Very disappointed with Panasonic 42PZ85B

[SpiceWeasel]

Im now begining to wonder if you havn't got a faulty tv. The fact that you have varying quality and atrifact/noise issue's from 2 completely different sources would rule out a dodgy cable or faulty dvd/blueray player for example. Just on the off chance have you checked to make sure one of your leads hasn't come loose. Just have a quick check and make sure everythings secure. Especially if you are using one of those scart switcher box's, on mine the scart leads where always working themselves loose. Even when they looked fully in sometimes they where slightly out.

My tv has been fantastic, none of the problems you are describing. No issues/problems what so ever. I think your the 1st PZ85 owner with any problems from what I can remember. So it's possible you have a faulty tv.

If it's not loose cables then I would ring Panasonic or even the store you bought it from and see what they say. I would try Panasonic 1st though. You won't end up speaking to some numpty Comet/Dixons style 17 year old. And just incase you have a store with terrible customer service at least you can tell them what the manufacture said and get it replaced in double quick time.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="SpiceWeasel"]
Thats why alot of people have got John Lewis to price match a cheaper store for the free 5 year warranty. It deffinately pays to do some research before hand. Save yourself a fortune

I bought my set from http://www.tribaluk.com/catalogue/panasonic/plasma-tvs , as I couldn't afford to pay up front. I've got mine on a 0% deal for a year and paid extra for a 3 year warranty. It was £1205 inc delivery + 3 year warranty for the 42"PZ85.

If you have the cash then a price match with JL seems like the best way to go.

Prices seem to be dropping all the time, my tv 3 weeks ago was £1065 and now can be had for around £1000. The PX80 seems to be around the £600 mark now so there are very good deal to be had.

Also check out this deal on the 5star rated QED hdmi lead + half price interconect offer. I bought the 2m lead by itself as I already have the interconnect cables. But it's a very good deal if you need some new leads. http://www.hificables.co.uk/ProductDetails/mcs/productID/11237/groupID/718/categoryID/2465/v/099e83fb-1e53-4409-b9e0-12103a8864f1

[/quote]

I looked on RGB direct yesterday for this tv (85B) and it was down to £999 which i thought was good. Extended warranty for 5 years was at "249 too, which beats John lewis by £50.

Looking today shows both have gone up by £50! so now JL is cheaper!

What's all that about, putting prices up and down?

I'm looking at replacing my trusty 36inch Toshiba CRT (inc built int 5.1 decoder) with this new Panny, but have yet to select a store/ site.

Confused, you will be!

 

[Anonymous]

Market economics - what can you do!

 

[Anonymous]

I cannot rule out the possibility of a faulty tv but suspect that faults would be more consistent. I will certainly contact Panasonic to discuss the issue because as you quite rightly point out it can be a frustrating and unrewarding experience going back to the non-specialist shop (mine was a familiar JL PM to S&V at £1030).

The first thing that I always do is disconnect and reconnect all cables, move them (in case there is any mains interference, loose connection etc.) and have found no issues with this. I also disconnected the BD30 and hooked it up to my LCD just to check that it works OK. I connect the BD30 (IXOS 458 HDMI cable) and Denon 1930 DVD (QED HDMP HDMI cable) to my Denon 2808 AV amp and from the amp to the TV with an IXOS 458 HDMI cable. I have swapped positions of the cables, connected the devices directly to the TV and found no difference. The cables have also been substituted into my LCD system and all perform correctly.

Last night upscaled DVD once again looked impressive - I did not try Blu ray. Freeview also looked slightly improved. The screen obviously performs better when the sun goes down although the room is not overly bright at any point in the day.

For my own peace of mind I think I will take your advice and get JL to swap it.

Thanks for your help.

 

[6th.replicant]

For what it's worth, I also was not initially impressed with the pic quality on my Pana plasma (TH-42PX70). It even declined after 24hrs. However, I then did WHF?S&V's tweaks & cleaned all cable connections with surgical spirit & a toothbrush. Eureka! I was also advised that plasmas are sensitive to being jiggled about during transit - after a week of further settling down, it improved even more & I now luv it to bits. Mind you, it was delivered by a specialist AV courrier that's affiliated with the dealer, so I assume it wasn't hurled around a warehouse, or stored lying flat, by the type of oaf that works at Comet/Currys/Dixons. (FYI: I bought from Sound & Vision Online for well-below rrp.)

 

[simonlewis]

[quote user="180Turbo"]

I looked on RGB direct yesterday for this tv (85B) and it was down to £999
which i thought was good. Extended warranty for 5 years was at "249 too, which
beats John lewis by £50.

