I kno what you are saying flyjar but if you look closer on a all black scene after any picture there is ir thats what ive been talkn about for the past 20 posts watch any channel for a minute or so then switch to a all black scene (change sources for a quik black screen look real close like half a foot to a foot and you will see anything leaves ir very annoyng but not to worry it goes away after a few minutes of other programing but that still sux neway does anyone no where to find a review
I don't see a problem with IR if it is only seen on a black screen, who watchs a black screen? As far as a review, I have not found one yet.

My 42" is set at
Bright. 40
Contrast 40
Saturation 54
Hue 0
Sharpness 35

Yeah, as long as it goes away I'm happy. Just wish I could avoid it all together. It's pretty silly that they made the logo display for that long, on the power-save setting. I'm going to hopefully try calibrating my set with Avia sometime this week, especailly considering it's going to rain all week, I'll have lots of time to play when I get home from work.

Right now I think I have:
Brightness - 30,
Contrast - 40
left the others at what they were

I found out that the 42" uses 0.75watts, I guess, in quick start. Might be worth a change to you. Not sure what that 0.75 indicates, but it is sure a low figure compared to the running figure.

Comcast DCT 3412 does not provide audio over HDMI. Comcast has been very cooperative trying to isolate the problem. After swapping out 4 different DCT boxes, they finally brought a SONY HD set to my house to prove other sets in the area work fine with their equipment. The SONY worked fine using their box and HDMI. Comcast said they have heard of other problems with HP and HDMI.

I called HP and they said the DCT puts out Dolby 5.1 and the HP set does not recognize it. I don't know if this is accurate and I'm waiting for level 3 support to get back to me. The component cables work fine but I can't get to the digital audio option on the plasma (yellow labeled warning on the menu saying digital audio only available with Digital TV). I know I can use the surround sound system to get digital audio via the optical out on the DCT to my DVD surround sound but that's not the issue. The TV should support audio over HDMI from the DCT box.

Question: does anyone have HDMI audio w/the TV speakers working with their set? If so what is the cable box and company? You can post here or respond directly to my email.
Thanks
I have a 4260 hooked to a Comcast 6412 DVR box and have the same problem. I have tried Comcast CSR and e-mailed Motorola about this but no luck. Sounds like it must be an HP/Comcast issue. Let's keep trying and see if we can find a solution.

Roger

I second Dan on the HDMI connection, no problem at all.

Which box and cable provider?

Which box and cable provider?
I would assume that his "second" means he has same as me.

Another Factor: I am getting a employee discount on HP PL5060N which would cost me about 2400/- the other plasmas that i was considering were

Samsung HP-S5053 - love the looks and the PQ looks amazing at BB too.
Panasonic - PQ good but dont like the looks.

they both cost about 600/- more. Are they really 600/- better than the HP model. Would you buy the HP at that price ? It sounds a very good deal for a 50inch plasma. Any advise ?

Another Factor: I am getting a employee discount on HP PL5060N which would cost me about 2400/- the other plasmas that i was considering were

Samsung HP-S5053 - love the looks and the PQ looks amazing at BB too.
Panasonic - PQ good but dont like the looks.

they both cost about 600/- more. Are they really 600/- better than the HP model. Would you buy the HP at that price ? Yoe betIt sounds a very good deal for a 50inch plasma. Any advise ?

I have no regret what so ever.

Would you buy the HP at that price?
For the price difference (also work discount) and styling between 42" HP vs. the 42" Panny (600u) I was considering, I think it the HP is well worth it.

Another Factor: I am getting a employee discount on HP PL5060N which would cost me about 2400/- the other plasmas that i was considering were

Samsung HP-S5053 - love the looks and the PQ looks amazing at BB too.
Panasonic - PQ good but dont like the looks.

they both cost about 600/- more. Are they really 600/- better than the HP model. Would you buy the HP at that price ? It sounds a very good deal for a 50inch plasma. Any advise ?
All I can add is that I am very pleased with my HP 4260

I second Dan on the HDMI connection, no problem at all.


My HP 5060 is exactly like my LG LG 32" LCD HDTV (32LX1D), both tv's do not work using HDMI with Time Warner's Scientific Atlanta's 8300 HD box.

Is there a so;ution to this problem?

Try to get a different box, or just use component cable.

Try to get a different box, or just use component cable.

First, thanks for the info about your setup. Getting a different box is not an option in the NJ/NYC area. They only provide the Motorola 3412 and as I said other plasma manufactures work fine with it expect the HP set. Components do work but the HDMI provides a slightly better video and digital audio. You can't get the digital audio working with the component cables.

Don't expect the cable companies to address this. The upgrade needs to come from HP. Probably a firmware change with the HDMI inteface. We may have to give up the set or use component cables.

First, thanks for the info about your setup. Getting a different box is not an option in the NJ/NYC area. They only provide the Motorola 3412 and as I said other plasma manufactures work fine with it expect the HP set. Components do work but the HDMI provides a slightly better video and digital audio. You can't get the digital audio working with the component cables.

Don't expect the cable companies to address this. The upgrade needs to come from HP. Probably a firmware change with the HDMI inteface. We may have to give up the set or use component cables.
If your Moto box has a digital output, why not run it to your A/V receiver?

I have an HP PL 4260n hooked to a Dish VIP 622 and HDMI works fine

Hey Dan, can you get PIP with the 622 and the 4260? I know the 4260 (I have one) won't do PIP but will the 622 enable two pictures at the same time from two sources? Just curious. I'm about to pull the trigger and get Dish with the 622 or the 211, not sure if I want the monthly fee or the dual tuner since I'm only running one TV off the dish.
Thanks,
Jeff

Hey Dan, can you get PIP with the 622 and the 4260? I know the 4260 (I have one) won't do PIP but will the 622 enable two pictures at the same time from two sources? Just curious. I'm about to pull the trigger and get Dish with the 622 or the 211, not sure if I want the monthly fee or the dual tuner since I'm only running one TV off the dish.
Thanks,
Jeff
Yep, it gets pip, even 2 HD channels. But, this is only possible in single mode where the TV2 only sees what TV1 is watching, one thing I have not tried is watching recording on TV2 while in single mode. If you get the 622, it will be a whole new way of watching tv. Also if you get the Platnum package you save the extra receiver fee, I believe.

If your Moto box has a digital output, why not run it to your A/V receiver?

It does but as I said in an earlier post, it doesn't address the HDMI issue/digital audio for the speakers.


BTW, I talked to an HP case manager today and HP is aware of the problem and they are looking into it. No commitment on how a fix (if developed) will get out to existing customers. He reminded me to register the product so HP can follow up. If enough people run into this AND let HP know, they may deliver a fix.

It does but as I said in an earlier post, it doesn't address the HDMI issue/digital audio for the speakers.


BTW, I talked to an HP case manager today and HP is aware of the problem and they are looking into it. No commitment on how a fix (if developed) will get out to existing customers. He reminded me to register the product so HP can follow up. If enough people run into this AND let HP know, they may deliver a fix.

I guess I should feel fortunate that I don't intend to use the panel's speakers then.

Now, I have to decide if I want to use the OTA ATSC tuner from the Moto 622 or the tuner from the HP. It would be a lot more convenient to use the 622 since it would save me a cable run of TOSlink of about 25'. Any speculation as to which tuner would be better? They all seem to be an afterthought with very little documentation to speak for their sensitivity and ability to pull in weak signals. I wish they would put specs in like they do for FM tuners. Of course, it's mostly marketing hype but at least you could try to get a feel for what the manufacturer was intending in terms of quality.
Jeff

Jeff,

As far as ATSC is concerned, for my set up DISH 622, the digital tuner in the HP produce about the same quality as the one from 622. But the analog sucks. I actually skip the analog channels.

As far as ATSC is concerned, for my set up DISH 622, the digital tuner in the HP produce about the same quality as the one from 622. But the analog sucks. I actually skip the analog channels.

I know what you mean on the analog. I can barely tolerate my analog cable TV service for the next week. I move into my new pad on Memorial Day Weekend. Don't get me wrong, a few of the analog cable channels are watchable but the only OTA signals I'm interested in are the digital ones. I have the analog OTA channels locked out on my TV. I would expect that Motorola would put a high quality ATSC tuner in since a lot of people's Dish Network subscription depends on it if they don't offer sat based HD locals as mine doesn't. I'm even considering not opting for SD locals at $5 a month since I can get them all OTA digital. The big kicker will be if I can get Fox OTA but I'll be able to get it HD from the sat affiliate anyway and I don't care about the local nuances of my Fox affiliate.

How easily does the 622 move from a sat channel to an OTA channel? The HP doesn't allow you to use two different channel sources over the same RF input so I'm currently using my VCR over composite video cable for cable TV and the RF for an indoor OTA antenna for locals. I programmed my Harmony 620 to jump from one to the other fairly quickly but if the 622 can do something similar, it will eliminate the need for me to use the TV as a tuner. I assUme you get Dolby Digital or Pro Logic II sound from your OTA on the 622 when it is broadcast in that format?

I'm looking at the back of the 622 in the review of it and I only see one TOSlink (optical) digital output. If I use an OTA antenna for local HD, how can I get digital sound as it will be a second source (TV2?)?

Crap! I totally forgot about the darn phone line. :eek: I wonder if there are any cordless solutions that will broadcast the phone signal to my box that aren't expensive? Time to start looking.

I'm noticing a little burn-in from the black bars on the sides of the panel and you can't stretch a digital signal without using the cheesy zoom feature which I still can't figure out why they included because it's totally useless. How are you guys dealing with that one? It says not to overuse the whitewash function so it may be one of those things I have to learn to live with.

My only other gripes are the white line I can see down the middle of the panel from top to bottom during certain SD OTA broadcasts, mostly during commercials of HD programs and the fact that the digital audio output from the TV's TOSlink isn't variable meaning I can't use the TV to control the volume. The sound is a minor nuisance but the white line worries me sometimes. Hopefully, the results will be different when I get setup on the Dish and a quality antenna in my attic.

Regards,
Jeff

For the price difference (also work discount) and styling between 42" HP vs. the 42" Panny (600u) I was considering, I think it the HP is well worth it.

thanks everyone for your quick response. I went to Best Buy to check it out last night. The HP isnt bad although Samsung is better. They have darker colors though. maybe it was the settings.

Another Issue: i observed that the HP took about 35 secs to initialise and show a pic compared to the Samsung's 10 secs. Have any of you noticed that ? i need to decide before the Soccer World Cup :)

-m

thanks everyone for your quick response. I went to Best Buy to check it out last night. The HP isnt bad although Samsung is better. They have darker colors though. maybe it was the settings.

Another Issue: i observed that the HP took about 35 secs to initialise and show a pic compared to the Samsung's 10 secs. Have any of you noticed that ? i need to decide before the Soccer World Cup :)

-m
Don't worry about the dark colors, mine had same thing using component, but not with HDMI, each input can be tweaked individually. As to initilizing, it is about 20 secs, but you can change to quick start function and it takes about 5 secs,if I recall, I have not used this but will try it for awhile and see if it's worth the extra power usage.

Don't worry about the dark colors, mine had same thing using component, but not with HDMI, each input can be tweaked individually. As to initilizing, it is about 20 secs, but you can change to quick start function and it takes about 5 secs,if I recall, I have not used this but will try it for awhile and see if it's worth the extra power usage.

First, I noticed that the composite (single wire RCA video) input gave me a very dark picture. I have the brightness set up in the 60s-70s most of the time.

Second, I emailed HP support to ask if they could tell me the difference in power consumption between the power save and quick start modes but all they could do was tell me the startup times (you're about right Dan) and that the quick start mode uses more power. I don't mind the slow start. How often are you turning the TV on anyway? Once or twice a day? Three or four times max? If you miss that amount of time, get up two minutes earlier :p

I bought an Easymount wall mount from Sam's Club yesterday. The mount is tiltable and looks very sturdy for up to 125 lbs. However, it looks like the mounting points on the HP are much wider than the ones on the mount. :( I'm going to see if the adapters that come with the mount will offer a suitable solution to this problem. The mount was $100 and most other places start at $200-250 for a tiltable mount. Anyone know of a good one that's not outrageous? I've also considered modifying this mount since I like it so much. It even has a bubble level built in so you don't have to hassle with a level. I'll update when I've made any progress.

Jeff

Jeff, did you see my post #253? I am not sure what the 0.75 indicates, but an uneducated guess would be 75 watts, which could add up to a fair amount of change each month, like having a 75watt light bulb on all the time.

Try to get a different box, or just use component cable.

Well folks, as I mentioned I own a LG (LCD) and a new HP 5060 (also made by LG). HP, I'm guessing cannot address this problem without LG, since they (LG) make the TV. I've had my LG (LCD) since October 2005, and it does not work on Time Warner's box (with HDMI), so I've switched to component on it, and also on the new 5060. I did call HP yesterday to ask for a refund, they are processing it. After I get my refund, I'm buying a Panasonic, the HDMI works with Time Warner, and the picture is much, much, much, much better.

VT

If you're sure it's .75 watts, that would be like 3/4 of a watt. Surely it's more like 75 watts. I think the power consumption at operation is like up to 350 watts or so. If that's the case, I can't imagine it idling at .75 unless it's in power save mode. Thanks for the info.
Jeff

Hope it turns out well for you Profoto. I couldn't see much difference between the Panny and the HP, especially not $500+ difference in the 4260 and the Panny 42". As for who makes the HP plasma. I'm pretty sure HP makes the HP plasma. LG sells the glass to them. There are only 3 plasma glass makers in the world. LG, Panny, and one other that I can't remember.
Jeff

Ok, as to the stand-by elec. figure, I just went to Energy Star web site, they have figures for 2 LG 42" plasmas, tests done Jan. 06, they show 0.7 watts. So what does that compare to in a light bulb?

Ok, as to the stand-by elec. figure, I just went to Energy Star web site, they have figures for 2 LG 42" plasmas, tests done Jan. 06, they show 0.7 watts. So what does that compare to in a light bulb?

