Owners' Thread Panasonic Viera Th-p50vt20a

[kitcho9]

Best not to assume too much will work...

Tonight I copied the following from my HTPC hard drive to an 8GB USB stick:

1. The Last Airbender Blu-ray Sam.avi [containing MPEG4 video]

2. Shakira - Waka Waka 3d Music Video.mp4

3. The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film First 6min.mkv

4. Avatar Trailer HD 3D*.avc

5 Piranha 3D (Theatrical Trailer) - Siide by Side*.mpg

Files 1 to 4 can be found at http://www.3dtvworld.com.au/3d-downloads/

With the USB stick inserted into my 50VT20A, only item 1 above was recognised as a video file. It was playable. (To read the USB stick, I selected SD card input on the Panny remote).

Then I tried accessing the same files through the ethernet network, back to the hard drive on the HTPC, using the Panny's Media server functionality. Both files 1 and 5 could then be seen as video files, but only file 1 was playable.

Panasonic appear to have provided a rather hobbled level of media reading functionality.

I have been able to get my 50VT20A to play MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (the test 3D broadcasts) recordings of FTA TV by changing file extensions of the transport stream recordings to mpg.

Photos with the jpg extension can be read but side by side 3D mode cannot be activated for photographs. Rather disappointing for a supposedly 3D TV (let's hope a firmware update can improve the situation). At this stage I need to feed side by side still pictures from my HTPC to the Panny using the HTPC's graphics card.

Thanks for the info. I have also downloaded quite a few samples from this website but haven't had a chance to play them yet.

Seems like most of them won't work

[crusty68]

Has anyone managed to get the Ethernet over HDMI working with this equipment ??

I've got the 50" VT20A with the bundled 3D BD Player etc

- have connected a 'Fast HDMI + Ethernet' cable from HDMI port 2 (ARC) to the BD player and have an ethernet cable (from my home network) plugged into the VT20A

- unable to find any way of enabling the 'sharing' of the internet connection (or even the basic network connection) via HDMI

- assuming HDMI cable is version 1.4 since 3D AND ARC both work OK (except on some FTA channels where the sound disappears ???)

Have also tried with ethernet cable connected to BD player instead of VT20 and still no go - network connectivity (internet, DLNA media player, etc) only works on whichever device the ethernet cable is actually connected to

Specifically bought this HDMI + Ethernet cable to avoid the hassle of running TWO ethernet cables (or buying the relatively expensive WiFi dongle)

Any help at all would be gratefully received

Cheers.

[crusty68]

2nd Q -

I also notice that the available options on Viera Cast differ between the BD Player and the VT20A -

ie. VT20A now (added in last few days) has Yahoo 7PLUS available but BD version does not

Firmware on VT20A updated when first powered on and connected to network, however BD Player states that it's firmware is current even though it is still version 1

Again, any assistance thankfully received

Cheers.

[MLXXX]

Have also tried with ethernet cable connected to BD player instead of VT20 and still no go - network connectivity (internet, DLNA media player, etc) only works on whichever device the ethernet cable is actually connected to

Specifically bought this HDMI + Ethernet cable to avoid the hassle of running TWO ethernet cables (or buying the relatively expensive WiFi dongle)

I had a similar experience.

Although player and TV are both HDMI v1.4 compliant for 3D, they do not offer ethernet connectivity through HDMI. I don't think such connectivity is commonly available at this point in time.

[lehman05]

Hi all. I'm no tv expert. I'm hoping to compare settings with other owners. I picked up my new TV early this week and just can't seem to get the picture looking all that good. I realise every TV is different, but a comparison may show some blatant problems. At the moment I would say the pic looks very washed out.

Viewing Mode

Cinema

Contrast

50

Brightness

10

Colour

43

Sharpness

50

Tint

0

Colour Balance

Normal

Vivid Colour

On

Eco Mode

Off

PNR

Off

Panel

On

3D Picture Format

Auto

3D Picture Seq

Normal

Edge Smoother

Off

Advance isfccc

Off

I also have a Satellite STB. When I watch the looped demos on ESPN 3D channel (side by side), the glasses don't work until I go into the 3D menu and choose side by side. Then when I go back to normal TV viewing I have to go into the menu again and choose Auto. Is this normal?

Last question. Does anyone use the webcam and Skype? If so, do you find it bug free? I seem to have trouble with mine getting the camera to work. Sometimes a pause during the call and then a play will get it working.

Thanks for looking.

[Pfeff]

Has anyone managed to get the Ethernet over HDMI working with this equipment ??

