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The Official LG xxPK550 Owner's Discussion Thread [no price talk] - Page 114

post #3391 of 5201
9/2/10 at 6:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjetski71 View Post

Question for those who have a few dead or flashing pixels ....


Upon transport of your PK550, was it ever lain on it's side?

I was reminded in another forum that plasmas should never be placed on their side, during transport or otherwise, because it supposedly causes slight damage to the panel on the inside, causing stuff to happen which leads to dead or flashing pixels.

If this is true then it's food for thought imho, and a warning for those who think they are going to put this in the trunk of their honda civics ...... Don't do it!! get a buddy with a pickup truck or sport utility to help you out, and keep the TV standing up properly.

Hopefully someone qualified can give us a clear answer on this (?) We have all heard that we shouldn't lay plasmas down, but what are the real reasons we shouldn't?

Edit: LoL at the post below, figures i pick the wrong car to use as an example

I transported mine on a 25-degree angle (maybe more) for about an hour in my SUV. No dead pixels, working perfectly.
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post #3392 of 5201
9/2/10 at 6:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Omega_Supreme View Post

I'm in Canada and will likely be buying my 50PK550 from either Future Shop or Best Buy.

What I'm wondering is if it's worth it to "try out" a potential set in the store to check for any obvious issues -- stuck pixels, debris behind the glass, etc.
Is that even possible?
Is it worth it?
Do people do that?

Like most, I'm quite picky... and I hate the thought of getting it home, seeing a few 'bad' pixels and then going through the annoying process of getting another one sent out.

thanks for any input!

Buy it at Costco - $998, 2-year warranty, 90-day return policy. You can't beat their service.
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post #3393 of 5201
9/2/10 at 7:49pm
I just got my pk550 in today and love it. However, I notice that on bright some bright scenes(watching Bourne Ultimatum) there can be a slight light effect. Is this normal for this plasma? or is there something wrong? It's not on all bright scenes...just some.

Also, do I need to do a break in period?
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post #3394 of 5201
9/2/10 at 11:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by olivluca View Post

Well, I have the same issue here with an older model (also explained in this thread).
According to an LG rep in Spain, it's normal for LG plasmas to behave that way.
After some thousands hours of use, the change of brightness disappears, but the black level is very bad, so you have to either return it now that you can show the problem, or keep it as it is.

Edit: I suggest you also try with these pictures: put the first six or seven on an usb stick and look at them with the integrated photo viewer in slide show mode (and make sure to hide the slide show menu bar on the tv, otherwise it will affect the result).
Everybody that did the test on an LG panel saw that, while all other images show a piss poor black, the 10% square shows a perfect black.

Tried the movie and the slides and my screen doesn't have the problem you are talking about.
Only after about 15 seconds of dark screen it gets darker (never happens on actual content)
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post #3395 of 5201
9/2/10 at 11:13pm
So I just received my 60PK550 last weekend. It's now mounted and ready for viewing. I have it connected to my Xbox 360 as a media center extender.

I watched a pre-season football game today and I noticed two things:

1) There was a noticeable buzz when I first turned it on. However, that went away within about 5-10 minutes.

2) I'm not sure what the correct term is, but I noticed a lot of "shaking" when the screen panned.......even slowly. This was most obvious with the orange yardage sticks that are held on the sidelines. Every time the camera panned by one of them, they got fuzzy and "shook". It was the same with almost any brightly colored vertical line.

As a further test, I went to one of the Sunday Ticket channels. For now it's just displaying a large directv logo. This logo was DEFINITELY shaking. It gave me a headache to look at it for more than a few seconds.

3) Picture quality as a whole just seemed a bit fuzzy compared to my Samsung 50B550.....maybe just because it's a larger screen?

I really want to like this TV and there are so many good reviews that really complement the picture quality. I'm just not seeing it yet. Are there any settings to help fix this? Or do you think it's possible that I have a defective set?

Thanks.
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post #3396 of 5201
9/3/10 at 2:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by canuck88 View Post

Buy it at Costco - $998, 2-year warranty, 90-day return policy. You can't beat their service.

I didn't know Costco carried the LG550, I'll have to go back and check it out, I also love that they have the 90 day easy return policy if anything goes wrong. I'd actually pay more to buy it from Costco just because I know I won't have issues returning a problem set.

Does anyone know if it's possible to update firmware on this set?
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post #3397 of 5201
9/3/10 at 7:01am
To Big Brad og ChadB, what MLL reading is the correct one?

