[Kast]

Is there a difference between TH37PX80E and TH37PX80EA?

According to the site that has the EA model it's HDMI 1.3. Is this true? Because according to a couple of posts I read in the thread the "regular" model isn't 1.3? Help?

[jacooper]

Hi All,

1st Post and it's a question for all you experts out there.

I just hooked my PX80 to my (now ancient) Pioneer DV-565A using component and phono cables hoping to improve things over the RGB SCART that I had been using.

A few things happen that puzzle me:

1. When I set up the component output to Interlace I get a picture via AV2 (the scart) but not on the component. When I switch to progressive scan I get the component picture.Surely component should handle either video output?

2. The component picture isn't properly centred (it's low) and as a result it looks zoomed.

3. The lip synch is out where there has never been a problem via the scart

All in all it looks better via the scart using RGB and it looks like I wasted my money on the new cables.

Am I doing something dumb?

Cheers,

John

[m4rky]

Originally Posted by jacooper

Hi All,

1st Post and it's a question for all you experts out there.

I just hooked my PX80 to my (now ancient) Pioneer DV-565A using component and phono cables hoping to improve things over the RGB SCART that I had been using.

A few things happen that puzzle me:

1. When I set up the component output to Interlace I get a picture via AV2 (the scart) but not on the component. When I switch to progressive scan I get the component picture.Surely component should handle either video output?

2. The component picture isn't properly centred (it's low) and as a result it looks zoomed.

3. The lip synch is out where there has never been a problem via the scart

All in all it looks better via the scart using RGB and it looks like I wasted my money on the new cables.

Am I doing something dumb?

Cheers,

John

Hi, I have just bought the same TV and I have the DV-575A DVD player hooked up by Component.

I don't have any problems with the progressive output over component (I didn't try interlaced) but I can't see any difference between it and the RGB Scart. In fact the scart maybe sharper??
But! It did take me ages to get the component to work. It was greyed out in the DVD settings and it wouldn't let me select it.
Finally I got it working but I had to reset my DVD players settings.
To do this switch the DVD player into standby and press the stop button whilst switching it on.

Hopefully this will work or you'll have a similar reset in your instruction manual.

[m4rky]

As above, Ive just bought this TV.

But I am struggling to get it to work with my Media Centre PC.

From reading this thread people have said to set the resolution to 1280x720.
But the manual states that the native resolution is 1024x720.

I cannot get either of these resolutions to work anyway!
Only 1024x768 works. 1280x720 doesn't do anything. 1024x720 works to some extent but there is a 2 inch gap of black mess at the bottom of the screen and looks crap.

I am using WIndows XP and have set the monitor driver to Plug and Play.

I have been using both Windows display properties and Powerstruip to try and get this working.

Help!! Thanks

[Kast]

Panasonic Viera TH-37PX80EA Plasma TV 37" HD Ready - Plaisio Computers

Here is the site I was talking about that has the TH37PX80EA. It claims the TV supports xvcolour and HDMI 1.3. The TV there costs 70 euros more than other shops so I'd appreciate it if someone could confirm or deny their claims. Is TH37PX80EA an updated model or the same TV?

Sorry the site is in greek but you can see in the description HDMI 1.3 and xvcolour.

[audiphile76]

Originally Posted by Kast

Panasonic Viera TH-37PX80EA Plasma TV 37" HD Ready - Plaisio Computers

Here is the site I was talking about that has the TH37PX80EA. It claims the TV supports xvcolour and HDMI 1.3. The TV there costs 70 euros more than other shops so I'd appreciate it if someone could confirm or deny their claims. Is TH37PX80EA an updated model or the same TV?

Sorry the site is in greek but you can see in the description HDMI 1.3 and xvcolour.

Hard to believe what they have to say on this site. Check this:

Ευκρίνεια HD Ready / 1080p

How can they claim 1080p on this?

[Fred the Oyster]

Originally Posted by m4rky

As above, Ive just bought this TV.

But I am struggling to get it to work with my Media Centre PC.

From reading this thread people have said to set the resolution to 1280x720.
But the manual states that the native resolution is 1024x720.

