Official LG XXPZ950 Owners Thread - Page 5

Never try to reaise the brightness of a plasma with "Brightness"! Brightness' only use is to set up the right black point (Videolevel wise "16" must be black and "17" gray").

You can only use "Contrast" to raise the lightness of the picture.

But what you say sounds like that your panel does not get enough power.

Turrican4D

Are you saying there may be something wrong with how the tv processes the power from the outlet or something wrong with the power feed from the outet?

Sorry to hear what happened to your tv.

Could the black thing actually a dirt or some sort trap between the thin protective film and the glass? Some user reports there are actual hard to notice protective film on top of the glass. You can start checking from the edges for the film.

Hope that's case, good luck. I didn't check my 60pz950 that thorough for dead pixel, because I kind of figured it won't be noticable when I sit 12 ft away. =)

I was just wondering do you all use only 1 hdmi for both video/sound? I have to use a optical cable for my sound which I find odd. Can I use the other 3 hdmi ports instead of #1?

If I had a choice I'd go with a stuck pixel which would be much smaller then this dirt piece. The dirt is behind the glass, actually inside. I can see it from 12ft no problem especially on a lighter colored background.

It is even visible when the TV is off. Here I'm shining a flashlight on the spot. There appears to be a thin film on the inside surface of the glass and the dirt is sandwiched between the film and the glass. You can see the film around the edges of the dirt.


The only clear film on this unit was on the base and on the bottom clear edge of the TV. I have not removed those yet because this unit is going back.

I'm again waiting to hear back from the Manager at Best Buy. I spoke with him yesterday with my concernes over the open box when delivered again. He told me he had informed the warehouse to insure the box was not opened prior to delivery.....well it was. I'm suspecting these have all been previously returned items.

We'll see how the THRID unit looks upon arrival. If the box is open it's strike three for Best Buy. I'll head over to Amazon and stand in line.

The first TV I received had no audio on HDMI #1, the others were OK and can be used. The second replacement TV was fine, all ports worked. I only have one HDMI cable connected to #1 for now.

Well from what I understand HDMI #1 supports ARC which I know my reciever does not support. So if I plug in the hdmi cable to port2 it should work? Also are all the hdmi ports in or out?

Just got my 60PZ950 today. HDMI 1 works fine for audio hooked up through my Onkyo 608. I don't have ARC turned on, but I do have the ability to use it if needed.

First impressions... it looks exactly like my 60PX950 did, aside from the new Smart Menu which I'll probably never use. I haven't tried 3D yet, and first impressions of black level is that they are not improved. I'll have to look again at around 200 hours and after another calibration. I would probably do Turrican's potis trick for better blacks after a month or so.

The fact there is no DSE "Dirty Screen Effect" gives this tv a huge advantage over the PX950 though. That alone was worth the replacement.

3D on the PZ950 and the new bluetooth glasses are also much, much better than the PX950's glasses and 3D. The picture is more crisp overall in both 2d and 3d. Liking it more and more so far.

Any black specks or stuck pixels on your screen?

I have a third replacement arriving in about an hour.

I received my third replacement TV today. The box came un-opened this time and guess what.....the TV is perfect!

The wireless network setup went smoothly. I had to enter the dongle's MAC IP address into my router, (it's the way I setup wireless security on my network), once connected everything seems to work fine.

When prompted, I went ahead with the update from V03.05.05 to V03.06.05.

Hi Bhazard

Glad your new set looks 100%, curious to know your impressions on the black levels as compared to your previous PX950, there were a number of initial reports that the PZs may have a higher level than the 2010 models.
My recently acquired 50PX950 looks great with no issues and the set seems to have settled in to where the stock THX settings now look spot on, where upon initial use they needed a bit of tweaking. I've no interest in 3D so any issues there are a non-issue for me and my Apple TV takes care of the Netflix issue here in Canada.
Overall IMHO the LGs offer the most natural color rendition, the upper Samsungs to me looked more like a plasma trying to be an LCD/ LED display and the Panaonics still appear grainy on SD material, the LG being the best compromise between the two, which really is no compromise at all.
So I'm sure you'll in due time let us know you impressions on your PZ950

No stuck pixels, perfect screen.

The PZ950 is slightly better overall compared to the PX950. 3D is much better on the PZ950 though.

I've seen this noise, and it's very disturbing to me, but only up close. On 1 of the settings it seems to go away, out of the box, expert1 i think. But, now i know what you mean my PVM-noise.

After calibration, that dithering noise around dark areas reduces significantly.

