Panasonic TXP42G20B ... should I have gone for LCD ??

[cheeky chap]

hi all

just joined and seeking some advice re: plasma tv i've just bought. to keep a rather long story as short as possible i weighed up pros and cons of plasma vs lcd when deciding on my purchase and opted for a 42" plasma, namely Panasonic's TXP42G20B. i had read a bit on so-called 'plasma buzzing' but again on weighing everything up i concluded 'surely it can't be that bad or folk wouldn't keep buying them ' so i took the plunge.

the tv arrived yesterday so i eagerly set it up following all instructions (i was being a good boy!) and switched it on. had a busy day ahead of me but decided to watch some tennis on BBC HD channel. great picture quality and the audio is fine for my purposes ... but one thing immediately distracted me, namely the 'buzz' coming from the tv .

now bearing in mind i'm aware of plasma buzz i thought 'maybe everyone just lives with this' i.e. maybe it's normal, so i phoned two mates that have plasmas (one of them has a panasonic he bought 18 months ago) both popped round and thought my tv's buzz was noticeable to the point of putting you off watching.

some points to note:


1. the 'buzz' appears to come more from top left area of tv (when standing at front.)

2. the 'buzz' appears louder when watching HD content and goes away completely when screen is blank e.g. inbetween ads.

3. when i switched the tv on this morning it didn't appear to be buzzing at all until i changed channel, then the buzz came back and hasn't gone away.

4. tone of buzz changes from scene to scene.

5. in my limited experience the buzz doesn't sound like a fault as such, but then maybe i'm wrong .

6. pressing the back panel and/or surround at various points doesn't stop it i.e. the buzz is very definitely coming from inside, isn't case vibration.

7. the lounge the tv is in is very much bare at present, painted walls, laminate floor, no curtains, hardly and furniture. i'm wondering if the buzzing sound will be muffled slightly (or hopefully a lot!) once i have some soft furnishings?

8. tv is mounted on its stand on a tv stand designed for sets up to 50" / 60kg.


so, what do you think? i'm loathed to get an engineer out if there's actually nothing wrong but on other hand i feel i've paid a lot of £££ for the tv and if the buzzing remains at that level i'll never be able to enjoy the viewing experience i.e. i'll always be aware of the buzz. i don't like my tv very loud audio wise and that would be the only way to mask the buzz.

i'm also wondering if i should have gone for the LG 42" LED LCD i was looking at too late now but i understand LCDs by their nature aren't nearly as prone to any buzzing at all?

please reassure me i've done the right thing going for plasma and would you call engineer out based on above?

sorry for LONG first post!!!

 

[rob5180]

Hi, one of my TVs is the 42G20......

I dont hear a buzz unless my ear is right up to the back of the TV - certainly cant hear anything if I am at normal viewing distance (about 8ft).....and I am real picky about stuff like that so I know I would have noticed

I have had an issue in the past from a scart lead which did what you describe.....especially when white was on the screen....so could it be your connections?

As for should it be LCD or plasma - my own view is youve made the right choice, and once you have nailed your teething problem you will love the set

 

[cheeky chap]

thanks rob. i'm sitting approx. 7' away from tv but even when i stand further away i'm still hearing it. other folk might not but because i know it's there i hear it in background e.g. i'm watching england game on bbc hd now and i hear the slight buzzing, kind of like when you hear a fridge/freezer in a room next door.

the hdmi and power leads have built in ferrite cores or whatever they're called so don't see what else i can do there. i did see on another forum a guy saying a common fix for 'buzzy panasonics' was to remove rear panel, take off ferrite core that's installed near top right of tv (when looking from back) wrap some insulating tape around inside then re-install it. according to the poster that removes the buzz 9 times out of 10 BUT ain't no way i'm doing that with a brand new tv that has a 5 year warranty

soooo i'm a bit stuck. once i have more soft furnishings e.g. curtains it 'might' deaden the sound but i have my doubts.

i must admit behind the set the cables are a bit of a spaghetti junction (although that's on the floor) could this be adding to the buzz inside the tv

 

[RustySpoons]

My PX70 used to buzz like mad, Turned out it was a dodgy mains breaker in the consumer unit.