I cannot get either of these resolutions to work anyway!
Only 1024x768 works. 1280x720 doesn't do anything. 1024x720 works to some extent but there is a 2 inch gap of black mess at the bottom of the screen and looks crap.

I am using WIndows XP and have set the monitor driver to Plug and Play.

I have been using both Windows display properties and Powerstruip to try and get this working.

Help!! Thanks

How have you connected the PC to the TV? Is it via DVI-HDMI?

Do you have the TV aspect ratio set to "16:9" rather than "Auto". Do you have the TV overscan switched off?

I have my HTPC (ATI 3450 via DVI-HDMI) set to 1280x720 with the above settings and it looks great.

[m4rky]

Originally Posted by Fred the Oyster

How have you connected the PC to the TV? Is it via DVI-HDMI?

Do you have the TV aspect ratio set to "16:9" rather than "Auto". Do you have the TV overscan switched off?

I have my HTPC (ATI 3450 via DVI-HDMI) set to 1280x720 with the above settings and it looks great.

I have connected by VGA.

I have an old ATI 9600 Pro graphics card that does have a DVI socket so I might try a DVI-HDMI convertor and see if the picture is any better.

I think the TV is set to "Auto", I'll check tonight. But the black band is only at the bottom of the screen. The top, left corner of the image is aligned with the top, left of the screen, so it doesn't look like normal letterboxing.

The TV Overscan is OFF. It could be this I guess, I was going to switch it back on as when I play DVDs I get a thin messy line at the top and bottom of the image.

[fonzie79]

Originally Posted by Danny CCFC

hi

the ped only denotes that it is supplied with the PEDastal base instead of a cabinet stand. nothing to worry about at all

danny

Hi, thanks everyone for some great info on this tv.

I have just noticed that the one I have ordered is also the PED model. What is the difference between a pedastal base and a cabinet stand?

[segedunum]

As far as resolution goes, that will depend on your graphics card and drivers. The TV should definitely be able to support 1366x768 via the VGA port, and should be able to via HDMI as well. This is a non-standard resolution, so most cards and drivers crap out.

[Fred the Oyster]

Originally Posted by m4rky

I have connected by VGA.

I have an old ATI 9600 Pro graphics card that does have a DVI socket so I might try a DVI-HDMI convertor and see if the picture is any better.

I think the TV is set to "Auto", I'll check tonight. But the black band is only at the bottom of the screen. The top, left corner of the image is aligned with the top, left of the screen, so it doesn't look like normal letterboxing.

The TV Overscan is OFF. It could be this I guess, I was going to switch it back on as when I play DVDs I get a thin messy line at the top and bottom of the image.

Also make sure that the screen refresh rate setting (advanced display properties, monitor tab) is set to 60hz.

Other than that I'm not sure what to suggest TBH.

[m4rky]

I had another go at the TV/PC last night. I am still running 1024x768 as thats the only res that works properly.

As I am connected via VGA cable you don't get the Aspect and Overscan options on the TV. You do get another set of options for setting the TV to XGA or WXGA and change Horiz and Vert shift.

After looking at this screen I could get 1366x768 but it would fit horizontally on the screen, the same with 1280x768. I cannot get 1280x720.

I will order a DVI to HDMI convertor and try it via HDMI.

I do have powerstrip and I have tried all the resolutions that have already been configured for 1366x768 and 1280x768. I suspect they need a bit of tweaking but not sure what to do with all the settings.

[zeroice]

Guys, when hooking up a PS3 to a 37PX80 what video settings should i choose on the PS3 for the best quality? 720p or 1080i?

In this case, overscan on the Panasonic should be turned off, right?

Can the 37" model save the overscan settings according to inputs? For example on analogue cable TV always overscan, when i switch to AV (PS3 over HDMI) overscan off?
thanks!

[DanDT]

As a new, very proud and extremely impressed owner of a TH37PX80, i thought i'd drop a couple of lines, because i feel you all need yet another mini review of this set!
Before i start, i got this set for around £560 delivered from Amazon, which frankly is a steal, everyone coming over my new place is always shocked that this set cost me so little, i think i'll convert some people over to plasma

I just bought a new place and i've been busy with furnishing it and decorating it (almost all done and in a record time of a week!) and finally decided after months and months of research, testing, head scratching, to settle for this set. I was initially looking to get a 42PZ80, but it would have looked a bit naff in my livingroom, just too big, so i was a bit worried that i wouldn't be happy with the fact that the PX80 isn't a Full HD model. The PZ80 just looks so sharp! But in the end i can safely say that given all the things that are so good about this set, the lower res just doesn't bother me at all, the set is still very sharp and gives such amazing pictures!