Big Brad: You say you've only managed to get it down to 018?

And ChadB has gotten is as low as 013.

Im at a total loss on what do, buy or not buy. I know, even with the MLL rise on the G20 its still going to be a little blacker (024).

If ChadB's reading are correct, and i've even heard rumors at it settling at 010, but i can live with 0.13, which is about the same as my G15 after it's first MLL rise.

If it wasn't for the black level rise i would buy a G20.

So if you guys (Brad and Chad), or anyone else who have measured their black levels lately can tell what they're getting, because 020 can't be right, it's too much.
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post #3398 of 5201
9/3/10 at 7:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rblatchley View Post


2) I'm not sure what the correct term is, but I noticed a lot of "shaking" when the screen panned.......even slowly. This was most obvious with the orange yardage sticks that are held on the sidelines. Every time the camera panned by one of them, they got fuzzy and "shook". It was the same with almost any brightly colored vertical line.

Are these considered "jaggies"?

Is that normal on this TV? Is it he source (XBOX 360) or the TV?

Are there any settings on the TV to reduce this problem? Or is it defective?

Thanks.
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post #3399 of 5201
9/3/10 at 8:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rblatchley View Post

Are these considered "jaggies"?

Is that normal on this TV? Is it he source (XBOX 360) or the TV?

Are there any settings on the TV to reduce this problem? Or is it defective?

Thanks.

I've not encountered this problem (have a 50PK550), so it could be the source material. I would pop in a blu-ray and see if it exhibits similar behavior. If you see it happen there as well it could indicate a defective set.

Edit: I missed the part about brightly colored vertical line also having this problem...did you try adjusting the picture settings for H Sharpness and V Sharpness? This may help.
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post #3400 of 5201
9/3/10 at 8:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by eyeofthestorm View Post

Well, it was self repaired for 2-3 days, but it's screwed up again.




This would drive me nuts...you seem to be taking this better than most people would. I hope the controller board replacement fixes your problem.
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post #3401 of 5201
9/3/10 at 11:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SUFan15NC View Post

This would drive me nuts...you seem to be taking this better than most people would. I hope the controller board replacement fixes your problem.

The board showed up via UPS less than half an hour ago. Wednesday will be here eventually. :-)
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post #3402 of 5201
9/3/10 at 12:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SUFan15NC View Post

I've not encountered this problem (have a 50PK550), so it could be the source material. I would pop in a blu-ray and see if it exhibits similar behavior. If you see it happen there as well it could indicate a defective set.

Edit: I missed the part about brightly colored vertical line also having this problem...did you try adjusting the picture settings for H Sharpness and V Sharpness? This may help.

Yeah, I've played with the sharpness.......going to both extremes to see if there's a difference. I thought I was a bit crazy until I had a friend come look at it. He said he sees the screen "shake" too. I'm going to try connecting the XBOX directly to the TV instead of through my receiver and see if that makes any difference. If not, I'm going to call Amazon and see if I can get a replacement........and if this is what they all look like, I may need to pay a couple extra hundred for the PN63C550.

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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post #3403 of 5201
9/3/10 at 1:24pm
I and many others can assure you that is not normal. My picture does not "shake".
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post #3404 of 5201
9/3/10 at 8:35pm
Can anyone explain why Ive gone through this progression???

First get TV - IR occurs, but is eliminated by white wash/slides

Maybe 50hrs in - IR seems to be non existent with TV programming (ESPN, station logos, etc..), no noticeable IR from black bars created by BD movies

Tonight - Watch Dark Knight, on-screen menu causes IR, then I turn off the PS3 and the "no signal" block that floats around causes some IR



Im sorta confused, I thought I was at the point where IR wasnt an issue. I was running slides, doing white wash, etc. IR had basically stopped from what I can tell. Now it randomly comes back???
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post #3405 of 5201
9/3/10 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by EldoradoSan View Post

I and many others can assure you that is not normal. My picture does not "shake".

So I tried connecting my media center PC directly to the TV and the "shakiness" went away. Therefore, I figured it must be a problem with either the XBOX 360 or receiver. So I connected the XBOX 360 directly up to the TV and I still saw the "shakiness". I came to the resolution that the problem was with the 360. So I went into the 360 settings and changed the resolution from 1080p to 1080i. Surprisingly, the "shakiness" went away.

I haven't done much additional testing, but at first glance, changing to 1080i seems to have resolved the issue.

