Plasma Image Retention Opinions Required

[strapped for cash]

Phoned today and they have logged it with engineers to contact me to pick up my set and look into the issue. Purchased my TV from a local electrical retailer that I brought my old one from as well

Glad there's some progress.

What you're describing doesn't sound normal and in my view you have a TV with a clear defect.

The retailer has acknowledged the problem and is taking action, so hopefully this is the first step toward getting things sorted.

I felt a lot happier after speaking to John Lewis about my GT50. Rather than worrying, I know where I stand and that I have options further down the line.

 

[Oldboy]

rocketrazor,

It's good to hear your retailer is going to look at your set, I just hope the engineers are better than the bunch of monkeys that looked at my GT30 as their only answer was to replace the panel and do nothing else which I suspected at the time was an attempt to make the most amount of money they could from the repair rather than look into the underlying cause of my issues. I was even told that was all they would do and that if that didn't solve the issue then nothing would...as I said earlier...monkeys at best!

I for one will be very interested to hear what your engineers say about the issue when it gets looked at as it sounds like the exact issue I had with my GT30, it's uncanny the issues you are describing as it matches like for like for the issues I had so I'm hoping some answers may come to light from your engineer.

Keep the thread updated with how you get on and I look forward to hearing the outcome, in the meantime I wish you all the best and hope your issues are sorted out quickly and to your satisfaction.

 

[rocketrazor]

rocketrazor,

It's good to hear your retailer is going to look at your set, I just hope the engineers are better than the bunch of monkeys that looked at my GT30 as their only answer was to replace the panel and do nothing else which I suspected at the time was an attempt to make the most amount of money they could from the repair rather than look into the underlying cause of my issues. I was even told that was all they would do and that if that didn't solve the issue then nothing would...as I said earlier...monkeys at best!

I for one will be very interested to hear what your engineers say about the issue when it gets looked at as it sounds like the exact issue I had with my GT30, it's uncanny the issues you are describing as it matches like for like for the issues I had so I'm hoping some answers may come to light from your engineer.

Keep the thread updated with how you get on and I look forward to hearing the outcome, in the meantime I wish you all the best and hope your issues are sorted out quickly and to your satisfaction.

Cheers buddy, I'll keep you posted and let you know the outcome, might answer a few questions for a few of us

 

[strapped for cash]

Panasonic's recent lack of real world form is another reason I'm contemplating a 50" Samsung F8500 plasma, if the price is right and it's as good as the marketing suggests.

The Samsung could be a good shout Strapped, I wonder how much it'll cost? Any idea at all?

Since it's another proclaimed "Kuro killer" and a rival for the ZT65, I'm guessing upward of £2,000 for the 51". At least it's available in a more affordable size, which is one of the attractions for me.

We'll have to wait and see, but if it's as good as the marketing claims and not absurdly expensive, the F8500 will certainly be on my shortlist if my third GT50 isn't a keeper.

I've had a look around. The F8500 is due for release some time in March. According to discussion on AVS Forums, the US price for the 51" is $2,200 (approx £1,450 at the current exchange rate). Working on the basis that we usually get shafted in the UK, £1,600-1700 might be a fair bet.

If it's a genuine Kuro killer and free from obvious problems, it may well be my next TV, unless the GT50 delivered tomorrow is DSE free. That reminds me, I need to pack up the old TV, probably after I'm done getting irritated by Question Time...

 

[rocketrazor]

Oh boy, just goggled 'panasonic gt50 image retention' get some very interesting discussion, one review stating IR is an issue and another stating out of three TV's it came last in the IR test :wall:

 

[Alantiggger]

My GT50 is around 2 months old. IR raised it's ugly head a few weeks ago, and I had to run the scrolling bar through the night, then watch tv normally for another day before it finally went.

I'd only been watching Sky Sports for around an hour, then I got the problem. Since then, I've lowered the contrast and brightness further,and any channel with a bold logo is either avoided, or in the case of sport, I zoom the picture in until the logo has gone. I've stated on another thread that I am only prepared to do this until the end of March, then it's back to some normal viewing. If the problem resurfaces, I'll be straight on to John Lewis and tell them that I consider the tv faulty.

It seems ridiculous to me that after paying a grand for a highly regarded tv, I have to resort to such drastic measures to avoid damaging the screen,

It sounds like you've been sensible with your settings, so there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to watch tv without fear of IR.

If I was you, I'd do exactly what Strapped For Cash said, contact your retailer, and if it's under 6 months that you've had the tv, push for at least a replacement.

Or.... buy a Samsung

 

[rocketrazor]

Tv gone to the menders now ray: although they loaded it into the van upside down. Is this ok or should a Plasma stay upright, I know flat isn't good but what about upside down:?

 

[strapped for cash]

Tv gone to the menders now ray: although they loaded it into the van upside down. Is this ok or should a Plasma stay upright, I know flat isn't good but what about upside down:?

It's probably not ideal, since instructions on the box state that the panel should be transported upright. The main concern is the glass breaking rather than anything going seriously wrong with internal components.

