Panasonic TX-P42X10B picture flicker

[admin_exported]

We have just replaced our lovely 100Hz Loewe Aconda 32in CRT (went bang last week) with the Panasonic TX-P42X10B after reading the review and having a good look at one in the local Currys. We wanted a cheapish set we could move upstairs when we decide on a more expensive model to hang on the wall when we redecorate.

Now we have it I seem to have a big issue with it and it is giving me terrible eye-strain. We have been watching Sky normal def and playing XBOX 360 at 720P.

I describe it as a flicker and my other half says it's a wobble, but there seems to be some constant picture instability. When the camera is still (or the image is paused) there is a flicker, but when there is camera movement I just can't focus on the set at all and I feel queezy.

Is there somethig wrong with me? Is it just a faulty set (we got it online from Dixons) .

My Brother has a 42 inch Panasonic plasma TH-42PZ85B and I can't remember having an issue with it when I went round to have a look and play some games (though it was a very sunny day and the room was very bright).

Any comments please.....

 

[aliEnRIK]

Not sure whats causing the flicker but id recommend switching off ALL digital procesing and see how it is then (DNR, Contrast enhance etc). My Pioneer has them all off and looks awesome for it

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your suggestions.

Maybe flicker is the wrong word - it is quite difficult to quantify. There is just a fatigue-inducing effect during all viewing.

I have tried all settings on both live tv and XBOX 360, but this issue is not getting any better and this morning I have a migraine. This model does not seem to have many settings for processing (I have turned off noise reduction and everything else is set to normal).

Yesterday I noticed that some of the graphics on the F1 coverage were particularly terrible. Where they use 3D graphics to show the grid postion - the camera (or virtual camera) moves forward into the start grid. The cars have a floating sign with the driver and time on. As this reaches the outer quarter of the screen it becomes totally unreadable and dances back and forth before going off the edge of the screen - surely this is not right?!? It is quite horrible to watch. The more angle there is to this panning writing, the worse it is.

Does this TV have a fault or does it have terrible processing issues?

Today I will have to contact the supplier as either way I cannot live with it and I feel quite poorly.

 

[Anonymous]

Please see this on Youtube (someone else is getting headaches from this model).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmWAAd4syM

 

[aliEnRIK]

Badamz:

Please see this on Youtube (someone else is getting headaches from this model).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmWAAd4syM

Thats surely broken in some way!!

 

[Anonymous]

turn on the 100hz

 

[Anonymous]

I think it must be a fault - we certainly can't live with this (regardless of the price of the set - OK it is no Pioneer, but it should be viewable!).

I can't see any way to turn the 100Hz processing on or off (there are very few settings on this model). I had thought of this, but cannot find anything relating to this being an option, either in the manual or via the remote.

I very much appreciate your input - I did think we were going a bid mad! It was nice to find someone on Youtube who had a similar feeling (pain in the grey matter!).

 

[Anonymous]

menu , setup , refresh rate , 100hz . http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/Products/VIERA+Flat+Screen+Televisions/Plasma+TVs/TX-P42X10/2078874/index.html

 

[Anonymous]

when you go into setup you may need to scroll down to find refresh rate , if that isnt set to 100hz then thats the problem ...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Maxflinn.

I have gone through every menu, but if there is a refresh rate setting - I cannot locate it.

Menu Button > 1 Picture 2 Sound 3 Setup

'Picture' menu has no refresh rate setting (scrolled all the way).

Setup > 1 Off Timer 2 Link Settings 3 Child Lock 4 Display Settings 5 System Menu 6 Other Settings

Neither 'Display Settings' or any of the others have refresh rate (and none scroll around like the Picture Menu).

Thanks for trying to walk me through this (I am quite willing to consider my own stupidity is the cause of this). Maybe other Panas' have more settings on the same Menu system - this model is at the bottom of the range and seems to lack these adjustments (I was a little surprised that there was no motion adjustment either).

I cannot find any reference to 'refresh rate' in the manual either. I do know a bit about this stuff (studied electronics) and we own numerous PCs and AV equipement (and our CRT was 100 Hz). I wish I COULD find a refresh setting! All the menu steps are shown in graphical flow-chart form, so if I am missing it, it really is my eyes that are the problem!

Keep the suggestions coming if you have any - I don't mind being told I'm wrong - this is exactly why I posted this matter on here.

Cheers again.

 

[professorhat]

Have also gone through the manual - can't see any setting for changing the refresh rate. If you're getting the same as in that YouTube video on normal TV, I think it must be a fault so would recommend going back to the dealer.

