I have an 50XR5 and very happy with it. I think this is the best choice I ever made. However, once in a while I notice color banding where the color has slight shades, i.e. mist crawling over blue sky, in anime movies where there is a gradient coloring, sometimes in skin colors. Is this a TV or HDMI thing? I put my money on the limited colors that can be rendered in a pre 1.3 environment.

What say you? I wanted to find out if anyone else has noticed this.

I appreciate your input to this question.

I see some of the same false contouring under the most of the same circumstances...never in skin tones though ....mostly with backgrounds, underwater is a biggy...

I see it less with good source material...good HD material ...rarely....

I have not had my set calibrated...I feel that if I did it would reduce it even more, but not sure I am willing to spend the bucks...

I use the CPCAT+LISAM settings (pretty close ) found here...about a page down

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7360508#post7360508

How would you compare current NEC consumer models with new Pioneer Kuros?

fooit,
I personally have the 50XR5 and have seen both the 50XR6 and the new Pioneer 50". Without a doubt the new Pioneer is better. I still enjoy my 50XR5, but I could definitely tell a difference in the picture.

Thanks,
Bob Doseck
Plasma Concepts

I saw the 42" Pio 4280 right next to a Fuji, the Black was much more defined. more black focued in the PIO.- Though it was in a BB show room-& you know waht that means}--- I have WAF permission to go to a 60" when it get to be<$3k- another xr5 owner say the same thing....
But the PQ after very good calibration in the xr5 is still stuning after 20 months of use.....
db

I saw the 42" Pio 4280 right next to a Fuji, the Black was much more defined. I have WAF permission to go to a 60" when it get to be<$3k- another xr5 owner say the same thing....
db

More defined in which one ????

bob

I feel the Pioneer may have better blacks but overall the 50XR6A has a better overall SD picture Quality.

Chris-thanks for bring me back to my sense's..............
db

I feel the Pioneer may have better blacks but overall the 50XR6A has a better overall SD picture Quality.

Lets put them side by side :)

^^^^Why make a comment like that, make it happen.......let us know what you find. I have seen them both, have you??

Do you have a personal plasma TV?? I never here you talk about one.

Do you have a personal plasma TV?? I never here you talk about one.

Do you have a personal plasma TV?? I never here you talk about one.

Nope I do not watch TV too busy on here ;)

I see some of the same false contouring under the most of the same circumstances...never in skin tones though ....mostly with backgrounds, underwater is a biggy...

I see it less with good source material...good HD material ...rarely....

I have not had my set calibrated...I feel that if I did it would reduce it even more, but not sure I am willing to spend the bucks...

I use the CPCAT+LISAM settings (pretty close ) found here...about a page down

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7360508#post7360508


After reading the HDMI specs and looking at comaprative pictures betwee deep color and standard color, I conclude that my set is fine, it just the material as you said.

Thanks for the input and the link. I will make use of the data on there.

here's one for NEC customer service:
My 50XR5A broke a couple of months ago, NEC was sending an exact replacement for me - it was damaged during shipping (no fault of mine or NEC's). NEC felt badly that I've been without my set for so long, so they just shipped me a 50XR6A as a replacement. Very nice. There's something to be said about a company that treats its customer's right!

-J

here's one for NEC customer service:
My 50XR5A broke a couple of months ago, NEC was sending an exact replacement for me - it was damaged during shipping (no fault of mine or NEC's). NEC felt badly that I've been without my set for so long, so they just shipped me a 50XR6A as a replacement. Very nice. There's something to be said about a company that treats its customer's right!

-J

How much difference do you see between the 50XR5 and the 50XR6?

I currentley have the 50XR6 , has anyone seen the 50XR6 against the 5080 Pioneer? Just how much better is the 5080?

We arnt getting the Pioneer 508 ( 5080) here in Aus for a few months yet, so doing a comparrison is out of the question.

Compared to all other plasmas i have viewed the 50XR6 has been the most impressive to date.

How much difference do you see between the 50XR5 and the 50XR6?

I currentley have the 50XR6 , has anyone seen the 50XR6 against the 5080 Pioneer? Just how much better is the 5080?

We arnt getting the Pioneer 508 ( 5080) here in Aus for a few months yet, so doing a comparrison is out of the question.

Compared to all other plasmas i have viewed the 50XR6 has been the most impressive to date.

I'll let you know when i get the 50XR6... still on the truck somewhere heading to my house... Glad you think it looks good - I'm just looking forward to a plasma with no image retention problems... Have you seen any IR at all?

the 50XR5 has an awesome picture, but definitely suffered from IR. I'm hoping i can play video games on the XR6 without any problems...

I'll let you know when i get the 50XR6... still on the truck somewhere heading to my house... Glad you think it looks good - I'm just looking forward to a plasma with no image retention problems... Have you seen any IR at all?

the 50XR5 has an awesome picture, but definitely suffered from IR. I'm hoping i can play video games on the XR6 without any problems...


No IR problems. :)

Just a query......NEC doesnt seem to be a very popular brand in the US....just wondering why they arnt as popular as some of the other leading brands??
Over her in AUS, NEC is one of the more popular brands , along with Fujitsu/Pioneer/Panasonic..

