Buying a Flat Panel Display (LCD/Plasma/LED etc)

[Ajaybiz]

But upscaling in Onkyo starts above 35K that too just the reciever spekers will be separate.I have Onkyo but no upscaling got it with PV8 as a offer.

[Eddy]

Do we have an option sub20k for an upscaling system ?

[appuchan]

Why do you need an upscaling HT system when your TV does a good job of it? Also most of the new DVD players has an upscaling function. See the discussion in the link below and a quote.

Do I need a HDMI upscaling receiver? - AVS Forum

Upscaling -- a lot of newbies don't realize that their new fancy LCD/Plasma/DLP etc. sets already have built-in video processors that de-interlace/scale as needed all incoming signals in order to fit the technology's native pixel grid. So upscaling in a receiver / DVD player isn't ever necessary. Whether it's desirable is basically a function of whether the video processing chip in the receiver/DVD does a better job with the signal than the one in the TV. It also depends if the TV will accept signals at it's native resolution; if it doesn't the TV might have to scale the signal anyway.

[Shankyz]

Originally Posted by trance_nut

Hi Guys,

Got myself a Panasonic PV80D, and am going through the break-in process. With the room lights switched off, i am able to notice slightly whitish bands on the top and bottom of the screen (similar to the black bands that are there in 16:9 mode) when switching channels. The screen goes totally black, but these whitish (not as black as the rest of the screen) is visible. On channels, they are not visible until its totally dark. Are there any issues with the TV?

The TV had been installed at 8 pm today. It has been on for an hour. I must have played the 16:9 format for 10-15 minutes, but there on i have zoomed in to remove the upper and lower bands and also the channel and dish tv logo.

Where did you buy it from and for how much? I'm planning to buy the same and want to know if the rates being given by Bangalore Chennai Dealers are matched by Delhi dealers too?

Existing Users: I'm also using Dish TV at home, so would these white bands be there for ever or they disappear after the Burn-in period? Pls provide feedback.

Thanks in advance

[jassi]

i think its important we understand the difference between burn-in period and showroom pieces coming with all sorts of image retention from displaying logos long term.

trance_nuts piece is a showroom piece and he is already in the process of screwing the showroom guys. IMHO stay away from big stores like ezone and all as it is very difficult to get them to take back an in-appropriately burnt-in showroom piece

[nemo]

Originally Posted by sj_koova

Are you like using DTH or cable with STB?
I had similar issue with Hathway STB sometime back. But things have improved recently. The white patches have gone all of a sudden and the picture quality also improved.
Few others from Bangalore reported same issue with Hathway.

same here, sj and i bought the TV at the same time and we had the same problem but mine after couple of months usage have disappeared and the picture quality is much better.

[trance_nut]

Shankyz,

I got it from E-Zone for 58K. Got a 6 % Gift Voucher on it (3400) and along with it have the option of picking up a Vaccum cleaner or a 18L microwave from Big Bazaar. Also got discount coupons for 10-15 stores and 2-3 eating places (most of them are in GIP).

My problem was not due to image retention. You would see image retention on a new plasma if you stick to a particular channel for sometime, and the channel logo/ticker is visible on the screen, but it goes away after switching channels.

In my case, the top and bottom bands are visible continuously, irrespective of switching channels/playing tv full screen etc.



Also, with the TV in AV mode, and the dish STB switched off, i could make out the words "Casino Royale" (yes, the bond movie) on the lower left corner of the screen, with the room lights turned off.

Originally Posted by Shankyz

Where did you buy it from and for how much? I'm planning to buy the same and want to know if the rates being given by Bangalore Chennai Dealers are matched by Delhi dealers too?

Existing Users: I'm also using Dish TV at home, so would these white bands be there for ever or they disappear after the Burn-in period? Pls provide feedback.

Thanks in advance

Current Status: Returned the TV to E-zone. Showed the pictures to the manger of the store. Initially he was a bit sceptical, but then agreed to the fact that it was a showroom used piece. He started clarifying, that he had also source it from someone else.
My new fresh TV would be delivered to me on Sunday
Have shot off a feedback email the E-zone management. Got the usual auto generated reply. I am going to follow it till the end though and make sure that they think twice before doing this again.

Originally Posted by jassi

i think its important we understand the difference between burn-in period and showroom pieces coming with all sorts of image retention from displaying logos long term.

trance_nuts piece is a showroom piece and he is already in the process of screwing the showroom guys. IMHO stay away from big stores like ezone and all as it is very difficult to get them to take back an in-appropriately burnt-in showroom piece

[jassi]

