Needhelp: Plasma buzzing (Panasonic ST50) - When is it not acceptabel? - Page 2

I just went to a local FutureShop and listened to a GT50 and ST50 they had side by side. No buzz at all even on bright scenes (and I put the GT50 in torch mode - Vivid, 100% contrast, etc., which I am nowhere close at home). Yes, the noise in the store is loud but I put my ear to the panel and could barely discern quiet hum on the mostly white scenes. When I have the volume loud at my house, I can still hear the buzz when I do exactly the same thing I did at the store. There IS a variation in the buzzing loudness between panels.
Edited by 2tvsonecup - 12/15/12 at 5:55pm

I don't know why I keep forgetting the model I have. It's an st30. My mistake. It sounds like you might have a better chance finding a quiet one with the st50's.

Well, one guy in the thread thinks you might have a chance to get a non buzzer. Just have panasonic send somebody to your place to swap out the boards until it stops buzzing. It didn't work for me but I have an st30. Or get an lcd if they look good to you. I personally don't like them as much but they CAN be pretty nice if you get the right one (I hear). It just seems like there's always weird artifacts at certain times depending on whats on the screen.

I didn't know you had already swapped 3 times. Looks like it's not going to work out. 3 defects in a row is almost impossible. 3 defects in a row with the exact same problem is literally impossible. Like, mind bogglingly unlikely. Like getting hit by lightning 3 times in a month.

It does seem impossible, yet there are many people here over the years who have gotten 2 or 3 bad TVs in a row with the 3rd or 4th one finally being a keeper. This has happened on all brands (not just Panasonic) and we see posts about this happening every year. It's even like this over in the LCD forum - maybe even moreso than over here.

And remember there are several different possible defects inside a Plasma TV that can all cause buzzing so one TV might have a bad/buzzing input board, the next might have a bad/buzzing panel, the 3rd might have a bad/buzzing power supply, and the 4th might just have loose board screws (which usually causes excessive buzz). Any of these problems can cause the excessive buzzing, so the buzzing in itself isn't a defect, it's a result of one of several other possible defects. A defective coil seems to be the most common cause of buzzing, and there are a lot of coils inside a Plasma TV on the various boards and even on the Plasma Panel Module itself. Bad coils buzz.

Hell, the very first Plasma TV i ever saw was a 1999 or 2000 Fujitsu at a high-end AV store and it buzzed like a hornets nest, but they got it fixed and it was quiet after that. It wasn't normal back then, and it isn't normal today.

Four manufacturer defects in a row for me on 65VT50s But I can say that my 4th set had virtually zero buzzing even on the brightest of slides.... had an Oct. 2012 build date if that helps. However, it had to be returned with tears for a different defect as I initially thought I finally got one that was perfect.

So no one here has had a technician successfully repair their panel to stop buzzing? Everyone just keeps exchanging?

So if I get some jerk that doesn't want to take the time to swap boards, etc can I request another technician to come from another repair company? My worry is they will all deny the buzzing being a defective part and then Panasonic warranty unit blackball you from service.

I really am lost as to the best way to approach this issue to be honest. I have no IR issues with my set, blobs, or significant banding. Just see some rainbow effect, but I don't think that's a panel problem rather an issue with my eyes. Meh,..spending money on fun things shouldn't be this stressful.

The first thing is to check the build date. At least with the VT50s, the earlier build dates had an issue with the type of screw used inside the set. Technician would come out, open the set, change out the screws and sometimes that lessened the buzz. Others have had the board changed out with either positive or negative results. I kept exchanging because since I was still within the exchange period, so why go through the hassle of waiting to have a technician out, try to fix it, then discover you are out of the exchange period. If you are out of the exchange period but within the warranty, you have no choice but to have a technician come out and try to perform surgery on the set. All of the panasonic plasmas will buzz to some degree, but as Randy Walters points out in previous posts you should not be able to hear it from a normal viewing distance let alone over any volume. If it buzzes and you can hear it from say 8 to 10 ft, it is defective. Don't let them tell you otherwise. If it buzzes and you have your ear up to the side of the set, then that is normal and what they mean as it being normal.

My newly acquired set also has the buzzing sound which can be heard from 8+ feet away during bright scenes. Even with all settings at 50%, a buzz can be heard on the three “whitest” slides from the panel prep files. Two examples…

1. Tonight’s episode of Chicago Fire. There was a scene inside a kitchen with all glass windows. With the volume at zero, it went buzzzzzzz when it showed a bright shot of all the windows and when it switched to close-ups of the characters it was silence, then buzzzz again…
2. With sound, there were several commercials which ended on bright backgrounds with silence at the end of commercial. You could hear the buzzzzzz……

What’s funny is this was going to replace my current 12G set with the rising black issue. I did the panel prep that D-Nice prescribed back then and I can tell you it never buzzed like this at anytime. I’ve learned to live with the decreased black levels on the 12G, but buzzing on the 50 is another thing. I’ve bought two Panasonic’s now and each one has been “defective” in some way. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me.

I’m either going to return it outright, or do one exchange and see what I get. To say I was disappointed with Panasonic right now, would be an understatement.

