[grunfgrunf63]

Originally Posted by leon

should be fine mine is running flat out and crystal clear

Hi, thank you. Do you mean that there is not need of any trickery, firmware etc.. in order to get an immediate perfect 2560x1080 on this screen with my PC??So, if you got the experience, will also games give the option for 2560x1080?
I been in touch with philips and cannot believe how confused they are with my questions, they said no, then yes, then now have been investigating for the last 2 weeks and still waiting for an answer.
Thank You

[Quaddy]

AFAIK the set is 1920x1080 1:1 pixel in pc mode.

i am unaware of any sources currently available able to match the Cinema 21:9's native 2560 x 1080 pixel count, the TV has to use processing (formatting modes) to add in the extra pixels necessary to translate a 1920 x 1080 signal to the panels full resolution, same with a 576 broadcast

in the manual it states the max PC mode supported is 1920 x 1080p @60hz (via hdmi only)

so to summarize, the most you can do is output from pc at full 1080p. you will have side borders.
but if you wish to change aspect so that the TV is scaling to fit the full panels real estate the panel will upscale the 1080p to fill the panel from whatever scaling option you use

if you want the full real estate, but borked aspect choose 'wide screen' so it shows/squashes everything into frame

'wide screen' formatting option is only on 58pfl not 56pfl

also ensure screen edges are at 0 if not using PC mode (again, only 58pfl)

HTH

[grunfgrunf63]

Originally Posted by Quaddy

AFAIK the set is 1920x1080 1:1 pixel in pc mode.

i am unaware of any sources currently available able to match the Cinema 21:9's native 2560 x 1080 pixel count, the TV has to use processing (formatting modes) to add in the extra pixels necessary to translate a 1920 x 1080 signal to the panels full resolution, same with a 576 broadcast

in the manual it states the max PC mode supported is 1920 x 1080p @60hz (via hdmi only)

so to summarize, the most you can do is output from pc at full 1080p. you will have side borders.
but if you wish to change aspect so that the TV is scaling to fit the full panels real estate the panel will upscale the 1080p to fill the panel from whatever scaling option you use

if you want the full real estate, but borked aspect choose 'wide screen' so it shows/squashes everything into frame

wide screen is only on 58pfl not 56pfl

also ensure screen edges are at 0 if not using PC mode (again, only 58pfl)

HTH

thank You, so it will not do that. So what "leon" meant by saying it is fine? Anyway, anyone knows why philips is not designed this tv to work with a pc at 2560x1080? It is a very expensive tv and I am sure that the higher resolution working on a pc would be a very good selling point especially at this price. After all , the panel itself is a real true 2560x1080 and still do not get why could not be done that way.
thank You

[Quaddy]

not sure about the pc side of things, relating to display resolutions for various graphics boards, but my guess would be that they would output 4:3 & 16:9, possibly 16:10 also
but would they be able to output 1:1 pixel mapped 2560 x 1080? they would need to specify an aspect of 2.35:1 wouldnt it.

what display resolutions does your graphics card display, can you post them here

[grunfgrunf63]

Originally Posted by Quaddy

not sure about the pc side of things, relating to display resolutions for various graphics boards, but my guess would be that they would output 4:3 & 16:9, possibly 16:10 also
but would they be able to output 1:1 pixel mapped 2560 x 1080? they would need to specify an aspect of 2.35:1 wouldnt it.

what display resolutions does your graphics card display, can you post them here

the tv or only the panel is virtually capable of it and i cannot see why they have not specified a 21:9 for pc use. Anyway my gpu is a ati 6950 and it supports up to 3 monitors up to 2560x1600 each put together (7680x1600) even a 10 years old gpu would do up to 2560x1600 I believe. What I am not sure is if a game would support the wider ratio. I am sure it does automatically once it does detect the monitor resolution. Anyway, still waiting for an answer from philips and who knows, may be a firmware can correct this matter, then I will be more than happy to go and buy one. Anyway, I think that there is another drawback as in 3d mode my Gpu and therefore any gpu's, would only support 1920x1200 maximum, so eventually I will be stuck with that in 3d mode(1920x1080). Anyway, I will eventually post more news if phillips will come back to me.

[KarelBovy]

Hi All,

I am receiving my Philips 58PFL9955 next week and would really appreciate it if someone who has owned this model for a little longer could post his ideal SD/HD/3D settings.

