Panasonic 42 inch G25 buzzing issue - Page 2

I have a 50" G25 with May 2010 build date. I can hear the buzzing and the loudness of it varies with the brightness of the content on the screen. Yesterday I was watching an outdoor concert performance in HD and during a quiet part of the song they showed the bright sky and I could clearly hear the buzzing.

I'm going to call Panasonic today and see if they can send someone out to possibly replace the power supply PCB as someone else in this forum mentioned.

In post 252 of this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...php?p=18283441) D-Nice mentioned that this buzz is inherent in the new G20/G25 because of the way they are built. Now I am confused as to whether this is normal or if what I'm hearing warrants concern. Some people on here have said they hear absolutely no buzzing, but it's hard to say if they just don't hear it from their seating position or if is is in fact non existent on their sets.

I've had my P42G25 for a month now (April 2010 build). The only time I detected any buzzing from this TV was when I was running the break-in slides, and it was only very slight. I am VERY noise sensitive too, so I was a bit worried when I read these threads before I got my TV. Sounds like it's luck of the draw regarding whether you get a "buzzer" or not...

At work, folks use strobe lights when they are handling sensitive information.

The strobe lights emit an annoying high pitch whine as they flash. We joke that the strobe lights double as a hearing test. None of the older guys can hear them, but it drives the younger guys crazy.

I wonder if it's a similar phenomenon here. Is the buzzing a high pitch sound?

To me, it doesn't really sound like a high pitch noise. It sounds more like electrons bridging a gap between two conductors. Like a really high rate 'ticking' sound that is constantly present, but the loudness of it varies based on the brightness of the screen content.

I'm just wondering:
1) Is this normal behavior which is to be expected?
2) Do other people completely not hear it (i.e. absolutely silent), or is it just not loud enough to cause concern.
3) I've heard some people say they had their power supply PCB replaced and it resolved the buzzing, but I don't know if they had a much louder (clear defect) buzzing problem or if they are talking about the same thing as me.

I just got my 46" G25 yesterday (April 2010 Build) and it buzzes. I sit 9 ft from the TV and I hear it very clearly. It's only noticeable when it's quiet. I haven't spent enough time with the set to determine if I will be annoyed by it or not.

The buzzing is definitely proportional to the screen brightness.

42G25 March build, just unboxed yesterday....and buzzing.

I updated the FW, and I'd swear it made it louder.

I was thinking of breaking out the trusty old Radio Shack sound meter and seeing what it registers. On bright scenes it is annoyingly loud from the couch ~11 feet away.

The worst part is the variation in sound. I have an old 60"DLP in another room that sounds like a furnace running, but it's a dull, constant thrum that quickly becomes unnoticed. With the plasma, you just get used to the quiet hum in a dark scene, then they cut to the bright "next morning" scene, and it sounds like the TV's got a built-in electric razor!

Calling Panasonic next chance I get.

I just received a 50" G25. I noticed the buzzing right away (before reading any reports). It sounds like an "electrical" buzz, like those bug zappers people use outside. It comes from the back of the TV. I can hear it from 10 or more feet in front of the TV. I don't hear it when the speaker volume is at normal levels, but hear it when the sound is down (like when viewing pictures or navigating menus on the blu-ray player). As others report, the intensity of the buzz is definitely proportional to image brightness -- it's virtually silent with a black screen and loudest with a white screen.

I've called Panasonic, who were quick to arrange for a repair, which should happen later this week (very nice experience so far, actually -- except that it's a brand new TV and a repair shouldn't be necessary!). I've read that it might be a bad power supply. Has anyone had luck with repairing the buzzing noise? If so, what repairs were made? Has anyone had bad luck and things got worse?

Thanks in advance for any advice. I'd hate to make a minor problem even worse by having a repairman tinker with the set. I'll keep you all posted with my outcome assuming I go through with the repair.

It appears you are in a great situation. If Panasonic cannot fix the buzzing from the service call, you still have the option to return or exchange the TV.

You would think. Only that the online retailer from whom I purchased the TV does not allow returns or exchanges, even on defective TVs. So I have to go through Panny.

So the repair person just came. She replaced the power supply board, but to no avail. In fact the replacement was louder than the original, so she put the original back in. She said the replacement sounded defective, so she'll order another and try that. She also had on hand two replacements for the "scanner" boards that live on either side of the TV. These produce a high-frequency electrical-like whine, while the power supply produces more of a buzz. She did not replace the scanner boards, preferring to do everything when the replacement power supply arrives.

TURN-ON DELAY: Since the repairs, the TV now seems to take a longer time to turn on, even though the components should be same as before the repairs. I didn't time things before the repairs, but now it takes a full 7 seconds from pressing the power button to seeing a picture and hearing sound. Does this delay sound right to you all? Would someone mind testing their set?