No IR problems. :)

Just a query......NEC doesnt seem to be a very popular brand in the US....just wondering why they arnt as popular as some of the other leading brands??
Over her in AUS, NEC is one of the more popular brands , along with Fujitsu/Pioneer/Panasonic..

It's interesting. NEC doesn't do any marketing of their products here, and I'm not sure why. I think they have a big facility just outside of boston, so you would think they would be more prevalent. All the local stores seem to carry is Pioneer, Panasonic, Samsung, LG and lots of cheaper brands. You have to head to a custom installer to find some of the top end models from NEC and Fujitsu...

OMG... I'm so psyched. the 50XR6 arrived and it's up and running. The picture quality looks amazing - i personally can't tell the difference between the XR5 and XR6, but then again, I am not running them side by side.

The one thing I do notice is - or rather don't notice - is IR. The xr5 bothered me to no end. The xr6 does not.

Cool!

It's interesting. NEC doesn't do any marketing of their products here, and I'm not sure why. I think they have a big facility just outside of boston, so you would think they would be more prevalent. All the local stores seem to carry is Pioneer, Panasonic, Samsung, LG and lots of cheaper brands. You have to head to a custom installer to find some of the top end models from NEC and Fujitsu...

I've had my NEC 4 years now. It still looks amazing.

NEC is the best kept secret in Plasma!

OMG... I'm so psyched. the 50XR6 arrived and it's up and running. The picture quality looks amazing - i personally can't tell the difference between the XR5 and XR6, but then again, I am not running them side by side.

The one thing I do notice is - or rather don't notice - is IR. The xr5 bothered me to no end. The xr6 does not.

Cool!


How bad was the IR? My Mits/NEC is so bad that only 10 seconds or so will give IR that so far does "wash away".

Still freaks me out after the wife watches her soaps/SD TV with black bars for an evening!


bob

How bad was the IR? My Mits/NEC is so bad that only 10 seconds or so will give IR that so far does "wash away".

Still freaks me out after the wife watches her soaps/SD TV with black bars for an evening!


bob

It was horrible... 5 - 10 seconds on any static image would take 30 seconds to 1 minute to clear. It gradually got better as the set aged (I broke it in with the break-in dvd for over 1000 hours), but it was still annoying even after 3000 hours.

Watching any sports game where there was a static scoreboard was the worst... i could read the team names when I switched channels - for awhile.

It was horrible... 5 - 10 seconds on any static image would take 30 seconds to 1 minute to clear. It gradually got better as the set aged (I broke it in with the break-in dvd for over 1000 hours), but it was still annoying even after 3000 hours.

Watching any sports game where there was a static scoreboard was the worst... i could read the team names when I switched channels - for awhile.



Was this typical of the 5 series? Didn't Pioneer use the NEC panel? I'd love to check the new NEC's out!


bob

It was typical of the 5 series NEC. I just had my 50XM5 calibrated yesterday by one of the calibrators well respected on AVS, and he was suprised by the amount of IR the panel had. I've been really disappointed by my XM5 for the past year and a half. So much so that I bought the pioneer 6070HD for the living room and moved the NEC to the bedroom where it will have much less use. The calibrator said the contrast ratio on the NEC was much lower than the Pioneer, and couldn't do much to improve it. The picture quality is a bit better after calibration, but the black levels and IR couldn't be improved. I'm not disappointed with the calibration, I had to try something, but I am disappointed with NEC. I'll never buy one again. For the price of that panel, it should have been much better.

It was typical of the 5 series NEC. I just had my 50XM5 calibrated yesterday by one of the calibrators well respected on AVS, and he was suprised by the amount of IR the panel had. I've been really disappointed by my XM5 for the past year and a half. So much so that I bought the pioneer 6070HD for the living room and moved the NEC to the bedroom where it will have much less use. The calibrator said the contrast ratio on the NEC was much lower than the Pioneer, and couldn't do much to improve it. The picture quality is a bit better after calibration, but the black levels and IR couldn't be improved. I'm not disappointed with the calibration, I had to try something, but I am disappointed with NEC. I'll never buy one again. For the price of that panel, it should have been much better.

I forgot about the CR. No matter what I do (gamma,Contrast, Brightness). it only gets dark gray at best, worse at night. The CR on mine (Mits. PDP-5065) at least advertised it at 1000:1 and I believe it!

I love the color and processing and would give NEC another shot but only if I could see one in action first!


bob

It was typical of the 5 series NEC. I just had my 50XM5 calibrated yesterday by one of the calibrators well respected on AVS, and he was suprised by the amount of IR the panel had. I've been really disappointed by my XM5 for the past year and a half. So much so that I bought the pioneer 6070HD for the living room and moved the NEC to the bedroom where it will have much less use. The calibrator said the contrast ratio on the NEC was much lower than the Pioneer, and couldn't do much to improve it. The picture quality is a bit better after calibration, but the black levels and IR couldn't be improved. I'm not disappointed with the calibration, I had to try something, but I am disappointed with NEC. I'll never buy one again. For the price of that panel, it should have been much better.


Would you mind sharing your post-ISF settings? I know it's irrelevant but was curious where your cont/brite/gamma/color balance ended up.


Did you end up on "low" color to get to D65? (6500K)


thx

bob

Yeah, it's on low color temp setting and varies very little from 6500k.