Thanks,
Karel

[Quaddy]

Hi Karel - congrats on getting this beast!!

if you look at this thread from the beginning there are several sets of settings people have mentioned, and for 3d also

but my settings are now pointless to issue out to others, as its in combination with a radiance xe, which is ISF calibrated, so the tv settings are set for that and are not stand alone.

but there are also numerous sets of settings which should play the same from 9705 owners on 9705 threads

cheers

Originally Posted by KarelBovy

Hi All,

I am receiving my Philips 58PFL9955 next week and would really appreciate it if someone who has owned this model for a little longer could post his ideal SD/HD/3D settings.

Thanks,
Karel

[KarelBovy]

Hi Quaddy,

Thanks a lot for your reply, one more question though

I currently use my AV receiver (Onkyo sr507) for HDMI passthrough from my blu ray player (philips bdp8000) to my TV.

Since the receiver doesn't support hdmi 1.4 (just 1.3a) how should I connect the 58PFL9955H to my blu ray player and still be able to view full hd 3d movies and send the sound to my receiver? Am I still able to pass it through my AV receiver somehow? Or should I connect the blu ray player and tv directly and use the coaxial audio out on the tv to send the audio to my receiver?

Regards,
Karel

[Quaddy]

Hi again Karel

HDMI 1.3a can pass 3D through anyway, my DVDO edge did @1.3, so you should be able to just run it through your receiver - unless your reciever will simply reject it and revert to 2d signal, which some will - it depends on the model and whether the manufacturer has released a 'soft' update to 1.4 which believe it or not can happen simply via firmware in some instances - the lumagen products for example, were updated via FW from 1.3 to 1.4 to enable 3d

try it and see, as my receiver (XE) is HDMI 1.3 and is able to pass through 3D fine to the TV - but i dont use any form of HD audio, just HDMI audio, so am not sure about that specifically

but i would try it as is, incase your receiver is able to pass it through in some way. there is ARC on the HDMI 1 port if you need to pass back the audio to the receiver at some stage

[KarelBovy]

Received the 58PFL9955 yesterday, real happy with it. Picture quality is amazing!

I noticed something irritating today though, especially visible during soccer matches. There seems to be a quite wide black/shadow band in the center of the screen during panning shots (left <-> right).

@Quaddy: noticed in an earlier post you have/had the same problem. Did you ever get it fixed?

[rico3]

this is a little off topic .but its nice to see these tvs are comming down in price now...
http://www.rgbdirect.co.uk are selling these now for £2999

when it comes down to 2499 ill be ordering one...

[Quaddy]

2999 is with normal warranty, looks like RGB are charging £754 for the 5 yr, so approx £3750 with that - but nice to have the option of not having these warranties i guess.

i got the 5 yr warranty, a £500 blu ray player thrown in and three pairs of 3d specs for £3999, so am not sweating just yet!

but soon, i am sure...

@KarelBovy

yep i have that issue, basically, they wont replace it as they will claim its within tolerances. its on many brands and many panels, IMHO a person with this has two realistic choices.

1) live with it (for the tvs other qualities). = frustrating.
2) refund. = frustrating.

[rico3]

philips 58pfl9955 3D tv on ebay £2490 plus 5 years warrenty plus 3d glasses

just type in the item number on ebay..Item number: 190545943305 or
philips 21:9 cinema led 58pfl9955 ....

its the cheapest ive seen...

[cameronl]

hi, I am thinking of buying this tv.

Could anyone who uses this tv playing mkv's (via usb) please let me know the following

1. Can subtitles be moved up for 16:9 content
2. Can 3D be enabled automaticaly for 3D mkv movies? If not, do you know if it is possible to enable 3D via remote or RJ45?

I do have an htpc so I could play the movies via my computer and get zoomplayer to move the subtitles up if I had too.

thanks

CaM

[leon]

im still so happy with this TV its just seems to get better every day and i love the wireless inbuilt great for those movie trailers

[tonyjason]

Does anyone know if there's a service menu option for this tv as there is with the 56 incher?

[Quaddy]

indeed, its the same code, but press ok on the end instead of [i] on the remote

be very careful in the ambilight brightness settings, as you are unable to move it back to value 100 once its just even been moved

Originally Posted by tonyjason

Does anyone know if there's a service menu option for this tv as there is with the 56 incher?

