Panasonic V20 Owners Thread (Settings, Problems, Impressions, Questions)

[dkaile]

I think that the LED technology has "now" matured to point that we can safely give plasmas a miss...

 

[haisaikat]

Between Sony and Sammy the Input lag in the latter can be on the higher side, its better to take your console and test it out.

Input lag in Plasma is nil, one of the reason i went for it so that i can pair it with my ps3 ..

Do you watch movies (BD) using my your PS3? I want an opinion if having an PS3 is more VFM than going for a Oppo BDP which costs 25K.

 

[SifarSound]

I do not know if this is the right place to post the price for Panny V20. I have been looking for the cheapest price, which I got from Kohinoor Thane at 60K. However today while searching on compare India I got 56900 as lowest price from some dealer called Harsha, in Sion Mumbai. What do you guys thing, what kind of product we can expect since i heard this name for the first time. here is the link

Compare India - Book Now

I am looking to but this before world cup starts, so everyone's feedback will be valuable.

 

[manu79]

I think that the LED technology has "now" matured to point that we can safely give plasmas a miss...

I wont do that , experts had written of Plasma in the early 2000's, its still around and with technology you never know what might come around. Having said that i am in no way saying that Plasma is superior but as technology progresses you never know. They definitely consume more power compared to an pseudo LED TV or an LCD no arguments on that. Coming to Picture quality, i personally didn't find the LED picture quality inferior or superior to a Plasma or LCD, One led TV which i was almost sure to pick up was the ex710. If the LED TV's are priced equal to the price of a Plasma or below, then the whole situation changes. Unfortunately true LED TV's are way too expensive currently beyond the reach of common masses.

In your case you definitely made a good choice but you have picked up a smuggled piece which can be big risk for some of us...

I will bet my money on an OLED TV when it hits the market cuz unlike the LED TV's currently in the market which are actually pseudo LED's with LED only for backlight the OLED's are self emitting like Plasma should be better displays, hopefully they don't turn out to be expensive.

 

[manu79]

Do you watch movies (BD) using my your PS3? I want an opinion if having an PS3 is more VFM than going for a Oppo BDP which costs 25K.

The PS3 can play BD's perfectly and its rated to be as good as some of the expensive BD players in the market, however the Oppo can play more video formats compared to the PS3 and is region free if i am not wrong.

The PS3 is a better option if you are looking at console with BD playing capability as a extra feature. If its purely a media player you are looking at, then there are better options in the market compared to the PS3.

 

[dkaile]

^
Yes, currently these so called LED's are in fact "pseudo" leds; and yes, I got a great deal (nearly 30k off from showroom prices); yes, I took a risk but it was calculated (as i picked up 3 LED/LCDs).... but that's what life's about... taking calculated risks... and I am truly amazed by its picture quality the more I am using it and am not in any way feeling short changed that I didnt go for 42v20... btw, jfyi, all the 3 sets are functioning perfectly as same as any indian "warranty" set...

rest every man has to make his own decision...

 

[manu79]

@v20 owners :

Have any of you tried updating the firmware ?

 

[asliarun]

I totally agree to you on this point and have re-iterated the same in several posts on this forum. I read that the 46Ex710 in Eco mode consumes as low as 60Watts of power. I think even my present 21-inch CRT consumes same power if not more. But looking at several heated discussions in this forums about LCD vs Plasma I am beginning to think whether I would be missing the real flavour of picture if I am not going to take Plasma - Myth vs realty redefined.

Thanks. Yes, that is why I was careful to not mention LED or Plasma. With the way technology evolves, perceived notions (such as plasma being power hungry) can change quite a bit over time and with the introduction of new models. I'm not on either camp as well.

 

[haisaikat]

The PS3 can play BD's perfectly and its rated to be as good as some of the expensive BD players in the market, however the Oppo can play more video formats compared to the PS3 and is region free if i am not wrong.

The PS3 is a better option if you are looking at console with BD playing capability as a extra feature. If its purely a media player you are looking at, then there are better options in the market compared to the PS3.

If non BD format support like xvid, divx etc is what you mean by Oppo supporting other formats then I already have a ASUS O!Play media player that plays a lot of formats. In that case I am looking for BD players that can at least support DTS, Dolby etc Audio formats as well. So in that respect I see that getting a BD player is around 7 to 8K INR. So am thinking if I can get a PS3 instead for 17/ 18K will that be a good VFM ? I will play games on it although I am not a die hard fan of it butttttt considering this will be an added capability of my BDP (PS3 in this case). If I can get a lot more featured BDP in sub 10K or similar range which is a must have feature of a BDP that PS3 is missing that is what I want to fugure out from u guys.

 

[manu79]

^^
Get the PS3 , it can decode DTS, Dolby True HD .... etc , but you have to stick to the HDMI connection which in any case you will ...

Look up on the internet on how to setup your PS3 to decode Dolby and DTS ...

Also the PS3 can be controlled by most TV remotes over an HDMI connection for normal media playback, while this may not be a very imp feature but can be a blessing

 

[kaushik]

Clicked from my Samsung EPIC 4G

please add a decent table/rack ..

 

[dkaile]

^
lolz... the racks pretty big and custom made with 6 compartments and 8' high; just clicked one with the tv... it needs a new paint job though... will get right to it now that u mentioned...

 

[nags_ca]

Hi Guys,

I have been using 42 V20D since Mid June.

One of Shopkeeper told my cousin who was considering LCD/Plasma TV that plasma are having problem with UPS as it consumes more moved. I know sales agent was discouriaging people from buying Plasma.