Looking today shows both have gone up by £50! so now JL is cheaper!
[/quote]

Have you tried Tribal uk Panasonic TH-42PZ85B £997.58 + £262.49 (5 yr warranty) = £1260.07.
I don't know how possible it is but if you purchase in store at RGB, you get FREE 5 yr warranty.

 

[bf1]

[quote user="Scotsgirl"][quote user="bf1"]I have the 37PX80 and am really pleased with it.

I have done virtually nothing with the settings and its running more or less as it came out of the box.

Such is the quality of the SD picture through this set that at times I have struggled to see a major difference between a channel in SD and a channel in HD.

Last night was a typical case. I flicked between CH4 in SD and CH4 in HD and there seemed very little difference. (And yes, CH4 HD was in HD!)[/quote]

I am so glad you like it and good to know that the SD picture is almost as good as HD.

What do you think of the sound quality or have you added a sound system?[/quote]

I have a Harman Kardon 2.1 system which completely blows away the in-built Panasonic speakers.

It depends on what you are used to as to whether you will tolerate the sound from the TV. Its not brilliant but not the worse I have ever encountered.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="bf1"][quote user="Scotsgirl"][quote user="bf1"]I have the 37PX80 and am really pleased with it.

I have done virtually nothing with the settings and its running more or less as it came out of the box.

Such is the quality of the SD picture through this set that at times I have struggled to see a major difference between a channel in SD and a channel in HD.

Last night was a typical case. I flicked between CH4 in SD and CH4 in HD and there seemed very little difference. (And yes, CH4 HD was in HD!)[/quote]

I am so glad you like it and good to know that the SD picture is almost as good as HD.

What do you think of the sound quality or have you added a sound system?[/quote]

I have a Harman Kardon 2.1 system which completely blows away the in-built Panasonic speakers.

It depends on what you are used to as to whether you will tolerate the sound from the TV. Its not brilliant but not the worse I have ever encountered.[/quote]

Cheers for that.

I will have a look at the Harman Kardon.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="6th.replicant"]For what it's worth, I also was not initially impressed with the pic quality on my Pana plasma (TH-42PX70). It even declined after 24hrs. However, I then did WHF?S&V's tweaks & cleaned all cable connections with surgical spirit & a toothbrush. Eureka! I was also advised that plasmas are sensitive to being jiggled about during transit - after a week of further settling down, it improved even more & I now luv it to bits. Mind you, it was delivered by a specialist AV courrier that's affiliated with the dealer, so I assume it wasn't hurled around a warehouse, or stored lying flat, by the type of oaf that works at Comet/Currys/Dixons. (FYI: I bought from Sound & Vision Online for well-below rrp.)[/quote]

All of my leads are new which I have swapped into my LCD system just to ensure that they worked and also substituted my QED HDMP leads from the LCD onto this tele but this did not help. Neither did connecting directly from the to the tv as opposed to via the Denon AV amp.

I have explained the whole situation to John Lewis and they have agreed that the panel must be faulty and are going to bring me a new set on Saturday.

I think I will also invest in a star wars dvd to set up the new one.

 

[Anonymous]

John Lewis arrived Saturday afternoon with the replacement PZ85.

I connected it up, let it find the channels as before and sat back to have a look at the picture.

First freeview, none of the nasties from before. Soft and variable from channel to channel but no nasties!

Quickly turned off IFC, overscan, NR and powersave. Switched between dynamic, normal eco and cinema. Settled on normal, adjusted brightness and colour downwards a little and the picture looked fine. Had a peak at the FA cup final and was quite impressed (loads better than ITV) although the picture was soft and showed artefacts at times. However, this was nothing that I did not expect from freeview on a 42" set.

Switched to upscaled DVD via pana BD30 and results were impressive. Gone were the phosphor trails/fashes (green and red) and the motion 'break up' was no longer evident. This set looked like what I expected from a plasma, not perfect but certainly watchable. Bearing in mind that this was essentially 'out of the box' with minor brightness and colour adjustments to taste, as you would expect.

On to Blu ray and 310 to yuma looked fantastic with motion handled excellently (my Denon 2808 and Kef 3005SE sounded really good with HD sound). Managed to exchange my Planet earth DVD for the Blu ray and it looked great.

All the discussion about run in for 100 to 200 hours seems unnecessary. Picture looks great now and if it improves in a few weeks that will be a bonus. My faith in plasma has been restored.

It is refreshing to know that my first one was faulty and that these screens are so capable!

All good? No way! Unfortunately this set suffers from the 'screw length' issue on the bezel. On the bottom bezel just less than half way between the Panasonic logo (on the bottom bezel) and the end of the silver 'chin' (on both sides), it looks like a screw may have been over tightened. If you run your finger across it you cannot notice a blemish but visually it appears like a peak with four points emanating from it. Due to the glossy finish you can notice the reflection distorted in planes about the centre. During daylight this is very noticeable and distracting. You find yourself moving your head to see the reflection distort. The effect is not noticeable at night in darker conditions. Could I live with it? Yes - at a push.

