[glebecs]

I received my new 36" picture frame ("P") last wednesday, initially things looked ok with only the droop problem and some marks on screen that looked like it needed a degauss which i thought would settle out.
After a couple of days viewing I was less than impressed, I got good/excellent pictures from DVD sources (via component RGB) but analogue/sky/ITV Digital were crap for want of a better word (looked 10x worse than the 32" Bush 7690 it replaced), also I had Hughes out to degauss and the marks down each side and above left speaker wouldnt shift, excessive grain was evident on dark areas on all inputs too.
I am dissapointed that the reviews of this (and probably other) sets seem so far off the mark, I wouldnt give it more than 6/10 on any front, it makes me suspect that the magazines reviewing these sets are funded by the TV manafacturers.

Anyway I am exchanging the Tosh for Panasonic 36" (PB50) and hope I fare better with this model.

Hopefully you've read the many posts on this forum about this TV... The TV isn't that bad when there are no faults mind as long as you use Picture Mode 3 and tweak those settings. For me (using the other picture modes) the Dynamic Contrast basically killed the image quailty badly, so much so that there was ghosting on Sky Digital via Scart RGB.

To me Dynamic Contrast is a true evil, but then there are other people who actually like its effect.

NeoBlade,

o_O? I think you must have clicked on submit before the message was completed ^_^ Just go back and edit the thread... But knowing my luck you've already done this and I'm left here looking like a fool ^_^

NeoBlade,
Sorry, finger trouble on my previous post.
With regards to demo units given to magazines etc. It is a well known fact that the supplier will send its best, most finely tuned product to the magazine to get the best reviews from the magazine. This is why sometimes the reviews seem to be off the mark with real life so to speak.

With regards to the 36ZP I have the 32ZP and agree that the tuner picture is not the best but have to say that the Q version has an improved tuner and therefore the picture is better. I also can say that I have tried other makes of 32" such as Philips and the grass is definately not greener on the other side!

What I will say is that all the manufacturers are stretching the limits of producing a flat CRT wide angle with acceptable geometry for a reasonable price. There is no one who does this very well unless you pay extra for Loewe and there are a lot worse in the sub £700 bracket. What the difference is is what you expect for the price and like you I expect better quality for the over £1000 for a TV than that which we do get and that is the most annoying fact of all this.

NeoBlade,
Sorry, finger trouble on my previous post.
With regards to demo units given to magazines etc. It is a well known fact that the supplier will send its best, most finely tuned product to the magazine to get the best reviews from the magazine. This is why sometimes the reviews seem to be off the mark with real life so to speak.

No worries mate. Reviews still have their place though since they can present some good information. Its like the videogame mags for me... I'd rather take my information from many sources off or online and make my decision from that. Same with the AV stuff since you can find good information on this forum and on the net.

With regards to the 36ZP I have the 32ZP and agree that the tuner picture is not the best but have to say that the Q version has an improved tuner and therefore the picture is better. I also can say that I have tried other makes of 32" such as Philips and the grass is definately not greener on the other side!

I can't remember how good the tuner was on the Q model... Mainly because I was using the Skybox for all my viewing, plus I had never owned the P model... The picture was alright but then these high end CRTs pretty much demand a digital source thesedays.

What I will say is that all the manufacturers are stretching the limits of producing a flat CRT wide angle with acceptable geometry for a reasonable price. There is no one who does this very well unless you pay extra for Loewe and there are a lot worse in the sub £700 bracket. What the difference is is what you expect for the price and like you I expect better quality for the over £1000 for a TV than that which we do get and that is the most annoying fact of all this.

Yeah it is annoying alright but by now I would have expected technology to catch up and to improve the visual quality, especially if you have paid £2k for a CRT. I'm sure the technology is there though and we should see some good advances in CRT technology (like the new Pixel Plus versions in development). I would however like to see progressive scan a lot more common and with Panasonic pushing NTSC and PAL prog.scan its a start. Once it becomes more popular such features will filter down through the range and that can only be positive.

However I'm pretty sure that most Toshiba owners would have liked to see more resources spent on Quality Control before the TVs are sold...

[glebecs]

Well, Panasonic arrived today, the pic is superb, I am truly impressed, with RGB input from my Cyberhome ADL-528 I am stunned.
Analogue reception is excellent too, and skydig is as good as I have ever seen it, digital terrestrial is v good too.

As I dont use the sound at all (got digital surround seperates inc sub etc) I cant comment but as a monitor I am 100% pleased.

Andy

[Mujja]

glebecs,

good to hear, i've had a 36pb50 on order for 3 weeks and it was finally dispatched yesterday. Now I just got to wait on the courier.

It's gonna be my first widescreen TV, so I can't wait, the last 3 weeks have been hard.

When I first started looking for widescreen the 36" Tosh was also my first choice. But then I popped into my local Currys for a look and they had 4 of these TVs in the "managers specials", all reduced customer returns.

That got me thinking and I decided to check online for known problems with the Toshibas. That's how I found this forum

Then I read about the 36PB50 and decieded to take a gamble on that. I am prepared for one or two problems when I receive my TV. I hope I can live with them cause after the initial 3-4 week wait just to get the TV, I dread to think how long a return and replacement would take.

The Panasonic PB50 was my initial replacement for my Tosh ZP18 as well, but because Currys took so long to find anything about it (and to stock it) I decided to look at the Loewe TVs. Soon after I started looking at the Loewe's I found out that the new Tosh was coming out with progressive scan ^_^ So I went for that and the rest is history.

The PB50 is still rated quite well by me though so I'm rather confident that you won't be disappointed.