Philips 55PL9773 Questions
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Anonymous | Has anyone seen the picture on this unit? I am considering buying this unit but I am not sure how good this is. I am also considering the Samsung HLN617W. I e-mail'ed Philips and found out that it does not have 3:2 Film Correction. Will Pixel Plus accomplish the same thing on the film correction aspect? I have DirecTV with a HDTV receiver (no DVD-I interface) and a Pioneer Elite DVD player with the DVD-I interface (at least I think that what the i-Link does). Will this set-up affect my choice of units? |
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Anonymous | The Tweeter guy called and said they had a Cineos on display and I trucked on over. What a disappointment! Everything had a purple cast, and the salesman admitted they had tried and failed to adjust it. Next to the new Samsung DLP it looked very bad. He said they felt it might have been a defective unit--when they set it up there were purple streaks that they managed to eliminate. He's calling Philips to get a technician over. So I assume it's a defective unit--but if that's the case, then the quality control is probably pretty bad. I'd wait. On the other side, the new Samsung with the narrow bezel looks great. |
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Casey | Thanks for the feedback. The nearest store to me that carries the Philips is about 90 minutes drive. Maybe next week-end I will drive there to look at one since I will be halfway there on another trip. The comments I've seen are all over the place. It appears that there is some quality problems with the initial batch of Philips. Does Pixel Plus and 3:2 Pulldown effectively do the same function? |
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MI | Well it doesn't mention 3:2 pull down in the manual. But what I'm reading about the 3:2 pull down is that most raise the scanlines and try to eliminate unwanted or unclear frames. If that is the case then, the philips does that. Check out the quote from the manual below. It seems to me that they do the same thing. As far as build quality, mine has an assembly date of july 2003 and so far its been excellent. I will really beat on it the next two days playing video games, so I'll report back if it has any issues. MI "The Digital Processing control gives you a choice of different picture scanning modes. Progressive Scan - doubles the number of pic-ture lines, eliminating line flicker and provid-ing a jitter-free picture. Movie Plus - provides motion compensation to increase clarity around moving images in the picture. PixelPlus - improves the picture quality and appearance of on-screen images. The number of picture lines is increased along with the number of pixels per line, giving normal broadcast signals, DVD reproduction or Digital TV signals, unparalleled sharpness and depth. This gives the viewer near high-definition and natural-looking detail without the high-definition signal." |
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CA | How is the contrast on the Cineos? I am considering Panasonic TH37PWD6UY and stumbled upon this Cineos while searching Philips for a DVD player. The specs say only >400:1 (four hundred) and the Panasonic specs out at 4000:1 so which is going to be better in bright light situations? or super dark movies (getting more blacks?). Not sure which way to go now. I also have a small room so the 37" plasma would 'fit' better in the room. Philips should make a smaller size if they can. peace. |
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Undecided | Check out the post on this board comparing the Phillips ot the Samsung DLP. It has some more info about it and a comparison I wrote as well. |
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heartdoc | Just spent 30 minutes watching StarWars2 on the philips side by side with the samsung 46 inch unit and the 55 inch pioneer elite unit here in Atlanta. The philips using s-video input in the movie mode blew the others(in 480P) away in terms of sharpness, naturalness of the colors(much better at producing true greys, not bluish tones), and perception of depth/3-dimensionality. The samsung and other projector sets are much softer. Colors on the Philips are more real in terms of reproducing the grey skies or natural color of rain. The movie mode is amazing on the scene inside the clone factory. The negative is the backround black is not as deep as on the samsung but I think the colors overall are much better on the Philips. This is the unit I purchased. |
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Fab 5 | Hello all. I went to The Good Guys to check out the Philips set. Well, I liked the overall appearance. It included the matching stand. Picture wise, well, let's just say I saw purple, purple, oh and yeah, purple. The salesperson which I talked with has been around for over 5 years and I've purchased items from him in the past. Well, he told me he was kinda disappointed with the set. We tried to adjust the picture to no avail. Purple was the word. Maybe it was just this particular set.... |
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Anonymous | See my earlier message about the Cineos at tweeter. Also purple purple purple. And that's two sets and very few others have been seen. One person evidently saw a great set. But two out of three is disturbing. I'd say WAIT. That's what I'm gonna do |
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Fab 5 | I take back what I stated earlier. (Two posts above this one) I went to a different Good Guys in a different city. They had the 55" Philips set. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!! The picture was fantastic. The color was perfect. NO PURPLE. I was just stunned by the quality of the set. A salesperson snook up behind me and said, "Isn't it great? This just blows away the Sony sitting right next to it doesn't it?" I told him that I was in a different GG store and was very disappointed in the picture quality for the set I saw. He then said that a Philips service person needed to tweek something on the control panel, and then it shouldn't be a problem for that set in the other store. People are purchasing this set up like hotcakes. The GG warehouse had a total of 72 units, all of which are totally sold with plenty of waiting lists to come. This store I was in actually had 5 on hand and they were sold in 1 day after they went on sale. The waiting list is around a week and a half as GG will be receiving more of this set. The 44 inch will be in within a week also. This is really worth checking out if you haven't yet, or if you went to see the set before, and found a purple looking set. It's just jaw dropping. I want one today! |
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Anonymous | The purple tint on some of these has been identified as a color engine problem in some of the first wave of these sets. Philips has supposedly identified this problem and is currently repairing sets and future production units should include this fix. |
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George G. | I went back to the Tweeter in Danbury Ct yesterday and the Cineos was gone! The sales person said Philips had recalled the sets for a software fix. It should be interesting to see how the picture looks after the fix. |
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| I put a deposit on the Samsung 55PL9773. The picture looked fantastic! I didn't see any of the problems experienced by others. I think I noticed a slight purple hue. The sales person at good guys says they are selling like hot cakes. I am curious how it will look with a DVI dvd player. Any recommendations? |
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| I live in Baltimore, Maryland. I put a deposit on the 55" philips lcos a month ago expecting the set within a week. I am told week after week that philips is delaying the release of the lcos series. Are they fixing the purple problem ? Does anyone have one without the problem, and if so where can I get one ? |
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| I purchased the 55 inch its great but for a small area with the purple haze. Do any of you know a qualified technician that can service this. The store i brought it from is not being very helpful now that they have my money. Any help would be appreciated |
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| I went to tweeter to pre-order phiips cineos model 55pl9773 but they ony carries 55pl977s. Words from Tweeter has it that hilips has change it's model number. Is this true because I got to have my Pixel Plus! |
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John G | The 55PL9773 and the 55PL977S are the same set and both have pixel plus. The 55PL977S apparently comes with the swivel base included. I'm not sure you can get it any other way, at least not yet. The 55PL9523/55PL952S doesn't have pixel plus or, perhaps equally importantly, doesn't have the anti-reflection screen. |
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Anonymous | Does anyone know where to get one in Ohio???? |
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| I purchased a floor model 55pl9773 on Sept. 30 from Tweeter and and it looks great feeding a composite 1080I or composite progressive DVD signal. The only thing I have seen unusual is the red,green and blue images on the left edge of a white vertical object when the object is moving from right to left across the screen. It appears as though it is the image of the RGB prism's as they scan the chip. The 480I signal feed into the "S" video or composite input looks lousy. Very low resolution and pasty. Looks like the up conversion has some serious issues. I am trying to contact Philips about this now and will keep you posted. I think the technology blows everything else away that is within reason price wise. |