.7 watts is like 7 tenths of one watt. That's nothing. We have 7 watt bulbs (like a night light) that burn sometimes for a day or two straight. Burning a 7 watt bulb for one day is like burning a .7 watt bulb for ten days. If you burned it for 30 days, it would be about like burning a 20 watt bulb for an hour if my math is correct. I'm stunned that it only uses that in quick start mode. If that's the case, I think HP wasted some time and effort that might have been better spent elsewhere like making the darn menus work faster :mad: I've never looked at the Energy Star site. I'll follow up on your findings and see if I might explain a tad further (I'm an idiot but I play a computer analyst at work).
Jeff

After looking at the Energy Star site, I would have to assume that the standby mode they're talking about is the slow start setting. If you think about it from a manufacturer's viewpoint, they're going to want to look as "pretty" as possible for the Energy Star reports. So, they're going to give the best looking number there. What I don't know is how much power the unit consumes in fast start mode. I'd guess it's significantly more or they wouldn't have bothered. Maybe something like 60-70 watts and that's a total guess.
Jeff

Well folks, as I mentioned I own a LG (LCD) and a new HP 5060 (also made by LG). HP, I'm guessing cannot address this problem without LG, since they (LG) make the TV. I've had my LG (LCD) since October 2005, and it does not work on Time Warner's box (with HDMI), so I've switched to component on it, and also on the new 5060. I did call HP yesterday to ask for a refund, they are processing it. After I get my refund, I'm buying a Panasonic, the HDMI works with Time Warner, and the picture is much, much, much, much better.

VT

I wonder why HP'S HDMI does not work with Time Warner box? Is it really HP's problem? I am using Dish 622, the HDMI works since day 1.

I'm sure that that 0.7 watt figure is just for the slow start, if you look inside the plasma you can see one blue light that is always lit. Someone needs to get a "Kill A Watt" meter and get readings for both slow and fast start, also it would give average wattage used while tv is turned on. That someone might be me, cause I would like to know these figures.

I'd think an electrician with a meter could do it. I don't know how you measure the draw. I know there's a meter called an amprobe that will measure the amps traveling through a wire and I imagine there's some conversion of amps to watts based on line voltage. Good idea. It would likely be more accurate than documenation anyway.

I'm still mystified on how to hook up the TV to the Moto 622 receiver. How to you get digital audio from the receiver to the A/V (stereo) receiver for more than one source?

Jeff

I just re-started my tv, after changing it to fast start about 3 hours ago, it was not warm on top before I started it but there was a glow on the screen with faint horizonal lines of two different shades of gray,lines about 1/2" wide all the way from top to bottom, when I hit the on/off button, it took 3 seconds to start. I have a meter that reads amps, but I don't know if it is sensitive enough to read real small amounts of current, but my next door neighbor is the Chief Electrician at a nearby Army base, might have him take a look at this.

I wonder why HP'S HDMI does not work with Time Warner box? Is it really HP's problem? I am using Dish 622, the HDMI works since day 1.

I have a Comcast box - motorola 6412 DVR - and my 4260 audio does not work via HDMI either on HD stations. It does work with SB stations. Must be a Dolby 5.1 thing?

Roger

I'd think an electrician with a meter could do it. I don't know how you measure the draw. I know there's a meter called an amprobe that will measure the amps traveling through a wire and I imagine there's some conversion of amps to watts based on line voltage. Good idea. It would likely be more accurate than documenation anyway.

I'm still mystified on how to hook up the TV to the Moto 622 receiver. How to you get digital audio from the receiver to the A/V (stereo) receiver for more than one source?

Jeff
I just folded and ordered a Kill-A-Watt,$30 bucks to my door.

I have a Comcast box - motorola 6412 DVR - and my 4260 audio does not work via HDMI either on HD stations. It does work with SB stations. Must be a Dolby 5.1 thing?

Roger

Be sure to report it to HP and fill out the product registration so you are on their list. If they solve this and enough people report it, we should get notified when the solution is available.

Finally got around to calibrating the 42" with Avia, this is what I came up with:

Brightness - 50
Contrast - 38
Saturation - 42
Hue - 0
Sharpness - 14
Temperture - Cool (edit: Cold)

The room was completly dark except for the TV, it's been close to 100 hours. Any way to check? Also what color temperature are you guys using?

Finally got around to calibrating the 42" with Avia, this is what I came up with:

Brightness - 50
Contrast - 38
Saturation - 42
Hue - 0
Sharpness - 14
Temperture - Cool

The room was completly dark except for the TV, it's been close to 100 hours. Any way to check? Also what color temperature are you guys using?
I am trying your settings, looks pretty darned good, but I am using "warm", couldn't find a "Cool" setting.

I am trying your settings, looks pretty darned good, but I am using "warm", couldn't find a "Cool" setting.
It's cold not cool. My mistake.

I'm sure switching the color temps will change the settings. I'm also guessing the color temps will help with calibrating the green and magenta (red) levels with the Avia filters. I haven't tried that yet.

Since the red & green levels can't be adjusted individually, I'm guessing the temp that looks the best with blue (adjustable - Hue), red and green combined should be the color temperature I use.

I'll try that tonight, hopefully.

Two questions:

Anyone know where/how to get the THX glasses to use THX color calibration that is designed for them?

Anyone got any good tips on how/where to calibrate TV/cable/sat reception? I've heard that a couple of channels (on Sat at least) put up color bars during the wee hours like back in the old days. Anyone remember when TV stations went off air at like 11:00 or 12:00 AM? LOL!

Jeff

Question three?

Anyone bought a tilting wall mount yet? I got one for $100 at Sam's but I'm going to have to use the included adapter plates to make it fit, if it will fit. Apparently, 25" is a wide "spread" for a 42" TV?
Jeff

Peerless has finally updated their website with the PL5060N (http://www.peerlessindustries.com/finder_results.cfm?ut=I&mdl=pl5060n) but not the 42" yet. :(

Omnimout's website has the new models listed as well.

Two questions:

Anyone know where/how to get the THX glasses to use THX color calibration that is designed for them?

Anyone got any good tips on how/where to calibrate TV/cable/sat reception? I've heard that a couple of channels (on Sat at least) put up color bars during the wee hours like back in the old days. Anyone remember when TV stations went off air at like 11:00 or 12:00 AM? LOL!

Jeff
I used the THX and only needed a piece of blue plastic to look through, I had that blue stuff from An Ovation Home Theater Tune-up Program. I just recorded test patterns off of HD Net on Dish this morning, it is broadcast every Tuesday morning,it was 3:50 am pst.

Cool, thanks for the info!

Hi all, I've been trolling these forums for awhile and recently decided to purchase the 4260n. Overall I am very happy with the purchase. I have one problem that I would like to see if anybody else has experienced with this set. When connected to my cable providers HD box, I get 1 pink bar and 1 green bar that scroll vertically up the screen. I've had the cable company come out and troubleshoot, and they can't figure it out. This does not occur on any other components ie xbox360, gamecube, dvd player... It is hooked up via component cables. I have tried this also with svideo, and the bars are still there, but they are black. Anyone having a similar problem or know what might be causing this?

Do you have a DVI or HDMI out from cable box?, if so try them, but this sure sounds like a cable box problem.

As much as cable companies throw around cable boxes and cable modems, you'd think they would have swapped your box just to be sure. My local billing site is only a couple of miles from my house and if I have a problem with my cable modem, I can just walk in and drop it on the counter and walk right back out with a brand new one. Insist that they swap your box if they haven't already.

Better yet, if you don't get a lot of HD channels and if your lower channels are analog piped to digital (most cable providers aren't digital until you get past channel 81 or so), consider switching to Dish Network or DirectTV. Dish has 25 HD channels and Direct has around 20, I think. I'm using my cable company for internet only and Dish for my TV.
Jeff

They did switch out the box , but to no avail. I do have a DVI out, but I don't have a dvi-to-hdmi adapter. I guess I will try to get one and see what happens. If I use the DVI out, I won't be able to play sound through the speakers will I? I've thought about using dish network, but I have heard horror stories of the video being compressed so much it looks horrible. Right now I have package deal through my cable co. where I get internet, HDtv, and digital phone for a pretty good price. I may just shop around and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the input!

Power usage update on HP PL 4260n. Using Kill a Watt I determined that I used 3.69 kwh in a 24 hr. period, tv was on 16 hrs. ,.23 kwh was for 8 hrs. in Fast start mode while tv was off. It draws 29 to 31 watts in fast start mode, voltage varied from 119v to 121v. During tv on session it draws anywhere from 150 watts to 265 watts, but since I was not seeing the Kill a Watt lcd display all the time, the reading spread is probably different. I watched hockey game , lots of white, and the highest reading I saw was 265watts. These figures will vary depending on your tv settings, my settings are 50 contrast, 36 brightness, and 42 saturation, sharpness 14.

hi ive had the hp 5060 for around 3 months or so, since it came out. I have noticed a problem watching dishnetwork programming mostly with high def. the screen occasionally flickers on and off almost like the backlight is turning on and off rapidly in some scenes filmed in bright daylight. It doesnt happen all the time but was just wondering if anyone else had seen anything similar. It only happens occasionally - not with every bright daylight scene but when its happening its very noticeably a defect. Any thoughts ? the tvs been fantastic otherwise ...

I have not had that happen, but my guess would be the automatic brightness level feature in your tv, I have been watching for any detrimental affect from that feature, and have seen none. What Dish box are you using when this happens? Are these HD channels Voom where you have the problem?

Usually I have a choice of the following aspect modes:

Automatic
16:9
4:3
Zoom1
Zoom2

Every once in awhile "Panorama" appears on the list as well. It appears to be a mode which leaves the center of the picture untouched and stretches the edges. Once I saw it on FoxNews where the scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen made the edge-stretch very noticeable.

What determines whether Panorama is an option?

Usually I have a choice of the following aspect modes:

Automatic
16:9
4:3
Zoom1
Zoom2

Every once in awhile "Panorama" appears on the list as well. It appears to be a mode which leaves the center of the picture untouched and stretches the edges. Once I saw it on FoxNews where the scrolling ticker at the bottom of the screen made the edge-stretch very noticeable.

What determines whether Panorama is an option?

It only is active when your using S-video input

I've had my HP PL5060N for about a week now. When watching something in 720p, very intermittently the screen will go black for no more than a second then be fine. Its difficult to describe, its very similar to the xbox 360's screen saver where you can see the image but there's a black screen over it. I've only seen this when playing xbox 360 (at 720p) and during FOX's NASCAR coverage (also 720p). I wonder if this is some sort of anti burn-in technology because the NASCAR race has the still image at the top for the banner and the game I was playing on the xbox had an area that did not change for a long period. Or is this something wrong with my TV. Thanks in advance.

If it happens when watching a bright scene it could be the auto brightness function kicking in to darken the picture.

it sounds like the auto brightness, is there a way to disable that? I saw reference to a service manual earlier in the thread but saw no link and havent found it on HP's site.

it sounds like the auto brightness, is there a way to disable that? I saw reference to a service manual earlier in the thread but saw no link and havent found it on HP's site.
It can be changed in the service menu, but since I don't have this problem, I will not risk going into that menu. I have the Service Manual.

It can be changed in the service menu, but since I don't have this problem, I will not risk going into that menu. I have the Service Manual.
Would you happen to have an electronic version, link to it, or how did you get the service manual? Thanks.

I downloaded it from HP site, I did send it to one person, but he sent me a link to his FTP web site. Otherwise it is 39 or 40 mb, too big for enail provider.

It only is active when your using S-video input

I'll check that but this couldn't explain my situation since I'm using the component connection out of my cable box, and I saw the Panorama option on a channel from the box.

Let me know what you find. I just went through all my tv inputs and only S-video has a Panoramic aspect choice, might have something to do with your cable box aspect ratio choices.

The 2006 model 4260 cost less than last years model 4200N..why is that. I know last years had built in speakers but the contrast is 10000/1 to 3000/1..is the old model that much better? EPP shows 1599 for the 4260 vs 1999 for the 4200N...

The 2006 model 4260 cost less than last years model 4200N..why is that. I know last years had built in speakers but the contrast is 10000/1 to 3000/1..is the old model that much better? EPP shows 1599 for the 4260 vs 1999 for the 4200N...
The new HPs are LGs not like last years Panasonics.

So are you saying that this years model is inferior based on the panels?

I'm not saying anything, I'm just telling you why there's a price difference. You be the judge as to which you think is better.

To follow up on the flicker problem that I reported and it sounds like 'nightnative' saw the same thing... I've been able to reproduce it consistently with an xbox 360 and GRAW, I was hoping someone might be able to run the same test on their HP PL5060N to determine if its a faulty TV, or something inherent with this model.

If you have an xbox 360, switch it to 720p. Load up GRAW (Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter), and start the "Bulldog" mission. When you get off the chopper onto the rooftop, kill yourself (sit on a grenade) - when it flashes and brings up the "you have died - press A" screen, you'll see where it goes into a darkened screen saver mode. Press A and the screen resets to normal. If you switch to 1080i, it does not do this.

I was looking at 50-inch plasmas at BB and thought the HP gives the most detailed and nature looking picture of all. Plus it has the VGA port I really want. Price is right too. But I notice the color is kind of dull comparing to the panasonic and pioneer. I was playing with color settings, cold,std,warm,hue,etc... But I could not get a clear blue sky blue out of it. This is the only thing holding me back buying this one. Any thoughts on the HP color?
THX

My 42" has great color, did you try the Saturation adjustment?

Didn't notice any problem with the color. Maybe it was a bad feed?

They were feeding the same signal to all plasmas. HP's blue sky is kind of pinkish. I changed saturation too. It helped but still couldn't get that blue we are all familiar with. Thanks for the feedback.

Now that some of you have had you TV for a while, what are your impressions? I saw these HPs at BB and the feed was awful. I did like the looks of the set and the detachable speaker a lot. Has anyone compared it to the Toshibas that also use the LG panels? Have you noticed problems with fast motions?
How about the early reports of image retention, are the TVs performing better in regards to IR?

Thanks!

I don't see nearly as much IR as I did early on. I'm over the 100 hour mark now. Regarding fast motions I haven't noticed any problems. What exactly have your heard or are you expecting to see or not see?