 

[NICK ADSL UK]

thanks rob. i'm sitting approx. 7' away from tv but even when i stand further away i'm still hearing it. other folk might not but because i know it's there i hear it in background e.g. i'm watching england game on bbc hd now and i hear the slight buzzing, kind of like when you hear a fridge/freezer in a room next door.

the hdmi and power leads have built in ferrite cores or whatever they're called so don't see what else i can do there. i did see on another forum a guy saying a common fix for 'buzzy panasonics' was to remove rear panel, take off ferrite core that's installed near top right of tv (when looking from back) wrap some insulating tape around inside then re-install it. according to the poster that removes the buzz 9 times out of 10 BUT ain't no way i'm doing that with a brand new tv that has a 5 year warranty

soooo i'm a bit stuck. once i have more soft furnishings e.g. curtains it 'might' deaden the sound but i have my doubts.

i must admit behind the set the cables are a bit of a spaghetti junction (although that's on the floor) could this be adding to the buzz inside the tv

it could very well indeed all cables should be grouped together in a neat and tidy fashion with the cable clip that is supplied for further good measure the mains lead should be sleeved in a cable sock as supplied by Russ Andrews which is cheep and effective
there is a very good AV /HI FI catalog that you can receive for free from Russ's website which is well worth getting and acting upon

 

[cheeky chap]

it could very well indeed all cables should be grouped together in a neat and tidy fashion with the cable clip that is supplied for further good measure the mains lead should be sleeved in a cable sock as supplied by Russ Andrews which is cheep and effective
there is a very good AV /HI FI catalog that you can receive for free from Russ's website which is well worth getting and acting upon

i've had a quick cable tidy-up but makes no difference. from my description (although over forum i accept it's difficult to diagnose!) do you think things like a mains lead cable sock would make much odds? when i listen to tv immediately from above it's obviously all the boards/circuits i'm hearing. is this likely to be eliminated by good cable practice?

tbh i'm as i've spent a lot on the tv and now the buzz is all i hear. to others it might not be that bad but as i now know it's there i hear it all the time.

do you reckon i should call engineer out under guarantee or try other things first e.g. power cable sock etc? i know it's not reasonable to expect a large piece of electronic kit to be silent when right beside it but surely from 7-8 feet away i shouldn't hear the buzzing to a point that it affects the overall viewing experience, should i?

 

[NICK ADSL UK]

i've had a quick cable tidy-up but makes no difference. from my description (although over forum i accept it's difficult to diagnose!) do you think things like a mains lead cable sock would make much odds? when i listen to tv immediately from above it's obviously all the boards/circuits i'm hearing. is this likely to be eliminated by good cable practice?

tbh i'm as i've spent a lot on the tv and now the buzz is all i hear. to others it might not be that bad but as i now know it's there i hear it all the time.

do you reckon i should call engineer out under guarantee or try other things first e.g. power cable sock etc? i know it's not reasonable to expect a large piece of electronic kit to be silent when right beside it but surely from 7-8 feet away i shouldn't hear the buzzing to a point that it affects the overall viewing experience, should i?

if the set is under 28 days old i would take it back to the shop and let them here the buzz for themselves and they will then replace it. If on the other hand in the shop it is OK you then you have a fault in the home so replacing it would be a waste of time
In the first instance return it to the shop for replacement

 

[mrsmr2]

Return it.

I can hear mine when I put my head around the back and sometimes when there is no other sound at around 8" away.

 

[Colonel_basic]

I could hear my g20 buzz from 8ft away, its the tv's power supply. It changes in pitch in relation to the brightness of the image on screen as it draws more power, it wont go away. I returned mine and got a led, the blacks are deeper imho but i miss lag free gaming and no blurring on sports . Decide what will annoy you more, a buzzing tv or blurry tv with motion

 

[ozzzy189]

those cable socks from russ are not that great, you have to take plug ends off to feed the cables in, plus virually impossible to guess how much you need. i got some free of Mr andrews and i cut it with heated up scissors.
I would swap the tv if the buzzing is that bad. i had a samsung that buzzed too much- it went back. my current screen buzzes a little, but not enough to spoil things.
have you read the avreview of the new lg led lcd on here ? may be worth a punt if it aint too much money.