So now my questions are:

1) Is the TV upconverting anyway? i.e. if my TV signal is 1080i anyway, is there any advantage to having the 360 output in 1080i.......perhaps gaming only?

2) If the XBOX, receiver and TV are all running some sort of algorithm to upconvert, could that be what is causing the problem?

3) Does this sound like a reasonable solution or will I be missing out because the XBOX is set to 1080i instead of 1080p?

4) Does this sound like a defect in the TV?

Thanks.
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post #3406 of 5201
9/4/10 at 8:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AVSman View Post

I was finally able to answer this by piecing together information from different threads and forums. I thought I'd post my findings here to help others out.

[Disclaimer: I am not responsible for anyone following these instructions and bricking their TV. Also, there are other ways of sending the correct IR code to the TV; this is just the method that I used.]

First, the hours information is displayed in the "In-Start" service menu. To get access to this menu, you'll need to use a LG service remote, or use another method to send the correct IR code to the TV. I have a Harmony 880, so I can confirm the following steps work for at least this Harmony model:

- Login to the Logitech Harmony website: http://members.harmonyremote.com
- Go to the following link in the same browser: http://members.harmonyremote.com/Eas...owInfrared.asp
- Click on "Manual >"
- In "Data Value" zone, copy/paste this Pronto code:

0000 006D 0022 0002 0155 00AA 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0040 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 0015 05ED 0155 0055 0015 0E47

- Click on "Process >": message "Converted from Pronto format successfully!"
- Click on "Next >"
- Click on "Select an active device"
- Choose your 50PK550/60PK550
- Enter a command name like "InStart"
- Click on "Add >"
You can now assign the command "InStart" to any button.

After you send this command to the TV, you will be prompted to enter a password, which is "0000". The hours on your 50PK550/60PK550 are displayed after UTT (I believe this stands for Unit Total Time). If I remember correctly, you can use the Prev or Exit button to safely exit the menu.

Thank you, I had the other "service menu" code, but never found this one. UTT on my set is 740. I will see how high it is next week to confirm it is the hours on.
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post #3407 of 5201
9/4/10 at 9:46am
The TV is definitely not right. It fixed itself again last night. I was on the computer listening to the audio part of the broadcast, & it seems that once it heats up a while that the picture comes back 100%. I just turned it on & it's still all there.
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post #3408 of 5201
9/4/10 at 10:13am
Got mine recently. Love it! No issues at all and I'm not going to start looking for any! Haven't calibrated it yet but likely will this weekend. Transported mine flat, glass down, in my hatchback. It was 15 minutes of sheer panic

Why does it seem that so many actually go looking for issues? Your car cost at least 20x more than this...did you examine every inch of it as closely? If the brakes squeal while driving it off the lot, do you turn around and ask for a replacement car? Some issues here are very real but others just make me scratch my head (like 1 or 2 misfiring pixels out of 2 million!)

My advice...just sit back and enjoy the show!!
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post #3409 of 5201
9/4/10 at 1:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rblatchley View Post

So I tried connecting my media center PC directly to the TV and the "shakiness" went away. Therefore, I figured it must be a problem with either the XBOX 360 or receiver. So I connected the XBOX 360 directly up to the TV and I still saw the "shakiness". I came to the resolution that the problem was with the 360. So I went into the 360 settings and changed the resolution from 1080p to 1080i. Surprisingly, the "shakiness" went away.


What type of connection are you using for the 360? If you are using VGA, the frequency rate may be out of sync. If you are using this, just go under the VGA-PC setting (last option under Picture, after Advanced Settings and Reset) and have it Auto-Config. I use the VGA cable, and have mine set to 1920x1080. I have the older 360, no HDMI, so I don't know if it would make a difference.
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post #3410 of 5201
9/4/10 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mindspin311 View Post

Im sorta confused, I thought I was at the point where IR wasnt an issue. I was running slides, doing white wash, etc. IR had basically stopped from what I can tell. Now it randomly comes back???


Mine does this as well. It varies with content it seems. I did find that I get the most IR right after I turn the set on for the first 10 minutes or so. I can play a game or watch a movie for a couple hours straight with no IR at all, and then flip over to reg TV and have a channel logo show for about 15 seconds, and then change the channel and see a faint IR. I usually just ignore it as it has always gone away in a couple minutes, so I don't even worry about it anymore, tho it can be a little annoying at times.
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post #3411 of 5201
9/4/10 at 2:04pm
Anyone know what this is all about?
http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.asp...on=homespecial
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post #3412 of 5201
9/4/10 at 3:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by winston9332 View Post

Anyone know what this is all about?
http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.asp...on=homespecial

Interesting! But there is no such thing as a pk250 in the US... But that seems like a great deal and 6ave is a good place. I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a 60 inch LG (pk950 or 550) and if this is the 550 I think this is a great time to get it.

