Panasonic PZ80/PZ85 - "Color Flicker", "Brightness Shifting" Troubleshooting - Page 8

My third set (which has the flicker) in the PZ80/85 line passed the 100 hour mark yesterday, so today I decided to pump up the settings to post-break-in levels. My plan was to try reaper's fix after I got everything calibrated. But to my pleasant surprise, the flicker has been greatly reduced -- almost eliminated! I viewed material that previously had flicker that now shows none.

To confirm it, I put on Sin City (DVD, upconverted via PS3), which (as those who have the problem know) should've been a prime candidate for triggering severe flickering due to its high contrast, primarily black and white scenes. Throughout the entire movie, there were maybe two or three instances of extremely minor flicker. I have my fingers crossed that the set won't somehow lapse back into flickering later in its life, but for now it appears that I'm in the clear.

Through my experiences and through reading what others have seen, it's my belief that the flicker is somehow related to how the set processes brightness and contrast in any given scene. If you have a set that is "sensitive" (i.e., through a faulty component), your set will have a hard time processing certain colors and shades that appear in high-contrast scenes. Depending on the severity of the problem, setting your contrast and brightness higher seems to alleviate the issue; it worked for me, and earlier in the thread there was mention of it working for others as well.

Hopefully this thread has at least raised awareness about this problem to Panasonic, and I hope my TV remains flicker-free!

human5892. What did you mean by 'pump up the settings to post-break-in levels'? Do you mean you returned the settings back to the factory settings or to some other personal setting prior to break-in, and did you do it in the user and/or in the service menu? This problem has kept me from pulling the trigger on an 800U, and, if this fix is true, the decision to buy will be easy.

It seems to me that the problem is, indeed, with the way the set processes brightness/contrast between the two frames in 24p. One frame gets processed properly while the other does not. Reaper may have found the way to 'reset' the processing correctly. I hope others out there have found this fix to work and that this issue will not be an issue anymore. I await the outcome with bated breath.

For the first 100 hours or so, I placed the set on Cinema, but with the brightness and contrast turned down (I think I put both of them in the mid-30s). During this break-in time, I could easily notice the flicker.

After 100 hours, I kept the Cinema mode setting, but readjusted my settings based on a combination of the calibration thread and my own eye. I did this in the normal user picture menu -- nothing in the service menu. After I adjusted my settings, the flicker was drastically minimized -- effectively gone 99% of the time so far. Keep in mind, though, that turning the settings up will not work for everyone; my set prior to this one had the flicker problem as well, and no picture or brightness setting could fix it. Again, I think it has to do with the severity of the problem in your particular set.

It's worth noting that the flicker on the 800 series may be related to something else. I've heard that it only affects the 24p mode on that line; the flicker on the PZ80/85 occurs consistently on all materials (also, the PZ80/85 line does not do 24p pulldown).

you guys are talking about two different flicker issue entirely.

one is the 800u's flicker with 800u to make it look more like a projector (some say now this is put in on purpose for that, and others say it's because of a 48hz refresh rate over 72).

and the rest here are talking about the 85u's (and 800u?) similar floating black-type issue (it's not floating blacks, but it's similar).

Has anyone experiencing the flickering modified their aspect ratio (from 1080i to 720p, for example)?

I own a 42pz80 and I frequently lower the aspect ratio if it seems the tv has a hard time decoding the information stemming from the DVD player (not HD but progressive scan).

Also, have you seen this flickering from a VHS cassette?

Finally, have you tried replacing HDMI/component with svideo or composite?

Just some thoughts...

I have a set with this problem that I just bought Friday. Didn't know this thread existed so I posted my problem in the 80u/85u owners thread.

I'm assuming there hasn't been a fix or anything yet. Is a replacement set in order? I got my set at a Circuit City.
Edit: I just read reaper's post. I'll try it tomorrow and see how it works for me.

Yea, I got it at the Best Buy store on the Westside near Rio Rancho. I'm not sure if they have anymore left but I'll check sometime this week.

I've been able to reduce the flicker thanks to reaper's post but it's not completely gone.

Yea, I got them confused since they're next to each other. I had originally planned to get it at CC is why. I meant Best Buy, though.

I was referring to Reaper's post on the last page about the service menu fix.

I just bought a 50 pz 80 and i have noticed the flicker, my wife cant put i can. I was watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall i firsted noticed it when he was in the bes with the girl the kept saying"high" the cieling behind him did it. and his face. also noticed it on a couple of dark shirts and little on some faces through out the movie. I just bought it from bestbuy on Monday. What should i do, take it back is there a forshure fix on this yet, or do i need to exchange it. My bestbuy doesnt have anymore in stock i got the last one.

