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Panasonic told me to get my PDP "calibrated" to fix brightness issue?

post #1 of 10
10/10/12 at 5:47pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

I just bought a Panasonic TC-P50U50 off Amazon.

It works great and has excellent picture quality. However, even on "vivid" setting with brightness at 100, the display still seems more dim than it should be.

I called Panasonic and after troubleshooting every menu option, they recommended I get my set "calibrated" by Best Buy's Geek Squad.

Will they be able to raise my brightness settings above the factory maximum?

How does this special calibration work?

Thanks a bunch in advance for any insight,
Brady
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post #2 of 10
10/10/12 at 6:27pm
The 2012 Panasonic Plasmas are the brightest Plasma TVs ever made and are not even close to being what i'd call dim. Most of us run ours in Custom or Cinema or THX mode with the Contrast (screen brightness) in the 80%-85% range. I rarely ever see it set higher in people's posted settings, and i never see anyone using Vivid mode because it's only intended for store display use. Vivid is a harsh and horrible picture mode and is very inaccurate. Seriously, nobody uses Vivid mode at home.

If you honestly think your UT50 U50 is dim in Vivid mode at 100%, then either the TV is defective or you have unreasonably high expectations of how bright a TV should be. If you're coming from an LCD or LED LCD TV, they do tend to be brighter but at that point they're abnormally bright.
Edited by RandyWalters - 10/11/12 at 6:26am
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post #3 of 10
10/10/12 at 9:13pm
He doesn't have a UT50 but a U50 if that counts for anything.

By "dim" are you trying to use it in a bright room and not finding it bright enough to cut through the glare? The ST50 is the lowest model with the good anti-glare filter.
Edited by homerging - 10/11/12 at 3:08am
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post #4 of 10
10/11/12 at 7:35am
Does the U50 have the panel brightness adjustment(low/mid/high) in custom mode?
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post #5 of 10
10/11/12 at 8:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whipit View Post

Does the U50 have the panel brightness adjustment(low/mid/high) in custom mode?

No. The U50 (and UT50) do not have the Pro Settings menu where the Panel Brightness setting resides - only the higher models (ST50/GT50/VT50) have this. But even on these higher models virtually everybody just uses the "Mid" setting anyway, then we set the panel brightness via the regular menu's Contrast setting. On my GT50 in my very bright man room i set my Contrast at 85% and it's more than bright enough.
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post #6 of 10
10/11/12 at 11:00am
Thread Starter 
Yeah I'm only using "vivid" because even if I type in the exact same settings under "custom," "vivid' is still the brighter of the two.

I'm using this in a dark room with the blinds closed. I've investigated every setting possible for any brightness boost and no dice.

The brightness is probably acceptable to most people, but I definitely feel that the current maximum level should be able to go up higher.

***QUESTION - if I do get this calibrated for about 100 bucks, will the technician be able to raise the brightness ABOVE the current maximum factory level?

PS - This is the second time I've bought this model. I had to return the first one because it had an abnormally loud buzzing sound when on. However, this one does not have that buzzing, but I feel that the brightness isn't as good as the first one!?!?! VERY frustrating.
Edited by betelgeuse4721 - 10/11/12 at 11:06am
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post #7 of 10
10/11/12 at 1:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by betelgeuse4721 View Post

Yeah I'm only using "vivid" because even if I type in the exact same settings under "custom," "vivid' is still the brighter of the two.
I'm using this in a dark room with the blinds closed. I've investigated every setting possible for any brightness boost and no dice.
The brightness is probably acceptable to most people, but I definitely feel that the current maximum level should be able to go up higher.
***QUESTION - if I do get this calibrated for about 100 bucks, will the technician be able to raise the brightness ABOVE the current maximum factory level?
PS - This is the second time I've bought this model. I had to return the first one because it had an abnormally loud buzzing sound when on. However, this one does not have that buzzing, but I feel that the brightness isn't as good as the first one!?!?! VERY frustrating.

Not sure on the service menu/tech being able to go "above" normal settings, but I doubt it. Have you looked at a U50 in store before? I can't imagine thinking it's not bright enough in a dark room (I have a UT50 which is similar). Even in a room with lights on it it's plenty bright unless you are used to LED torch mode TVs.
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post #8 of 10
10/14/12 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
Update - I'm going to return the set and get a new one just to make sure I don't have a defective one. Amazon makes it real easy with the returns and doesn't ask any questions. Otherwise, I love this TV. Just wish the brightness was just a but stronger for TV. For movies and video games, its great.
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post #9 of 10
10/15/12 at 6:11am
You know- it's amazing to me that of the many many people I have helped set up their tvs , almost all prefer their picture to be very bright--vivid or torch. I can't think of but one who later asked to have the brightness turned down a little. Frankly I personally prefer mine to be ,not vivid, but on the bright side.
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post #10 of 10
10/15/12 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters View Post

The 2012 Panasonic Plasmas are the brightest Plasma TVs ever made and are not even close to being what i'd call dim. Most of us run ours in Custom or Cinema or THX mode with the Contrast (screen brightness) in the 80%-85% range. I rarely ever see it set higher in people's posted settings, and i never see anyone using Vivid mode because it's only intended for store display use. Vivid is a harsh and horrible picture mode and is very inaccurate. Seriously, nobody uses Vivid mode at home.
If you honestly think your UT50 U50 is dim in Vivid mode at 100%, then either the TV is defective or you have unreasonably high expectations of how bright a TV should be. If you're coming from an LCD or LED LCD TV, they do tend to be brighter but at that point they're abnormally bright.

I don't think the U50 uses the same driving system as the 3D models, so i don't think it's any brighter over last years S30.
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