Panasonic Th42/50px80a Owners Thread

[diesel]

Rass, i have an older PX600 wall mounted and the power cord is ~1800mm in length

[rass]

Rass, i have an older PX600 wall mounted and the power cord is ~1800mm in length

Thanks mate - appreciate it!

[vinilink1503560355]

i would recomend the panasonic bluray home theater system i got one for my dad for xmas with a 50 inch PX80 and it is fantastic with very good sound and picture for $1340 i paid at retravision

Is there anyway I can get hold of receipt for PX80 as my old man wants to buy one too?

Thanks in advance.

[indulis]

Try leaving it in standby for an hour and then measure consumption. The panas don't turn completely off when you first turn them off...searching for OTA updates etc, but then should turn right down afetr about 30 mins

Latest update- left the TV on all night in standby mode- set turned off using remote control, red light still showing on front panel. Checked the power draw after 8 hours and it was still drawing 40W (!!!!!). At this point tried turning the TV off from the front panel power switch (red power light off), power draw stays at 40W. Unplugged TV from power meter and power meter drops to 0 so it is not the power meter.

Now have tried leaving TV off all night switched off using the front panel power switch (no red light showing on front of TV). Power drain is still 40W!

If this is correct, I hate to think of all of the power being wasted across the country by these TVs!

Update: Just got off the phone from Panasonic service who tried to convince me that the power meter was showing an incorrect reading due to "sound waves". Que?

Edited January 16, 2009 by indulis

[Chris077]

Has anyone bought a TH50PX80a lately in Melb?

The Bargain Hunter website currently sells them for $1,649 plus delivery and installation if required..

Has anyone come across a better deal?

Thanks in advance..

Chris

[Alanpartridge]

Thanks to a bereavement dividend, I am in a position to get one of these.

It would appear that I have missed the boat ($1500 sales).

Anyone know a place in Perth selling these 'cheap'?

[coffeegirl]

Hi, I semi-belong here I have just bought a 42px8a which I believe is very similar to the 80a. Look forward to reading through this thread and catching up on everything. I have just been reading elsewhere about dvd upscaling so I'll have to look into those setting. I have a Pioneer DVD/HDD (DVR-540H-S) which I have recorded a lot of TV shows and home movies on and the quality is less than average, but for my TV recordings I just record them on super long play and they have been fine to watch on my old 70cm analogue. I record long play for home movie from VHS >DVD so I might have to start recording on a different mode. The reason I put the home movies on LP was space reasons to burn onto DVD but I still have the original VHS so I might re-transfer as painful as that will be at least I have 'options'. I'll record something form the TV on LP/SP/XP to see how the quality of tv recordings come up but I dont think the DVD recorder is HD so not sure how it will all work but I hope I can get better than my current recordings. But so far, just watching free to air HD I am BLOWN AWAY. It looks a million times better than the store, my crappy reception problem is GONE (not sure if that's the digital or the monsterboard I bought too) but I no longer have ghosting, shaddows, noise ... picture perfect. All I'm left wondering is why on earth it took me so long to buy a new tv ??????! :lol:

[rollem]

Has anyone bought a TH50PX80a lately in Melb?

The Bargain Hunter website currently sells them for $1,649 plus delivery and installation if required..

Has anyone come across a better deal?

Thanks in advance..

Chris

I just bought the TH50PX80A yesterday from Myer in Canberra picked it up for $1600 which seemed like an okay deal.

Thanks

[pneu]

Hey guys

I have a bit of a problem with my 50PX80A. It is having trouble rendering smooth transitions from dark grey to light grey. I get a fair bit of banding (hard steps between shades). Even worse, there is some magenta/purple colour in some of the bands. I believe this is incorrect as there should be no visible colour in grey.

I am trying to determine how common this problem is as Panasonic service tells me it's somewhat normal to get these types of colours appearing in the grey scale due to the internal processing, and therefore is not covered for repair under warranty.

I am seeking feedback from any other PX owners regarding this issue. I have a test pattern which produces the problem on my screen. The image can be copied onto an SD card and viewed through the SD card slot on the TV:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5106/greyramp.jpg

I would very much appreciate it if anyone could try this pattern out and post back with your findings.

Thanks

[diesel]

I'll record something form the TV on LP/SP/XP to see how the quality of tv recordings come up but I dont think the DVD recorder is HD so not sure how it will all work but I hope I can get better than my current recordings. But so far, just watching free to air HD I am BLOWN AWAY. It looks a million times better than the store, my crappy reception problem is GONE (not sure if that's the digital or the monsterboard I bought too) but I no longer have ghosting, shaddows, noise ... picture perfect. All I'm left wondering is why on earth it took me so long to buy a new tv ??????! :lol:

You DVD recorder is SD quality at best, but it also only has an analogue tuner, and I'm not sure it has the ability to upscale as I don't think it has HDMI connection.. See my reply in the Pioneer DVD players thread where you also posted a similar question.

