Panasonic DLP ?

hiDefDW

well, wish me luck! I'll probably cop tonight, and check it out for the 30 day period......let yall know how I fair!

hiDefDW

Well, just to share with possible intersted folks, i did get the 50" Panasonic DLP last night. Just picked up the hi def cable box from Time Warner, so I can now complete the set up. I purchased from Magnolia Audio in Canoga Park CA. Competitive price, knowlegeable sales people, and a 30 day return policy.

They had it in stock so I was able to drive the unit home last night, and get it set up enough to play some DVD's through it. Still dialing in colors, but so far, so good, the picture is great, and even analog cable looked better than I expected. Fan noise is minimal IMO, and never audible when actually listening to something either out of the set or thorugh the system.

I was surprised however at the difference in the way certain DVD's appear on the screen. It seems I have a few things to learn about all this, but I assumed that 'Pirates of the Carribean' for example, which had the bars above and below my 4:3 screen would play full screen on my new set. No matter how I set up the DVD player (which is probably the culprit?) or the aspect of the TV I could not get it full screen at the correct resolution. I'm using component in direct from the DVD player, which is a JVC dubbing deck, combo VCR/DVD, brand new as well, but probably not as good as a stand alone hi end machine.? I will be researching this, but anyone with ideas or knowlege feel free to educate me.

All in all, so far, I'm very happy. I knew the picture looked good, spent enough time looking at it the last few weeks in numerous stores, but things like the size for my room, things working well (or at all!), and all around performance of the set are satisfactory so far.

It's only day two however, so I will advise as time progresses, but thus far, I highly recommend this set!

Dave

ewl88

I just got mine 2 days ago. Good results so far. the HD channels on Cablevision is very clear. The standard channels are ok. The one dvd I tried Two Towers looked very good.
Actually I have to get used to the IO cable. So many more channels and the interface requires some learning curve. Have to say the 50" looks really large in my living room. Probably should measure it out and make sure it doesn't overwhelm your room. Glad I didn't get anything bigger! Still have to decide about the stand- Panasonic OEM vs a generic. The fan on the Panasonic is not that noisy and turns off 1 minute after the tv does.
I also purchased an extended warranty from tv authority. (I purchased my tv through panasonic itself via a employee discount program- but panasonic charged $599 for 1 year extended warranty!) Some people on this forum mentioned TV authority site and the price was very reasonable compared to the circuit city, best buy's. And you can buy the warranty through tv authority even if you purchased the tv elsewhere. $156 for 2 years through repairmaster. Can't vouch for the repairmaster's service but several online stores use them so I hope they are solid.

wdgang

After months of research, I finally chose the Pany 50, for its 2500:1 contrast ratio, for its 8-segement color wheel, for its nice looking, and for its brand name.

I previously asked on this forum that whether I should buy the TV online or locally and I was convinced to do the later to be safer. However, $1000 less buying online was really attractive. So, with my wife's encourage, I bought it online from onecall.com. I'm not trying to post an ad for onecall here, but my personal experience with them is very good. Prior to the TV, I bought a digital camera and a DV from there which made me decided to buy from there again.

So, I made the order last thursday, got email and voice contact the next day to confirm my order as well as telling me things I need to pay attention when the TV arrives. The TV got shipped out the following monday, and arrived TODAY! No damage at all, turns on immediately, without any adjustment, picture and sound are both great. Connecting to my laptop is as easy as plug&play, and wa-la!

Well, I haven't got any HD program hooked up yet, for that, I suck
But, DVD looks great, and basic cable program is also not bad(better than I thought). Oh and the noise, yes, you can hear it, but fine with me, even my laptop's noise is lounder than that, so what's the deal.

Happy with it, since it's just the first day, can't say more. Just to share my experience with you guys.

nowitall

I've had my Pany 50 inch dlp since October, and I really enjoy the thang! This tv has excellent viewing angles and the contrast and color are awesome. The picture quality using the HDMI is outrageous.

The fan isn't as loud as that ringing in my ears...

wdgang

Ya, that's right, I'm posting this on X'mas eve, right after coming back from a friend's party and found out my 1 week old TV is dead, thank you very much and that's the best Santa gift I've ever got!

The lamp indicator lighted up which mean the lamp is out, just like I heard from some others, just can't and don't wanna believe it really happens on me, on the chrismas eve, what the heck!!!!!

Well, what can I do? nothing, that's right, nothing but have to wait until tomorrow morning to call the customer service to schedule a replacement, if they still open on X'mas day, and I expect my tv could be back on the next year! Again, what the heck!!!!!!

jojojojo57

Wd thats terrible !I`m shure one call and panny will sort it out. Best of Luck, keep us posted. jojo

hiDefDW

Ah man, I'm bummin' for you.... damn, I hate to hear that happened, and hope you get it fixed/replaced soon. I've had mine for a couple weeks now, going strong so far, just love the thing. Hope it holds up.... let us know how you come out... I still can't say anything but good about the set (50" DLP)... highly recommended.

