Panny PZ700U/750U Calibration Settings & Black Level Poll (Light or Dark?) - Page 9

Does anyone know if the service menu options are per user mode (ie, vivid, standard, cinema, custom)? It looks like they would be since you can select a different user mode when applying the settings, but once you make a change to one, if you then cycle to another user mode that change is there as well.

Has anyone had it calibrated and can tell me if it was done per user mode?

It would be interesting to know how many 'dark' users are component or hdmi. I'll bet it's pretty one sided...'dark' users are component and 'light' users are hdmi. Just a guess.

Wow, the triumphant return of the 700u settings thread.

wabkab...sorry to miss your inquiry.

I never use Vivid Mode...David K. from CNET e-mailed me that the identical 700U recommended Custom Settings should look pretty good if applied in Vivid Mode...I agree with him (if you are into the brightness of Vivid Mode).

I am at peace on Planet 700U exclusively using CNET's recommended 700U Custom Settings for all TV watching (both SD & HD)...and exclusively using CNET's recommended 700U Cinema Settings for all DVD movie watching....note that I am not a gamer...and I am very happy with the Custom Setting even with sports on TV.

And...rotohead...I use Black Level setting at "Light"...using HDMI...I fit into your "guess" parameters.

So I have the panasonic 58 in (sorry kinda new to this). I made the adjustments that I've read here to:
Custom
picture +22
brightness +9
color -2
tint 0
Sharpness -30
color temp warm
black level light

This is supposed to be a better picture? I don't know, it just seems dull, void of "pop" and "wow". The factory settings seemed more appealing to my eye, I don't think I look as detailed as many on this forum though. Can someone explain why these settings are ideal? Thank you so much!

Adam

Other people's settings usuallly won't look good in your particular environment and for your particular tastes and viewing content, but they can give you an idea of where to start so you can fine-tune the settings till they look good to you. The Sharpness setting needs to be very low on this model, if not all the way down.

I use STANDARD mode for SD and HD TV programming, and i'm currently running my Picture setting at +29, Brightness at 0, Color at -5, Tint at +3, Sharpness at -10, Color Temp WARM, and have my Black Level set to Light. Even after a year of owning this TV i still fiddle with the settings, and i keep them all written down for each picture mode.

BTW, CUSTOM is the same as Standard but the difference is that you can set up a different CUSTOM mode for each individual input.

Found these for the Panasonic-th-50pz700u.html http://www.tweaktv.com/tweak-my-tv/c...-50pz700u.html

When viewing HD cable (SA8300HD DVR), I was having trouble getting the fleshtones to look right, no matter how many times I used the calibration discs. If I set the brightness low, it made everyone look either pasty or sunburned, set the brightness higher and back off the color and they looked washed out.

Using the calibration discs on a BD player on the cable box HDMI imput, and then plugging the cable box back in and hoping for the same calibrated picture is a crapshoot, so I experimented a little last night, and in Standard Mode, with color temp set to Normal, I tried setttng the black setting to "dark", and set contrast to +20, brightness to +18, and I think color at -5 and tint -3.

WOW! The fleshtones looked great!!!! Also the picture has a real three dimensional look. The contrast seems to be in line with those of the other posters, but the brightness seems a bit high, but doesn't look like it because of the black "dark" setting. My wife was watching Ugly Betty last night and couldn't get over howw great the picture looked.

So I have a question, can I damage my panel using those settings?

As for the poll at the start of this thread, I just converted my system from component to hdmi (with my system that involved hdmi runs over 75 ft) and I am certain that the light/dark setting depends on which cable you are running. I had always been a component/dark user but now I have to switch to light to avoid totally crushing blacks.
So the poll really has a flaw in that it doesn't account for the users cable.

I haven't had any success with any calibration disc or other method using anything other than WARM on color temp.

Thanks for your response. I've tried warm, but it tends to give fleshtones an orange jaundice look. I'll retry it again tonight.