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David W. | My statement in my previous post should have said "looks great feeding a component 1080I or component progressive DVD signal." Reference the rainbow, I noticed a rainbow effect last night. It usually appears as you are glancing away from the screen. The RGB that appears on the edge of moving white vertical objects is yet another issue.I am sure that this has to do with the way they scan the chip. I also did some more testing on the lack of resolution with a 480I signal. With an antenna input the picture has some digital processing artifacts resulting in an overall picture quality that is somewhat less pleasing that a good analog set. Using the "S" video output from the Dish Network receiver,the problem is multiplied. I believe that this is caused by the fact that Dish has already compressed the signal to the point that it any additional processing literally destroys the picture. I have come to the conclusion that if you want to watch standard broadcast (NTSC) you are better off with a NTSC receiver. After studying the various technologies available and witnessing the warts of all of them we may be a few years away from a truly good device to display HD at a reasonable price. I must retract my previous statement about the Philips Lcos technology blowing away anything else. It is good but it to has many problems that must be resolved. Other technologies have their own inherent problems so I guess for now I just have to accept that the state of the art has not developed to an acceptable level. |
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John G | It appears that the 55PL977S is currently only available thru Tweeter, The Good Guys (west coast), and possibly P.C. Richards (New York City area). The closest to Ohio would be Tweeter. There are stores in Pennsylvania. Check the Tweeter web site store locater. I had to drive to Nashville (from Knoxville) to order my set. |
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| I'm a German home theatre dealer and have seriously considered purchasing the Philips LCOS rear-pro TV as an alternative to some of the video projectors I'm carrying (seen the Philips in action during the international Berlin consumer fair). I'm not so sure, now. Here in Europe the sole model is the top-of-the-line 55 (") PL 9873. Interestingly, the great "Digital Natural Motion" movement enhancement (okay, according to Philips it works better with European PAL TV/video programs)seems to be absent or down-watered PR wise with the US model. Anyway - if there are no purple artifacts I guess it is safe to say that the Cineos is the best TV in a box you can currently get. Unless you build your own box with an NEC WT 600 or go straight for videoprojection. |
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John G | Digital Natural Motion is included in all US Philips Cineos RPTVs but Pixel Plus gets all the attention. Digital Natural Motion, in the literature I have seen, is basically considered a part of Pixel Plus on the two models (55PL977S/44PL977S) that have it. The other two models (55PL952S/44PL952S) have Digital Natural Motion without Pixel Plus. While the reviews I have read have reservations about the new Cineos RPTVs, the reviewers all seem to like Pixel Plus and Digital Natural Motion. I hope to report my own opinions, if the 55PL977S I have on order ever arrives! |
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Jeff S | I too am interested in buying the 55PL977S. Does anyone know if Goodguys will be selling it via their website? I live in Florida...nowhere near a Tweeter's or a Goodguys... |
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Anonymous | I just spent an hour looking at a Phillips 55PL9773 at Good Guys. I did not see any of the faults mentioned in the messages on this sight or in the reviews in magazines. Could be a later model that has had the flaws fixed. Picture was excellent. The Sony 50XBR800 next to it looked washed out and lacked the detail. Water looked so real I thought I was going to get wet if I got too close. The price is graet compared to plasma ( which is the only thing that compares) I did not like the remote (no learning or backlight) and it does not have DTV link (firewire) or memory card slots. These issues may cause me to wait and see if they add these to future units. I also want to see the new Toshiba 57HL83 to see if they worked the bugs out. It does have the missing features but I need to see the picture quality. For old school technology, Mitsubishi's new 9 inch lens 65" screen will be out soon. Could be an attractive alternative if you have the space. |
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heartdoc | I have had the Philips set(HiFi buys-GA) and so far love it gorgeous picture. I use a comcast HD set top box with Beldin component cables from Bluejeanscables. The set has incredible three dimensionality which can be a bit dizzying!(eg. opening scene on HBO Carnival HD TV show). SDTV still looks very good. My main quible with the set is that it will not fully expand HD 4:3 signals with bars, and there is a slight bowtie effect noted with 4:3 images. I think the rainbow issue is overblown for most, as most people have to try and look for them. I think DLP has a real problem with greys which pulsate/flicker and purplish looking whites. |
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| Well, it's been a month and I haven't recieved my Cineos yet, I'm gooing to give up now and thinking: if there's a problem now, there will be a problem later. So I'm going towards the sony KF50WE610. Unless anyone knows of any better LCD or DLP out there. I am broken hearted because I'm stuck with a black and white TV, |
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heartdoc | Tweeter now says that Philips has decided to replace all of the original Cineos 55" sets including mine. I am on my second set already. The first one did not turn on out of standby, and the second one has been very good with only a few of the minor bugs-bowtie effect on screen, but colors are 99% great. DVD and Cable HD signals are great, regular cable is very watchable. So far, I am very please how this set looks. Went to CC last PM, and so the new sony's and seen the Sammy 50 and 56 inch sets which I dont like as much. The Sammy is too green with color saturation, but i didnt do any adjusting. |
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May Day | I want to buy the hdtv set-top box but I really wants to know, if it would improve the picture quality of my dvd's on a standard dvd player or any source. Is it really worth what was said? Thank you. |
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| Hello, I'm also waiting on delivery of my 55' LCOS. Just got off the phone with the Philips plasma support people and they told me that the improved units are scheduled to begin shipping again late October - early November. Has anybody else heard the same or different within the past few days? This seems soon to me. I hope it's correct - I'm getting anxious waiting for my TV! |
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Bruce Lee of TVs | I hope they have fixed the LCoS. I have had a Sammy HLN617W DLP for 60+ days. The DLP is now back in the box in my house. I brought it back to Tweeter-Sound Advice here in Miami-within the 60 day period but the sales manager said he would rather do a swap-out to keep from screwing up store inventory. He is nice enough to honor the return policy even though I am past the 60 day trial. This is why I only buy from Tweeter. At first I agreed to take another DLP to see if my first one was faulty, but then I realized it was not my TV it was the technology. DLP is just not as great as the manufactures claims. The reason why some of you did not notice the rainbow in the DLP is you don't notice it simply put. The rainbows are always present but only a certain percentage of people catch them. Not all people process light throught the cortex at the same frequency. Also not all people have the same attention to detail. Some of us are just plain video perfectionists. The way in wich our eyes process light would more closely resemble film not digital. That is why the lamps of CRT are just more pleasing to the eyes Anyways, when you are comparing DLP to LCoS forget about the raibows the DLP makes for a moment and just look at solid color backgrounds like walls and skies...flicker flicker flicker. The DLPs do a good Job at showing facial features when displayed full screen, but when they apear small on the screen such as in a dinner seen when the camera has been panned back, anyone will have a hard time making out facial features. The flesh around peoples eyes will dance continuously. DLP cannot show white text properly. Reading credits in white text is almost always very difficult. Bottom line, DLP disappoints on levels never thought possible from $4,000+ Sets. |
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| Hello, theis discussion string has been very helpful for me and I have been reading it for several weeks now! I had ordered a Philips LCOS but gave up waiting for it. So now I am looking at the 50 inch DLP. Could anybody tell me what the difference is between the HLN507W and the HLN5065W Samsung DLPs? Which one is better? thanks! |