If you can hear it from over 8ft away it is defective. To the degree of what you can tolerate is the more important question. For instance, try watching Ice Age 3 and if you can hear buzzing even when the movie is playing with sound, get rid of it immediately. If you can only hear buzzing when there is no sound, then it may not be worth exchanging for one that may have worse buzzing or other issues such as being more prone to severe IR, dead pixels, etc.

I can only hear buzzing from 12 feet away when there is no sound but it still bothers the heck out of me. There are instances where a scene is both bright and silent and I don't want to hear a buzz from my TV in those moments. The Panasonic tech that came to inspect my panel said that is normal but I am not willing to accept it given that I've personally witnessed sets that are much quieter.

Aww, you caught us...

I'm sorry for you guy's suffering (my GT50 buzzes too on white scenes, but the positives in the set outweigh it, so I am not bothered by the buzz), but why do you want to watch TV with no sound?

You can't beat a kick-a$$ surround sound system that will drown out any little buzz.

Does the buzzing get any better over time? I have 25 hours on mine and can hear it at 12 feet on white scenes.

Buzzing will not get better over time if your set truly has a buzzing manufacturer defect. If you can hear it from 12 ft away, exchange it while you still can. Check the build date. If it is prior to Oct. 2012, then your set buzzes for one of two reasons most likely.....

1 - Screws used on the inside of the set need to be replaced with a set of different screws as these older screws were one source of the buzzing.
2 - Board needs to be changed out.

Sets manufactured Oct 1012 and later already have the new screws inside. If you are out of your exchange period but within warranty.... those are the two steps the technician who they send out will try before they consider replacing. As someone mentioned, the Panny plasmas will buzz, but a properly working one should not be heard from 12ft away and ultimately the positives of the picture will outweigh the negative of the buzzing for many.... but 12ft away is unacceptable regardless of volume or no volume.

No. It may actually get even worse (my old PX50U is getting louder as it gets older).


I would have returned that TV 24 hours and 55 minutes ago !! That TV is seriously defective if you can hear it from that far away. That's worse than my friend's first 60ST30 that was defective, and was replaced with one that is virtually silent.

Exactly what part of the TV is that buzzing coming from? Upper left corner by any chance? Or the area directly above the power cord connection?

Is the buzzing louder with your ear a foot from the rear of the TV or with your ear a foot from the front of the TV?

Or do you hear it when seated dead center in front of the screen but not when sitting off to the sides?
Edited by RandyWalters - 12/16/12 at 2:13pm

I've had 2 ST50's, one from October and one from November and they both buzz that can be heard from 12 feet away. Panel lottery is what this is with the buzzing. Seems like this is the case with a lot of TVs these days. I went through 3 Samsung LEDs that had horrible flashlighting and clouding before I found a Sony LED that was pretty good. My faith in today's TV manufacturer's QC is not very high right now.

I've had 2 ST50's, one from October and one from November and they both buzz that can be heard from 12 feet away. Panel lottery is what this is with the buzzing. Seems like this is the case with a lot of TVs these days. I went through 3 Samsung LEDs that had horrible flashlighting and clouding before I found a Sony LED that was pretty good. My faith in today's TV manufacturer's QC is not very high right now.

So are you suggesting one can call Panasonic and have this board and/or screws changed on on site to mitigate (or eliminate) this problem on older builds?

That might be an interesting option.

On the ST50 it's on a sticker on the back of the panel in the middle, with the serial #.

Given the number of people who have reported Success in Effectively Silencing the buzzing via a simple screw tightening / replacement, would certainly give it a try.

If already out of warranty, would even attempt the procedure as a DIY operation, albeit with a bit of help & All Due Caution...

Thanks. I decided to do a 2nd exchange. Hopefully, 3rd time's the charm. The retailer currently doesn't have the 65 inch in stock but they offered to let me keep my current one until they get new ones and then do the exchange so I may not get the replacement for a couple of weeks. They do have the 60 inch GT50 for the same price but I'd rather have the 5 extra inches than THX, which is pretty much the only noteworthy difference to me.

My 60GT50 buzzes on bright white screens, although not as loudly as my Pioneer Plasma panel buzzes. I never really paid attention to the buzzing on the Pioneer and it really didn't bother me. I would have felt the same about the Panasonic if I hadn't read this forum.

A couple observations. The Pioneer buzzes some even on darker screens while the Panasonic makes little if any noise. I think the contrast between the dark and light screens may make it a bit more noticeable on the Panasonic even though the buzzing isn't as loud overall. Also, the buzzing on the Panasonic is very directional in nature. When I am in my normal seat directly in front of the TV, I can hear it. If I mover just 3ft left or right of center (same distance), it disappears.

That's not how my ST50 buzzes. Mine can be heard from anywhere in the room.

Same here. A lot of the time it doesn't bother me because I'm not directly in front of the TV, sitting in the middle of my couch. If I am sitting at either end of the couch I can hear the buzz just barely, and if I'm lying down reading or looking at my phone, it's completely silent.

One other thing. For the most part, I only notice the buzzing when the volume is low and there is no other ambient sound in the room. If there is any ambient sound at all I really don't notice it.
Edited by rmallen - 12/16/12 at 2:58pm