First thing that got my attention was the lack of options. It makes the TV feel like a slightly more advanced "old school" CRT, with very simple options. In the end i thought, do i need any more options than this, REALLY? and the answer is simple, not really, now i can just enjoy what i'm watching and not stress about white balance, gamma and all those things.
I don't have an aerial so can't comment on Freeview, Sky HD is on order. So i just plugged in my Macbook via HDMI and i found that setting the res to 1280x720 is the best for me, fits the screen perfectly without overscan or black bars anywhere.

Blacks and contrast was my main worry. And yes, the blacks are definitely not "bezel black" except under favourable lighting conditions (low to medium light, it is most definitely not "bezel black" in a totally dark room, but close enough), but they are still SO much better than any other TV (mainly LCD) i've seen that i don't know how i could complain really, at this price. On top of that, my other worry that the set wouldn't be as bright as LCDs, was instantly killed: the set can definitely go as bright as an LCD at maximum settings such as Dynamic, not that i'd ever leave it like that, it looks ridiculous. Leaving Contrast at 50 (there's no number but i call it 50 to say "the middle") or one or two taps above is more than bright enough in Cinema mode, and looks very natural.

Colours-wise, i can only say that the set produces some really vivid colours, more "natural" than LCD. As a new-to-plasma guy, after having owner a few LCDs, i always thought that "plasma people" always talked about plasma being more "natural" to hide the fact that it's just more dull than LCD, and boy was i wrong! Now i TOTALLY understand what the "plasma people" talk about. Not being "in your face" does not mean being dull, it means being as close to reality as it can get, being vivid when it needs to be, being subtle when it needs to be, as opposed to being an explosion of very bright, unnatural and inaccurate colours like on so many LCDs.
Of course i can never tell how exactly "accurate" the colours are, like some of the professional reviews, but honestly i don't see the point. Green is a vivid green, blue is blue, red is red. All the colours are so much better (i.e. more realistic) than on any LCD i've seen that i don't see how anyone can complain, at this price especially!

Motion... I could go into detail like so many other people do, but in a nutshell, things move like you'd expect them to and without all the silly issues that i've seen on LCD for years. There is no smudging, blurring, artifacts, hieroglyphs, STDs... things just move from here to there and "don't look weird doing it", unlike on so many LCDs, that's the only way to explain it really.

What amazed me the most is that i put through some TV shows i downloaded. Generally low-ish quality which on my old LCDs looked atrocious, even though they were small sets. On the Panny they looked so much better i could not believe my eyes and for a moment made me wonder if i really needed Sky HD which i'm waiting for! If downloaded episodes looked like that (soft but not a pixelly, compressed, youtube-looking mess) then DVDs would look scarily close to HD, and Bluray will melt my eyes, when i eventually take the plunge, probably at the boxing day sales!

Lots of people have been complaining about sound and of course it's not exactly spine tingling, it gets the job done for casual viewing. With a TV like this, everyone should invest in a surround sound system for movies, which to me is almost more important than the visual aspect, nothing can beat watching a movie with sound coming from all directions.

As you might have noticed by now, i'm a very happy camper. I never thought i'd be so happy with this, or any, TV. If you're still undecided and don't need to go up to 42", then please do yourself a favour and buy this TV!

[rusty mechanic]

hi mate
having sold my old 32" philips lcd which was excellent, i've upgraded to a 37". to cut a long story short, i've had 4 lcd's in the past 2 months and all had to be returned because of faults. as 37" is my max size, i've finaly talked the wife into this plasma and after reading your review you have just spent my money for me. i've had more tv's in my house than dave mackenzie in the last 2 months so this is my last chance saloon before a buy a nice piano instead
thanks for a great review. all the best russ

[Fred the Oyster]

Originally Posted by zeroice

Guys, when hooking up a PS3 to a 37PX80 what video settings should i choose on the PS3 for the best quality? 720p or 1080i?