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Boston | I have been following this thread lately and am one of the ones who has so far held out for the Cineo. I have had three chat sessions with Philips' customer service. Three email requests for information from them have to my knowledge not been ressponded to. Their telephone customer service department can not provide any satisfactory answers. Here is the latest chat (with personal info redacted) which occurred last night (Oct. 28). At the moment, I am still holding out in the hope of soon seeing a fixed LCOS. The chat follows:: najarretd says, "Thank you for contacting Philips USA Webchat. My name is Devroy. How may I assist you today?" You say, "Can you please provide me with the latest update on the 55" Cineos (fixing of the "purple haze" problem and anticipated shipment dates to those who have paid for and not yet received their tv's). I bought this tv in August and have now had my delivery extended 4 times. Tweeter now has no idea when the tv's will arrive." najarretd says, "I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you." najarretd says, "I will be more than happy to assist you with this issue and I would like some information to create a case file . Please may I have your name, zip code, city and telephone number ?" You say, "********" najarretd says, "Thank you *****." najarretd says, "***** , the tvs should be available by the end of November." You say, "Does "available" mean in the retail stores so that I can obtain it by then or does it mean shipments by Philips to the retail stores will begin by the end of November. As you can imagine, I only care about when I can expect to receive it," najarretd says, "Yes , available in stores." You say, "When I had a prior chat with Philips I was told that I would absolutely receive the tv by October 31 and that if I did not, I should refer to case no. ********* and that my case "would be transferred to the relevant department for review." I'm not sure what was meant by that, but I believe Philips should consider some sort of credit for those who have patiently waited so long for the tv. I know numerous people who have given up and purchased other brands. Is Philips considering some sort of credit?" najarretd says, "I am sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you and I am not sure of that." You say, "Do you have any idea what was meant by the comment that my case would be transferred to another department for review? What other department is there? Your telephone customer service is frankly worthless and could only refer me to the sales and marketing department, which could also provide no help. The problem is that I have now received direct promises from Philips and keep being asked to be patient. What happens when November comes and goes and the tv's still haven't arrived?" najarretd says, "***** , I am not sure what the other person meant as there is no need to transfer to another department." You say, "I have no idea either other than it was just some way to appease me so that I would not give up on the tv. Have all of the problems with the initial Cineo tv's now been fixed? What exactly was causing the problems and how was it fixed?" najarretd says, "*****, we do not have any information on the problems of the tv or what caused them." You say, "Is there some department that has that info?" najarretd says, "I am sorry but no." You say, "Then how did Philips fix the problem" najarretd says, "*****, we do not have that information." You say, "By "we" do you mean the customer service department? Certainly there is some technical department that identified and fixed the problem" najarretd says, "Yes , and we do not have information what the problem was or how it was fixed." You say, "Has Tweeter been told of the new delivery dates" najarretd says, "I am not sure of that." You say, "Is there any priority in how the new ones will be distributed. In other words, are all the people who received defective sets having theirs replaced first before people in my position get the ones that have been on order" najarretd says, "***** , I am sorry but we are not familiar with the distribution process." You say, "Is there some department I can contact that is" najarretd says, "No *****." You say, "What department informed you that the tv's will be in stores by the end of November" najarretd says, "It was a memo not from a specific department." You say, "So -- who takes responsibility when it is December and I still do not have the tv" najarretd says, "I am not sure of that." |
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Jas | Dan - I talked to a Samsung Rep and asked him the same question. He said other than the bezel color, 5065 has a Samsung DCDi chip wheras the 507W has the Faroudja DCDi module. HLN5065 is sold at major retailers like Best Buy, Sears, etc. whereas HLN507W is stored at Circuit city, Tweeter and high end stores. HLN467W and HLN567W are only sold at high end stores and not at Circuit city. |
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Anonymous | I had a chat with the same Philips rep. He doesn't know there models or their features, let alone technical stuff. They should train him or can him |
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Anonymous | Just to let everyone know, I called GoodGuys in San Diego,California, and a Tweeter in Phoenix, Az and was told by both stores that the tv's wouldn't be available until late January or February. In the mean time I have had a Sony Wega 42" LCD and a Sam 43" DLP. They both did a great job on DVD play back especially through component inputs although I must say the Sammy had a much better picture. The draw backs on both is when your're watching a regular Satellite feed (ie:DirecTV) especially a sporting event. Large images appear ok, but when looking at smaller images like when watching football or basketball, the picture is quite pixelated and distorted. I'm disappointed in both, and was hoping that Cineos with pixel plus would be a viable solution, because who knows when all signals will be broadcast in HD, probably not for another 2-3 years. In the meantime I think I'm going to get a Sony 34" WS CRT to tide me over until Flat Panel LCD increase in size and drop in price. Nothing compares to the quality of Flat Panel LCD. Just compare the picture of a Sharp 37" Aquos or Sony 30" LCD to any projection DLP or LCD and the difference is astounding. All the major Flat Panel Manufactures are building State of the Art LCD only manufacturing plants which will allow them to mass produce the panels in any size thus lowering cost. They say by the middle of 2005 we should see the results. |
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Bruce Lee of TVs | The new Toshiba LCoS seems to be all the rage. It too has been pushed back indefinitly due to a shortage of chips. This may be why the Philips is delayed also. The Toshiba 57HLX82 or 83 uses three 1080P LCoS chips. Yes 1080P! Three chips, one for each primary color, means no need for a color wheel - thus no rainbows.( both the Phlips LCoS and Sammy DLP need a color wheel giving off those rainbows ). 1080P is more than twice the pixels of the Philips or Sammy's 720P chips. Since the chips are LCoS and not LCD - like the Sony sets - the image is brighter with a much less visible pixel grid than LCD. The contrast is more than 1000:1, wich is more than double that of Philips. The screen is made of dark tinted tempered glass with a .1mm dot pitch- the first ever available for consumer products. .1mm Dot pitch is five times finer that that of Samsungs .5mm screen and almost as fine as the windows in your house. The problem is the Toshiba TV cost $9000 and is not available. The Philips is also now delayed until Feb 03. All of this leads me to beleive that when Philips got so many returns from thier original shipment of the LCoS sets, and they have seen what thier competators are about to unleash, they did some fancy back-peddling. This makes me want to take back my DLP to Tweeter instead of waiting for them to swap it with the Philips LCoS and just wait until things cool down. Hopefully all this wait will result in something good for us HDTV hopefulls. Bruce |
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| I just received word from Tweeter in Danbury. Philips model will be shipping in 2 to 3 weeks. I have seen letter from president of Philips apologizing for problems and assuring that earlier production issuess have been addressed and any first run units will be replaced by Philips. Since I experienced 3 defective units I look forward to getting one back. When it worked I could not have been happier especially when watching either DVD or standard cable feed. |
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Boston | So --- is it February or two to three weeks. Will anyone at Philips take responsibility and let the consumer know? |
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Atlanta | Have been told by the local Tweeter Co that Philips LCoS units are scheduled for delivery December 4. |
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| I don't know where February info came from. Could be that if you do not have one on order already. Other then that the manager of Tweeter Danbury confirmed to me the 2 to 3 week time frame. |
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WillemO | Just to make everyone consider waiting even longer, Philips announced a new 1,080x1,920 LCoS chip, to be mass produced starting Q1 2004. The chip has the same (physical) size as the 720x1280 one, so it should be easy to pop the high resolution chip into the same set with little extra engineering. Here's a link to eetimes: http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20031022S0054 frustrating this new technology!!, there's always something better ahead. However since the max resolution of ATSC format is 1080x1920, at least this new chip can't be improved in that aspect. |
