simonr231503561300 Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Furns, i'm in the same sorta situation as yourself. i've had the techs out 3 times with the whole colour banding, purple snake problem n my 50px600a and while the tech himself did notice the problem, after he reported back to pana they said it's normal and dont want to do anything for me. i reported to jb's a few times while within the 21days period nd they wouldnt let me exchange for a new one until pan said mine was faulty. after spending 30mins in their store looking at all the tv's non were showing what mine does. do you think i have a case to swap into a new brand? my tv is now 27 days old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeb Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Well folks. What can I say. Am/ was looking to buy Pana 50PX70A very soon, within days...until I started reading this thread. Have not read every post...just a bit at the start then jumped to recent posts. Its really set me back on my backside . How can a "premium" brand get away with this? Charging premium prices! Have any of the posters with this issue referred the matter to Office of Fair Trading etc? Would have thought Panasonic would move heaven and earth to protect their name. I returned a Aldi plasma after 18 mths, 6 months of ongoing problems and they were quick to say, do you want your money back. I said yes of course and have a high opinion of Aldi as a result. Probably not buy such an item from them again however. Will keep a close watch on this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raja sydney Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Furns, i'm in the same sorta situation as yourself. i've had the techs out 3 times with the whole colour banding, purple snake problem n my 50px600a and while the tech himself did notice the problem, after he reported back to pana they said it's normal and dont want to do anything for me. i reported to jb's a few times while within the 21days period nd they wouldnt let me exchange for a new one until pan said mine was faulty. after spending 30mins in their store looking at all the tv's non were showing what mine does. do you think i have a case to swap into a new brand? my tv is now 27 days old. Hi Simon! Its sad to hear 50inch panel also have this snake problems. Your panel is only 21days old and my advise is talk to the JB hifi manager to push it down as an expensive product they should be able to replace it within a month. I noticed snake in my panel only after 6months and before that i never seen it, otherwise if i had seen it within a month, i would have press hard to get refund. I already heard about panasonic and LG crap customer service, however i bought panasonic with cheap price and better pq. If your panel is within 1month, please contact fair trading as you got more chances of getting refund or exchange. Just wondering waht is color banding? Is it like uneven colors in background.... Thanks Raja Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furns Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Furns, i'm in the same sorta situation as yourself. i've had the techs out 3 times with the whole colour banding, purple snake problem n my 50px600a and while the tech himself did notice the problem, after he reported back to pana they said it's normal and dont want to do anything for me. i reported to jb's a few times while within the 21days period nd they wouldnt let me exchange for a new one until pan said mine was faulty. after spending 30mins in their store looking at all the tv's non were showing what mine does. do you think i have a case to swap into a new brand? my tv is now 27 days old. Yes, if I can get JB to agree to exchange mine when I bought it back in Feb then I dont think you should have a problem. Pana Customer Care (I chuckled a little after typing that) basically said try talking to JB about it. (Ie we wont do anything about it so try ringing them). My gf has handled all this as she is in retail electrical anyway. She has basically talked to the store manager at JB and explained the situation and he has agreed to swap the panel over (and we are also considering pushing for refund). I will have more details soon as my gf will be ringing them again tomorrow to find out what we can get a 42 or 50" Pio xda panel for. If time is of the essence, I would suggest going straight to the store manager of your store of purchase and explain the situation, invite him around for a beer and a viewing of the problem if need be, that should show you arent just making things up. zeb, I cannot suggest strongly enough to avoid Pana like the plague. I had researched into this model before I bought it, but I somehow missed this thread. Spend the extra money on a Pioneer panel. Dont be put off by Pio being a bit more pricey, they include installation, a better PQ and a 5 year warranty. And their customer care has a little more empathy for their customers (allegedly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southie Adam Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Yes - it is totally crazy but they simply wont listen to any further points on the subject - my gf has been on the phone to these guys for the last few months and the response today was "we have exhausted all avenues with our service dept, its normal operational tech specs". Quite ridiculous. Now they have lost me as a future customer and I will be bad-mouthing them on this forum and to whoever I talk to to never bother with Pana ever again. Now - I dont know if I can afford the Pio at $3800 although I am prob looking at 42" rather than 50" - is the PQ better or equal to the Pana (for the money I would hope so..) and wasnt I reading back that the Panas run a 16bit pro as opposed to Pio running a 10bit? I do watch quite a lot of sport/foxtel/sd dvds/hd fta (in that order) and need a decent pq panel. $2500 would be ideal however I suppose $3k may be possible. Has anyone who owns one given channel 7 ( today, tonight ) or channel 9 ( a current affair ) a ring? They love to have stories where the corporations have a problem with a product and don't acknowledge it. Might be worth a try, I would. Sorry if this has been advised before, the thread is too long to check every page for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfbari Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Hi Simon!Its sad to hear 50inch panel also have this snake problems. Your panel is only 21days old and my advise is talk to the JB hifi manager to push it down as an expensive product they should be able to replace it within a month. I noticed snake in my panel only after 6months and before that i never seen it, otherwise