720p as this is the native mode for this TV. Anything higher and the TV has to downsample to 720p anyway.

In this case, overscan on the Panasonic should be turned off, right?

Yup.

Can the 37" model save the overscan settings according to inputs? For example on analogue cable TV always overscan, when i switch to AV (PS3 over HDMI) overscan off?
thanks!

Yes it does keep input settings separate.

[Lin3ar]

Originally Posted by rusty mechanic

hi mate
having sold my old 32" philips lcd which was excellent, i've upgraded to a 37". to cut a long story short, i've had 4 lcd's in the past 2 months and all had to be returned because of faults. as 37" is my max size, i've finaly talked the wife into this plasma and after reading your review you have just spent my money for me. i've had more tv's in my house than dave mackenzie in the last 2 months so this is my last chance saloon before a buy a nice piano instead
thanks for a great review. all the best russ

Good choice, the PX80 is a cracking TV and a genuine bargain as well

[DanDT]

Originally Posted by rusty mechanic

hi mate
having sold my old 32" philips lcd which was excellent, i've upgraded to a 37". to cut a long story short, i've had 4 lcd's in the past 2 months and all had to be returned because of faults. as 37" is my max size, i've finaly talked the wife into this plasma and after reading your review you have just spent my money for me. i've had more tv's in my house than dave mackenzie in the last 2 months so this is my last chance saloon before a buy a nice piano instead
thanks for a great review. all the best russ

Darn, Panasonic should pay me commissions!

[marvinwright1]

Hi,

I'm interested in getting one of these TV's, I'm trying to see if it will fit onto a current wall bracket I have.

Could someone tell me what the horizontal distance is between the mounting holes for attaching the wall bracket ?

I can only find this image but it doesn't have any dimensions.

Many thanks,

Marvin

[Dave_nt]

Originally Posted by zeroice

Guys, when hooking up a PS3 to a 37PX80 what video settings should i choose on the PS3 for the best quality? 720p or 1080i?

In this case, overscan on the Panasonic should be turned off, right?

Can the 37" model save the overscan settings according to inputs? For example on analogue cable TV always overscan, when i switch to AV (PS3 over HDMI) overscan off?
thanks!

Just let the PS3 detect the resolution the TV can support. That way you will get 1080p for blu-ray (and upscaled dvd's) and 720p or 1080i/p for games depending on which resolution they are.

Overscan setting are dependant on SD or HD content, not on AV selected. View an SD source and set overscan ON, view a HD source and set overscan OFF. It will switch automatically after that.
If you have SKY HD it is best to set the output to AUTO so you can maintain the correct overscan settings for SD and HD.

[Davyhulme]

Originally Posted by marvinwright1

Hi,

I'm interested in getting one of these TV's, I'm trying to see if it will fit onto a current wall bracket I have.

Could someone tell me what the horizontal distance is between the mounting holes for attaching the wall bracket ?

I can only find this image but it doesn't have any dimensions.

Many thanks,

Marvin

I measured it as 66cm from the centre of each screw hole.

[Dom Robinson]

Originally Posted by DanDT

As a new, very proud and extremely impressed owner of a TH37PX80, i thought i'd drop a couple of lines, because i feel you all need yet another mini review of this set!

Personally, DanDT, I don't mind reading further reviews on this set from people who've just bought one because it's great to see people who are really enjoying it.

As for downloaded TV shows, I won't give links as I presume that's frowned upon but there are HD torrents around for many shows and I've recently learned that most shows also have subtitles available that can be loaded in (I know these aren't to everyone's taste, and I'm not deaf but it's something I've got used to in case I miss a line while watching - or the character mumbles - and then I don't have to rewind and wonder what they were on about. Also, the latest version of VLC (v0.92) works brilliantly at both getting the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound from the show going and then just load in the subtitles and away you go!

Well, almost. As I've connected the PC to the TV with the VGA cable, rather than suffer a letterboxed image stretched across the 16:9 screen, this may sound odd but it corrects it by selecting '4:3' from the aspect ratio option, and then fullscreen gives you a nice anamorphic 16:9 image. Sooooo sharp!