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Anonymous | I'm new to this message board, but I bring excellent news. The corrected Philips LCoS 55PL977S will be shipping the third week of November and will be available for delivery shortly there after. The 44PL977S (44" model) has been delayed until the end of the first quarter 2004. The delays are caused primarily by initial low yields of servicible LCoS chips. To address picture quality issues (ie: purple haze or cast), the initial shipments of LCoS TV's were programmed for European tastes and PAL Television broadcast, not American tastes or NTSC. Initial shipments were recalled or quaratined to correct this problem. Units being shipped now are new, not repaired/remanufactured pieces. I, like many other people, am looking forward to seeing this TV in action without the prior problems. Oh, just so you know how I got all this info; I managed to get a hold of the West Coast Philips sales representative (name withheld purposely), who was very helpful. |
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Boston | I have had the 55" Cineo on order from Tweeter since August and never received any unit, not even a defective one. Tweeter has been great and was customer-friendly enough to provide me with a Sony 50" GWVII while I have waited. As suggested in another forum, I called 865-521-3435 (Philips service in Knoxville, TN)and was put in touch with a "Cineos specialist." He informed me that Philips began shipping the 55" Cineos to the retail stores (in my case, Tweeter) on November 7. He also informed me that Philips has done much more than "fix" the purple haze and other problems. It has also supposedly added several significant upgrades so that the new Cineos are even better than the few originals that did not have problems. For those who have held off, it seems as if we may know soon whether this has been worth the wait. |
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Anonymous | Hello, I was wondering if you knew any information in regards to when Philips planned (and how- what size..ect.) on implementing the new DD1080 chips into their Ceneos TV's? When would they be available for purchase? It says in the attached link that they plan on mass producing the new chips in Q1 of 2004.. this would be a huge advantage in purchasing a Ceneos... any and all information would be appreciated!! http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20031022S0054 Thanks- Matt |
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Anonymous | I have also heard that the 44" would not be ready until sometime in the first quarter of '04, I e-mailed Philips after I read this and whomever responded wrote that they would be ready sooner, so I guess it depends on who you contact at Philips. |
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Brian | we are scheduled to have our first unit arrive in our showroom the monday after turkey day...so get ready they are coming and they look amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Buying one myself.... The Wire Guys www.thewireguys.net As Always, Support Your Local Custom Installer |
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Joe Hendrix | Do you have a model number, and size of the new Phillips? |
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Anonymous | The model number for the LCOS is: 44pl977s and 55pl977s 44" and 55" screen size |
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Anonymous | What's up with the new DD1080? It says that Philips plans on mas producing in Q1 but really what does that mean to us the consumer? It seems as though it would be much worth the wait for the 1080 over the models that are coming after Turkey day... anyone??? |
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Anonymous | I am planning on the big wait, this is going to be the last television that I will be buying for a while, so I want the latest improvement that I can get. |
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ATL | Just got the call from Tweeter here that my 55" Cineos is in their store and ready for delivery. |
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Anonymous | Visited my local Good Guys a couple of weeks ago, and the sales rep told me that the 55" had only one lamp, therefore, maintenance and repairs are much lower than the competiton. Under $100 vs over $300 on the competition. Does anyone know what the expected lifespan of these lamps? On another site, it was noted that the LCoS projector lamps had from 1,000 to 1,500 hours of life. Could this mean a lamp change every year? I have also heard the new sets will be in the Bay Area the day after Turkey Day! |
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Anonymous | For what it's worth...I emailed Philips and received the following response on 11/25 from Philips Consumer Electronics North America's Corporate Communications Manager: "The 44" Cineos are currently available in stores - although consumer interest in them has been so high that there may be a wait list in some areas. The 55" is due to be shipped in December." Anybody seen the elusive things lately? |
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| Tweeter has just started to receive the 55" Cineos from Philips. I received a call from saying my unit had just arrived. Should have it up and running for the week-end. Looking forward to my Lord of the Rings film festival. |
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Anonymous | I still heard that the 44pl977s won't be ready until the first part of next year, my local dealer said she spoke with her Philips rep. and that is what she told her. |
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| Installed my unit this past week-end and it's great. Does a super job on standard cable broadcast when using Pixel Plus. Also looks like Tweeter had about 10 units in stock as of this past week-end. |
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Anonymous | Did Tweeter have any of the 44's in stock? Do the units have the new chip? |
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SuperB | A big thanks to everyone here from the northwest corner of Arkansas! We don't have any Tweeter or GG stores here, so I've been following the opinions in this forum for a while. I'm now absolutely sold on the 55-inch "977" Cineos, and I can't wait to get mine. I ordered one from here, along with a Philips-provided extended warranty and white-glove shipping, and the price was great: http://www.proactiveelectronics.com/PM55PL9773 Their help on the phone and over email has been quite friendly, but rather than post more about it, I'll let everyone find out for themselves. Kevin M, I hope your LOTR festival is a blast! I'd love to do the same thing, but the little online guys take second seat to Tweeter, GG, etc., and I don't think I'll be getting mine in time. If anyone knows a way to get one here sooner, please post, and let us guys in the middle of the country know. This may be a bit unconventional in a forum, but special thanks to Fab 5, Boston, Kevin M, and a bunch of you Anonymous folks for your informative posts. I really don't mean to exclude anyone, as everyone's advice has been great here. Merry Christmas! |
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| Anonymous Only 55" units are availble so far from what I have heard but I can ask around. As for new chip I would not expect to see them implemented for a while but that's just my guess. SuperB LOTR was great. One new freature Philips added is ability to display volume setting when you lower or raise volume. Issue for me is when it's set to do this channel display stays on screen. Checking around to see if I can get firmware adjustment to change this to off. Other then that it's still a blast. |
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Anonymous | Hello all from newbie - Glad to hear many of you are getting the Cineos at last. I am still undecided and would like some help with couple of items if possible. Viewing height is a concern to me--Can someone provide the measurement from the base of the unit to the bottom of the screen (55")? Also, can someone advise as to the width of the swivel portion at the base of the unit (the actual footprint)? (Sorry if these are previous posts, but did not see.) Does viewing angle/height seem to be as critical for brightness on the lcos as it is for dlp/lcd? Thanks very much -sf |
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| Just got my 55" Cineos yesterday from Tweeter. Installation left a little to be desired, as the guys who delivered it rushed me through the hook ups so they could put it quickly into my custom cabinet. Of course, after pouring through the manual, I realized I had my progressive-scan DVD hooked up to the wrong input - I guess the Pixel Plus and Digital Natural Motion don't work on the two high-def inputs (3&4). Overall I am happy with the set, although I can definitely see the drawbacks to a set that only has a 400:1 contrast ratio. After setting up the TV using a THX calibration DVD and watching Finding NEMA and LOTR pt 2, I felt the black reproduction and shadow details left a little to be desired. I guess this is common to all of the new RPTV types (DLP, LCD, etc.) The viewing angle is also very similar to these other RPTV - at 6'4" I noticed a definite loss in brightness whenever I stood up to leave the room (viewing distance = 14 ft). One question I have heard conflicting answers on - watching 4:3 programming with the black bars on the side, is a LCoS set still prone to burn in if we watch a lot of cable TV in that mode? |
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Anonymous | From what I have heard burn in is not a problem with these sets. |