I'll post them later, when I get time to look at them without small children running around :D

Was this typical of the 5 series? Didn't Pioneer use the NEC panel? I'd love to check the new NEC's out!


bob
I did allot of home work on here before I bought an NEC and found many had an issue with IR with the 5 series NEC's but it seems to me that some may have just gotten some bad sets because most did not describe the problem as badly as some. Anyhow, I waited for the 50XR6A and boy was I rewarded...not a hint of IR and the picture is fantastic. Good luck :D

Yeah, it's on low color temp setting and varies very little from 6500k.

I'll post them later, when I get time to look at them without small children running around :D

Appreciate that. Also curious whether he had to get in the SM or just used the user settings (Gray scale)


thx

bob

Marky, I am also interested to see the claibrations. So far, am am very happy with my 50XM5.

The newer models with the single pane of glass do not experience IR.

Reading elsewhere that the 42XM4/XR4 are the newer single pane design, should I expect to see no IR on this panel whatsoever?

Reading elsewhere that the 42XM4/XR4 are the newer single pane design, should I expect to see no IR on this panel whatsoever?

No, it depends how long you have Internet Explorer on :) and what Contrast/Brightness settings.

Quite often I can see "File Edit View"... after I have been using IE for some time :(

It goes away if I leave the white screen on overnight. :)

I've watched my XR5 for about 18 months now and skin tones, particularly in sports programming, are starting to go green. IS this normal wear? I think I read earlier that the non-green phosphors age more quickly (or it is more slowly?) thus making the greens "pop". I think I'll tone down the green setting a bit and see what happens.

eric
tucson, az

how do I get to the "Screen Wiper"? Is it in-built or a separate DVD?

left the tv on in the basement for 2 days, and have some IR to get rid of.

Thanks in advance!!

how do I get to the "Screen Wiper"? Is it in-built or a separate DVD?
Menu>Function>PDPSaver>Manual>ScreenWiper

there ya go!

I've watched my XR5 for about 18 months now and skin tones, particularly in sports programming, are starting to go green. IS this normal wear? I think I read earlier that the non-green phosphors age more quickly (or it is more slowly?) thus making the greens "pop". I think I'll tone down the green setting a bit and see what happens.

The blue phosphors age the quickest. When things start to look odd, it's time to recalibrate the set. Luckily NEC gives you access to all the settings you will need to recalibrate the colors. Just use the test patterns and instructions on a calibration DVD, or hire a professional calibrator.

With apologies to forum regulars, on a search I noticed a mention of my plasma display panel on this thread. I have an 18 month old Mitsubishi PD-5050 display using the (I think NEC) NP50X6MF01 plasma panel. It has developed a few (3) series of 6 horizontal lines accross the entire display. They are not full on white, but certainly not ignorable. I had the store pick it up for a service quote, and they told me it's the plasma panel , and it is not economically feasable to repair (ie I paid $5k for it, but newer better is now $2k and the repair price was $3600.) It sure looks like it's some kind of driver chip problem, and not the actual plasma. Is there anyone around that does repair to a deeper level. (maybe it will make sense if the whole panel doesn't need to be junked.) thanks in advance

I've watched my XR5 for about 18 months now and skin tones, particularly in sports programming, are starting to go green. IS this normal wear? I think I read earlier that the non-green phosphors age more quickly (or it is more slowly?) thus making the greens "pop". I think I'll tone down the green setting a bit and see what happens.

eric
tucson, az

I'm noticing a green-edged tinge too, with my 42XR4. I've used DVE to calibrate, but I can't get it to disappear.

I typically see this in shadowy gradients, like the dark space under a person's face. Anyone else experienced this?

Can some1 please PM me the service menu codes?

thanks

In this thead there are some who have access to some codes that you might want. I think the tweak thread might have some clues; i don't know if the codes are there.

There are some who have invited private Emails where this is available. I am a little bit afraid to go there; you need to search...if, what you are asking for is what I think it is, ....patience...you will find someone who will give it to you.

sorry, I don't mean to be cryptic.

What's known about the new NEC plasmas?
Are they still based on Pioneer glass? Kuro?

I wouldn't worry about entering the SM on these TV's. According to the ISF calibrator I had over a few months back, nothing is in the SM. He said all the settings are in the user menu. I don't know if he's right or not, but that's what he said, and he never did anything in the service menu.

There's only one thing you can change in the service menu, which is the contrast limit for the PC connection. I can't remember what it's actually called but that's it.

I'm noticing a green-edged tinge too, with my 42XR4. I've used DVE to calibrate, but I can't get it to disappear.

I typically see this in shadowy gradients, like the dark space under a person's face. Anyone else experienced this?
If the colors are not perfect, then you just need to calibrate, either with a calibration DVD for your DVD player, or a broadcast Test Pattern for your TV watching.

Bear in mind that every TV channel and every DVD uses a slightly different (sometimes radically different) palette, so it is impossible to have one calibration make everything look perfect. Films in particular can be very varied, and sometimes aged filmstock will tend to shift towards shades of green.

Say, anyone else here who has a NEC XR5A 50" and a Oppo 983H, What have you found for setting.
I have been looking at both 720P & 1080i and really can't say i can find a big difference. However, I think i like the 720p slightly better. any tweaks or setting you have found interesting? in either the xr5 or 983?
db

PowerStrip timing parameters:
1365x768=1365,51,50,60,768,4,4,12,72149,33


Could those powerstrip timings possibly work for my Pioneer pdp-507xa plasma that is native 1365x768 ??

