SurfingMatt27: Good ole coax connections so easy to overlook. Thanks for the FYI :)

Jizzylax: You could check to see if a buzzing still comes out of your speakers when you unplug the audio cables connecting to your receiver. There may be some kind of feedback loop causing the buzzing and this could help you isolate the problem.

You could also try setting the TV speakers to Off & Variable Out. Have the TV volume set to a decent level and then make your regular volume adjustments on your receiver.

As for the DVI->HDMI: I know you can do this with several DVD players (the Oppo, older upconverting Denons, etc.) and Macs so I'm pretty sure you could do this with a Windows machine as well. Just be sure to set your desktop resolution to a resolution the TV can handle :)

-Bob

Imix, is your vertical "line" located all the way at the *extreme* left edge of the viewable image? Or is it slightly inward compared to where the left-edge of the image is?

I'm really, really disappointed with this television. I bought it back in November, and have this problem where trails of light follow light colors that move over dark ones, like imprints of the light image that quickly fade but are very noticeable. Watching dark movies, especially when there's lots of fast motion, is a bit disorientating, and frankly annoying as hell. Watching television doesn't look so hot either, with a bit of motion blur, though that may just be because it's not digital, so the picture doesn't translate well into my television or something....It's too late to return it, and from what I've heard, Panasonic isn't a help... I guess I'm stuck with it. Next time I buy a new television, I'm buying something expensive, which will hopefully equal better quality.

yo i just bought the 26wx15 and i dunno wuts wrong but im getting jaggy edges when i play xbox 360, for example in call of duty2 when i look out in the distance on the buildings and stuff, like why is that?? can someone tell me the best image settings, i got avia cd and i've tried using that but no difference really and should i turn off natural color, videoNR, VM, Mpeg NR when playing xbox 360?

also if put the xbox 360 dashboard to 480p and i run a game would the tv scale up to 1080i and make the image display in 1080i or do i just leave the xbox360 dashboard in 1080i??

Motion blur is related to the dying-off function of the screen phosphors on the CRT. All CRTs have that phenomena to some extent. But it's not even 1/10000th as bad as the refresh rate motion-blurring on any LCD, even the best ones. It's a slightly different phenomena, though.

As long as a very bright image doesn't move over a near-black background on a CRT, that phenomena is unoticeable, and CRTs have 0 ms instant response time and effectively perfect decay rate (one screen refresh).

Also, you may notice that if you turn off any CRT in a pitch black room you can still see some faint glow coming from the screen for almost half an hour afterwards.

Motion blur on a CRT? you got to be ****ing kidding me...

Talk about spreading FUD :rolleyes:

Sure it is'nt why would i suspect that:rolleyes:

You used to own an Sony 26" XBR Bravia LCD, your telling me you don't know about motion blur?

Please , you are so full of it it's not even funny...

can someone plz answer my question and help me out??

can someone plz answer my question and help me out??
why wouldn't you just run the xbox in 1080i in the first place if you have a tv that supports 1080i? as far as i know, it will run it in 480p if you select 480p. it won't automatically change to 1080i.

if you didn't notice anything using the tuning cd, you probably wont' notice anything if you mess around with any other settings. so just leave it however you think it looks best.

Did you even flip the switch to HD on the cable?

yes i did, like the graphics look great, but im just asking i notcie jaggy edges in the distance, like should i turn off any of these when playing xbox 360...... natual color, video NR, Vm, Mpeg

Yes, turn them off.

...like should i turn off any of these when playing xbox 360....
Like, did you try to like turn them like off to see if you would like, like it that way yourself??? :confused:

Like, did you try to like turn them like off to see if you would like, like it that way yourself??? :confused:
that's whati said ... make the adjustments that you seem to like. don't use our opinions to decide what you think looks best. use your own.

edit: and it seems like Panasonic thinks my buzzing noise is a problem that needs on the phone tech support, so i'll have to give them a call tomorrow or so and see what they say. im' also tempted to go buy a DVI-to-HDMI adapter and some cable and try hooking this up to my computer. but i'm worried because i've heard tube-based HDTVs don't take too well to computers being hooked up to them. i don't want to break my TV.

Hey Jizzylax,

I was messing around with settings on my 30WC15 and happened to turn the speakers off. I noticed the same high pitched buzzing sound you described when I set the speakers to Off & Fixed Out and Off & Variable Out. Maybe this is a fault of this entire product line.

-Bob

Hey Jizzylax,

I was messing around with settings on my 30WC15 and happened to turn the speakers off. I noticed the same high pitched buzzing sound you described when I set the speakers to Off & Fixed Out and Off & Variable Out. Maybe this is a fault of this entire product line.

-Bob

I've always had my tv speakers off and have never experienced the problem.

I've always had mine set on Fixed out. Seeing this post, I tried putting it on Variable out and the sound was quite different. Anyone know the difference?

Is it a squeeling noise kind of? if so then yeah i had the same issue when i owned a 27" Panasonic 27HL14, i could'nt stand the noise so i had to return it.

I've always had my tv speakers off and have never experienced the problem.

I've always had mine set on Fixed out. Seeing this post, I tried putting it on Variable out and the sound was quite different. Anyone know the difference?
fixed out uses your receiver to control the sound. variable out allows you to set the receiver at a certain volume level and control volume through the TV.

interesting that schuview gets the problem as well. what version of the TV do you have JJRaiders? i'm looking forward to calling panasonic tomorrow and seeing what their response is to the noise. at least now i know someone else experiences the problem, even if it is on a different model of this series.

but seriously, has anyone on the board successfully hooked the TV up to their computer, or know anythign more about hooking up CRT tube HDTVs to computers?

edit: yeah it is somewhat of a squealing noise. high pitch, not very audible unless you are close to the TV, but annoying none the less.

I've successfully connected my tube to a Windows XP Pro computer with an old ATI Radeon 8500 graphics card via a VGA->Component adapter. The desktop will display on the TV when set to 480p 1080i (but no 720p as the Pannys don't accept it). The ATI Catalyst Control Center lets you adjust the active area of the desktop so you can correct for overscan. I find everything appears far too large when set to 480p and far too small when set to 1080i. You can adjust default desktop icon and text sizes and website text size to be more manageable but you will still run into awkwardly sized text occasionally. It was very frustrating to get all my settings just right using this setup.

-Bob

Have you downloaded the powerstrip application to assist with the overscan and adjusting resolutions. That might help ya because its designed for connecting a computer to a TV.

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/powerstrip.html

Any reports on Panasonic CT-32HL15 32 standard definition PQ when used with Comcast STB in lieu of CC would be most appreciated.

Thank you.

Stephen

Has anyone noticed any changes in brightness that will just randomly occur? I noticed it last night while watching an HD broadcast. It's VERY minimal, but noticable in dark settings, albeit very quick. I figured this was just the TV signal, but wanted to know if anyone else had any ideas.

I've read this entire thread and this is the only post that comes close to the problem I am having. I got a 30" WC15 a few months ago and I love it. I have set it up with Video Essentials and the picture is wonderful, especially for a TV under $700. I want to adjust the overscan a little via the SM, but I don't want to get in there unless I can do something about this "flickering" while I'm at it.

When a 1080i signal is being displayed (E* box, Oppo DVD) on my TV, there are changes in brightness that I can only describe as flickering. It isn't a constant "strobe-light" effect, it usually only happens during really dark scenes or scenes that go from light to dark in the same shot. The picture will go from having gorgeous blacks with tons of depth to almost a washed-out look. Then when the shot changes or the camera moves or zooms, the blacks come back. It doesn't matter if it is film-based or native HD video. I do not get this effect when watching 480i or 480p.

A few years ago I sold Mitsubishi TVs and this same kind of flickering would go away when the SVM was turned off. I have disabled SVM and all other "enhancements" on my Panny, and the problem remains.

Any help would be appreciated!
Re-Animator

That flickering is a new problem we havent experienced. May be related to the component thats feeding the TV or a defect in the TV. Best to contact customer support since almost none of us have experienced what you are experiencing.

Post this question here:

http://www.espnhd.com/voice/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Just a positive note:

I got a RCA universal remote working pretty well with this TV. Finally got the right code to control the inputs. This remote is sold at Walmart for about $18. The next task will be to get the remote somehow working with the Probrand Digitalstream HDTV reciever box (STB).

...Finally got the right code to control the inputs....
Why not share that information here for others to use???

The specific remote that works well with the TV is called the RCA Universal Learning Remote for about $18 at Walmart.

Quite a few of the codes for Panny work but don't controll the inputs (TV/Video) on regular remote. I kept trying them all until the code 1246 worked on the inputs and seems to be working well. This remote also has some backlighting.

Chris

I found a way to enter the service menu in my Panasonic CT-26WX15. This also works for other Panasonic TV models (including CT-30WC15, CT-30WX15, and CT-34WX15). Here's how you do it:

Power on your TV
Go to menu and set antenna to CABLE
Then, go to sleep timer in the menu and set it to 30
Exit menu and go to channel 124
Then, adjust volume to 0 on the remote
Then, at the front of the TV, press the volume down and the word "CHK" in red appears
Finally, press the power button on the remote
You will then see a big service menu at the middle of the screen

To adjust, use the volume buttons to adjust the values. To change each category, use the channel buttons.

To exit the service menu, press the power button on the remote, and it will return to "CHK" in red at the upper left hand corner. Then, press the power button at the front of the TV to turn off the TV. If you want to see a summary or self-check, press the power button and action button at the same time for two seconds instead.

Don't forget to copy down all of the original values on a separate piece of paper before you adjust the values. I'm still browsing it, but I don't have the time to adjust the screen right now. It looks kind of complicated to me.

Let me know which setting can let me adjust the top horizontal line.

I went into my service mode and messed up my 1080i values , can you or someone else let me know the defaults for this mode - I would greatly appreciate it.

Got a 30WC15 a couple of days ago. While I miss the PAP of the Sanyo 30744 it replaced the PQ is out-freaking-standing. It was a steal of a deal too, just 2 bits over 4 bills delivered from a warehouse club's auction, and NIB.

The SD PQ is far superior also, still drooling.

A local store here has this tv for $299. I looked it up on the internet and it seems to be the lowest price around. What is it normally going for nowadays? Has this model been discontinued already? I'm looking for a small tv for my den and would hold out if they were coming out with a similar model with built-in HD tuner.

Jump on it, they're disco'd with no replacement.

just checked panasonic canada website, tau widescreen 34wx15 and a few others has been discontinued. I am assuming panasonic going to sell only 26 and 30 inch widescreen this spring only and one 27 inch standard screen.

I was in Wal-Mart and they had the 30'' on a rack that said new item. It was marked down to $300 so I took the display cart over to video and asked them to plug it into their satellite feed.

The guy in the video department said the set should be flawless, they had opened it to display it, but they got new models in and didn't have room to display this set. He said it sat in the back, and when we got our other 30'' widescreen for the other bedroom, I specifically looked for one with an HDMI and didn't see any at that store, so it really wasn't on display. He could have been lying to me and it was possibly a return, but there was no dings or marks or anything else. It looked good and clear in the store.

I got it home yesterday, and after about two minutes I saw 2 crescent shaped clouds form on the sides. I thought it looked like a burn in problem, but wanted to check the resolution and went through using the geo fix function. No difference.

I went into the service menu and tried to push the sides off the display, no luck. It's stuck on the first option, 480i, and I even tried to pincushion it to a different spot. No luck, it's always there and in the same spot.

I took a strong magnet to try to reduce the problem, it helps to an extent. I also tried to home degause it using two strong magnets taped to either side of a drill. Still no luck.


Question is, is this a dead set? I don't want to return it because of the great price I got it at. Also, I have no remote for it so I can't change display ratios, and I'm almost sure its on Justify, stretching the picture out a bit.