 

[Anonymous]

TX-P42X10 , i dont know if this is the same as your model , there is no b on the end , however im sure every panny plasma has 100hz or as they call it , double scan , my own panny has it , and if i set it to 50hz it flickers like mad , maybe this is not the problem with your set but if you could find the refresh rate at least you could eliminate it as the problem ...

 

[Anonymous]

this link is to a video review of your tv , it definately has 100hz , although it doesnt say if you can access it to turn on or off , have a look http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.trustedreviews.com%2Fvideo%2FPanasonic-Viera-TX-P42X10B-42in-Plasma-TV&ei=CNSTSoH3B4_3-AaIrY3zDQ&usg=AFQjCNEtrDhr_hCP54zZXiAEEVLk1WtaXA&sig2=F_SskD68LBDNRFCdwHlWDA

 

[professorhat]

Yup, the TV definitely has 100Hz Double Scan (this is highlighted as the beginning of the manual) but there's no option in the settings to switch this to 50Hz that I can see.

 

[Anonymous]

Not sure about the lack of 'B' on the model, but I really cannot find a refresh rate setting. We are contacting Dixons today - we missed their closing time yesterday. I expect they will send someone out. The guy on Youtube (he responded to a message I sent him) took his back to Currys and they said it had no fault! He persisted and got an S10 instead (£100 odd more). He seems happy with that. The funny thing was his wife could not see anything wrong with the X10. Other members of his family agreed it was terrible and made them feel ill.

I have a good selection of recorded clips that show how intolerable it is to view, so I won't accept it is not faulty. It is cetainly not as described. Quote from Dixons webpage:

"With 100HZ Double Scan, a 0.001 Response time and Panasonic's Intelligent Frame Creation, picture reproduction of moving images are smooth and flicker free"

No they are not.

When someone comes, I will ask about the refresh rate settings though. Thanks for all your insight.

 

[Anonymous]

Badamz:

Not sure about the lack of 'B' on the model, but I really cannot find a refresh rate setting. We are contacting Dixons today - we missed their closing time yesterday. I expect they will send someone out. The guy on Youtube (he responded to a message I sent him) took his back to Currys and they said it had no fault! He persisted and got an S10 instead (£100 odd more). He seems happy with that. The funny thing was his wife could not see anything wrong with the X10. Other members of his family agreed it was terrible and made them feel ill.

I have a good selection of recorded clips that show how intolerable it is to view, so I won't accept it is not faulty. It is cetainly not as described. Quote from Dixons webpage:

"With 100HZ Double Scan, a 0.001 Response time and Panasonic's Intelligent Frame Creation, picture reproduction of moving images are smooth and flicker free"

No they are not.

When someone comes, I will ask about the refresh rate settings though. Thanks for all your insight.
The X10 doesnt have IFC (intelligent Frame Creation), but it does display 50Hz broadcasts at 100Hz (double scan rate) and there is no option to switch it on/off.

 

[Anonymous]

Badamz:

Please see this on Youtube (someone else is getting headaches from this model).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmWAAd4syM
That could be down to the way the PC has fed the internet picture to the TV. Does your TV do this whilst watching a DVD or Freeview??

 

[Anonymous]

Hi rewerb, yes I did consider the influence putting a clip like that on a PC (or indeed the recording process itself) might have on the footage. Its just the guy who put the clip up talks about a flicker, headaches and the fact he has replaced it with an S10 model that seems fine and does not make him chuck. We have exchanged emails on the subject after I found his upload. He was very helpful.

It is not just a flicker (with ours). Motion is horrible and never seems to lock/focus. Sky (normal def), DVD & Xbox 360 (at 720P) all induce a discomfort. It was hard to work out what was wrong for days.

Last night we watched Coast on BBC 2 which looked stunning (Norway). The picture is fantastic - at £555.90 it is brilliant, but as soon as there is camera motion, there is this loss of image integrity and (for me) a sense of nausea. My other half also described the yellow bar on Sky News (with latest news moving right to left in text) as sicky feeling.

It looks fantastic on the XBOX. I have had Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts on and it looks amazing - detail, colour - then you move left or right (or pan the camera) and it's headache time straight away. If you don't pan or turn it is a brilliant picture, but there is a flicker or strobe effect and this is fatiguing - and makes the motion seem so much the harder to bare. I think they are part of the same porblem. Either this model has characteristics that some people find intolerable - and that is the right word (My eyes are still sore) or this set has a fault.

We contacted Dixons last night. They took us through a lengthy process that ended with the assumption we wanted a replacement. We don't as I am not certain another one would be any better (I hope there are 'perfect' sets out there - it has great reviews after all). When we said we wanted a refund she gave us a customer number & a Currys phone number. My girlfriend has phoned them this morn, they say it is accepted as faulty and they will refund us our money and arrange collection. Nobody has seen the set.

