What do I do when I unbox the G10?

dj funktacular

It turns out that I am finally getting my tv Friday (not a BF sale) as I am giving up on my local store since I'm getting the run around. The salesman said he doesn't expect to hear anything until the 3rd week of December. He said Panasonic was very vague with him and he didn't like that. He couldn't get the G10 anymore and was getting me the G15 for the same price, which is good, but to not having a tv for that long, what's the point?

He always tried talking me into a Sony lcd. After being on this forum, and learning the facts about plasma, I stuck to my guns.

After weighing buying one from them eventually and 12 months no interest, or BB's 3 year no interest, and them actually having the tv, I had to make the move.
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That out of the way, I am wondering what the order of steps that I need to take to get this running the way it should.

Keep in mind that it's going to be really hard for me to wait the entire 100 hours! (I would love to have it for Sunday football, but there isn't enough time from Friday to Sunday for the 100 hours.)

It will be broken in downstairs away from the kids.

I guess I'm looking for a step by step walkthrough on what needs to be done.

The TV is a 50" Panasonic G10 Plasma and is going to be wall mounted, and I am running the cables under a "raceway" since running the cables behind the wall and getting the outlet behind the tv is over budget.

Here is what I am hooking up to it:
xbox 360(hdmi, and hooked up for streaming netflix with xbl)
Nintendo Wii (rca, but will be upgraded to component eventually)
Dish Network HD 722 DVR (component)



I have a tilting monoprice mount (http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2)
and 3 hdmi cables, but I did get some nice component cables for the DVR to go to the tv. I haven't resolved the audio yet, since I didn't see if it's rca or the optical cable yet.

My home theater is basic all in one at best (center channel, and 2 bose 301 bookshelf speakers). It will be upgraded at some point, and I also want to add a BD of course.
Any replies are greatly appreciated, as I am actually getting nervouse, and want to be prepared for when this finally comes home Friday after/night.

Thanks everyone, and have a happy thanksgiving!

(hopefully I made this readable for everyone)

__________________
*Dish Network DVR HD722
*50" Panasonic G10 ,*Still need a BD though*XBL games I play: The Halo Reach Beta,Halo 3,MW2,GOW2

gamebred

Just assemble the stand and plug it in. Folks are under the impression that they must run break-in slides for the first 100-150 hours. This is simply not true. Most people don't even bother with and they are continuing to enjoy their set just the same.

With that being said, I broke mine in for 150 straight. It was only because I was using some published settings that had to be followed by a specific break-in period. I will have broke another Panasonic in for 150 hours straight by tommorow evening. I did this simply because it's a gift for my grandparents who prefer a setting that "pops" regardless of whether or not it is accurate. They don't want to bother with keeping their settings low and I figured I'd just do this and set them up a decent mode that has pop but not oversaturated and eye melting. They will probably prefer the vivid mode no matter what I do...but at least I tried. They think my Pioneer looks dull. Again, they are old and can't see as good as they used to. I don't try to push my suggestions on them.

The bottom line... just need to keep settings low, avoid prolonged static images, and fill the screen up with content as much as possible and enjoy your new display. A little common sense will go a long way. Plasmas are alot less prone to IR these days if that is your main concern. Running break-in slides or letting the plasma age naturally won't guarantee immunity from IR that is caused by neglect.

The G10 is a very nice display and favorite around these parts. I'm sure someone else can chime in on some recommended settings to get you started.

__________________
*19" floor model Zenith(color)* no need for surround sound just yet because the speakers on my TV haven't completely deteriated yet (thanks to duct tape) and there seems to be a lack of S-video and composites * 3 way co-ax splitter to run components * GE VCR (top spring loaded) * UHS antenna (bow tie) * Atari * tabletop tuner with cord running to the tube and 33 channels of glorious SD.

staindrocks

Well, there can be two different meanings when describing a plasma "break-in". There's a true "break-in" procedure, and then there's a "cautionary" procedure.

In a true break-in procedure, the goal is to age all phosphors evenly by showing a uniform image for hours at a time, until you reach the 100-150 hour mark. In this process, you turn the settings up to age the phosphors as quickly and intensely as possible. You would normally be viewing some sort of slides that are safe to use with the increase of your settings.
If you are doing this kind of break-in, a "true break-in", then i would recommend that you follow the procedure laid out by break-in disc/slide creator. I have 3 plasmas, and i've only run this kind of "true" break-in on 1 of them(my 3rd, latest plasma). The only reason i did it was because i wanted to use a particular set of settings recommended by a well-known calibrator, and he said HIS 150hr "true" break-in was strongly recommended if i wanted his settings to look right on my tv.


The "cautionary" procedure, which many refer to as a "break-in", basically only involves turning down brightness and contrast, watching everything in full screen, and being careful not to leave static images on the screen for too long during the first 100-150 hours. The goal is to avoid uneven phosphor aging(ie: burn-in) by reducing phosphor use overall. So again, you turn down the settings.
I did this on plasma #2, and i've never had any problems with burn-in...so it's fine to go this route.

However, on my first plasma i ever owned, i didn't do any kind of "break-in" procedure(mostly due to ignorance). As soon as i got it plugged in, i put in the settings that looked the best to me, and i started watching tv/bluray. And i definitely liked my picture to have a nice pop to it, so my contrast was set fairly high. The only thing that i did do...i was cautious with black bars and static cable/network logos. For instance, if i watched a bluray movie with black bars on the top/bottom, i would make sure the next thing i watched didn't have the black bars. But like i said, i never did any kind of "break-in", and i still have never had any burn-in issues. I never even think about it anymore...that's how much of a non-issue it is.