I can confirm this "brightness shifting" problem exists on the 2008 Panasonic 58" - 800U and the 2008 50" - 800U. For the sake of clarity I am referring to it as "brightness shifting" because there is a completely seperate issue with the 800/850U models that is often refered to to as "flicker". That issue relates to Panasonic's rather poor implementation of 24p (48Hz) playback of video discs which is a completely seperate issue.

I first noticed this problem when I increased the overal contrast on my TV. On quick program changes from a dark to light scene there would be a monentary change in brightness when switching to the bright scene. On lower contrast (picture) settings this problem was not evident!

I was able to duplicate this problem, AT WILL, by using my DVR and freezing (pausing) a bright scene. With this scene paused - I then brought up a DVR menu which also has a bright background and I could see the brightness shift lower in a quick single pulse.

I then called up a friend who has the 50" 800U and he saw the same thing.

However if I use a lower picture/brightness setting - I do not see this shift nor did my friend. As an EE I assumed this was a power supply problem or an issue with the dynamic contrast.

Further researching seems to confirm this is an issue with the ABL circuit as documented by xrox and others http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1038221 . Thank you xrox!

It seems to me the cause is known and the problem can be duplicated. I can also confirm it occurs in two other 2008 Panasonic models and it is NOT just a PZ80/PZ85 issue. Whether you see this problem or not depends on your contrast/picture settings and whether the program material contains rapid shifts of bright to dim scenes.

Obviously this problem is only evident when the overal contrast and brightness is fairly high.

It seems to me we need to pester Panasonic for a fix! Either better power supplies or a firmware upgrade to the ABL circuit.

Am I missing something here?

You hit the nail on the head.

My three year old plasma did this also.

Problem is who wants to watch there TV in the cinema mode.

If not fixed after three years why would it get fixed now?

Interesting updates... I've had this problem since I got my 85 a few months ago. I debated contacting Panasonic but the local service outlet they use is horrible and I didn't want to deal with them (again - the 85 was a replacement for a defective 600U plasma). I have been just dealing with the problem, although it does annoy me quite a bit when I see it. I don't have the nerve to go into the service menu to make the changes others have.

So has anyone followed through with Panasonic? Maybe it's time for everyone to start calling them, if we haven't already.

Here's what I would do, and this is what I did about it.

Look around town and find an authorized Panasonic service center. The one I used wasn't even on there list but was authorized. Ask them if they have a 85u that you could compare material that you can reproduce the problem. Mine I found several movies on DVD that would shift brightness lack of a better word. The funny thing was out of three identical models I tried it on only two of them did it.

Well it was hard to argue with me why mine did it and one didn't. They tried a replacment part and when they couldn't fix it they offered me a replacement or money back. I took the money.

I agree, it is hard to figure out why 1 out of 3 sets did not have the problem. It could be individual panel differences, how you tested for the problem or factory set-up procedures.

Still 2 out of 3 HAD the problem. I doubt Panasonic will address this issue unless this is a large number of customer complaints. I originally posted this problem in the thread for the TH58-800U. Not one response. That makes sense because it is only noticeable on certain program material and ONLY if you are using a high picture (contrast) setting. I stumbled upon this thread by accident.

Secondly this problem is hard to describe. Some call it 'flicker" - others a "brightness shift". I prefer the latter description.

So it seems to me that this problem will never come to Panasonic's attention because very few will notice it to begin with and then it will be described by various terms that will never be cataloged by Panasonic as a single problem.

Xrox has done a brilliant job of discussing this issue.

I just exchanged my old set for a new one today at the store and my new set has this problem also. Although it's less severe than my previous set. It still bugs me and I'm contemplating just going back to a Samsung 650 LCD.

I'm having the flicker issue w/ my 42pz85u as well. I'm using a Panasonic BD-35 Blu-ray w/ high quality HDMI cabling. I'm noticing it on almost all of my DVD's and every one of my Bluray's, but only in certain scenes. It happens mostly in scenes that have a light blue background (like sky scenes). It even occurs in the gov't warning (blue background) at the beginning of I Am Legend. I get pixelated lines that flicker back and forth. It also does it when Will Smith is playing golf on the jet plane and the camera is focused on him and his dog w/ the blue sky background behind them. The color get's pixelated and sort of flickers light to dark rapidly. Another scene that does it is in Transformers Blu ray where the soldiers are getting attacked by the scorpion robot in the desert. It also has a light blue skyline...flickers just like in I Am Legend. Like I said it does it in other scenes and in other movies as well, not just this one.

