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How long should I wait until purchasing VT30?

post #1 of 21
8/14/11 at 3:11pm
Thread Starter 
How long should I wait before I purchase a VT30? I know the new A-boards have been installed in the ones manufactured in August, but I am nervous I will get one manufactured sooner than August.

If I were to wait until about October to purchase my new TV would I pretty much be guaranteed to have a 'FBr free' TV? I would really rather not have to deal with customer service & a service tech coming out to my house to fix my brand new TV with this board and I definitely don't want to keep returning my TV until I get a good build date with the A-board.
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post #2 of 21
8/14/11 at 3:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gempulse View Post

How long should I wait before I purchase a VT30? I know the new A-boards have been installed in the ones manufactured in August, but I am nervous I will get one manufactured sooner than August.

If I were to wait until about October to purchase my new TV would I pretty much be guaranteed to have a 'FBr free' TV? I would really rather not have to deal with customer service & a service tech coming out to my house to fix my brand new TV with this board and I definitely don't want to keep returning my TV until I get a good build date with the A-board.

All August built Pannys will have the latest software flash. So when you buy make sure it is a August build.
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post #3 of 21
8/14/11 at 3:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dandaroy View Post

All August built Pannys will have the latest software flash. So when you buy make sure it is a August build.

How would I go about ensuring it's an August build? My two options as of right now for places of purchase are Amazon, and Best Buy. I don't live near a Magnolia store, so is there a way I can ensure I get an August build?
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post #4 of 21
8/14/11 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gempulse View Post

How would I go about ensuring it's an August build? My two options as of right now for places of purchase are Amazon, and Best Buy. I don't live near a Magnolia store, so is there a way I can ensure I get an August build?

Pretty simple. Tell them you want one that has an August build date. If they dont have one, then wait until they get one.
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post #5 of 21
8/14/11 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gempulse View Post

How long should I wait before I purchase a VT30? I know the new A-boards have been installed in the ones manufactured in August, but I am nervous I will get one manufactured sooner than August.

If I were to wait until about October to purchase my new TV would I pretty much be guaranteed to have a 'FBr free' TV? I would really rather not have to deal with customer service & a service tech coming out to my house to fix my brand new TV with this board and I definitely don't want to keep returning my TV until I get a good build date with the A-board.

Without diminishing your fears and concerns, I have a first production run VT30 and I and several 'picky' friends have been staring at this looking for FBr. We have yet to see the effect, however, I think it is credited to my calibrator doing a kicka$$ job.
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post #6 of 21
8/14/11 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gempulse View Post

How would I go about ensuring it's an August build? My two options as of right now for places of purchase are Amazon, and Best Buy. I don't live near a Magnolia store, so is there a way I can ensure I get an August build?

That may be difficult if not impossible. The seller would have to unbox the TV to check the build date sticker on the TV's rear cabinet. BB probably won't want to break the seal on several TVs just to find you an August unit, and Amazon doesn't stock the TVs themselves - they just have it drop shipped from a Panasonic regional distribution center so there's no way to check that sticker until the TV arrives at your home.
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post #7 of 21
8/14/11 at 5:11pm
Thread Starter 
Also, the blacks on the 55 and the 65 measure the same, right? It's not like with the Samsungs?(smaller = higher black measurements)
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post #8 of 21
8/14/11 at 5:57pm
I am going to wait until late fall and also wait to see if prices drop another $500.
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post #9 of 21
8/14/11 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gempulse View Post

Also, the blacks on the 55 and the 65 measure the same, right?

No.
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post #10 of 21
8/14/11 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by D-Nice View Post

No.

Elaborate, if you will.
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post #11 of 21
8/14/11 at 9:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gempulse View Post

Elaborate, if you will.

He did
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post #12 of 21
8/14/11 at 10:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gempulse View Post

Elaborate, if you will.

What he means is that when you use instruments to measure the blacks on the 55 and the 65, the results of said measurements will not be identical. The results will, in fact, be different. This difference indicates a non-sameness.
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post #13 of 21
8/14/11 at 10:53pm
Thread Starter 
-_-. What I meant is, is there a drastic difference in black level measurements, like there is in the 51inch Samsungs vs. 59/64
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post #14 of 21
8/14/11 at 11:23pm
Perhaps someone with an August build date can give you his/her serial number, and then you can just be sure it has a serial number higher than that one. The serial number is always on the outside of the box.

Michael
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post #15 of 21
8/14/11 at 11:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dandaroy View Post

All August built Pannys will have the latest software flash. So when you buy make sure it is a August build.

Since the fix only came out a few days ago, isn't there a chance that sets manufactured prior to that don't have the fix? In other words, there would be some August sets manufactured without the fix?

It would be reasonable to assume that Panasonic will go to their regional warehouses and do the update on all the sets there (much less expensive than tracking them down in the field). Same for any distributors or large retailers such as a Best Buy. But we don't really know that for sure. Anyone have an inside line on this?
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post #16 of 21
8/15/11 at 1:21am
Thread Starter 
Quote:


My Panasonic factory regional service manager just left my home and store after upgrading the pdp eeprom on all of my VT30 inventory!!!! He swears this is a 100% FIX for FB. So now we have the only inventory in he USA that is FB FREE.

I also learned a few more tidbits. First is that all August produced ST30/GT30/VT30s will have the new eeprom firmware installed at the factory. Second is that you can tell by the s/n if your TV has the new FB free latest pdp eeprom firmware by the s/n. All VT30s with the s/n that is xx1215xxxxxx or higher has the new firmware.

Yahooo, I'm Fluctuating Brightness Free!
-Robert

Quoted from highdef junkies.
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post #17 of 21
8/15/11 at 11:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rogo View Post

What he means is that when you use instruments to measure the blacks on the 55 and the 65, the results of said measurements will not be identical. The results will, in fact, be different. This difference indicates a non-sameness.

Call me crazy, but I think he wants to know which size has deeper blacks
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post #18 of 21
8/15/11 at 12:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmarceau View Post
Call me crazy, but I think he wants to know which size has deeper blacks
Larger the panel, lower the mll
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post #19 of 21
8/15/11 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimP View Post
Since the fix only came out a few days ago, isn't there a chance that sets manufactured prior to that don't have the fix? In other words, there would be some August sets manufactured without the fix?

It would be reasonable to assume that Panasonic will go to their regional warehouses and do the update on all the sets there (much less expensive than tracking them down in the field). Same for any distributors or large retailers such as a Best Buy. But we don't really know that for sure. Anyone have an inside line on this?
The fix was released a few days ago, but it has been stated that Panasonic said that any unit produced in August is fixed, so I am sure they implemented the fix as soon as they could.
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post #20 of 21
8/15/11 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gmarceau View Post
Call me crazy, but I think he wants to know which size has deeper blacks
I know. I was in the mood to merely elaborate without elucidating. Anyway, the answer appears above.
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post #21 of 21
8/15/11 at 4:14pm
iam pretty sure that the build date is not on the box. on my st30 its on the tv and i could not find it any where on the box...
i really like my st30 but now i should have gotten the 55 inch vt30 lol
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