Panasonic TH42PWD4

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turnergw

Guest
Well, I've finally done it - bought the Panny plasma ... after a few months of hectic research, reading all the useful info on these boards, and trekking all over the country to compare and contrast different screens!

First impressions : Wow ... It looks fantastic, even switched off! There's something magical about a 3" deep screen that can produce a picture this good ... and it takes up so much less space than the old 32" behemoth that was there!

At the moment I've only got it hooked up to DVD via s-video and a digibox by composite, but even with those connections it's pretty stunning. DVDs are clear and sharp, with incredibly vibrant colours. TV is acceptable, although a composite connection is obviously not a long term solution. Next step, RGB-VGA converter ...

However, a couple of questions for fellow Panny fans ...

Firstly, the unit has a quite distinct 'buzzing' - I've read about this as being an issue on the older model screens, but I thought it had been fixed. Even sitting 10 feet away from the screen, the buzz is very noticeable when the soundtrack is quiet. I assume it's some part of the power supply - anyone else have problems with this, or know if there's a fix?

I'm also seeing a slightly less-stunning picture with PAL DVDs - Region 1 (NTSC) discs look fantastic, presumably because the resolution matches that of the screen. However on some PAL discs (most notably so far on Mission: Impossible, for some reason) the picture seems more grainy, and less well defined. It's hard to describe the effect, but I've only noticed it generally on PAL discs. I guess it's quite likely to be because of the S-video connection, so I'll wait until I've got the RGB connection running to pass real judgement on it, but it's a slight worry. Anyone have any ideas?

Anyway, I can't wait to get home again and watch some more movies ... despite a couple of minor niggles, this screen really is fantastic.

As another aside, what sort of contrast / brightness settings are people generally using? I've got it set pretty much flat - brightness & contrast at 0, colour at +3 I think. Gives a great, cinematic image - although some people have reported using -20 settings for brightness / contrast - this seems far too dark to me.)

(Whilst I'm here, a big thanks to Ben @ discount electrical for the service and quick delivery !)
 
Originally posted by turnergw
Firstly, the unit has a quite distinct 'buzzing' - I've read about this as being an issue on the older model screens, but I thought it had been fixed. Even sitting 10 feet away from the screen, the buzz is very noticeable when the soundtrack is quiet. I assume it's some part of the power supply - anyone else have problems with this, or know if there's a fix?
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I have the same screen as you (PWD4) & experienced the same buzzing - I found it unacceptable & Panasonic have swapped it out under the terms of my warranty (I have a PWD3 on loan at the moment - quieter, but still not brilliant) & am waiting for Panasonic technical to get back to me with regards to mine.

Like your self I am viewing from about 10' away and in scenes in a film where you just have dialogue it was completely distracting - ludicrous after spending £4k!

I am impressed with the picture though (RGB from Tosh 3109 via RGB - VGA converter). The 'buzzing' though, has soured the whole Plasma experience for me.

If Panasonic come back to me & say that my screen is 'within tolerences' or something like that, I'm going to have to reject it I'm afraid.
 
Mine's totally silent. What's gone wrong with mine? I guess I'd better return it.
 
Gordon, that's good to know - thanks
 
I was interested in this thread, as I intend Getting this model very shortly,

so this morning I popped into the Local Empire Direct to have a listen for the so called buzz, or hum

after 10 minutes of probably Looking like a complete burke to other shoppers, I could detect a very faint Hum, but not what I would call distracting, in fact it was very Low even with my ear pressed against the top fan. so I can report that tha 42" plasma is my number 1 choice, after initially being alarmed by this thread.

Think you guys must have a couple of extra noisy ones.

Just to add as well, I have been swaying between 2 sets for a couple of months now, the Sony 44"RP and the Pana Plasma

well the guy in store actually dragged the sony 44" across the Length of the shop and gave me a side by side comparison,

well The difference was Like chalk and cheese, the Pana simply blew it away, the blacks were jet black, and on the Sony they were grey-to- black, good but not in the same ball park as the Plasma
 
Well I've had a little longer to play with it now, and it's growing more impresive by the day - Watched Star Wars episode I last night, and it's a completely different experience to seeing it on a smaller screen. Colour fidelity is fantastic - the pod race is just phenomenal! The 'depth' of the display had my jaw dropping in nearly every scene. (I'm almost reluctant to see Episode II in the cinema, the image in our local multiplex is usually pretty poor, and now I will be extra picky!)

I've turned the sharpness down quite a bit (it's at -8 on a scale of -15 to +15 now), and that seems to have cured my worries over PAL images. Mummy returns, Hannibal, Starship troopers all looked quite excellent on a quick test viewing. Can't wait to get hold of the RGB connection lead though ... (I've ordered a 'SyncBlaster' cable from Keene electronics, unfortunately they aren't getting any in until next week. Report to follow!)

Also tried a few scenes from 'Dark City', which I figured would be a total torture test for a plasma - lots of very deep blacks, shadow details, and low key colours. Again, my fears were unfounded - it looks superb, rendering the blacks well and the darker colours superbly - I could see detail I'd never noticed before!

Still a bit annoyed with the buzzing though. I didn't notice it during Star Wars (it's a loud soundtrack throughout!) but it's distracting with quiet TV. I'm reluctant to send it back just for this, as the display is perfect. I'll see if it improves over the course of a few weeks, and whether I think I can live with it in the long term!

Nike, did you contact Panasonic direct about the buzzing issue, or go through your dealer?

Party Animal, if you like the look of the Panny, I say go for it. It's not a cheap toy, but for sheer impressiveness and enjoyment, it can't be beat. I've not seen an RP set that comes close to this for picture quality!
 
If you check out the avsforum.com (US one) and search in plasma thread with buzzing you'll see it's an old issue that should of been sorted on your newer model, but is remediable.
Just curious as to if an of you have tried vhs playback or are going to use a dvdr for permanent copies of stuff, if at all?
 
I've got a Panny 42" in disguise (a Tosh), I've noticed a bit of a hum - it gets noticeable when there is a lot of white on the screen.

My old 32" CRT used to buzz a little bit so I haven't found it too bad.
 
"Nike, did you contact Panasonic direct about the buzzing issue, or go through your dealer? "

I went through my dealer, but was contacted directly by Panasonic for the Swap-out.


"Just curious as to if an of you have tried vhs playback or are going to use a dvdr for permanent copies of stuff, if at all?"

I have got a Sony SLV-se800 VHS connected to the composite a/v input so I can view TV & Vids on it. I was expecting it to look horrendous, but it's actually quite watchable. Rather than show-up poor quality material, it seems to make the best of it. I really don't watch much TV though. (Have a 28" Sony in the lounge anyway)
 

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