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21K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  pieceof_mind 
#1 ·
For the past two and half years, we've been happily rolling along with a Panasonic soundbar (SC-HTB500) that we paired with our Panasonic 3D TV. It was very easy to set up and adds immensely to the viewing experience.


Recently though, it's been harder and harder to get the soundbar to power on. When we turn on the television, the soundbar lights turn on then immediately turn off. We now have to use the little remote it came with to keep turning it on until it finally works. Things are definitely deterioating: a few weeks ago it only took a couple of tries to get it going and now it's more like five or six. I gather that "something" has to heat up to keep it going but I have no idea where to start to fix it.


Has anyone else experienced this?
 
#2 ·
I own the very same Panasonic soundbar & have what sounds like identical issues with it. Mine is connected to a 42" G25 and it too has gotten much worse lately. I've tried about everything I could imagine, but to no avail. Tried Viera Link both on & off with every conceivable combination of settings, but nothing worked.I've even tried using a Toslink cable - no luck there either.


I got the soundbar as part of a package on a yesteryear Black Friday deal. If you have any new thoughts or have heard of any other glimmers of hope, please let me know. Thanks, Mike.
 
#3 ·
You could try resetting your panasonic sound bar to factory defaults and reconfigure your unit, According to a website, you could reset your panasonic sound bar by holding the "Power" button on your remote control for at least 5 seconds.


If this solution is still not working for you, i'm more free to provide you with more solutions
 
#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike McLain  /t/1500382/panasonic-soundbar-hard-to-power-on#post_24009057


If you have any new thoughts or have heard of any other glimmers of hope, please let me know. Thanks, Mike.
At first we thought it was a power supply problem but after living with this for a few weeks, it appears that things are okay until the bar senses a sound source and tries to detect the audio format. That makes me think it's more a problem with one of the boards -- which were overpriced when they were available and no longer stocked by Panasonic.


Our situation is deteriorating rapidly so I'm highly motivated to find a replacement...which is not an easy task. I'm still looking for something that would be as easy to use as this soundbar/sub-woofer combination. It works so well that I näively assumed it would be easy to find a replacement but so far, I've not had much luck. All we need is a bar with one HDMI and one optical input with an HDMI output to an ARC jack so that we can use the TV remote to turn it on and control the volume. For what ever reason, that doesn't seem to be an important issue to either manufacturers or reviewers.


Athena
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by MultiStory  /t/1500382/panasonic-soundbar-hard-to-power-on#post_24009739


You could try resetting your panasonic sound bar to factory defaults and reconfigure your unit, According to a website, you could reset your panasonic sound bar by holding the "Power" button on your remote control for at least 5 seconds.


If this solution is still not working for you, i'm more free to provide you with more solutions

Thanks for the suggestion about the reset. I tried that about a year ago.No help. I still try it every once in awhile, just for the hell of it. When this all started, I used to think the issue was strictly Viera link related, but the more I experience it and the more & different corrective actions I've tried, the more baffling it appears.


Early on I suspected a problem with this soundbar, since Panasonic "prematurely" stopped marketing this model. Even their support staff didn't know much about it. Shortly afterward my problems began and continued. Any other ideas or thoughts will be appreciated. Mike
 
#6 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by MultiStory  /t/1500382/panasonic-soundbar-hard-to-power-on#post_24009739


If this solution is still not working for you...
Things got even worse this past week -- it would take 40+ times to get the soundbar to stay on. I'm sure it was a failing circuit and didn't have inclination to tear things apart to try and fix it.


Fortunately (I hope), I found a replacement unit that had never been used. Since I bought the original one at Costco, I was able to return it for a refund so we're pretty much back to where we were. I figure we should get at least another two years out of this one and by then something comparably easy to use will be available.


Athena
 
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