Buzzing Panasonic G30

Rethep

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My tv (1 week) has started to buzz louder than before, it seems. At least i notice since 2 days.

1st let's conclude it should not do this at all! But i could reduce the sound by putting a piece of board covered with a cloth, behind the tv, against the wall. Mine is put on a stand so there is 20 cm of space left behind it. This seems to reduce resonance of the sound between tv and wall to a fair amount. With sound of the tv turned off it is hardly audible now.

Can other people please tell if their tv-buzzing, changes in time (more or less) or even goes away totally ? I still could return mine within a week but since all (plasma)tv's have some kind of issue, i doubt doing this. Maybe i get a replaced one with a worse problem. All other things like PQ are very much o.k.! Please no complait-stories about how you have been treated by shops and Panasonic, just matter of fact things about the "buzzing".

Thank you!
 

Oldboy

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Rethep,

I had two faulty GT30's before i got a good one and one of those went back because of excessive buzzing coming from the tv, it was very loud and the tv speakers were unable to drown it out under normal volume levels, i even started a thread about it:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/tvs-and-projectors/loud-buzzing-from-42gt30

From the info i got from Panasonic when i spoke to them they assured me that if the buzzing is still audible when the tv is at 1/3rd volume then there is a good chance the tv has a fault, when i done a bit of research it would seem that the common reasons for the buzzing lie with the power supply or transformer.

I simply couldn't live with the buzzing as it sounded like a wasp in a tin can and was difficult to drown out even with the surround speakers on, it just killed any atmosphere when a movie got quiet as the buzzing was the dominant sound in the room. You must expect a certain ammount of noise from a plasma tv but if it drowns out the tvs own speakers and ruins movie viewing then it's faulty and should be replaced by the retailer.

Probably not the news you wanted to hear about your new tv but it's better to replace it now than regret it later on, just to let you know, the replacement i received is much better and all you can hear is the fans running occasionally and as that is a very low level hum it's not annoying and i hardly ever notice it so have no fears about returning yours as i'm sure a replacement will be much better.

Oldboy.
 

Rethep

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Thanks for your replies!

I think the buzzing is soft but really clearly audible when the sound of the speakers is muted, and i am 2 to 2,5 m. from the tv.. The biggest problem is that it varies in time. It does not really spoil the experience with sound "on". But as a hifi-enthusiast too, i notice it. And i like movies with (dead)silent parts! "Unfortunately" i do not like loud tv's, so i listen at level 20 to 25 out of 100. I consider 30 as already loud. I must say it is almost unaudible when i have my head in front of the screen, in the centre, with my ear almost to it! So most of it comes from refections between tv and wall.

I am curious if it could disappear (anyone any experience with it ?). As a technician (too!) i know it is about a coil (in the power-supply), and sometimes dependent of temperature. I saw even videos on "YouTube", with people "repairing" their tv. As it is mechanical it could worsen over time of course.

I think it is indeed a good advice to inform my dealer! And i will keep an "ear" on the problem. I am kinda afraid to get a replacement with picture-issues e.g..
 

Oldboy

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Only you can judge if the buzzing is acceptable or not but all plasmas will exhibit some noise it's just a case of if that noise is excessive or not, to me, that should be judged by the level you normally listen to the tv and if it's clearly audible then it's an indication of a potential issue.

You have to remember that the tv is brand new so you are within your rights to return it for a replacement but i can understand your reluctance to do so as i can testify that the 3 GT30's i have received have all been of varying quality, i had picture faults with the first one with an ugly shadowy line down the left hand side of the screen and the 2nd with the excessive buzzing but thankfully it's 3rd time lucky.

My advice would be to think about just how much of an issue the buzzing is and if you think it's within tolerance to you personally, if not, then talk to your retailer about perhaps exchanging the tv.

Either way i hope you get the issue resolved quickly.

Best regards,

Oldboy.
 

CnoEvil

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My previous Pioneer 42" HD Ready TV buzzed loud enough for me to query it, but was within acceptable limits (apparantly). The buzz got louder when the screen displayed brighter colours (white/yellow). It wasn't a big issue unless the volume was set very low.

I now have a 9th gen Kuro (60"), which is a lot quieter.....but still makes a faint hum, which can only be heard if within 1m of it and nothing else is on. Logically it should be noisier due to the screen size, so I don't know if this is down to individual set characteristics, or improvements in later models.
 
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Rethep said:
Thanks for your replies!

I think the buzzing is soft but really clearly audible when the sound of the speakers is muted, and i am 2 to 2,5 m. from the tv.. The biggest problem is that it varies in time. It does not really spoil the experience with sound "on". But as a hifi-enthusiast too, i notice it. And i like movies with (dead)silent parts! "Unfortunately" i do not like loud tv's, so i listen at level 20 to 25 out of 100. I consider 30 as already loud. I must say it is almost unaudible when i have my head in front of the screen, in the centre, with my ear almost to it! So most of it comes from refections between tv and wall.

I am curious if it could disappear (anyone any experience with it ?). As a technician (too!) i know it is about a coil (in the power-supply), and sometimes dependent of temperature. I saw even videos on "YouTube", with people "repairing" their tv. As it is mechanical it could worsen over time of course.

I think it is indeed a good advice to inform my dealer! And i will keep an "ear" on the problem. I am kinda afraid to get a replacement with picture-issues e.g..

Hi

With my Pioneer TV if you press home menu, there is a power control option and there are three different energy save modes, now I've been switching between the three and on the mode 2 (which consumes less power than the other two), the panel definitely makes less noise than on the other two. I've not checked buzzing wise though - only clicks and stuff, now I can't remember if the Panasonic TVs have this option or not, but could be worth a check and experimenting if it does.
 