Just for those who might be interested, using the set with DVD's, HDTV (cable), Xbox gaming and normal TV. Everything slams with this set. I did however elect to use the component input for HDTV vs the HDMI input - I feel the overall picture is better for both normal TV and HD with the component in. I also have the set hooked up both from the cable box (component out) and the normal cable as well, for normal TV. Non HD stations look better on the 'TV' setting using the normal cable, changes the gray bars on the sides (4:3) to black, more pleasing and less distracting. I had to exchange my cable box twice for one that had a 'cable out' to get the cable signal back out the box and into my VCR, then to the TV. Works very well this way, plus you can then tape one thing and watch another. Anyway, sorry for the novel.... hope the info can help someone. LOVE THIS SET!

wdgang

Finally, my pany DLP is back. The lamp went out on the X'mas eve, I couldn't get contact with anyone until the following monday. Called the Panasonic customer service, nobody there due to "weather condition". So I called one of the authorized shop closeby and told them what happened. At first, they said no can help unless they receive service order from the manufactuer, later they said Okay after knowing I still have the receipt(I'm so glad I still keep it after 1 week ).

So 2 guys came over picked up the TV since they said they can't do any repair in-house and have to go back to their shop. What could I do? Nothing, they "took" my tv away and I missed it every nite. Meanwhile, I tried to contact Panasonic again the next day, and here's what I got on the phone: "your estimate waiting time is 1 hour 30 mins". F* off! (oops, execuse me)

Yesterday I went out shopping, and passed by the shop(5 mins away from where I live). I stopped by and suprisingly, it was open. I went in and met the guy, who picked up my tv and was told "your tv is ready"! Their delivery person wasn't available so they planned to send it back to me on Monday. Man, how could I just wait! I called up a friend and moved the tv back home. That's right! After a week, my tv is finally back home and lighting up again! As sharp, as vivid as before.

So that's the story for now, I hope this lamp can live long. The TV itself is beautiful, the service shop is ok, the panasonic customer service however really sucks! Just a friendly "warning" to you, but I wish you'd never have to deal with them.

Happy new year!

texnat

After going through two Panasonics (50" DLP), I gave up and got a Samsung 4674 - could not be happier. The first Panasonic had a very noisy fan, so Ultimate switched it out. The second one also had a noisy fan, but I decided to live with it. Then the screen started leaking light at the top left corner - looked like the moon or sun was shining on the picture all the time. Had Ultimate bring out the Samsung, and I could not be happier - great PQ, more inputs, much smaller form factor (I know, the screen is 4 inches smaller, but it is hardly noticable). This was my first and last experience with Panasonic products.

erok72

I've had the Panasonic PT-50DL54 for about 3 months now and I am 100% satisfied!! DirecTV HD looks amazing. DVDs look amazing. Even SD DirecTV broadcast is on par with the other DLP sets I looked at.

I looked at the Samsung sets (don't recall which series) and the Mits. DLPs as well. For the $$, the Panasonic is the one. Colors are more accurate, tons of inputs and there is no annoying glare shield to contend with (especially if your room has a lot of ambient light!!!)

All DLPs will have fan noise..... Period. It's just the nature of the beast. If you use the volume on the TV, this is a non-issue. If you use this TV as the main focus of your home theater, in conjunction with a surround sound setup, this is a non-issue.

My only regret is not getting the 60"!!!!!

texnat

I thought all DLPs had fan noise also, and they do, but the Samsung I now have is a lot quieter than the Panasonic. A lot.

wdgang

Samsung and Mitsubishi are both good DLPs and were in my mind when I was shopping around. However, there are few things of them that I didn't like:

For Mitsubishi:
1) the cheap feeling anti-glare screen, it doesn't work well also
2) menu control made me feel tricky
3) looks not very attractive on the shelf

For Samsung:
1) the 63 series looks ok, but using HD3 chip and 6 segment colors
2) wife espcially doesn't like the big button in the mid front, kids will
find it's easy to push on/off and have "fun" with it
3) the 85 series looks good, but still 7 segment colors compare to Panasonic's 8 segment colors; and it has the buildin stand, looks kinda "too" fancy and not fit in everyone's living room; you can't fina a matching stand other than its own stand which is $600.

So I went with the Panasonic. I admit that its fan is sort of "noisy" although i didn't compare to other TVs, but I can live with it and most of the time I can ignore it.

WebSpyderz

Hey all,

This is my first post here though I've been reading for about three weeks now trying to decide on what I was going to get. I just ordered the 50" from Abe's of Maine and it is scheduled to be here on Thurs. Jan. 13th.

This is worse than X-mas when I was 7. Never thought time could pass so slowly. I just want it....ya know. I saved almost $900.00 though ordering it online compared to picking it up at Sound Advice (I'm in Tampa, FL) Paid a total of $2388.00 including shipping. I feel I got a good deal.

Anyway, for those of you whose posts helped me decide I want to thank you. I'm sitting at work ( ) right now reading this thread and wishing it was next Thursday.

I'll certainly keep you up to date with my whole experience. my heart goes out to wdgang....what a B*tch that must be. I feel for ya.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone!

hiDefDW

hey WD, glad to hear you're TV is back! Mine is still going strong, love it.... sorry to hear about customer service..... I sprung for the in home extended warranty specifically for that reason.... for 4 years I (hopefully) won't have to worry about it IF something goes wrong....

anyway, happy new year to everyone, and happy viewing!