I have a bit of a problem with my 50PX80A. It is having trouble rendering smooth transitions from dark grey to light grey. I get a fair bit of banding (hard steps between shades). Even worse, there is some magenta/purple colour in some of the bands. I believe this is incorrect as there should be no visible colour in grey.

I am trying to determine how common this problem is as Panasonic service tells me it's somewhat normal to get these types of colours appearing in the grey scale due to the internal processing, and therefore is not covered for repair under warranty.

Pneu, the banding is a Panasonic issue IME. My PX600 does it, and I was not aware of this issue when I bought my TV . Badly rendered graduations are also to blame.

As for the purple tinge...that's the dreaded 'Purple Snakes' issue which was big about 1-2 generations ago. Just google it and you will see there was plenty of discussion about this issue. It was more prevalent on the 42" models, but the 50" models were not entirely immune.

Have to admit, you're the first person that I can recall who have seen it on the 8 series. It must be a lot better than in the 6/7 series models

Edited February 26, 2009 by diesel

[pneu]

As for the purple tinge...that's the dreaded 'Purple Snakes' issue which was big about 1-2 generations ago.

I took a picture:

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/6554/purplesnakes.jpg

[diesel]

Yep, that's it.

I notice it on mine occassionally, mostly on background white interior walls in a slightly dark building...NCIS seems to be a common offender.

Some threads for you to shake your head at...

Th42px600a Owners! Anyone Passed The "purple Snake" Test?, in Australia?

Panasonic Plasma Purple Pythons, Have they perished?

Purple Snakes On 50" Panasonic Plasma - Th50px70a, Covered under warranty?

[komatiite]

Thanks to a bereavement dividend, I am in a position to get one of these.

It would appear that I have missed the boat ($1500 sales).

Anyone know a place in Perth selling these 'cheap'?

Hey give Jacob a call at Dick Smith in Osbourne Park. He can do one for $1590.

I

Edited February 26, 2009 by komatiite

[bogandaddy]

Hey guys

I am seeking feedback from any other PX owners regarding this issue. I have a test pattern which produces the problem on my screen. The image can be copied onto an SD card and viewed through the SD card slot on the TV:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5106/greyramp.jpg

I would very much appreciate it if anyone could try this pattern out and post back with your findings.

Thanks

Hello Pneu,

I bought this model before Xmas. I have never noticed this phenomenon although I do remember reading about it. I checked my TV for dead and stuck pixels,found none,and overall I am very happy with the picture.

After copying your file last night,I looked at it through a beyonwiz box as the sd card was not compatible. Straight away I saw the same thing as you . Even the purple lines.

This morning I put the file on another card which the TV accepted. In the daylight ,the grey banding showed up faintly on "dynamic 100% contrast "only. My usual viewing modes of "normal" and "cinema" were completely smooth.

With the beyonwiz again, the banding was only there on "dynamic". I saw no purple snakes today.

I'll check it again tonight in lower light and let you know. It does not affect my viewing at all.

[soogs]

Hi, I semi-belong here I have just bought a 42px8a which I believe is very similar to the 80a. Look forward to reading through this thread and catching up on everything. I have just been reading elsewhere about dvd upscaling so I'll have to look into those setting. I have a Pioneer DVD/HDD (DVR-540H-S) which I have recorded a lot of TV shows and home movies on and the quality is less than average, but for my TV recordings I just record them on super long play and they have been fine to watch on my old 70cm analogue. I record long play for home movie from VHS >DVD so I might have to start recording on a different mode. The reason I put the home movies on LP was space reasons to burn onto DVD but I still have the original VHS so I might re-transfer as painful as that will be at least I have 'options'. I'll record something form the TV on LP/SP/XP to see how the quality of tv recordings come up but I dont think the DVD recorder is HD so not sure how it will all work but I hope I can get better than my current recordings. But so far, just watching free to air HD I am BLOWN AWAY. It looks a million times better than the store, my crappy reception problem is GONE (not sure if that's the digital or the monsterboard I bought too) but I no longer have ghosting, shaddows, noise ... picture perfect. All I'm left wondering is why on earth it took me so long to buy a new tv ??????! :lol:

BTW what did you pay for it. I've a feeling prices have gone up since Xmas.

[Alanpartridge]

Hey give Jacob a call at Dick Smith in Osbourne Park. He can do one for $1590.

I

Whoa, that's for the 50'' right?.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[bogandaddy]

All I'm left wondering is why on earth it took me so long to buy a new tv ??????! :lol:

glad you like your TV. Waiting so long has been a good thing because this quality is a very recent thing, and the lower quality of a couple of years ago came at twice what you paid.

The bad (good ???) news is it's going to keep getting better and possibly even cheaper !

[toby1234]

hey guys, just got the 50px80a setup and i'm running it in at contrast: 45, brightness: 45, color: 50 and sharpness 50, turned off color management and its in cinema mode.

the picture looks a little unbright?? is that normal

EDIT: i just tried looking at dynamic mode for a bit, and WOW thats the kind of brightness i want, just not that bright . do most of you guys set it to dynamic after your break in period or do you set it to normal/cinema and jack up the contrast to 60+??? cos atm its kinda dull and washed out without the contrast set high

Edited February 27, 2009 by toby1234

[pneu]

With the beyonwiz again, the banding was only there on "dynamic". I saw no purple snakes today.