However, today I have noticed a noise on one of the fans. It is the second from right when viewd from the rear, and makes a ticking noise. Obviously catching and may be easily resolved but I am not prepared to jeopardise my JL 5 yr warranty by taking the back off.

Will be contacting them tomorrow to arrange delivery of my 3rd set!

The set impresses with picture quality. Blacks are good (not the last word in black detail but then considerably cheaper than the Pioneers), motion good and freeview is very watchable.

I have owned Panasonic TVs for the past 18 years and have always had good faith in their build quality. How can they suddenly get it so wrong?

I am still disappointed but will persevere with this model. However if set 3 has faults I may wait for the PZ800 full glass model.

This is a shame as my better half has agreed to a 46" for this room and putting the 42" in the other room in place of our 32LXD700.

 

[Anonymous]

Cooney, thanks for keeping us all updated of your trials and ttribulations wih the Panny!I was seriously thinking of getting one myself but your story has made me think twice - guess I'll wait for the new issue of what hi fi next week what my other options are.I hope you get your set sorted out soon!

 

[Anonymous]

John Lewis engineer is due out on Friday afternoon to investigate the fan, look at the bezel and exchange the set if he agrees with the problem.

Has anyone else exchanged their set based on the bezel 'screw?' length problem or does everyone just live with it?

Also, I am thinking of upgrading my 32LXD700 in the other room maybe even to the 46" but may want to wait for the PZ800 as the full glass screen etc. may result in better build quality - perhaps. Has anyone seen one of these sets yet?

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Maybe the bezel problem effected a certain batch of tv's. Mine is perfect,no marks or imprints. And the fans are almost silent. Unless your right next to the tv you can't hear them.

I think your the only owner who's had any problems so far. Hopefully 3rd time lucky.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="SpiceWeasel"]
Maybe the bezel problem effected a certain batch of tv's. Mine is perfect,no marks or imprints. And the fans are almost silent. Unless your right next to the tv you can't hear them.

I think your the only owner who's had any problems so far. Hopefully 3rd time lucky.

[/quote]

The Installation Engineer appointed by John Lewis arrived on Friday afternoon. I had left the set on all morning as the fan noise worsens over a few hours until it is very intrusive. As soon as he walked into the room he could hear the loud fan so no dispute there, set definitely faulty. He changed the set for my third! The bezel on the new one showed the same flaws and as he pointed out, looking from above at the side bezels showed that there were about 4 imperfections on each one plus the top and bottom. He couldn't comment on JL's stance on this issue but made a note to report back to them.

As soon as the set was turned on and tuned in the picture was fine. He checked how I had connected all of my other equipment up and confirmed all was well. He advised that I sent HDMI direct to the tv, not via the Denon 2808 and to use an optical cable from BD30 to amp. I tried this on Saturday but found no improvement in picture but did notice that I could on receive normal DD and DTS not the HD versions. Switched back to going via the Denon and all was well.

My first set had a faulty picture, second was very good, third is excellent. I find that I can use eco, normal or cinema and get great results with hardly any adjustments from the factory settings. Exactly as a good tv should be, great pictures with adjustments for taste rather than a necessity to get anything approaching a decent picture.

Watched blade runner and was well impressed. This really is a good quality disc. Very sharp, detailed shadows excellent sound and just very good all round. Black levels are very good. Any slight artefacts during pans can be eliminated quite well with IFC.

Upscaled DVD also looks quite good providing a good disc is used. Gladiator looked excellent and again, IFC to the rescue on pans.

Freeview is the usual mixed bag with the PZ85 giving good results providing the programme is good. All channels are very watchable though.

The set has only been switched off for 6 hours each the night (not watching it all this time though!!) to peed up any running in that may/may not affect it. I haven't turned settings down to facilitate this and there isn't the slightest hint of retention.

The fans now only give the slight whoosh as would be expected. There is no noise from them. I have stopped noticing the bezel reflection issue so it is not going to be a problem for me. I am so glad that I persevered on this model (touch wood) though Panasonic need to look at their production and quality systems. I can't believe the extent of the differences from set to set!

I have to commend John Lewis for their service so far. They have refunded me £41 as sound and vision have dropped their price. If I can find another cheaper price before the end of May (28 day period), I will get another PM and refund.

I can now highly recommend this set!!!

 

[Anonymous]

What does IFC stand for? and where can I find it?

 

[Anonymous]

Intelligent Frame Creation. It can be found on the setup menu.

 

[Anonymous]

I am really chuffed for you and so glad you can now enjoy your TV.

