Picture setup for TX-40JX850b / TX-40JX870b

Boothy99

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Hi,
I'm waiting for our Panasonic TX-40JX870b to arrive next week (ordered yesterday). I wondered if anyone might kindly share their thoughts / tips on picture setup for TX-40JX850b / TX-40JX870b from out of the box, please? I've found a couple of YouTube videos referring to HX800 setup, but nothing for the JX850 / JX870. Might they be the same for the more recent JX850 as for the HX/JX800?

I'm led to believe the out of the box True Cinema and Dolby Vision Dark provides the most realistic picture?

@rccarguy2 has kindly dropped some tips here Neutral sharpness setting on Panasonic LCD TVs? 👍thanks for those rccarguy2.

Any suggestions for items to enable / disable from defaults would be appreciated. I'm aware everyone has their own preferences and nothing's written in stone, and I'll be tweaking the obvious backlight / brightness / contrast to our tastes and environment. I just wondered whether there was anything not-so-obvious to a newer Panasonic TV user.

Our current TV is a Panasonic BBE VIVA TQFE298 with an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K & Virgin TV 360 set-top box connected.

Cheers.
 
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I have all the apps I use on PS5 (Prime, Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV), so I use my TX-40JX870b as a glorified monitor. I have it set on Game mode with everything else (picture enhancements) switched off. PQ is much better than my previous LG UN7300, Panasonic has surprisingly wide viewing angles for a VA screen. Very snappy UI, no bloat. I’m happy with it but I do not watch terrestrial TV on it and I do not use built-in apps (except for web browser, which is not terribly bad and comparable with the one I’ve had on my LG).
 
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Thanks for letting me know, AlphaCen 😊
Pleased to hear the viewing angle is good. The other settee in the room is at a fair angle for viewing.
Thanks.
 
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A few months ago I posted a message seeking advice from members on how to navigate the minefield of purchasing a new smart Panasonic tv. I already had a Panasonic which had given me fault free service for 14 years.
Initially I was disappointed with some of the responses which gave a lot of negative feedback - poor quality of sound, viewing angles etc. Alternative cheaper brands were recommended. Indeed when shopping around many or the larger retailers seemed to stock very few examples of Panasonic’s and tended to steer me towards other makes. eventually the penny dropped that the weren’t working for the main retailer but reps employed by the tv manufacturer.
The advice I received from this forum however was invaluable and I held my nerve. Eventually one of our members posted a message advising that Panasonic were introducing a new range later in the year which he had been informed was a much improved and a return to their previous standard. I decided to wait resulting me eventually buying the TX -40 JX870B. Being now in the”Autumn of my Years”, I’m no techofile ! However I have to say I find the set to be first class in all departments. My only negative gripe which may be down to me setting it up incorrectly is the sound quality when watching some movies. For example my wife and I sat and watched an episode of Crusoe the other other night and found the background music overpowered the dialogue. As a result she sat with the control adjusting the volume.
if anyone out there can offer a solution to the problem I’d be grateful. But please don’t suggest I look for another tv.
Many thanks for previous advice.
 
My only negative gripe which may be down to me setting it up incorrectly is the sound quality when watching some movies. For example my wife and I sat and watched an episode of Crusoe the other other night and found the background music overpowered the dialogue. As a result she sat with the control adjusting the volume.
if anyone out there can offer a solution to the problem I’d be grateful.
Presuming that you've experimented with the different audio options (including any that claim to boost or enhance speech) then there's not a lot else you can do, really.

An external surround-sound system (where the volume of individual speakers can be adjusted) or a good quality soundbar (if you don't have the room or want the expense of a good quality surround system consisting of separate speakers) will be the most-likely (and possibly only) solution to your problem.
 
I have Bose TV Speaker (that’s literally the model’s name - “TV Speaker”), which has amazing dialogue clarity and is reasonably priced. Great for small rooms, has HDMI ARC (so it can be controlled from TV remote). Not that much bass (one can add wireless subwoofer for that), but the dialogue is crystal clear. I use it with TX-40JX870B (same as yours).
 
@Boothy99 The 'best' picture settings are a subjective thing of course, but my recommendations (as a current Panasonic OLED and ex-Panasonic plasma owner) to get you started would be...
  • Select one of the Cinema/Pro modes or Film-maker mode if available (if you want an accurate picture)
  • Turn all picture-processing options off (these often default to 'off' in the Cinema modes anyway)
  • Choose your preferred Colour Temperature setting (Warm2 is supposed to be the most accurate but I prefer Normal or Warm1)
  • Select the lowest Intelligent Frame Creation (IFC) setting you can get away with ('off' is ideal but if you don't like the judder, then you'll have to find an acceptable balance between a certain amount of judder and the Soap Opera Effect. I tend to go for 'Low')
 
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Many thanks MikeJ & AlphaCen for prompt replies. I’ll have a go at settings first and if that doesn’t work checkout the Bose tv speaker.
 
Thanks for your tips @mikej👍👌
I've had it a week now and plonked about with the picture settings on various inputs (Fire TV Stick 4K, Virgin 360 Box, FreeView). Having watched n' swapped settings numerous times to compare, I was surprised to find the Auto AI picture settings gave the best results IMHO. Haven't found the Intelligent Frame Creation setting ....so far. I'll look again though, thanks. I agree - personally I found warm2 too warm. Warm1 / Normal looks best to our eyes.

Regarding audio, I have it set to Cinema Surround Pro, but using the TV's speakers, I can't honestly differentiate between the different Dolby options. "Off" definitely sounds dull. I'm considering a soundbar but not in a hurry as we're finding the audio acceptable ... but would love to hear external speaker(s) giving the best of Dolby from the Firestick & set top box.
Thanks for all your input folks. Appreciated.
 
Just got a 40” JX850 for the bedroom
Gonna be used with a SkyQ mini box and a Firestick

Be appreciated if anyone could share there settings

tyvm
 
Just got a 40” JX850 for the bedroom
Gonna be used with a SkyQ mini box and a Firestick

Be appreciated if anyone could share there settings

tyvm

You could start with my suggestions above. If you're after good picture accuracy then once you turn all the unnecessary picture processing modes off, you'll find the options for tweaking a lot simpler.
 
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Just got a 40” JX850 for the bedroom
Gonna be used with a SkyQ mini box and a Firestick

Be appreciated if anyone could share there settings

tyvm
I was thinking about getting the same TV, but was put off by the review in What Hifi? Is it true that it suffers from a poor viewing angle whereby colour contrast fades quite heavily beyond 20 degrees, has motion smearing and a native 4K image that is soft & lacks punch and sharpness? I know from experience that no two panels are ever the same. So is this a good TV with decent viewing angles and good motion?


Thanks!
 

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