Maddening. My new 42" HP works well. Very, very nice HD PQ via HDMI or componenet. SD is OK.

but issue: Comcast STB (Motorola) via HDMI gives wonderful picuture but no audio comes through. Set even displays text box that says "No HDMI Audio."

HDMI video and audio works out of my new Sony 75H DVD player.

I seemed to have tried all the audio adjustments and Comcast adjustments, but can't get it to work. I do get Comcast auio via the HDMi if I put STB it on SD output.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I was looking at 50-inch plasmas at BB and thought the HP gives the most detailed and nature looking picture of all. Plus it has the VGA port I really want. Price is right too. But I notice the color is kind of dull comparing to the panasonic and pioneer. I was playing with color settings, cold,std,warm,hue,etc... But I could not get a clear blue sky blue out of it. This is the only thing holding me back buying this one. Any thoughts on the HP color?
THX

I too went to my local BB and saw the 5060 and 4260 stacked together, they had the same feed with a lot of other plasmas next to them. The 4260 looked wonderful, but the 5060 looked all faded. I did not bother with any adjustment. I knew BB did not do their job setting the 5060. I purchased my 5060 from HP directly. All I can say is WOW.

but issue: Comcast STB (Motorola) via HDMI gives wonderful picuture but no audio comes through. Set even displays text box that says "No HDMI Audio."

I'd suspect the STB.

BB has been good to me. So far, they've matched their own price twice. They went down $99 and gave me $108 (price + 10%). Then, they went down another $100 and I'll be getting another check for $110.

Regards,
Jeff

I don't see nearly as much IR as I did early on. I'm over the 100 hour mark now. Regarding fast motions I haven't noticed any problems. What exactly have your heard or are you expecting to see or not see?


Flyjar,

It's not that I expect the HPs to do poorly in some areas, but many plasmas have problems with fast motions. Are you happy with the black-levels of your plasma? How about SD picture quality?


BTW, have the other owners also noticed and improvement in image retention?

Thanks again!

Flyjar,

It's not that I expect the HPs to do poorly in some areas, but many plasmas have problems with fast motions. Are you happy with the black-levels of your plasma? How about SD picture quality?


BTW, have the other owners also noticed and improvement in image retention?

Thanks again!

I have 42" and only ir I have seen is when turning on the panel without my Dish 622 turned on, the logo from HP and the moving logo from Dish leave some ir, but as soon as Dish box is turned on that IR goes away, I have seen no fast motion probs, and black levels seem as good as my old Toshiba HD crt

I like the black levels and the picture seems to get better every time I look at it. I changed from a decent JVC 32" set to my 42" HP. Since they're so close in size, it's not hard to do an apples to apples comparison on the color/black performance. The time I notice IR is when a scene fades to black. Often, the last visible part of the image will leave a trace on the screen but when something else comes up, it's gone.

Anyone have any chance getting iScan HD to drive the 5060? The display indicated that it is receiving 1280x768 when I send a 1365x768 signal, can't figure out why.

I've had my 4260 for about three weeks. My impressions are as follows... This TV does not look anywhere near as good as the Samsung that I returned to buy the HP. Motion artifacts galore unless you turn the sharpness way down. Under 20 at least. One row and column of macro blocking around every edge of the screen with most HD signals. The remote is cheesy and cheap looking and feeling. SD picture quality is much better than the Samsung that I had. All in all, I am sorry I didn't wait until I had enough money to buy a Panny or a Pio. Suffering from major buyers remorse. BTW, I would recommend that you do not buy a Plasma TV from 6th Avenue electronics. All plasma sales are final and they wont give an inch. Also, the salesman blatantly lied to my face. I hate to have to write a bad review of the TV and the store, but these are the facts. The Samsung plasma I was using was a commercial model. Except for contrast and brightness, all of the other adjustment controls were locked or greyed out with no way to adjust them, but even without being able to calibrate it, the picture would blow everyone who saw it away, including me. HD on the Samsung looked the best I have ever seen a TV picture look and I am on my 4th 42" Plasma. I'm hoping that HD DVD's will look good on the HP. I'll let you know on the 7th when it arrives. BB has this HP on sale for 1799 this week. If you have had or do have a good plasma, you might be disappointed with this brand and model. I am, but there's nothing I can do about it now except sell it for a loss and buy something else. I think I might do that and I hate wasting money like that. I hope you all have better luck with the HP than I did if you decide to pull the trigger on it. Just remember...NO 6th Ave electronics. Good Luck!

That is amazing, my 4260 is just about perfect, none of the things you report are happening to me, but one thing that is strange is that if I have a beef it is the lower quality of SD compared to what I had on my 32" hdtv

I've had my 4260 for about three weeks. My impressions are as follows... This TV does not look anywhere near as good as the Samsung that I returned to buy the HP. Motion artifacts galore unless you turn the sharpness way down. Under 20 at least. One row and column of macro blocking around every edge of the screen with most HD signals. The remote is cheesy and cheap looking and feeling. SD picture quality is much better than the Samsung that I had. All in all, I am sorry I didn't wait until I had enough money to buy a Panny or a Pio. Suffering from major buyers remorse. BTW, I would recommend that you do not buy a Plasma TV from 6th Avenue electronics. All plasma sales are final and they wont give an inch. Also, the salesman blatantly lied to my face. I hate to have to write a bad review of the TV and the store, but these are the facts. The Samsung plasma I was using was a commercial model. Except for contrast and brightness, all of the other adjustment controls were locked or greyed out with no way to adjust them, but even without being able to calibrate it, the picture would blow everyone who saw it away, including me. HD on the Samsung looked the best I have ever seen a TV picture look and I am on my 4th 42" Plasma. I'm hoping that HD DVD's will look good on the HP. I'll let you know on the 7th when it arrives. BB has this HP on sale for 1799 this week. If you have had or do have a good plasma, you might be disappointed with this brand and model. I am, but there's nothing I can do about it now except sell it for a loss and buy something else. I think I might do that and I hate wasting money like that. I hope you all have better luck with the HP than I did if you decide to pull the trigger on it. Just remember...NO 6th Ave electronics. Good Luck!


Hmmm, I do not have any of the problem you have. My contrast is at 45 and no problems, just beautiful pictures. One thing I agree is the remote, it does feel light weight.

If you calibrated your TV, chances are you sharpness is below 20 anyway. At least it was for me using Avia. Try these settings:

Bightness 50
Contrast 38
Saturation 42
Hue 0
Sharpness 14
Temperature Cold

One row and column of macro blocking around every edge of the screen with most HD signals.This must be coming from your cable company/cable box. I don't have this problem.

As far as the remote, that's a silly complaint. Why are you using the standard non-universal remote anyway? Most people switch out their remotes immediately.

SD isn't the greatest, but then again it sucks on most HD TVs.

Also, the salesman blatantly lied to my face.What did he say? Why make this statement without a reason?

Hi everyone, big Noob on plasmas, and getting first later today and I've decided on this the HP 42. Will let you know all the juicy details. This forum has been a superb resource for research. I feel so comfortable with this purchase...cheers! Till then..

Congratulations, but didn't you read Waxmaster's posts? I'm still waiting for him to update us all..

:)

The current price at the BB is lower than I've seen posted here. I'm not going to post it, lest I gloat.

To the BB we go!

BB also has that massaging chair free with any tv purchase over $999. They charge shipping for it though, and it's for online orders. I did in-store pickup. Now, I'm waiting for the pickup email.

The only reason I mentioned the cheesy remote is because some people want to know how the remote is. And the salesman showed me another HP remote that looked awsesome so I was disappointed to see the one that came with it wasn't the one that the salesman showed me. I personally use a Harmony 880 so it makes no difference to me. So the remote was lie one. As far as what else the salesman lied to me about, and I admit this is my own fault for not doing more research on it, is he told me that it had PIP and he also told me it was made by Panasonic. I asked the PIP question as I was at the desk paying for the TV. I should have checked it out before I paid. As far as it being made by Panny, apparently last years model was made by Panny, but this years is made by LG (phillips). Still no excuse. He gave me the wrong info. I'm Sorry if I offended anyone with my impressions of the 4260N. I didn't mean to upset anyone or give any of you PL4260N owners buyer's remorse. I promise that was not my intention. I just wanted to let everyone know how it compared to other plasma's I have owned, IMHO. Sorry about that if I offended anyone. I have calibrated it using Avia, though I do appreciate you posting your settings. Mine were almost exactly the same, except for the brightness which I had 2 numbers higher. Good Luck!

I have a link to download the PL4260N and 5060N service manual. If someone needs the link, PM me. I can't figure out how to post a link.

Pulled this right from the service manuals... might explain why the HP does not look as good as I hoped it would.

Panasonic vs HP
............................Level of Gradation..............Colors
PL4260N(new)..............1024.................... .........1B
PL4200N(previous).........2048................... .......8.5B
42PX50(previous)..........2048................... .......8.5B
42PX60(new)................3076................... ........29B

Can someone tell me the time that the test pattern is up on HDNET? Is it Net1 or 2? I recorded HDNET from 2:30 AM until 3:30 AM CST last night and can't seem to find it on my recording.
Thanks,
Jeff

Can someone tell me the time that the test pattern is up on HDNET? Is it Net1 or 2? I recorded HDNET from 2:30 AM until 3:30 AM CST last night and can't seem to find it on my recording.
Thanks,
Jeff

4:50 am west coast time Tuesdays..

I did make one mistake in my opinion of the 4260N. I said that there was one line of macro blocking around the entire outside edge on HD Channels. I meant to say SD channels. I don't have this problem with HD channels. Still waiting for that HD DVD player to arrive....Has anyone seen one hooked up the the new HP? If so, any thoughts or impressions? Thanks

Thanks Dan. I went over to HDNet's site and found it. You were off by an hour but I appreciate your responce nonetheless. Here's a link to the programming search (http://hdnetmovies.com/program_search_results.html?keyword=test&whattosearch=both) I did. It's at 3:50 PT which makes it 1:50 CST for me. I was recording to catch 2:50 CST previously. I can't wait to snag it tomorrow.
Jeff

Well, after a few delivery challenges, should have it home today. Will have plenty of comments and pics up in the next few days. My excitement floweth over...giggity giggity giggity!!

Hi All,

I got my PL4260N delivered last saturday. I'm having the same problem as some of the comcast subscribers here, "HDMI Audio Unavailable" in HDMI.

I am now using component connections while shopping around for a good (but not great) sound system. Probably around the 500 to 1K range.

Ideas anyone?

Thanks.

Hi All,

I got my PL4260N delivered last saturday. I'm having the same problem as some of the comcast subscribers here, "HDMI Audio Unavailable" in HDMI.

I am now using component connections while shopping around for a good (but not great) sound system. Probably around the 500 to 1K range.

Ideas anyone?

Thanks.

Pioneer or Sony are good choices if you don't want to spend a lot. Velodyne sub woofer is a good choice, don't skim on a sub if your going to buy one, also Sony and Pioneer small 100w speakers are inexpensive and sound good. I have some of all of these in a small den and they can drive my wife to pulling her hair out. lol

Can some of you who just got you new tv comment on how long the delivery proces took. I ordered a PL4260n last Thursday and needless to say I am pretty anxious. This is my first HD tv. I also bought a Harman Kardon AVR240 and DVD27 from HK through eBay. There are some pretty good deals to be had and I really like the iPod Bridge. I will be using an existing Cambridge SoundWorks speaker system with powered sub. Now if I can only find a good source of reasonably priced component video cables. Monoprice shows no availability until 6/30 for the ones I wanted.

Lowbar...You can try bluejeanscables.com They are great cables for the price and have a 30 day no questions asked return policy. I bought the tools and the cable and connectors so I can make my own that are exactly like bluejeans. It was more economical given the number of cables I needed, but they really are great cables for the price. Some say they are the best cables. I suggest the Beldin 7710A component cable. It's about as thick around as a garden hose. I hope this helps. Good Luck!

Figure a max of 10 working days, I got mine in 9 days, a friend who lives in my neighborhood, and bought his 4260 before me , had his tv arrive in Sparks ,Nv. on about the 7th day and when he called the shipping company he was told that they only delivered in our town once a month and next schedulled delivery day was May 4th, he called HP and they saw to it that he got it the next day, heck, he got his on Apr. 21, I ordered mine same day and got mine on May 4th.

The link for the HP PL4260N and HP PL5060N service manual is...

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40736

It's 40MB

The link for the HP PL4260N and HP PL5060N service manual is...

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40736

It's 40MB

Thank You

Took home a PL 4260n from BB on Sunday.

I am sitting here trying to decide on what cables I want to order to run to the source closet.

This TV will be used primarily for use with a DIrect TV HS 20 HD receiver.

Knowing some displays/source combinations work better with HDMI, and others with component, I am looking for opinions as to which would be best for this specific combo. If the consensus is HDMI, I may opt not to run any component or audio cables.

Thanks

Don

That's a tough question, I use HDMI but component is good also,it gives more contrast then HDMI

After one week with new HP42":

HD channels via my Comcast STB look very good. I had two Vizio 42HDTV's before this HP. I would give the HD nod to HP. The Vizio overall was better on SD channels.

Remote on the HP is pretty weak.

HDMI audio will not work with my comcast STB, which is very maddening but there is a lot of this outthere. A pox on these cable companies for not updating firmware.

NO PIP with the HP, but I don't really care. One of the more quiet plasma sets ever. My first Vizio buzzed like mad, and even the second one made some humming.

Took home a PL 4260n from BB on Sunday.

I am sitting here trying to decide on what cables I want to order to run to the source closet.

This TV will be used primarily for use with a DIrect TV HS 20 HD receiver.

Knowing some displays/source combinations work better with HDMI, and others with component, I am looking for opinions as to which would be best for this specific combo. If the consensus is HDMI, I may opt not to run any component or audio cables.