Anyone have anything else I can try? I have to make a decision within a few days so I can return it, but I don't want to put more $$$ into servicing a unit that will put the price up to more than if I got a new set.

helpmecableguy:

If you bought it at WalMart, returns are a breeze. Save yourself a lot of headaches and hassles. Doesn't sound good to me.

BTW, I'm sure you know as well as anyone else: There is no such thing as a flawless TV out of a box, regardless of brand or technology. ;)

If you can return it, do so. You'd be putting good money after bad if you started pouring into what's clearly a defective TV.

You obviously have some knowledge and skills that the everyday layman does not, and if that hasn't been enough to get you out of this problem, then yes, I think you need to get rid of that TV ASAP.

helpmecableguy:

If you bought it at WalMart, returns are a breeze. Save yourself a lot of headaches and hassles. Doesn't sound good to me.

BTW, I'm sure you know as well as anyone else: There is no such thing as a flawless TV out of a box, regardless of brand or technology. ;)

If you can return it, do so. You'd be putting good money after bad if you started pouring into what's clearly a defective TV.

You obviously have some knowledge and skills that the everyday layman does not, and if that hasn't been enough to get you out of this problem, then yes, I think you need to get rid of that TV ASAP.


Q, that's exactly what I thought but didn't want to admit it. If I return it, to get a replacement I'd have to get a new one instead of the open box deal of $300... so didn't want to give up on it... but you're 100% right. Still hurts losing such a steal though :)

Weeks of painstaking labor has finally got me darn near perfect results with my colors and screen, and I'm really happy with the outcome.

My question is, somewhere during the process I must've changed SOMETHING that has made my whites possibly too bright. I play a lot on the Xbox 360, and in a couple of cases where the whites stay on the screen for too long, I get a purple blob. It's not degaussing, since it goes away almost immediately upon changing scenes.

I haven't figured out what setting I might have changed. The brightness and pictures are set near-perfectly (The background's pitch black, the colors perfect), but for whatever reason I get this problem. It's not REAL noticible, but it is there, and I don't want to cause any sort of permanent damage with the screen.

Does anyone have any idea what the problem might be? Or what setting I tinkered with that might have caused it? It's hard to nail down by changing the settings, and I thought someone might know offhand what causes this before I start changing the primo settings I managed to finally obtain. :-)

Thanks in advance!

ok i just purchased a CT-26WX15N and i think i have a problem with it.

Default settings the screen is almost black, you can barely see anything. then i have to put brightness all the way up and you can see pretty well except when watching dark scenes in shows or movies like csi or star wars episode 6. its almost completely black in dark scenes. i dont know if i should take it back or is there a way to fix this? should i get service done on it? what should i do??? help me !!!!

What DVD Player are you folks using on your WX-15?
I got my CT-30WX15 ISF calibrated on a Samsung HD-931 5 weeks ago.
I am now considering upgrading to a Panasonic S97, which will allow me to use one remote. The Denon 1920 and 2910 are also tempting.

I've read this whole thread and tried the three settings I found, all of them looked very dark, colors washed out, unimpressive is the word I'd choose

However, I'm having real doubts about my opinion, all these settings I found in this thread were based on Avia and other like programs calibrations..people posting the settings seemed to know what they were talking about too

But I especially noticed the problems with the settings on DVD menus, DVR menus, video games, and digital cable..it also looked better in darkness than light, but not that much better

So I wanted to post my settings and see if some people could give me their opinion on them. I got them using the THX thingies on DVD's and also two maintenance disks I bought at Best Buy for a $1 [one is JVC, and one is an unknown brand]

I own the 30 inch model. I use a Sony NC875B via component, a Time Warner 8300HD DVR via hdmi, a PS2 via component, and also recently bought a Panasonic 52S HDMI DVD player

Settings:

COLOR: 27
SHARPNESS: 10
BRIGHTNESS: 36
PICTURE: 49
TINT: 31
Velocity Modulation: OFF
MPEG NR: OFF
Natural Color: OFF
Video NR: OFF
Color Temp: NORMAL

Someone try them out and tell me if I'm just blind and the settings posted in this thread are better and I need to get used to them. I seriously do think the image is WAAAY too dark and just plain lifeless on the other settings, plus the colors were off too..

Settings for a crt are going to be unique to each individual set. Certain settings that look great on your set may look horrible on another one. Why not pick up a copy of Digital Video Essentials? It's easy to use and hopefully will help give you the results you are looking for.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=112315801/search=digital+video+essentials

I've hooked my 26WX15 up to my pc with the HDMI to DVI cable from panasonic. At first setting this up for 480p was a pain, due to the huge amount of overscan. Once I learned powerstrip and how to tweak that res things fell into place quite easily. At first I thought 1080i would be great for windows, but there is a nasty flickering not sure if it's the tv or the 6800 card I own only time I use it for still images when I want to see them at a hi res or hd movies I get from websites.

Can anyone here give me pointers as to how to fix overscan at 480p with the service menu. All the things I need to do vertically and partially horizontally are greyed out and well on ps2 and xbox games the problem is really annoying?

I am really interested in purchasing the CT-30WX15 but cannot find it anywhere.

Does anyone know current release dates for new Panny TV's?

Thank you in advance

And you live where? It's a big wide world out there...

And you live where? It's a big wide world out there...

Sorry, I'm in the Cleveland Ohio area.

I have found a couple on-line.
Etronics has best price @ $685.

Not to sure about online purchase.
Anyone have the good, bad and ugly for On-line TV purchases?

Etronics is an excellent company to deal with. The only problem is the shipping cost of a heavy CRT.

Etronics is an excellent company to deal with. The only problem is the shipping cost of a heavy CRT.

I can get the Panasonic CT-30WX15 30" HDTV Monitor , 3 year warranty , shipped to my door for under $850.

Shipping is $109

Is it worth it or should I just go to CC and buy the Samsung 3082?

panasonic new crt models should be out by the summer time around the end of june.

panasonic new crt models should be out by the summer time around the end of june.
Panasonic already discontinued making CRT TVs. They are focusing on flat-panel TVs right now.

I can get the Panasonic CT-30WX15 30" HDTV Monitor , 3 year warranty , shipped to my door for under $850.

Shipping is $109

Is it worth it or should I just go to CC and buy the Samsung 3082?

The Samsung 3082 looks cute..just don't expect to ever see a straight horizontal line on any of them. There's a manufacturing/design flaw. If you see them being demo'd the picture looks pretty good until you look at items with straight horizontal lines...they're all bowed.

Given a choice, I'd go with the CT-30WX15 (but I should note that I'm a bit biased... I have a CT-34WX15). The picture is great and you'll have no trouble with horizontal or vertical lines (actually, the Samsung is the only model that I've ever seen with such a major problem with lines)

panasonic will have new crt models this summer; a few limited selections.

Hey guys,

I think I fixed up the Service settings to get rid of the overscan. Looks A LOT better. The fox logo no longer has simply the top left FO part of the fox ;)

Does anyone have the default settings though for the CT-34WX15? I wrote down most of the changes, but may have negleted to write down some, and I just wanta make sure I haven't messed anything else up! I know a few people but down the defaults for the other models, but i'm not sure how different they would be! Thanks so much!

Have the 30wx15, and just purchased a WMC computer that is near the TV.

I'm thinking of upgrading my computer with a new video card that has a DMI output.

Could I hook the output up to my TV and watch WMC programs (either TV or DVD) on my TV?

I noticed the manual for the TV says the HDMI port is not meant for a computer connection....

Any ideas on whether this would work?

TIA!

I bought a CT-26WX15, shelf model at CC. I simply can not get used to the JUST aspect mode on this TV when viewing regular, non-digital cable. I suppose that would be the NTSC tuner (I don't know all the terms like the rest of you are using, so please be patient).

When a TV show pans around a scene, the left and right parts of the screen remind me of looking through wet eyeglasses, the aspect is not consistent and I don't like it. Its wavy like.

But no matter how many times I press the TV/VCR (Defined as the ASPECT button according to first page in the "Remote" section of the manual), the aspect of the screen simply will not ever change.

People are fat on the borders, then they are thin, lines get wavy when a camera scene pans across am image with lines, it just not nice to my eyes.

This this broke, is it locked into an aspect mode because it was on the demo shelf.

Help.

Thanks.

Oh, BTW, watching a DVD (Nemo, I only purchase kids DVDs basically) is very, very nice and doesn't exhibit this JUST aspect mode.

I simply can not get used to the JUST aspect mode on this TV ...But no matter how many times I press the TV/VCR (Defined as the ASPECT button according to first page in the "Remote" section of the manual), the aspect of the screen simply will not ever change.

This this broke, is it locked into an aspect mode because it was on the demo shelf.

...
I'm assuming that you've pressed the tv button at the top left of your remote before trying the TV/VCR Aspect button.

If so, something sure is wrong. Take the batteries out of the remote, wait a few minutes, put the batteries in and try the remote again. Does it switch Aspects?

Have you tried turning off the tv and then unplugging it for a while? This all makes me wonder if there's something amiss with the Lock function...

Anyway, try this until someone comes up with a better answer. Have you got any friends with a Panasonic controller? Try theirs...

In the end, the best advice might be call Panasonic...It sounds as though you've got a new tv with a warranty....

Thanks for the quick reply.

Well, the TV button flashes red when I press the TV/VCR (ASPECT) button. I'm guessing that means I'm in TV mode.

I've worked with the LOCK function, I locked myself out, good thing I remembered the passcode. However, I don't think that the LOCK function involves locking the aspect resolution.

Oh, and the TV was off and unplugged for about 2 hours until I plugged it in at home the other day.

Check out this thread:

http://archive.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=484675

At the bottom of this page http://www.liquidninjas.com/modules.php?name=News&file=showarticle&threadid=12012 I may have found a solution:

...there is a "bug", you have to run the channel scan at setup and make sure there is at least 1 channel in memory in order for the Aspect button to work...

panasonic canada website is no longer listing their crt tau television tube on there website. checked several times no longer carrying tau crt televisions. This means crt rip from panasonic. So this is the end of panasonic tau television as we know it. Am going to miss it. :mad: :( :confused: :eek: :D

panasonic canada website is no longer listing their crt tau ... So this is the end of panasonic tau television as we know it...

Yeah, I didn't think that they were going to come out with a new lineup this summer...too bad, they are great tvs...Oh well, my CT-34WX15 will just have to last me a few years...

I sent an email to customer support, hopefully I will get an response to my inquiry. hope to follow up on this latest information.

Thank you to all who offered suggestions.

After a few calls with Panasonic tech support, numerous reboots (Action+Power) to the TV, and repeating the same stuff to each tech, it was determined that I was given the wrong remote. The remote I got was apparently for the SDTV version.

Went back to store, got the right one. I still am not impressed with its SDTV 4:3 presentation. As I said before, DVD Widescreen was awesome though. But I suspect I'll be spending more time on regular 4:3 programming for a while. I'm on cheap cable, no cable box.

I still am not impressed with its SDTV 4:3 presentation.

Well, SDTV on a Panasonic Tau is as good as it gets for an HDTV. None of the rest of the HDTVs do it as well as the Panasonic. On some HDTVs SDTV is the most horrible thing you've ever seen. I think that even Consumer Reports noted that the Panasonic Taus were the best.

Yo guys, I have a problem with my CT-26WX15. Here's the problem: theres a huge purple spot on the left side of the tv but only when the tv is displaying certain colors, usually dark blue or green. Its darkest on the left bottom corner, but it stretches all the way to the top left corner at times. I had this tv in my car for about a week, but it was under shade. I heard something about "degaussing" the unit.......Any ideas???
Thanx

Yo guys, I have a problem with my CT-26WX15. Here's the problem: theres a huge purple spot on the left side of the tv but only when the tv is displaying certain colors, usually dark blue or green. Its darkest on the left bottom corner, but it stretches all the way to the top left corner at times. I had this tv in my car for about a week, but it was under shade. I heard something about "degaussing" the unit.......Any ideas???
Thanx
Just a thought (assuming that your degaussing circuits are ok)...Would you perhaps have your subwoofer or an unsheilded speaker really close to your tv?