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SuperB | I give up. I placed my pre-order on this set back in November, b/c even if I changed my mind, the store said there would be no fees involved (the guys at the store really were great to deal with). So on the first week of Nov, they say, "The TVs should ship on the 3rd week of Nov." Then they say, "The second week of Dec." Then they say, "Sometime in Dec." Now they say, "January." I say, "When?" "Sometime in January." Sorry. I'm not interested in hearing next "Sometime in March." The guys I ordered my TV from really were great (I'm working real hard here to not discredit them. If you're looking for a good deal, really, try them out), but what we're all getting from Philips is ridiculous. I gave up waiting, and I got the Sony KF50WE610. My eyes just can't handle the color trip from the DLP sets, and that LCD really IS sharp! Thanks again to this forum. I really don't think that a consumer can go wrong with any digital-technology TV (LCD, DLP, LCOS) today, as long it's a best-of-whatever winner. Perhaps I'll eat my words, but at least for now, I can have my LOTR party, too! ;) |
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Solomon | SuperB, Can I ask a question? I have been leaning toward the Philips TV, with the Sony also in the back of my mind. I want to put the set along a somewhat narrow shelf. I read in the online Philips manual that a space of 4-6 inches is required behind the set for ventilation. Does the Sony also require clearance and, if so, does the manual say how much space is required? Any help would be much appreciated. |
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Gambit | I just got off the phone with Philips, they told me that the Cineos will be shipping 2-3 weeks, and that the 44 inch have been discontinued. I was planning on the better 44 inch model, but now I'll have to get the high end 55 inch model. From what I have been reading is that Philips had already released the Cineos, but then recalled them to do some bug fixs (purple haze/color, etc.), it sounds like they might have fixed those problems and will be releasing them soon. I can't wait, I've been wanting an HDTV, and have been looking around for a while. Once I heard about LcOS back in the June issue of "Home Theater Magazine", and read about the Toshiba that used it, I knew more companys would start to incorporate LcOS into their tv's. I really think LcOS will be one of the surviving HDTV formats. |
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Anonymous | So there will never be any 44" Cineos made? |
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CT Unregistered guest | I am considering purchasing a Hitachi 55dmx01wd, from what I understand it is last year's model and possibly a first generation DLP. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone can give me any advise on the situation. I think Hitachi isn't even making DLP's anymore, so are they having problems with it? My other choice is a Samsung HLN567W, anyone with any knowledge about the comparison would be really helpful, thanks. |
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Mar Unregistered guest | Any new info on the Cineos? Gambit who did you speak to at Philips? |
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New member Username: GambitPost Number: 1 Registered: 12-2003 | No I don't have any new info on the Cineos. As for who I spoke to, I just went to the Philips website and got the number for the Plasma and LcOS tech line and spoke to one the people there. |
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Mar Unregistered guest | The people that I am dealing with have the 55 on order with Philips. I guess that I will be getting that one when it comes in this month hopefully. |
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New member Username: BlevPost Number: 2 Registered: 12-2003 | (I apologize for this very long post in advance, but I assume everyone wants as much info as possible) Ok, after months and months of waiting and misinformation and more waiting and more misinformation, last night I finally got to see the Cineos in action at a Bose store. They had it on display with a Bose DVD changer (connected via component cables). Because Bose is in a mall, however, they had no television feed whatsoever (not HD, not even broadcast), which was a major disappointment. So, at first glance I was impressed at the mere physical look of it. It's a very cool looking TV, and with the swivel stand that comes with the TV, it's even cooler. They were displaying it with, you guessed it, Finding Nemo (to those who guessed Ice Age, what's the difference, right?), which I immediately asked them to switch since every tv looks great with animation. They put on the most recent Star Wars movie and I have to say it looked GREAT! The thing that first came to mind was how natural the colors looked and how smooth the image was. The black level didn't seem quite as black as the Samsung DLP, but the grey scale seemed to be better as the fade from dark dark black to light wasn't as harsh as I remember the DLP being. Overall though, the blacks were good enough considering this is not a CRT. The picture was plenty bright too. I did see some video noise in the letters of the opening text (galaxy far far away...) and on a few other occasions, but only when standing about 4 feet from the screen. Otherwise, the image was very solid. There were, however, two issues I saw that I'll bring to everyone's attention: First, during the scene where Ewan McGregor goes to that lost planet to see the army being built (where he first meets Boba Fet and his father) and he talks to those tall, thin gel-like aliens, the set is very stark white. I thought there might have been a purple hue to parts of the white. I know that the "purple haze" was one of the reasons the Cineos was recalled, so I may have been imagining this because I was looking for the problem. It's also possible that the color is supposed to be there because in some scenes it looked like the white was not meant to be pure, but sort of pearlized in that there were hues of blues and greens as well. I'm not explaining this well, but I want to see the same scene on a regular old CRT tube to see for sure (then I'll repost). Those of you more familiar with this scene may know what I'm talking about. I did not see it in any other scene I viewed. The second thing is the one that I am most concerned about and that is the dreaded rainbow effect. Until last night, I never really understood what this "rainbow effect" really was or what to look for because the 3 or 4 times I've looked at the Samsung DLP, I never saw them. Well, I'm sorry to say, now I totally know, and ignorance truly is bliss. I didn't notice until I watched the scene near the beginning where Ben and Annikan go into that bar to see who tried to kill Amadala. The scene was filled with neon and other glowing light sources. I realized that sometimes when I blinked or moved my eyes from the particular point I was looking at (not my head mind you, just my eyes) for a very split second I saw a flash of color sriped red, green and blue. At first, I thought I was just tired (I had a long day at work and was overtired) and/or that because the scene was otherwise fairly dark, but with many sources of different colored glowing light, my eyes were just seeing the afterimage like how when you look at a bright light and then close your eyes you can still see the light (and even some of the color in a way). But, then I went to a few different scenes (particularly the one I described above where it's very bright), and realized I was seeing it a lot. It then dawned on me that this was the "rainbow effect". I now realize why I may never have seen it. Because I was looking for the wrong thing. Based on descriptions from others, I always thought it was something in the image of the picture, that the colors sort of bled or something, but that it was only in a generalized tint kind of way that only some people noticed. But, this is not the case. You really see it kind of IN your own eyes, not so much "on" the screen. Again, it's like staring at a light or really any object for a period of time and then turning away and seeing the "burned in" image against whatever you are then looking at, except that the rainbow effect only lasts for a fraction of a second whereas that burn in can sometimes take a few seconds to go away. Needless to say, I was disappointed. I didn't even know that the Cineos used a color wheel (which is what I hear causes this effect), but was told by Bose that it did. I later found out that a Tweeter near me just got the Cineos on display and it is right next to the 56" Samsung DLP, so tonight I am going for a head to head comparison armed with my new understanding of the rainbow effect. I'm figuring I'll see it on both TVs which is kind of freaking me out because I had finally narrowed my decision down to one of these 2 TVs, always opting not to go with an LCD because of the potential for stuck pixels (I saw a clump of them on a Sony once which looked like a solid green dot in the middle of the screen which I couldn't help but focus on) and the fact that at least Sony seems to take a very non-descript stance on warranty of stuck pixels (they cover an "unacceptable amount" of stuck pixels only - what a bunch of BS that is). My question to everyone is whether you would just live with the rainbow effect or choose a different poison (like stuck pixels with LCDs, or burn-in, convergance and huge size for CRTs - actually, I've ruled out CRTs due to size constraints). Part of me thinks I should definitely not spend $4,000 on anything unless it doesn't have any affirmative problems. But, the other part thinks maybe if I'm not intently analyzing the picture quality and just casually watching TV with a more relaxed eye, maybe I won't see the rainbows. Anyone know if there occurrence can be mitigated by anything (viewing distance, light in the room, etc.)? As I think the only other possibility would be plasma, and from what I hear and read there isn't anything at least 50" worth buying that's $4500 or less, I just can't face the possibility of the answer being that I should wait another 6 months until something better comes out. Any thoughts would be most appreciated as I am about to break down, cancel my cable, destroy all my TVs and pick up a damn book. |
