Panasonic TC-L42E50 - Anyone? - Page 4

I just bought this TV from Amazon as well with the $100 promo and expecting it to be 120Hz. Saw today that the desc of the TV changed to 60Hz, so I contacted Panasonic chat for the answer.

raj: Can you tell me what the refresh rate is on the TC-L42E50 tv?
Alicia T.: 360 backlight scanning, which is equivalent to 60Hz.
raj: Wow, most every place I see online advertises this as 120Hz
raj: I just bought this thinking it was 120, and am very disappointed to hear that it is not.

She never responded after that!

Thanks for the effort in contacting Panasonic.
That response from Alicea of Panasonic doesn't surprise me, I doubt she knows her job well since she never responded to you disappointment with the product.

As far as the assumption that 360 Backlight Scanning indicates 120Hz from earlier posts, according to Alicea that is not tue, that indicates 60Hz.

You should have asked her, if that is the case, then why is TC-L42ET5 listed at 120Hz and includes 3D is only 60Hz since that model also indicates 360 Backlight Scanning.
The TC-L42ET5 sells for 629.00 at Amazon today.

The mystery continues.

Can't comment on the hz issue, no idea, but i am curious if it is bad to have a rainbow line across the screen in direct sunlight?

I got one of these from Amazon about a week ago. Pretty pleased so far.

And now it's back on amazon as a 120 hz...lol

Yes I saw it was back on Amazon at 120Hz again, as is the TC-L47E50 and TC-L55E50 at 120 Hz.
That prompted to contact Panasonic via chat to get the truth. As with the earlier post by
As with RajeshM’s Post # 91 attempt to get the true refresh rate from Panasonic, I contacted Panasonic today and given useless information.

Customer says: Can you please advise the refresh rate for theTC-L42E50 TV. I recently purchased it from Amazon and listed as 120Hz. Then they changed it to 60Hz, now it is back to 120Hz.
Agent Travian C. says: The refresh rate for this unit is 60Hz
Customer says: Can you advise where that is listed in your literature.
Customer says: Not only Amazon has it listed at 120, but other vendors as well.
Agent Travian C. sends: http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/TCL42E50.PDF
Agent Travian C. says: Page 18 of manual: http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/TCL42E50.PDF
Agent Travian C. says: "Power Source AC: 110 - 127 V, 60 Hz"
Customer says: I have that manual, nowhere is the refresh rate listed.
Agent Travian C. says: Page 18 of manual at the top
Customer says: That is wrong that is not the refresh rate but rather the electrical input, has nothing to do with refresh rate.
Agent Travian C. says: Both information (power supply and refresh rate) is listed under the subheading "Power Source"
Customer says: Sorry I see I'm getting nowhere here, I'll take this up with Amazon.
Agent Travian C. says: Sorry for the inconvenience caused.
Agent Travian C. says: Thank you for visiting. Please contact us at anytime.

I then called Amazon CS, I explained I need to know the actual refresh rate and questioned why it keeps changing.
I was transferred to the appropriate department, explained in detail and the person seemed genuinely concerned.
I also advised him people are posting at the Amazon recent posts they too are confused of what the actual refresh rate is.
I was told to hold and would get back to me shortly while he checks it out. Spent 40 minutes on hold and never got back to me once.

The frustration continues.

I contacted Amazon too. First they told me to contact Panasonic. I told them that it wasn't my job to check on something they were selling and constantly changing the items description. They apologized for the inconvenience and gave me additional Amazon contact info. I checked another email and it said I had a 2% promo credit from the TV purchase. I didn't take it further....

We should have a prize for the first person that can get actual confirmation of the refresh rate. That Panasonic CSR chat above is hilarious. They actually pay people to give that information out on their own products!

I sure as heck won't be winning that prize.
After my failure with Amazon in getting an answer, I Googled and found that Niki Hoffman is the Marketing and Sales manager for Panasonic.
Got a phone number, 907 464-3550 Ext 2023. I call her, guess what, had to leave a voice mail, 5 hours later and I never get called back.