Well done for persevering as it paid off in the end.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Scotsgirl"]I am really chuffed for you and so glad you can now enjoy your TV.

Well done for persevering as it paid off in the end.[/quote]

Thank you scotsgirl! Are you any closer to getting your PX80?

 

[Anonymous]

Afraid not. Can't afford it yet!

 

[Anonymous]

Spiceweasel. Any idea how I can get teletext to work on my PZ85B. I have no analogue or DVB signal going to it, just direct from my Virgin + box via the AV button,fed by HDMI cable. The insructions look like they mean you have to have an analogue or DVB signal, but I had the same connection via a scart on my old CRT and I could get teletext. (My only thought was that as I have changed the signal from RGB to Hi def this may have caused a problem)
Any Ideas ?

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Just had a look as I now have my tv upstairs, and the only ariel connection in the house is in the front room(downstairs). Teletext doesn't work on normal sky either, I get a message saying teletext has been replaced by bbci on digital channels. And to use the text button on the sky remote. I checked on bbc1 btw.

So looks like you need an ariel connected to your tv to get normal teletext. Then you could use the tuner(analougue or digital) in the tv to view it.

I havn't got the virgin hd box so maybe others will be able to help.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok thanks for checking it out, will probably save the cash and not bother with an external aerial, and get my teletext fix of footy news off one of my old portable tv's.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry if I am boring people with my continuing saga but I would like to post what I hope will be my final update.

Tomorrow will mark the third week that I have had my 3rd set and so far very good. The picture is very good on freeview, DVD and Blu ray. Obviously the quality varies with the channel, programme and quality of the DVD or Blu ray discs. When the source material is good, the set is good.

The fans only produce the normal whoosh of air (almost inaudible) and the bezel has the 'screw head' distortions. It is amazing how quickly you get used to these and they really are not a problem (IMHO).

We now find ourselves doing all of our viewing on this set (the missus loves Emerdale, Corrie, Bill etc.) as opposed to the 32LX700 in what 'used' to be our living room! I think this speaks for itself about the freeview quality of this set. Sure it can be slightly soft and all of the other foibles of watching freeview, but all programmes are very watchable.

I am very fussy and could pick 'faults' on any screen because the whole process of digital capture, storage and display is by no means perfect - even on Blu ray, (and certainly analogue) but thankfully I am now at the nit picking level.

I am very glad that I persevered with this set and would recommend it to anyone. For those people trying to decide PZ80 or PZ85 I would definitely say PZ85. Better sound, IFC gives good results for panning shots on Blu ray (I find myself switching it on and off but am glad that I have that option!), a digital out, 3 useful HDMI sockets (none on the front) and arguably better styling - all without too much of a premium in price if you shop around.

On to the shopping experience. I bought this from John Lewis Solihull price matched to S&V at £1030. The price was down to £989 at S&V by time they gave me my 3rd set and they price matched this also.

JL customer service does seem to depend upon whom you happen to have answer the phone to you. I have been trying to get a further price match for over a week but they kept saying that S&V shelf price is £993. Called again today and luckily got through to a very helpful woman who got her Manager to agree with today's S&V advertised price of £950. A nice refund of £39 for me then!

So my overall experience with JL is very good. You have to be persistent for the price matches but I cannot fault the support I have had in getting faulty sets replaced.

With a 5 year warranty as well, I would recommend checking out JL before buying elsewhere if at all possible.

 

[Anonymous]

After all your trial and tribulations I have decided to take the plunge and order the TH-42PZ85 today from John Lewis in Solihull. To obtain the price match, is it just a case of phoning JL customer services?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="nettica"]
After all your trial and tribulations I have decided to take the plunge and order the TH-42PZ85 today from John Lewis in Solihull. To obtain the price match, is it just a case of phoning JL customer services?

[/quote]

You need to call the store and tell them the price at Sound and Vision in Bolton (£950). Depending on who answers the phone, they may tell you that it can take up to 10 days. My advice is to phone again on Monday to progress your price match. They will put you through to the undersales team who will then tell you that the price is £993. This is because S&V apparently do not change the ticket price of the display model. If they tell you this, point out to them that you have phoned S&V who confirm that the product is actually £950 (or whatever the price may be on Monday.

They will insist that the price is £993 and claim that there is nothing they can do and that prices rise and fall constantly. Tell them that the S&V price has never risen, and only fallen over the past month or so. Tell them that you have constantly been monitoring the S&V price via net and phone.

Ask the undersales rep to ask their Manager to authorise the match at £950.

If you fail, just keep phoning each day and be persistent!!

Don't worry too much if you struggle at first, you have 28 days to obtain a price match so you could buy at £993 and get the difference refunded when successful.

Good luck!!!