It could possibly be corrected with the geomagnetic correction, but if memory serves, only the 30 and the 34 have that feature. But if i'm wrong, check out your manual.

no speakers or subwoofer near the tv, just an xbox and my digital cable box. And as I watch more it seems that its the very worse when the tv has a dark blue picture. I was watching Discovery HD and they were showing an underwater view , and I could clearly see the complete purple blotch outline on the left side of the tv. It stretches from the left bottom to the left top, but its the worse on the left bottom.

It stretches from the left bottom to the left top, but its the worse on the left bottom.

Of course, it could be something worse...but before you call a technician...two thoughts: 1) make sure than none of the cables to the tv are coiled...make sure that they're all straight, 2) move the cable box to the other side of your tv....

Anything help?

i tried my xbox and cable box on like 3 different inputs, so its definetly not the cables. Also, I tried the tv with just my xbox when i first moved it in, and it happened then too, so it cant be the cable box. Any other suggestions? I did leave it in my car for over a week, but it was never in the sun for longer then 10 mins

It could be that your settings are too high...are you running everything in "Vivid" mode plus???? Still, it sounds like you're seeing something worse...Was the car stationary for a week or did you travel with it...(the car motion could have done some damage). Being in a stationary trunk would only have made it warm...I doubt that the heat would have done much...still...sounds like it may be time to call that Panasonic technician for some warranty work...It may just be a faulty degaussing circuit..

You wouldn't happen to be living in a house or apartment with steel corners would you? Or, would the Refrigerator or Stove be on the other side of the wall from the tv (obviously I'm still pursuing the magnetic field thought). Try moving the tv to another location in the room. Is it still the same?

Hey guys,

I think I fixed up the Service settings to get rid of the overscan. Looks A LOT better. The fox logo no longer has simply the top left FO part of the fox ;)


I have the 30" Panny tv and I love it but I notice some of the logos are cut off on my tv too. Is it easy to fix it? Let me know how involved it was for you to correct it. Other than that my picture is awesome.

panasonic usa website, no longer is listing their crt tau television tube on there website. checked several times no longer carrying tau crt televisions. This means crt rip from panasonic. So this is the end of panasonic tau television as we know it. Am going to miss it. no tau crt tubes listed on panasonic usa website. panasonic no longer has crt tubes to sell.

Hello All!! I've been searching frantically on the net for help, I need the default values to the SM for a 30" my pic is all messed up any help would be awesome. Please e-mail also thanks!

Hello all you Panasonic CT-30WX15 owners!

I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions for me as I am thinking about purchasing one of these sets online in the next few days.

1. How well does the Panasonic handle blacks in various situations? When there is a lot of bright white and color, do you see lots of shadow detail or is there significat black crush? And when the scene is dark, do the darkest blacks become grayish? That is my experience with my current TV and I have heard that is related to a weak power supply, or something like that. Being able to maintain good black levels is important to me.

2. What sort of DVD players are people using with their sets for the best results? Do the component inputs (at 480i or 480p) look as good or perhaps better than the HDMI input? Does it display an upscaled (1080i) image from a upconverting DVD player well, or does the 480i/p setting look the sharpest as that is the DVD's "native" resolution?

3. All in all, is the geometry pretty good on these sets, once you make adjustments in the service menu?

4. If you could have any CRT 30" HDTV right now, what would it be? Perhaps I have narrowed my choice down to the wrong model. Although I do like the idea of being able to display 480p natively interests me for DVD watching, and I know most current HDTVs in production fo not allow for this.

Thanks for your repsonses!

--John

EDIT: Sorted it, R cable wasn't connected to Comcast box. Sigh.

*Shuffles away*

Hi all,

Just hooked this up to Comcast HD. Most impressed with the detail but Greens and Reds are very washed out (watching Argentina vs Mexico) at best I can get the Mexican strip to look brown when it should be bright green. Reds are greyish.

Any advice would be great. I went into the servie settings but I couldn't see any colour options that weren't greyed out.

Thanks.

PanasonicCallCenter@us.panasonic.com
To: julio388@yahoo.com
Subject: Panasonic Case # 23008187
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2006 15:02:00 -0400

Dear MR TORRES

Thank you for your inquiry. At this time we are only manufacturing
Plasma, LCD and DLP TVs due to strong demands.

Thank You,
Panasonic Consumer Support

In our effort for continuous improvement, we would appreciate your
evaluation of the service we have provided.

Yea so I bought this set in January of this year, and last night all of a sudden now there is a fairly loud high-pitched ringing sound that emits from the set when it's on. I can make it stop by putting pressure on the top of the back of the set (think the plastic shell that jets out back).

Anyone know how long these suckers are under warranty from Panasonic?

Anthrojohn, did you buy the 30wx15? I did not notice your post of 6 weeks ago till now.
1. I do not find the shadow detail is good.
My calibrator confirmed the set does not do blacker than black.
2. I am using a Samsung HD931. Before calibration I thought the 480p was better.
After calibration, the 1080i is better and I now can watch the set closer without seeing scan lines. If I knew this and the Number 1 question above,before I bought the 30wx15, I probably would of bought the Sony 34XS955.
3. No. I have a 3mm pincushioning on the 4:3
4. Sony 30XS955

can someone please post the default settings for the 26WX15?

thanks in advance

Unfortunately, each set will have its own unique set of default settings. So, in the future, before you go messing about in the service menu make sure to record your set's default values.

Thank God I found this thread. I bought a 30" CT-30WC15 earlier this month because I love Panny CRTs and had to get one for my bedroom before there was no chance that I'd find one again! Anyway, since I learned how to enter the Service Menu I've really tweaked all the settings on my TV for 1080i. I had a HUGE amount of overscan before. Now my Xbox360 and HD DVDs look great. I recorded all my default settings and stapled a copy to my owners manual, so no regrets. ;)

Ok, I have a few questions if someone doesn't mind answering.

If I adjust the set to get rid of the overscan to have the picture fit the screen perfectly and adjust all the pincushions, I get a stretching on the top 1" of the screen similar to what you know as the "just" option. I have personally found no way to fix this but to return the TV to it's factory default settings and to have the large amount of overscan.

Should I just leave the TV at defaults? it easily cuts off more than 1" of the picture on all sides to compensate for this strange stretching that occurs on the top 1" of the screen.

Am I being too picky wanting the entire picture to fit on the screen? Is it normal to accept overscan?

I purchased my TV brand new from a Panasonic overstock reseller online, and they don't accept returns unless the product is DOA so I have to live with this set.

Any tips?

Ok, I have a few questions if someone doesn't mind answering.

If I adjust the set to get rid of the overscan to have the picture fit the screen perfectly and adjust all the pincushions, I get a stretching on the top 1" of the screen similar to what you know as the "just" option. I have personally found no way to fix this but to return the TV to it's factory default settings and to have the large amount of overscan.

Should I just leave the TV at defaults? it easily cuts off more than 1" of the picture on all sides to compensate for this strange stretching that occurs on the top 1" of the screen.

Am I being too picky wanting the entire picture to fit on the screen? Is it normal to accept overscan?

I purchased my TV brand new from a Panasonic overstock reseller online, and they don't accept returns unless the product is DOA so I have to live with this set.

Any tips?

Okay, I found the option called V-top that fixes the problem. Now she's truly looking B-E-A-utiful! I'm really enjoying seeing the entire screen. :p

I have a 34W and for games it suffers from massive overscan as mentioned in other posts here. I have been able to access the service menu thanks to a post above on this thread but it is not obvious me me which data lines to adjust to reduce the overscan. Presently on COD2 the overscan is so bad I can only see half the ammo count etc on the right side of the screen.

I do not not want to tweak blind in this service menu by trial an error and mess eveything up. I realise each CRT would have slightly different settings but any help to get me headed in the right direction would be appreicated

Thanks in advance.

Peter

You have to experiment. Write down the initial value for each setting before you change it.

For my understanding of the codes and my CT-26WX15n 1080i settings:
(Yours will vary)

HPOS is for Horizontal Centering Default: 00 1A 03 0B Setting: 00 1A 03 E1
HWID is for Horizontal width Default: 00 33 81 Setting: 00 33 AB
VRAS is for Vertical width Default: 00 8B C7 Setting: 00 8B C5
VEAMP is for Vertical Centering Default: 00 3A 00 A9 Setting: 00 3A 00 7A
HLIN Default: 00 12 6D Setting: no change
PCC is Pincushin Upper Right Default: 00 4C 83 Setting: 00 4C 73
PCCLG is Pincushin Lower Left Default: 00 68 ?? Setting: 00 68 43
PCCHG is Pincushin Upper Left Default: 00 67 ?? Setting: 00 67 44
PCCHS is I dunno Default: 00 63 01
PCCLS is I dunno Default: 00 64 00
PARA is trapezoidal adjustment Default: 00 24 12 Setting: 00 24 10

Per Xabora:
PCC - PINCUSHION CORRECTION
PCCHG - PINCUSHION TOP GAIN
PCCLG - PINCUSHION BOTTOM GAIN
PCCHS - PINCUSHION TOP SLICE LEVEL
PCCLS - PINCUSHION BOTTOM SLICE LEVEL

Other notes (can't remember the source):
TOPSC is Top center flaring

I took my first stab in the service menu last night and took a stab at fixing my overscan on my 34, problem is vertical lines for some reason aren't straight on the part of the screen I uncovered. It's only the bottom part of the overscan really when I revert to my old Vertical/Horizontal width settings the lines are straight again. Does anyone know of a setting that might correct this in the SM?

Guys, I have the 26" model and was wondering if any of you keep the TV in "Vivid" mode when hooked up to your DirecTV HD receiver using HDMI?

I noticed when I connected the TV to the receiver, it automatically switched to Vivid mode. Is this the preferred mode for the TV when it detects HDMI?

Thanks in advance.

I run my ct-34wx15 in Cinema mode (adjusted using DVE) when using HDMI and when using component inputs from my DVD...When using HD TV over component I use Normal (adjusted using DVE). I haven't used any setting in Vivid since the first week that I had the tv.

I have a panasonic CT-30WX15. Has anyone else noticed a shadow or silhouette on the right hand side of images. For example it is very noticeable on dark scenes when watching dvd's. I called one of panasonic's authorized repair centers to come over and they said it was normal and there was nothing they could do to repair it. They said it is a limitation of the set. I have never noticed this before on other CRT's. Can anyone else verify if they notice this as well with their Tau?

Normal on my set at least, I've learned to get used to it.. when it makes me feel bad I just look at my LCD and see the uniformity problems and grayish blacks and start smiling again :) It's a bit annoying but doesn't stop it form being a great set. Maybe an ISF tech could fix it with the SM

I've never seen it on my 34...you only see it when watching dvds? It sounds like edge enhancement...are you running your Sharpness at anything other than 0? Or running with the Velocity Modulation ON?

Have you set up your set using DVE or Avia?

I'm sure others will be quite willing to comment on your problem...

No I always see it. It is not really noticeable unless there is a contrast between a bright image on a dark background. Sharpness is at around 8 (although setting it to 0 made no difference to the effect). Velocity modulation is OFF and I have already set it up with DVE. For example on the DVE setup for black level each of the black bars has a a shadow or silhouette to the right hand side of the bar. This is my first HDTV so maybe I just never noticed it on a standard CRT, but I would like to know if this is normal or if it is a defect before my warrenty runs out.

So far I've been unable to duplicate your problem on my ct-34wx15. It may just be that I'm not using the same source material (or that your vision is considerably better than mine)
;-)

Overscan on CT-34WX15

My current overscan is in the 5% Safe area on the top and bottom but on the sides, it's about 7 - 71/2%. Frankly, I'm not sure that I can do better than that. I'm tempted to leave it alone.