[tonyjason]

Cheers... Haven't actually bought one yet, but i was always suspect my 56 had been out of the box, so will be checking the operational hours setting when I do get one in the VERY near future (next two weeks hopefully)... By the time i'd read about the service menu on the 56 i'd had it too long to know. But here's my predicament: Do I take advantage of the lower priced 58 incher now, or hold out for the updated one at £4000? Not concerned about smart tv features, or the 2D/3D conversion so would be paying a premium for 3D local dimming and USB recording, the latter, again, I'm not fussed with. The 3D Super Resolution has me stroking my chin with intrigue though?

[Quaddy]

3d local dimming, hmmm... didnt know that the 9956 model had that - personally, i turn the interactive backlight completely off the 9955 as it was ISF calibrated that way. and when i activate it, it gets rid of too much dark detail

but it depends on how much critical viewing you are doing with 3D, myself, i hardly ever watch 3d, but of course, others will.

with regards to 3d super resolution, i dont know if its a name change only, but the super res on the 9955 applies and affects onto 3d material, i noiced with it on was a benefit for 3d as it enhanced edges in a way helped with depth and foreground/background ditinguishment, which is helpful with 3d content, but as i say, am not up on what difference 3d super res will make over and above super res, not so much as to warrant a big premium i would suspect for what is a pretty subtle element in the whole makeup of the viewing scene

you say you are not interested in most of the new features on the 9956, so would seemingly make sense in the 9955 but i wouldnt blame you if you wanted to go for the new version, i know i would if i could, if i knew it was so close around the corner - as i would have liked the 2d to 3d conversion depending on how good it is.

either way, you will love the 58 version!

[tonyjason]

Your experiences with FW v0.140.36.0 for 8000 and 9000 series (2010 models) - Page 18

This is where i saw the post about 3D local dimming and 1200hz!!??

You're probably more than right about getting the 55... If the 56 does come out with the £4k price tag, i'd probably be more tempted by the JVC X3... Prices are holding steady with that though (£3300-£3500, although watch them crash like Stevie Wonder in a hot air balloon the instant I get the 58 incher home mind you.)

Thing is, got to draw the line somewhere. Keep waiting, keep waiting, have nothing! I'm buying the 58 for its 3D features, so hope i can live with the crosstalk issues. Had a look at some passive sets today (I also have a passive Zalman 3D monitor) and they were more than impressive to be honest so the Philips will be my first encounter with active 3D. Philips have me hooked with the aspect ratio, so a 16:9 isn't something i'd chose to go back to if i can avoid it. Gave my Panasonic 50PZ700 to my folks; initially regretted it, what with the 16:9 image on the 56 being only 44 inches and being a huge fan of plasma, but now I'm glad i took the plunge and appreciate that day-to-day soaps no longer fill the screen more than a $150,000,000 blockbuster.

Got a selection of 3D Blurays here and will go for the Panasonic 310 player. This has 2D/3D conversion, so film-wise should suffice. None too fussed about watching terrestrial in "3D" to be honest...

The other half often comments how good/nice/cool the picture is on the 56, so if the 58 is as big a step up as is led to believe, she might just forgive me sooner rather than later...

[Collapsed]

Has anyone measured input lag of this tv?

[Quaddy]

not measured it no, although i have to use mine on pc mode for everything to get rid of the wierd and wonderful varying lip sync issues that seem to change with the wind. pc mode = rock solid in sync speech!

[Alps]

Hi guys, a great thread going on here and some great contributions

I've been away from the home cinema scene for a very very long time so am totally prehistoric in relation to all this new technology. I still have an old Sony CRT TV, which I was only going to change once I moved to a new house - which I am in the process of looking for. But I can no longer wait as this house looking lark seems to be going on for ages.

I was looking at the Sony HX923 and was on the verge of buying the other day but then got cold feet due to the questionable "special offer" given to me and then reading about the "creases" issue.

I then remembered seeing the Philips 21:9 on the gadget show and thinking as I'm a massive film fan this would be the TV to go for... but then I heard the price

Anyway, to stop you lot from falling asleep on your keyboard... or phone... I have a few q's pls.

I watch ALL kinds of films - from the classic Italian Neo Realist's to the occasional Hollywood Blockbuster. Would this TV be suitable for all? One of the major things putting me off is the pillarboxing of some films and most TV programmes. I know on the newer version of the TV this can be fixed with re-sizing, but I don't like the idea of losing too much from the actual shot.

In regard to the size of the set... what is the/is there a minimum ideal total of ft to be sitting back from the TV to be able to comfortably watch it? My room right now is approx 16ft to the current TV. But if I wall mounted I'd have 17ft. But I doubt I'll have this much space in the new house. Max I reckon will be 15 ft from sofa to TV

Finally, I know Philip's won't be upgrading the Platinum version for a while yet. But are there any other manufacturers waiting in the wings to release a similar TV?