I though my plasma was 1366x768 and I synced it quite good yesterday using 1366x768 timings. But I read about the screen and the panel is actually 1365x768.

"i" had 1 pixel for the dot aswell as "." was using exactly one dot... I'm confused.

I know it's been a long time for any of us to post here. However, i have a q\Q? regarding RGB.
page en-23 of the manaul.
>> D-SUB Input : RGB <<
I use HDMI via a Oppo 983H, {page 57}
RE: Color Space :
it has ; auto>YCbCr4:4:4>RGB Video level & rgb PC[don't use need]
with the 50"xr5, what would be the best setting?
i changed it from auto to RGB video and think the PQ is -sightly better, when watching a few movie DVD over the weekend. But do not know -what or how RGB works here.
anyone know.
dave
sf ca

*** there has been about 43 hits on this thread after i posted no one know a good answer or i haven't made a good question... thoughts???

Anyone know if the 50XR5 can accept 1080p @ 24 Hz?, or 720p @ 24 Hz, or 1365 x 768 @ 24 Hz?

(I'm trying to get tearing/judder free playback from my HTPC.)

I know it's been a long time for any of us to post here. However, i have a q\Q? regarding RGB.
page en-23 of the manaul.
>> D-SUB Input : RGB <<
I use HDMI via a Oppo 983H, {page 57}
RE: Color Space :
it has ; auto>YCbCr4:4:4>RGB Video level & rgb PC[don't use need]
with the 50"xr5, what would be the best setting?
i changed it from auto to RGB video and think the PQ is -sightly better, when watching a few movie DVD over the weekend. But do not know -what or how RGB works here.
anyone know.
dave
sf ca

*** there has been about 43 hits on this thread after i posted no one know a good answer or i haven't made a good question... thoughts???

It says to leave it on auto:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=659424

Hi,

I used to followed DCypher's 1:1 mapping settings with an old XP nVidia 7600 control panel. I had been working quite well for me since 2006.

I just upgraded my PC with Vista Premium and so I had to download the lastest driver from nVidia. I tried to tranfer the settings over to the new control panel but I couldn't get it to work. The new control panel is different from the DCypher's picture for 50xr5timings.

Has anyone able to get 1:1 mapping on the NEC 50XR5 using the new nVidia Control Panel in Vista?

I would appreciate your help very much.

Thanks,

Duc

my 2.5 year old 50xr5 has a problem (i think) the screen goes fully black at random times. I cant find a pattern but it just goes black from once every few seconds to once in a few minutes. its stay black from less then a second and then its fine until the next time...

any ideas?

What is your connection- when this happens? What cable are you using? HDMI- coxail-...?
Cable co. box
DVD player
av directly to xr5
what is your set up?
Have you substituted a different HDMI cable it see if it's a handshake issue.........

looks like its only happening on the cablevision dvr connection which is hdmi. I will buy another cable and post results. thanks.

it happens with my box also- it's the box, or the cabe to the box or the hdmi handshake..

Hi,

I used to followed DCypher's 1:1 mapping settings with an old XP nVidia 7600 control panel. I had been working quite well for me since 2006.

I just upgraded my PC with Vista Premium and so I had to download the lastest driver from nVidia. I tried to tranfer the settings over to the new control panel but I couldn't get it to work. The new control panel is different from the DCypher's picture for 50xr5timings.

Has anyone able to get 1:1 mapping on the NEC 50XR5 using the new nVidia Control Panel in Vista?

I would appreciate your help very much.

Thanks,

Duc

I have the same Vista problem and I've soon been having it for two years. Could anyone with experience try to explain what to do? I've tried all timings recommended (got it to work in xp-environment without problemes).

Anyone?

ok...Is hooking up a BluRay player to my xr4 a waste of time? Isn't the best resolution on it 1024x768? Even tho it will take a 1080p signal, will the BluRay picture be any better than what I'm getting from the Oppo 981HD? Or is it time to relegate the NEC to the Xbox and get a new something or other....

and..maybe I've answered my own question...looking through the Signal Info menu while watching NatGeo HD from my Direct TV receiver (hdmi direct to TV), it shows that it's getting a 1920x1080 signal. Other info:

h.freq 33.8khz
V frew 60.0hz

h. polatiry: positive
V polarity: positive

Memory: 94

anyone want to tell me what I'm lookin' at? Can I get a Blu-Ray player now???

:)

ok...Is hooking up a BluRay player to my xr4 a waste of time? Isn't the best resolution on it 1024x768? Even tho it will take a 1080p signal, will the BluRay picture be any better than what I'm getting from the Oppo 981HD? Or is it time to relegate the NEC to the Xbox and get a new something or other....

and..maybe I've answered my own question...looking through the Signal Info menu while watching NatGeo HD from my Direct TV receiver (hdmi direct to TV), it shows that it's getting a 1920x1080 signal. Other info:

h.freq 33.8khz
V frew 60.0hz

h. polatiry: positive
V polarity: positive

Memory: 94

anyone want to tell me what I'm lookin' at? Can I get a Blu-Ray player now???

:)


Get it.