Comments?

I took a picture of the problem. It is a pic of the left 3 bars used for setting black levels with DVE. It is kind of hard to make out in the photo, but you can see the silhouette to the right of the middle bar. In person all the bars have a blooming effect to the right of them. Even setting contrast to zero they are still visible.
Image 1 (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3721348)

I took a picture of the problem. It is a pic of the left 3 bars used for setting black levels with DVE. It is kind of hard to make out in the photo, but you can see the silhouette to the right of the middle bar. In person all the bars have a blooming effect to the right of them. Even setting contrast to zero they are still visible.
Image 1 (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3721348)

Ok, I went to the same pattern in DVE. The only way that I could replicate your picture was to set my brightness up past 60. Even then I couldn't get the CT-34WX15 to really bloom (bright yes, bloom...not really...not like I could on my older 27" JVC) but I did see your mysterious shadow.

From the looks of your picture and what I saw when I checked my own set out, you have your brightness set far too high (plus, your picture setting needs to be adjusted as well - if your photo is any indication)

Remember, the Black Below Black should be blended with the background of the surround in the setup pattern. The whiteness should be set until it's white (it's not going to really bloom - if my Panny is any indication). Then go to the setup pattern with the ramps (and remember that there's White Above White at the dots).

Hope this helps...sounds like your Panny is ok...just play around more with DVE (try doing it in a very low light room - like late at night).

Thanks for the advice N'Yeti. I lowered the brightness a bit and while I still see the silhouette it is less noticeable.

Thanks for the advice N'Yeti. I lowered the brightness a bit and while I still see the silhouette it is less noticeable.

I guess the thing is, you should barely see the second black bar(the third black bar, you shouldn't see at all - the BBB bar). So if you can see it clearly, you still need to to a bit of tweaking. Don't forget to adjust the picture setting after doing the brightness.

These are the settings for a 36" Tau

http://www.keohi.com/KeohiHDTV/brandspecific/panasonic/panasonic_alignment_ct36hx41.html

Anyone know if they come close to those for the 34?

Those settings are for the x41 and not the x15. They are not even close! Went into my SM and they were not even close. Sorry

Theroys88
Any way you have time to post your settings? I have my 34 well and truely out of wack. It would at least give me a starting point. Going back to origional gets me the massive overscan I trying to get rid of for games.

Peter

Sorry but I have never messed with the settings. My only gripe with my 34X54 is the red push and geometry issues. Also the lack of memory for each input and the PQ seems to have too much contrast no matter what setting I use.

No problem. thanks for the reply

I have two of these sets and before I knew better only recorded the initial settings for one of them not realizing each set was individual. The one used for TV is fine as the settings have never been adjusted and overscan does not become a real issue for TV use but the game one is another story. The best I can do it is a compromise on geometry and seeing all the screen, the overscan horizontally is very high and it cuts off game information and when I tweak it the geometry gets worse.

Still all in all a good set for the money, or was when I purchased them eighteen months ago.

Can anyone tell me if this is normal. I have the CT-30wx15 and I was playing the new splinter cell for the XBOX 360 and it has some surreal training levels that are very bright causing an odd ghosting/shadowing effect to the right side of objects. While I have seen this before, it usually shows up on very dark images and I was able to make it less noticeable by lowering the brightness. There are pics below. Could this be a convergence problem? I have already set my brightness and contrast with DVE and it isnt blooming because even lowering both settings to the point where i can barely see the screen its still visible. I had a service call from an authorized panasonic repair center and they said the problem I had was normal and was a limitation of crts. But I don't see how seeing a double image is normal when theres a large contrast between the background and forground. Also no matter what source I am using, when this occurs it is always to the right of the image.
Splinter Cell 1 (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3757178)
Splinter Cell 2 (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3757179)

While the overscan on the top and bottom of my CT-34WX15 was about 5%, the sides were about 6 %. I reset the overscan to 4 1/2% - had to do some geometry changes (I also posted this in the calibration area)
==


===============
CT-34WX15
===============

480p HDMI
ORIGINAL RESET TO

HWID 00 32 66 00 32 77 (4-4.5%)


=========
1080i HDMI

HWID 00 33 5D 00 33 6F (4-4.5%)

VRAS 00 8B B4 00 8B B5 (4-4.5%)

VEAMP 00 3A 00 93 00 3A 00 8F (4-4.5%)

HPOS 00 1A 03 E6 00 3A 00 82 (4-4.5%)

=========
480i COMPONENT

HWID 00 31 69 00 31 7A (4%)

VRAS 00 89 9E NO CHANGE

VAMP 00 36 00 AD 00 36 00 93 (4%)

HPOS 00 18 03 59 00 18 03 5A (4%)

========
480P COMPONENT

HWID NO CHANGE NO CHANGE


========
1080i COMPONENT (STB 1080i)


PCC 00 4C C1 NO CHANGE

PCCHG 00 67 3C NO CHANGE

PCCLG 00 68 37 NO CHANGE

PCCLS 00 6A 01 NO CHANGE

PCCHS 00 69 00 NO CHANGE

TOPG 00 4B 52 NO CHANGE

TOPSL 00 65 03 NO CHANGE

BTMG 00 4A 58 NO CHANGE

HLIN 00 12 77 NO CHANGE
-------------
SIDE 00 23 13 00 23 0C

PARA 00 24 13 NO CHANGE

TRAP 00 22 85 00 22 86

HTRAP 00 84 20 00 84 23

Hey guys, just stumbled upon this great post! I am an owner of a CT-30WX15 and I was wondering if anyone has the default service menu values for this set. Reason being, I didn't write down the default values (as I thought you could just hit a 'default value tab' of some kind) and I messed around with some settings and things have gone a bit whacky... If anyone has these values, it would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks again.

Hey guys, just stumbled upon this great post! I am an owner of a CT-30WX15 and I was wondering if anyone has the default service menu values for this set. Reason being, I didn't write down the default values (as I thought you could just hit a 'default value tab' of some kind) and I messed around with some settings and things have gone a bit whacky... If anyone has these values, it would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks again.

each tv is set differently, so you just have to mess around with it til you can find the right settings for you.

ive got a question though. if you dont use this tv for a few months, will anything happen to it? ie- my overscan will return?

NOS, I'm just worried that I've messed arount too much and added some unneeded distortion. On top of that, I've created some kind of wierd bends in the top corners that I can't seem to rectify :(

I've had my Panasonic CT-26WX15 for almost a year now, it's been great. Had some over scan issues and fixed them with the service code posted here in this thread awhile back. Anyway, everything is great besides one thing that has been annoying me lately. I use my HDTV 90% mostly for my Xbox 360, and near the center the text is clear and crisp.. but near the left side (no idea about the right, I can open the Guide button and I can see text on the left, so not sure about the right).. but it's pretty small and it's white.. it's a bit blurry (readable.. just a little blurry) and I was hoping I could fix this issue so I jumped into the service menu.. but no luck with that. Anyone know what might be causing that, and how I might be able to fix it in the service menu? Or am I just out of luck? I've tried turning things up.. down.. leaving them and turning others.. but nothing has worked at all. So if anyone has any ideas that would be great! :)

NOS, I'm just worried that I've messed arount too much and added some unneeded distortion. On top of that, I've created some kind of wierd bends in the top corners that I can't seem to rectify :(

This is exactly what happened to me, i've delt with it for a year but it's bugging me. I havn't read the whole thread but has anyone posted factory settings so I can revert them to default?

This is exactly what happened to me, i've delt with it for a year but it's bugging me. I havn't read the whole thread but has anyone posted factory settings so I can revert them to default?

Nope, unfortunately nobody has for the 30" model. :( I have some weird snake like bends in the top corners and the lines are kind of diagonal on each side as well as a small bend horizontally at the top that goes all the way across....

Yea so I bought this set in January of this year, and last night all of a sudden now there is a fairly loud high-pitched ringing sound that emits from the set when it's on. I can make it stop by putting pressure on the top of the back of the set (think the plastic shell that jets out back).

Anyone know how long these suckers are under warranty from Panasonic?

i dont know about the warranty but mine does the same thing from time to time. i have seen this happen on 2 PC monitors, and yea pressing all of them in the back makes it stop (till you let go). sometimes a good smack will get rid of it, but dont go crazy.

that's one good thing about getting old though, if you are over 50 or 60 you wont hear it...

I think that one of the things that is happening is that all CRTs have a difficult time with the edges - that's one of the reasons that all of them have the 5% Safe Areas (which many set have set much higher - as in 6 or 7% -> or even higher). Many broadcasters are now broadcasting digital information in the 2-3% area (something they wouldn't have done with regular picture info when people only used CRTS) - if you're lucky, you'll have a CRT that can still accurately display there...if not...you'll want to put the safe area back to 4 or 5 or 6%. You'll lose some picture but have a much better looking display.

anyone have the default settings for the horizontal setup for 1080i in the setup menu? preferrably for a 30wx15

anyone have the default settings for the horizontal setup for 1080i in the setup menu? preferrably for a 30wx15

That's basically what I'm looking for as well...

That's basically what I'm looking for as well...

all tvs have different defaults, but the best i can do is post all my settings for my 1080i that i used when i fixed my overscan. sadly to say, it only shows the ones i changed (ie- if i changed top left corner, then it would show default, and then what i changed it to). better than nothing i guess, hope it helps


cut R
cut B
brt
r dr
b dr
r-y_

h lin: 75
h pos: d6 > d5
h wid: 88 > b3 > af
pcc
pcchg
pcclg
pcchs
pccls
topg
btmg
topsl
btmsl: 02
trap: 7e
para
side: 14
htrap: 1f

vras: cf
veamp: 00 ad > 00 90
v-c: 77 > 93
v-s: 74 >

hdafs

vtop
bdac
inpin
moire

I've had my Panasonic CT-26WX15 for almost a year now, it's been great. Had some over scan issues and fixed them with the service code posted here in this thread awhile back. Anyway, everything is great besides one thing that has been annoying me lately. I use my HDTV 90% mostly for my Xbox 360, and near the center the text is clear and crisp.. but near the left side (no idea about the right, I can open the Guide button and I can see text on the left, so not sure about the right).. but it's pretty small and it's white.. it's a bit blurry (readable.. just a little blurry) and I was hoping I could fix this issue so I jumped into the service menu.. but no luck with that. Anyone know what might be causing that, and how I might be able to fix it in the service menu? Or am I just out of luck? I've tried turning things up.. down.. leaving them and turning others.. but nothing has worked at all. So if anyone has any ideas that would be great! :)

ive noticed the same fuzziness with my tv when i play 360

I have a dark area in the middle of the left half of my screen. I mostly notice it when I am watching sports where there is a solid background. It is about 6 inches in diameter. Regular shows it is not as noticeable. Is this fixable?

I have a dark area in the middle of the left half of my screen. I mostly notice it when I am watching sports where there is a solid background. It is about 6 inches in diameter. Regular shows it is not as noticeable. Is this fixable?

I have a Ct-34wx54 and I cannot get the PQ right on this set. Colors are wonderful and PQ is very good but way too much contrast. I have the contrast set at 27 and brightness at 37. If I go any lower the picture gets way too dark,
Outside scenes look great but inside scenes look almost smoky. I have contacted Chad and he has put me on his schedule for his next trip to Virginia. I have tried to ask some of the folks in the calibration area how to adjust the grayscale or any possible SM changes that would correct this. My Sony 36xs955 has perfect contrast and fantastic blacks. Of course it has better resolution due to the SFP with 1400 lines of resolution versus the Panasonic's 900 lines. Any help would be appreciated.

Buy or Rent Digital Video Essentials and adjust using their directions. Sounds like your contrast is set and the wrong end of the scale. You've given yourself more visible detail but have sacrificed your blacks to get it.

