Panasonic PZ800 Owners thread

DJ-1 · 15-12-2008, 10:34 PM

Hi,.. i shall be recieving my new PZ800b this thursday, and i havent seen an owner`s thread for this model yet,.... i thought i`ll start one and if anyone else wants to add to it, the more the better.
1st question i have is whats the very best Calibration DVD/Blue-ray disc avaliable....
.i know the pannys dont give quite as much picture settings control, so what`s the one to get the best performance/Picture out of the TV ??

thanks.

rewerb · 15-12-2008, 11:19 PM

Picture settings of Cinema/Warm gives the most accurate colours.

DJ-1 · 16-12-2008, 8:18 PM

yeah, i`m on about the optimzer discs

DJ-1 · 16-12-2008, 8:29 PM

Also, before i even get to playing with it, i`ll need to run it in
i`m right in thinking it about 200HRS running in at first, yeah?
anyone know the best settings?
thanks

rewerb · 16-12-2008, 10:50 PM

200 hours, yes, this seems to be the norm, but not sure you need to do this for so long now. And like all 2008 panny models, Cinema/warm is a good running in picture too with contrast turned down a notch or two from default. Check out HDTVTest review of the PZ800.

DJ-1 · 17-12-2008, 5:28 PM

Just so that others can also have a look the review it`s here:

Panasonic TH50PZ800B / TH50PZ800 Review

whats the difference between input lag and general response times?

rewerb · 17-12-2008, 8:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ-1

whats the difference between input lag and general response times?

Response time is the delay in the pixels actually displaying (discharging) the colour requested.
Input lag is the time difference between the PS3 transmitting frames and being displayed on the panel, so it takes into account much more processing/colour management/downscaling/deinterlacing etc..

DJ-1 · 17-12-2008, 8:32 PM

ahh ,i thought basicly the TVs had a area of `frame buffer` memeory like the ps3 has, therefore in theory you could start to transmitt X no. of frames, then the tv would pick up the 1st slightly after, basicly nailing everthing down to tv`s internal processing time,... curing any input lag
thanks

DJ-1 · 18-12-2008, 4:41 PM

TV arrived today, hapy now, LOL
just running it in stating NOW...... basicly as long as its in FULL SCREEN aspect ratio, animation/fast-motion/ dvd on loop 24/7 for 8days is the plan (same as i did witht the old plasma )

settings are: Colour Balance: WARM
Viewing mode: Cinema
colour:20%
brightness:20%
sharpness:20%
contast: 20%
P-NR:OFF
colour management: OFF

i put 20% in as a form of measurement as there is no`0-50` or any king of `rule of thumb` in the menu itself, .....but it looksa quarter of the way accross the Bar,....
i hope these are good ?

DJ-1 · 18-12-2008, 4:44 PM

I was hopeing for more PZ800 owners to add to this thread, and share info, details etc.....
surely I`m not the only person on this form with this set ?? LOL
thanks.

markie101 · 18-12-2008, 4:55 PM

this is how I have mine on everything. Had the tv for about 3 weeks now.

Colour Balance: normal
Viewing mode: Cinema
colour: 50%
brightness: 50%
sharpness: 1 click down (about 35%?)
contast: 50%
P-NR:OFF
colour management: OFF

and IFC = OFF!

daxamere · 18-12-2008, 5:33 PM

Greetings !

I plan on purchasing the Pana TH50PZ800 within the next few weeks !!! I am really excited with my upcoming purchase. That being said I plan on spending more and more time reading these boards and this thread !

Tell me, when unpack my TV and setup up for the first time, it's recomended that I leave it running for 200 Hours without turning off??? Is this correct ? If not, please advise !

If I can set/adjust the Picture settings from the get go, what is so special about the 200 hour mark ? what happens at that point ? Sorry for the silly questions, I just want to make sure that I follow the right steps in using my new TV and insuring that I optimize it properly.
Also, is there a beginers guide to unpacking and setting up your new plasma TV on these boards or on the internet? Sorry if I missed it till now.
I really wanna do things right when the time comes to set it up.
Bear with me as I will probably have tons of questions and expect lots of answers as well ! Rest assurred I always love to research things on my own first B4 asking away !
I look forward to your wisdom and insight.

Cheers and happy holidays !

markie101 · 18-12-2008, 5:41 PM

People recommend 200hrs but not in one go, just the first 200hrs of use.

Just remove the 4 plastic handles and lift the whole box up and off, nice and easy!

DJ-1 · 18-12-2008, 5:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markie101

this is how I have mine on everything. Had the tv for about 3 weeks now.

Colour Balance: normal
Viewing mode: Cinema
colour: 50%
brightness: 50%
sharpness: 1 click down (about 35%?)
contast: 50%
P-NR:OFF
colour management: OFF

and IFC = OFF!

so you running it in i assume or you not bothering?,if running in its suggested evrything basicly needs to be `toned down`
..havent even found the IFC option yet, LOL

DJ-1 · 18-12-2008, 5:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markie101

People recommend 200hrs but not in one go, just the first 200hrs of use.

Just remove the 4 plastic handles and lift the whole box up and off, nice and easy!