I'll check it again tonight in lower light and let you know. It does not affect my viewing at all.

Thanks for checking that out. I am curious to know, did the snakes show up again in lower light? I notice when I view the grey ramp pattern during the day with lots of ambient light it's very hard to see the snakes, but in a dimly lit room they are quite noticeable.

hey guys, just got the 50px80a setup and i'm running it in at contrast: 45, brightness: 45, color: 50 and sharpness 50, turned off color management and its in cinema mode.

the picture looks a little unbright?? is that normal

EDIT: i just tried looking at dynamic mode for a bit, and WOW thats the kind of brightness i want, just not that bright . do most of you guys set it to dynamic after your break in period or do you set it to normal/cinema and jack up the contrast to 60+??? cos atm its kinda dull and washed out without the contrast set high

If you like your picture very contrasty then perhaps go with Normal picture mode as it has less mid range brightness (gamma) and tends to make the picture pop a bit more. Or you could try increasing the contrast in Cinema mode. I would imagine a contrast level of around 60-70 should be safe. Cinema will show up more shadow detail than Normal mode, but the picture will look more flat and have less variation between light and dark. In my opinion the ideal picture mode would be somewhere between Normal and Cinema, as both have their deficiencies. Dynamic mode is intolerable to my eyes, but I suppose it's personal preference.

I should also mention that using Cinema mode while viewing TV through the internal tuner will look unusually soft due to some deliberate filtering that panasonic have added to the tuner.

[toby1234]

^okay, thanks for the reply. btw, after the break in period, wat is the maximum contrast that is safe to set it at?? i assume leaving it at 70+ might be a bit damaging to the panel??

also, i don't have an upscaling DVD player, but is it worth using component cables at least?? currently using the normal red, white, yellow cable

Edited February 28, 2009 by toby1234

[bogandaddy]

Thanks for checking that out. I am curious to know, did the snakes show up again in lower light? I notice when I view the grey ramp pattern during the day with lots of ambient light it's very hard to see the snakes, but in a dimly lit room they are quite noticeable.

The SD card in the TV in low light gave a similar but slightly less effect than in the beyonwiz. We are talking really small differences here. In low light the banding was slightly visible in all modes standing within a metre of the screen,but easily noticeable in dynamic. At viewing distance of 3.5m in low light the banding could be seen in dynamic only.

The purple lines are only slightly tinged even in dynamic in low light. In other modes they are just thicker grey lines. I would say that in my panel I have definite banding but negligible snakes

Looking at the file on a computer screen shows the banding very faintly on high contrast only on a 1650x1050 monitor,but on my netbook (wind 10") which has a 1024x600 LED backlit screen the bands are quite obvious on full brightness in daylight. No purple anywhere.

Seeing the purple snakes is quite a personal thing I think,and once they "click", like those patterns you have to stare into for minutes to see, they look stronger. I had difficulty seeing purple the second time though.

I'd put it way down on my annoyances list though, below lack of dedicated picture and sound buttons on the remote, shiny screens,and black TV's in general.

[pneu]

The purple lines are only slightly tinged even in dynamic in low light. In other modes they are just thicker grey lines. I would say that in my panel I have definite banding but negligible snakes

Sounds like your panel doesn't have it quite as bad as mine. My previous 50PX80A which was replaced under warranty did not have the problem at all. I believe the colour temperature has some effect on it too, I am using Warm which does tend to bring out the snakes a bit more.

^okay, thanks for the reply. btw, after the break in period, wat is the maximum contrast that is safe to set it at?? i assume leaving it at 70+ might be a bit damaging to the panel??

According to the panasonic techs I have spoken with, a contrast level in the 60-70 range will not damage the panel.

Also you do not need to break in the panel, but it can't hurt to.

[diesel]

You can definitely tweak your panel's PQ to reduce the effect of the banding and Purple Snakes, but at the cost of ideal PQ IME.

[ianleeds]

I have no idea where to post this, I have a VIERA TH-42PZ700A 42" and am moving to Canada in a few weeks time. Do i just need a step down transformer to change the power output? Or should I just sell it and buy a new one there? If I were to try sell it anyone any ideas on what they are going for?

Just got mine this morning, so being an official owner, i thought i'd set up a owners thread.

Will post first impressions etc when i get chance to set up it up over the weekend.

Maybe even take some pics

Bob

[coffeegirl]

BTW what did you pay for it. I've a feeling prices have gone up since Xmas.

$1200 incl. delivery. $80 3yr warranty from Hardly Normal and I got about 40% off the retail of wall mount and a few other extras I wanted to buy at the time.

I read on another forum the price seems to vary post-xmas. I did read JB had them Monday week ago for $999 and then the next day wouldn't go below $1300. I also read someone else paid $1100 recently. I think the price If you want to shop around and wait you might get them cheaper than I did. I chose to buy on the day and didn't drive around to haggle.