Panasonic PZ80/PZ85 - "Color Flicker", "Brightness Shifting" Troubleshooting - Page 6

well, has anyone even responded yet that the replacement boards actualy fixed it? it sounds more like they were guessing when they came up with that solution in the first place.

secondly, if they had so much substandard components i would think other issues would come as well, but so far it seems like outside of this (Which may or may not be due to these faulty boards) there appears to be no other major unfixable issues.

Well the Techs just left and replaced 2 boards...Titled the 'A' and 'D' boards one was directly on the back of the panel an the other board was the one with all the hook ups on it(component and HDMI). Well it fixed nothing!!! In fact its worse and more pronounced!! Now I have to call Panasonic in the morning again and see what they say.

The guy was quick and was done in around 30 minutes or less. He hooked up his DVD player to make sure all work but didn't really watch it long enough to make sure my problem was gone. Of course once he left and I got this thing back on the wall mount and popped in a Blu-ray to see if it worked....BAMM!!!...Flicker and worse than last time. I was so upset cause at this point I was wishing he could put the old boards back in.

I can't imagine what causes this...and what confuses me more is that the boards they replaced didn't flicker until after about 150 hours of use. These new ones flickered right away, unless of course this is a problem with a different component, but who knows? I will call and let them know its now worse and if they do nothing I'll have to deal with it until there is a fix I guess.

yep...since others had already had it it done i was curious why no one had mentioned if it worked or not, but i had a feeling it wouldnt, otherwise panasonic wouldn't have come up with the idea without knowing about the problem or even presuming it was the tv and not the source, as i figured it was a blind guess on their part.

unless of course, someone wants to throw out the idea that the replacement parts they used were also "lemons."

This still supports the possibility of what I was saying, panasonic has something wrong with their new components.

Rinse & Repeat process until fixed [lucky replacement parts] get installed is really what the fix has come down too so far. Sounds like a TV version (more-or-less) of the old Iomega click-of-death .. its random, but exists and the company never isolated what caused it.

Hey, you paid a lot of money for this TV -- IMO none of us with this problem should accept it. I would try and push them for a new set or another replacement part, especially if you can easily reproduce the issue when the tech comes (and it sounds like you can).

Personally, I have about a week left to return my second set, and I have been considering just getting my money back from the retailer and going with another brand entirely. These issues have taken up too much of my time already, and it seems that there's no way that Panasonic can ensure a fix beyond luck of the draw.

Ironically enough, I bought a Panasonic for that name being known as "quality". So I could just buy and forget and not worry about any issues. Those would be for all those suckers who skimped and bought cheaper brands.

This is my 3rd set, all three lemons, with differing issues, some overlapping, my latest set being the worst of all. I just don't understand my luck sometimes.

I'll be in your shoes soon enough -- contrary to my last post, I think I'm going to return my second set and give the Panny one more go. I took a look around at other plasmas, but I keep coming back to what brought me to this set in the first place: for the same price range and size, it seems like the best buy (when it's working the way it's supposed to!).

Are you going to try for set number four?!

Next chapter.

A week last Friday, a Concierge had been scheduled to come by but didn't; neither did the service company call to inform me. When I called to stink about it a bit, they said they were missing the boards to make any replacements if necessary, and they'd call inside the coming week, when the boards would have surely arrived.

But there was no call.

I spoke to Panasonic about this today and was, by the by, told some interesting things.

1. They have received many calls from customers who are "confused" about this issue.
2. They've consulted with the manufacturer - there is in fact nothing wrong with these sets. There's been no confirmed defect in any of the hardware.
3. As the tv's are working as intended, nobody was waiting for any boards. They were waiting for a proper blu-ray player to become available for the housecall, so they could properly prove that the television was working on par with its design.
4. I reminded her, whoa -- my Xbox signal at 1080p via hdmi was producing this shift. Nah nah nah, she replied. There's a native 1080p, then there's a 1080p that was resampled from a native 720p - which, she maintains is the case with games. So, if the shift is occurring it's - again - due to an issue of resolution < 1080p.
5. Ok, whoa whoa, I says again: I've read testimony from a bunch of folks on the AVS forums who've seen this shift on Blu-Ray. Yes, she replied, this is possible if the Blu-Ray player is set to play back at 48hz. This is a playback option available to people who want to simulate a flickering cinematic playback - which is all well and good, but which is a step down from the true digital 1080p stream for which the television is optimized, so the chance for this shift is reintroduced.
6. As it stands, as far as Panny's concerned, any Concierge visit pertaining to this issue is a courtesy call to keep their clientele informed and happy. Which is cool, I suppose, if everything said so far is true.

Comments?

Will update again, whenever I manage to lure the Concierge back into my lair.

I know for certain that this one is incorrect, because my PS3 is not set to play back at 48hz (as far as I know) and I still get the flicker.