I've got the 50" VT20A with the bundled 3D BD Player etc

- have connected a 'Fast HDMI + Ethernet' cable from HDMI port 2 (ARC) to the BD player and have an ethernet cable (from my home network) plugged into the VT20A

- unable to find any way of enabling the 'sharing' of the internet connection (or even the basic network connection) via HDMI

- assuming HDMI cable is version 1.4 since 3D AND ARC both work OK (except on some FTA channels where the sound disappears ???)

Have also tried with ethernet cable connected to BD player instead of VT20 and still no go - network connectivity (internet, DLNA media player, etc) only works on whichever device the ethernet cable is actually connected to

Specifically bought this HDMI + Ethernet cable to avoid the hassle of running TWO ethernet cables (or buying the relatively expensive WiFi dongle)

Any help at all would be gratefully received

Cheers.

Buy a cheap 4/5 port switch instead.

[lehman05]

Yep, this switch for $14 will do the job you want.

http://umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=4 5 Port 10/100 Fast Ethernet Switch

[kitcho9]

So what is everyones picture settings for this panel ????????????????????????

[paulgriffiths1]

So what is everyones picture settings for this panel ????????????????????????

I've had mine for a little over a couple weeks and think I finally have it set for optimum crispiness I previously owned a 40" Samsung LCD which of course was brighter, and I've certainly had to adjust from LCD to plasma but I'm really enjoying the TV now. Personally I like brighter, sharper pictures, hence my settings below:

Dynamic

Contrast - 90

Brightness - 0

Colour - 45

Sharpness - 90

Colour Balance - Normal

Vivid Colour - On

Tint - 0

Eco Mode - Off

P-NR - Mid

Advanced Settings - Gamma 2.2

I find good quality broadcasts such as the 'Today' program most mornings look great on GEM with these settings, as does most other broadcasts. Mind you with my PS3 hooked up, I usually have it on game mode and jack up the colour a little as I like more vivid colours in my games. All comes down to personal preference tho!

Edited December 19, 2010 by paulgriffiths1

[Cephas]

Not sure if anyone else is experiencing this, but the ARC over HDMI between the VT20 and the bundled SC-bt755 speaker system seemed a bit flaky...

I was unable to get the TV to send audio via ARC from time to time.

It's working ok now after removing my XBMC box from HDMI1 and resetting the VieraLink options on the TV.

With the XBMC pc on HDMI3 instead of HDM1 it seems more stable.

[Scott_S]

So what is everyones picture settings for this panel ????????????????????????

I've set these using DVE HD Basics Blu-ray using the bundled BDT300 player (which I've also adjusted to enable the user settings and set the detail clarity to 2, chroma process 'advanced', 24p 'on' -- otherwise everything on the player is default):

Mode THX

Bright -1

Contrast 58

Colour 54 (the red is about 2 levels low and the blue is about 2 levels high so this is a compromise)

Tint +3 (this helped the colour balance but could not fix it)

Sharp 10 (probably should be zero but not much change below 30)

Vivid Off (again this helped get the RGB colour balance get closer)

Eco Off

P-NR Mid (removed noise from the DVE test 'luminance zone plate, circular, slow phase' but did not seem to hurt the picture otherwise -- still need to check this)

Advanced/Other: Gamma 2.4 (I prefer the deeper greys this gives, less 'washed out' look)

24p smooth Off (motion in films looked a bit like old video with this on)

Resolution Enhancer Off (could not see any improvement or change, so its off)

Given the error in the colour I expected the picture to look cool but it actually looks warm to me <shrug>

Then for my Xbox 360 + HD-DVD which uses component video @1080i or @576p (set using DVE DVD):

Mode THX

Bright -2

Contrast 60

Colour 55 (same comment as above)

Tint +3

Sharp 35

Vivid Off

Eco Off

P-NR Off (any other setting softened the image too much)

Advanced/Other: Gamma 2.4

IFC On (the Xbox sometimes judders -- this helps)

Resolution Enhancer Off

Overscan Off

I use the above settings for off air (tuner) also, except with overscan 'on' due to 10 and sometimes 99 sending junk on the lower and upper raster respectively. This is only for the SD channels -- the TV reverts to overscan 'off' for HD channels which is nice.

Overall I'd say the THX setting and Gamma changed to 2.4 (default is 2.2) is pretty close to perfect with everything else just tweaking.

What I want to know is how to set the colour of grey using the isfccc settings for the colour gain & cutoff. Anyone? I was disappointed to find that that DVE just says to seek professional help...

Edited December 20, 2010 by Scott_S

[pneu]

What I want to know is how to set the colour of grey using the isfccc settings for the colour gain & cutoff. Anyone? I was disappointed to find that that DVE just says to seek professional help...