[Fred the Oyster]

Originally Posted by Dave_nt

... and 720p or 1080i/p for games depending on which resolution they are.

It's pointless setting games for 1080p/i for playback on the PX80 as it downsamples everything to 720p anyway. All it means by selecting, say 1080p, is that the console has to work its little taters off processing all the extra hi-res graphics and then after it's done all that the PX80 just displays it in 720p anyway. You may as well get a higher (and more stable) framerate at 720p.

[DanDT]

Originally Posted by Fred the Oyster

It's pointless setting games for 1080p/i for playback on the PX80 as it downsamples everything to 720p anyway. All it means by selecting, say 1080p, is that the console has to work its little taters off processing all the extra hi-res graphics and then after it's done all that the PX80 just displays it in 720p anyway. You may as well get a higher (and more stable) framerate at 720p.

I feel embarrassed asking this, i used to be a msssive gamer but completely skipped this last generation.
Question: do current consoles really do this?? I thought that they upscaled, or that the few games that do run at 1080p do it with no loss of framerate - hence why so few of them do, not many games can run at such high res without impacting performance.
This means consoles really have become more and more like PCs, if we can select options which affect the framerate!


Anyway, to follow up on my fabulous review, i spent 3 whole hours drilling holes in my house so that i could hang the TV on the wall. Not a pretty sight! the drill just wouldn't go in more than a couple of inches most of the time, it was such hard work! It's all done now, looks great, will post pics when the place is nice and clean

[wackojackouk]

Hi guys

Hope you don't mind me jumping on the thread but as a newbie to this kind of thing would like your input.

Was looking at spending about £400 on a 32-37" LCD but a mate recommended me to get a Plasma as I specifically wanted it for Sport (he has the TH42PX70)

At the moment I don't have a HD source (only Sky+). Really want it for Sky Sports, general SD, some DVD's (no Blu Ray yet for another couple of years prob) and Nintendo Wii / PS2.

I'm now thinking this baby could be my answer but can anyone let me know what the difference is between the TH37PX80 and the TH37PX80B please.

Also anything I should look out for with this TV and is it the best option for what I want (I don't want no pixelated cr*p LCD when watching Premier League or NFL etc).

Thanks

WJUK

[audiphile76]

Originally Posted by wackojackouk

I'm now thinking this baby could be my answer but can anyone let me know what the difference is between the TH37PX80 and the TH37PX80B please.

37PX80B - Is British model
37PX80E - Is European model

[rewerb]

Originally Posted by wackojackouk

I'm now thinking this baby could be my answer but can anyone let me know what the difference is between the TH37PX80 and the TH37PX80B please.

Also anything I should look out for with this TV and is it the best option for what I want (I don't want no pixelated cr*p LCD when watching Premier League or NFL etc).

Thanks

WJUK

PX80 and PX80B are the same. SKY SPorts HD will look superb.SKY SPorts SD wont look better than your old CRT, but it will look better than an LCD.

[neil29]

In the settings menu I have the power on preference set to AV, but it will only do this when you watch via one of the AV inputs and not with the HDMI. As I watch my Sky HD through HDMI the TV powers up in TV mode. Is there any way I can make the telly power up straight into HDMI mode? Thanks, Neil.

[audiphile76]

Originally Posted by neil29

In the settings menu I have the power on preference set to AV, but it will only do this when you watch via one of the AV inputs and not with the HDMI. As I watch my Sky HD through HDMI the TV powers up in TV mode. Is there any way I can make the telly power up straight into HDMI mode? Thanks, Neil.

Maybe you should try the hotel mode:
Panasonic 37/42 PX80 Series Owners thread - Part 1

[rewerb]

Originally Posted by neil29

In the settings menu I have the power on preference set to AV, but it will only do this when you watch via one of the AV inputs and not with the HDMI. As I watch my Sky HD through HDMI the TV powers up in TV mode. Is there any way I can make the telly power up straight into HDMI mode? Thanks, Neil.

Well it works for me with my V+ box connected to HDMI1. Always starts up on the V+.
Make sure it is connected to HDMI1 and the SKY box is powered on.