Hi everyone ...I am new to this forum. I bought my TH-58Pz700U last Christmas and it has the same settings as when I set it up....we have enjoyed it and even with the blu-ray the movies are great! amd soooooooooo clear and detailed.....never bothered tweaking it because the skin tones were as should be...why that is I don't know but they are..... yesterday after a lot of research for our bedroom we bought the Samsung LN46550 LCD and realized that ...Hay we need to change the settings because it looks funny so went and found that through a number of sites we need to calibrate it...did and it looks great. But am thinking of getting them both done professionally.

I have read this whole thread and have not seen anyone that has done it that way. Can I ask why?????

We have a $4,000 sound system hooked up to it that rocks and I am thinking that if we get all of them calibrated together professionally that it may sound better. BUT what if it does not?????? We had the Sound system put in that way. We also have the PS3 as our BR player. Never realized we needed to tweak that also....or do we????

I have learned so much since I bought this last TV. And you have all been great with all your info here for my Plasma.

Does anyone do any gamming with there 700U? we understand that it is not a great idea with a plasma....that is why we got the LCD for the bedroom so my boys can use that for there XBOX 360. They are getting 37" LCD for X-mas for there Bedrooms also.

Thanks for your time

I game with a PS3, XBOX360 and Wii on my 700u without a single problem.

As far as calibration - you can always go with the DVE or AVIA disks that will get you pretty close. Beyond that I would suggest getting someone ISF certified out to calibrate your TV.

I have thought about getting the disks and trying that first but than thought that maybe prof. is the best way to go. However, what if i pay the money and don't like what I see big possibility. Yet what if I say "WOW what have i been living with this whole year"

Decisions decisions...

So as for your TV you have not noticed any problems when you game? My boys are on during the weekend for at least 6 hrs...only about 1 hr a day during the week due to school. Worried all that time might make my TV look like...well you know

Have not found to much on LCD worries with gaming.....have you? would love to take this back and get the 42" 700U....smaller than the 46' LDC but not by much and after all I just love this plasma.

He plays Halo 3 his fav and some others and have hered a few mention that Halo has caused some problems with there plasma....maybe that it there models???

Has anyone heard about calibrations done by David Abrams :Avical?

Thanks

Has anybody made any adjustments to the PRO settings? I see everybody making adjustments to the regular video settings but I notice that nobody was posting the changes (if any) to those video settings. I know there shouldn't be any questions in this thread but I figured since it was about video settings it could slide.

Don't sweat playing H3 on your plasma. I'm a heavy H3 gamer and I've never had any issues on my 65PZ750.

Before I post my settings, I thought I would share a Sony PS3 calibration issue that others may face as well. I was using the Blue Ray version of the DVE disc, and could not, no matter what, get the contrast settings correct. The last black and below black and white and "above white" were indistinguishable. Standard got the closest, but no where near as good as my PX80u downstairs.

After Googling high and low, I finally figured in out from a post from CNET. Unless you have "Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr Super-White (HDMI): On", the Sony PS3 clips these shades. Not a problem setting brightness, but sure is a problem getting contrast (Picture) right.

For you PS3 owners looking for setting recommendations, Google 'katzmaier super white'.

And now to my settings: (Method Blueray DVE on properly set Sony PS3, 58pz700u, 12 months old run previously using settings pulled from this thread, room with lots of daylight)

Picture Mode: Custom
Picture: +20
Brightness: +5
Color: +1
Tint: +6
Sharpness: -15
Color Temp: Normal
Color Mgmt: Off
C.A.T.S.: Off
Zoom Adjust: Greyed Out
PC Adjust: Greyed Out
Video NR: Off
3D Y/C Filter: Off
Color Matrix: HD
Block NR: Off
Mosquito NR: Off
Black Level: Light
3:2 Pulldown: Off
HD Size: Size 2 (toggle to 1 on some standard TV output on Verizon Fios)

I've been experimenting with the Warm setting with black level set to "light", because I just couldn't get the flesh tones and color right using Normal setting, to the point where I had just about given up. So I made one last attempt at calibrating before resorting to the expensive of professional calibration.