Thanks

Don

For me, HDMI looked better than Component. I tried them both with a Directv HD receiver model HR10-250 and also an upconverting DVD player with DVI out. I used an HDMI to DVI adapter. The HDMI cable I got from Bluejeans is very nice and it didn't even cost a quarter of what the best Monster cable of the same length costs and I read all over that BlueJeans sells great cables and I have to agree. The 26FT HDMI that I got from them was like $40 and it's very thick and well made. Who knows which cables are better, but I always have a great picture with all of their stuff. They also have a 30 day no questions asked return policy and cheap 2-3 day shipping so you can't go wrong. They should start paying me for referrals!

I have a noob question. I have Comcast. Can I plug the coax cable directly into this set and use the built in tuner, or do I need the set-top box?

By the way, the picture is amazing, and it is very quiet.
I didn't want to wait for BB to deliver. Especially because they seemed to all be going out of stock quickly. I loaded up the car and got it home.

You'll need the box if you want HD content.

The set has a built-in NTSC and QAMs tuners. You can pick up analog cable channels as well as any un-encrypted digital - including HD. I don't know what Comcast has, but on my local Time Warner cable I can get the HD feeds for the major networks and several other things in HD. Any of the "premium" channels will probably require the box.

Took home a PL 4260n from BB on Sunday.

I am sitting here trying to decide on what cables I want to order to run to the source closet.

This TV will be used primarily for use with a DIrect TV HS 20 HD receiver.

Knowing some displays/source combinations work better with HDMI, and others with component, I am looking for opinions as to which would be best for this specific combo. If the consensus is HDMI, I may opt not to run any component or audio cables.

Thanks

Don

Well I just ordered both cables from Mono Price.

The 25' component/audio cable was to cheap not to just fish it while I'm at it.

Thanks for the replies Waxmaster and Dirtydan. I will post my impressions once I get everything connected.

Don

What HD resolution are people using with these panels?

The manual tends to suggest that 720p is best.

Since the native res of the panel is neither 1080i or 720p, I surmise that the panel would have to convert 1080i to 540p, then upconvert to 1024x768p. Then again, the HD receiver also has to process 1080i native broadcast to 720p.

Soooo, I wonder is one conversion (native 1080i or native 720p from the HD box then converted at the panel to 1024x768p) superior to 1080i converted to 720p at the HD receiver, then converted again to 768p at the panel.

LOL, I really need to get this thing up and running, and stop this mindless speculation :)

I really think either is fine, I have tried both for periods of time, can't see a difference.

Someone mentioned picture in picture. My Moto 622 VIP Dish receiver will do the PIP for me.

As for the cable speculation. I ordered the 35' HDMI from Monoprice and a 35' component from Cable Wholesale for a total around $90. They both perform well. In fact, I think the 35' component performs better than the previous 6' component I had if that's possible. I haven't compared component vs HDMI for the same source. I use HDMI for my sat receiver and component for DVD.

Don, you raise some interesting questions on the conversion issue. Right now, I have my receiver set to send everything as 1080i over the HDMI to my panel. SD might actually look a little better if I were to send it as 720p. If I have a chance to play with it, I'll let you know.

Dan, are you using the HP speakers? I'm using my Orb Audio speakers but when I originally hooked up the TOSlink from the sat receiver to my JVC A/V receiver's optical input and it came through all garbled. As a work-around, I ran my TOSlink from my HP back to my JVC receiver for audio. The problem is, I'm about to move the panel to a wall mount (hence the 35' cables) and I'd like to not have to spring for a 35' TOSlink cable just to get audio back to my JVC. In short, it seems that the TOSlink (optical) output from my VIP isn't working properly. If it was, I could just jump from the Moto to the JVC for audio. Then, I could use the coax digital for the DVD audio.

Still loving the panel. However, I think some extra tweaking is needed on mine because some of my blacks are looking blotchy or muted at the moment.

Regards,
Jeff

I do use the panels speakers at times, they are on the floor and sound pretty darned good until they get overdriven with bass. I have toslink to Pioneer a/v works fine, but one thing I noticed is that since hooking it up from VIP 622 to Pioneer I have had to turn vol. up a lot more then with my old 32" tv. Its like there is some heavy resistance. Now at one point after setting all this up I had a problem with my VIP remote when I turned off the Pioneer it would turn right back on again, I hit the off button again and it would stay off, I could have damaged something after doing that a few times.

Any one notice dead/stuck pixels on their panel? After 2+ week, I noticed my first stuck (black) pixel yesterday up close. Does it bother me, yes. But from where I sit and watch, I can't see it.

I have not seen any dead pixels, but I have not really tried to find any, I will take a close look when I get towards the end of warranty period..

I am looking at the PL5060N.

Thanks. Yeah I just went and looked at it in person at BB. It seems like a great deal on a 50" plasma. The picture quality seemed to be on par with all the other plasmas in there. Is there anything I should specifically be looking for when viewing different models? Subtle differences in clarity? Back lighting? Etc?

HDNet Test Pattern... Is that all there is? The HDNet logo swirling around for a minute or two? I was expecting color bars and an overscan marking. The web site listed it as being on at 5:50 AM CST today. I recorded the show at 5:00 (That's Life) and the show after (Namaste) and the only thing that resembled a test was the HDNet logo floating for a few minutes. I don't know what to do with that.
Jeff

You really don't get a true idea of how good any of those plasmas are in a place like BB, but when you get one home you will be awed.

HDNet Test Pattern... Is that all there is? The HDNet logo swirling around for a minute or two? I was expecting color bars and an overscan marking. The web site listed it as being on at 5:50 AM CST today. I recorded the show at 5:00 (That's Life) and the show after (Namaste) and the only thing that resembled a test was the HDNet logo floating for a few minutes. I don't know what to do with that.
JeffYou missed it somehow, it has three patterns: Color Bars, Convergence (useless for a plasma) and Overscan/Resolution. Each pattern plays for about two minutes (if memory serves).

The thing that really ticks me off is the way HDNet's schedule on their web site works. If I search for test pattern (like the link in my previous post), it tells me what time it will be on today, even though it was sometime in the wee hours of today. Then, it tells me that it will be on the same time next week. How about telling me when it will be on NEXT! DUH! I'll try again. I recorded two hours of HDNet yesterday and fast forwarded through the entire recording even backing up a few times to make sure I didn't miss it. I surely didn't see it. At about the time it should have been on, I saw the logo thingy moving around. One of these days...
Thanks again,
Jeff

Jeff, what tv service do you use?

Isn't it odd that HP published the SERVICE manual on its web site.Its an unbelievable asset to anyone who owns one of these.

Hmmm, I could only find the User Manual there... Do you have a link (or the file) available??

Tnx...

Hmmm, I could only find the User Manual there... Do you have a link (or the file) available??

Tnx...
Try this. Looks like a bum link.
http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/fo...ead.php?t=40736

I have the service manual, but too large to email. You might try a pm to Waxmaster, he says he has a link to the manual.

Waxmaster PMed me with the link. He also posted it in this thread. I'm pretty sure it's the service manual. This is the title in the PDF, not the file name: "High-Definition Plasma TV Service Manual"
Jeff

Jeff, what tv service do you use?

I use Dish. Remember? We both have the Moto 622 receiver. ;)

I use Dish. Remember? We both have the Moto 622 receiver. ;)

Not Moto, but VIP, I just looked in the guide on a Monday evening and found the the item in question and set the timer to record it, worked fine for me. It did start at 9 minutes to the hour.. Actually, you would be better served to use the THX utility from one of your DVDs,

The new HP PL4260n was delivered today. It is set up with my old Comcast STB and SD looks better than I expected. Now with alot of pleading and begging I'll be able to get Comcast out to swap of the STB for a HD DVR version.

The HK AVR240 showed up yesterday and it sounds great.

Can someone please give me the width of the PL4260N with the speakers removed??

Thanks

I have the service manual, but too large to email. You might try a pm to Waxmaster, he says he has a link to the manual.

Thanks dirtydan, I got it...

Can someone please give me the width of the PL4260N with the speakers removed??

Thanks

41 1/2" and base is 31 3/4"

Thanks Dirty

Thanks Dirty

Glad I could help, Super

Not Moto, but VIP, I just looked in the guide on a Monday evening and found the the item in question and set the timer to record it, worked fine for me. It did start at 9 minutes to the hour.. Actually, you would be better served to use the THX utility from one of your DVDs,

You're right about the receiver. I guess it was an assumption on my part since I thought the 942 (its predecessor) was Motorola.

The reason I'm chasing that test pattern so hard is because the satellite is fed to my panel's HDMI port and DVD is fed to the component. I wanted a test that is specific to my television viewing source. At any rate, I've wandered from the original calibrated settings I had and I thought I'd try again since I have more experience and more hours on the panel.

Regards,
Jeff

Can anyone who owns the PL5060N let me know what they like and don't like about the display. I'm trying to decide between the 42" and the 50" and want to know if the 50" is as good as the 42. (A friend owns the 42 and I love it!) We sit 12-14' away in our apartment, so I've been told that the 50" is better for this distance, but I've also read that SD looks pretty bad on this display.
Also is the extended warranty worth it? A BB sales rep was trying to convince me that it was a "no brainer" and if your screen burns in, they take care of it, but I read the fine print of the warranty and it says it does not cover Image Burn. I also saw extended warrantys on eBay for a fraction of the store price. Are they a scam?
Thanks for any help you can provide!

Regarding extended warranties - don't pay more than 5% of the cost of the TV per year.
Example:
TV = $2000
2 yr. Warranty <= $200
3 yr. Warranty <= $300
4 yr. Warranty <= $400

Personally, I don't buy them. The manufactor's warranty (on the HP) is good for 1 year, usually most problems occur in that time frame.

I also saw those 3 year warrantys on Ebay for $109.00..I'm just not sure how they can link it up with your purchase since they are not being bought at the same time or place..Hopefully someone has had some experience with these secondary warrantys..For $109 it seems like a no brainer if legit
The BB rep also was all over me for the warranty..I think they get bonus' for selling them..I don't usually get them either but with such a big purchase I was thinking about it..

Before reading, please keep in mind that I am a plasma noob and am not a die-hard videophile…

I recently got my PL5060N from Micro Center and it replaced my 2 year old Sony Grand Wega (Vega?) III RPLCD - KF-50WE610.

I was looking at Plasmas as they have come down significantly in the past two years. The HP had caught my eye as I couldn't get the commercial panny (need the stand and did not want to pay extra) and the newer pannys I have seen (50PX60U) had such a chalky picture that I couldn't justify getting one even with the rave reviews. Also, the silver casing is not my favorite thing either.

Then I noticed the HP in a Best Buy one day and thought the picture was amazing! Dollar for Dollar very comparable to the other Plasmas in its class. I showed a friend that had just gotten the 50 inch commercial panny“8UK” and he was impressed. My other consideration was the new Zenith (Z50PX2D). The HP had the nicest aesthetics, so I set my sights on this.

I am not one to “go by the numbers” as they say. Contrast ratio #’s and gradations #’s don’t really mean much to me as PQ is what is I look at. This set impressed me, as did the price I was offered (Micro Center had these at 20% off, so it lowered the price to that of a 42”.)

Now that I have had it in my home a few days and used the settings I have seen here, I have been able to form an initial opinion…

First, yes, the Remote is cheesy and the OSD is, well an OSD. As long as they work, I really don’t care. Now on with the analysis:

SD picture quality is slightly more “noisy” than my “old” Sony and I was a bit thrown off because of this. I watch mostly SD channels and this really bothered me, at first. However, HD and DVD playback is superb! I am watching the opening sequence of Star Wars III and the black level is head and shoulders beyond the capabilities of the Sony. Another thing I have noticed is the colors are much more vibrant, and the level of detail is amazing. This has “calmed my senses” and am very impressed with this set.

I have not noticed ANY image retention nor artifacts in fast moving scenes or any of the problems mentioned in this thread. Coming from the Sony, the contrast is amazing and, as stated, the colors are awe-inspiring. Maybe my eyes just aren’t as sensitive as others, but be that as it may I am happy I pulled the trigger on this model. I was also more comfortable after I found out my AMEX card doubles the Mfg Warranty, so that is 2 years I don’t have to worry.

I’ll follow-up with some images and more thoughts when I get more time with this set and after the break-in period.

My settings:
Bightness 35
Contrast 35
Saturation 42
Hue 0
Sharpness 0
Temperature Cold

Any thoughts on these settings during the break-in period?

Thanks all in this forum for your help in making my decision less aggravating.

Your settings are fine, if you can put up with the results. Just keep the screen filled for the first couple hundred hours.

It looks like the link for the service manual is gone now. I hope a few of you got in on it before they pulled it. If anyone wants it and you have a place to upload it to, PM me and I'll be happy to transfer it over. I can burn a copy of it to CD also if you really need it.

I was surprised to see extended warranties offered directly from HP on their website and you can buy it up to a year after you bought the set (I think I read that right, but please check before you buy a warranty). The prices were a little cheaper than what the store quoted me at the time of purchase. If I was going to buy a warranty, I'd probably go right through the manufacturer (distributor). Personally, I look at the day my TV stops working as the day I have a good reason to go buy a new one.

Right on, I have a cd of the service manual if any one needs it. Heck I have a friend that printed the whole thing out and put it in a binder. Also HP will let a person wait till the last month of the one year warranty to buy the extended warranty..

I just recalibrated using AVIA. Source is a Toshiba HD-A1 at 1080i. Here are the results (Below). The picture looks as good as HDNet does at 1080i. That's about the best way to describe it I guess. That's using HD DVD's. SD DVD's look awesome too. Not as good, but as good as I have ever seen them look. A little better than my Samsung DVB318 at 1080i.

Has anyone else calibrated their set? I did see the earlier post with results on page 4 of this thread. Mine are different so I wanted to see how they all compare. Thanks

Contrast - 44
Brightness - 41
Hue - +3
Sat - 50
Sharpness - 11

Thanks again if you can post your results!

I went out and bought the PL5060N yesterday, brought it home and hooked it up. My first impressions are not worth much seeing as I now need to get an HD cable box, HDMI cable, etc. but SD television and DVD look pretty good anyway. I was worried that SD would be terrible, but it looks great so far...
Thanks Flyjar and Supergm for the comments on warranties.
Will certainly let you know more when I can really test it out.