 

[cheeky chap]

okay guys/girls, 'if' i was thinking about returning it what are my options? i bought the tv from john lewis online a few weeks back but only delivered on saturday 26th june. it's weird someone saying about an LG LED LCD as that would be my second choice BUT john lewis don't do it, they do however do this:

Buy Panasonic Viera TX-L42D25B LCD/LED HD 1080p TV, 42", freesat & Freeview HD with FREE Blu-ray Player online at JohnLewis.com

are they more likely to 'play ball' with me if i say i want to return the panasonic plasma for a LED LCD from them rather than saying i want to return the plasma and get a refund?

i'm basing this on the assumption the panasonic LCD will be comparible with the LG i was looking at, this one:

Buy LG 42LE5300 | 40" led 1080p tv - Television | Comet

tbh i don't think i'll ever get used to the 'buzz' and rather than face multiple engineer visits, 'it's okay now' conversations etc i think i'd rather opt for an LCD if i thought john lewis will change tvs for me even though nothing faulty has been proved.

thoughts? will they do it for me? equally are they legally obliged to take it back within x amount of days and refund my £££ even though the tv is not faulty? if they are obliged what are my timescales to get this done by? 5 working days? will they go from the delivered date or be fly and say 'you bought it 3 weeks ago sir' ???

any tips/advice welcome. i'd rather have the LG but will opt for panasonic if less hassle from john lewis that way.


EDIT: just found this on john lewis site under their returns section:

... We hope you will be pleased with your purchase. Should you wish to return anything bought from us, we will be happy to refund or exchange a product provided it is in fully resaleable condition. Returns should be made within a reasonable time (usually 28 days) and in original, undamaged packaging.*

If we find that the product has not been returned to us in fully resaleable condition, we reserve the right to refuse a refund on the item, or deduct up to 20% of the original selling price from the refund amount ...

so, based on assumption it's going back, should i go for the panasonic LCD or the LG?

 

[ozzzy189]

up to you pal. ask to have a good look at both. pop em in movie or cinema mode and try them with some blu's and sd - footie if poss. My cousin has a 37 inch plasma, x20 i think, and his dad has the pana led lcd. it's very nice, but the one thing i truly could not live with is the black level. It just isn't. once you've seen a decent plasma, the pana led lcd just looks dark blue to me.
the plasma is a nice little tv, the led is more money, almost double for the same size, and i thinks it's pretty good apart from the blacks. do your resaearch, ask plenty of questions and buy from a good retailer.

 

[viking01]

the pana led lcd just looks dark blue to me

I think you will need to look at local dimming LED LCD's for great black level - the side-lit LED LCD's will probably disappoint you when you are used to plasma.


-Eric-

 

[cheeky chap]

I think you will need to look at local dimming LED LCD's for great black level - the side-lit LED LCD's will probably disappoint you when you are used to plasma.


-Eric-

i've only been used to plasma for a few days and hope to return the tv by this weekend so hopefully a reasonable spec led lcd won't disappoint too much i put the plasma on when in from work tonight and nope, i won't be able to live with the buzz but i'm pretty sure it'll be within their specs / normal so rather than fight that fight i'd rather just opt for an lcd and hope it's quieter

 

[Inferno]

I think you will need to look at local dimming LED LCD's for great black level - the side-lit LED LCD's will probably disappoint you when you are used to plasma.
-Eric-

Nah dont agree with that, the local dimming lark just blacks out all detail if any is present in black areas of picture.
Your better off with a g20 pal honestly, how many local areas are there on a led???? There is 2,073,600 on the g20 ill bet there isnt a quarter as many on the lcd/led.

 

[viking01]

I think you will need to look at local dimming LED LCD's for great black level

Nah dont agree with that, the local dimming lark just blacks out all detail if any is present in black areas of picture.

