Panasonic TX-P42X10 and TX-P37X10 owners thread! Part 1

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monkeydo

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Hi

Just got my order in for the Panasonic TX-P42X10 so I thought I'd start a thread so we can share thoughts when we get them!

Note: HD Ready/720p/1080i and proud!!! If you are after information on a Full HD/1080p TV then you're in the wrong place!

Edit, 22/04/2009:
Please post any chat on prices, price matching or deals in this thread


Edit, 13/03/2009:
I've had a scan through pages 1-12 and added the little useful info that's come through into this post. See also our first owners review/initial thoughts thanks to bash. Please PM me if I've missed anything significant.

Edit, 26/02/2009:
I set my TV up last night (basic throwing together of all connections and turning settings down for initial 200hrs). I guess others will be getting theirs soon if not already so I think people will now want to start pooling useful information

I've just been looking over at the predecessor thread for the PX80, http://www.avforums.com/forums/plas...37-42-px80-series-owners-thread-part-1-a.html. Audiphile76 did a great job of collating information there, and has set the standard for me to live up to. Only problem is I'm a complete novice with all things AV so I'll probably rely on a lot of you guys to provide useful information. For now, I'm going to copy a lot of the information from the PX80 thread and grey out anything not 100% guaranteed to be valid for the X10s. As more info from users and reviewers comes through we should be able to go back to black with this. Anyway, here goes:


Pictures & Specifications of X10 series Panasonic plasmas
TX-P42X10
TX-P37X10

Download or view product documentation, drivers or software by selecting product category and model number below:
Note X10 not available as at 26/02/2009. I may be able to scan mine but not sure how to get it on here if I do.
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_G...l#anker_220239

Other Panasonic plasmas can be found here:
News - Latest news - New VIERA Plasma Line-Up - UK & Ireland


Running-in the set
In order to minimise the risk of image retention (temporary images visible on screen), you need to be careful during the first 200 hours of viewing. When the plasma is initially installed, videophiles say it is best to do the following:

- Do not keep static pictures more than an hour
- Keep changing channels occasionally when viewing programs with static and bright logos (Kids program)
- Turn down the picture control (contrast and brightness) to 50% or less.
- Do no use "Dynamic" or "Normal" (Prefer Cinema Mode). Most importantly, remember to change the mode for each input channel, ie AV1, AV2, PC etc.
- Make sure the display is in a viewing mode (aspect ratio) that completely fills the screen (there are often three or more settings from which to choose - Auto, 16:9 or Just) << Check number and names for X10.
- Briefly engage the 4:3 mode to confirm the side bars are set to mid-grey (there is usually an adjustment in the Set Up menu that takes the sidebars from black to grey) to minimise the chance of burn-in.
- During the first 200 - 300 hours of use it is best not to view the same channel for extended periods. This should prevent channel logos and other fixed images found on some channels from being retained.
- Avoid any static images (video games, computer images, DVD title screens, etc.) during the 200 hour break-in.


After the 200-hour break-in period, during the next nine-hundred hours:

- Continue to retain the picture setting at 50% or less.
- Limit the use of 4:3 aspect ratio mode (traditional picture size that does not fill the entire screen) to 15% of viewing time.
- Limit the use of static images (computer, video games, etc.) to less than 10% of viewing time.


After one thousand viewing hours, panels are much less likely to experience image burn-in.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=220


Benefits of zero overscan (Picture Overscan = "Off")http://www.mastersofcinema.org/revie...kingbeyond.htm
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=702


How to check total hours on TV (Do it at your own risk)
Thanks to zane0321 for this info. Tested and confirmed working.
How to check for how long your TX-37PX10 has been on (tested) and how many times it was On/Off:

1. On the TV itself, hold down the &#8220;Vol -&#8221; button (on the right hand side of TV)
2. While holding the volume button down, press &#8220;0&#8221; on the TV remote three times. Wait. The service menu will load.
3. Now press the &#8220;2&#8243; button on the remote. This will pull up a window with the word &#8220;SRV-TOOL&#8221;.
4. Press the &#8220;OK&#8221; button on the remote. A light blue grid will appear.
5. On the Grid, move the cursor down (using the remote down arrows) to the row labeled &#8220;PTCT&#8221;
6. Move cursor to the right. It should be an empty box on the grid.
7. Hold MUTE for 3 seconds. The amount of time the display has been on will be next to the word &#8220;TIME&#8221; this is in hours and minutes.

To get out of the service menu, either hold Exit on the remote for 3 seconds or switch off the TV using the on/off on the TV itself.

It very similar to the former post for TC-P50X1 but instead of "info" which resets your set you should press 0.


Note: Not sure if the following is true. If it is, what is the best cleaning method?
WARNING: Do NOT clean the frame/bezel or even the screen panel using the microfibre cloth that came with the TV. This causes many scratches on the screen and the bezel.


