Panasonic PZ80/PZ85 Owners Thread [No Price Talk] - Page 406

I would use 1080i if I were you since even though I own a HDMI-equipped Xbox 360 and run everything on it at 1080p, I have tried 1080i before (via HDMI) and the results are very similar to 1080p. Not all games have the same native resolution but I think you'll find 1080i to deliver all 1920 by 1080 pixels on this set compared to 1080i on a set with 1024 by 768 or 1366 by 768 pixels. This is the reason I find 1080p sets to be better than 720p even if you're only watching up to 1080i.

Well, after much debate, I decided to BUY a backup/bedroom tv.

Must be nice.

You'll have to let us know what you think of the LCD compared to the plasma.

By all accounts, the IPS LCD system this tv uses was pretty nice, and its one of the best ones under $500.

I swapped over from the 85u to the C12 halfway thru the Incredible Hulk HD on Max. After getting over size shock , the tv has a VERY good picture. Of course it lacks blacks, and off angle veiwing sucks, but it has a very good PQ on the out of the box Cinema settings. I bumped backlight up from 30 to 50 because it was a little darker than the plasma, but Im very happy with it. I've cranked color down 5, because the reds and greens were a bit loud, and will prob re-buy the DVE blu-ray to get it dialed in before it goes to the bedroom.

Here's a phone pic, the tv is a little outgunned by my Def Tech speakers and the Klipsch 12" sub

My wifes def become a HD snob, here eyes got big when she saw the size of a "small" 32, hehe.

Is it true all 2008 Panasonic Plasma TV's (11G) have a panel half-life of 100,000 hours?

I know my 85u says that, not sure of all of them.

My 50PZ85u would not acceppt my XBOX 360's 1080p signal though component. It is an older one that does not have an HDMI output. So a couple if weeks ago I purchased an XBOX connector port to HDMI/TOSLINK adapter (made by Madcatz, sold in Gamestop packaging), and it works incredibly well. For less than $40, it was a bargain in my book, especially considering that 360 was free (RRoD unit my son got free from a friend that I had MS fix under warranty).

Repair update:

Guy came out today and actually appeared to be a tech (not like the two goons I got last week). He wanted to see the issue again, I showed him and he took pictures. He then stated that he was going to take it on in (sometimes they send the pictures in first) because the line was smaller than normal and the shop would need to see it up close, he really did not want to come out again for a better pic. That was a good decision, because there was no way in hell he was leaving without it. He told me that Panny Concierge is one of the best for repair times and getting parts, especially since I had the CCP. He said once they figure out the issue, Panny wants the tv fixed and back in the home ASAP. He also stated that lately, Sharp has been hard to deal with when it comes to honoring warranty repairs.

He said that most likely the PANEL would have to be replaced, and if they could not get a panel, new tv.

I should know more in a couple of days. Good news is, Gregg Loewen with LionAV is gonna recalibrate it at the toudchup cost he woulda given me in a few months. I've told him to plan on coming out next month for the calibration.

Thanks. I will look into this. So far though the 1080i to 1080p conversion the tv is already doing itself looks very good.
Thanks again to mike171979 for reminding me of this!

-Phil
Birmingham, AL

Repair Update:

Ok, shop called a little while ago and said they hooked the tv up to a dvd player and could not see the line, and started to assume it was my BR player. I told them the only way to see line was with a 1080i/p input (because of overscan) and with HD size 2. He said he would call me back.

I got the call back, and as soon as they put it in 1080i, they saw the line and are going to replace the "A board" tomorrow. He then asked if I was sure this was a 1080p tv because the repair guy said it was a 720p tv. I told him no, it was a 1080p 2008 plasma, he said "ok"

Now that worries me

Hang in there dude-still hope for a repair or a new set.

If its ONLY the board, he says I could get it back Friday. It just bothers me that the guy working on it doesnt know its 1080p.

That is a little disconcerting. Good luck!

Is anyone having this problem:

I live in Japan (military) and bought a TH-pz5080U last April 2008. Everything was great. Until 2 days after my 1 year warranty ran out. :-(

Problem: TV will not turn on. 2 blinking lights. I unplugged for a while and switched outlets on hte power stripe and it was back on. One month later same problem, same fix, a week later, same problem, this time the unplug didn't work. Tried different power stripes, plugged straight into the wall. No luck.

Contacted Panasonic rep at aafes ( base exchange) where I bought the TV and he is going to contact Panasonic here in Japan.

Anyone having the same problem? What was the fix?

Thanks for your help.

I'm not sure what the problem is but I'm sure the 2 blinking lights are a code. I think there is an error code manual somewhere, probably on Pannies web site. Is there any chance you purchased it with a credit card? If so, I would check with the company and see if they will double the warranty on the set. It's well worth looking into.

According to the service manual for the TH-42PZ80U, 2 blinking lights refer to a problem with the D-Board.

You have a service manual?

The shop has ordered a "A" board for mine, just curious if you can tell me anything about what it does.

There is no text description for what it does in the manual but doing a quick online search reveals that it's the board with all the A/V connectors

http://cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-TH-C42...ayphotohosting

Hmmmm, that worries me that the A Board is the cause of my problem. Guess we'll see.

thanks. I'll let the rep know.

I'm thinking of delving into the plasma world for the first time and returning the LCD I just bought because of extremely poor viewing angles. Just off center where I sit I lose color and it fades. It only gets worse the more you go.

I'm looking at the PZ85. Any issues I should be aware of with it? How is the picture quality?

Are crushed blacks an issue, any buzzing noises? How does SD look, DVD's?

Any information would be appreciated.

It's a great tv - I"ve never seen "crushed blacks" or buzzing and with hi-def material the picture is nothing short of stunning. SD-not so much but no hi-def set reproduces SD much better. You won't go wrong. At the current sale prices I'm seeing, you absolutely can't go wrong. I paid 1.6 benjamins for my 46" and you can now get the exact same tv for under a grand. Makes me sick, really but other than that I'd do it again.

It is a great tv. This Panny LCD Im watching right now is a very good tv, when there is signal and its a brighter pic. Dark scenes, and watching Seven Pounds on BR in the dark last night, show me how good the blacks really are on our 85u's.

Thank you for the feedback. The more I hear, the more I'm leaning towards a plasma and likely this very set.

Do DVD's look decent on it? I don't have an BR player yet, or anything to up convert. Will eventually, but I still watch a lot of DVDs.

I agree with what was stated above. This TV is great.

DVDs look great on it too, as long as your using the component inputs and set the DVD player to output 480p progressive scan.

Totally agree with whats been said above

hi all,

I have the PZ-80u model and I love it.
However,
there is one aspect of the unit that is really getting to me.
I watch alot of hockey, and when they show the replays or close-ups of the bench or close-ups of the teams when they scored for example whenever there is a dark colored team the dark color shows alot of "pixalation". I am saying it this way for lack of a better way to describe what is going on. The image doesn't stutter or anythying, but it you can sort of see the digital transmission of the image, not exactly a blur, but I used to see this same thing far more on my older LCD sets. This never hapens when I watch blu-ray, but yet again there is alot less camera shifting in movies.

Does everyone experience this, is there a way to correct this?
What are your thoughts on this?

I know I am sitting fairly close to the unit. I am about 9 feet away. The further I stand away from the unit, the less it is apparent, and the closer I am the more it is apparent. I am talking HD feed, I don't even watch SD really.

Sounds like your tv provider, not the tv.

Well, the tv has a new A Board and has been bench tested; they will deliver tomorrow between 9 and 12. First thing Ill be doing is throwing in the break in slides to see how its acting.

Keep us posted.