Oldboy

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Yes Gel they do, of sorts.

There is an eco navigation mode which automatically sets the tv to operate in the most energy saving mode BUT that sets C.A.T.S. on (which uses a sensor to adjust PQ in your room) which is not good and sets auto stanby functions on plus it turns power save on. It's much better to just turn on the power save function from the other settings menu in the setup menu and then set the auto standby features as you want them maually to avoid having C.A.T.S. activated...it just destroys PQ.
 

Rethep

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After all i think the buzzing is to less of an issue, and i am very busy too, so i will leave it like this and enjoy the beatiful picture quality (still not calibrated) and ease of image. Thanks everyone!
 

Rethep

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I still have not found good calibrating material. The site with free material, which some people seem to refer to, gives error messages or the download is not present. Any clues ?
 

Rethep

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Thanks Big Boss, but:

Reviews say it is not an easy step by step guide and i'm not a professional nor want to be one. And i have not a Blue-Ray player yet. Any other hints ?
 
A

Anonymous

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Rethep said:
After all it seems i made a good choice. The "What hifi" review confirms it! It still feels good to have bought this t.v.!

I bought one and thought the picture was poor, so much so i returned it and swapped it for a TX-L4230E which has a far superior picture on all formats imo. I am wondering though if mine had a picture fault of some kind, although the guys at Richers seemed to think not. Either way, there seems to be some problems with the Panny Plasmas.

If the buzzing is bothering you that much and you can't relax when watching the tv due to it, i think you should consider returning it . It does sound like a fault as the one i had did not buzz at all. Do you listen to the tv using the tv speakers or surround speakers? Does the tv still buzz with the tv speakers volume turned down?
 

Rethep

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Sorry, "Fraz1", but the buzz-problem has already been adressed as not a real problem! I have to concentrate on it to become aware of it. But also then does the noise of traffic, the children from the neighbousr and the piano from the other neighbours.

The picture quality is very good to me, only a little to green to my taste as they say in the review. So i need to calibrate.

Still anyone with free, working, suggestions ? Thanks!
 
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Anonymous

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Rethep said:
Sorry, "Fraz1", but the buzz-problem has already been adressed as not a real problem! I have to concentrate on it to become aware of it. But also then does the noise of traffic, the children from the neighbousr and the piano from the other neighbours.

The picture quality is very good to me, only a little to green to my taste as they say in the review. So i need to calibrate.

Still anyone with free, working, suggestions ? Thanks!

I found the picture to be far too dim with washed out whites on every setting but THX. THX is bright enough but everything then has a brown tone introduced to it ( which is what hi fi referred to as "murky") ,the whites turn to cream and you can't calibrate on THX mode in this years G range Plasmas! ( a major step backwards considering how the picture looks out of the box) My 3 year old 37 inch Panasonic plasma had a better picture. Brighter picture and more accurate colours with strong whites that this years g range plasmas cannot match.You should check out the Which ? review. It sounds like what hi fi? and which? have reviewed 2 different tv's! Sorry, i know this does not help you with calibration but I was just so disappointed with the g range plasma I bought. Panasonic seem to have gone backwards with their 2D plasmas this year.
 

Rethep

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Of course 2 tv's could differ a lot, and that's no good thing for a brand anyway.

I do not like bright pictures. I ususally only watch tv at night and am enjoying it. Only the callibrating.

I don't know why i should use THX. I want 1 setting for everything! So no "cinema" "sports" or "THX" settings.
 

Oldboy

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Rethep,

When it comes to calibration i presume you do have a standard dvd player??

Without an optical disc source it will be very difficult to get accurate results so you will need either a normal dvd player or a blu ray player and if you have neither then you will be a bit stuck i'm afraid, if you have or can borrow a dvd player all is not lost and a few options are open to you.

You can use a standard THX dvd that has the THX calibration tool on it such as Star Wars but there are alot of others (full list at THX.com) and you may find you already own one or know someone who does or you can google AVS HD 709 and burn the free tool to dvd but be sure to read the instructions thoroughly before you copy it as you need to get the correct codec for a dvd player or bluray player.

Do bear in mind though that both of these options require you to have a pair of THX glasses or some sort of blue filter to adjust the colours correctly or if you are lucky then the tv will have a blue mode which is meant for this process, i'm pretty sure your G30 won't have this as my GT30 doesn't so it may pay you to invest the small sum required to get a pair of THX glasses...about $10 i think.

If you have to calibrate by eye then you will never get the correct brightness, contrast, colour etc but you can of course calibrate to your own taste and just get to a place where you are happy with the image but to get the best results you do need some sort of player and a calibration disc.

Hope that is of some help to you,

Best regards.
 

Rethep

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I have a DVD-player which is not very good. But today i bought my 1st Blue-ray disc ("Once upon a time in the west", which is my alltime favorite movie!), and tomorrow i wiill buy a Blue-ray-player. The Blue-ray disc says nothing about "THX".

I don't know anything about THX glasses, nor do i know what THX means exactly. I have heard i can not calibrate "THX" on my tv anyway ?! I know something about blue-filters (because my profession is lightdesigner in the theatre) but i do not know if you mean something like that. I do want to have it professionally calibrated in the end.

Tanks for helping so far!
 

Clare Newsome

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Lots more information on THX optimisation in our How To blog here

Professional calibration will, of course, take your set to the best point it can get in your room, but using THX calibration yourself will reap great rewards over out-of-box settings or pre-set modes.

On the latter note, don't confuse your TV having a 'THX mode' with running the THX set-up - the two are not the same....

Finally, don't be afraid to tweak your setting further once you have gone through the THX procedure - you're aiming for a picture that looks brilliant to you, and suits the sources you are using.
 

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