The price dropped a little bit today on Amazon, and the deal is still going on for anyone interested in the PZ950. You have 14 days from the day the tv shipped to request a refund of the price difference.

Excellent deal, but the black levels are the only thing that still annoy me a bit about this tv. During a colorful scene, it is one of the top tvs by far. During a movie with dark scenes.... could be better.

I've also tried to use my ISF calibration from my PX950 on the PZ, and it doesn't look right. It is much better than some of the modes, but I will need to get another ISF calibration sometime. THX cinema works for now, although an ISF calib on this tv will be MUCH better then the THX mode. I know from experience.

But you can't get rid of it and it never reaches the edges of the panel.

True, but it is much less noticeable than the weak black levels out of the box. I will be trying your method to lower them after I hit 200 hrs, but I am very nervous about tinkering with potis' that can affect voltage. I can live with the dithering, because I cannot see it from the 10-12 ft away where my couch is.

I don't notice the noise or weak blacks.

Same here, I've got at LEAST 150hrs on my PZ950 so far and have seen absolutely NONE of these issues, and I have tried to do so. I am VERY impressed with the black levels on this tv and I watch and game a lot at night in a dark room when it should be most noticeable. My last 3 tvs have been Sony XBRs and I find the picture smoother and more "real" then either my XBR6 or XBR9. I thought I had converted to LCD for life but have definately rethought that decision with the LG. I will say that the screen could be a problem for people who have a lot of lights or windows or do daytime viewing because regardless of what kind of filter it supposed to have, I can still see lights pretty clearly reflected if I turn them on. Other than that issue, it's an amazing TV for the price.

Right on 1CoolDad!, so it's not just me. I'll take a THX certification over a forum "option" any day.

I find the blacks deep, the colors rich, and contrast exceptional. When viewed in THX Cinema mode this TV is amazing. I only wish the audio was THX certified, it's more like an AM radio.

THX Cinema mode isn't even half as good as the tv can be with an ISF calibration. I highly recommend it.

If you think THX Cinema mode is great, you will be blown away with an ISF calibration.

How would ISF calibration improve what I'm seeing in THX Cinema mode and why would I do it?

My background is in commercial/advertising photography where correct color representation is essential. What I'm seeing in THX Cinema is very realistic, specifically in the skin tone nuances.

I'm not dismissing calibration for some TV's, but how can ISF calibration improve upon what we are seeing in THX Cinema mode on the LG xxPZ950?

I'm posting my ISF before/after pdf from the PX950 as a reference, which is almost exactly the same tv. Although THX Cinema is very good, it is still quite a bit off in gamma and color. If you notice the before/after charts, there is quite a bit of tweaking done to the color. Once everything is calibrated, the tv emits reference color, picture perfect, and miles above THX Cinema mode.

THX mode also turns on noise reduction automatically, which reduces picture quality. If you highlight THX Cinema and hit 8741, you can edit THX mode and turn off the noise reduction to improve pic quality as well.

Forgot to post it. Here it is.

 

ISF.pdf 369.912109375k . file

The effort in testing and posting your findings on the PX950 is much appreciated, however this is an Official LG XXPZ950 Owners Thread.

Please post relevant data, thanks.

Any response to my questions in #144?

Considering I owned both of the tvs, i have said the tvs are nearly identical panel wise, menu wise, settings wise. The only difference is the smart tv, bluetooth glasses, and a faster response panel. It is very relevant, as you have no idea what the PX950 was like. The THX Cinema mode is also set up identically and the same noise reduction setting is there turned on. Optimal gamma can only be gotten on this tv in (Gamma=High) mode, yet THX Cinema uses Medium, which is already off.

There is nothing wrong with using THX Cinema, as the picture is good with it out of the box, and it won't cost you $250+ to calibrate. It is nowhere near as good as a calibrated picture will be on this set though. I have seen the difference it can make with the previous nearly identical panel, and it is a big difference.

I've laid out a clear and precise answer with color charts as to why an ISF calibration is much better than THX Cinema. I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you. You may think the color is accurate, but it is not.

Your PX test was interesting....thanks for sharing BTW, can/will you test the PZ and share the results?

Sure. I have to wait until I have over 200 hrs on the tv before I can calibrate, so it will be awhile.

It would be nice if one person's calibration could apply to all of the same model tv's, but they are almost completely different for each set.

I have also tried Flatpanel HD's recommended picture settings. They are washed out and pretty bad, but if you change gamma to high it looks pretty good for now too.