HP PL4260N and PL5060N Owners Thread - Page 22

In response to your query about the (HDMI Audio Unavailable) I went thru the same thing and actually had Comcast send the strongest signal which took 30 minutes and still no sound! I haven't called back because I used the the normal Audio cables and ran them out of the receiver and directly to my Bose system so, no worries! I am going to research this further and will post my final results. I also ran my components as well so my family can watch the monitor with the elephant ear sound.

p.s. With the component hook up you can only get the Audio when in component mode, not HDMI!

As an HP employee I've been ready to purchase the 4260 for a few weeks now but have help back because of this HDMI issue. I do have Comcast as my cable provider and want to be able to use the best connections for my setup.
If Comcast requires me to use component to the TV I'm stuck because my DVD does not have HDMI....so that basically a useless connection in my scenerio...

Any way to get a switch, etc..to get around this?

I have the 42". I game on mine and I love it. Usually don't play for my than 2 hours at a time. I'm probably have over 400 hours on mine and I do notice some image retention after playing, but then I simply switch over to the TV for 5 minutes or less and the retention is gone. I was definitely worried the first few times I saw it, but it goes away in no time. I still remain cautious.

I upgraded from a 27" 4:3 Panasonic using composite so it was a major difference. But my brother-in-law who has a Sony 34" XBR Tube using component said he thought mine was the same if not better than his.

Someone mentioned that HP had the service manual on their website. I can't find it. Anybody have it?

I would also like to get the service manual. I know that it is large but it sure would be great if someone has posted it or I can setup an ftp site to receive the file.

Thanks,
Kevin

Wanted to add my thoughts on the HP PDPs. I got the 5060 a couple of months ago (EPP is great) and it has been wonderful. I probably don't have some of the problems others are having as it's the display for my HT and doesn't need to worry about producing any sound at all. My 5060 had no TV signals to worry aout for the first 6 weeks either. It's connected to my receiver (Denon 2807) by HDMI. Until last week, the only signal it got was from my DVD player (Denon 1920, HDMI to receiver for movies). No problems with black bars on the sides, just on the top and bottom. BTW, tried component but HDMI is much better for the DVD player and somewhat better for the sat box.

Now, the second HDMI on the receiver has a DirectTV H20 HD receiver connected to it. The receiver happily switches between sources and both sound and video pass through flawlessly. The PQ is very good. I've played with the settings and they are somewhat different for the two sources. At any rate, I'll have to write them down and post them here later. I'll be taking a crack at a real calibration after another 50 hours or so. In the mean time, the settings posted here have helped me out, so thanks to all who posted. people who have seen the 5060 are amazed for two reasons. First, I regularly hear "I didn't know HP made TV's." Then I put on a HD football or baseball game or maybe the second LOTR and show them the scene where the wall at Helm's Deep gets blown up. I have some pretty good speakers and the scene is a big WOW. Ain't just the sound though. The 5060 shows good detail in the dark night scenes of battle. There's lots of action (meaning rapid motion) in shadowy lighting. That's a good test of the contrast and quality of the set. Try it out if you get a chance.

Anyway, I'm happy with it.

Yeah, that's a good scene to test with. Too bad LOTR is 2.35 aspect ratio. When I first went to show off the TV to my wife she says, I thought this TV wasn't supposed to have the black bars on the top and bottom when watching widescreen movies?

Stupid aspect ratios, but that's a topic for a completely different discussion.