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Mar Unregistered guest | avsforum.com has a lot of posters about the Cineos it seems they are out and being delivered. Now only if mine would come in. |
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New member Username: BlevPost Number: 4 Registered: 12-2003 | Mar, thanks for that suggestion. I've kept up with the posts at avsforum fairly regularly but hadn't seen any detailed review (mostly just people wondering where their sets were). I went to Tweeter last night and compared the Cineos and Sammy DLP (56"). After 2 hours of deliberating, I went with the Sammy. Both my wife and I were constantly seeing rainbows on the Cineos and maybe once (on a really extreme contrast scene) on the DLP. My wife started to get a headache from all the rainbows. As much as I wanted to get the Cineos (I even liked it better than the DLP in most respects), I just couldn't take the chance that we wouldn't get used to the rainbows or that they wouldn't somehow else just stop. For that much cash, I figured the peace of mind pushed the DLP above the Cineos overall. Plus, I did think it was amazing anyway. Thanks to all on this board for the information. It's been very helpful. I must say it feels good to finally be done with my search. Best of luck to anyone still conducting theirs. |
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JR Unregistered guest | I just purchased the Cineos 55" with pixel plus yesterday. When we first turned in on it looked great but while watching Finding Nemo, it was obvious I had to make adjustments. Here are the settings I used and the picture is awesome. contrast - 69 brightness - 47 color - 100 sharpness - 0 color temperature - normal digital processing - progressive scan dynamic contrast - medium DNR - medium color enhancement - on tint - 0 Auto picture - personnel Picrure format - automatic The blacks and color saturation looked the best with these settings. I highly recommend the Cineos. |
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New member Username: BlevPost Number: 5 Registered: 12-2003 | JR, I'm glad to hear you are liking the Cineos. In fact, I'm jealous because I liked it better. Have you not seen any rainbows, or are you just living with them? If you haven't seen them, definitely do NOT look for them as it will ruin you forever if you get yourself to notice them. Enjoy. |
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Unregistered guest | I have yet to see the rainbow effect on the Phillips LCoS. I know the DLP had this problem. Does anybody out there have this problem? |
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Anonymous | I'm so torn... Philips or the Samsung DLP? I'm leaning towards the philips, but that rainbow effect is scary. BLev... sounds like you would recommend the Philips if you don't see the rainbows? Why? --bc |
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ATL Unregistered guest | Was in the local Tweeter in ATL yesterday. Have purchased the Cineos, but have not had it installed yet. However, I stood in front of their display model for an extended period trying to see the rainbow effect and recognized a problem. Talked with the guys there about the Samsung DLP and they indicated that rainbows had been more of an issue with the Samsung and the initial release of the Cineos than with the new ones. Compared the picture of the Cineos and DLP side by side and the Cineos appears to be a better choice. I'm sticking with the Cineos. |
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PG Unregistered guest | For anyone just purchasing the Philips LCoS, what has Philips said they will do about the purple hue problem? I have looked at the newly delivered models in the stores, and they continue to show a purple color for the blues. For those who recently purchased one, are you noticing anything? |
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Sammy Sosa Unregistered guest | I went with the Samsung. I had very high expectations for the Philips, but I must admit that I was underwhelmed with the Cineos TV. I did like the swivel, but I found the picture quality of the Sammy to be superior time and time again. I must have gone to my local Tweeter store to observe all of the TV's 10 times before pulling the trigger. I went to every other store(CC, Best Buy, Great Indoors, Gateway store to see their DLP and another local MEGA store) 10 times or more as well, but only Tweeter had a Cineos on display. My wife was sick of all of the trips. I could have had employee pricing on the Philips as well, but at the end of the day.....for the amount of scratch I'm spending on the set........I went with what I liked. I'm not the videofile that many the posters on this board are. The other set/s I considered were the non XBR 60 inch Sony (Disliked the light magnifying and reflective screen shield of the XBR) and the Hitachi which I liked very much. I liked both, but I liked the Sammy picture more. Keep in mind I have yet to watch my Sammy....and perhaps I will not be as happy when I view it in my home...I will next weekend. HD will be piped in through the new Sammy sat receiver. Any issues with this receiver of which I should be aware? I think it is the SIRT 160 or 165....... |
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Sammy Sosa Unregistered guest | i wouldn't go with either. their resolution maxes out at 720p, not 1080p. buying anything less than 1080p is being ripped off. don't buy anything until more models that can display at 1080p lines of resolution are available(should be in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year). the new blu-ray dvd players will be available within a year and will display at 1080p. |
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StillLooking Unregistered guest | I've been looking at Philips 55PL977S, the Samsung HLN5065W, and the Sony 50" LCD projection (SON KF60WE610). They are all approximately priced between $4000-5000. I called up Philips to ask about the difference between 55PL977S and 55PL9773. They said it's the same set (includes Pixel Plus) - The "S" stands for Silver. I also spent hours comparing the Philips versus the Samsung DLP (it was easy since they were setup right next to each other). No matter what I tried the blue still looks a little purple (see also http://www.hometheatermag.com/directviewandplasmatvs/1003philips/index1.html). The chart for the Samsung DLP model HLM617W (I assume it's the same for HLN5065W - same engine) is http://www.hometheatermag.com/rearprojectiontvs/160/index2.html. The colors on Samsung are definitely better than the Philips. On the other hand the picture on the Philips definitely seems sharper and the whites looked brighter than Samsung. I was all set for the Philips set, but now I'm thinking of getting the Samsung DLP or maybe shell out the extra dollars for a Plasma. Does anyone have the correct settings for the Philips LCOS TV? I downloaded the manual and it says that the blue can be adjusted by using the "Color Enhancement" pull-down menu. When I tried that I noticed that the "Color Enhancement" feature cannot be selected (it is visible, but not selectable). Anyone have any more insights about that? The Sony is surprisingly good also - any experience with that? |
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Anonymous | Hey Sammy Sosa. Where are you planning on getting a 1080p signal? Check out this reference if you want to know more about resolution differences. http://www.audiovideo101.com/learn/articles/hdtv/hdtv08.asp |
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Unregistered guest | To anyone who has the new Philips, how is the picture in HD, watching football game (sporting event), any distorion, fussyness when not zoomed in, pixel drag etc. Also, how does it handle regular analog broadcasts? Thanks |
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New member Username: ImustaPost Number: 1 Registered: 01-2004 | Hi Everyone, I have been looking at the Phillips 55PL977S and have one question that maybe a current owner can answer. Have you connected your PC to the DB-15 port? If yes, how does it look. I have been putting together a HTPC(Home Theater PC) and currently use an 8 year old Sony XBR connected via an analog video card. I really want to have the 1280 by 720p native resolution and run my videos and pictures from my HTPC. ---Thanks |
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Unregistered guest | Which inputs are you using for the progressive scan DVD player ?? AV1 has component in available as do the two HD inputs AV3 and 4. Pixel plus and other settings are not available with AV3 and 4 so should I use AV1 instead ?? |
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styxfix Unregistered guest | I use AV3 for my top-of-line Philips DVD player, but I would suggest you try both and see what looks best to you. |
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Anonymous | Hi Does anyone have an opinion on the RCA Scenium HDLP50W151? I haven't seen a Phillips LCOS yet but the RCA was nice. Not sure about their reliability though. Thanks |