if i had seen it within a month, i would have press hard to get refund. I already heard about panasonic and LG crap customer service, however i bought panasonic with cheap price and better pq. If your panel is within 1month, please contact fair trading as you got more chances of getting refund or exchange. Just wondering waht is color banding? Is it like uneven colors in background.... Thanks Raja I too only saw purple snakes appear after about 5 months. I saw this thread soon after I purchased and immediatley put on Harry Potter DVD to see if I had the issue but was happy that it didnt appear to affect my TH42px600a screen. It almost sounds like in some cases it only becomes apparent after a few months of normal usage. I have relegated this panel to the family room and resigned myself to the fact that it has to be lived with. The problem only occurs very occasionaly and nobody else in the family has commented so neither have I to them. Last saturday I purchased a Pioneer PDP-507XDA for main lounge room and now I am a very VERY happy person. They can be had in the larger cities for $3800 now and lots in stock which stores are wanting to move due to new model due out roughly Oct I believe. Great Panel and looks the goods even when switched off Cant recommend more highly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevyn72 Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 I too only saw purple snakes appear after about 5 months. Interesting that, initially I didn't see it at all but as time wears on (about 5 months now too) I am seeing purple snakes/blotches more often..... I don't know whether it is something about the panel or that I am getting better at identifying it though. Most of the time it doesn't bother me and I still only see it occasionally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr231503561300 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 i notice on foxtel (the OC) that lots of shading is really bad. grey walls, arms on people, etc are all prone to banding. is this just a poor quality signal or tv issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fRuItCaKe. Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Foxtel stuff is usually just poor quality signal. They don't try that hard. To all, are Pana still offering the .03 board upgrade or have they now decided that won't happen too?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furns Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Foxtel stuff is usually just poor quality signal. They don't try that hard.To all, are Pana still offering the .03 board upgrade or have they now decided that won't happen too?? They wouldnt even acknowledge my panel was faulty to qualify for the upgrade. Because of course I am imagining things It looks like JB are going to exchange my Pana for Pio 507xda so I have hopefully seen the last of Pana - they can come pick up their piece of crap panel and we can all get on with our lives. To those who find that the purple snake issue develops over time, it does. I didnt even notice it on my panel until after at least 500 hours usage. (It seems to vary) It is still a fault - log it with Pana (ask to speak to Catherine - she wont be helpful but at least she has prior knowledge of people reporting this issue) and then go from there. Kick up a stink with them, kick up a stink with your retailer and get them to swap it. If that dont work, ring Today Tonight or A Current Affair. And PM me so I can either contribute or at least watch the story Dont swap to 700 series as reviews I have seen have noted this issue is on them also, albeit not to the extent on the 600 series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfbari Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 They wouldnt even acknowledge my panel was faulty to qualify for the upgrade. Because of course I am imagining things It looks like JB are going to exchange my Pana for Pio 507xda so I have hopefully seen the last of Pana - they can come pick up their piece of crap panel and we can all get on with our lives. To those who find that the purple snake issue develops over time, it does. I didnt even notice it on my panel until after at least 500 hours usage. (It seems to vary) It is still a fault - log it with Pana (ask to speak to Catherine - she wont be helpful but at least she has prior knowledge of people reporting this issue) and then go from there. Kick up a stink with them, kick up a stink with your retailer and get them to swap it. If that dont work, ring Today Tonight or A Current Affair. And PM me so I can either contribute or at least watch the story Dont swap to 700 series as reviews I have seen have noted this issue is on them also, albeit not to the extent on the 600 series. You have just made one of your best decisions. The difference between my Pana and my new 507XDA is like night and day. What a an absolutely stunning screen. I will never cringe again when watching TV with family or friends, waiting, expecting the dreaded snakes to appear and having to explain that this was "normal" and it wasnt considered a warranty issue. Pioneer wont let you down and if it does, well, Pioneer after care service is second to none. Now THATS piece of mind. When do you pick it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 It looks like JB are going to exchange my Pana for Pio 507xda so I have hopefully seen the last of Pana - they can come pick up their piece of crap panel and we can all get on with our lives. Hey thats great news furns!! Good on jb too (although I know you had to push hard for it). Hope you can still get a reasonable deal on the 507 and you dont have to cough up too many $$. Keep us posted on how you get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalpel Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Well, ran the test file with no problems on my 50"600a with no problems whatsoever (Nov 2006 Build, Japan). I have not seen any significant false contouring on any DVD's to date either (well none that is not already visible on my Dell 2707 playing the same DVD on the PC) I really shouldn't look for this sort of thing because if I do find a problem it is going to bug me. J. Fingers (& toes) crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfbari Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Well, ran the test file with no problems on my 50"600a with no problems whatsoever (Nov 2006 Build, Japan).I have not seen any significant false contouring on any DVD's to date either (well none that is not already visible on my Dell 2707 playing the same DVD on the PC) I really shouldn't look for this sort of thing because if I do find a problem it is going to bug me. J. Fingers (& toes) crossed. How old is your panel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furns Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 When do you pick it up? Picked up Thurs night. Many thanks to JB Castle Hill for putting up with the many phone calls from my gf who got us swapped to the Pio 507xda. Michael and Brad were very helpful - as Pana Cust Care didnt care, they got a return autho from the Pana rep who agreed to take it back. They did offer us a 50" Pana panel (I think it was PV60A which I wouldnt have taken anyway) for the same price however I told JB straight away I wouldnt touch Pana products again with a ten foot pole. So we move to Pioneer. And already loving the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scalpel Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 How old is your panel? Grand total of (drum roll .........) . .. ... .... Two weeks (20 or so hours on the clock) ...... tish (Yes I am aware that some people have noticed this problem later on in the life of the screen - life is too short to worry about such things - I'm just enjoying it now) Ironically, I was reading the 'snakes' thread whilst running the test pattern on the plasma - the thread was a little longer than I expected, so when I came back to the screen, the title of the test pattern (in bold white letters) had managed to become retained on the screen. Half an hour of nemo (just what I wanted at 11pm at night) fixed this issue. Ahh well - I knew I shouldn't have looked J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickyt Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 I have had a Pana TH 42PV60A for just over a year now and am really starting to notice the purple snakes on certain TV shows - I have just read all 20 pages of this thread and at first it looked as though a simple call to Panasonic would result in someone coming out to fix it. Now I have got to the end and it looks like there is no magic cure, Panasonic aren't interested in helping and we just have to live with the problem. I am really hoping that I have missed something and it is possible to fix so if anyone out there has sorted this issue out can they post what they did to solve it Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevyn72 Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Watched a recording of Stargate (Toppy 5000 via Component on a 600a) last night and got a doozy of a snake! Seen as a halo around the helmet light of a spacesuit early in the show, and surprisingly more green than purple.... Still snakes are the exception and only appear occasionally, the vast majority (99%) of viewing is snake free! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eth Nick Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 I've got a bit of an update; I intended to bring my PVR/HDD into JBs today, hoping to arrange a firmware upgrade, but I also thought why not set the thing up in-store & see if the new Panasonic 42" HD models also show the fuzzyness I thought had been caused by my .02-.03 Plasma firmware upgrade, (I had recordings of some shocking fuzziness in its' HDD). Sure enough, the new 70-series also showed the same fuzziness, so that left me convinced that the PQ difference between the .02 & .03 is so minute, it wouldn't be worth doing anything about. The price on the new 70-series did make me feel a little sad though...$2200 & that's with an inbuilt HD tuner. Oh well.. For those with Purple snakes, try & forget about them. If you can't, & they start appearing in your nightmares , then call Panasonic customer service (talk to Catherine) & see if they can arrange for your nearest service centre to send out a tech to your place to do the D-Board upgrade. That's what I did, & i'm satisfied with the outcome. Be warned though, there are those whose firmware upgrade hasn't turned out so good, so it might be a gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raja sydney Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Hi Ralfi! Thats good. Seems like most of us forgot about purple snakes. I don't think this purple snake issue is not as bad as compare with some of the different soft of problems(Ie sounds b reak up, picture movement)with newer panasonic viera panels. I totally forget the issue and still enjoying the pq. I been to JB hifi here and look at the 70A panel and the frame seems more plastiky, compare with hard or firm plastic in our PV60a panel.. Thanks. I've got a bit of an update; I intended to bring my PVR/HDD into JBs today, hoping to arrange a firmware upgrade, but I also thought why not set the thing up in-store & see if the new Panasonic 42" HD models also show the fuzzyness I thought had been caused by my .02-.03 Plasma firmware upgrade, (I had recordings of some shocking fuzziness in its' HDD).Sure enough, the new 70-series also showed the same fuzziness, so that left me convinced that the PQ difference between the .02 & .03 is so minute, it wouldn't be worth doing anything about. The price on the new 70-series did make me feel a little sad though...$2200 & that's with an inbuilt HD tuner. Oh well.. For those with Purple snakes, try & forget about them. If you can't, & they start appearing in your nightmares , then call Panasonic customer service (talk to Catherine) & see if they can arrange for your nearest service centre to send out a tech to your place to do the D-Board upgrade. That's what I did, & i'm satisfied with the outcome. Be warned though, there are those whose firmware upgrade hasn't turned out so good, so it might be a gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostmo Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Hi everyone, I was wondering if many of us snake infested people have had d-board replacements, or if anyone has been lucky enough to get their panel replaced by Panasonic. Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fRuItCaKe. Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Nope, not yet. Once I get the kitchen finished (!) then I'll do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice_Magik Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Hopefully the 700a has no snakeys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghostmo Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Yes, hopefully the 700a, and the rest of the 7 series, is indeed snake-free. Did anyone watch Snatch last night on FTA? - was a snakefest throughout on my 42PV60A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice_Magik Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 What does the Manufacturer say about these 'snakes' Broadcasting ? Calibration ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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