@trance_nut - its shockingly evident that its a used showroom display. Makes my blood boil as it reminds me of my incident, although mine had no such evidence of image rentention, just a few smudges I had laid on the showroom piece.
To others buying new displays, plasmas or lcds or infact any other large consumer electronic -
1) The missing startup factory settings are the biggest give away (as showroom guys forget to reset the same).
2) use ezones or large stores for your comparo, but buy from a decent small store who you can catch incase you realise they have delivered a showroom piece. The large chains mostly have employees who are least bothered about relationship building, have zero knowledge on the product and don't think twice before giving out showroom pieces (especially if you point out you don't want one !!). There maybe exceptions, but in general our large electronics chains have still not reached the professionalism seen in other developed countries (US, aussie, singapore, UK, etc)
3) when no one is looking place a marker (a couple of finger smudges, a pen mark, etc) on an inaccessible part of the system - some place it does not get cleaned easily. Noting down serial numbers may not always work as that takes longer and grabs sales man's attention and if they don't have stock they will give you a showroom piece from one of their other stores in the same city. If they are going to give you a showroom display piece - you might as well catch them.
4) Incase you get a showroom piece and that has happened 2 to 3 times with panny displays on this thread (first one being me), rush to the showroom immediately. Mostly you will see a blank hole in the wall from where they removed the showroom display or some other display in its place. The sooner you go, the lesser the time they have to cover up. Question them as to where the showroom display went and tell them clearly that you have been given a used product. Don't speak to salesmen, talk to the manager only.
5) Call the manufacturer helpline, detail the issue and ask for the area sales manager or distributors number. Mostly you will get it and the manufacturer's regional team/distributor will clearly tell you if an invoice has been raised with them - mostly it will not have been raised and they will have a clear idea as to how much stock is out there with a particular dealer. Mostly an invoice is raised to fill in for the showroom display later and you can catch that. The manufacturer's regional sales mgr will also be able to push the shopkeeper to replace asap (if its a small store or a brand store not ezone!!). In my case, I was able to get a new piece directly from distributor godown in less than 24hrs. Also a lot of manufacturer's provide NFR (not for resale) products exclusively for showrooms and these are not meant to be sold and if brought to notice, the manufacturer can take over your job of screwing the dealer :-P

Hope the above inputs are useful. Happy gadget shopping and a great 2009 to all

[ssingri]

Folks,
My PV8 setup at home. What you can see is:
1. Panasonic 42 PV8
2. Panasonic stereo amplifier (circa 1982)
3. Panasonic Tuner
4. Sony DVD Player
5. Morduant Short speakers

[jassi]

Originally Posted by ssingri

Folks,
My PV8 setup at home. What you can see is:
1. Panasonic 42 PV8
2. Panasonic stereo amplifier (circa 1982)
3. Panasonic Tuner
4. Sony DVD Player
5. Morduant Short speakers

and your shoes just kidding
thats a nice setup - all it needs now is a bluray player (or ps3) to get the best out of the pv8

[haril]

Originally Posted by appuchan

Why do you need an upscaling HT system when your TV does a good job of it? Also most of the new DVD players has an upscaling function. See the discussion in the link below and a quote.

Do I need a HDMI upscaling receiver? - AVS Forum

Originally Posted by appuchan

Why do you need an upscaling HT system when your TV does a good job of it? Also most of the new DVD players has an upscaling function. See the discussion in the link below and a quote.

Hmm yeah, like you said I guess there is some good upscaling happening since even my Tata sky signal is looking pretty good on the PV8. Sooooooooooooo much better than on a full HD Bravia

Right now I dont have a 5.1 receiver & speaker setup and thats why I was looking at the TZ315 since it also has a upscaling DVD player thrown in and costs below 17K. But it will upscale only DVDs played through it and does not have Video inputs that it can upscale. But then I guess Tata sky signals will get degraded if they are upscaled. Just my thoughts.

Also, I hooked up my old Philips DVD player via the Component (RGB) cables, adjusted the settings in the player to Progressive to get a 576p output and the picture quality was quite amazing. I could make out some difference from the usual composite signal. I can imagine what 720p and above will look like on the PV8. Has anyone upscaled SD DVDs to 720p / 1080p on the PV8 / PV80 via a player? Does it make a difference at all?

Overall I am really happy with my PV8 and its performance and I am glad I made this choice, thanks to you guys here.

Cheers
Hari

[nemo]

Isn't the TV mounted too high? you may develop a neck ache if you watch TV for extended hours, seated on a normal couch or a sofa.

The recommended mounting is in such a way that when seated you should look at the center of the screen - more or less

[appuchan]

For normal couches, it is recommended to install the TV with its bottom edge not higher than 30-36" from the floor. This is especially true for large screen TVs as the neck strain will be higher to reach the corners.

[ssingri]

Originally Posted by nemo

Isn't the TV mounted too high? you may develop a neck ache if you watch TV for extended hours, seated on a normal couch or a sofa.

The recommended mounting is in such a way that when seated you should look at the center of the screen - more or less

Nemo,
The mounting is as recomended; 30-36 inches off the ground. It is quite comfortable even when watching 3 hour movies at a go.

[mps_delhi]

Guys, I was chatting up the Pioneer salesman at the Ambience Mall Gurgaon (the Pioneer showroom is ready to open its doors on 15 January!). He was playing a downloaded .AVI DVD rip on a 50" Kuro PDP. I was more than impressed. Now, when I asked him about how Tata Sky will look on the Kuro, he told me that though Tata Sky signal is HD, the STB renders it in SD and the results should be as good or better than I was witnessing with the DVD rip. And, going forward, the only thing Tata Sky has to do to offer HD signal is to change your set top box (STB)! What this means (if true) is that with DTH competition becoming serious, we may actually have high(er) definition TV feeds sooner than later! Of course, since HD requires way more bandwidth than SD, the channel structure could be mixed and priced accordingly. Think of it, most still and video cameras today offer HD recording. Therefore, I should expect most studio equipment to certainly be full HD. In summary, while availability HD content may not be a problem, business reasons might certainly make us wait longer!

Originally Posted by zenx

There are no HD feeds in India right now. Digital feeds are being tranmitted a little better (both TataSky and the Hathway STB are comparable) but even the programming is not shot in 4:3. HD feeds are a very tiny market worldwide.

At a decent distance, the digital feeds do seem ok.