The thing is you need a colour meter to set the white balance properly. You can try doing it by eye but it's pretty difficult. If you want to give it a go, try loading up a grey ramp pattern and use additive colour rules to set its colour so that all of the shades look neutral grey/white.

eg. if it looks yellowish (which is red+green), then add the opposite (blue) gain to counteract.

if it looks blue, add red+green gain in equal amounts.

if it looks greenish, add red+blue gain in equal amounts.

etc.

The cuts will affect the colour of dark shades a lot more than the brighter shades, whereas the gains affect the colour of all shades. If you're adjusting it by eye I would leave the cuts alone as it's easier to make general corrections by adjusting the colour of all shades at once using the gains.

Again, this is hard to do without a colour meter, especially if you've got no reference point for what white should look like.

[Fatbeer]

Not sure if anyone else is experiencing this, but the ARC over HDMI between the VT20 and the bundled SC-bt755 speaker system seemed a bit flaky...

I was unable to get the TV to send audio via ARC from time to time.

It's working ok now after removing my XBMC box from HDMI1 and resetting the VieraLink options on the TV.

With the XBMC pc on HDMI3 instead of HDM1 it seems more stable.

I just can't get my PS3 80GB to send multichannel (5.1) sound via ARC to the bt755. Front two speakers only with Blu-ray, file and game playback; missing centre, rears and sub.

Using HDMI 1 with the PS3. And have tried all the PS3 sound settings.

ARC works well with TV DD 5.1 broadcasts. (the only other way I have used it)

Been hoping a firmware update might fix it, but no news of such a thing online.

The ARC is pretty essential on this unit due to the lack of inputs on the back but, unfortunately, it is very hit and miss.

Edited December 22, 2010 by Fatbeer

[atlas01]

I suspect you won't get 5.1 over ARC from external sources connected to the TV because the TV only accepts 2 channel audio from HDMI inputs. And the only other audio input options are RCA.

I further suspect the reason you get 5.1 over ARC from digital TV broadcasts is because that signal comes straight into the TV from the aerial and not via HDMI.

So it seems that to get 5.1 from the BT755, you will need to use optical straight from your device (eg. PS3) to the BT755. And optical can only carry PCM 2.0 or DD/DTS 5.1 - no HD audio. If you want HD audio from your BT755, you'll have to insert a blu-ray disc!

If you have several sources, you can get optical audio switches from Jaycar and the likes for about $50.

[atlas01]

Question - if you want your plasma to look brighter like a LCD, what settings would you bump up? Contrast and gamma? My gf's parents just got the 50VT20A and aren't too impressed... say the colors look dull and washed out.

Would the set improve after break-in?

[Cephas]

Working around the limited input options on the SC-BTT755 is one thing, but I'm finding the flaky ARC to be the most annoying issue with the VT20.

What are other peoples experiences like with the ARC setup?

[MLXXX]

My gf's parents just got the 50VT20A and aren't too impressed... say the colors look dull and washed out.

Would the set improve after break-in?

This may be the result of high contrast and high gamma. Only the very brightest image content is bright. The screen reduces brightness quickly for content that is below maximum brightness, and also delivers deep blacks.

This is a typical look of plasma panels, which I too find dull. It is not helped by the fact that a lot of program content involves daylight scenes with parts of the image encoded as black, or very near to black. It must be thought people are using very low contrast screens.

You could try reducing the gamma. This will allow more of the image to appear bright and colourful, and with a lot of program material may look closer to real life.

No, I don't think things will change significantly with hours of use. What you are getting is the typical designed performance for a plasma panel. It is the look you get when displaying typical video sources.

I am assuming you are avoiding "dynamic" mode. It boosts brightness but at the expense of crushing whites, and losing shadow detail.

Edited December 23, 2010 by MLXXX

[Cephas]

After a bit more reading about ARC its relationship to HDMI CEC (VieraLink) it appears that the VT20 (and other Panasonic's) is very susceptible to poorly behaved HDMI CEC devices.

Pin 13 of the HDMI cable is reserved for CEC, but devices are not required to implement CEC functionality. As a result some non-CEC devices seem do unintentional things to the voltage on Pin 13 which can disrupt the VieraLink required to get the ARC functionality working between the VT20 and the BTT755.

In my case I think my Zotac XBMC box is probably the culprit.

I might try to get an HDMI cable made up that has pin 13 cut and see if using that to connect the Zotac fixes the issue.

[bmwman]

Playing GT5 in 3d mode on this tv is amazing i love it. so much better than 2d. especially as i first played cod black ops and i thought that 3d was ****.