You'd think this would be so easy to get an answer, walk into any Best Buy and all TV's show screen size and refresh rate. Unfortunately the one in my area doesn't stock the TC-L42E50. Oh my, how I long for the old days when life was simpler. Make a call to customer service and speak to somebody in the USA and not some third world country and reads from a script.

My experience with Travian of Panasonic CS was quite annoying. Representatives assigned to answering questions about TV's should be knowledgeable and know what a refresh rate is, and not give me the electrical input specifications. I certainly hope somebody will be able to get a confirmation from Panasonic since the vendors are as confused as we are. You would think someone from Amazon would call their Panasonic contact and get a confirmation since their business reputation can be tarnished by unhappy customers not receiving what they expected, not to mention unnecessary returns.

I e-mailed Panasonic this question:

I purchased this set from Amazon last month when the refresh rate was advertised as 120Hz ... since then, Amazon has changed the advertised refresh rate to 60Hz, then most recently back to 120Hz. Since YOU manufactured the set, I need your official position on the refresh rate of this television, please!

And here's their reply:

Dear Valued Customer
Case Number:30251322

Thank you for your inquiry, the Panasonic TCL42E50 is 120Hz.
We hope this information is helpful.Thank you for contacting Panasonic.

When I got back in this evening, here's what I found on Amazon:

Panasonic VIERA TC-L42E50 42-Inch 1080p 120Hz Full HD IPS LED-LC... has increased from $547.99 to $699.99
Panasonic VIERA TC-L47E50 47-Inch 1080p 120Hz Full HD IPS LED-LC... has increased from $648.99 to $832.50
Panasonic VIERA TC-L55E50 55-Inch 1080p 120Hz Full HD IPS LED-LC... has decreased from $1,289.00 to $1,130.98

CRAZY!!!

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner!

I knew it couldn't be 60Hz (or at least I didn't want to believe it)!

@bankerjohn
Thanks for posting the email you received from Panasonic verifying it is 120HZ, I feel better now but I thought I'd take it one step farther and try a different approach. It's possible the answer of the rep gave you was something they thought you wanted to hear so you wouldn't return the set.

My question is asking about the refresh rate BEFORE I but the TV so I won't have to return it if not satisfied. If they come back with the same answer that it being 120HZ we can put this mystery to rest for once and for all. BTW I still have not received a call back form Niki Hoffman at Panasonic and doubt I ever will (see my post # 98).

Below is my question I emailed CS, when I receive a reply I will post

“Can you please advise what the refresh rate is for the Vierra TC-L42E50. I have seen some conflicting information on Amazon posts. Some say it's 60HZ others say it's 120HZ.

I watch a lot of sports so I need the refresh rate to be 120HZ. I don't want to buy the television only to have to return it since it won't perform as expected.

I downloaded all the literature available from your site and nowhere does it indicate the refresh rate. This is an important specification to buyers and should be included in the owners manual.

Thank you in advance for answering my concerns.”

I received a reply today confirming it is 120Hz, I am now satisfied that the mystery has been answered.

Dear Valued Customer
Case Number:30267705

Thank you for your inquiry, we apologize for the inconvenience. The refresh rate for the TC-L42E50 is 120HZ.
We hope this information is helpful.Thank you for contacting Panasonic.

Amazon just put everything back to 60 Hz! I chatted with a customer rep who said it was still a 120 Hz set but that the input voltage was 60 Hz. So I asked why is 60 Hz now in the title of the item and why is the 42 inch set now reading 60 Hz refresh rate in the item description? The rep said someone must have gotten confused and changed the specs.

I'm going to keep a watching this one, more a morbid curiosity than anything else.

I have had the 42 inch E50 since June,, it has the motion functions that 60hz sets do not. You will get a soe, I am not aware of 60hz sets that can do this. IMO the 120 and higher hz settings are a bit of a novelty, I have been using game mode mostly. If you want to make blurays look like they were shot on a high frame rate video camera, the E50 will provide that.

Hi!
Has anybody watched videos WITH a separate subtitle file from a USB drive or SD card on this TV? Formats?

Thanks for any help you can provide!
Edited by jvillaro - 3/28/13 at 12:15pm