It should look awesome on an awesome set :)

bob

thanks :))

Which one you getting? Damb shame NEC is out of the Plasma game :(

Hey Chris!!! How the heck are ya!? I haven't decided which Blu-Ray player to get yet...I was concerned that my xr4 wouldn't be able to play at the 1920 full HD resolution.

Is NEC totally out of the Plasma game?? Wow...are their LCD's nice, or is there something better? My Plasma STILL looks amazing...It'll stay with the house if I ever sell/move...then I'll get something bigger :)))))

I'll probably get whatever BluRay you'd recommend under $300 :)

great deal right now on the Panasonic DMP-BD35K, smoking deal right now ;)

It is to bad, I will put the NEC against any plasma made today as far as SD picture, still have a 50XR5 over here. I did get a Panasonic TH-58PZ800U which is a smoking set for the price.

uhm..yeah..that's a smokin' deal!!! I think I'll pop you an email to discuss :) I was looking at the Sony 350, but I like how thin the Panasonic is. Looks about the same as my Oppo...

Yeah..I'd say...58" PZ for less than I paid for my 42" NEC. Sweeet.

I am using BluRay at full 1080P into my 50XM5. The NEC unit accepts it and, while yes it downconverts to Native Resolution...but the picture is really fantastic. Mush better than to so-called upconverted 1080P signals look.

I'm running the new BluRay from Chris via HDMI into the NEC 42xr4, and it really looks AMAZING.

I am using BluRay at full 1080P into my 50XM5. The NEC unit accepts it and, while yes it downconverts to Native Resolution...but the picture is really fantastic. Mush better than to so-called upconverted 1080P signals look.

My Mitsubishi (NEC) Plasma won't accept 1080P from my Toshiba HDDVD player (component) out. It defaults back to 1080i. This is with HDDVD and upconverted SD discs. Is this my set or component vs HDMI or?

thx

bob

Update: HDMI reverts to 1080i also

I'm a little confussed here too: I am running a Blu-ray player into my 50NEC-xr5 -A. In the manua,l it shows it will except 1080p[50 & 60 Hz) but nothing about 1080p23.976. But the xr5 accepts it.
PQ- is almost 3D. Player> HDMI>XR5
db

I'm a little confussed here too: I am running a Blu-ray player into my 50NEC-xr5 -A. In the manua,l it shows it will except 1080p[50 & 60 Hz) but nothing about 1080p23.976. But the xr5 accepts it.
PQ- is almost 3D. Player> HDMI>XR5
db

My Mits PD-5065 (NEC) must be older than these here. It does not show 1080P as an available rez in the owners' manual


bob

Coming up on my three year anniversary with the XR5 and the picture is still unbelievable. People still come over my house and comment on it ("That must be one of those new 1080p sets...") Gald to see it is not a waste to go bluray with it; I might just go ahead and try. I just need to decide whether I want to go with an HTPC or get a stand alone.

I, too, am seeing a bit of a green push...nothing to terrible.

IR on these models is a tiny bit annoying. The bars on the left and right side from three years of watching SD take longer and longer to get rid of with the screen wiper. At this point, I think they are there permanently, but very faint.

All in all a great purchase (from ClevelandPlasma, BTW).

Mine here too.. if you want to see a fantastic picture. With a BR player and the xr5. Get ahold of, Ice Age- The Meltdown[BR].
The PQ is almost 3-D - your kids[& maybe you] will want to go up an pet the screen.
db
* no green push- but the IR does get a little bad sometime- swiper works a little longer...

5 1/2 years for my 42" XM2 -- still as beautiful as new.

It's also amazing at how bad the latest retail offerings are. Especially the LCD's that seem to have displaced plasmas. Quality is losing to price.

I haven't followed NEC plasma for several years now and I fear it's met a demise. Too bad because they are wonderful displays.

I guess I should be hunting down a new one to stash away for the future when all we will get is China made $199 garbage ?

Long live the NEC plasma

These are world class displays. The quality is stunning.

I hope mine goes on for many years :)


bob

we have a nec xr6a and would not part with it for any tv out their right now

Hey - BOB or ClevelandPlasma, are there any xr5-xr6 still out there- new?? did not sell.... are warehoused?

My XR5a is doing well also. Still a fantastic PQ. I have a faint right side IR bar that seems permanent, but not a big deal.

NEC seems to have faded badly in the PDP world.

I think Pioneer killed them. Just like so many corporate mergers. The little, high-quality fish gets eaten and spit out by the big, low-quality fish.

I want my, I want my, I want my N.E.C.

My XR5a is doing well also. Still a fantastic PQ. I have a faint right side IR bar that seems permanent, but not a big deal.

.

Me too, kind of pink in color.

bob

TRy this- turn on screen swipe- leave on all night. Select an unused memerory setting and turn everything down to -0-, low, off...& color -0- & maybe an hour of-invert. see if this doen't clearn up some of this.........

The commercial 42XP10 is still available, and the price is very tempting (free shipping). The opportunity to get a display that does PAL and excellent SD as well as HD may not come again for a long time. I wonder, is this something worth doing now?

TRy this- turn on screen swipe- leave on all night. Select an unused memerory setting and turn everything down to -0-, low, off...& color -0- & maybe an hour of-invert. see if this doen't clearn up some of this.........