The main thing...just enjoy your new tv! If you're already concerned enough to be asking these questions now, then chances are you'll never have a problem...because you're going to treat your tv with a little care. IMO, the few who have burn-in issues most likely did something really careless to cause it. The majority never have to worry about it.

dj funktacular

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the replies, and your easing my mind very much...

As far as these slides go, where do I get them, and do I put them on a dvd or a thumb drive?

I am getting the tv Friday night, so I could realistically run them tv from say 7pm until 12 noon the next day, and then again that night when I get home around 8pm and then run it until the morning or so.

Is there a preferred method so that it doesn't go to a title menu?

I am guessing that this would be a decent "precautionary" period to get it started at least. I would just like to try to get it mounted before Monday so that it's out of the way. I'll still run the slides and try breaking it in after I get home from work during the week for 2 weeks or so..unless a good game is on lol!

Is there a display mode that has the settings turned down, so in case my wife watches it? I just want to be able to make sure I don't leave it on a vivid type settings, and her watch it.

I'll be sure to post pics of the install and how things turn out.

Thanks again, and keep the replies coming!

__________________
*Dish Network DVR HD722
*50" Panasonic G10 ,*Still need a BD though*XBL games I play: The Halo Reach Beta,Halo 3,MW2,GOW2

ashbrown

i just got a 50 onch g10 and i have been running break in slides. i got this one...http://www.eaprogramming.com/downloa...nload_main.htm

i just set my contrast to 100 in vivid mode

brightness 55
color 65
sharpness 50
color temp cool

i have been pretty much running the tv non stop 6 days straight running break in slides because it hasant been hooked up to cable. either tomorrow or the next day it will hit 150-175 hours so i am going to finally enjoy watching HD etc... i can tune to my optimal settings faster and have no worry about uneven picture quality. i can use the tv regularly without worry about IR or burn in after this is over. it has been an agony but i know ive done the best for the tv i can

gamebred

The link to Evangelo's site that was provided by ashbrown was what I used. As far as avoiding any title menus....these disc are formatted to loop automatically, you just want to be around to restart the disc after 18 or 24 hours (depending on disc and format that is explained on Evangelo's site).

I just used the thumbdrive files and copied them onto a SD card. These colors are somewhat limited to the color slides on the DVDs but will work just as well. They will run continously on a slideshow for as long as you need. Panasonics have that nifty little SD card slot, which makes this break-in a breeze.

You should use the Vivid mode settings for break-in to age these phosphors quickly, then just switch to Cinema mode when you (or your wife) want to watch something. You may need to turn these settings down, as I'm not sure where they are set from the factory. This way you will have a dedicated mode for break-in and a mode you can watch everyday TV on.

__________________
*19" floor model Zenith(color)* no need for surround sound just yet because the speakers on my TV haven't completely deteriated yet (thanks to duct tape) and there seems to be a lack of S-video and composites * 3 way co-ax splitter to run components * GE VCR (top spring loaded) * UHS antenna (bow tie) * Atari * tabletop tuner with cord running to the tube and 33 channels of glorious SD.

dj funktacular

While I'm thinking of it, what is the preferred ISO burning program, and what files do I need to put on the disc?

__________________
*Dish Network DVR HD722
*50" Panasonic G10 ,*Still need a BD though*XBL games I play: The Halo Reach Beta,Halo 3,MW2,GOW2

pappylap

Just use PFCs' setttings and you can watch anything you want no 4X3 or letterbox though...no worry, enjoy the football!

gamebred

The ISO is formatted for players that can't read the SVCD format or CD-Rs. Use whatever format you can burn and whatever format that can be read by your DVD player. I had trouble with my blu-ray players and DVD players reading any of the disc. Burning them was the easy part, getting them to play on my equipment wasn't. I even ordered a disc from Evangelo because I thought I was not doing something right. Nope. My players wouldn't read his DVD either. It just depends on your players, you may not have a problem at all. If you do...just use the thumbdrive files.

__________________
*19" floor model Zenith(color)* no need for surround sound just yet because the speakers on my TV haven't completely deteriated yet (thanks to duct tape) and there seems to be a lack of S-video and composites * 3 way co-ax splitter to run components * GE VCR (top spring loaded) * UHS antenna (bow tie) * Atari * tabletop tuner with cord running to the tube and 33 channels of glorious SD.

dj funktacular

Thumbdrive files?
Is this something that comes with the tv, or just put those images on a thumbdrive, or SD card? I have both handy.

I'm getting anxious to say the least!

__________________
*Dish Network DVR HD722
*50" Panasonic G10 ,*Still need a BD though*XBL games I play: The Halo Reach Beta,Halo 3,MW2,GOW2

staindrocks

ImgBurn

Basically, you just save the file to your desktop, open imgburn, select "write Image file to disc", drag and drop your file from desktop on to imgburn, stick in a dvd and press burn.

dj funktacular

Anyone have any tips for using the SD card instead of burning the dvd?

__________________
*Dish Network DVR HD722
*50" Panasonic G10 ,*Still need a BD though*XBL games I play: The Halo Reach Beta,Halo 3,MW2,GOW2