I downloaded the Break-in DVD image and have been playing it today while I listen to some music off of my computer, which is hooked up to the TV. My question is: Can I use the full screen visualizations in Windows Media Player during the break in? It seems that it changes the pixels randomly, maybe not as even as the DVD, but I don't want to do anything that would be adverse during this time. I was just curious.

Thanks,

En :)

I would think that anything that fills the screen would be safe, as long as there are no static logos and such.

I SD DVD's look awesome too. Not as good, but as good as I have ever seen them look.


Hey Wax, the HTGuys (the ones who do the Thursday Podcast linked from this site) covered a review that someone did on the new Tosh HD DVD player. They said that for SD DVDs the 720p or 480p looked as good or better than the 1080i from the player. Maybe you can benefit from that information, I don't know. I noticed you listed the settings in a different order than what's on my menu. Did you get the correct values with each setting? I'm still waiting for a good upconverting DVD player/recorder. I'm not getting into the format war for at least another year. I've calibrated using the THX on DVD but I've changed it several times since while playing around. My current settings are:

Brightness - 45
Contrast - 41
Saturation - 42
Hue - 0
Sharpness - 13
Color temp - Standard

I mostly watch the HD channels and a little bit of SD when nothing in HD interests me. I sure like Rave and the live performances on HDNet. Chicago, Phil Collins, John Mayer, Travis Tritt. It's pretty cool seeing some of the old movies like 007 in HD.

Regards,
Jeff

Jeff, regarding your question about Dish packages, just spring for the Platnum, that way you get almost everything and save the DVR fee.

Good suggestion Dan. As soon as I win the lottery or get promoted, I'll call Dish and upgrade :D

Hey Wax, the HTGuys (the ones who do the Thursday Podcast linked from this site) covered a review that someone did on the new Tosh HD DVD player. They said that for SD DVDs the 720p or 480p looked as good or better than the 1080i from the player. Maybe you can benefit from that information, I don't know. I noticed you listed the settings in a different order than what's on my menu. Did you get the correct values with each setting? I'm still waiting for a good upconverting DVD player/recorder. I'm not getting into the format war for at least another year. I've calibrated using the THX on DVD but I've changed it several times since while playing around. My current settings are:

Brightness - 45
Contrast - 41
Saturation - 42
Hue - 0
Sharpness - 13
Color temp - Standard

I mostly watch the HD channels and a little bit of SD when nothing in HD interests me. I sure like Rave and the live performances on HDNet. Chicago, Phil Collins, John Mayer, Travis Tritt. It's pretty cool seeing some of the old movies like 007 in HD.

Regards,
Jeff


Thanks a lot Jeff! That's definately helpful information. As far as my settings go, I know they are out of order. For some strange reason, when I wrote them down before I started the calibration, I wrote them in the wrong order. The numbers are correct though. They are in the correct corresponding setting. I'm going to re-calibrate again one of these nights and see if I don't come up with the same settings. I also will have my hands on one of those SpyderTV calibration devices. I'm curious to see how well that thing works. Thanks again for your info on the HD DVD player. Regards

I really need to get around to playing with my settings some more. But appears as though most of us pretty much agree. I really want to calibrate the TV 3 times with each of the color temperature settings to see what's the difference.

Waxmaster, regarding your settings:
Hue +3 seems odd, everyone else seems to have left it at 0, myself included. What color temperature are you using? That might have an affect.

I watched 3 World Cup games this weekend in HD and it was amazing After 45 minutes of static images on the screen I didn't notice any rentention.

I just bought my HP5060N about 2 weeks ago at J&R Music World-I was drawn to it by the screen size, color and vividity (is that a real word?) of it. I checked all the ports in the back, looked breifly at the specs online (I'm not super-technical but I want something that's not going to be obsolete in 2-3 years) and decided I wanted it more than a Panasonic or Samsung only because although Panasonics are really good, I find personally, a mid-range priced high-performance electronic device gives me greater overall value than a top-of-the line product. I'm not sure, it just works for me. I didn't like the Samsung picture quality and they were all showing the same broadcast in HD and I figured this would be it.

So for 3K, I took it home and was wowed by the HD broadcasts in my area. I've got my 'meters' turned down too-there's no reason for the contrast, sat. and all that other stuff to be jacked up anywhere near the top of the range-it looks fake when watching anything, if you ask me. I used SW Revenge Of The Sith to assist in adjusting color and brightness, along with a few hockey games- (if the ice looks really bright, you got it up too high!) and I got it to the point that everything looks almost real. It's scary how technology advances over a scant couple of decades.

So I say if you want a good TV at a very fair value, I'd say that HP 50" is the way to go. I didn't look at the 42" one, I wanted a larger screen than the Hitachi 42" plasma I own (and now the poor tv screen looks tiny) and the HP as of yet has not let me down. I play a lot of video games too and with Dolby going so I'm totally immersed in gaming, I even started playing some old games from the start just to experience the game again!

Pros:
Great OTA tuner, I won't own cable/satellite (yet) and get AWESOME reception with a Radio Shack antenna
Really Nice Picture Quality for about 90% of HD broadcasts
Audio:SRS offers really neat features, SRS is a slight limited here and there but should give you good full sound when Dolby is not available
Lots of ports in/out, should keep a tech-savvy person busy back there playing with IO jacks for days
Nice options for different modes overall
HP services and stands behind what they sell for the most part (and if they wanna stay in the market on this, they better be spot on reagrding customer service at these prices!)

CONS:
The Hitachi 42HD52F offers zooms for any mode of input, this HP can't zoom the picture except in S-Video mode, I believe. That, IMHO is a bad, bad, bad idea, since HD broadcasts when not in primetime have those darn bars on the side of the picture, making burn-in or image retention an issue. Boo to HP, you should know this, and I advise people to probably NOT buy this TV if your main viewing is going to be HD. I hope HP can fix this, though it's probably hardware, not software that would need upgrading.
Digital Audio Out seems to only work for 'true' HD broadcasts (1080 or above, I am not good with this HD numbers game)
Speakers are good at midrange use, but sputter and distort at higher volumes and overall they are ugly and useless. If you are looking for an all in one, try another brand (once again, my Hitachi gives GREAT SRS sound even at hi volume).

Hope it helps someone with a budget plan their purchase, to date, I'm very very pleased with mine.

Have had mine for 3 weeks now. My impressions:

1) Excellent HD PQ over HDMI or component.

2) HDMI handshake problem with Comcast Motorola box, but that is not the TV's fault.

3) Decent SD PQ

4) As some have posted, I will swear my picture has improved over the weeks. Maybe a burn in issue. Who knows.

5) Speakers work OK but kind of big and clumsy looking.

6) Remote very basic.

This is good TV for the price. Not sure what can beat it at MSRP or the discount I received. I tried Visio twice and decided to change. HP is Recommended.

I really need to get around to playing with my settings some more. But appears as though most of us pretty much agree. I really want to calibrate the TV 3 times with each of the color temperature settings to see what's the difference.

Waxmaster, regarding your settings:
Hue +3 seems odd, everyone else seems to have left it at 0, myself included. What color temperature are you using? That might have an affect.

I watched 3 World Cup games this weekend in HD and it was amazing After 45 minutes of static images on the screen I didn't notice any rentention.

Yes, I checked my calibration again last night and +3 is where it needs to be at. I have the color temp set to standard. I am calibrating it with an HD DVD (HD-A1)player, could that maybe be giving me different results? I guess I could try it again tonight with a standard DVD player and see what happens. I'll post the results when and if I do it. And Jeff, I will post them in the correct order this time! I was planning on doing my sound tonight. I just got a new SPL meter and want to try it out. Thanks Guys!

Alright, I did some more adjustments playing with the temperature settings, here's what I came up with:


Orig
------------------------------------
Brightness 50 52 54 53
Contrast 38 40 42 43
Saturation 42 45 45 47
Hue 0 0 0 0
Sharpness 14 18 13 16
Color temp Cool Cool Warm Std


The room was a little brighter this time, which might account for some of the changes. As you can see the settings are pretty much the same, so basically it boils down to whatever temperature you like better.

Yeah, waxmaster, I need to calibrate my sound as well. I got the meter about 3 months ago but haven't gotten around to it. It's difficult finding the time to block out a good hour or two of time to do it properly.

Alright, I did some more adjustments playing with the temperature settings, here's what I came up with:


Orig
------------------------------------
Brightness 50 52 54 53
Contrast 38 40 42 43
Saturation 42 45 45 47
Hue 0 0 0 0
Sharpness 14 18 13 16
Color temp Cool Cool Warm Std


The room was a little brighter this time, which might account for some of the changes. As you can see the settings are pretty much the same, so basically it boils down to whatever temperature you like better.

Yeah, waxmaster, I need to calibrate my sound as well. I got the meter about 3 months ago but haven't gotten around to it. It's difficult finding the time to block out a good hour or two of time to do it properly.

Wow, I'm surprised that with different color temps you weren't encouraged to change the Hue setting at all. I kind of felt like the warm color temp accented reds and the cool shifted more blue in which case to kind of shift things back to accurate, you would want to adjust the hue a little.

I looked at the HDNet test pattern today. I was surprised at the amount of overscan on the panel. I was at a little more than five on the left edge. The right edge was something lower, 2 or 3. The top and bottom were 2 or three as well. It's too bad you can't adjust for that. I wonder if they'll ever update the firmware to allow those types of adjustments?

Jeff

I have a Motorola DVR box from Cox (I believe it is the DCT6412), and the book does not list remote control codes for my PL4260N. Has anyone been able to program this particular DVR remote for use with this TV?

4) As some have posted, I will swear my picture has improved over the weeks. Maybe a burn in issue. Who knows.

I can second that comment. Each time I turn on the set, I am amazed at the PC. I really do believe that my PL4260N has gotten better with age (only 2 months) but I definitley think the PQ has gotten better.

Try the Panasonic codes. The OM suggests that if there are no HP code available. I have used them on programming remotes and it works.

Roger

I can get the 42 PL4260N for roughly 2 grand thereabouts.

On a lark, I went with a friend the other day and we happened to run across this. He's in the market for a display and doesn't have room for a tube and wants something "CRT-like." This is about the most he can spend right now.

We were all pretty dismayed with the whole LCD scene...and then we found this little gem.

I'm a CRT tube guy to the bitter end, but even I had to give this thing props for PQ at its pricepoint and all that.

If I were in the market, I'd halfway consider it myself.

What do you all think?

You also might try the LG codes, that is what works,in a limited way,for me on Dish VIP 622.

Thanks for the tips on the Panasonic and LG remote codes. Can I trouble either one of you to post those codes here? I can't seem to find my DVR's book with those codes... very frustrating.

Thanks!

My Bad. I said LG, when I should have said Phillips, I use 566 code for my Dish VIP 622

I used the Phillips code for my comcast dvr remote and it worked. (0054)

in case anyone needs to know:

press TV then hold setup until the TV button blinks twice. press 0-0-5-4, and the tv button should blink twice again. if not, it didn't take. try again.

:)

I can get the 42 PL4260N for roughly 2 grand thereabouts.

<snip>
What do you all think?


Don't everyone beat everyone else down in a rush to answer my questions or anything. ;)


I've skimmed over this thread and I'm getting idea that it would be pretty tough to find something better than this at around 2 grand, outside of the tube market.

Am I right or wrong?

$2000 is MSRP for the 42", so you should be able to get it for less. Hint: Best Buy

$2000 is MSRP for the 42", so you should be able to get it for less. Hint: Best Buy

50+ miles away from where we live, unfortuneately, but thanks for the tip and potential ammo. ;)


How's this thing compare against the

Panasonic 42" Plasma HDTV
Model: TH-42PX60U?

I know that's a stalwart around these parts and it's another potential contender for my friend. That's about as high up the cost ladder as he can go.

I don't think you would go wrong getting the HP, I have no probs with mine.

I don't want to start a flame war or anything but I did want to mention some problems with my PL4250. I am on my second unit (replacement for first one which was defective-thumb size dead pixel area).

I just tonight through out the onsite service tech who was here to repair this replacement TV which was defective also.

My situation might be unique in some way...but twice bitten...I RMA'd the TV and extended service contract.

First unit had a finger print (thumb sized) area with dead pixels. HP Shopping was good about sending a second TV right away and picking up the first unit. When second one came, I hooked it up and flew out the same night on business. Get a call from my wife saying SD programming had a left shifted display on the top half...if she changed chanels to HD content though...frequencies were reset (480 to 1080i)...and image was fine...then switching back to SD and programming was fine. So she had a work around till I came home.

I then discovered what I'll call high frequency scan lines which were hard to see (but aways present) except when viewing 4:3 content without stretching...verticle bars on left and right REALLY show these scan lines and it takes 10-12 second for a single line to go from top to bottom...the colors are different and very visible in viewing of 4:3 mode with grey colored verticle side bars.

Anyhow....I let HP send someone for in home service...big mistake. The sub'd out to CompUSA..CompUSA sub to somebody else, and they in turn did the same....I asked the whole time...this is an HP certified tech trained on this TV and it's repair..."Oh yes Sir".....not quite! Kid shows up with a box-o-parts....opens the box, parts aren't even packaged correctly in buble wrap or anti-static bags...the parts are clearly used/refurbed and repackaged in the field....and not re-packaged properly.

HP called out a "logic board pack"...the kid (5th party servicer) was nice, but quickly admitted he had never seen an HP Plasma TV.

He had no manuals and no training. He called HP service support and I had to again (even after demonstrating the issues) explain both problems from scratch...then, after HP service support aagreed they had sent the correct parts...they wanted me to let the dude downloaded the service manuals....and it not, could they email them to me!!!! I lost it and politely asked the onsite service tech to leave.

Anyway...I have had it and am buying something else.

In HP's defense, I will say they were always 100% professional and agreeable. They are were bright, skilled and pleasant to work with....but the TV's I recived were NOT first rate build quality...2 defective units in a row is more than I and my wife can handle. Add to that an untrained tech and my taking time away from work for 2 deleiveries and 1 in-home service visit and it's all just too much to bear.