That's really irrelevant, though; the flicker is obviously not intentional and is a QC issue. I say this with confidence because:

a) Not everyone gets the flicker on their set
b) People have claimed that they've returned sets for new sets that do not flicker
c) People have had service techs in their homes who recognize the flicker as a defect, not a "feature" -- wouldn't all the techs be repeating this explanation if it were true?
d) You can't tell me a video like this (which is what my set can look like at it's worst, so I know it's not doctored in any way) is the result of normal viewing -- I don't care what resolution it is, there's no way the set would've gotten through any reviews without being severely criticized if all sets looked this way.

When I went through warranty I had to prove that my set behaved differently than the same model in the service centers showroom floor. Thats why I've stated it isn't going to be easy.

Anyone with this issue are going to have to prove that other sets don't do what yours does. Same DVD player (or source) hooked up to both sets.

Also I was told it was my DVD players problem. But when mine fluctuated and the service centers set didn't thats when I got somewhere.

Persistents is going to be required at least in my case.

Yeah I will call them later today and have the come back out. That PS3 and 48Hz crap is BS cause I have the 24p playback disabled on my PS3 and it still does it. Hell its even less noticable on standard def stuff to be honest, so they are just blowing smoke up our rears. I have tried everything from turning off super white to changing HDMI cables and it still stands as fact that this set flickers and my LCD in the other room doesn't, my friends Samsung plasma(I've taken my PS3 over there) doesn't, and my other friends LG CRT doen't flicker on the same source material Blu-rays!!!



You know, I thought this set was a god sent after having gone through 5 LCD sets with bad clouding, signal drop outs, and speaker cut outs!! I'm really discouraged with this whole buying a new TV thing now...Can't anyone make quality products anymore? I'm not even a picky person, anything I have complained about was also seen by my girlfriend and was even distracting enough for her to ask why does it do that?! I really hope they can do something about this problem cause I love everything else about this set.

I have had the 46 85u tv for over a month with at least 120 hours on it, I still see no flicker on any source Blu-Ray, D-TV, and Xbox 360 and I have raised my settiings with brightness and still looks perfect. This may be isolated issue because not everyone is reporting the problem

I'm thinking about it, but was hoping to see something difinitive about this issue first. I did buy a hefty warranty from the B&M, so I think I can, but at this point I'm afraid I'll just get another and at the same time wear out my welcome, so to speak.

...


[*]I reminded her, whoa -- my Xbox signal at 1080p via hdmi was producing this shift. Nah nah nah, she replied. There's a native 1080p, then there's a 1080p that was resampled from a native 720p - which, she maintains is the case with games. So, if the shift is occurring it's - again - due to an issue of resolution < 1080p.

That is the case with most games, but I believe there are a few exceptions [not many].


[*]Ok, whoa whoa, I says again: I've read testimony from a bunch of folks on the AVS forums who've seen this shift on Blu-Ray. Yes, she replied, this is possible if the Blu-Ray player is set to play back at 48hz. This is a playback option available to people who want to simulate a flickering cinematic playback - which is all well and good, but which is a step down from the true digital 1080p stream for which the television is optimized, so the chance for this shift is reintroduced.

Is she talking about the 24fps option? If so, I have it set to off on my PS3 and I still experience the issue.

Well I just got off the phone with them again and have a new app set for friday the 11th from 1pm-5pm so I'll be sure to let you's know what happens!!

I do not have this problem with my 50pz80u plasma purchased 5/27/08. The build date is May 2008.

My settings are as follows from memory.

After breakin (around 400 hours) & BD DVE calibration on PS3:

Mode = Cinema mode
Picture (contrast) = 56
Brightness = 54
Color Saturation = 43 (I use to have it at 34 with Color mgmt on for lower red/pink faces & tint at +4)
Sharpness = 69
Temp = Warm
Color mgmt = off
X.V. Color = off
Black = Light
Size = 2

With the color saturation, tint at these post calibration settings, both green and red gels come out perfect, and blue very slightly off.

Pre breakin completed and eye ball calibration/adjustments:

Mode = Cinema mode
Picture (contrast) = 45
Brightness = 48
Color Saturation = 34
Sharpness = 69
Temp = Warm
Color mgmt = on (eliminated the pinkish faces)
X.V. Color = off
Black = Light
Size = 2

I NEVER get any IR with my display even when a static image was left on by my son for over 1 hour. I looked with white screen & black screens and there was NOTHING.

I hope Panasonic steps up to the plate and resolves this problem for those who have a problem. I went through hell for my first HDTV so I feel your pain. I went through 6+ LG DLPs and one Samsung DLP (lip-sync issues), before I ended up with a RCA (believe it or not) and it has served me very well since 1/2005 and still looks amazing (in another room now).

Good luck everyone!

Some people get IR after almost a few seconds (although claims of that being because a faulty set seesm odd, what would be broken to cause that) but i think almost any plasma on the market would have "some" IR after leaving a static image on the screen for an hour or more, i dont beleive they have that variable of a set output to have some that have comparatively god-like resistance to IR of any kind.

Amazon will not do a third exchange for me, but they are giving me a full refund. I've decided to try almost the same model once more (I currently have the 80u, but I'm ordering the 85u, since at this point it's actually a little cheaper than what I paid for the 80u but has the added benefit of slightly higher contrast, DVI, etc.).