Update*
This is a European model, but it is still a good price.
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post #3413 of 5201
9/4/10 at 5:53pm
Against my better judgment, as I am a gamer, I decided to buy the 50PK550. I'll be picking it up from Sears tomorrow. The somewhat high volume of people saying they don't notice any input lag is what sealed the deal for me. I'll be coming from a 4 year old Westinghouse LVM-37w3 LCD. I do not know for sure what the input lag of that set is, 30-40ms I think, but I don't notice any lag on it.

Side question; why is the 50PK550 so heavy for being a slim plasma? Nearly 70lbs with stand. After I get it into my truck I won't have anyone to help me get it into the house and onto my entertainment center. I should be able to lift 70lbs no problem, but will the size of the box make it awkward to try and carry?
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post #3414 of 5201
9/4/10 at 6:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by avfanatic1 View Post

Interesting! But there is no such thing as a pk250 in the US... But that seems like a great deal and 6ave is a good place. I am thinking of pulling the trigger on a 60 inch LG (pk950 or 550) and if this is the 550 I think this is a great time to get it.

Update*
This is a European model, but it is still a good price.

I think they are releasing the 250 here - fewer hdmi and dopping isf and some picture features. contrast ratio appears the same.
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post #3415 of 5201
9/4/10 at 7:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veritas05 View Post

I should be able to lift 70lbs no problem, but will the size of the box make it awkward to try and carry?

Find someone, anyone, to help you get it into your home and on your stand. Yes it isn't very heavy, but it will probably be very awkward. Flushing close to a grand down the drain because you think you can isn't very smart.
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post #3416 of 5201
9/4/10 at 8:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by winston9332 View Post

I think they are releasing the 250 here - fewer hdmi and dropping isf and some picture features. contrast ratio appears the same.

Interesting, hopefully the PK250 model works well despite having less options to tweak. LG will now have a bunch of 1080P models to choose from, PK250, PK550, PK750, PK950.

I imagine it'll be the lowest price 60" 1080P plasma.

Wonder if Chad B will get his hands on one to review for us.
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post #3417 of 5201
9/4/10 at 8:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veritas05 View Post

Side question; why is the 50PK550 so heavy for being a slim plasma? Nearly 70lbs with stand. After I get it into my truck I won't have anyone to help me get it into the house and onto my entertainment center. I should be able to lift 70lbs no problem, but will the size of the box make it awkward to try and carry?


I purchased mine thru Sears as well, but I had free home delivery. It is a little heavy, nowhere close to the 36" Sony CRT I used to have (that was a beast), but you can probably handle it by yourself, but I would recommend having a friend help out. Sears just dropped mine off inside, I had to unbox it and lift it up onto the stand and table. I wouldn't try carrying the box, I would slide it around. There's quite a bit of space at the bottom of the box to prevent damage. Just don't bang it around.
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post #3418 of 5201
9/5/10 at 12:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sjetski71 View Post

Interesting, hopefully the PK250 model works well despite having less options to tweak. LG will now have a bunch of 1080P models to choose from, PK250, PK550, PK750, PK950.

I imagine it'll be the lowest price 60" 1080P plasma.

Wonder if Chad B will get his hands on one to review for us.

I always thought the EU PK250 was the same as the US PK550.
As I live in The Netherlands I have a 50PK250 and have all the options you mention here incl. the 2 isf expert modes. 2x HDMI is enough for me, right now I'm only using one with the PS3 and maybe a 2nd one if I ever choose to watch tv in HD (which is now SD). The price was euro 599,- which translates to usd 772,-.
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post #3419 of 5201
9/5/10 at 6:52pm
I picked up the 50PK550 from Sears today. Man was this thing a pain to move and unbox! I really should have found someone to help. I got it all set up though. I'm running the break in slides right now, and it looks like I have one dead pixel, and one stuck pixel. Will the slides maybe fix them, or is there another method I can try? What picture settings should I be using while running the slides? Right now everything is default.
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post #3420 of 5201
9/5/10 at 7:43pm
Max contrast is all that really matters using break in slides.
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