How to set up the Virgin remote (the interactive service doesn't work and the online seems to be for a different remote)
Note: Requirement and method yet to be verified for X10. I don't have Virgin.
1. Press the <*> key and the Settings buttons together.
Make sure these a pressed down for at least two seconds. After two seconds the Stand-By button should have flashed GREEN twice.
2. Use the number buttons to enter one of three digit codes that match your make of TV (Available Here). You should find that it's 425
It's a good idea to start with the first code on the list.
3. Press the Select/OK button within 10 seconds to confirm the code.
The Stand-By light will flash twice to confirm that the code has been accepted. If a RED light has flashed, this means the code has not been recognised, so check the code and re-enter the correct code by following the steps above.

Try the volume/on off button, should work now


Frequently Asked Questions
Lets keep this section open and fill it up based on our discussion here.

X10 Series questions:
Q1: Does "AUTO" aspect ratio distort the image resulting in loss of PQ?
A1: TBC
Predecessors:
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=342

Q2: Does the set suffer from Screen burn and/or image retention?
A2: I imagine this will be the same for X10s.
The set definitely does not suffer from any screen burns but some image retention which is temporary in nature and in most cases goes away with time.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=176http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=180
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=228http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=414

Need to double check what it says for the X10 but definitely has something along these lines:
Panasonic manual (Page 3) states the following:
Do not display a still picture for a long time.
This causes the image to remain on the plasma screen("image retention").
This is not considered a malfunction and is not covered by the warranty.
Typical still images:
- Program number and other logos.
- Image displayed in 4:3 mode.
- Video game.
- Computer image.

To prevent image retention, contrast is lowered automatically after a few minutes if no signals are sent or no operations are performed.

Q3: Does the set suffer from phosphor lags/green trails?
A3: Time will tell. Please post your own experiences

Q4: What are the best scaling settings for BluRay and SD?
A4: TBC
Predecessors:
Discussion here My new TH42PX80

Q5: How can we check the software version on our sets
A5: In the setup menu, page 3/3, "System Information" gives the version the set is running on

Q6: What are the dimensions of the box?
A6: Here they are:
P42X10: The box dimensions are W 114cm x D 28cm x H 76cm
P37X10: TBC

Predecessors:
37PX80: The box dimensions are 41in X 29in X 13in (W 105 x D 35 x H 75 in cms)
42PX80: The box dimensions are W 114cm x D 33cm x H 79cm

Q7: What are the depth and width of pedestal stands?
A7: Here are the dimensions:
P42X10: TBC
P37X10: TBC

Predecessors:
37PX80: Unknown
42PX80: 310mm x 447mm

Q8: How do i get the X10 to automatically switch to &#8220;AV&#8221; when I switch on my dvd, satellite box etc?
A8: TBC but seemed to do this by default for me.

Predecessors:
PX80B: [URL="http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...&postcount=245"]http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=245[/URL]
PX80E: [URL="http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...&postcount=931"]http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=931[/URL]
[URL="http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...&postcount=932"]http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=932[/URL]

Q9: Can you use different settings within a single preset (e.g. CINEMA) on different inputs? For example if you are using CINEMA on both HDMI1 and HDMI2, will a change(in sharpness for example) made in HDMI1 carry over to HDMI2 or can you set them individually?
A9: TBC

Predecessors:
Any change to CINEMA on one input would affect all other inputs that had CINEMA applied to them. BUT, if different inputs are on different pre-set modes, then they can be set differently and independently.

Q10: Is it possible to default the X10 to one of the hdmi slots or other AV inputs?
A10: TBC

Predecessors:
Go into the "Setup" menu and change the "Power on Preference" to "AV" (Default is "TV" tuner|)
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=979
[URL="http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...&postcount=980"]http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=980[/URL]
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...postcount=1048

Note: This is not available on the European model unfortunately. Search for info about the "Hotel mode" and you should be able to do what you wish, just be careful not to change the settings to do with locking the remote or you will be stuck.
[URL]http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...&postcount=932[/URL]



Q11: Does the X10 have an optical output?
A10: No.