The TV's now in the engineer's care, so it's not your responsibility. Maybe they'll break it and you can get a replacement or refund.

Did the engineer give any indication of what work would be completed? In my view, things would only improve on the IR front if the panel is replaced.

 

[rocketrazor]

Tv gone to the menders now ray: although they loaded it into the van upside down. Is this ok or should a Plasma stay upright, I know flat isn't good but what about upside down:?

Tv gone to the menders now ray: although they loaded it into the van upside down. Is this ok or should a Plasma stay upright, I know flat isn't good but what about upside down:?

It's probably not ideal, since instructions on the box state that the panel should be transported upright. The main concern is the glass breaking rather than anything going seriously wrong with internal components.

The TV's now in the engineer's care, so it's not your responsibility. Maybe they'll break it and you can get a replacement or refund.

Did the engineer give any indication of what work would be completed? In my view, things would only improve on the IR front if the panel is replaced.

I wasn't sure about the gases inside, which is why I thought you weren't supposed to lay them flat.

The engineer said it might need a replacement panel, and I showed them the line bleed which they said may be a processing component fault? I'll wait and see and keep you posted. I'm hopeful it can be repaired, don't really want the hassel of running in another TV and other than those its a great TV. I can live with the little dse I had, just not the IR and bleeding, they were driving me insane

 

[Oldboy]

Tv gone to the menders now ray: although they loaded it into the van upside down. Is this ok or should a Plasma stay upright, I know flat isn't good but what about upside down:?

Tv gone to the menders now ray: although they loaded it into the van upside down. Is this ok or should a Plasma stay upright, I know flat isn't good but what about upside down:?

It's probably not ideal, since instructions on the box state that the panel should be transported upright. The main concern is the glass breaking rather than anything going seriously wrong with internal components.

The TV's now in the engineer's care, so it's not your responsibility. Maybe they'll break it and you can get a replacement or refund.

Did the engineer give any indication of what work would be completed? In my view, things would only improve on the IR front if the panel is replaced.

I wasn't sure about the gases inside, which is why I thought you weren't supposed to lay them flat.

The engineer said it might need a replacement panel, and I showed them the line bleed which they said may be a processing component fault? I'll wait and see and keep you posted. I'm hopeful it can be repaired, don't really want the hassel of running in another TV and other than those its a great TV. I can live with the little dse I had, just not the IR and bleeding, they were driving me insane

Good news that it's gone for repair but it's not the best of starts if they don't know how to transport a plasma tv, I would be concerned for sure but as strapped says it's no longer your responsibility so they are liable for any damage caused in transport or during repair so no need to worry. There is no worries about the gases in the tv during transport, it's more about the glass panel which is prone to breakages when transported incorrectly as strapped pointed out.

It's worth me mentioning that when my panel was replaced on my GT30 the IR and cloud issue was still present as soon as I turned it on with no sign of any diminishing of the effects so unless you see an instant improvement then the issue isn't solved. If the panel is replaced obviously you will need to run it in again at lowered levels or just keep it on normal settings (whichever you prefer) but you should see an instant improvement when it comes to the IR no matter what picture mode you run or the levels of contrast and brightness.

Fingers crossed they can identify and solve your issues and that you get the GT50 back soon, any idea how long it will take?? I was quoted 2-3 weeks when my GT30 went away and it ended up being just over 3 weeks so I hope you get a speedier service than that.

 

[rocketrazor]

Hi oldboy,

I've been quoted a week to two weeks depending on the outcome of initial diagnostics.

Bit of a pain if they replace the screen and I have to run it in again, oh well I just hope they fix it and I get a non IR and bleed screen back. Interesting to here that you still saw the issue straight away with a new panel, I wonder what was causing your issue if its not the panel?

 

[Oldboy]

Fingers crossed you get it back within two weeks then and that you get a far better diagnosis than I did.

I have no idea what was causing the issue with my GT30 to this day as the company that dealt with it were very poor and communication wasn't their strength, I had the green blob issue with my GT30 too but had to go through Panasonic to get that rectified and that was a far better experience with the company that came to do the update simply brilliant in comparison...wish it was them that looked at my issues.

I remain convinced that it was some issue with components and not related to the screen atall, when the tv came back I was in a rush and didn't have time to look at it due to needing to get back to work but that evening the problems were immediately apparent, exactly what the issue was or what components could be the culprit I don't know as my knowledge is quite limited so I will leave others to speculate.

I just hope that you don't have a similar experience and that if the panel is replaced it solves your issues, it could be the two issues are unrelated and that your issues are easily solved...got my fingers crossed for you ray:

 

[rocketrazor]

Should be getting my TV back early next week :bounce:

Engineers confirmed issue's found and fixed.

Issue 1 (IR). Voltage settings to high on the TV, engineers amended and they advise all is working fine now

Issue 2 (Bleed). Apparently I had corrupt firmware on the TV (I hadn't amended it since it was delivered which meant it must have been corrupt when it left the factory )

Obviously until I can give it a good test I won't be able to confirm if it is all fine and dandy again but my fingers are crossed for this ray:

Whats more the engineers advised that after discussion with Panasonic they were fully aware of the issue on this model as its a common problem! Shame Panasonic didn't share that info with me when I contacted them |(

I'll keep you posted and let you know the outcome once it is back in its rightfully place on my stand

 

[strapped for cash]

Should be getting my TV back early next week :bounce:

Engineers confirmed issue's found and fixed.