BEZEL: Also, now that I've been looking so closely at the TV, I've noticed that the plastic bezel is separating from the screen along the bottom edge. It appears that the thing is just glued on, but the glue is coming off and it doesn't appear to be aligned quite right, so even pressing on it does not get it to sit right. Has anyone noticed this on their TV?

REAR BACKING: When replacing boards, we noticed that the rear metal backing was badly dented in the bottom left corner (when facing the front of the set). It doesn't look like this could of happened during shipping, because when the backing is attached to the TV, the corner is protected by the plastic frame of the set (anything that bashed the metal corner would have gone through the plastic). My guess is that it happened at the factory, probably before the backing was assembled. Disappointing quality-control!

LESSON: Don't look/listen so closely at your TV lest you find something!

My set takes ~6 seconds from pressing the power button on the remote to the display showing up on the screen, so that seems pretty normal.

I haven't noticed any bezel separation on mine. Did the tech need to lay it down flat to open up the back, or did they do it while it was upright on the stand?

I also can't tell what the metal inside the back looks like since the plastic is covering it.

Please let us know if the replacement power and scanner boards make any difference.

The buzzing is slightly annoying during quiet scenes that are bright on the screen, but I guess I can deal with it if there is no solution, since pretty much everything else about this model is great.

Thanks, lazerasa. I guess mine is about or just beyond average. Any other experiences out there?

The tech did everything with the TV on its stand -- no laying it down.

I will keep you all posted on the repairs.

I'm really looking into buying one of these g25s, but this buzzing issue is making me a bit hesitant. It seems like there is just a randomness in who experiences this issue and who doesn't (with the notable exception of ta240's update causing it to start).

However, I was looking over Wikipedia's article on plasma TVs, and it says that increased altitude can cause a buzzing. I checked the cited source, and it attributes it to pressure differences between the gases within the screen and the ambient air pressure causing an increased baseline power requirement.

So... I guess the only way we can see if this has any substance to it is to ask all you buzzers and non-buzzers what sort of altitude you are living at. If we see a correlation, then we might have a legitimate cause of (or at least factor in) what is leading to some people experiencing a buzz and other not. From there, it might be easier to recommend this set to people and not to others. So help me out! What's your elevation????

Wikipedia is not a reliable source of accurate information - anybody can write anything and post it there, whether it's true or not. Don't believe anything you read there - a lot of it is just plain mis-information and is often very wrong.

Altitude hasn't been an issue on Plasma TVs for many years. Panasonic plasmas are rated for use up to 9,200 feet and other brands are probably similar. People in Denver are watching their plasmas with no buzzing.

i have a 42g25 and mine is very quiet, even with the volume at zero and standing next to the screen. i think it's just a hit and miss thing. i live in ohio so altitude is not a problem.

I have noticed that my new 50G25 buzzes quite noticeably at times...Problem is that I can't get it exchanged anymore because I've had it more than 30 days (go figure I've been out of the house for almost 3 weeks now).

Guess I'll have to call Panasonic and get a repair as well...I can hear it clearly from 8ft away when scenes change brightness...sounds like a bad transformer to me.

I've already had a CRT TV fail on me because of a power board failure and I'm not going to tolerate another TV possibly failing because of the same reason.

I agree that Wikipedia isn't a good source, but I checked the citation, which is about as legit as much can get on the internet without demanding peer-reviewed research articles. Ohio is pretty low altitude (avg. 850'), and he doesn't have buzzing. If people in Dever are not having this buzzing issue, thats fine, but I was hoping for first-hand accounts to see if altitude is relevant at all.

I've got a 50" G25 and I have some pretty horrible buzzing as well, respective to the brightness of the screen. A full white screen = loudest buzzing.

My issue is, I purchased the television in the USA and I live in Canada. Now Panasonic Canada won't warranty it and are telling me to contact Amazon - who most likely will tell me to take a hike.

Any info would be appreciated.

I live in the Denver and DO have the buzzing problem. So...do we know yet whether the Power Supply replacement is the magic bullet? (assuming the replacement power supply isn't defective)

Read about this solution to the "buzzing" issue here:

http://www.adaystore.com/reviews-09-...asma_HDTV.html

Quote:
"Occasionally, in the right environment, you may get a set that buzzes when the picture gets bright or the OSD is on. There are a couple of ferrite cores on 15V power lines. These things are a plastic housing with two halves of an iron cylinder inside. The iron doesn't fit snugly in the plastic housing, and at the right voltage they resonate and vibrate like crazy inside the housing. Any Panasonic authorized repair tech can put a couple of drops of super glue on each half, put it all back together, problem solved. If you bought it from a Panasonic authorized dealer, then it's a free fix."