Swipe with the white screen? Why low settings?

thx

bob

Are you kidding? My Pioneer kills my XM5. I think it has something to do with one piece of glass instead of two, but there is no IR on my Pio, and there is still instant IR on my NEC. Both were purchased in 2006. The NEC is still a nice TV for the bedroom though.

Are you kidding? My Pioneer kills my XM5. I think it has something to do with one piece of glass instead of two, but there is no IR on my Pio, and there is still instant IR on my NEC. Both were purchased in 2006. The NEC is still a nice TV for the bedroom though.
I respectfully disagree (pre-calibration). I just posted in the Kuro thread that my years-old PX-50XR5A look better with CPCat's settings than my brand new PDP-5020FD does with D-Nice's settings. I hope that situation changes once I get them both professionally calibrated in a month or two, but given that both sets are on a relatively level playing field (un-calibrated but using recommended settings), I can state categorically that the NEC continues to rock - even more than the highly regarded 5020FD, all things being equal and as I state here.

P.S. This post is with respect to PQ only. I have no issues with IR on either panel - ever.

I respectfully disagree (pre-calibration). I just posted in the Kuro thread that my years-old PX-50XR5A look better with CPCat's settings than my brand new PDP-5020FD does with D-Nice's settings. I hope that situation changes once I get them both professionally calibrated in a month or two, but given that both sets are on a relatively level playing field (un-calibrated but using recommended settings), I can state categorically that the NEC continues to rock - even more than the highly regarded 5020FD, all things being equal and as I state here.

P.S. This post is with respect to PQ only. I have no issues with IR on either panel - ever.

sounds like you guys have different (vintage) models? I'm the black sheep here with a Mits rebadged NEC and don't know what vintage it is but can tell you that is as 1 hdmi input and does have pretty bad IR that mostly goes away.

Bottom line is I love the PQ on this set and would be hard pressed to find anything as good ( cept for black levels )


BTW, where are the CPcat settings?




bob

sounds like you guys have different (vintage) models? I'm the black sheep here with a Mits rebadged NEC and don't know what vintage it is but can tell you that is as 1 hdmi input and does have pretty bad IR that mostly goes away.

Bottom line is I love the PQ on this set and would be hard pressed to find anything as good ( cept for black levels )


BTW, where are the CPcat settings?




bob

Bob,
Sorry I can't tell you offhand, since I applied them years ago. It's a safe bet that they're in this thread somewhere. Do a search on this thread looking for CPCat's posts. Or you might try sending him a PM. He's still active here, since I've seen him post in the Oppo BDP-83 threads as well recently.

Hi, I bought this TV years ago thinking that I'd constantly use a HDTV Cable box.

However, since over the air HDTV signals are strong in Chicago, I'm wanting to get an over the air HDTV antenna for the 50xr5.

Is it possible to use one when I have the 50xr5 and a separate stereo system?

Hi, I bought this TV years ago thinking that I'd constantly use a HDTV Cable box.

However, since over the air HDTV signals are strong in Chicago, I'm wanting to get an over the air HDTV antenna for the 50xr5.

Is it possible to use one when I have the 50xr5 and a separate stereo system?

You'd have to buy a stand alone ATSC tuner and run the output of the tuner to the 50xr5 with a component or HDMI cable. The audio from the tuner can be run to your stereo or surround sound system.

I'm a little confussed here too: I am running a Blu-ray player into my 50NEC-xr5 -A. In the manua,l it shows it will except 1080p[50 & 60 Hz) but nothing about 1080p23.976. But the xr5 accepts it.
PQ- is almost 3D. Player> HDMI>XR5
db

How's you get 1080p @ 60hz to display on the XR5? When I set the PS3 to do that I get nothing, but it does support 1080p@24hz.

X- yes this confuse me too. If i select 1080p/60 on the[Oppo BR83'] menu. my screen is blank[will not show anything]. If I select Source Direct and 1080p/24 on the players menu, I get a nice PQ. I am not sure what is happening here..

i just noticed this issue last night. On the top left side of the 50"xr5. I have what would look like a -yellow-lite gold- filter. It Is a square about about 6x6.
You can only see it against a few colors and more so when there is red or orange.
i started sreenswipe, but have not look at the display yet today.
any iseas of what is happening here. it is not IR

Nothing like reviving an old thread, I have had my xr5a since Feb of 06, and it has been great. But for the last month or so the unit has developed light green pixilation that show up in various parts of the display. They are easy to seen in dark pictures. Last night I had a 1" band of green pixels running horizontally across the screen. It looks like it repeats (ghosting) it self every 5inches on the screen. What could be causing this? It is not source related, or even input related, happens both component and hdmi.

Hi guys 3 years 3 months my plasma has started to display a white banded pattern about the size of a belt 2 inches from the top of the screen, now a few weeks later i have 2 of these belt patterns about 2 inches below the first. Called NEC the wont' fix it under warranty so it's basically a throw-away.

I am selling the pedestal stand, fix the PX42 PX50 sized TV's. Would prefer to sell in Ontario, since this bugger is heavy.


NEC PX-ST2U Table Top Swivel Stand

Hi guys 3 years 3 months my plasma has started to display a white banded pattern about the size of a belt 2 inches from the top of the screen, now a few weeks later i have 2 of these belt patterns about 2 inches below the first. Called NEC the wont' fix it under warranty so it's basically a throw-away.

