Plasma screen cracked panasonic 60s30

oh no, I feel bad for you, I would say pack it back up and return it or get on the phone with panasonic asap

This situation has been a problem with Samsung and their poor response. It will be interesting to see how Panasonic handles it.

The "problem" has been people not fessing up to hitting their TV.

Impact cracks look completely different then stress cracks.

Of all the Samsung cracked screen pictures, the few that people had the guts to post, only 1 was a stress crack. All other's have been radial cracks eminating from an impact point.

BTW, for every "amazying self breaking screen" picture, i can show you one JUST LIKE IT from people that admit to having hit the screen.

Having worked in customer service for over 30 years, I can tell you some of the nicest looking people are some of the biggest liars.

Sometimes and internal component can suddenly blow with enough force to crack the plasma panel from behind. That would have been the loud boom (probably more like a pop or snap). It has historically happened mostly on Samsung and LG plasmas, and there have been a few reports of it happening on Panasonics as well.

A capable technician should be able to determine if this is the case upon careful examination of the cracked glass (ie: blown outward from behind), of course after determining that there was a PCB board failure nearby. I think the S30 has an outer glass sandwiched over the plasma panel itself so if as i suspect the outer glass is intact and the inner (plasma) glass is what's broken, then that's good evidence that a component failure cracked the glass.

It's incredibly rare for an non-mechanical components to actually explode with any force. Aside from vacuum tubes, transformers and things like that, it just doesn't happen. So I'm guessing a fan meltdown or something like that, although it's hard to imagine one failing with enough force to crack a screen.

As for people not fessing up to damage...I would say that accounts for most of the claims the manufacturer sees, which makes it that much harder for people with legitimate claims to get a remedy. And it is possible to tell the difference between thermal cracking and an impact.

In the discussions on previous instances of spontaneous cracking, i do remember one credible member saying that while he and his family were watching a movie, there was a sudden loud pop that cracked the glass and shut down the TV. It turned out that the power supply had blown and it was located directly behind the starburst crack in the plasma panel, and the factory warranty covered it. There have been other similar stories here in the past.

In other cases like the Vizio Pop-of-Death for instance as well as the 42PZ700U problem and Pioneer power supply problem from the 2003-2005 era, the power supply failure was accompanied by a very loud pop sound. That pop is not the sound of something melting, it's the sound of something exploding (like a capacitor perhaps?). The glass on a plasma panel is extremely thin and it's not a stretch to say that such a sudden pop can impact that thin glass enough to crack it.

It is worth the effort to call Panasonic. However, the call to repair or replace the tv under warranty will be made by Panasonic. The tech will most likely have to submit pictures for review. Also, the review process will likely be very slow. If they do cover it, they will likely replace the set because with Panasonic plasmas, when the screen is cracked and the power is on, circuit boards fry (SC, SU, and SD usually). Occasionally it does happen the other way - Boards fry, panels break.
Good luck Kunark29!

BTW, your situtation is NOT like other people's that have had the TV working for weeks/months before magicly breaking.

Yours sounds like it was damaged before you even turned it on.

Should be a no brainer to get replaced.

Glad to hear that it wil be covered!

Be sure to take your own pictures before the tech arrives and then ask your tech if you can get copies of his as well. CYA is always a good idea.

Any updates on your TV repair? Did Panasonic fix or replace your broken TV?