I recalibrated using the warm setting, and I noticed a bit of red push.

So taking into account the reports that color mgmt adds blue and green push, I turned it on prior to making my final calibration, to make up for the red push.

Black levels at +5 tends to add depth, but at the same time slightly crushes blacks, so I ended up at 7 which seems to be the best for my setup.

After DVE calibration, actual viewing material content tends to be oversaturated, making the colors bleed, so I lowered the color setting until the bleeding was eliminated, which was -3 for me.

I then rechecked tint. After tint recalibration, tint ended up at -4, which seems to overcome the slight orangish tones of the Warm setting.

Sharpness doesn't seem to add any value, so I left it at 0.

I have to say that these settings seem to yield the best results out of all the other settings used previously, and the fleshtones appear to be spot-on.

My final settings
Picture Mode: Custom
Picture: +21
Brightness: +7
Color: -3
Tint: -4
Sharpness: 0
Color Temp: Warm
Color Mgmt: On
C.A.T.S.: Off
Zoom Adjust: Greyed Out
PC Adjust: Greyed Out
Video NR: Off
3D Y/C Filter: Off
Color Matrix: HD
Block NR: Off
Mosquito NR: Off
Black Level: Light
3:2 Pulldown: Off
HD Size: Size 2

Why would you damage your panel with those settings?-how? Try my settings for a start and play with these,tv's are all different but it's a good start if your seeing a 3 dimensional picture,,then watch Ugly Betty,ain't so ugly huh?..lol
Black set to Dark is where it's at and will stay,anyone using light is damaging there 2D eyesight.

After having a 42PZ700 for a year now, and being one of the few, who've posted, that have ventured into, and made changes in the service menu, the thing that people should understand is that the settings are all relative. Source material and connection type (HDMI/Component/etc) is probably one of the biggest factors for variances in settings. Factory service menu settings being the other big factor.

When I initially got my set, it had some red and green push, which I corrected via service menu, by lowering the RedDrv and GreenDrv values. I also had really torchy/oversaturated whites, necessitating the use of "Warm" color temps. All my changes are by eye, with "no" previous experience with calibration. I was just looking for a happy medium where colors are balanced, blacks, and overal picture, have some detail, and overall PQ looked natural, for the majority of stations.

I've been chasing the dragon for the past year however, trying to resolve the black crush issue via HDMI, on my DishNetwk. STB.(the Component connection has adjustable contrast, and whites were not as saturated as with HDMI, and black levels were much lighter). I say chasing because stations' PQ varies not only from station to station, and show to show, but camera to camera. I've isolated the issue to the Dish box because my Panny CRT, using the STB's 2nd tuner, also has crushed blacks. I've always used "Light" Black levels, but even with the content of someone outside, at noon, if the sun wasn't shining directly on say their brown/black hair, the shaded side of their hair would be crushed out. Watching a movie like "Bad Boys" (indoor scenes) or "The Dark Night" was difficult. Conversley, my Denon 1930CI upconverting DVD player is significantly brighter/paler via HDMI, using the same settings for the HDMI port (player settings all at "0"). With the DVD player, I "can" use "Dark" Black levels. I also prefer Cinema mode with the DVD player, even during the day. After speaking with Chris Eberle, the ISF calibrator who wrote this article about the 700U:

http://precision-video.blogspot.com/2007/09/panasonic-th50-pz700u-calibration.html

...I decided to increase the "AllDrv" setting, and this helped greatly.

But again, its all relative as my factory default "SubBrt" service menu value of "7E1". This setting did offer really deep colors/blacks, but with my Dish STB, I couldn't use the "Dark" black setting. Raising the SubBrt value to the 830-850 levels, "Dark" could be used. I settled on the 820/Light values, and subsequently, my Brightness settings are between 2-6 for Custom and Cinema modes, much lower than what most others are posting.

Also, it seems like SD content tends to be brighter/hazier looking than HD content, this both via my Dish box (with OTA antenna), and with the Comcast SD feeds I still get. Again, another situation where "Dark/Light" black level decisions have to be made.

