[crbaldwin]

sounds like eco mode settings

Thanks - that was it! The "Eco Sensor" was somehow turned on maybe from when I did the firmware update several months ago.

 

[darksurtur]

I have a 51 inch and just had the main power board repaired (no power light at all). It had a blown fuse and some cracked solder joints. I've put in the new board and the power light comes, but there are four clicks followed by the 5 double flash error code (5 double flashes with a 4 second pause afterward). Is that a sign that the power board error might have damaged the Y-board?

EDIT: I might also be the main board. If someone can walk me through the process, I can see if I can identify the culprit. I don't a multimeter but can order one. I thought you could also do by powering on the tv disconnecting the boards one by one.

 

[dpaige11]

I was quoted $475 to repair my 64" F8500. Is that even worth it? They have to replace the main Board. I've had it since 2013. I had been looking into LG CX/GX and or a Sony OLED. I know many people say you shouldn't go LCD after a plasma. OLED is the natural progression. Would the Sony 900H even come close if I went LED from the 64" Plasma?

 

[shadowspawn]

I was quoted $475 to repair my 64" F8500. Is that even worth it? They have to replace the main Board. I've had it since 2013. I had been looking into LG CX/GX and or a Sony OLED. I know many people say you shouldn't go LCD after a plasma. OLED is the natural progression. Would the Sony 900H even come close if I went LED from the 64" Plasma?

I'd probably have it repaired if it were me. But you do have to consider that something else might go out next. It's a bit of a dice roll either way.

Back in early 2019 I sold my 64" F8500 locally (through a "Local pickup only" eBay listing) for about $750. That's more than $475.

(The sad story of not keeping it is that it quit working in late 2018. I had a 5 year warranty from Best Buy, and they gave me a store credit for 80% of what I paid for it in Jan. 2014, and let me keep it. I suspected the three capacitors on the Y-Sustain board, but I bought an LG 65C8 with the store credit so we would have something to watch while I worked through the mechanics of trying to fix the board, planning to return the OLED if I was able to fix the board and keep the OLED otherwise. I was able to fix the board, and it worked great again. But my wife would not hear of returning the new TV, and was stuck on me selling the 64F8500, so away it went).

You will find OLED to be a mixed bag. It has perfect blacks and infinite contrast, and I can see that clearly. It has great off-angle viewing. It has modern features and user interface and smart apps if you care about that sort of thing.

All OLED TVs have clearly visible motion handling problems, which are inherent in the sample-and-hold technology that all OLED panels use (Why Do Some OLEDs Have Motion Blur?). How that is perceived differs from person to person. Some people are not bothered by it, or adjust to it eventually. I am one of those who hate it. It's obvious in things like football and camera pans in baseball. It RUINS the Tokyo car chase scene in The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, when played in 4K Blu Ray on my Oppo-203 player; that sequence is a blurry mess.

OLED has a picture quality that does not have the film-like quality of plasma. It has been described as "video-ish". I can also see that, and while I prefer the film-like presentation of plasma, this OLED characteristic does not bother me too much.

OLED has ongoing issues with panel uniformity, due to the manufacturing process. It is still a "panel lottery" as to whether you get one that is acceptable on regular content. I was lucky, my first one had visible grey-scale uniformity problems with a 5% grey test screen and visible color uniformity problems with a 100% white test screen. But they are invisible to me with normal content, so I am quite happy with it. However, some people are still going through three, and I have even read of four, panels before getting an acceptable one.

See this thread, including the more recent, up-to-date posts: OLED Screen Uniformity Discussion-Banding and Vignetting

For example, this post from this month: OLED Screen Uniformity Discussion-Banding and Vignetting

If you like plasma, there is a high chance that you will not like LED. Black level issues, off-axis viewing issues, picture uniformity and quality issues, etc. Even with a FALD set, you still have a finite number of zones, versus the pixel-by-pixel white level control of plasma and OLED.