Issue 1 (IR). Voltage settings to high on the TV, engineers amended and they advise all is working fine now

Issue 2 (Bleed). Apparently I had corrupt firmware on the TV (I hadn't amended it since it was delivered which meant it must have been corrupt when it left the factory )

Obviously until I can give it a good test I won't be able to confirm if it is all fine and dandy again but my fingers are crossed for this ray:

Whats more the engineers advised that after discussion with Panasonic they were fully aware of the issue on this model as its a common problem! Shame Panasonic didn't share that info with me when I contacted them |(

I'll keep you posted and let you know the outcome once it is back in its rightfully place on my stand

Sound like progress!

Did you have problems with vertical bands/DSE? If so, did the engineer have anything to say about this?

Thanks mate.

 

[rocketrazor]

I had a few issues with DSE but nothing drastic, it's only there if I actually looked for it and it didn't actually have any effect on my viewing (if you get what I mean). I didn't mention it to the engineers when they picked up the TV. Will see what its like when it returns though and see if its better or worse. Didn't have any Vertical bands before, hopefully I won't when it comes back either!

 

[strapped for cash]

I had a few issues with DSE but nothing drastic, it's only there if I actually looked for it and it didn't actually have any effect on my viewing (if you get what I mean). I didn't mention it to the engineers when they picked up the TV. Will see what its like when it returns though and see if its better or worse. Didn't have any Vertical bands before, hopefully I won't when it comes back either!

Thanks Rocketrazor,

Just to clarify, by DSE I mean vertical bands that appear on the right of the screen when uniform colours are displayed. These become more prominent during camera pans. So, if you're watching football, for instance, the right side of the screen breaks up into lighter and darker bands of green. On the three GT50s I've owned, I've had between five and seven stripes that became more noticeable as the TVs bedded in.

If there's no evidence of this on your TV, and the IR and line bleed problems are genuinely fixed, I'd say you've landed one of those rare GT50s that are worth hanging on to (even if getting to this point was far from painless).

 

[rocketrazor]

So i've had the TV a couple of days now and the IR issue seems to be resolved at present, played Fifa the last few nights and no long term IR present :dance:

Sadly the same can't be said for the line bleed issue |( It's still a problem and one I'm sure I didn't have when the TV first arrived. I've called the engineers back about it and am waiting a response as a firmware updated didn't resolve the issue. Will keep you guys posted

 

[rocketrazor]

Latest update on my TV saga, new screen being ordered to try and sort out my bleed issue, hopefully I wont get DSE once it arrives back, esp as I didn't have it when it went!

Next update once I get it back and have run it in a bit

 

[rocketrazor]

Latest update, had the TV back after the panel has been replaced and still got bad (and for me unacceptable) line bleed and now also have DSE and motion issues when watching football, which I didn't have before the panel was replaced. This just gets worse and worse as I go. I think strapped said buying a tv should be enjoyable, it seems to be nothing short of a nightmare at the moment! Not sure what I'm gonna do next now

 

[bigboss]

:wall:

Speak to your retailer, and see if they would swap for a 2013 model, either Samsung or Panasonic.

 

[Alantiggger]

This.....

Go for a new Samsung TV this time and given the problems that you've had you should be able to get a new un with a decent amount taken off of their price.

 

[mr malarky]

:wall:

Speak to your retailer, and see if they would swap for a 2013 model, either Samsung or Panasonic.

if your retailer or manufacturer won't offer a refund or alternative model it could well be worth getting a solicitor involved - fundamentally they have failed to supply you with a product that's fit for purpose; yes it will cost a few hundred quid to get some legal input on your rights here, but relative to how much you spent on the telly and the grief you've experienced since, it could well be worth it to get yourself some closure on this one.

 

[Alantiggger]

A lawyer's letter may suffice ? (no idea)

They may howerver be fine with you asking for something else ?

 

[mr malarky]

A lawyer's letter may suffice ? (no idea)

They may howerver be fine with you asking for something else ?

A lawyers letter was what I had in mind, would expect most legitimate retailers to back down at that point (though obviously only after Rocket's given them a last chance to do the decent thing).

 

[rocketrazor]

Cheers for the advise gents....

Spoke to the retailer. Its booked in for yet another repair. After I explained everything to the retailer regarding the problems I've had and my possible options, if it comes back from this repair with any outstanding faults they will be pushing for me to have a new TV under the warranty (seeing as this will be fix number 3!). Not sure if this would be a 2012 set or a 2013 set but I did advise that I would be worried with a 2012 set again given the problems I have had and also the problems other people have had (bear in mind my set was fine for the first 5-6 months). I'm not sure a Samsung is an option under the warranty, I doubt it. I'll have to wait and see, at the end of the day I just want a Plasma TV that works!