Errr,... i dunno, at the moment i`ve got a Hitachi 42" DP7200, when i 1st got it, i ran it in the same way, i use this Hitachi for 3.5yrs on pc monitor sky, ps3....and there is no burn in of any kind, slight retntion at times, mainly due to PC.....so it`s done pretty well really !

easiest way to check for burn in i found is to switch to an AV input with nothing connected(Black screen), witht the lights off and any retention shows straight away, but goes after a short while...., seems this is on an OLD panel aswell the newer set will probably be MUCH better at handling all that and more resistant in any case

markie101 · 18-12-2008, 6:15 PM

I am "running it in" yes.

Tbh as long as you don't go mad with the settings and use dynamic for instance, or leave a static image on the screen for hours (and I mean hours not minutes) I can't see a problem. I have played the ps3 for 3-4 hours with no sign of IR. Same goes for the pz85 I had.

IFC is in the setup menu.

Repton · 18-12-2008, 7:02 PM

This will be my next purchase, so I'll be keeping a close eye on this thread!

I always preferred the picture quality of plasmas over lcd so this would be an ideal upgrade from my Hitachi 42PD7200 that I've had for over 3 years.

Andycole1970 · 19-12-2008, 4:23 PM

My 1 month old TH42PZ800 keeps switching over to HDMI1 channel, even though the device on that socket is switched off. Does anyone know what causes this and how to fix?
Thanks
Andy

Rob.butters · 19-12-2008, 5:48 PM

i have mine settings at about 50% with sharpness turned down a notch.

Does anybody have over scan on. I have noticed if its off i have side barsabout an inch wide when watching SD channels. I have ICF off most of the time, i only see what it looks like when watching HD channels and blu-ray.

I did hate this TV when i first got it but i guess i'm getting use to the soft SD PQ.

What do Side Panels do. The settings are off, lo , mid, high.

rewerb · 19-12-2008, 7:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob.butters

Does anybody have over scan on. I have noticed if its off i have side barsabout an inch wide when watching SD channels.

What do Side Panels do. The settings are off, lo , mid, high.

Overscan should be "on" for SD, "off" for HD.

"Side Panels" are for 4:3 films and change the black side panels to a shade of grey.

reaper12 · 20-12-2008, 12:08 AM

If anyone is brave enough to go into the service menu there are some adjustments to be made that really make the picture improve a lot. I can post them if people are interested.

Rob.Butters, was going to answer you but rewerb beat me to it. On my PZ800 I only noticed the "softness" on channels with a lot of noise or bad signal, Otherwise SD has been fine, and it does improve a lot after 200-300 hours. I have to admit though that I rarely watch SD.

pauls898 · 20-12-2008, 12:12 AM

Yes Please!! I've been in the service menu

reaper12 · 20-12-2008, 12:25 AM

WEll these are for Cinema mode and Warm colour balance over HDMI.

R drive: d3
G drive: FC
B drive: a2
R cut: 87
G cut: 80
B cut: 87

These made a big difference to me :-) I suppose you can try them for SD as well.

DJ-1 · 20-12-2008, 7:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reaper12

WEll these are for Cinema mode and Warm colour balance over HDMI.

R drive: d3
G drive: FC
B drive: a2
R cut: 87
G cut: 80
B cut: 87

These made a big difference to me :-) I suppose you can try them for SD as well.

hi, i`m just curios at the mo...
but do the changes you list here affect particular modes, on particular inputs then?...I.E: Cinema mode via HDMI, then more values for the other input or what?

how do you get into service menu on pz800 ?

Are these similar types of settings the ppl that come out & `calibrate` your tv use ?

reaper12 · 20-12-2008, 8:08 PM

These are supposed to be calibrated values for a HDMI input. Using Cinema mode and warm as the base. So If you decide to enter these values make sure you change to these in the service menu.

The people that come out and calibrate your TV will probably come out with different values. Professional calibration is done at your house and on your TV in your light conditions, this will not be the same for everyone.

The values I posted are just some to try if you are feeling brave. Oh, and wait until after the 200 hours have gone by before trying these.

Rob.butters · 21-12-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reaper12

WEll these are for Cinema mode and Warm colour balance over HDMI.

R drive: d3
G drive: FC
B drive: a2
R cut: 87
G cut: 80
B cut: 87

These made a big difference to me :-) I suppose you can try them for SD as well.

How did you change from the different headings, all i can get is the R Cut!!.

Cheers

reaper12 · 21-12-2008, 4:06 PM

When you are in the service menu press 1 or 2 to switch between the main menu's. and then use 3 and 4 to switch between the sub menu's.

~dadam02~ · 21-12-2008, 4:32 PM

Does this void the warranty?

Rob.butters · 21-12-2008, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~dadam02~

Does this void the warranty?

Without a shadow of a doubt. I wouldn't recommend it unless you change the settings back?

DJ-1 · 29-12-2008, 3:57 PM

Hi, i`m done with the initial 200hr run in now and just set up the pic settings..i noticed somethings are `per input` and some things are not, not even memory slots
firstly, what is hdmiEC ?(hdmi1) i set up using the ps3 and with a THXoptmizer thingy( on toy story DVD ) just to get a rough idea of brightness colour etc, loooks ok

i now have
hdmi source

veiwing mode Cinema

contast: 35%
colour:45%
brightness:50%
sharpness:20%
Colour Balance: Normal
P-NR:OFF
colour management: OFF
Digigtal Colour
Cinema: ON

do these look ok, it looks reasonable to me so far

i do quite like the IFC feature, have tried it on both dvd(via ps3) and on regular tv, it does do a very good job at smoohting out motion, Camera pannig etc, etc, but not sure if it has any adverse side effcts i`m not seeing
thanks.