Hiya,
I've just taken delivery of a new Panasonic TX-28PS1.

Does anyone have any links or information on what are the 'best' settings for everything?
Such as where is the recommended brightness level? low? high? etc etc.

Also is there a hidden service menu?

I've noticed from my first hour setting everything up that when viewing 4:3 on the 4:3 aspect setting, so you get black bars to the left and right of the picture, is that the picture seems to bulge inwards.
It also seems to bulge towards the top and bottom middle, so that the Sky News ticker goes slightly down then up.
Plus the Sky News Dog seems to tilt upwards whereas the 'top story press red' thing tilts downwards.


Is there anyway to correct this using a hidden menu or is my tube bu**ered?
I hope not as it nearly impossible to get it up to my HC den and I've had to collapse the box due to lack of space already

TIA for any and all advice
Ross.

I went through three of these tvs - geometry can be changed in the service menu (do a search on the forum to find out how you enter it-forgotton) but the adjustment is only basic.

In my experience the tv can be treaked enough to make it watchable but the convergence to the left of the screen is sh*t. What something like saving private ryan and you will soon see what I mean. Although the tv is capable of a good picture I could not live with it.

Hope it works out.

And I went through 4 of the 100hz version because of that same problem The engineer came out about 4 times aswell and he couldnt do much about it.

I hope you have better luck though.

Thanks for your replies.

I've also noticed what looks like ghosting around people to the right when standing infront of a bright red or blue background. Is this the convergance problem that you speak of?
Or is it the light and dark line to the extreme left of the screen?

I've had a good rake around these forums and see that geometry problems aren't uncommon in TVs such as this one.
I think I'll try and get it calibrated properly before trying to get a replacement. I really dont want all the upheaval of having to get the TV out of the room again. It weighs an absolute ton!

What is this THX thing that people occasionally make reference to? Where can such a DVD be bought?

Thanks once again,
Ross.

I dont know what convergance is, I only know my TV wasnt right lol.

I think the THX thing is a sort of test picture that is on selected DVD's. I know Star Wars ep 1 + 2 has it and i think Terminator 2 aswell (although i'm not sure). Hopefully someone can confirm.

I never really noticed any ghosting, the picture was always top notch. But then i had the 100hz version, maybe it was different...

Hope you get it sorted and dont have to go through what i did

The more I watch it, the more noticable the flaws are, especially the light/dark line to the extreme left in 4:3 mode. I'm going to wait until I can get a copy of this THX thing and try to alter some settings in the service menu

Getting the thing physically into the room was hard enough. Its caused enough arguments as it is. I utterly dread to think about how much more grief it will cause if it has to be replaced.

I bought it through digitaldirectuk.com so sending it back will be difficult, especially so without the box. I'm beginning to wish I'd just gone to Comet or whatever or even never bothered getting a new one in the first place.

ncc17600,

It may be the convergence problem but not sure. The best way to test it is using the THX optimiser test grid found on any THX dvd, such as Pearl Harbour, T2, Monsters inc, etc.

If your tv suffers from crushed geometry, i,e straight lines show a wave effect then this is common and not resolvable using the service menu. I noticed on my three that the black borders in 4:3 mode where more grey than black - the least of my worries at the time.

I felt the same way, wishing I had never purchased a new tv but I am beginning to accept that no tv is perfect. My fq70 has near perfect geometry and convergence but suffers from a purple haze in the top right corner ONLY when display pure blue - i.e. clear av screen. It is not evident on white screens etc. Minor problem but annoying all the same.

Keep smiling....

Hi,
I've managed to get a copy of the THX grid and in 16:9 mode, none of the vertical lines are straight. They all seem to bow inwards towards the middle by a good few pixels. The ones at the outer edges being worst affected.
Also the two or three furthest out a both sides seem to have a red and blue edge to them. It's almost like the TV is out of focus.

In 4:3 mode, its far worse. In addition to the above problems being amplified, the top of the screen flickers and the lines move.

From what you've said and what I've read on here, it seems that these are common faults.

I'm going to have to live with it though as its going to be too much agro to get it replaced. I've no box for a start. Oh well.

I mainly bought this television because What HiFi gave it a glowing review and the fact that my previous Panasonic TV was excellent.
I wonder if Panasonic gave the magazines a properly calibrated set instead of all the substandard guff that is sold to the punters.

Is it too much to ask that TVs display static straight lines as actually being static and straight? It seems that unless you pay silly money, then yes it is.

In my experience, TV companies must be giving magazines money to get good reviews. A lot of it aswell :D

I suppose those problems are not so bad if you are gonna watch just TV and DVD's on it, but for playing games they are a nightmare. Lots of straight lines ya see... Then i bought a toshiba and it SUCKS!

Chris.

I've just had a flashing red/blue/green line at the top of the screen while watching a DVD. It went away after a few seconds.

I wonder what it was?

I had been altering several of the settings in the service menu, using Panasonic TX-28PL1 as a guide.
I've managed to get a slight improvement but it still isn't 100%. Not even 50%.
Maybe I've bu**ered something without knowing it.

I guess I'm going to have to wait until I have won the lottery to be able to afford a television that will display things perfectly.

maybe you could try asking for an engineer to come out and try and fix it. It might be worth a try, although I did a better job on mine than the engineer could by a mile, and i didnt even know what a service menu was til the 3rd time he came...

Originally posted by ncc17600
Hi,
Also the two or three furthest out a both sides seem to have a red and blue edge to them. It's almost like the TV is out of focus.

ncc17600,

This is the convergence I think. No tv is going to be 100% perfect but I think Panasonic take the p*ss a bit. Best bet if you are keeping it is watch the screen and not look for faults - I know this is easier than said than done but is the only way to get on with the rest of your life

By the way have you tried turning the contrast and sharpness down abit as this may help.

The line you saw when watching a DVD sounds like a dirty disc to me. I have seen this a couple of times on rented movies - I would not worry too much!

Best regards

Pclarke