If this one is problematic, I'm not sure what I'll do -- possibly just spend the extra cash and move up to the 800u series.

I would normally tend to agree with what you are saying but I am not getting any IR that I can see even looking from a foot away. I was upset with my son when he left that static image up for over 1 hour, as I had explained the reason it cannot be allowed. I don't know WHY I am not getting IR so far, but I am happy I am not.

Maybe it is because my Picture setting is lower than what most have/need and THAT could be a possibly variable between panels.

Of all the problems my set has, IR is not one of them.

Well i had an app for today between 1pm and 5pm but instead received a call from the same service guy that came last time. He informed me that he believed me that I was having the same problem since he saw it last time. He said he's not gonna bother coming back since he did what they asked and replaced both the 'A' and 'D' boards.

He is gonna set me up for the Field Service Representative to come out and look at my set and determine what the next step will be. Unfortunately the 2 in my area are both on vacation and won't be available to come for another 2 weeks, so the only thing I can do is wait for their call to set up an app with them.

Im about to buy this set but Im a bit "on the fence" because of the "flashing" issue. My question is, for those who have this issue - is it a common occurence or one that happens like once a day.

I hate to have to budget 500 more to go to the 800u (the 42 incher) just to avoid this problem. The TV would be for my bedroom.

Any comments on how often this happens would be great. Thnx

A lot of people never have had the issue, it's obviously happening to some people though so it seems like a few lemon sets. I've still never had it happen on mine (knock on wood). You might as well try it and just exchange it for the 800 if it doesn't work out for you. If you decide to go the 800 route you won't just be paying for a problem free TV(that is if they aren't affected?), it will be better overall. Either way I don't think you can go wrong. You might want to check out the Samsung plasmas too, they've been pretty highly regarded this year.

I believe you need to do some homework. Theres a box that will research each forum as well as each thread. Just type in "flicker" in your search and you'll find your answers.

Also type in "floating blacks" or "black shift" there all lumped into together.

Its a much larger issue than some will try to want you to believe from MY experience. Also from following this issue for the past 3 years its just not this model do your search on any model as well.

Don't take my opinion or anybodys here! Thats why I said do your homework!!! You'll find your answer.

I still think there is two seperate issues here, although they may be linked together in some shape or form. There is the floating blacks which every generation and model Panasonic plasma has had and cannot be fixed. You will never get rid of the floating blacks on a panny plasma. They all have floating blacks, it's just that some sets may show the problem more than others and probably just comes down to intramodel variation.

The second issue is the color flicker, which may be linked to the floating blacks to some degree but I believe is largely a seperate issue. From what i've seen the color flicker becomes apparent when using a progressive signal (480p, 720p, 1080p) but miracously dissapears with an interlaced signal (480i, 1080i). For the people with Blu-ray experiening the color flicker, switch the output to 1080i and watch the flicker go away.

Yeah floating blacks aren't the color flicker and it's not a related problem. The blacks will almost always float to certain degree but you can minimize it. I've never seen anything close to what is in that video though. The Samsungs and Pioneers have stable black patterns from what I hear and definitely don't flicker like some of these sets. This isn't a plasma problem it's this TVs problem as much as some people would like to believe. I really don't understand how it could be "normal" if some are actually reporting getting worse/better TVs. Almost any TV will have some kind of problem, you're best off going to see them yourself and picking the one that looks best to you. A lot of people will just tell you to get what they own. Of course there are certain TVs to avoid, I don't think this is one though.

^^^
I wish the members that KNOW the difference between "floating blacks" and this issue could prove it!

Thats why I got my money back not using use a name for this issue but by proving that two tv's of the same model behaved differently.

When your told that issues aren't the same issue your not helping anyone. At least Jimbo used "I think".

But when someone "thinks" is different than I know. Stop blowing smoke up everyones rear when you can't prove anything.

What I've learned is find a TV that works properly and don't agitate by trying to believe were experts and telling others what is fact when you don't "KNOW".

Give it up, I'm telling people what I've experienced with MY TV which is all I can do. THEY AREN'T THE SAME ISSUE, if you want to disagree that's fine if you want me to add IMHO to make you feel better too I can do that. I don't see you proving anything either. You don't even own the TV and you haven't even "helped" anyone. Get off the high horse buddy I wasn't even talking to you anyways because I don't really value your opinion, if you think the same about me use the little ignore button and stop responding to my posts. I've never had the issue in the video but I've seen floating blacks which is an unstable black but never the flicker issue. If you really want a professional opinion why don't you send a PM to D-Nice and ask him about it. Then maybe you'll actually do some of this "helping" you've been going on about.

^^^
You're a fanboy. And yes you do have an opinion.

sigh, not even a real response, I guess it's to be expected. Kind of like debating with a brick wall, I just told you how to get your proof and you don't even try

I'm miles ahead of you on this one. And like I've told you why don't D-Nice or Ken Ross correct me if I'm wrong?