I am using the HDMI (Component hook-ups for the audio reasons) but my question is, what settings should I be at for the post 100 hr burn in? It seems that the picture is a little foggy at the settings:

B: 55 - 50 - 52 - 54 - 53
C: 39 - 38 - 40 - 42 - 43
S: 42 - 42 - 45 - 45 - 47
H: 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
S: 3 - 14 - 18 - 18 - 16
Blue: On/Off ????????
T: C - C - C - W - S

I have the manual

I am completely new to the plasma/lcd thing.. I am happy to say that we are tentatively buying the pl4260N this weekend (if all goes well). My question after reading this thread is... What is burn in??? Am I going to have to do something special... Please help.

flyjar, you are so right. Too many aspect ratios (4:3, 1.85:1, 2.35:1) and too many ways to display each one (pillar, stretch, zoom this, zoom that). And don't forget setting the DVD player and sat or cable box as well as the TV. It's amazing we can see anything at all. On the bright side, AVS has all the stuff we need assuming we have enough time to find it and read it.

I suggest, if you have some time, that you read the Master Burn-in Sticky up toward the top of first page. Basically you need to know difference between burn-in and image retention, totally different things. Go the Menu in HP and Video settings, change User Settings , set brightness and contrast down as low as you can and still have a watchable picture, set sharpness down close to zero.

My tv home theater page for you or anyone else that's intrested.

Includes my TV settings, aspect ratio info, cable box stuff and other odds and ends related to my setup.

Has anyone experienced pixel burnout yet with their 42 or 50 HP plasma?

Thanks. I agree. I cannot stand AT&T HE, they are the worst. If it wasn't for my mini balcony I would pony up for my own dish but for the near future I am stuck with SD. What mode do you watch SD TV in? Do you stretch it to fill the screen? Can you post your settings? Also for SD I use an S-video and for DVD I use component and a digital for audio to my harmon kardon reciever. It sucks that I ahve top of the line everything and a bottom of the line sattelite reciever. The weakest link does break the chain. I need to move.
Thanks in advance.

I want to get the 5060n. I figured that even if the SD doesn't look as good as a 42 inch TV, I'll be future proofed for when more stations go HD.

My only remaining problem is that schizophrenic auto brightness which seems to have been a deal breaker for a couple of 5060 owners. I know that the 4260 owners don't seem to see this problem.

I have found the link to the service manual, but I don't see how to turn off the auto brightness. Who ever has it or has looked it, what is it that I would have to do? Just increase the max brightness setting? Is this what tells it when something is "too bright"?

Thanks,
C

I think it only happens when using "Vivid" mode, unless you set your "User" setting too high, this is the case with my 4260.

Awesome dirtyDan! I wondered if this was being experienced by sets that were set to a high brightness.

Now it's just a matter of when to purchase the 5060. I don't feel that I *need* to get it right now, so I'm going to wait for sales. Hmm, labor day is approaching. What better way to celebrate being employed than buying a plasma!?

flygar,

How do like your Harmony remote? I've decided I need one and the Harmony remotes are well thought of on other AVS forums. I've got several things to control and if I get anything else with a remote, my Sig O will need to get a bigger basket. Not good. I think I am actually done buying for a while, so now that i have everythiing I need to control, it's universal remote time.

Thanks for all the info. Nice web page.

I have an 880 and it does it all.

I like the styling of the Harmony 550 much better than the 880. The number buttons are a little small and the volume and channel controls are hard buttons as opposed to soft, probably my biggest complaint. I love the backlit blue LCD screen and the play, ff, rewind, etc. buttons are perfect. The navigation and OK buttons are nice and responsive as well. Lightweight and very comfortable in you hand.
Style - 8.5/10

It was very easy to program, however I didn't like the software. I found that using the online program was much better then installing the software that came with the remote. The software seemed to lock up and then I couldn't program the remote. But I never had problems with the online program. Sometimes the more advanced stuff is a little complicated, difficult to navigate, and the help isn't very useful. After a while you get used to where the setting are. The remote is programed based on the brand and model numbers of you components, so all the features of the original remote are selectable from the LCD screen of the Harmony remote. And someday I'm going to install recessed lighting and use the remote to control the lights as well, sweet.
Programing - 8.7/10

My wife loves the help button for when things don't go quite right. And my mom likes it because there's 1 remote for everything. The batteries lasted me at least 4 months, and that's the ones that were in the unit when is shipped. 4 AAA and the remote is still light weight.
Easy of use & battery life- 9.5/10

Things could definitely be improved, and I don't know everything else that's out there to compare it against, but I'm very happy with mine.
Overall ratting 8.8/10

BTW I got mine for about $100

Thanks for the info on Harmony. Seems like the right brand. Time to order, I think.