General Plasma TV questions:

Q1: Is it safe to transport the package while laying flat instead of standing upright? If "No", then why not?
A1: General consensus is no. See following links.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=185
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=196
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=192

Q2: There are some minute scratches on the piano black bezel of my Plasma. How to take care of these scratches?
A2: General discussion thread here: Removing very fine scratches from piano black bezels

Q3: What quality of HDMI cables for 1-3 meters should i buy? Should i buy the best/most expensive kind inorder to get best quality?
A3: Quality of picture with HDMI cables is not proportional to price of HDMI cables

http://www.avforums.com/forums/showt...56#post6688656
[URL="http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...7&postcount=54"]http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...7&postcount=54[/URL]
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...8&postcount=55


Q4: What to do if you experience image retention?
A4: [URL="http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...7&postcount=38"]http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...7&postcount=38[/URL]
[URL="http://www.avforums.com/forums/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/plasma-televisions/showp...41&postcount=6"]http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...41&postcount=6[/URL]

Q5: Is the composite that comes with Wii better than using the scart connector?
A5: http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=339

__________________________________________________ ____________________


Reviews:
Note: not necessarily for 37" and 42" X10s at this stage.
Panasonic TX-P42X10B plasma TV review - whathifi.com

Panasonic Viera TX-P50X10B Review on CNET.co.uk

Panasonic Viera TX-P37X10 37in Plasma TV Review - TV Reviews - TrustedReviews


Panasonic TX-P42X10 on the german website av-magazin.de

Predecessors
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-TH42PX80
[URL]http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/television...9296024,00.htm[/URL]


User reviews on avforums
P42X10: TBC
P37X10: Nothing through yet but bash has agreed to let me publish the following from his posts in this thread.

bash's early thoughts during 200hr run in:
Whilst there is smaller jump in improvements between the Px10 and Px80 compared to the leap between the PX70 and PX80, there are improvements none the less.

If anything the PX80 was better in pic quality than the PX70 but its speakers were woeful (not a big loss as I expect most users have a 5.1 or better setup). However the Px10 has superior speakers compared to the PX80 and I've found HD material as well as picture movement to have improved also. You could argue this is the TV the PX80 should have been?

Seriously I would be happy to buy a Px10 at RRP over a PX80 at a rock bottom price. It's a more complete package IMHO. I got my PX10 at £567 and am very pleased.

Have to say I'm finding Eco mode very useful this time around. Before with the PX70/80 it was a set memory setting alongside Dynamic, Normal and Cinema.

With the X10 its actually a mode you can turn on or off for use with Dynamic, Normal and Cinema. So I've been using the recommended cinema settings with Eco on. If I've got the curtains open during the day it brightens up the picture brilliantly but when I turn the lights off during the night it darkens the picture nicely. Makes it easy on the eyes without loss of detail.

Settings:
Freeview and DVD: TBC
BluRay: TBC
PS3: TBC
Etc

Predecessors:
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-TH42PX80/Settings

Other related threads:
Predecessors:
Owners thread: Panasonic 37/42 PX80 Owners Thread part 1-a
PX80 Settings thread: PANASONIC TH42PX80B settings
 
Last edited:
42PX10:
£646 upwards, 24electric, tribalUk, directTVs....
£799 in comet.
 
My first post on this forum.

I'm looking for a 37' TV and am very interested on how the tx-p37x10 performs.
I've just got hold of a Humax Foxsat HD Freesat box and are looking for a TV to compliment it.
I cant afford to spend much more than £600

Thoughts or other suggestions please on whether or not this TV could be a good choice?
Should or do i need to go 1080?
would this TV give a good SD picture?

Oh yes, the reason i thought this would be a good choice is the 100hz?

and finally is it rubbish that plasma TV have a limited life span and can be noisy?

Sorry about all the questions

Scott
 
There's reviews of the X10 series at Cnet and What Hi Fi sites. Very good SD picture, as was the predecessor, the PX80.

At this size, a 1080p panel wont really make any difference to your viewing in HD and probably wont be as good with SD.

Plasma lifespan is 100,000 hours, better than LCDs now.

The X10 doesnt have fans, which can cause some noise. Plasmas screens are known to "buzz" but I cant here my PX80 buzz, whereas I can here the V+ box hard drive (when TV sound is muted)
 
I've just been around my local Panasonic dealer and he said he can do me a TXP37x10B plus fit me a sat dish with a 5 year guarantee, cable tidy, HDMI cable, delivery

for £829

Does this sound a good price
 
Just what my brother-in-law is looking for is this new 37" model.

Going to hang fire for the official launch and see what everyone sells it at and if there are any 5 year warranties knocking about.

Cheapest so for on pre-order is £567.08 which is a cracking price.

Panasonic Plasma TV TXP37X10B £567.08
 
I've just been around my local Panasonic dealer and he said he can do me a TXP37x10B plus fit me a sat dish with a 5 year guarantee, cable tidy, HDMI cable, delivery

for £829

Does this sound a good price

Based on the ~£570 price for the tv elsewhere, that does seem rather steep to fit a dish and give a 5 year warranty. Isn't Freesat from Sky about £150 fully fitted, alternatively ring up an installer and ask for a quote just to install a dish(assuming you can't/won't do it yourself).

HTH
 
rsv

Yes i agree, after thinking about it all afternoon i have decided to try and source and fit a dish myself. this should save me a couple of hundred quid.
 