DVE or Avia I would use my component input and that is not a HD source. DVD source material is fine. It is ony the Directv HD feed that I am having the problem. Contrast levels and blacks look fine on both component inputs and that is with the contrast and picture setting higher then the HDMI settings.

Interesting. Personally, I always found that satellite sourced material require more brightness and contrast (probably due to different compression/decompression issues).

It may be the set. On my Sony 36XS955, I have my Directv fed to both my Component and my HDMI and have set the levels to the same marks and there is no difference in the picture except the HDMI looks a tad sharper on HD source. On SD material, component looks better.

Possibly, but HD cable doesn't require the slight brightness and contrast settings that HD satellite does... Wierd, eh?

Actually tonight I decided to go the other way and set the brightness to 32 and the contrast to 54 and my smoky picture was fixed. Every set that I have owned I would set the brightness between 40 to 50 and contrast in the 30s. Seems strange but it works. I have my Sony brightness at 51 and contrast at 34. Odd.

One of those great mysteries of the universe...

Folks...I apologize if this has already been asked before but Im gonna do it....I currently have Cablevision in NJ. I am using the 4250HD box hooked into my Panasonic 30WX15 and love how crisp everything looks in HD.....BUT there is a serious Ghosting problem or drop shadow effect around certain people or objects when they are displayed over a dark background it is most noticeable and its driving me crazy!!

My question is this....how does Component cables compare to using an HDMi cable??....Is there a noticeable difference in HD and SD content...and also will it fix the ghosting problem?

thanks!

My experience has been that HDMI gives a slightly crisper picture. At 6-8ft I'm not sure there's really any difference between HDMI and good quality component cables (of 3ft length). You really have to be close to tell the difference. You might have to adjust your brightness/contrast settings to get rid of the "drop shadow"

Folks,

I've got a circa 2002 CT-34WX53. I haven't seen a forum for this model specifically so I read the postings here hoping the models are close in design etc. Does anyone elso out there own one of these sets and if so how have you got yours set up? I bascially use it "as is" and interestingly enough find the VIVID mode to be the best when viewing HD content through my set top box. For DVDs I also keep it in VIVID but set the DVD player (SONY upconverter hooked-up via HDMI to DVI) to Cinema just to tone it down a bit. I have no complaints with this set at all and love the PQ. Just curious what others have experienced with their sets.

Thanks for reading.

Hi all. I am/was having problems with my Harmony remote selecting the right inputs on my CT-26WX15N. It worked at first but always acted a little wonky. So I messed with the settings and got it to mess up worse. :)

Here is the situation. As someone mentioned, the Logitech database has commands that directly select inputs. My problem is that only two of them are working for me, InputComponent1 and InputComponent2. The other ones, like InputPC (which I assume is HDMI) are not functioning for me. Since these commands dont actually appear on my remote, I can't relearn them.

For now, I have a workaround. I changed the input selection to "Method 4" (toshiba style) where you press one button to bring up the input menu, then another button to select the input. I set it so it brings up the menu with TV/Video, then presses 1-8 to get the right input. This works, but I would prefer the direct method (1 command vs. 2). Would the Logitech tech support be able to fix the commands from their end?

You should probably direct this one to the Logitech form; however, your Logitech remote can select whichever input you want for whatever device you want (even if you want 10 devices to use the same input). The problem isn't with the commands.

Wow - long thread, but very informative. I wish I would have found this last year when I first bought my 34" Panasonic Tau HDTV (CT-34WX15). Fortunately for me, I have not experienced any of the issues with the television that I've seen so many people post comments about.

In any event, I used to think that when I turned on the TV, the 4-5 click noises I heard before getting sound and picture were bizarre and perhaps indicative of a problem (as opposed to the 1-2 clicks on SD CRTs). However, I now know that it's normal - although I'm still not totally used to it. Power on takes 4-5 seconds which to me seems odd as I am so used to the SD CRTs which take about 2 seconds.

Nevertheless, I am writing to tell you HDTV owners and one person in particular who posted a question related to audio about something I've learned. I have a surround sound system connected to a Toshiba HD-A2 (HD DVD player)which is in turn connected to my Panasonic tv. Despite typically wanting to watch movies with surround, I still wanted to be able to watch the tv without having to turn on surround to get sound.

Most of the operating manuals for DVD players (incl HD DVD players) appear to indicate that you must choose BETWEEN digital audio or analog audio. However, you can connect both. More specifically, I have the digital out from the HD-A2 going to my surround sound system using an optical cable and a set of RCA analogue (Red and White/L and R) cables from the HD-A2 going directly to the tv. This way I can get sound from one or the other or both.

Whereas many if not all DVD/HD DVD players force you to choose between HDMI or Optical or Coax digital outputs, it appears that analog audio is almost always still output from the device. Therefore, for the person who posted his/her comments about connecting to a receiver and hearing a buzzing sound from the TV speakers, all you have to do is make the analogue connection as well and run the volume setting independently for each using the receiver volume or tv volume settings depending on which you choose to hear audio from.

I have had this TV for over 1 year and so far no complaints. It's just ashame that there is only 1 HDMI input as I'd love to be able to connect a Blu Ray player along side my HD DVD player one day and short of connecting it using component cables or perhaps spending a chunk of change on an HDMI switch, that isn't possible.

Finally, I wish I would have been able to address the often asked question as to whether this CRT HDTV was worth buy over and LCD/Plasma. The answer is YES (albeit to late as the HDTV CRT is now a thing of the past). HD LCD and Plasma have only recently narrowed the picture quality gap to HDTV CRT. Funny how even though as CRT HDTVs made their exit from the market (and were much cheaper) that they were still better in terms of picture quality! If you could stand to bear the size of the tv (mine is huge) and the limitation of screen size (only up to 34" in a 16:9 aspect ratio) than you'd be crazy to spend more on an Plasma if not moreso on an LCD! This is something my friends with panels are reminded of when comparing their hi-def pictures to mine as the picture is noticably better on mine!

For all of those about to flame and say that the direct view CRT HDTV only displays at a max of 1080i vs. say the Sharp LCD at 1080P, I suggest that the direct view is still better - if perhaps only up until recently. That's why Best Buy NEVER showed a direct view HDTV next to an LCD or Plasma as most people would end up asking why the CRT looked better - to which the answer (if honest) would invariably be, because HDTV CRT is superior. This is ESPECIALLY true when comparing a picture which is an SD one between the two types of tvs. But then, best buy would never run an SD signal into a Plasma or LCD because they look crappy. I sometimes wonder if (and in spite of) the higher prices for LCD and Plasma tvs, if CRTs aren't/weren't actually more expensive to manufacture and their margins lower! That would explain the manufactures hasty shift away from CRTs while they were still superior to LCDs and Plasmas.

I suppose I will one day buy a Plasma (provided relatively affordable SED tvs don't make it to market first) but in the meantime I am happy with mine! Lets just hope that Pioneers claims hold true and the next gen plasmas do prove to be better then our HD CRTs!

Thanks for all of those who have contributed and I hope that this thread continues as I have found it very informative and oft times entertaining!

J

I have a 34x15 and a Sony 36xs955 and love them both. Once my wife gets out of hygiene school I am going to get bigger displays. Probably a LCD for upstairs since the room has alot of windows and thus light. Either a Plasma for my Man hole or a SXRD. In the end size does matter.

Okay so here are the results of the 2 hours I spent with the digital video essentials (DVE) HD DVD.

Contrast (aka Picture) = 28
Brightness = 34
Color = 21
Tint 30
Sharpness = 30**

** For whatever reason adjustments to the sharpness produced no change in the calibration index provided by DVE. In other words, the lines you'd see if it was set to high never appeared. As a result I went with the mid-point of 30 but I suspect it doesn't make much difference.

As far as the geometry tests, I am happy to report that the over scan was 5% top and bottom and approximately 5.1 - 5.2% side to side. I know that our set could probably go to as little as 2.5% but I can live with 5% so I am not going to venture into the SM to try to improve it.

Now on to more important business....I bought the Planet Earth HD DVD and am going to watch it to reap the rewards of my efforts tonight!

wow such an informative thread

i browsed all the pages to get ready b/c i recently received a yr old 26" and wanted to try and avoid any problems with it

i primarily will use this tv for an xbox360 and occasional tv viewing and was wondering if anybody with a 26er would mind taking some time out and either posting their 1080i service settings (and maybe 408i/p if they want)

i'm currently using something similar to JayCT-34WX15's regular menu settings for the box but would like to get the optimal quality for my set


thanks in advance!

Wow, I'm glad this thread is still going.

My display started having problems with the brightness flickering a month or so ago. It was happening off and on at first and would go away, but now the flickering has become a lingering frequent issue and it's very noticeable.

Is anyone else having this problem? Is there a way to solve this problem?

Think of the way candle light flickers, that's what my black level is doing.
This problem occurs through all inputs, and I have deduced that's it's not an issue with my AV receiver.
http://static.flickr.com/63/184590704_c7098f82fe_o.gif






And yes, my display is calibrated and the black level was perfect before.
Thanks in advance, friends.

Wow, I'm glad this thread is still going.

My display started having problems with the brightness flickering a month or so ago. It was happening off and on at first and would go away, but now the flickering has become a lingering frequent issue and it's very noticeable.

Is anyone else having this problem? Is there a way to solve this problem?

Think of the way candle light flickers, that's what my black level is doing.
This problem occurs through all inputs, and I have deduced that's it's not an issue with my AV receiver.
http://static.flickr.com/63/184590704_c7098f82fe_o.gif


And yes, my display is calibrated and the black level was perfect before.
Thanks in advance, friends.

Strange you mention that because I noticed a slight flicker just a few weeks ago. The things is, it was while I was watching Basic Instinct on HD DVD (Studio Canal). I played it back to see if it was the video or the TV but it appeared to happen at the same spot on the video so I assumed it was just that.

Since then it happened once more so now I'm wondering.
Which Pana do you have?

I have since revised my brightness setting to 38. The 34 was a low-ball of the setting resulting from DVE. But 38 is exactly in accordance with the test.



Okay so here are the results of the 2 hours I spent with the digital video essentials (DVE) HD DVD.

Contrast (aka Picture) = 28
Brightness = 38 (REVISED)
Color = 21
Tint 30
Sharpness = 30**

** For whatever reason adjustments to the sharpness produced no change in the calibration index provided by DVE. In other words, the lines you'd see if it was set to high never appeared. As a result I went with the mid-point of 30 but I suspect it doesn't make much difference.

As far as the geometry tests, I am happy to report that the over scan was 5% top and bottom and approximately 5.1 - 5.2% side to side. I know that our set could probably go to as little as 2.5% but I can live with 5% so I am not going to venture into the SM to try to improve it.

Now on to more important business....I bought the Planet Earth HD DVD and am going to watch it to reap the rewards of my efforts tonight!

Strange you mention that because I noticed a slight flicker just a few weeks ago. The things is, it was while I was watching Basic Instinct on HD DVD (Studio Canal). I played it back to see if it was the video or the TV but it appeared to happen at the same spot on the video so I assumed it was just that.

Since then it happened once more so now I'm wondering.
Which Pana do you have?

Next time it happens while watching an HD DVD, Blu-Ray disc, or DVD... Pause the movie and you will see that the flickering continues. :(

My display is the CT-30WC15, which is the Sam's Club version of the CT-30WX15, just with one less S-Video input.

Next time it happens while watching an HD DVD, Blu-Ray disc, or DVD... Pause the movie and you will see that the flickering continues. :(

My display is the CT-30WC15, which is the Sam's Club version of the CT-30WX15, just with one less S-Video input.

It hasn't happened again in a while. I am praying it won't!

Any clue as to what the issue is or it's remedy?

It hasn't happened again in a while. I am praying it won't!

Any clue as to what the issue is or it's remedy?