Good Luck Fellas, no more HP TV's for me.

Quick follow up...I NEVER could get HDMI cables to work with this TV and my SA 8300HD. HDMI would actually lock up the TV...only way to recover was to remove HDMI cable and power cord, power back on after plugging in component cables. FWIW

Here's a NEW link for the PL4260N and PL5060N service manual. This link will stay active up to 30 days from the last time it is accessed. I hope this helps some of you out. Credit for suggesting to post it on depositfiles.com comes from "evad1979"

Good Luck!

http://depositfiles.com/files/110012/HP_PL4260N_Service_Manual.pdf.html

50+ miles away from where we live, unfortuneately, but thanks for the tip and potential ammo. ;)


How's this thing compare against the

Panasonic 42" Plasma HDTV
Model: TH-42PX60U?

I know that's a stalwart around these parts and it's another potential contender for my friend. That's about as high up the cost ladder as he can go.


If your friend can afford it, I would buy the Panasonic. And I own the HP and unfortunately, it's not the best plasma I have owned, as I thought it would be. My sister has the Panny and I cry every time I see how good it looks compared to my HP. The HP is a good TV for the price. The Panny is a great TV for a little bit more $$$. I'm gonna get crapped on for saying this in this thread, but I'm just letting you know my impressions of it. I'd love nothing more than to be able to tell you that the HP is the best TV ever, but it's not. There are better ones out there for close to the same price + or - a few hundred. Spend the extra and get the panasonic. You can't go wrong with it. One problem with the HP is that it doesn;t display as many colors as the panasonic or even as many as last years HP which was made by Pan. This years model (PL4260N is made by LG (phillips)). I hope this helps. [EDIT]

Hi all, I've been trolling these forums for awhile and recently decided to purchase the 4260n. Overall I am very happy with the purchase. I have one problem that I would like to see if anybody else has experienced with this set. When connected to my cable providers HD box, I get 1 pink bar and 1 green bar that scroll vertically up the screen. I've had the cable company come out and troubleshoot, and they can't figure it out. This does not occur on any other components ie xbox360, gamecube, dvd player... It is hooked up via component cables. I have tried this also with svideo, and the bars are still there, but they are black. Anyone having a similar problem or know what might be causing this?

Just wanted to give an update to my green and pink scan line problem. It ends up not being the TV nor the cable box, but something on the circuit I am plugging into. I checked all outlets on the circuit and did not find anything wrong. I ended up just running a new circuit to the Plasma, and alls well. I am really enjoying this Plasma now! I also ordered a leviton in wall surge supressor that I think works well, for those of you wondering how you might get surge protection with a wall mount. You can find them on ebay, or they have blue-colored outlets at Home Depot. Bought 25 foot cables from Monoprice, and ran behind the walls. HD looks awesome!

Mjmeyer23, Great that you got that plasma working, but you might want to switch out the circuit breaker on that bad circuit.Dan

I have a Motorola DVR box from Cox (I believe it is the DCT6412), and the book does not list remote control codes for my PL4260N. Has anyone been able to program this particular DVR remote for use with this TV?

The Phillips code (0054) worked for me.

Does anyone know the HP**60 series supports 480i over HDMI? The user manual does not say anything for HDMI.

I tried that setting with oppo 970, it cut the screen in half. It has no trouble with 480P/720P/1080i.

Does anyone know the HP**60 series supports 480i over HDMI? The user manual does not say anything for HDMI.

I tried that setting with oppo 970, it cut the screen in half. It has no trouble with 480P/720P/1080i.
Yep. it does, but sure doesn't look very good.

Don't everyone beat everyone else down in a rush to answer my questions or anything. ;)


I've skimmed over this thread and I'm getting idea that it would be pretty tough to find something better than this at around 2 grand, outside of the tube market.

Am I right or wrong?

I bought mine at BB add $400 to the MSRP for the warrantee and then subtract $216 because BB dropped their price $100 once and $200 the second time when they had sales and they price matched their own price twice for me ;)

Jeff

I don't want to start a flame war or anything but I did want to mention some problems with my PL4250. I am on my second unit (replacement for first one which was defective-thumb size dead pixel area).

I just tonight through out the onsite service tech who was here to repair this replacement TV which was defective also.

My situation might be unique in some way...but twice bitten...I RMA'd the TV and extended service contract.
...<snip>...

In HP's defense, I will say they were always 100% professional and agreeable. They are were bright, skilled and pleasant to work with....but the TV's I recived were NOT first rate build quality...2 defective units in a row is more than I and my wife can handle. Add to that an untrained tech and my taking time away from work for 2 deleiveries and 1 in-home service visit and it's all just too much to bear.

Good Luck Fellas, no more HP TV's for me.

I would guess that the problems you had with both of your panels was related to how the shipping company handled them. I think that's why it makes more sense to buy the panel from BB if you have one within reach. At least then, it probably came from HP on a BB truck through their distribution hub and finally to the local store instead of XYZ freight company. That's the only reason I bought my panel from BB. If I wanted to use the internet and have it shipped, I would have bought a commercial Panny plasma for about the same price. I really hate to hear that you had such a bad experience.

I do know that the HP isn't the absolute best picture which is most evident when the source material isn't top quality (SD content, poorly mastered DVDs, etc.). At the price I paid, you will not find another panel that has built in ATSC tuner, removable speakers (not even the Panny), and a stand and if you do, the picture will not compare to the HP. I expect that technology will move along quickly enough that in two years, I'll be relegating this 42" HP to my secondary TV viewing room and it will be replaced by a much more advanced 50" flat panel. It will likely be FED or some new technology we haven't heard of and I bet it will not cost more than what I paid for my HP.

Jeff

hey Jeff...thnx for the reponse.

I actually bought direct from HP Shopping for few reasons. #1, they offer a discount for the employees of the software company for which I work. Basically, this made the service plan almost free. #2, they offered 18monts 0% financing on TV and service plan + free shipping etc.
#3 and most important, I REALLY DISLIKE BB. The have terrible sales pratices and I have had problems with returns on more than one occassion.

Anyhow ;-)...

I did discover something of interest after reading mjmeyer23's post above.

Turns out my scan lines of odd colors were power source related!! This was my second and lesseer frustrating problem, but turns out I somehow plugged the replacement HP TV into a cheap a** power strip. I switched to my main wall source and scan lines went away.

After resolving this, I decided to try swapping my monoprice Component cable from the HD PVR to the TV in hopes of resolving my major problem of SD programming displaying shifted....unfortunately, it didn't make any difference. :-D

I am thinking about looking at the Sony 36 SX955 this weekend.

Thanks again for response.

hey Jeff...thnx for the reponse.

I actually bought direct from HP Shopping for few reasons. #1, they offer a discount for the employees of the software company for which I work. Basically, this made the service plan almost free. #2, they offered 18monts 0% financing on TV and service plan + free shipping etc.
#3 and most important, I REALLY DISLIKE BB. The have terrible sales pratices and I have had problems with returns on more than one occassion.



I think I would have done the same thing given that deal. As for BB, I'm starting to hate them too. Their extended warranty that they charge so much for isn't worth much. It states in the first line that it doesn't cover accidental damage. I'd be willing to bet that you could find an insurance company to cover your electronics for less money that would cover accidental damage. I've also learned that their policies are followed "to the letter" and no matter how much hell you raise with them, they're going to be polite and professional but they're not going to give you an ounce of good will for all the hard earned money that you spent with them no matter how much it is. At least the mom and pop stores will do that for you. For example, I bought the extended warranty from BB for my Canon SD400 digital camera and the salesman actually said;

"if you get the warranty and the camera acts up or you want a new one, drop it on the floor and bring it back, we'll swap it for a new one on the spot and if we don't carry that model anymore, we'll give you full purchase price towards anything you want to buy in replacement".

Well, I was stupid enough to believe him and not read the warranty. He seemed like a nice guy, guess I was wrong. My camera broke and there was a scratch or two on it. My wife took it back and they said (politely, of course);

"we can box it up and send it to the "manufacturer" (actually Precision Camera Repair a repair place, not Canon, the Mfr.) and they will determine what the cause of the problem is, at that point, you will be contacted and if it's accidental, you will be given the price of the repair"

Of course, what does the repair place say "shock damage, $169 please". What are we to do? A refurbished SD400 costs $299. A new one is still $350. So, we bend over and say, stick it to me. Ka-ching! One thing's for sure, if I ever buy anything from BB again, it won't be big enough to need an extended warranty. Even CC will wiggle a little if you sing the right song.

Cheers,
Jeff

:confused: hopefully, you guys can help me make up my mind. :confused:
I've been reading up on the lc3760n and the pl4260n and cant decide!

Ultimately, I would like to build an entertainment system that is controlled through the G5 for work or leisure viewing. Ive read everything I can find about the two (which isnt much on the lc3760n) but was hoping that someone here could help me make up my mind.

Does anyone have any comments or opinions about either of them that might help?

THANKS! C

Cory,
I'm assUming the LC3760N is HP's 37" LCD? If so, let me throw out ao couple of rules of thumb on plasma vs. LCD that I've picked up. Anyone else, feel free to correct me if you disagree.

First, LCDs tend to be less susceptible to glare or reflection since they have a flat finish to the panel as opposed to the glossy sheen of a plasma. Some plasmas, including the HP, have a special coating on the glass to help reduce glare. It's not unlike what gets applied to eye glasses. It helps but it's not a cure-all. If you have lots of harsh light in your room, you might have to adust the panel in such a way to minimize the glare. I have the PL4260N and about 35' behind my panel there is a can (recessed) light. Since the light is in a 10' ceiling and the panel is about 60" from the floor, when I'm sitting in the prime viewing position, I tilt my panel down about one or two degrees so I can't see the light if it's on. The ambient light it produces is not a problem, just the light directly from the bulb. I may purchase some light deflecting covers for that particular light.

Second, contrast ratios tend to be higher in plasmas which will lead to a more vibrant and typically a sharper picture. I've always preferred a CRT computer monitor over the LCD screens and I also like the plasma picture better than LCD. Some people swear by LCD.

Lastly, I've heard that the worst viewing angle (with the exception of extreme left or right side) is from below or looking up at an LCD. If you have an LCD computer monitor (especially a laptop), fold the screen back to where it's viewing angle is about 25+ degrees from straight on (as if it were mounted flat on a wall about 10"-12" above eye level and you were looking up at it. You should notice that reds and blues almost disappear. On this forum page for example, if I open my laptop screen up to where I'm viewing it from below the prime angle, the "purple" and blue accents disappear totally. The only colors I can see are whites, blacks, yellow, and a little bit of orange. The same effect will happen with an LCD panel. This doesn't happen near as much, if at all, with plasma panels.

So, the short answer is this; it depends on your personal preference in the LCD vs plasma option. Next, it's about where you intend to place it. Finally, if you're considering size, the 42" really is much bigger than the 37". I haven't compared the features or specs of the two panels since I wasn't in the market for a 37" display. I hope I've helped you at least a little. Let us know what you choose, why you chose it, and how you like it.
Regards,
Jeff

Cory, you didn't mention your viewing distance, this could play into the equation, if your 5 or 6 feet away you would surely get a stiff neck while surfing the net.

Jeff, I agree with all you say, but stand by for the flames. lol

Thanks Guys, Your coments really do help!
I have been to a few stores and looked at both. The LCD isnt really that bad when it comes to the viewing angle. I'm not sure what the difference between the LCD monitor and the LCD TV's but it doenst have the same look from the sides and looking up from below that I noticed. It is a concern actually getting it into the house and trying it out...but I wont know until I do.
I am most concerned with BURN-IN effect with the Plasma. I am going to have it hooked to the computer to be used as a media center. The OS will be up often so I'm a little leary of getting the plasma because of that. With the LCD it doenst seem to be an issue.
I'm not really going to be surfing the internet with the Big Screen....but I do ahve a remote control that will allow me to scroll through a library of movies/music/photos and stuff.

So, I guess I just want the best product for the use.

Has anyone hooked up the computer to your Plasma or LCD? If so, what is you opinon?

THanks for your comments.

Thanks Guys, Your coments really do help!
I have been to a few stores and looked at both. The LCD isnt really that bad when it comes to the viewing angle. I'm not sure what the difference between the LCD monitor and the LCD TV's but it doenst have the same look from the sides and looking up from below that I noticed. It is a concern actually getting it into the house and trying it out...but I wont know until I do.
I am most concerned with BURN-IN effect with the Plasma. I am going to have it hooked to the computer to be used as a media center. The OS will be up often so I'm a little leary of getting the plasma because of that. With the LCD it doenst seem to be an issue.
I'm not really going to be surfing the internet with the Big Screen....but I do ahve a remote control that will allow me to scroll through a library of movies/music/photos and stuff.

So, I guess I just want the best product for the use.

Has anyone hooked up the computer to your Plasma or LCD? If so, what is you opinon?

THanks for your comments.


The media center menu will have no more effect than say a DTV program guide. Set up a all black screen saver. This mitigates the danger of someone leaving the desktop displayed al night for example.

Well I finally found the time to install my 4260 today.

This is a truly impressive display.

I'm using a DTV HS20 Hd receiver set to 720p via 25' Mono price HDMI cable.

After a quick calibration, I must say that PQ is nearly perfect. Colors by eye appear to be spot on at factory settings. Contrast is VERY good. Saturation is excellent. Only had to back down the black level to 35 to get an excellent picture.

0 dead pixels. 0 stuck pixels. :)

Even the speakers are decent enough for mundane tv viewing.

I'm also pleased that we opted for the 42" since in this room much of our viewing will be stretched SD. At this screen size, SD is still quite good. In my theater, DTV's over compressed SD sat feeds really look rather poor on a 110" screen.

I would highly recommend this display to all considering a plasma display.

anyone notice there seems to be noticeable compression artifacts or "noise" in the picture. I have the sharpness all the way down and still see it.

I am just wondering if there is another setting I can try to cut down on this. HD channels appear awfully sharp. Looks good, but the SD channels have noticeable compression noise. even DVDs show this a tad.

on the other side, my friends "8uk" panny seems like a very soft picture in comparison. Just wondering if it may be be something else...