PS Thanks to Quaddy I saw this link... but is it the latest version?

Philips 58pfl9955 LCD & Plasma TV Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Scotland, Newcastle, UK If so, a good price???

[Quaddy]

@Alps

for me, speaking personally, it had to be a philips 21:9 for movies. i actually watch more TV on the same set than compared to movies. but wanted to be ablke to watch movies, along with my audio setup in a 'mission critical' way to speak. and this is what the 21:9 offers for cinemascope content.

now there is a lot of debate from varying point of view as to whether watching normal 4:3, 16:9 material on this tv is any good.

i watch 100% of all TV material, in super zoom mode, and screen edges (aka overscan) set to 0 - ie, taking up the whole panels real estate, suprising how fast you get used to it, and for me, i like the larger than life feeling this gives to everything, its immersive.

its totally personal choice whether you want to watch TV and non cinescope material like this, or set it to auto zoom, which will provide every bit of picture on 16:9, 4:3 - with black bars, and automatically swap to no black bars, ie, full screen on cinemascope material - theres lots of optins for whatever suits someone.

regarding distance away, good question, i currently have it in a very narrow room (am moving in sep to wider room) its only about 6 feet away from me at the moment, and anything in hi def is stunning, even at this close range, SD is a bit grainy as to be expected when blowing it up to fit a 58 screen at such close range, but normal tv doesnt bother me in regards to that slight quality drop

17 feet is a long way, i am going to be about 12 feet away at the new house, and i am concerned i am going to lose the intimacy i currently have - have currently been watching every episode of lost on blu which is non cinescope, blown up to fit with the ambilight blaring at 6feet! ITS STUNNING! - but at about 17feet, even the SD will look tidy to you, and am sure it will be great at that too

well, philips have updated the platinum version!!! already, just - its the 58pfl9956, as opposed to my 58pfl9955

hence the drop in price, in the pfl9955. i think the main things that the newer model sports, are 2d to 3d conversion, usb recording, dimming backlight in 3d mode. i am sure there is more, but thats the cut and thrust of it.

no other manufacturers that i know of, certainly not in europe, there have always been the visio 21:9 in the americas. but only philips has the ambilight tech. which may sound trivial to some, but once you have had it, especially on theis 21:9 - there is no going back to the black and white world of no bias lit IMHO

lastly, that link at the home cinema centre is the first gen platinum, the 58pfl9955 - the one i got, from them too. the new one will likely be 3.5k - 4k, same as the first gen - rinse and repeat

the home cinema centre are gems to deal with, absolutely brilliant, i have gone back to them for my amp and a sub recently. cant recommend them highly enough. its a good price even for the first gen.


any more Q's ask away on this thread, there is a quite a few owners now of this platinum V1 model

[Alps]

Hi Quaddy, thanks for a top reply You aren't a Philips employee, per chance, are you

When you say you watch "in super zoom mode, and screen edges (aka overscan) set to 0 - ie, taking up the whole panels real estate..." do you still get the whole original image - nothing lost top, bottom or sides? I understand that the image will be stretched and people will look fatter, but this I wouldn't mind. Or will the image be cut slightly? A lot of films also that I watch will need to be blown up.

One BIG question I forgot to ask... what is watching sports like on the set? Especially footy? which I watch a lot of! Obviously the footy would have to be watched in 16:9 OR Super Zoom or an equivalent.

I need to find somewhere in London that has both the Platinum and Gold versions on show and see what I think.

[Quaddy]

hiya alps, nope, not an employee, look back a few posts, have had a few issues with philips in the past, i just happened to have owned all of their AUREA range and now their 21:9's - i love ambilight. in fact my bdp9600 is back with them now, they are being slow and hard work to get anywhere with them! anyway...

i was talking about using the whole panel, but it cuts a bit of top and bottom to avoid stretch. it keeps perspective more or less that way, there is a mode on the 58 called wide screen. which will use the whole panel, and you wont miss a MM of the image, but it looks stretched, i never use it.

football, well, here is where lies my issue with this set, and its not just this set, its a manufacturing issue, with many brands and models, but my panel exhibits shadown banding on any quick moving lateral movement, which football is. thats basically the only time i see it, football the most, cricket and golf a wee bit, and tennis, oddly, not at all. - its luck of the draw on these flat screens.