I am praying for a response in this thread. :(

I am praying for a response in this thread. :(

Good luck. We Panasonic direct view HDTV fans seem like a dying breed... ;)

Good luck. We Panasonic direct view HDTV fans seem like a dying breed... ;)

We certainly are. :) Just wanted to say that my 26WX15 (almost 2 yrs old) has not had that problem. Other than wishing it were a 34" like Jay's, I've had a good experience with mine...so far. Hope you get a suggested "fix" for yours.

I actually WISH I could find one of these sets locally.

I remember having an older Panasonic Tau TV and using it for SD/EDTV and PS2 gaming.. it was the best TV EVER for that type of stuff. (Was a 27" model with 480i/p and 1080i support)

I ended up selling it when I got my XBR970, which I also don't have anymore, since I got a new DLP... but I was looking for a new tube TV for a friend of mine, but I couldn't find a Panny anywhere.. they ended up with a Samsung Slimfit, which looks OK, but I still think my old Panasonic looked waaaaay better.

I really wish I could find one of these units.. oh well.

Well apart from the smaller size, I can tell you that the picture on mine is just...breathtaking!

I'm just waiting for the day that Plasma PQ will equal that of an HD CRT...
Then maybe I will upsize! :)

Until then, I laugh when friends ask how my PQ looks better than their $3,000 Sony LCD... :)

Damn, i love that this thread is still going, even a couple years after i bought my 34wx15

I'm looking to get a new dvd player for the tv, currently have an RP62.

Anyone have any suggestions? i'm looking at various upconverting players (970hd, and the various Philips/Pioneer/Sony comparable models).

Thanks in advance

The Oppo 970 is good but the 981 is the better player as far as picture quality is concerned.
I'm a 971 owner. It really performs with the 34wx54.

Strange you mention that because I noticed a slight flicker just a few weeks ago.

Any updates on the flicker problem? Anybody?

Any updates on the flicker problem? Anybody?

No flicker that I can report since last month or was it 2 months ago - thank g-d.

I suppose you don't have a fix yet? Shame. Such a great set....

Change of subject---I have lost my sound- The speakers say that they are on and I can adjust the volume on the remote- but no sound comes out. Does anyone have any suggestions?

This thread is huge!

But anyway I have a problem that I hope somebody can help me with. The sensor on my TV, I'm pretty sure, is broken. The remote won't work, and none of the other remotes that I program for it will work, either. So, I can't change the aspect ratio - I'm stuck on Widescreen. Do you know of any way to change the aspect ratio without a remote?

I have the CT-30WC15 - from Sam's Club. Unfortunately I'm out of warranty.

Any help you can give is much appreciated. =)

Change of subject---I have lost my sound- The speakers say that they are on and I can adjust the volume on the remote- but no sound comes out. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Have you moved the television around recently? Are you using the tv's speakers or are you connected to a receiver? Have you recently added any new devices with connections in the back of the tv or changed any of your existing connections in back of the tv?

This thread is huge!

But anyway I have a problem that I hope somebody can help me with. The sensor on my TV, I'm pretty sure, is broken. The remote won't work, and none of the other remotes that I program for it will work, either. So, I can't change the aspect ratio - I'm stuck on Widescreen. Do you know of any way to change the aspect ratio without a remote?

I have the CT-30WC15 - from Sam's Club. Unfortunately I'm out of warranty.

Any help you can give is much appreciated. =)

Ouch! No, I don't know of any other method to change aspect ratio.
Let's hope it turns out to be just the sensor and not the board that controls the sensor.

Ouch! No, I don't know of any other method to change aspect ratio.
Let's hope it turns out to be just the sensor and not the board that controls the sensor.

Sucks. =( Oh well, thanks anyway. And really, I wouldn't know how to fix either, so it's pretty much just broke to me now.

Good news - I just got a new TV! Samsung LN-T4665F! Heh - broke one is going in the bedroom now.

Has anyone "upgraded" from this set to an LCD or plasma? Does the picture compare? I'm thinkin about that 50" 1080p panasonic plasma, except that it costs 6 times as much as this did :rolleyes:

My Hitachi p42h401 is set to arrive the 29th and will be taking the place of my 34wx54. That set is moving to another area. I will let you know how it stacks up to the Panasonic. I paid 150 dollars less for the Hitachi then the I paid orginally for the Panasonic with 8 more inches.:)

Jay, like yourself I have a ct-34wx15. Everyone will have different settings though - 'tis the nature of the beast. Mine are a bit similar but I've got my sharpness turned down to 0. Anyway, the set is still very very nice. As you may have seen in the threads, I took my overscan down quite a bit (of course the lower it went, the more you could see some geometry problems at the top (a slight spreading/hooking that is only visible if viewing 4:3 material).

The sensor on my TV, I'm pretty sure, is broken. The remote won't work, and none of the other remotes that I program for it will work, either.

Same thing happened on my CT-34WX54, and I found several other references to the same problem around the web. I was hoping someone here would have a magical solution. Ah well, time to shell out for a service call. :(

Jay, like yourself I have a ct-34wx15. Everyone will have different settings though - 'tis the nature of the beast. Mine are a bit similar but I've got my sharpness turned down to 0. Anyway, the set is still very very nice. As you may have seen in the threads, I took my overscan down quite a bit (of course the lower it went, the more you could see some geometry problems at the top (a slight spreading/hooking that is only visible if viewing 4:3 material).

I posted my settings just for the he** of it.
I know our settings will all be different but I was most surprised with the color and tint settings that the calibration disc resulted in. I probably would never have set them that way if it wasn't for running the tests. Now the picture looks that much more life-like.

As for the overscan, there are some cases where it's obvious like when I turn on my high def player and the "loading" indicator is partially cut off. Other than that, not much.

I've decided to live with it. I don't want to venture into the Service Menu only because I am worried that might make things worse. Thanks for you tip by the way. I am glad I didn't.

So far so good. It is working without any issues. I got one of the last ones to be manufactured by Pana (I think manufactured in Dec 05), have had it for about 1.5 years and I love it.

so is this a good tv to buy for xbox 360? theres a cheap one i could get and i want to

so is this a good tv to buy for xbox 360? theres a cheap one i could get and i want to

Yes - IF you can find one! :)

I just tooled around in the service menu and fixed my overscan issue and a couple minor geometry problems. The only issue I have left is a slight rotation issue. The bottom left side of the screen and the top right part of the screen are both close to the edge than the should be(the image appears to be rotated a few degrees to the left). Is there any option in the service menu to correct this?

I found the tilt correction in the normal menu, not the service menu. I had seen or read about the option before, but it was always greyed out for me. I guess I needed to be in 1080i for the option to show up.

Well apart from the smaller size, I can tell you that the picture on mine is just...breathtaking!

I'm just waiting for the day that Plasma PQ will equal that of an HD CRT...
Then maybe I will upsize! :)

Until then, I laugh when friends ask how my PQ looks better than their $3,000 Sony LCD... :)

I agree that A good HD CRT looks great but remember that the smaller screen size has alot to do with the differences. I was looking at a Sony 46v2500 and a Sony 40v2500 right next to each other with the same demo feed. I adjusted the video levels so both were the same and the 40" looked much sharper. I then had the Salesman hook up the feed to their 50" XBR and it wasn't as sharp as the 46". My son has a PSP and watches movies on it and the PQ on that small screen is incredibly sharp and PQ is great. You can see this with PIP. I did see a Panasonic 1080p dispay at CC that looked fantastic.
That set is my new prize.

ok... i just plugged in my new panasonic plasma 42px-75u

its absufreakingawesome... honestly it looks as good as the CRT, except its almost twice as big. SD looks great, and HD... oh lord

the only problem is i can see the aliasing on my xbox 360 now that the picture is actually in focus!

Somebody asked about "upgrading." I got my 34wx15 two years ago, and have had a great time with it. (Other than getting it into my apartment and then the one time I had to move! Yikes! :( ) Anyway...

My wife finally gave me permission to get something bigger, and after a lot of research and help from the guys over at the rear projection board, I settled on a 60" SXRD. My Panny now proudly sits in my game room with my ps2 and wii hooked up, even though the 360 is in the living room with the Sony.

Look, we have to be real...size does matter in the case of TVs...but I find the Panny to absolutely rock as my game room TV. The PQ is awesome, as you all know, and when the wife is wasting my 60" screen watching crap-quality SD episodes of "What not to Wear" stretched....:rolleyes:.....I have a place to go hide out and play games on an awesome HDTV.

I find it hard to compare the PQ...just because the new TV is so big and impressive. In fairness though I will say that I am impressed with how well the SXRD does blacks, of course not at the level of our Pannys. I was not very sensitive to SSE for whatever reason, although I notice it sometimes on bright white scenes especially. Rainbows chased me away from every DLP I looked at.

I might not have made the move if not for the whole issue with the ps3 and 1080i only sets...but I think that pushed me into looking (and begging the wife) a little sooner than I might have. I LOVE the 34" Panny a lot. But if you can find one of these somewhere and get a good price, I still don't think you can beat it for a Wii60 TV! :)

No flicker that I can report since last month or was it 2 months ago - thank g-d.

I suppose you don't have a fix yet? Shame. Such a great set....

Just an update, the flicker went away as others reported. Life is good. :)

Somebody asked about "upgrading." I got my 34wx15 two years ago, and have had a great time with it. (Other than getting it into my apartment and then the one time I had to move! Yikes! :( ) Anyway...

My wife finally gave me permission to get something bigger, and after a lot of research and help from the guys over at the rear projection board, I settled on a 60" SXRD. My Panny now proudly sits in my game room with my ps2 and wii hooked up, even though the 360 is in the living room with the Sony.

Look, we have to be real...size does matter in the case of TVs...but I find the Panny to absolutely rock as my game room TV. The PQ is awesome, as you all know, and when the wife is wasting my 60" screen watching crap-quality SD episodes of "What not to Wear" stretched....:rolleyes:.....I have a place to go hide out and play games on an awesome HDTV.

I find it hard to compare the PQ...just because the new TV is so big and impressive. In fairness though I will say that I am impressed with how well the SXRD does blacks, of course not at the level of our Pannys. I was not very sensitive to SSE for whatever reason, although I notice it sometimes on bright white scenes especially. Rainbows chased me away from every DLP I looked at.

I might not have made the move if not for the whole issue with the ps3 and 1080i only sets...but I think that pushed me into looking (and begging the wife) a little sooner than I might have. I LOVE the 34" Panny a lot. But if you can find one of these somewhere and get a good price, I still don't think you can beat it for a Wii60 TV! :)

Thats good to hear. I currently have the 26" panny and I'm very satisfied with it. My only issue(now that I finally got my geometry near perfect) is with the PS3s lack of 1080i support on some titles. I plan to upgrade eventually, and I was really leaning towards the SXRD's, glad to hear you're enjoying it compared to your panny.

How would you say the blacks compare? My parents have a Toshiba DLP set(~3 years old) thats 55". For the most part the picture is solid, but because of the suprisingly weak blacks I've always felt my set looked better. I cailbrated both as best I could with DVE upscaled via my ps3 in a dark room, but the blacks on their toshiba are dark grey at best. I've heard the SXRD's have pretty solid black reproduction, but would be interested to see what your opinion is on how close they come to the pannys.

Thats good to hear. I currently have the 26" panny and I'm very satisfied with it. My only issue(now that I finally got my geometry near perfect) is with the PS3s lack of 1080i support on some titles. I plan to upgrade eventually, and I was really leaning towards the SXRD's, glad to hear you're enjoying it compared to your panny.

How would you say the blacks compare? My parents have a Toshiba DLP set(~3 years old) thats 55". For the most part the picture is solid, but because of the suprisingly weak blacks I've always felt my set looked better. I cailbrated both as best I could with DVE upscaled via my ps3 in a dark room, but the blacks on their toshiba are dark grey at best. I've heard the SXRD's have pretty solid black reproduction, but would be interested to see what your opinion is on how close they come to the pannys.