Very happy with the 3d now was a bit worried that the whole 3d thing was a bit of a wank, but not now anyone with this tv needs to get a ps3 and gt5

[paulgriffiths1]

Well my SC-BTT755 redemption pack came through on Xmas Eve of all nights meaning Santa was a little early, but it seems everything is working fine except the supplied remote control.

Basically the damn thing doesn't work, all other parts of the system are ok, but remote won't work, tried swapping batteries, tried new batteries - no go. But this is where it gets really weird - With Xmas over I hadn't used it for a couple days, then I thought I would try the remote again and it worked, but only for a short time before it dies again. Last night it was doing that several times, works, stops working, and its extremely frustrating. The remote can't even control the TV which it should, which leads me to believe its a dodgy remote. I did notice an option where you can reassign the remote control to code1/2, but this doesn't do anything.

I'm assuming other people who have had their packs shipped have no problem with their remotes and works 100% of the time? I guess its just a a flaky remote (and I can call Panasonic support later) but any other ideas as its becoming rather frustrating!

[ozboy]

Playing GT5 in 3d mode on this tv is amazing i love it. so much better than 2d. especially as i first played cod black ops and i thought that 3d was ****.

Very happy with the 3d now was a bit worried that the whole 3d thing was a bit of a wank, but not now anyone with this tv needs to get a ps3 and gt5

I am waiting for Killzone 3(D) due out in February. It will probably be the greatest FPS ever released & supposedly pushes the PS3 to the extreme of its processing ability!!

Edited December 26, 2010 by ozboy

[atlas01]

Well my SC-BTT755 redemption pack came through on Xmas Eve of all nights meaning Santa was a little early, but it seems everything is working fine except the supplied remote control.

Basically the damn thing doesn't work, all other parts of the system are ok, but remote won't work, tried swapping batteries, tried new batteries - no go. But this is where it gets really weird - With Xmas over I hadn't used it for a couple days, then I thought I would try the remote again and it worked, but only for a short time before it dies again. Last night it was doing that several times, works, stops working, and its extremely frustrating. The remote can't even control the TV which it should, which leads me to believe its a dodgy remote. I did notice an option where you can reassign the remote control to code1/2, but this doesn't do anything.

I'm assuming other people who have had their packs shipped have no problem with their remotes and works 100% of the time? I guess its just a a flaky remote (and I can call Panasonic support later) but any other ideas as its becoming rather frustrating!

Can the TV remote be used to control the bluray player over Viera link?

[Kingfischer]

How many owners have a dead or 'flickering' pixel on their VT20 panel?

I just wanted to get an idea of the probability that I'll get another panel with another faulty pixel. If there's a high chance of that I'll just keep the one I have.

Thanks.

PS Yes I have contacted Panasonic.

Not on my 58VT20A thank the heavens , being 2 weeks old now - so I hope not for sometime to come as well!!

[paulgriffiths1]

Can the TV remote be used to control the bluray player over Viera link?

Yes it can which was how I've been getting by in controlling it...HOWEVER I think I have since fixed the problem. I read up a bit more about it and it says in the manual if the remote isn't responding to the player to press and hold power for 5 seconds or unplug from the wall socket and leave for 1 min or so. I did that a few times alternating and it seems to work ok now. For example the power toggle button actually turns it on/off which it wasn't before, and I can control the volume of the unit through the 'TV' component section on the remote. I certainly couldn't do that before. It will be interesting to see what Panasonic support come back with seeings I couldn't speak with them in person due to the Xmas break.

[Kingfischer]

I have recently purchased a VT20A and the redemption is in the 'validated phase' Whilst I wait with baited breath I was wondering if anyone had hooked up their SC-BTT755 redemption BluRay player Surround sound system and how they find the quality of the sound?

The reason I ask is frankly I'm a little confused on exactly how this unit can be of any long term benefit as the SC-BTT755 does not posses any HDMI inputs. While playing Blu Ray disks will give a 5.1 experience, what about other entertainment sources (ie PVR/media players etc ) through the SC-BTT755 speakers?

Does Panasonic expect these additional devices to be feed into the VT20A and back to the SC-BTT755 via ARC? (btw I understand HDMI ARC audio stream is converted to stereo for all sources other than for the DVB-T signal where the original broadcast audio stream is 'passed thu' )

Also as the SC-BTT755 supplied speakers ( particularly the wireless rears) are matched to the main unit, it makes things difficult to split.

Currently I have a set of Orpheus Front speakers which perform beautifully, so to replace them is not something I'm keen on.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Kingfischer