apart from that, which is down to a manufacturing tolerance issue in the thickness, placement of the sandwich screen layers - the set handles sport well - i was tinkering around with perfect motion and clear lcd option sin the set to see if it handles it ok

if you watch footy on a shot where a player, is lets say, running/celebrating after a goal, and you see the blurred crowd in the background, and the in focus player in the foreground, the background image will tear, transparent tears, as in looks like predator bending the light!!! though that was bend it like beckham, anyway

i believe this to be an interlacing issue with the set, software on 1080i, 576i, etc - it doesnt appear ever in 1080p, 720p, that i have noticed.

but this is my critical eye from 6 feet away, where i can see everything, good and bad. overall, again, like with movies, its a stunner with a big colorful game going on, from a little way back

super zoom is what i use, thats where you get most of the picture filling the screen, with the least loss (cutoff)

alternatively, you can simply use auto fill, which is the same thing, except you dont have to manually change when a cinescope thing comes on. thats probably the best formatting option on the set, its real nice and is quick to adapt to varying sizes.

you probably know this, but the gold isnt 58" golds only go upto 50" 21:9. by the sounds of it, it may be the platinum v2 you mean, the 58pfl9956. platinum is better than gold

cheers

[Alps]

I know dude, was just jesting about you being an employee. I've read the issues you and a couple of others have had with this set.

Ouch about the football But a question coming from a total present day technology virgin to one who seems fairly well versed in most things home cinema - Quaddy, do you reckon a lot of the top end modern day LED's and Plasma's (Sony KX923 in particular) suffer from the problem you described about quick motion?

And I was actually talking about the Gold I know I shouldn't be as I really would like the 58'er but if the overall quality of the Gold is better than the V1 Platinum it may make sense to go for the cheaper... and arguably better Gold!

[Quaddy]

hey again, good question, there was a thread on a european forum, i cant recall the link or name, where a prospective owner of a philips, was doing his homework and had read up on the issues and quirks regarding philips tv sets, he eventually went out into a city and a TV sales room where he was able to see philips, sony, lg etc side by side, and he concluded that they all had their issues, some had poor blacks, some had smearing, others had motion sickness etc etc, so he went from thinking it was just philips which had isssues, to realizing that a lot of current, bang upto date, modern TV's are prone to the shortcomings of this format.

i *think* he went ahead and purchased the philips he originally wanted, with relief that it wasnt just them.

i tend to agree with this summary also.

ahh right - i didnt realize you were after the gold, sorry - heh. the gold has been marketed so that it pushes the 21:9 format into more homes than the larger units would usually go into.

i am interested to hear you say about the gold quality being better - i dont know where you have heard / read this? be interested to know. as there shouldnt be any difference, except the smaller gold screen will show less artifacting on standard def

[Alps]

Not read it anywhere. Just novice assumptions based on the simple fact that it's a newer set with slightly newer tech.

Whilst doing my research I also came across this set Philips 56PFL9954H. An older set, yes, but I was thinking that as it's a lot cheaper and bigger than the Gold and Platinum, if it's a good quality set I could by this until prices went down on the 9956 The 9954's are going for around £1K

[Quaddy]

oh ok, i would not assume that at all, additional / newer features dont always add upto better 'quality' in fact i often find that turning off most, if not all of these manufacturers proprietory proceses, algorithims, enhancements gets me the purest non artificial image quality - thats why i use my 58 in pc mode only - all processing off so its essentially a monitor.

the 56 is good, i owned this first, recently sold it after getting the 58. the difference is night and day almost, not quite, between the two, the image brightness and punch to the 58 is clear. the 56 is a bit sluggish and dim side by side. dodnt get me wrong the 56 is a nice tv, built like a tank, but its black performance is gray at the side of the 58's local dimming which gives inky deep black hole blacks

the 56 has a big issue, in that if you wish to have it on auto format, so that it adapts to various ratios of source material for you, you are forced to have overscan! if you turn on pc mode, which gets rid of overscan, you then cant have the auto formatting! catch 22! - i found that i would constantly have to be manually switching format ratios on the 56 as i was loathed to let the 56 overscan cinemascope material just for the ability to auto switch, i would rather have all of the image, and manually switch it, albeit a pain

but as a first forray into 2D only 21:9 the 56 is a steal!! and would let you 'test' the format and overall experience to see if you wanted to progress, plus its 6 inches bigger than the gold (2 inches smaller than the platinum)