Yeah, my plan ahead to the PS3 purchase was one of the biggest factors in upgrading to the new TV. I never even considered that Sony would fail to correct that problem when I bought the 1080i only Panny. Of course I also wanted something a lot bigger.

I think the blacks are very good. Not quite as good as a good CRT like the Panny, but very good. Overall I think the PQ is excellent on this TV. Really good colors, better than I was expecting I have to admit. Of course, Sony is known for good geometry, and that is one of the most commented on strengths of the SXRDs. Because of this, combined with the large size and no fear of burn-in...it is nice to watch undistroted 4:3 stuff now. Once calibrated I have been pleasantly surprised at every turn. I am really surprised that people are buying things like 42" LCDs at about the same price as these LCoS sets.

But this is a 34wx15 thread...and I am here to say that if you can snag a good deal on one of these, its perfect for a bedroom or gameroom, whatever. Especially wii60, but not PS3 because of the 1080i issue.

Just now decided to calibrate my CT-26WX15 and all was going well until I started tweaking pincushion in SM. I wanted to compare minimum and maximum values, so I maxed a few of the PC settings to 0F and now I can't change them anymore. How can I unlock these variables?

Have you moved the television around recently? Are you using the tv's speakers or are you connected to a receiver? Have you recently added any new devices with connections in the back of the tv or changed any of your existing connections in back of the tv?

Change of subject---I have lost my sound- The speakers say that they are on and I can adjust the volume on the remote- but no sound comes out. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Just had this problem today. I have pretty much had my speakers off since I bought the TV. Now I get no sound from the Audio Out on the TV or from the speakers if I turn them on in the Menu. I tried unplugging the TV for a bit to see if it would reset something somewhere, but that didn't do a thing.

I'd like to conect my PC to CT-32HL43G 32" HDTV via DVI. Does anyone know which resolution/frequency I should use? Thanks

I've got all the default service menu settings for the CT-34WX54. I don't have a place I can host it though so if anyone wants it let me know.

Question?

I have a CT-30WC15 and i am trying to switch mode to cable and mode, auto Program, manual program are grayed out how do i switch this so i can use my cable tv, also if anybody knows how my tv is set to auto zoom when connected to antenna how would that be fixed?

This thread is huge!

But anyway I have a problem that I hope somebody can help me with. The sensor on my TV, I'm pretty sure, is broken. The remote won't work, and none of the other remotes that I program for it will work, either. So, I can't change the aspect ratio - I'm stuck on Widescreen. Do you know of any way to change the aspect ratio without a remote?

I have the CT-30WC15 - from Sam's Club. Unfortunately I'm out of warranty.

Any help you can give is much appreciated. =)

My remote stopped working too. I purchased a cheap programable one from Best Buy but it didn't work either. I really don't want to buy another OEM remote only to find it's the sensor, which I suspect it is.

Just had this problem today. I have pretty much had my speakers off since I bought the TV. Now I get no sound from the Audio Out on the TV or from the speakers if I turn them on in the Menu. I tried unplugging the TV for a bit to see if it would reset something somewhere, but that didn't do a thing.

I got the WX30 about two years ago and have not had any problems. About two weeks ago the sound stopped working. I have an extended warranty from Circuit City on the set and had a repair person come to the house to check out the problem. The diagnosis was a bad sound board, and the part would need to be ordered. A few days later the repair shop called and said that Panasonic did not have the part, they will need to take the TV to their shop and try to locate a part from somewhere.

Can I cry now?

A few days later the repair shop called and said that Panasonic did not have the part, they will need to take the TV to their shop and try to locate a part from somewhere.

Translation:
"We're going to fiddle with the board for a while and if by the off chance we can get the sound to work then we'll give you a call saying that we found a board but it isn't going to be cheap."

Really, if they are going to source the part from somewhere, why on earth can't you keep the tv at home to use in the meantime with some other audio source such as a receiver?

Have you brought any pressure to bear on your Panasonic representative?
Panasonic is supposed to support their products with parts.

Do you have a part # for that sound board? If you could post the part #, I'll ask Panasonic Canada if they have any lying around.

Translation:
"We're going to fiddle with the board for a while and if by the off chance we can get the sound to work then we'll give you a call saying that we found a board but it isn't going to be cheap."

Really, if they are going to source the part from somewhere, why on earth can't you keep the tv at home to use in the meantime with some other audio source such as a receiver?

Have you brought any pressure to bear on your Panasonic representative?
Panasonic is supposed to support their products with parts.

Do you have a part # for that sound board? If you could post the part #, I'll ask Panasonic Canada if they have any lying around.

The TV is still at my house. The repair guy will pick it up on the 30th. In the meantime, I have been using it via a VCR and receiver for the sound. Once the repair shop has the set I will begin to apply the heat to both Panasonic and Circuit City.

My CT-26WX15 just died on me. It will no longer turn on. I just used it last night and saw no signs of that it would die. I unplugged to TV and took out all my AV cables. I plan to try it tomorrow. Does anyone have any suggestions of what else I could try?

Is your television properly protected by a quality surge suppressor?
Instant failure always makes me think 'power surge' first, Is there any odour of burnt electronics?

Be sure to check the electrical outlet where you are plugged in. There is always the possibiltiy of a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker at your electrical panel.

Let's hope that it's something simple. A Panasonic crt is nearly impossible to replace.

I have a 26wx15 that has the white ghost outline problem reported by others in this thread. I only notice it on dark text and it only seems to happen at 1080i for some reason.

I am 99% sure this is a focus issue as i have adjusted it before on my 21" Trinitron monitor and noticed the same type of white outline when it got out of focus. Has anyone tried taking off the casing from their sets to access the focus pots? I will probably try later this week but any info i can get beforehand would be helpful.

I hope the casing isn't too hard to get off, i see the screws but with my monitor there are also some tabs that had to be released with a knife. Without the service manual it may be hard to tell where they are and i don't want to damage the TV trying to find them.

Also does anyone know how to adjust the convergence? particularly on the edges of the screen? I assume it would probably involve adjusting a yoke or something but i don't think i wanna try that unless someone can tell me exactly how to do it.

Any help would be appreciated!

A high sharpness setting can also cause that, I believe. Turn down your sharpness and see how it responds.

Yes i know, i have the sharpness turned all the way down, helps a teeny bit but not much.

Anyway i took the casing off and had a look inside but i could not locate any focus pots at all. I thought every TV had them but this one apparently doesn't unless i somehow missed them.

Oh well not too much of a biggie now since my dad has decided to sell me his Sony KV-30hs420 which has a picture that absolutely blows away the panasonic.

When I get the red CHK on the screen on my television, and then hit power on the remote, all it shows is some letters/numbers in the bottom right corner area, like S 4 00. Pressing power more just cycles through more combinations.

Any idea how to get the service menu to display.

Hey guys I am not about to read 20+ posts to see if my question has been answered because I have heard conflicting answers. I have the 34" version and the quality with DVD and games is great. however when I switch over to my HD cable box plugged into the 1st components the non-hd prodcast in grainy and pixilated. when I do Pic in pic the quality is great. Is this normal? I love my tv when playing Xbox 360 but I also want to watch tv without seeing blurs around moving objects and and looking at what is best compared a low res you tube video.

also when I am in different video modes I am unable to acces most of my menu options, any suggestions? I want to watch tv in 1080i because my cable box is sending in that format

I put Blu-Ray on my 30WX15. It looked poor. With less than half the resolution of my Sony KD-34XS955, it is not a true HDTV.

I got the WX30 about two years ago and have not had any problems. About two weeks ago the sound stopped working. I have an extended warranty from Circuit City on the set and had a repair person come to the house to check out the problem. The diagnosis was a bad sound board, and the part would need to be ordered. A few days later the repair shop called and said that Panasonic did not have the part, they will need to take the TV to their shop and try to locate a part from somewhere.

The repair shop could not obtain the part, so the set was not repaired. In turn, Circuit City gave me a credit of the purchase price of the Panasonic. I have purchased a Sony 32S3000 by paying the difference. Circuit City was very helpful with the transaction; I have no complaints.

I've got all the default service menu settings for the CT-34WX54. I don't have a place I can host it though so if anyone wants it let me know.

Could you please post the default service menu settings for CT-34WX54?

Mine is about three years old and I can't get the remote to work. I thought it was the remote but now think it may be something more serious. Of course, I can't get the cable remote to mute, volume [+/-] either [strange]. Rather than fiddle with it I think it's time to shop for a new TV anyway and I'm thinking about something other than Panasonic. The Sharp Aquos 15" LCD that's about 5 years old is still working great, even with the kid's abusing the heck out of it in their room!

I have noticed when I watch a football game the interlace is very noticeable from the lines on the field. Is there a way to adjust this? Also I have noticed flickering around straight line which I think is from the same issue.

Just wanted to report that I'm on my third year of ownership and I absolutely love my TV. My only regret is that when I bought it I didn't have more money to get a bigger version. I've got the 26wx15. I desperately want a 34wx15. I'm looking for one on the internet but people are pretty stubborn about their inflated prices. Do you guys think it would be "safe" to buy previous years versions such as 34wx54 (2004), 34wx53 (2003), 34wx52 (2002), or 34wx50 (2000)? I would obviously like the wx15 as it's a 2005 and seemingly less prone than an older TV to need repair, but they aren't always available, and some of these people want $500-700 for one, which I can't justify.

Too bad you don't live close by, I'm looking to get rid of mine cheap and move up to a new Panasonic plasma, would have let it go for around $700. I don't even wanna think about how much it must cost to ship this thing, it weighs over 150lbs if I remember correctly. As for it being "safe" I'd definitely wanna see the set first. It might have been used by someone who left it in torch mode the whole time or screwed in the Service Menu. I'd also check to see if the set's geometry is half decent. If you can try to get the 2004 model, they were reportedly even better than the wx15

edit: just saw you don't want to even pay 500, good luck these TVs might be old but they aren't bargain bin yet :P They still offer better PQ than most LCDs, don't expect people to budge under 500, I sure as heck wouldn't

I don't blame anyone for not wanting to sell low, but if people are trying to get rid of them to buy an LCD, I'm not going to make it any easier on them. I'm bidding on one in CA right now. I'd have to drive from Phoenix to CA and back a few days before I drive from Phoenix to Connecticut in a moving truck. Could be one hell of a week!

Just wanted to report that I'm on my third year of ownership and I absolutely love my TV. My only regret is that when I bought it I didn't have more money to get a bigger version. I've got the 26wx15. I desperately want a 34wx15. I'm looking for one on the internet but people are pretty stubborn about their inflated prices. Do you guys think it would be "safe" to buy previous years versions such as 34wx54 (2004), 34wx53 (2003), 34wx52 (2002), or 34wx50 (2000)? I would obviously like the wx15 as it's a 2005 and seemingly less prone than an older TV to need repair, but they aren't always available, and some of these people want $500-700 for one, which I can't justify.

Don't bother. Get a Sony Super Fine Pitch. My CT30WX15 is not in the same league.

I'm on the verge of getting a CT-34wx54 (the 2004 line) for $200-3 with stand included. I couldn't accomplish this with a Sony XBR

I don't blame anyone for not wanting to sell low, but if people are trying to get rid of them to buy an LCD, I'm not going to make it any easier on them. I'm bidding on one in CA right now. I'd have to drive from Phoenix to CA and back a few days before I drive from Phoenix to Connecticut in a moving truck. Could be one hell of a week!

Wow, I don't envy your position. :eek:

It's even worse than you think. I'm in Jerusalem, Israel right now, as I have been for six months. My girlfriend is doing research for Yale. In two days, we're flying from Tel Aviv>Ukraine>New York City. Then we're traveling a few hours to our new home in New Haven, CT. Two days after this, I'm getting on a plane to fly to Phoenix, AZ where all of my stuff is. Five days later I'm driving from Phoenix to New Haven. I'm hatin' it.