I am selling the pedestal stand, fix the PX42 PX50 sized TV's. Would prefer to sell in Ontario, since this bugger is heavy.


NEC PX-ST2U Table Top Swivel Stand


Aye,
May she rest in peace !!


bob

Did Nec mention what they thought the problem could be? And how much it would be to fix? thanks.


Hi guys 3 years 3 months my plasma has started to display a white banded pattern about the size of a belt 2 inches from the top of the screen, now a few weeks later i have 2 of these belt patterns about 2 inches below the first. Called NEC the wont' fix it under warranty so it's basically a throw-away.

I am selling the pedestal stand, fix the PX42 PX50 sized TV's. Would prefer to sell in Ontario, since this bugger is heavy.


NEC PX-ST2U Table Top Swivel Stand

...twice! On two occasions, my unit started switching itself off, after which the power LED would flash green. On both occasions, I packed it up and took it to an authorized repair center... whereupon it would magically fix itself. The techs never found anything wrong, although on the second trip, they said they replaced a small capacitor "just in case", for no charge (other than the $40 diagnostic fee, pardon the pun). Purchased in October '04 and still going strong, hopefully...

They said that based on the symptoms it is a problem with the plasma or the plasma processing unit which would only have a 1 yr warranty anyways.

I just can't bear to invest more money into a 3 year old unit as there is no gaurentee how long it will last. Especially now when you can get a new screen for less than 1k with an all new warranty.

I paid $4500 for it initially..

Yeah I feel your pain! I paid $3500 for this thing three years ago and I was hoping for more then 3.5 years of service out of it. I e-mailed the Nec service tech and they said I could try doing a factory reset? Does anybody know how to do this? Don't know how much longer I can watch the set in this condition.

Perhaps the Australian method?

http://gizmodo.com/5130030/how-to-repair-your-plasma-tv-with-a-baseball-bat-nsfw

:-)

Bob,
Sorry I can't tell you offhand, since I applied them years ago. It's a safe bet that they're in this thread somewhere. Do a search on this thread looking for CPCat's posts. Or you might try sending him a PM. He's still active here, since I've seen him post in the Oppo BDP-83 threads as well recently.

Ahhh reviving the thread ;)

Here is the settings thread has the cpcat settings
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7360508#post7360508


BTW my PQ is still out standing although I think I need to do a little re-calibration I think I am getting a little push/drift in the color, but overall I still get many compliments.

Was looking here because I just got an Oppo BDP-83 and was pleasantly surprised to see the 50XR5 supports 1080@24hz, but strangely enough I experimenting with the cleanest picture is Blu-Ray PQ; 720p is pretty good, still comparing that and 1080@24hz. The oppo has such a good scaler (better than the NEC I suspect), that the Display has little work to do to go from 1280x720p signal to native 1366x768.

Anyone with the NEC XR5-A, can you check on this: After having the display on for a few hours. Can you check to see which fan comes ON in the back. I was next to mine last night and i could hear the top left(as you face the screen) was quite warm and a Little loud. the right and middle fans were not moving(i think there is a fan in the middle and right side,also). I want to make sure the fans are working> if not i need to find out how to fix them. Hope 50" OLED come out soon.
Thanks,
db

Hi guys 3 years 3 months my plasma has started to display a white banded pattern about the size of a belt 2 inches from the top of the screen, now a few weeks later i have 2 of these belt patterns about 2 inches below the first. Called NEC the wont' fix it under warranty so it's basically a throw-away.

I am selling the pedestal stand, fix the PX42 PX50 sized TV's. Would prefer to sell in Ontario, since this bugger is heavy.


NEC PX-ST2U Table Top Swivel Stand

The SAME thing has happened to my 50XR5.

Little less then 3 years old, it developed a white banded pattern about 3/4 the way up the screen then I started to get one about a 1/3 the way up.

I called NEC too and they won't fix it. I threw mine away a couple days ago and bought a Pioneer KRP-500M.

Spent like $3500 on that NEC and it didn't even last 3 stinkin years!!!

Be curious to see how you compare your old NEC to the Kuro. Obviously, the contrast and black level performance will be a lot different (in favor of Kuro), particularly in low light settings, but in other ways, such as processing, picture noise, etc., I wonder if NEC is still be very competitive in those respects. I wouldn't be surprised if they were. NEC long had that kind of positive rep, anyway.

Be curious to see how you compare your old NEC to the Kuro. Obviously, the contrast and black level performance will be a lot different (in favor of Kuro), particularly in low light settings, but in other ways, such as processing, picture noise, etc., I wonder if NEC is still be very competitive in those respects. I wouldn't be surprised if they were. NEC long had that kind of positive rep, anyway.

I'll let you know soon as I'm done with the break-in DVD and Eliab Alvarez comes over on the 11th to calibrate it. He calibrated my NEC 3 years ago too.

cool, thanks.

Be curious to see how you compare your old NEC to the Kuro. Obviously, the contrast and black level performance will be a lot different (in favor of Kuro), particularly in low light settings, but in other ways, such as processing, picture noise, etc., I wonder if NEC is still be very competitive in those respects. I wouldn't be surprised if they were. NEC long had that kind of positive rep, anyway.


I'd like to know, too. I always found the Pio's to be on the soft side compared to my NEC.


bob

According to Eliab Alvarez de la Campa, the KRP-500M will "absolutely obliterate the NEC in terms of picture quality".