I contacted Panasonic and they sent a technician out today. He seemed to think that it wasn't an issue with the tv but some sort of compatibility issue. I tried my blu-ray player on my dad's Samsung tv and had no problem whatsoever...perfect picture. So I'm pretty sure it's not the player but an issue w/ my tv. He said he's gonna research the issue and call me back in a couple of days. Not sure what will happen. I'm really disappointed with the situation and hope it gets sorted out soon. I bought this tv b/c I was told by everyone that it was pretty much the top of the line for the money...pretty disappointed myself. Sucks that so many people are having this issue as well. I'll let you know what happens. If anyone wants to try the I Am Legend and Transformers blu rays and see if they get the same thing...let me know, I'd be interested to see the results.

I have a 42pz800U, and I think I'm having this same problem. The really weird thing is that it only happens in movies, not in any other HD broadcast. Also, it doesn't happen in the entire screen, the flickering seems to only affect certain parts at a scene, for example, the face of a person, or a source of light in a dark scene.

I posted this problem on the pz800u forum, but not many users responded to this.

Does anyone here have a final verdict on what is the problem? I haven't really noticed this problem with blu-ray, and if I've had, it's been way less remarkable. This makes me wonder if this is an issue with the source.

Hi, I bought a 46pz80u about 1.5 months ago...and hadn't noticed anything until a few weeks ago...found this thread...and now I'm pretty much obsessed with getting to the bottom of it.

I do not see any noticeable brightness shifting/flicker on any HD content over my DirecTV box (whether movies, sports or what have you). The ONLY time I see it is with blu ray content piped through my Panasonic BD35k. For me, the Dark Knight is the worst offender...but it is only really noticeable in a few of the IMAX sequences. For example, the sweeping shot of the yacht (when he takes off with the Russian ballet troupe)...the water is absolutely alive with flickering. I can also see it on the buildings on the opening IMAX pan before the robbery....tans, greys and muted light blues seem to generate the problem. The Dark Knight is generally flicker free when the movie is in 2.40:1 mode.

In Batman Begins, when Bruce Wayne is chatting with Liam Neeson's character in the prison cell... the shifting brightness also occurs. The Hunt for Red October, at the beginning, the grey skys are flicker freaks as well (older film, but the picture is pretty good). So I know, as time goes by, I will discover other discs with the right set of video qualities in certain scenes that give will my TV a headache, and this makes me cranky.

I'm still using recommended break in settings in cinema mode. I tried having the player output at 1080i, farted around with brightness/contrast (even torch mode)...but nothing has changed the shifting brightness/color flicker I've seen in the scenes I described above.

Could it be an issue with my HDMI port (the one the blu ray is hooked up to)? The blu ray player itself? The cable? Interference from some unknown source? A bad batch of blu ray discs (unlikely)? If I saw the issue on HD content via DirecTV, I would've already contacted Panasonic...but I've had no issues on that front. I've got a few more things to try and will report back if my investigations lead anywhere.

I posted earlier in the thread with this problem. Since I last came here, I noticed the flickering problem -- which I previously thought had gone away -- on my third set in PZ80/85 line. I returned that set and went with a PZ800u. To my dismay, that set had the flicker as well!

To make a long story short, I became determined to try and find a solution. I ended up at avforums.com, a British version of AVS Forum, in a thread similar to this one. Over the past few months, through sheer tenacity, some members there got Panasonic to issue a firmware fix just recently (in the past few days). A few people have had the new firmware applied via a service tech (you cannot apply it yourself as with some other manufacturers) and have reported the problem FIXED.

Here's the point in the thread in which new firmware began rolling out:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasm...roblem-34.html

So far, I'm not sure if the new firmware has worked its way around to the U.S. yet, or if it can be applied to multiple sets in the line or just the PZ80/85. As soon as I get the chance, I intend to call Panasonic and see if they will come out and look at my set.

Interesting. I do wonder why the firmware can't be upgraded by the user. I thought it could be done using the SD slot.

I still don't see the 85U listed on this firmware download page.
http://www.pasctraining.panasonic.co...ads/Plasma.ASP

On a 46PZ80U purchased at Costco Feb. 09 there is a very thin black and white almost static like horizontal line that runs across the top of the display in full screen mode. This happens on most (not all) SD channels throught Directv and does not happen on HD channels, DVD or during comercials, or if format is in any other setting except full screen. Panasonic says it's a Directv issues. Directv had me reset and switch HDMI cable; the problem persists. I bypassed A/V receiver and connected Directv directly to HDTV. Same problem. DTV says it's the HDTV. The line looks almost like back-light bleeding but it's not. All my settings are set to neutral for break in. Any advise? Thanks!

Thank you from a member with 76 posts. Does anyone have any "helpful" information?

Here's a snippet from the PZ85 calibration thread (maybe your DirecTV box does some sort of upscaling on the non-hd channels), so see if you can change your HD size setting to 1 and make this problem go away...


Originally Posted by abintra
How come the settings in the first post of the thread recommend HD Size: 1?

In some configurations Size 2 will show video noise at the edge of the screen.