Hey all, I have a panasonic ct-26wx15n that I've owned for 2 years. Today, when I went to turn the TV on via the front panel button, the TV turned on for a brief one second (red power light came on), and then turned back off spontaneously.:confused:

The TV now won't turn on at all and won't respond to any of the buttons on the panel or remote control. There's no power source problem (outlets, plugged in, etc.) and I didn't hear anything abnormal that might indicate that something may have "gone out" in the TV.

I can't seem to find anything on the internet or in the manual that might help. I just want to make sure it's not a simple problem before I take it in to be serviced...can anybody help?

THANKS!!

I've just experienced the exact same problem! Turned on for just a second and then powered off and now is dead. I'm guessing there is a problem with the power supply or something. Anybody got any ideas? This is one heavy TV to lug to the repair shop alone! Mine is also about 3 years old.:(

I also have the Panasonic CT-26WX15N and am experiencing the same problem. I turned off the TV to take the kids for a walk and when we came back it won't turn on. Nothing happens, even with the remote. I tried a different plug and outlet still nothing. I have had it for 2 1/2 years.

Guys, search this thread history for your problem. I'm pretty sure I remember reading about it here...although I can't remember the cause or solution.

I just called Panasonic about my CT-26WX15N quitting for no apparent reason, just after it is out of warrenty. I asked if this is a common problem with these TV's and the woman told me YES, after a power outage. I told her I haven't had a power outage and my TV was plugged into a surge protector. She told me it is better to have the TV plugged directly into the wall and gave me the number to a Panasonic repairman in my area. At least she told me the truth about the product problem.

I've had my Panasonic CT-26WX15 for 2 1/2 years also. Haven't had the same problem you guys have had YET... but the last few posts have got me worried.

So japerdd, any other useful tidbits besides bypassing the surge protector and plugging directly into the wall?

Sorry snoogans, I don't have any other helpful advice except buy the extended warrenty if you still can. I haven't called the repair place yet to find out how much it will cost to have the TV looked at, much less how much it will cost to repair it. I'll let you know when I find out something more. Good Luck!!!

japerdd, if you could post how much it cost to get it looked at and repaired that'd be great. Just so I know what to expect if it does happen (hopefully not). Thanks.

Hey, did everyone else who's had their TV die have it plugged into a surge protector too?

A few months ago, I had this problem like many of you do now. The TV wouldn't power up. And of course, this happened right when the warranty was up. The unit was just over 2 years old. :mad: I had it plugged into a surge protector (like we are told to do with all electronics). Now I have it plugged into a power conditioner. :)

Upon Googling like mad, the problem lies in a blown fuse. Unfortunately, the exact fuse was difficult for me to locate, but I managed to find one of close enough spec (I ended up using a 6.3V 250V, 20mm size, slow blow fuse).

Unplug all the cables from the unit and disconnect the power. Turn the unit around and unscrew the entire back cover from the unit (I think there might be 8-9 screws). Take the end of the power cord and follow it to where it connects to the inside. If you look carefully, closeby to where the power cord enters the unit, you'll see a tiny glass tube with silver-coloured endcaps -- that's the fuse. If it looks black in the middle and the wire inside is broken, then it's blown.

Carefully pull out the fuse (you can use your fingers if they are small/nimble enough) or otherwise use a needle-nose pliers (cover the metal with cloth or elastic and do not squeeze too hard or else you might break the glass). Then take your new fuse and put it back in the same way. Close the unit back up, plug it in, and cross your fingers. :)

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

On another note, has anyone experienced the problem with this unit where the picture works but there is no sound?

I can't seem to get sound from the speakers any more and I did a quick test with audio out and nadda there. (And no, it's not the mute button. Speakers were set to on. Already went through the menu and verified settings.)

Right now I've re-jigged my setup to have the sound from my components go through my amp, but this doesn't make me very happy because it means I need to use the amp for everything.

I suspect that some kind of "sound card" is broken in the unit but my electronics-fu is fairly weak (I'm decent with computers though, lol) and Panasonic Canada told me that they wouldn't give a Service Manual to anyone but an authorized technician. :mad:

Suggestions would be much appreciated! I love this TV but since all of these problems have occurred, I am very disappointed with Panasonic. :(

Hi guys,

I ended up taking my 85 pound CT-26WX15 Panny to the TV shop this week! Indeed, the 6.3 amp fuse was blown, along with something the tech labeled "Thermista"? He also repaired the degaussing circuit! The "on-off" noise is now much quieter. The total repair bill was only $74.00.

After I got the TV home, I got up the nerve to go into the service menu (using the tips in this thread) and fix the horizontal overscan problem. I used ESPN News HD (which fills the screen with info) for a "test pattern!" It worked beautifully! Now the 1080i picture quality of this TV blows you away!

Any Panasonic CT-30WX15 owner have a xorg (linux) modeline which corrects overscan for you and is close to a 720x480 resolution? Also 640x480 if you have it. I don't have the option of hooking up a windows machine for using powerstrip on this TV.

These are mythtv (frontend) settings that I have to use to get its GUI centered up:
GuiWidth 630
GuiHeight 444
GuiOffsetX 44
GuiOffsetY 22

Just wanted follow-up and say that I had success in creating a modeline for my PANASONIC CT-30WX15: http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=118701

As someone said earlier, I'm glad to see this thread still up and running. I've had my 34" in this Panasonic series for a few years now and remain happy with it (except the weight!). It is now my secondary set (I now have a Panasonic plasma) for games and movies downstairs.

I'm new to the DVE disc and am now calibrating the TV with the BD version. I've appreciated comparing the settings that others shared in the early pages of this thread from 2005-2006. My own settings were quite different from others here, so I assume that is a result of my inexperience in such matters.

It's now 2008. Does anyone have any updates or final video settings that they eventually settled on after trying a calibration tool a few times over the past 2 or 3 years?

I have the CT-34WX54 and seems like the IR sensor going out is a common problem at least from the research I have done. I don't mind getting up to adjust the volume but the aspect is set to "zoom" mode and it is driving me crazy!

Is there a way to access the menu by some special combination on the front panel? Not the "action" button menu but the menu that would be displayed by using the "Menu" button on the remote?

I've tried unplugging it, left it unplugged while away for 3 days actually, hoping it would give me a different setup menu but no progress. Thanks.

I have a Panasonic CT-36HL42 that bit the dust about 1.5 years ago and is currently gathering dust in the basement of my home.

The TV just won't power on... zip nada.

Anyone know what the most likely problem is? A failed power supply perhaps?

How difficult is it for the DIY'er to fix?

thanks for this thread everyone!!!

My Panny has now blown it's 3rd fuse and of course this time it's out of the three year warranty of Circuit City. But atleast raven_hsw has told us how to DYI!!!

The wife wants a new tv (awesome) so i guess i'll have to save this one for my gaming room when i get one!

thanks again raven_hsw!!!!

I finally got my CT-26WX15N working again after about six months; raven_hsw was right on with her diagnosis. I bought fuses from Lowes that weren't the slow blow and they lasted a day. I went to Radio Shack and bought the 6.3A 250V, 20mm size, slow blow fuses (6 in a pack) for less than $4.00 (including tax - half the price of fuses at Lowes) and it has worked ever since. I had no problem changing the fuse - take the screws out of the back, slide off the cover and follow the cord to the fuse. I just popped it out with my fingers and popped the new one in. Glad I didn't take it to the repair shop. Just follow raven_hsw's advice.

AAARRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! My CT-26WX15N just bit the dust. It won't turn on. Followed the advice japerdd got from Panasonic about avoiding the surge protector and plugging directly into the wall. Will try and resuscitate via 6.3A 250V, 20mm size, slow blow fuses from Radio Shack.

I am happy to report... VICTORY!!!

Congratulations, hope it lasts, sometimes fuses do get "tired".

Thanks jdre. If it doesn't last, I have 3 more fuses.

Special thanks to japerdd and especially raven_hsw.

Anyone know if replacing the 125V fuse with a 250V fuse is bad? I think I found the actual 6.3A 125V,FUSE fuse online encompassparts.com, and was wondering if I should eventually swap it out for the correct voltage.

Replacing the fuse was really easy. I unplugged the white connector from the power cord next to the fuse, slid the fuse towards that free space and carefully pulled it out. Then I pushed the fuse in directly and replugged the connector. I did have a little trouble reattaching the back of the TV. It doesn't perfectly allign along the bottom and there is a slight gap. Don't know if anyone else experienced this.

The biggest pain however, was finding the fuse. I went on a wild goose chase that wasted my whole day. All of the Radio Shacks I went to or called didn't have the 6.3A fuse. Do yourself a favor and go to Radio Shack website and check in-store availability and call.

Replacing a fuse with one rated at a higher voltage is just fine.

The fuse blows at a certain current (6.3A). The voltage rating must be at least as high as the expected voltage drop accross the fuse - a higher rating is not a problem.

Hey guys,

New to the forum, obviously, and wanted to see if anyone was interested in buying a new Panasonic CT-26WX15.

It's the real deal. The box has never been opened. The TV has never been turned on. It is 100% brand spanking new.

Yes, this baby comes from the Circuit City clearance sale a few yeas ago. I kept the TV boxed on my apartment dining room floor and never got it out of the box.

I still have the original receipts for both the TV and warranty. I've been told by a Radio Shack employee that the warranty should be able to be renewed directly through the company Circuit City used for its warranties. (The warranty just expired the early part of this month.)

I'm asking $500, but can be offered a good price, as well. I'm sure these Panasonic CRT HDTV's will be hard to come by at this point.

I'm moving cross country from Denver back to the east coast, and there's no way I'm taking this heavy sucker with me.

I also have a Bell'O AVS-422T TV stand, which can accommodate the Panasonic. I can't provide a link yet, but the Bell'O AVS-422T can be seen at Amazon.com.

The top shelf weight can handle 250 lbs. and a testimonial mentions a guy using it for a heavy 35" CRT, so you should be fine.

The Bell'O is also brand new in original packaging that has never been opened. I'd be willing to part with it for $150, a savings of $30 off the Amazon.com price.

Both items are very heavy, and I wouldn't want to ship them, so it would have to be a local pick-up transaction.

Speaking of transactions, I can accept cash or PayPal to secure the items. I'd rather not use Ebay to avoid all of the fees. I am PayPal verified and have never had a bad transaction.

If anyone is interested in the Panasonic or Panasonic/Bell'O combo, please contact me and we'll hash it out.

Thanks for your time, and sorry in advance if you consider this spam. I just figured I'd try a site full of Panasonic CRT HDTV enthusiasts.
Dave

I have had Panasonic CT-34WX50 since they first came available (late 2001) and it has been a wonderful set. I have now had this experience with it twice in the past two weeks and am concerned that it may be a sign of a serious problem in the future. The set was on for an hour or so and all of a sudden the picture begins to flicker, compress with horizontal moving lines and then goes black. The indicator light changes from it's normal green for on to a slow red flash. I cannot do anything with the remote and have to press the on/off switch on the set twice, I believe to turn it off and then back on. It then runs fine for hours/days.

Any ideas? Sorry if this has been addressed in this thread before, but I don't have the patience to read it all.

I have found a timing chart for the flashing LED for a Panasonic plasma set. Are those standardized or are they different for each type of set?

Total noob, but I just had to say THANKS! to all you folks who posted so much helpful info! I finally got up the guts to go into the service menu after 4 or 5 'stare-and-tremble-and-quit-before-I-even-started' attempts. I adjusted and seem to have fixed what seems to be a somewhat common complaint- dark scenes are way too dark. I adjusted the brightness! (yeah, yeah, I know... big whoop...) anyhow, I seem to have gotten lucky and my new-used 34" came off the line (and out of someone's 3 year ownership) in pretty good working order, because I don't think I'll ever have the balls to adjust anything else. Anyhow, thanks again all!

-Dan