My settings are currently as follows:


HDMI - DishNetworks VIP622
Service Menu:
Custom Mode
Contrast - 000 (not adjustable)
Tint - 00
Color - 33 (lowered from default 3F or so, helped with oversaturated/sparkly reds)
SubBrt - 815
All Cut - 80
RedCut - 80
GrnCut - 80
BluCut - 80
AllDrv - E1
RedDrv - E1
GreenDrv - DB
BluDrv - 8B

UserMenu:
Picture +16-17 (depending on channel)
Brightness +2
Color +1
Tint (-2)
Black "Light"
Color Temp "Warm"

With these settings, I can pretty much watch all the channels, SD and HD on DishNet, without feeling like I need to change anything, save for HGTV/Food Network...the colors are kinda weird for whatever reason. Its not a perfect setup, as I just came to these values this week. I feel like there is still a slight green-blue push, which could be more in balance with the reds. I'm 95% there, for my likes.

OK, I have to ask, how do you get into the service menu? I've yet to see an answer to this anywhere. Thanks!

If You Don't Know What Your Doing Stay Out Of The Service Menu Because You Can Really Screw Up Your TV.

WRITE DOWN ALL VALUES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES

TO GET INTO THE SERVICE MENU:
1. Hold Down VOL- Button ON THE TV
2. Press RECALL Button 3 Times ON THE REMOTE CONTROL
3. The Service Menu will now be displayed

AGAIN, WRITE DOWN ALL VALUES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES

1. Use 1 / 2 Number Buttons To Navigate Main Menu Items
2. Use 3 / 4 Number Buttons To Navigate Sub-Menu Items
3. Use VOL + / VOL - Buttons To Change An Items Value

Power OFF TV To Exit Service Menu & Save All Values

Don't worry. There's very little you can do in this tv's particular service menu. Especially anything you could do to damage it.

...and Use 9 Number Button to toggle between VIVD/Standard/Cinema/Custom, at the given menu.

It can't be stressed enough:

AGAIN, WRITE DOWN ALL VALUES BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES

For me, as stated before, I was able to "correct" all the problems I perceived with my 700U via service menu adjustments. When I first got this set, I would have taken it back if I had not been able to access the service menu...and I'm still tweaking it to this day. I made sure that I took a methodical approach, documented my changes, and saved myself from making that step to a Pioneer. However I do agree that venturing into the service menu may not be for everyone.

Meh...was havin trouble with the Super Bowl and whites being over saturated, vs. decent PQ on my DVR'd copy of Gladiator, from HBOHD. Made some changes and bold and am finally happy with the "Custom" setup, which I'll use for daytime viewing. I actually watched the Bowl in Cinema mode/Warm tonight...set never looked better, but settings were a lot different:

Same service menu settings
Picture +23
Brightness +8
Color (-5)
Tint (-2)
Black Level "Light"
Color temp "Warm"
Sharpness 0
Everything else "Off"

I hope I'm done changing settings.

TH-58PZ700U ISF Calibration Settings (utilizing service mode)

Yields 31.76 Ftls

In User Mode:

Mode.........Cinema
Picture.......30
Brightness..12
Color.........-8
Tint..........-6
Sharpness...0

Color Temp..Normal
Color Mgt....Off
Black Level..Off
All NRs........Off

In Service Mode:

White Balance

Red Cut......82
Green Cut...84
Blue Cut.....7E
All Cut.......84

Red Drive....EE
Green Drive.EE
Blue Drive...E4
All Drive.....EE

Dsskid,
I am inheriting my Dad's old 58pz700u and ran across this thread. Where did you get your most recent settings from? I am assuming the settings are the result of a professional calibration?

Just want to be sure before I start monkeying around

Thanks,
Brandon

They are the result of my calibration (I'm as ISF certified calibrator). Always right down the service mode settings before changing any of them in you err.

If you want, you can give me a call when you're ready and I can walk you through it.
John