Has anyone experienced pixel burnout yet on thier HP TV?

Nope

well got my 4260 and the LG surround sound installed today. already watched ATL and love it. Still have V for Vendetta, Stealth, and The Sentinel to watch that I rented. Can't wait.

Got the 360 hooked up with some Optical cables...Madden 07 in 5.1...amazing haha. HDMI is on order from monoprice for the DVD player. Got components to hook up the digital box waiting and ready for friday when the cable company comes to hook up the HD Cable Box.

I do notice some IR when I get done playin Madden 07, but only on a pitch black screen. Still haven't tried the white wash, but seems like it should work fine.

Heres the only pic I have right now...the 2 satellite speakers are on each side of my chair back further, and when I get it cleaned up I'll post the whole basement setup. I will be working on building a backboard piece to hide the wires, which I didn't even notice until I saw the picture. Anyways, heres the pic.

I'm A TV Newbie, don't worry about using the "White Wash" that liitle bit of IR should go away upon using the panel for normal viewing (DVD, Cable,etc.) I have heard that using the White Wash causes premature aging of the panel, should only be used in extreme cases to remove IR.

Hello everyone. Just bought my HP 4260 last week, thanks to everyone here for confirming my initial opinion of the model (it's incredible!!!). This is my first HDTV and plasma. I am running the break in disc now, think I am at about 30 - 40 hours. Settings are 25 across the board, except for Hue and Sharpness, which are at zero. I have the blue screen ON and the temp is set to Cold.

Rest of the setup is:
- Onkyo SR503 receiver
- Polk R30's for the front, R15's for the rear and a CSi25 for the center
- Sony 150 watt powered sub
- Sony 5-disc DVD player (running through composite, don't kill me)
- Sony VCR (used mainly for a tuner, yes I know it has a built in tuner)
- My room is 15' x 15', distance from TV is about 10 - 11 feet.

Anyway, just need some confirmation on my settings and I have a few questions. One, is there anyway to see how long I have been running the TV for (built in timer, etc.)?

Two, has anyone used this for a PC monitor? Not just for a HTPC, but for surfing, playing WOW (for limited times) and MS Money? Would like to know if I could get one of these for my bedroom and double it as a PC monitor. I currently have a Dell 24" lcd, so it's just a thought.

And third, how long should I run the break in disc at a time? I've read people stating to run this while I sleep. Is 8 hours too much? Just wondering.

I will post pics as soon as I get some decent cables and finish my break in period. I really appreciate the advice given so far on this forum and would REALLY appreciate some advice on my questions.

Thanks!

#1 Don't know of a way to check this.
#2 If you can use the VGA input on the HP, then you should be good to go.
#3 You can run that disc all night, but really, most people have just cranked down the contrast and brightness to a watchable level for the first 00 or 200 hrs. I'll check in the HP service manual to see if the hours in use can be accessed.

Has anyone used a PS2 with Yellow/Red/White connections with this TV? I have the 42", and playing Madden yesterday I found that there is a split second delay between pushing a button the controller and the image that appears on the screen. Normally, this isnt a big deal, however anyone that plays Madden, golf games, etc. will know that timing can be a critical part of the game (kicking field goals, for instance). Could this just be a result of using a less-than-optimal video connection? If so, is there a PS2 component cable that can be purchased anywhere?

Hi,
I have the 42" . My cable box has a DVI output only. How can I go DVI to HDMI and have audio for my speakers? Can I use the optical audio output from the cable box to the TV? Thanks!