Could it be as simple as that?

Yeah, Panasonic Canada uses excuses like that to bully Canadians who might consider buying any of their identical products in the USA. Panasonic Canada appears to never miss an opportunity to screw its customers.

Apparently, neither does BB.
The price in Canada for a 50" G20 at BB is 60% more than their USA stores. When I informed the manager of my local BB that BB in the USA, 25 miles south, was selling the same unit for $600 less, with a straight face, he claimed that they're different companies.... Right, and Panasonic charges BB USA 60% less for their stock than they charge BB Canada?

Can you say "price fixing"? Competition laws in the USA are enforced... in Canada they literally don't exist.

You might check out the "super glue" fix mentioned above, especially if your warranty isn't valid anyway.

Got the 54" G25 on Friday. Like others it has a noticeable buzz from 10ft away during bright scenes(not loud but noticeable). The picture quality is really good so it's a shame that it has this problem. I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it and deal with the buzz or return it (bought on Amazon). I was replacing a 50" Toshiba Plasma that didn't have a noticeable buzz. It was only 720p and 4" smaller so maybe it didn't use as much power. I'm thinking of getting a LED LCD instead but I'm sure they come with their own issues...

Panny replaced my Power Board but it is exactly the same as before. Oddly enough the tv was near silent sitting on the floor so I said it's good & I'm happy with that. Put it back on the stand mount & buzzzzz right away. I think it is reflecting off of my wall in the corner & coming back at me. Anyways thought I would share this info with others.

Mathematically, 60% more (in this case, Canada) = 37.5% less (in this case, USA).

Now, do I think it costs BB in Canada 60% more / USA 37.5% less?

No, not even close. However, the cost is almost surely somewhat more in Canada though, due to it being relatively sparsely populated, compared to the US; that is what I heard a few years ago.

I don't know of a single company that will warranty a TV or any other home theater item that was bought from a different country, so i don't see why you're singling out Panasonic, other than your anger about prices being higher in Canada (isn't everything higher in Canada anyway?). What brands would warranty a TV that's sold in another country?

Yet you make no mention of the person who bought went to another country to buy the TV to save money, instead of supporting your local business in your own country.

hi to everyone on this post... I'm sorry to bump up this old thread but anyone have some updates on that issue ? Anyone have had theirs fixed by some service call ?

I wish I had read this before buying my G25. I just got it 4 days ago and guess what, I am getting the buzzing sound. The picture quality is excellent but that buzzing sound is so annoying...

It seems to be reflecting off the wall to the listening area. I sit 7' from the TV and I can clearly hear the buzzing sound. It's not loud but it's definitively present.

I was just wondering what was the result of the repairs some have had to their G25 ? Was it successful ?

I made a small video of that buzzing sound. I have read on forums that some people had lower noises level prior a firmware upgrade.

I'm runnin the v3.0 firmware (which is the latest).

I called Panasonic a few weeks ago and was told they were developing a repair kit. They called me back this last Friday saying the kit is ready and that I could make an appointment for the repair. You should call them. For what it's worth, the buzzing on my unit was really loud when I first got it in June but greatly diminished after a few months.

I have the TC-P50G25 model and have the same buzzing sound. I've had mine since June and the buzzing has been the same since then. My TV came with a older version of firmware (I forget which version), and since then I've updated it to the latest firmware (3.0), but it didn't change the loudness of the buzzing in any way.

Take a look at Samsung's Warranty: It covers HDTVs bought in Canada and the USA. It's a cross border Warranty.

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS NORTH AMERICAN LIMITED WARRANTY STATEMENT

Subject to the requirements, conditions, exclusions and limitations of the original Limited Warranty supplied with Samsung Electronics (SAMSUNG) products, and the requirements, conditions, exclusions and limitations contained herein,

SAMSUNG will additionally provide Warranty Repair Service in the United States on SAMSUNG products purchased in Canada, and in Canada on SAMSUNG products purchased in the United States, for the warranty period originally specified, and to the Original Purchaser only.

The above described warranty repairs must be performed by a SAMSUNG Authorized Service Center. Along with this Statement, the Original Limited Warranty Statement and a dated Bill of Sale as Proof of

Purchase must be presented to the Service Center. Transportation to and from the Service Center is the responsibility of the purchaser. Conditions covered are limited only to manufacturing defects in material or workmanship, and only those encountered in normal use of the product.

Excluded, but not limited to, are any originally specified provisions for, in-home or on-site services, minimum or maximum repair times, exchanges or replacements, accessories, options, upgrades, or consumables.

For the location of a SAMSUNG Authorized Service Center, please call toll-free:
- In the United States : 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864)
- In Canada : 1-800-SAMSUNG