If anybody out there has a set that is OK, I am more than happy for you. It seemed like such a bargain. I don't really know what to go for as a replacment now. It was to be our second tv upstaits as we were thinking about getting a Philips Essence 42PES0001 to put on the wall in our living room. Maybe a replacement would be OK, but we just don't want the risk and hassle.

Cheers to everyone who has read my drivel. I am glad I signed up to use the forum as I could see there were some helpful people already on here.

 

[seasiders rock]

we have the same set, bought sunday 23/08/09.. sitting here watching planet earth in h/d 720p from our bt vision box.

no issues with the picture what so ever, be it from a philips dvd player upscaled,ÿ tvonics pvr rgb,ÿ or from the vision box.

we had a 3 year old panny plasma TH37 PE50B non hd, the difference in picture quality is huge.

sounds like you have a duff set....

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Seasiders Rock.

Glad you are happy with your set and you don't have a problem. We are getting a refund and Currys/Dixons are collecting the set. I still don't know if it is faulty or has foibles (and every LCD or plasma has those) that we are sensitive too. I really honestly don't know, therefore I did not want to risk a replacment. As I have said, the picture quality in every other sense is great - games look magical and a good TV picture (ie. not a low bitrate transmission) is very rewarding. I do not want you to you think I am having a go at Panasonic plasmas. My brother already has a 42 (a pricier model from the last range) and I really liked that. We don't all have £2000 for a 50inch Pioneer (or indeed the room or desire).

If I did not have eye-strain and headaches (and this unceasing sense that the motion is unfocussed (and I now have several clips that clearly demonstrate this)) I would be on this forum telling everybody what a 42 inch bargain it is.

Maybe a fault-free set is this bargain, but Panasonic have not even replied to my email. If they do I will update this thread, because I am honest!

We now don't know what to buy. My eyes need a rest anyway.

My brother has an older Panasonic 37inch (2006), don't know what model, but it was certainly way inferior (gloomy, blurry scaling of normal def TV and stepped greyscale reproduction) and I can see (as you don't have a headache or nausea) that you would be a lot happier with your new set.

Please enjoy many viewing hours with it (should the planets align correctly and there actually be something good on!).

Thanks for your comment - nice to hear from another owner of the same model. This forum has been very useful.

 

[Anonymous]

I am as I say honest. I have had a rather pointless reply from Panasonic. They say they cannot comment on an individual set without seeing it and I should get it looked at. They say this will cost if it is out of warranty - a brand new model and I said I just bought it. How could it be out of warranty? Standard emails.

Just a generic reply with no real sense they read my inquiry. Not impressed with Panasonic or their current tellies (I have been checking out my model in shops as well as S's and G's - they all seem to suffer from something in the moption department that I am sensitive too. Perhaps plasmas are not the TV for me - the best ones are gone soon anyway).

It's an LCD for us (debating which). Dixons are picking this set up on Tuesday and we are having our money back.

Just wanted everyone to know that Panasonic UK did reply to my email. Not of any use to me though.

 

[Anonymous]

I had a very minor issue with my panasonic plasma and I emailed them and got exactly the same response (including the warning about cost for out of warranty sets - the model i bought hadn't been out for more than a month at the most).

Their standard email reply was useless. Poor customer service from panasonic!

 

[Anonymous]

Are there many manufacturers out there who care much beyond taking our money?

I did once complain to Toshiba about my Mother's DVDs death after a year and half (12 month warranty) and they did send her a new one (I mentioned the fact UK consumer law states things should last a reasonable amount of time). Never dealt with Panasonic before this though.

 

[Anonymous]

Yesterday a neighbour I don't know told me he saw the TX-P42X10B in question being delivered by Currys the other week. He said one of the gormless fools just pushed it off the back off the van on to the power loader (a drop of about a foot he said). What does a drop like that do to a Plasma TV? Doesn't stop it working, just makes it unviewable.

Mystery Solved?

 

[Anonymous]

iv had a read at all you've had to say, the B stands for british on the panasonic modles, there txl19x10bw is there white tv, (this is an educated guess)

You can't turn there 100Hz off like you can some tv's (LG and Sharp) ect.

Is the flickering on still images??? and when the picture pans left to right, up to down???

how close are you sitting to the panel?

panasonic panels are very tuff, there screen can take an impact of about 4jules (spelt wrong probably) but its not nice to hear you tv was dropped

the advice id give is make dixons/currys take the tv back if your not happy and go and speak to your local electrical independent dealer, no disrespect to the big boys but some times they dont always know what there talking about.