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Mike N Unregistered guest | I just got a Philips 55PL9773 that was DOA a couple of weeks ago. Long story short, Philips does not back its product warranty. They will not return calls and I never talk to a live person. The chat person just funnels me back into their customer service voice mail machine that never leads to any action on their part. I would suggest that you do not buy this set or if you do, make sure that the shipping company does not leave until you are sure the TV is working. On the other hand, if it does develop a problem, you are going to be SOL on the warranty. They will not talk with you so you can get authorization to fix your set. So - bottom line, avoid this set, do not buy it, Philips is not supporting it. |
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New member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 2 Registered: Jun-04 | Has any one seen "blotches" in the LCoS screen? I've gotten two 55PL977s home and both had them. The first one REALLY bad and I returned it. The second one only two circles of about 4" diameter. This one is also going back, at more than $2500.00 these things better be close to perfect! There is another post regarding this problems but on a Hitachi RP TV; here is the header of the Post: Message Board: Home Video: Rear Projection TVs: Stain-like Spot on my Hitachi 50v500a's LCD screen (any ideas?) |
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john in tn Unregistered guest | i have a blotch as well, really sticks out when on black picture |
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New member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Jun-04 | John, how long have you had your Cineos? Did you notice the blotch recently or has it always been there? And you are right, if there are colors other than gray or black the spot is hardly, if at all, visible. Check the post on the Hitachi; there is intersting information there. |
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New member Username: TommConway, MA Us Post Number: 1 Registered: Jun-04 | I've been looking at the Sumsung HLN503 and was blown away by its picture. I'm hesitant to buy the set, however, after reading several reviews about a sync problem between the video and audio. I got Circuit City to put on a picture with talking heads and saw the problem myself. Is this a real problem? is there a fix from Samsung? |
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john in tn Unregistered guest | well the first night i got it i had a blotch, took it back immediately and got another, it had a blotch but when i woke up the next morning the blotch was gone, now 3 months later it reappeared in a different place, but ur right u only really tell when its on black or grey |
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john in tennessee Unregistered guest | turns out my tv needs a $3000 part the light engine and the part just happens to be on backorder philips wont do anything about it unless the repair place doesnt get the part after 14 business days so sorry i bought this tv |
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New member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 7 Registered: Jun-04 | To all 55PL977 owners with problems: I got my Cineos 55PL9773 replaced last Monday. The new TV is really nice and does not have the well known issue(s) with the "blotches"... or they are not noticiable yet; Philips says that the new Light Engine corrects the problem. However, they sent a BLACK TV and the old one was SILVER... I let that pass. The Good Guys wanted me to pay $500.00 more but I flatly refused since the TV was not only under warranty but also I've bought the extended warranty for $500.00. I gave them a choice of either replacing the TV or fix it, period. They chose to replace it. Of course, the saga continues. The new TV came without the swivel stand. What follows are the contents of e-mail exchanged between me and Philips "Customer Care": ******************* Dear Philips Customer Service Representative, Please take due note that Philips' reputation as a consumer products supplier is suffering greatly. I've got many an issue with both the service, the support thus provided and the quality of my Cineos LCoS TV... and I am not alone. I would suggest that you take a look at the contents of the following URL: https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-video/13596.html Take a close look at the thread regarding the Cineos LCoS. I believe that your company ought to place minute attention to these problems. Hector Philips Consumer Care wrote: Dear Hector Munoz, Thank you for your e-mail regarding your Plasma Unit. Unfortunately we do not provide support for your unit via this medium, what we suggest that you do, is to contact our (Plasma) support at 1-800-464-1264. There our customer service professionals will be more than happy to help you. Please ensure that you have your model number, serial number and your date of purchase (if necessary) for fast and efficient service. If there is anything else we can assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail or chat. Go to PhilipsUsa.com and click on the "Contact US" Link and choose the medium you wish to use. Sincerely, Katherine Vincent Philips USA Customer Support [Date:August 31, 2004, 7:40 pm (GMT-05:00)] Comment/Question: Dear Support representative. I'd bought a Cineos 55" Lcos TV about 2 and 1/2 month ago. This TV exhibited large "blotches" on the screen. After more than ample time, Philips did authorize the correction of the problem and, through the Good Guys Electronics Store, the TV was replaced yesterday with a new one. Now, this new TV was delivered WITHOUT the swivel stand. The technician that delivered said that Philips was removing the stand because the fact that the TV had to be placed on its screen to installed was causing some of the problems observed. I called the store and they said that the stand is a separate unit on the new TV, whereas it came with the old one. The User manual on the new as well as the old TV states that this is an Option. I need to know if The Good Guys ought to replace the stand as well; else, I believe that I am entitled to a refund. Hector Munoz, Copy on File.] Additional parameter(s): [enquiryType:after-sales inquiry] This message is routed to you by these parameters: [f:0]-[c:US]-[l:en]-[p1:TV_GR]-[p2:LCOS_TV_CA]- [p3:LCOS_TV_SU]-[p4:all] ********* Stick to your guns!! Sorry for the long post. Hector |
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Unregistered guest | In addition to the Philips 55PL977S Cineos TV, I also purchased the 5 Yr Performance Package from Tweeter. I read where once a year a technician will come to you home and check out the TV to make sure it's working up to factory specs. Has anyone had this procedure done? Your thoughts and comments would be appreciated. |
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ryder92111 Unregistered guest | Just an FYI - I just bought a brand new Philips 55PL977S at Frye's for only $2,300 plus a $249 three year extended on-site service warranty. It will be delivered in a few days. I thought it was an incredible deal. The display set in the store had a crisp picture that was comparable or even better than sets selling for nearly double the price. I asked the salesperson why the set was so cheap and he mentioned that a previous set they had on display had the purple hue issue, but that it had somehow been fixed (although he wasn't sure exactly how?). He said the sets weren't selling well as a result and that Frye's was blowing them out to make way for newer models. I didn't notice any rainbow issues on the display set either, but I do think I may have briefly seen some hung pixels? The Philips set also wasn't picking up the contrasts in the mid-tone hues as well as some of the Sony sets, but considering the price, I'm certainly not one to complain. I hope I get a good set. I figure between the Frye's 30 day no questions asked return policy, my credit card guarantee, the Philips warranty (albeit questionable), and the Frye's extended on-site service warranty I also purchased, I'm reasonably well covered. Wish me luck. I'll try to report back here after I get the set... Ryder92111 |
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New member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 9 Registered: Jun-04 | Ryder92111, you've certainly done a good buy! I paid $200.00 more on the TV and $251.00 more on the warranty... and I also got a good deal. Well, the bad news is that you probably got last year's model, the 55PL9773 (that was also mine.) This model has a well documented problem with the Light Engine not being sealed. Because of that, any dust particle that might enter the enclosure and land on any of the Light Engine components might create a "circle" or "blotch" visible in any where in the screen when the present color is either gray, black or dark blue. The circle will even move from one part of the screen to another all by itself. I got three at first, then two and finally four until I got a new TV delivered. My new model is 55PL9774, which has the problem corrected. I had to pay $100.00 more because for the warranty since this TV sells for $4,000.00; I am delighted with the quality of the picture of this one (although the '73 was also really good, I had no oportunity to view it on HD broadcasted TV.) My advise to you would be to ensure that they do REPLACE the TV should these circles or "blotches" appear. Don't let them make you chose a different type of TV. |
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Anonymous | Hector, thanks for the info. I'm not exactly sure which model I received, but you are probably correct that it is last year's model given the price. I really hope that I don't have any of the dust issues that you metioned. Just curious, was it Philips, the store, or the warranty underwriter that offered to give you the newer model? Ryder92111 |
