams or Costco. Your membership fees will more then pay for the savings on a new plasma, and you never have to worry about problems. If problems come up, no sweat, just return it anytime. None of the 30 day return crap of the other stores.

I absolutely 2nd that

Interesting.....the Phillips website reports that the 42PF5321D is 15:9 while the 42PF7320 is 16:9. It shows one less HDMI input as well as no firewire. Also, it reports that while the 42PF7320 is progressive, the 42PF5321D is not. I called Phillips cs and they told me that the 42PF5321D was a lower line model than the 42PF7320. Now this was from the mouth of a csr drone, so take it with a grain of salt. I did take mine back to Sam's opted to exchange for another one rather than swap it for the 42PF5321D. This was before the AstroSaberIII review.

AstroSaberIII, you mention a reduction in digital noise with the new model? Could you elaborate on that? I watch mostly Dish over component and do notice some noise in the picture when sitting up close to the screen. Are you saying that this new model PQ is sharper when viewing non HD feeds very close to the screen and not a little 'fuzzy' like the 42PF7320? How does HD compare on the 42PF5321D compared to the 42PF7320 at regular viewing distance? One last thing, does the new model suffer from red push as the 42PF7320 does and are their any additional color balance controls to correct it?

Sorry for all the questions, but I have exchanged TVs twice at Sam's and would rather not a third time, however if the PQ difference on the new model is substantial then I guess I will have too. :)

My blackscreen situation is now almost a constant thing. You cant watch more than 20 minutes without a crash of some sort. It has become so much worse, so quickly, I am only on day 3 of this TV.

We will have to return it. I told my husband, we are lucky to still have the option. IF Philips knew the cause, and just had to come fix it, that would be ok.

I WANT this TV, but I guess I will have to switch brands.

firewire.
Are you sure you didnt mean USB? As far as I know the 7320 doesnt have firewire though I guess that would be good for a "server" type situation which seems to be gaining ground.