I dont not have UPS now, planning to buy one. I would like to know is there any specific requirement on UPS to handle Plasma TV. ?

Rgds

 

[v.anand]

@nags_ca, typically a Plasma consumes more power compared to a LCD/LED. Thus the load on any UPS will be more and hence backup would be reduced.

However, no manufacturer prescribes any TV, be it LCD or Plasma to be used with inverters. It voids warranty according to them as well as adds load on PSUs in the TV. I had to change the PSU once in my Samsung LCD and the technician specifically mentioned not to use the TV under UPS. Hope that clears your confusion.

 

[haisaikat]

However, no manufacturer prescribes any TV, be it LCD or Plasma to be used with inverters. It voids warranty according to them as well as adds load on PSUs in the TV. I had to change the PSU once in my Samsung LCD and the technician specifically mentioned not to use the TV under UPS. Hope that clears your confusion.

Is this disclaimer mentioned anywhere on the warranty card or manual? I mean this can be a big info for all those including me who plans to purchase an LED over Plasma so that it can be run on inverters.

 

[adder]

Is this disclaimer mentioned anywhere on the warranty card or manual? I mean this can be a big info for all those including me who plans to purchase an LED over Plasma so that it can be run on inverters.

No its not mentioned.

A inverter can harm any tv since certain cheap ones output upto 270v in backup mode and they also output square wave rather then sinewave.

A UPS may be overloaded with a plasma during a cold start,inverters on the other hand usually have a higher cold start capability(atleast thats what they have advertised).

My UPS a APC smart 1000UXI UPS which costs about 11k,can handle 800watt of load,but can't handle a 21" CRT during a cold start.

 

[borg]

unlike CRT , with a plasma or lcd you wont have cold start issues because there is no degaussing coil inside (almost a short circuit during cold start), all the stuff in my signature is powered by a sua1000i

 

[Praveenv]

Good day All,

I managed to bag my V20 yesterday for INR1L from a Bangalore retailer & it was delivered on the same day. I have been reading various posts about preparing a plasma TV...This is my first flat display purchase ever & I dont want to mess it up. In all honesty, I am a bit brain when it comes to TVs, hence I prefer hearing you out.

My hall is pretty huge & very well ventilated (Almost 1000 squares)...I will not be watching much TV during the day time so I have not curtained my glass doors. Having said that here are my questions,

1) I have connected the TV to a Stabilizer (VG CRYSTAL..supports upto 2 amps)...Is it right?

2) What are the basic display settings that I need to follow?

3) How many hours should these settings be retained?

4) Can I unplug USB & HDMI devices just like that or is there a standard procedure?

5) How do i find out if the planel devilered to me is not a demo piece from the show room..(i.e, How would I check the number of hours the TV has run?)

6) Some members earlier spoke about playing some test slides...what is it exactly?

7) DOs & DONTs

Thanks in advance

Regards,

 

[haisaikat]

Good day All,

I managed to bag my V20 yesterday for INR1L from a Bangalore retailer & it was delivered on the same day. I have been reading various posts about preparing a plasma TV...This is my first flat display purchase ever & I dont want to mess it up. In all honesty, I am a bit brain when it comes to TVs, hence I prefer hearing you out.

My hall is pretty huge & very well ventilated (Almost 1000 squares)...I will not be watching much TV during the day time so I have not curtained my glass doors. Having said that here are my questions,

1) I have connected the TV to a Stabilizer (VG CRYSTAL..supports upto 2 amps)...Is it right?

2) What are the basic display settings that I need to follow?

3) How many hours should these settings be retained?

4) Can I unplug USB & HDMI devices just like that or is there a standard procedure?

5) How do i find out if the planel devilered to me is not a demo piece from the show room..(i.e, How would I check the number of hours the TV has run?)

6) Some members earlier spoke about playing some test slides...what is it exactly?

7) DOs & DONTs

Thanks in advance

Regards,

Congrats on your purchase. I also plan to purchase this after I do a prsonal demo, pic wise i looked at the 50U and the 42V side by side and the V series really looked great. In Kolkata I am getting this for 1.06L. Please do post some pics and let me know what is your average daily usage of this masterpiece.

 

[vramak]

Find my answers embedded below.

Good day All,

2) What are the basic display settings that I need to follow?

3) How many hours should these settings be retained?

6) Some members earlier spoke about playing some test slides...what is it exactly?


With the V20 you need not worry about burn-in. For best picture quality, set the mode to 'true cinema' and adjust the brightness, contrast and gamma by referring to these slides -

Black level - Lagom LCD test
White saturation - Lagom LCD test

You'll mostly get settings like gamma-2.6, contrast-80, brightness-0. Use these settings for full-screen content. With these settings, when watching content with black bars or when watching content with statics icons (like games or cricket matches) you may notice that the black bars and static icons will get retained on screen for a while. So, just to be safe, when watching such content set mode to 'professional 1' and keep contrast setting at around 40.

Follow this same procedure for about 200 hours and then you can always use true cinema mode irrespective of the content.

4) Can I unplug USB & HDMI devices just like that or is there a standard procedure?

You can unplug both USB and HDMI cables when the connected device is not in use.

5) How do i find out if the planel devilered to me is not a demo piece from the show room..(i.e, How would I check the number of hours the TV has run?)

You can check the usage by following the procedure given in this post - http://www.hifivision.com/television/12919-panasonic-v20-vt20-3.html#post181029