If you don't mind me asking, how much did you pay?

I went with 24electric.com and paid just under £647, but also went through Quidco (3%) and I should (?!) get enough ipoints for a £10 high street voucher. If all comes off, I'm effectively looking at £617 delivered.

I got a consignment number at lunchtime today (ordered Friday before lunch) and I'm expecting it to arrive by Wednesday. Nothing to put it on yet!

I also went into a Martin Dawes Outlet (effectively, a small warehouse) in Wigan on Saturday where they have one high up on a shelf in a dimly lit room. Didn't look like they bother doing anything other than plugging it all in, but still looked quite nice.
 
Last edited:
Wow! Looks like I got lucky! It got delivered today (on it's side! :mad:) so I'll check it out tonight. Need something to stand it on!

At least you'd get more Quidco and ipoints! lol

My Quidco hasn't tracked yet by the way! :mad:


Can find the 42" here at £649 plus delivery (~£25): Panasonic TH-P42X10B Plasma TV 42 Inch<br>HD Ready - Multiregionmagic The Home Of Multiregion DVD

Do you think JL will price match this. I have looked at their website and it appears they have a shop. After the 5 year warrenty
 
Do you think JL will price match this. I have looked at their website and it appears they have a shop. After the 5 year warrenty

Worth a try. Don't know how near the JL is, and they have to go and see it in the shop, with the price clearly labelled. Might be that these aren't on the shop floor. Worth a phone call to the store first and say you want to come and take a look, do they have one on display. You could ask the price (pretend you haven't been on the web) as in store price may be different, and JL will only match in store price.
 
Can one of you kinda fellas once you get your X10 series model and have a play with it left me know if it's possible someway to disable that awful dymamic dimming/auto-contrast dealy which results in the overall brightness of the picture adjusting dependant on the light level on screen.
 
Worth a try. Don't know how near the JL is, and they have to go and see it in the shop, with the price clearly labelled. Might be that these aren't on the shop floor. Worth a phone call to the store first and say you want to come and take a look, do they have one on display. You could ask the price (pretend you haven't been on the web) as in store price may be different, and JL will only match in store price.

Ask them and see (please report back). I asked them to compare TX-37LZD81 last week against Crampton and Moore and they couldn't as they "do not display shelf-edge pricing, meaning prices are not consistent for every customer." Personally, I wasn't surprised, and I'm not too disappointed as I have my eye on a TX-P42G15!:devil: (or an X10 if my sensible head controls my spending :( ).
 
Well I still haven't got around to unpacking my X10. :(

But I have got someone to buy my Sony 32" CRT. (touch wood). :)

And I have got something to put the new TV on now! ;)
 
I am looking to make the move from a 28" crt and am keen to see how the new X10 plasmas perform. I was considering the 37PX80B but heard the new ones were coming soon so decided to hang-fire. Hopefully the freeview sd picture is decent enough!
 
Ordered one today from my local retailer - will be delivered tomorrow :thumbsup:
Let the calibration works begin :D
 
Right, finally got the thing out of the box!

Last night was quite productive. I sold my old Sony 32" CRT TV to a guy on here and we managed to bundle it into his Fiat Panda. The stand had to sit in the front seat! I sure hope he and it made it home ok!

The wife and I assembled the stand, aka a Lack coffee table from Ikea! Bargain at under £13! :laugh:. Then I went to my parents to collect the P42X10 and bring it back with them.

We had fun unpacking it. Look at the pictures at the top of the box, they tell you that you need to remove the four white handles on the side of the box and then slide the top of the box off. I can imagine a lot of you laughing at the fact it took four of us some time to figure this out! Once you've done this it's very accessable and shouldn't be too much trouble. If you're not using a wall mount, remember to build the metal stand before getting excited and pulling the screen out of the box. For this the shorter silver screws are used, the black ones fix the stand to the back of the tv.

Got the HDD/DVD recorder, old Sky box (for "freesat from Sky") and Wii connected up and then powered everything up. The auto setup on the TV worked a treat and all the channels were found within a few minutes. The picture looks great to my non-enthusiast eyes and I couldn't see any ill effects from it being delivered by Business Post (see earlier posts).

I'm yet to do much thorough testing (and this is my first plasma anyway). I did turn down the brightness, contrast, etc and switch to "Warm" and check that it was set to "Normal" instead of "Dynamic", to which the wife started asking, "What are you doing that for?". "Trust me dear, it's all on AV forums!", was my reply. I still need to find out what testing and setting up I really need to do, though.

Wife is also unsure whether it is too big or not. I'll try and get some pictures posted up on here by the weekend of the tv and the expensive stand. That's once I've removed the protective plastic bits from around the bezel!
 
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