No noise, but some sd channels are pretty soft, What service do you use? I have Dish.

Thanks for your reply!

I have Comcast Cable here in Chicago. My buddy uses Comcast in Michigan. Maybe noise is the wrong term. Almost like a very compressed Jpeg image, around lines and contours, there are artifacts. My Sony LCD-RP didn't display these as bad. I am willing to blame the service, as I haven't had stellar service since getting it. (can't put a dish on my Condo at this time)

I am just curious why when I turn down the sharpness to "0," My picture still looks razor sharp on DVDs and HDTV. Mind you I am still well within the break-in period, but I don't know if altering the other settings would have any effect.

I am still using the same basic settings I started with. 35,35,40,0,0,COLD.

It's not a huge deal, just something I noticed on this TV and not my "old."

How are you all using your one HDMI input? Thinking about this TV vs. the PHD8UK, but the price of the Panny + 2 HDMI terminal boards is really getting up there and not to mention a leap of faith that the 7th gen terminal boards work ok with the 8th gen series (getting some mixed info here). Assuming 2 sources (Cable Box + DVD) which is better to hook to the TV directly. This is for the bedroom, so really hoping to use my old receiver vs. getting an HDMI switching receiver. This will be a behind wall setup so not excited about a stand alone HDMI switcher unless the automatic function is pretty go.

I was very disapointed to get the following response from HP regarding the 50" and 42" plasma's RS232 port. My intention was to use the RS232 ports for control however now it looks like I am down to IR, I dont recall if there is a IR port on the rear, can someone confirm that? I should have checked the serial port prior to making the purchase!
**************
Thank you for contacting HP Total Care.
>
>The RS232 port on the pl4260n is for service purposes only.
>
>I do not have a protocol to provide you with.
>
>
>This should resolve the issue. If you need further assistance, please
>reply to this message and we will be happy to assist you further.

Download a copy of the service manual. I see somebody posted a link to it recently. As I recall in my brief scan of that document, the commands are just ASCII text. The commands and syntax are covered in detail.

Download a copy of the service manual. I see somebody posted a link to it recently. As I recall in my brief scan of that document, the commands are just ASCII text. The commands and syntax are covered in detail.

Ok I am downloading it now. Thanks for providing that info.

anyone notice there seems to be noticeable compression artifacts or "noise" in the picture. I have the sharpness all the way down and still see it.

I am just wondering if there is another setting I can try to cut down on this. HD channels appear awfully sharp. Looks good, but the SD channels have noticeable compression noise. even DVDs show this a tad.

on the other side, my friends "8uk" panny seems like a very soft picture in comparison. Just wondering if it may be be something else...

Enlil,
If you have a DVD that's mastered using THX (Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo come to mind), there is a THX optimizer on the disc under extras or options, or something. Use that program to calibrate your color and brightness settings. You'll be amazed at how much better it will look. I hated mine when I first hooked it up because I didn't understand what the settings did. Let us know how it goes.
Regards,
Jeff

Enlil,
If you have a DVD that's mastered using THX (Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo come to mind), there is a THX optimizer on the disc under extras or options, or something. Use that program to calibrate your color and brightness settings. You'll be amazed at how much better it will look. I hated mine when I first hooked it up because I didn't understand what the settings did. Let us know how it goes.
Regards,
Jeff

Thank you, Jeff, I'll look for one of these DVDs. (Don't have those movies, but I am sure I can find one) I appreciate the info and will report back.

En

Hello! I have been hearing this "humming" sound/noise at the back of my PL4260. Do you, guys, know anything about this? What is causing it? Is my PL4260 defective? Or is this normal for a plasma? I can hear that noise so loud when the volume is low. Please help. Thank you!

Thank you, Jeff, I'll look for one of these DVDs. (Don't have those movies, but I am sure I can find one) I appreciate the info and will report back.

En

Here's the list at THX.com (http://www.thx.com/mod/products/dvdFind.html).

Just click on the link near the bottom that says "view entire list". There are currently 270 titles. Surely you have one.
Jeff

Hello! I have been hearing this "humming" sound/noise at the back of my PL4260. Do you, guys, know anything about this? What is causing it? Is my PL4260 defective? Or is this normal for a plasma? I can hear that noise so loud when the volume is low. Please help. Thank you!
It's probably just your fan you'll notice that it's louder when the screen is brighter/whiter. I found that unless you watch TV really quite you tend to not notice it.

It's probably just your fan you'll notice that it's louder when the screen is brighter/whiter. I found that unless you watch TV really quite you tend to not notice it.
I don't see any evidence of a fan being in the 4260, have you been able to see a fan??

I don't see any evidence of a fan being in the 4260, have you been able to see a fan??
My mistake then, I assumed it was a fan, it sounds just like one. I thought I could feel air flow out of the back. Now you've got me curious, I'll have to check when I get home. I don't see any mention of a fan is the service manual, so you are probably right.

As to humming reference of previous post, one reason i got the HP was for its dead silent characteristic. My set makes no noise whatsoever, whereas many I looked at and a Vizio I had purchased and returned hummed like crazy.

Unless you are at a very hight altitude (I live at 5,400 feet), it should not be humming.

Here's the list at THX.com (http://www.thx.com/mod/products/dvdFind.html).

Just click on the link near the bottom that says "view entire list". There are currently 270 titles. Surely you have one.
Jeff

Yeah I found out the Incredibles had the Optimizer. Thanks. It was a bit involved and managed to get it looking a little better. I am not sure if I really followed the tests all that well.

I realized that it was mostly because I am using Component cables for the input. If I switch to S-Video, SD broadcasts doesn't show as bad. I know it's the source, as DVDs and HD look awesome.

I can get use to it. Any other tweaks and settings on the set that anyone has tried? I am quite the noob when it comes to tinkering with settings. thanks for the help. would the AVIA calibration DVD help more? A friend has one that I can get a hold of...

by the way, I have no humming. I can tell when the TV is on, but nothing noticeable... I think my laptop is louder.

Thanks for all the quick responses! I am still getting this "humming/buzzing" noise at the back of the tv. Can anybody please check if your tv is making this noise? Could it be the heatsink? I might call HP about this issue. Please post if you have something about this noise. Thank you!

Thanks for all the quick responses! I am still getting this "humming/buzzing" noise at the back of the tv. Can anybody please check if your tv is making this noise? Could it be the heatsink? I might call HP about this issue. Please post if you have something about this noise. Thank you!

Well, I muted the tv and physically went behind the tv and I do hear a noise. I guess it could be what you are hearing. I'd imagine with all of the electronics, a noise like this seems normal. My old ED plasma is louder. If I am behind the TV it is on the right side where a bunch of capacitors are. I am not worried, but if you talk to HP, please post what they say. ;)

Yeah I found out the Incredibles had the Optimizer. Thanks. It was a bit involved and managed to get it looking a little better. I am not sure if I really followed the tests all that well.

I can get use to it. Any other tweaks and settings on the set that anyone has tried? I am quite the noob when it comes to tinkering with settings. thanks for the help. would the AVIA calibration DVD help more? A friend has one that I can get a hold of...

Check up higher in this thread. I, and several other users have posted their settings. One rule of thumb, your sharpness setting should really be somewhere between 10 and 20, no higher.
Jeff

I made a new thread on this by accident - it should probably be in this thread:

My pl4260n has an odd issue with the black level (or maybe it's normal?)

this is hard to explain so bear with me.

When you first turn on the tv and it displays the HP logo everything looks fine. All of the 'black' is solid black.

If I'm watching standard content with black bars, I can see flashing red and green pixels in what should be the 'black' area - but only if I'm up close and the room is dark... but only sometimes.. it's like it dependent upon what colors are being shown on the rest of the screen. It seems like if the picture has a lot of dark colors it doesn't happen as much - but light colors make it happen a lot.


Now - if I turn the brightness below ~46 or above ~60 it seems to stop happening. I used settings from someone on here that used an AVIA disc. (most of the settings are around 50 except for hue which is 0, and sharpness which is like 15 or 20.)


Ideas? I've had the tv for a couple weeks - I can still take it back, but OH the break in! !

(since making the original post I've calibrated with avia, and I'm now barely getting some red piixels flashing all over... hardly noticable but still concerns me. If I change the color settings to cool (or maybe warm I don't remember) the greens will dimly flash and no red) My contrast seems high but it's VERY hard to set... no matter how high it gets 'whiter' and still looks good.. most people have it in the low 40's.

Brightness 35
Contrast 58
Saturation 50
Hue 0
Sharpness 21
Color standard

Also just for people without avia... I made an excel spreadsheet that averages everyone who has posted settings they got with an 'official' calibration. (there are 6 people total, including me). I left out my own odd contrast that I'm pretty sure is artificially too high. Also note only one person changed their hue, so it should probably be 0 for most.

brightness: 47.14
contrast: 41.33
saturation: 45.86
hue: .43
sharpness: 15.14

most of these were with color settings set to standard, but i left that out completely. It really only affects red push/blue push.

Nice job Cheesey. I hopped over to THX.com and found out that the blue glasses for doing the THX video calibration are only $1 each plus shipping. I priced two for like $5 after shipping/mail. I'm going to order them today. Then, I'll be able to at least do a THX calibration. Avia discs aren't available at any of the popular chains are they? I'd probably have to order it too, right?
Thanks,
Jeff

I borrowed avia and ve from someone at my work.


I'm going to buy getgray and will let you know how well it works -

Check up higher in this thread. I, and several other users have posted their settings. One rule of thumb, your sharpness setting should really be somewhere between 10 and 20, no higher.
Jeff

Well, I just had Comcast out here for the last 2 hours and they pinpointed about 4 problems affecting the signal strength that they remedied. It seemed to help some of the issues I reported, and I just used the "average" settings Cheesey posted.

Overall looking good. Just waiting until the break-in period is done so I can start watching my Letterboxed DVDs! :p

Hello, I have the hp 556z media center hooked up to my hp 5060n display by DVI out to the tv displays HDMI input.

I was wondering if anyone else out there also has the same entertainmnet center (556z) hooked up to their display?

I was looking to free up the HDMI input from the tv so that I can hookup a separate HD or Blu-Ray Dvd player sometime in the future. I want to hookup the 556z to the displays VGA /PC input instead?

Need to know has anyone tried this already and if so, can you tell me how's the picture quality?

I guess there are 2 ways of doing this?

One way would be is to use a VGA 15 pin male out from the 556z to the tv's VGA pc input or using a DVI out from 556z to the diplays VGA pc input. Your comments are appricated.
Thanks.

I was looking to free up the HDMI input from the tv so that I can hookup a separate HD or Blu-Ray Dvd player sometime in the future. I want to hookup the 556z to the displays VGA /PC input instead?

Need to know has anyone tried this already and if so, can you tell me how's the picture quality?

I guess there are 2 ways of doing this?

One way would be is to use a VGA 15 pin male out from the 556z to the tv's VGA pc input or using a DVI out from 556z to the diplays VGA pc input. Your comments are appricated.
Thanks.

Another way would be to get an HDMI switcher and use your DVI to HDMI into one side and the DVD player into the other side. If your cable run isn't long (>25'), and you get a quality switcher (some have an IR eye so you can use a remote to switch them), you should have excellent results.

Let us know what you do and how it turns out.

Jeff

Hey thanks for your help Jeff, I'll give that a shot.

Ozzie

I recently bought the PL4260 model and have been enjoying it ever since. We have owned it for about a week now. I haven't had (or taken) the time to do much in the way of calibration or testing of the display, though. I hope to maybe have some time for that later this week.

So far our only scary moment was when one of our cats decided to climb to the top of the screen. She was able to jump most of the way up but had to finish the job by using her back paws (and claws!) on the front of the screen. It wasn't so much an issue of the panel falling over that I was worried about, but the horrible images of scratches being made on the brand new screen! Ack! I was nervous for a few moments but fortunately my fears were allayed. The screen suffered no damage from the close call.

We looked at DISH Network for supplying the signal but went with Comcast ultimately (we already have Comcast cable service). The dual tuner DVR is nice in some ways, but not with out its faults. We have been frustrated with it on a number of occasions already. (We were able to tune in local HD channels with just the standard Cable TV service connection using the TV's built in tuner.) That was neat and all, but that didn't get us ESPN HD. Fortunately, Comcast seems to have spread the ESPN2HD goodness around further than they originally let on. They originally said that they weren't going to offer it in our area (hence our more in depth look at DISH as a possible source) but then we discovered that they did! Yeah!

The picture quality has been great (we haven't watched a DVD yet). I have noticed some image retention (like the score line from the soccer game or after watching an SD channel) but it goes away after tuning in a wide/full screen image. We have had the same issue with the cable box + tv HDMI = no audio that has been reported here many times. We have been frustrated by the difference between SD/HD audio levels, though (and this may not be the fault of the TV). Watching some recorded HD programs we are having to turn the volume up to 80+, while SD programs are usually fine at around 30. Needless to say, if you forget about the volume level and change signal sources...BLAMO! Your ears will hurt.

Because of the possible image retention issue I have tried to use the Zoom settings of the TV's Aspect menu. Some times they don't work, though, while other times they do. The Zoom1 or Zoom2 will adjust the image size somewhat but I still am left with bars of black on each side. I haven't played with it enough to really have any data to try and figure it out from, but have others had this issue? (I think that I have checked the "TV size" setting of the 6412 STB on both 16:9 and 4:3 and had the same results.)

I am sure that some economist somewhere has studied the ripple effect of big TV purchases. Since splurging for the TV we have bought new curtains, new cable service, a new DVD player, a new audio components shelf, and are looking at other purchases (a new remote, some new cables, and possibly a mounting bracket/arm). Go economy, go! :)

J

We have been frustrated by the difference between SD/HD audio levels, though (and this may not be the fault of the TV). Watching some recorded HD programs we are having to turn the volume up to 80+, while SD programs are usually fine at around 30. Needless to say, if you forget about the volume level and change signal sources...BLAMO! Your ears will hurt.I run my through a receiver and don't seems to see the problem as much. But this is definitely a cable company issue, not your TV.