That was the really the reason I went with the Kuro.

According to Eliab Alvarez de la Campa, the KRP-500M will "absolutely obliterate the NEC in terms of picture quality".

That was the really the reason I went with the Kuro.

We'll just see about that!

:p


bob

LOL!


I'll give you a truthful comparison. I'm still partial to the NEC's (all I ever owned plasma wise) so it's gonna take a lot to impress me. But right off the bat the KURO is gonna blow the NEC away w/ Blu-Ray since it's 1080p....I'm curious to see the difference in 1080i over comcast cable on the HD channels.

Right now my NEC 50 xr5 and the Oppo 83'. Play very well together. I switch the Oppo 's SD [source direct] -leaving the xr5 to handle every thing for some BR it does create a better PQ and then with other BR disc 780p/1080i looks better- slightly.
SD[ standard DVD]> use the Oppo 480i or 780p
db

Eliab calibrated my Kuro Tuesday...he had also calibrated my NEC 3 years ago almost to the day.

Gotta be honest guys...the Kuro blows the socks off the NEC. Watching Blu-ray w/ 1080p is so much better then the 1080i NEC. Even with cable HD material, the Kuro has the edge. With SD material it's a toss up.

eliab calibrated my kuro tuesday...he had also calibrated my nec 3 years ago almost to the day.

Gotta be honest guys...the kuro blows the socks off the nec. Watching blu-ray w/ 1080p is so much better then the 1080i nec. Even with cable hd material, the kuro has the edge. With sd material it's a toss up.

liar !!!!!!!!!!


Lol

Thanks for the updatae, JG1. Does the Kuro blow away the NEC in just pitch black or near-dark room conditions, or, even in moderately to medium lit conditions? Sometimes you'll read statements like that, i.e., the progressively brighter a room gets the less difference there is between a Kuro and other plasmas.

Thanks for the updatae, JG1. Does the Kuro blow away the NEC in just pitch black or near-dark room conditions, or, even in moderately to medium lit conditions? Sometimes you'll read statements like that, i.e., the progressively brighter a room gets the less difference there is between a Kuro and other plasmas.

I'd say from a moderately lit room to a very dark room, the Kuro hands down. My room is never fully lit so even peak of day it's moderate. Eliab calibrated the display for critical viewing in lower light levels, as he did with my NEC also.

In lower lighting, the blacks are unreal.....even in moderate lighting they are great. But everything just looks that much crisper and colors more vibrant and life like with the Kuro.

I knew the Kuro would have the NEC with Blu-ray being that it's 1080p...but I was impressed with the difference in cable material in 1080i as well.

I'm very impressed with the Pioneer.

Thanks again. traitor.

:p


Just kidding. I've never owned an NEC. I merely subscribed to this thread ages ago when I was in the market and considering NEC. This was back in the day when they really "mattered".

But you know the writing is on the wall when Cleveland Plasma puts you on his pay-no-mind list. And NEC is not the only brand on that list. :D

I'd say from a moderately lit room to a very dark room, the Kuro hands down. My room is never fully lit so even peak of day it's moderate. Eliab calibrated the display for critical viewing in lower light levels, as he did with my NEC also.

In lower lighting, the blacks are unreal.....even in moderate lighting they are great. But everything just looks that much crisper and colors more vibrant and life like with the Kuro.

I knew the Kuro would have the NEC with Blu-ray being that it's 1080p...but I was impressed with the difference in cable material in 1080i as well.

I'm very impressed with the Pioneer.

How about sharpness? I always found the Pio's to be very soft, lacking the 3D "pop" I see on my NEC (and Panny's)

bob

How about sharpness? I always found the Pio's to be very soft, lacking the 3D "pop" I see on my NEC (and Panny's)

bob

Looks every bit as sharp if not sharper then my NEC. This display definitely has the 3D pop going.

I couldn't be happier with it, and the price is right....I paid less then half of what I did for my NEC.

My 50XM5 is still working quite well. Perhaps I am so happy with it that I have not bothered to compare as I have no reason to.

I am still feeding it 1080P through my Anthem D2 and the picture is really good.

I'll jump in and add that in comparing my two non-calibrated units (an NEC PX-50XR5A with cpcat settings) and a Pio PDP-5020FD with D-Nice settings, I still prefer my NEC for virtually all sources (Tivo HD, Oppo Blu-Ray, SD).

As you might imagine, I got flamed for saying that in the Pio threads, but one important caveat I made then and I say here again, is that I don't expect my opinion to remain the same after I have both panels professionally calibrated, which I intend to do sometime before the end of the year.

While I've never seen a pro calibrated NEC, I have seen plenty of pro calibrated Pios, and they kill both of my panels. The more money you spend on a panel (it seems to me), the more important it is to have it calibrated so that you can get the most for your money (and this is coming from someone who hasn't even done one yet!).

FWIW::I was in Waikiki Beach,Honolulu Hi, last week and walked into a Sports Bar that had about 16 (yes 16) NEC 50XR5-A Plasmas on the wall. It was spectacular. You could see 5 different sports games going on at one time.
PQ was excellent- but i do not think they were ISF calibrated.
I ask the Barmaid how many years have they had the NEC's? she said about 2006. These displays were on from 10:00AM to 1:00am- EVERY DAY.
db