The effect isn't nearly as drastic as you say it is. With the brightness and backlight settings, you can set up the display to show all the black detail you want, and still have (almost) solid black in areas where you expect it to be. Anyway, I was commenting on a remark from someone who found black to be blue on a side-lit LED LCD. I stand by my comment that he should check out local dimming LED LCD's in that case.

-Eric-

 

[ozzzy189]

Thanks viking and all, but i was comparing the two tv's that are in our family. I'm pretty sure there are some really good lcd's of some kind out there somewhere, and i admit, i aint seen too many of them, but all the ones i've seen just do not look right in dark ares. my uncles is certainly a little blue ish, and i could not live with that, no matter how nice everything else is.

 

[rewerb]

i've only been used to plasma for a few days and hope to return the tv by this weekend so hopefully a reasonable spec led lcd won't disappoint too much i put the plasma on when in from work tonight and nope, i won't be able to live with the buzz but i'm pretty sure it'll be within their specs / normal so rather than fight that fight i'd rather just opt for an lcd and hope it's quieter

If the buzzing is loud enough to distract you, then it's faulty. John Lewis customer service is great. You'll get a replacement with no hassle. Then enjoy your new plasma set.

 

[maturin23]

I can't hear any real buzzing at all from my G20 - had it for three weeks now. Yours is faulty.

 

[hodg100]

I can't hear any real buzzing at all from my G20 - had it for three weeks now. Yours is faulty.

I don't think it's necessarily faulty, the placement of the TV and what the wall behind it is made from, play a huge part in how loud the buzz will be. I'm not saying it isn't faulty but it;s something to bear in mind

 

[maturin23]

I'm no acoustic expert (although I am an ex-pro classical musician with half-decent hearing) but I can't fathom how positioning and the material of the wall behind can contribute to such a significant difference in perceived noise.

My TV is on its stand a was originally around 6 inches from an un-plastered brick wall, it's now about 18 inches. I've had my head behind it in an effort to hear a significant buzz and it's just not that apparent.

 

[hodg100]

I'm no acoustic expert (although I am an ex-pro classical musician with half-decent hearing) but I can't fathom how positioning and the material of the wall behind can contribute to such a significant difference in perceived noise.

My TV is on its stand a was originally around 6 inches from an un-plastered brick wall, it's now about 18 inches. I've had my head behind it in an effort to hear a significant buzz and it's just not that apparent.

I can tell you from personal experience that my G10 when placed 30cm from an old brick wall used to buzz audibly, not enough that it annoyed me but certainly noticeable. We moved in to a new house, where it was placed around 60cm from a partition wall, and you couldn't ever hear it, even with the volume turned completely down.

I'm now on my 2nd G20 and neither can be heard to buzz without sticking your head behind the TV but I'd bet my last pound, you'd be able to hear it in my old house

 

[NBrice]

I can hear buzz on my new G20 but it is very quiet, only really noticeable from the sofa when displaying a very bright screen with the sound on mute. Of course, it's clear as day when you put your head to the back of the TV - but my EX503 LCD was exactly the same in that regard. Luckily I don't watch the TV like that lol!

It's still far better than the annoying high pitched whistle I hear on all CRTs.

 

[Ben Jammin]

Why not take to your mates house, plug in with just one HDMI connection and, nothing behind the TV. See if it buzzes. If it buzzes, replace it with same TV and see if you get a better one. If you don't, exchange for another TV. As mentioned, John Lewis should be pretty helpful.

 

[cheeky chap]

i've maybe been a bit hasty (everyone nods) but i've arranged for john lewis to take it back and will be refunded. i didn't want to get into the scenario of them replacing it then next one maybe being the same etc. it's obviously pot luck (like most things these days) my mate has a 42" panasonic plasma (previous model to mine) and it's near silent even when up close. a mate of his bought a panasonic 42" plasma only a few months ago and i found out today his is buzzing and he's waiting to hear back from panasonic.

i don't know enough about electronics. are they skimping on internal shielding etc? there seems to be a fair few folk who are buying these things only for them to buzz to whatever degree.

btw my CRTs never bothered me