Because of the possible image retention issue I have tried to use the Zoom settings of the TV's Aspect menu. Some times they don't work, though, while other times they do. The Zoom1 or Zoom2 will adjust the image size somewhat but I still am left with bars of black on each side. I haven't played with it enough to really have any data to try and figure it out from, but have others had this issue? (I think that I have checked the "TV size" setting of the 6412 STB on both 16:9 and 4:3 and had the same results.)I find that I leave my TV set a 16:9, and adjust the cable boxes stretch modes. Make sure your cable box is setup to output the HD modes that you really want.

I am sure that some economist somewhere has studied the ripple effect of big TV purchases. Since splurging for the TV we have bought new curtains, new cable service, a new DVD player, a new audio components shelf, and are looking at other purchases (a new remote, some new cables, and possibly a mounting bracket/arm). Go economy, go! :)Ain't it the truth. My wife and I want to redo the whole room.

Cronk,
That's one thing I like about the Dish VIP622 receiver. It upscales everything to HDMI (with audio) and gives you the ability to stretch SD content if you so choose. Some things I stretch and some I don't depending on how good the picture quality is to start with.

As for the volume level, some of it has more to do with whether or not the broadcast is in surround sound. In stereo, for example you have two speakers that are always playing. Therefore, it's louder with less dynamic range. When you have surround sound, your center channel (often one speaker or a similar slice of what you have on left or right) plays most of the content. This means that to acheive the same volume level, you have to turn the sound up. I'm sure the commercials can just about knock you off your couch. I've been there. You can compensate a little for this by turning the center channel's volume level (relative to the rest of the speakers) a little bit higher than the rest. It won't fix it but it will make it a little less noticeable.

I'm surprised that you're getting HD locals over your cable. Mediacom doesn't offer it here but I'm getting them OTA.

Glad you were fortunate in your close call. I had one with lightning the other day. I was in the process of unplugging my TV (it's on a surge protected wall outlet since it's wall mounted) and lightning struck not once but twice and I was touching the body of the TV and I could feel the power surge as a slight shock from the metal back of the TV. I was fortunate that I didn't have any damage. It inclines me to want to investigate further grounding and suppression for surges.

Regards,
Jeff

It's been a couple of weeks since the PL4260N was delivered but I've been out of town and then I had Comcast issues. I now have the TV and new AVR installed and working properly. My set up is...

HP PL4260N HDTV
Harmon Kardon AVR240 with iPod Bridge
Harmon Kardon DVD27 DVD
Motorola DCT3412 Cable Box with DVR
Cambridge Sound Works 5.1 speaker system (existing)
Harmony 880 remote

Hooking up a system like this is not for the faint hearted if you haven't done it before. I consider myself to be somewhat technical but darn, I had to actually
read the manuals. The AVR has a lot of flexibility which means a lot of configuration. The EzSet+ feature makes speaker tuning pretty easy though.

The day after Comcast came out and set up HD I had major pixelation. I went through my own troubleshooting routine. When I couldn't fix it I called Comcast. They went through their, 'your a dummy' phone process and scheduled an on-site call for two days later. This whole time my new TV looks like crap. The tech shows up and says we had hardware problems in the area and the line technicians were working on it. It was resolved the following day.

The good news is I now have a fantastic picture and sound. I heard people say they would watch a show about turtles mating if it was in HD. I now understand that comment. The other night I watched a special on the exploration of Greenland. It was beautiful. Now that I have an HDTV I think there should be more HD content! :)

It's funny you should mention the "turtles mating". The HT Guys' radio show talked about that phenomenon on their latest podcast. You go through a phase where if it's not in HD, you're not really interested in it and when you're watching HD, you're more focused on critiqing the picture than on the content of the show. Personally, I didn't really watch the NBA finals until nearly the last game because I was too busy counting the boards on the floor or rewinding to get a second look at the hot chick sitting in the third row, ;)
Jeff

Cronk,
That's one thing I like about the Dish VIP622 receiver. It upscales everything to HDMI (with audio) and gives you the ability to stretch SD content if you so choose. Some things I stretch and some I don't depending on how good the picture quality is to start with.


I hope to have some more time this weekend to fiddle around with the various settings and see what things affect what. I have the cable STB set for 16:9 and the native resolution of the TV (720p), so I was hoping that the SD content would be zoomed (or zoomable) more easily. I will have to investigate.



As for the volume level, some of it has more to do with whether or not the broadcast is in surround sound.
...
You can compensate a little for this by turning the center channel's volume level (relative to the rest of the speakers) a little bit higher than the rest. It won't fix it but it will make it a little less noticeable.



I don't have the cable STB hooked up to the receiver just now. We have just been using the speakers on the TV for all of our viewing.


I'm surprised that you're getting HD locals over your cable. Mediacom doesn't offer it here but I'm getting them OTA.


I was pleasantly surprised as well. We still wanted more HD content, though, so went with Comcast's HD receiver package. If all we had wanted were the basic channels then we could have gotten those essentially for free.

I have a question for you guys, and I do not recall seeing it anywhere else.

Is it possible to customize the names of your sources on the tv's source menu list. For instance, I would love to change "Component 2" to "PS2", or change "Svid/Video 1" to "Dreamcast".

Is this possible in any way? Does the maintenance manual hint at any way of accomplishing this?

Thanks...

I have a question for you guys, and I do not recall seeing it anywhere else.

Is it possible to customize the names of your sources on the tv's source menu list. For instance, I would love to change "Component 2" to "PS2", or change "Svid/Video 1" to "Dreamcast".

Is this possible in any way? Does the maintenance manual hint at any way of accomplishing this?

Thanks...

You can change it but the choices are not infinite. The options for Comp 1 are DVD, STB, PVR, Cable, DEC, AUX, or Satellite.

You can change it but the choices are not infinite. The options for Comp 1 are DVD, STB, PVR, Cable, DEC, AUX, or Satellite.


Exactly. I was hoping that those options could be changed, or new options added.

From what I saw in the service menu, you have control of things like the factory default settings and maybe a couple of extra picture adjustments. I recall seeing something like "white balance". I don't think you can change the names of components beyond what's in the list.

Hi all,
I bought the HP PL4260n from BB last Friday, set it up the same day and.........WOW!
Having viewed my 55" Philips HDTV for 4 years (thinking there is no better)
Well let me tell you all that Plasma is the way to go, the pin sharp detail, just on SD was overwelming, theres just nothing out there that can give you the detail and color than plasma. I have but 1 niggle about this set, and that is that there are no side inputs for a camcorder etc, but is nothing when this set fires up and produces superb pictures.
I will write more about this set later when I have more time.
WOW!!!

Anyone know what remote codes the HP's use? I want to make sure my Tivo / ReplayTV remotes will work with it.

It is RC6. Power, mute,volume and input functions are also works to RC5 code.

You can also try with philps TV code. It is specified on User's Manual, Troubleshooting.

:)

Hi all,
Can anyone tell me what the "100hr burn in" is and do I need to do it??
I got the set last Friday 7/7/06
Thanks :)

I have the whole service manual, it is for sure an LG

LG is only the panel manufacture, but not the whole set. Pls note the LG provides service manual only of the PDP PANEL! :)

From what I saw in the service menu, you have control of things like the factory default settings and maybe a couple of extra picture adjustments. I recall seeing something like "white balance". I don't think you can change the names of components beyond what's in the list.

Hi, the factory setting is not recommended to be adjusted by users. It is for factory use only, for example, on the product line. What's more, I don't think adjusting the factory menu works at all.

Exactly. I was hoping that those options could be changed, or new options added.

It cannot be changed or added by users. If the choices are not what you want, just leave it the default one. It is not so good as the case you can change it to right source name, but better than a wrong one :o

Hi all,
Can anyone tell me what the "100hr burn in" is and do I need to do it??
I got the set last Friday 7/7/06
Thanks :)

Could you say more about the "100hr burn in"? I don't remember it is in the TV's OSD or the users' manual or the service manual.

My mistake then, I assumed it was a fan, it sounds just like one. I thought I could feel air flow out of the back. Now you've got me curious, I'll have to check when I get home. I don't see any mention of a fan is the service manual, so you are probably right.

There is no fan on PL4260N or PL5060N.
:)

There is no fan on PL4260N or PL5060N.

I second that statement.

Amy,
You appear very knowledgable and confident about these units. Are you an HP employee?

Jeff

There is no fan on PL4260N or PL5060N.
:)
Wow! Welcome to AVS

There is no fan on PL4260N or PL5060N.
:)Yes, we've already established that.

Can anyone tell me what the "100hr burn in" is and do I need to do it??Regarding 100hr burn-in. The manual says nothing about it but 100hrs it the typical amount of time for most plasmas. Don't leave any static images up on the display for the first 100 or so hours, this includes things like video games and 4:3 TV. The way I look at it, it's better to be safe then sorry.

I don't know if I'm just getting more accustomed to my TV or if it's getting better as it breaks in or what but I still marvel at the picture quality of a good HD source. The allstar game looked awesome last night and I don't much care for watching baseball unless it's the LCS or the WS.
Jeff

Yes, we've already established that.

Regarding 100hr burn-in. The manual says nothing about it but 100hrs it the typical amount of time for most plasmas. Don't leave any static images up on the display for the first 100 or so hours, this includes things like video games and 4:3 TV. The way I look at it, it's better to be safe then sorry.
Thanks, what about tv logos in the corner of the screen, will that burn in? and after the 100 hrs or so is there any chance of static images burning into the screen? You would of thought that with todays electronics that burn ins would be a thing of the past, or is it that they can prevent it but choose not to so they can sell another set to you when a certain image has burned, it's one of many conspiracy theories that bounce around my head :)

Thanks, what about tv logos in the corner of the screen, will that burn in? and after the 100 hrs or so is there any chance of static images burning into the screen? You would of thought that with todays electronics that burn ins would be a thing of the past, or is it that they can prevent it but choose not to so they can sell another set to you when a certain image has burned, it's one of many conspiracy theories that bounce around my head :)
- Yes, station logo's are static images, but it's not usually more than 15 minutes before a comerical come on anyway.
- Yes, there's always a chance that it will still burnin if you leave it on for hours at a time.
- Technology is always improving, the first plasma's were horrible with burnin, now they are much better and it will continue to improve.
- Yes, they are always out to get your money. :D

Have had my 42" HP set for 7 weeks. Moto STB and Sony HDMI DVD.

I have been fairly careful, but burn in has not been an issue, and my son has used X-box 360 since the start, tho a couple days per week.

Overall, a good basic set. No bells and whistles. HD generally very good to excellent. Better the camera the better the detail. Yes, All Star game was great.

My STB just went out and my new one seems to be providing better SD, which is now OK to good, depending on station. Seems to work best in SD if output from STB is 480I.

Moto problem persists in that HDMI does not provide sound from Moto STB to TV. HDMI from DVD to TV works fine, and DVD upscaled to 1080i provides and outstanding picture.

Yes, speakers are kind of ugly and take up lots of space, tho they sound better than most built ins.

Overall, for the price, this is a good TV.

For $1699 do I get the HP PL4260N from Best Buy or the Philips 42PF7220A/37 from Costco. Has anyone been able to do a head to head, side by side comparison? I'm not looking for bells and whistles either, just PQ and dependibility. My HD DVR has the dual HD tuner and PIP so I don't care about the cable card slot or additional HDMI inputs.

I have read a few previous posts in this thread about a flicker issue while playing Xbox 360 and wanted to add some comments.

I just bought an HP 50" PL5060N plasma and am having issues with the component connection at 720p and 1080i using my Xbox 360 . During several games the plasma will flicker (go dim and then bright). I have tried the composite connection and a VGA connection and they work fine (altough the picture quality is not as good as component).


Also, I have tried multiple 360's and multiple HD cables and the problem persists. I am sure the problem is the TV.


What makes it more strange is that it only does it during certain moments in gameplay. For example, in MotoGP '06 if I drive into the dirt or wreck it starts to flicker (worse on 720p). If I drive on the road nothing happens.


So I took my 360 into BestBuy yesterday and tested it on the HP there and it did the same thing. I then tried it on a 50" LG plasma and problem solved. The LG did not suffer from this problem. I have talked to both HP and Microsofts tech support and they are clueless as to why this is happening.


I'm going to have to return the plasma but I was wondering if anyone else on the forums has had a similar problem. Can anyone with a 360 test their TV? Download the MotoGP '06 Demo, plug in your component connection (I used the cable that came with my premium 360), make sure the xbox is set at 720p (this is where the flickering is the worst), and drive into the dirt and wreck your bike.

I'm going to have to return the plasma but I was wondering if anyone else on the forums has had a similar problem. Can anyone with a 360 test their TV? Download the MotoGP '06 Demo, plug in your component connection (I used the cable that came with my premium 360), make sure the xbox is set at 720p (this is where the flickering is the worst), and drive into the dirt and wreck your bike.


I have the downloaded MotoGP on my 360. I played it a couple days ago and didn't notice any problems at all. Maybe I'll try it again tonight.

e_rocm, Just for a test, put HP in "Movie" mode and play a game that does the flicker thing, if it does not flicker I am thinking that the prob. is that the "Auto Brightness" is kicking in. This I have noticed when in "Vivid" mode.

I am seriously thinking about buying this tv, it was an open box item at my local BB. Before i buy this tv though i would like to know how well the video quality is when it is hooked up to a PC, i have a Gforce Nvidia 7800 GFx card, if that matters.

If its not good with the PC, does anyone have any suggestions for a tv that would work better with the PC than the PL5060N ???

thank you for all of your help

I have the downloaded MotoGP on my 360. I played it a couple days ago and didn't notice any problems at all. Maybe I'll try it again tonight.

Played again tonight, still no issues with the demo.

Played again tonight, still no issues with the demo.
Maybe you and e_rocm should compare panel picture settings.

I think I have already tried the different picture modes but will try again just in case.

I second that statement.

Amy,
You appear very knowledgable and confident about these units. Are you an HP employee?

Jeff


Hi Jeff,
I am not of HP. but I do know sth of these products.