 

[darksurtur]

I was quoted $475 to repair my 64" F8500. Is that even worth it? They have to replace the main Board. I've had it since 2013. I had been looking into LG CX/GX and or a Sony OLED. I know many people say you shouldn't go LCD after a plasma. OLED is the natural progression. Would the Sony 900H even come close if I went LED from the 64" Plasma?

Are they sure the problem is the main board and nothing else? Because in that case you can buy a working main board for around $215.

 

[dpaige11]

Are they sure the problem is the main board and nothing else? Because in that case you can buy a working main board for around $215.

It's the main board impacting other boards and a few HDMI ports. They said they would resolve it all for that price.

 

[Skittles005]

So if and when these last great plasmas die, what would everyone go with? I was browsing in Best Buy this past weekend and they had a 65" Sony OLED that I thought looked awesome (picture quality and blacks) compared to every other TV they had on display.

On another note: I hope my F8500 lasts forever.

 

[LHenton]

I think my F8500 samsung 64 plasma has finally died after years of quirks. Am close to black friday.

 

[hurricanebob]

It's the main board impacting other boards and a few HDMI ports. They said they would resolve it all for that price.

The main or logic board is the board that has the HDMI inputs on it. I recently found one online for $100 and replaced it on my PN60F8500. It is a very simple job to replace it. Remove all of the screws from the back cover and remove the cover. Carefully disconnect all of the cables from the board and remove the four screws that hold it to the frame. Install the new board and reattach all of the cables (they only attach to one possible place each). Reinstall the back cover.

 

[shadowspawn]

So if and when these last great plasmas die, what would everyone go with? I was browsing in Best Buy this past weekend and they had a 65" Sony OLED that I thought looked awesome (picture quality and blacks) compared to every other TV they had on display.

If you like plasma, OLED is really the best way to go, although it is a mixed bag and has it's own downsides. Look at recent posts of mine, in this plasma forum, and you'll find a much longer discussion of it.

Did you compare the 65" Sony to the 65: LG? If so, what looked different to you?

 

[dpaige11]

So they repaired my 64" Plasma. Took about a week for the pickup and return. It was delayed a week because my girlfriend was asleep when the rang the doorbell a week ago. I was a little worried how it would look since it was originally isf calibrated which I lost with the repair. My heart dropped when I powered it on as it was set to dymantic(vivid) mode. I found some setting online to clean up the quality and think it looks better than it did. Very happen with the repair. $514 with tax included.

Stanton TV in Elmsford, NY

Stanton TV Repair | Electronic Repair Services | Elmsford NY

Electronics repair. TV repair. Appliance repair. Call us today for a free estimate.

www.stantontvrepair.com

Free pickup, diagnostic, and drop off.

 

[BZiggyZ]

Been away from AVS for a while, but I have an issue with my PN51F8500 I’m hoping someone can comment on. Two years ago I replaced the power board. Since then, buzzing has increased dramatically, particularly on mostly white scenes. But recently there have been screen uniformity problems. I believe what I’m seeing is DSE? It’s very visible watching hockey, where the entire top third of the screen has blue dirt across it when showing the ice. It was also very visible watching the newest episode of The Mandalorian. In the foggy scenes, the top third of the screen shows red dirt where the gray fog is. I tried to get a picture of it using the DSE test on YouTube. Strangly my iPhone 11 made the screen look yellow but this was various cool and warm white tones.

My question- is this repairable, or is my tv dying a slow death?

 

[ZoNtO]

Here is link for the firmware found under Samsung 2013 Plasma support:

2013 Plasma Smart TV (F8500 Series) | Owner Information & Support | Samsung US

I do think its odd that the F8500 isn't a listed TV, but I will attest that my picture quality has improved.

Just catching up on this thread, and saw a number of posts like this on page 730 re: firmware 1218. Though this was (re?)posted on Samsung's website this May, this firmware has been out for years. Maybe Samsung support is finally getting their act together on the website.