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New member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 10 Registered: Jun-04 | Ryder92111, you can find the model of your TV on your User's Manual, first page. Sorry to say but you're almost certain to have the problem. I've been told from two techs that these TVs have been returned in bunches. Regarding Warranty Service, Philips has to approve that a technician take a look at the problem. If the tech finds that there is a problem with the Light Engine, he will report this to Philips and provide you with a "Case Number" and Reason. From here, I don't know how your case will be treated. In my particular case, once I had these, I was contacted by The Good Guy's Service department, which would provide both Philips warranty service AND the Extended warranty services that I've paid for; thus, I've no idea whom actually absorbed the cost of replacement. I would believe that it was Philips since I reported the problem the very day that the TV was delivered. Any how, check my post a bit above. By the way, the Swivel Stand is still an issue. |
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Ryder92111 Unregistered guest | Thanks again for the info Hector. Good luck with your swivel stand. The one I got with my set is pretty cool. I did get the older model number (55PL9773) as you predicted. When I first turned the set on, I was very disappointed as the screen had the purple hue and I was getting a little bit of the rainbow effect when I moved my eyes rapidly across the screen. However, after spending about an hour experimenting with the various picture settings, both problems are now completely gone and the picture is as good or better than what I saw on the display set in the store. I think the majority of the problems Philips is having with these sets stems from the poor default factory picture settings. The problem can be fixed, but it's takes a bit of time and a lot of experimenting. It's not an obvious fix either. If anyone wants to know my final picture settings please let me know. Also, I have no dust problems (yet). Hopefully it won't be a problem in the future. The HD picture quality is even better than I had hoped. Another note, the guys from Fry's who delivered my set said that they have delivered well over 20 of them and have only gone back to pick a single set because it had problems. They also told me that the older model number is about to sell out and that if mine were to break down, it is store policy to replace it with the latest model (if it can't be easily repaired). They said that it is a good idea to buy the longest warranty possible, because if a set breaks down at any time within the warranty period, they would always replace it with the newest model (again, if it can't be easily repaired). I'm going to go back to the store to extend my warranty to the full five years. For only about $100 a year, it's great insurance. I'll let you know if I have any other problems. |
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jon in TN Unregistered guest | well after dealing with the worst customer service ever, i demanded my money back and just got the check yesterday, i am so happy to be rid of this tv and philips |
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Anonymous | I also recently bought a closeout 55PL9973 with the purple hue and snowballs in dark areas. Philips attempt to retrofit the gen 3 light engine and upgrade firmware in my home resulted in the whole unit being down. Philips support has been exceptional, they offered to swap it with the new gen 3 set at no extra cost. That fell through because of low stock levels. I was then offered a 42" LCD or a 50" plasma as a swap. Both models sell for substantially more than what I paid for the Cineos. So I chose to swap instead of refund. I chose the 50" PL99656 plasma and never loooked back. Kudos to Philips service for making the best of a bad situation. |
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Bronze Member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 11 Registered: Jun-04 | To "Anonymous", Man! either you are a philips employee or one lucky customer... Yours is the only possitive feedback in regards to Philips Support. I am fully satisfied with my Cineos, now that was been replaced, but don't want EVER to be involved with philips and their support again. |
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Unregistered guest | I just Bought a 55' Cineos ,it has developed color patches in just 2 weeks,anyone else had this problem? |
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alex_a Unregistered guest | Philips exits LCOS display business By Spencer Chin EE Times 10/08/2004, 2:31 PM ET MANHASSET, N.Y. -- Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands has decided to pull out of the liquid-crystal- on-silicon (LCOS) rear-projection TV business and plans to cease production of LCOS products by Nov. 19. A Philips spokesperson confirmed an Insight Media report stating that the company Philips would shut down its LCOS panel foundry and stop production of LCOS engines and rear-projection display TVs. Two hundred jobs would be affected in Brussels, Belgium; Boeblingen, Germany; Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.; and Vienna, Austria. The spokesperson said Philips was no longer willing to make the necessary investments in LCOS technology as microdisplays move toward commodity status. Philips said it believes its share of the rear-projection TV market was too small, and that it lacked the scale to bring these products to market. Philips' exit from the microdisplay business did not surprise Insight Media analyst Chris Chinnock. "We knew things were in a critical mode for awhile," Chinnock said. "A year ago we said there are too many LCOS players choosing too few design wins." Philips also experienced low yields on manufacturing its 1.18-inch microdisplay, though was moving to shrink the panel size when the company pulled the plug on the business, Chinnock said. "When you get a microdisplay that big, defects can kill a device," he said. "They [Philips] had begun to tool a shrunken down microdisplay with a 0.9-in. panel size." Chinnock added that Philips' LCOS-based, rear-projection TVs were at a competitive disadvantage in that they could only achieve 1280- x 720-pixel resolution. Other microdisplay suppliers were developing TVs capable of showing 1920 x 1080 pixels. The Philips spokesperson said the company will consider alternative microdisplay solutions, including Texas Instruments' digital light processing technology. |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Called Philips yesterday and easily got thru to a rep how opened a ticket number and said I would receive a call from someone in the tech repair center. Today I received a message from service repair about the common spot problem and the necessary parts would be ordered. He said he would call back in about a week and make the appt with me. I will keep everyone posted. Thanks for all the info. |
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wjjz106 Unregistered guest | Cool Hand -- Just wanted to let you know that I also had "snowballs" (a.k.a circles, spots, etc.) issues that appeared on the 55PL977S (Gen 1) Cineos screen when dark events occurred. Went through the same procedures that you described in your thread. The part that the TV technician replaced was LCOS light engine. Make sure it's a 3rd generation model, or you might have the same issues as before. It took 2 of them about 2-3 hours to remove/install the part. I'm happy to say it resolved the issue. Good luck. |
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Bronze Member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 12 Registered: Jun-04 | To all Cineos owners, Heads Up, guys! As I posted some time back, Phillips/The Good Guys replaced my 55PL977S with a new 55PL9774 which is suppossed to have the sealed Light Engine unit. Because of the much trouble that we had, we are wary of Phillip's products now. We've notice a very faint circle that appeared recently around the center of the screen. Needless to say, this worries me much since this is a replacement unit that is suppossed to have this issue corrected. I'll keep a keen eye on this and report to this site if it gets any worse or if I get any more spots. Regarding this one particular spot, although is annoying to know that you paid well over $3,000.00 bucks for a piece of equipment that is NOT in top condition, is not as visible as the ones that we had in the previous model. |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Just talked to the TV tech and he is coming by on Thurs to either repair the TV or pick it up. Not sure if I want to be without a TV for any extended amount of time? Wish I would have asked for an exchange instead of going thru all this hassle and ending up with a new TV anyways. |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | The TV technician finally showed up and diagnosed the problem as dust in the lens. He offered to clean the lens, but he couldn't gaurentee it wouldn't happen again. He then tried to tell me because my TV was so close to the window it may have contributed to excessive dust in the lens. I told him the problem was a design flaw and not the window. I also explained, based on research from your posts, that I expected the light engine to be replaced or a new TV. To make a long story short, he agreed, wrote down the serial number, and said he would call Philips for more info and get back to me. He also said the possibility of a new one would be tough because the TVs are on back order. The game continues. |
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New member Username: WcswebdesignPost Number: 1 Registered: Nov-04 | Hello, I was at my local sound advise today and had a chance to lay my eyes on the Philips 55PL9773, it was sitting next to the new 55 inch lcd sony wega. Needless to say the lcos looked really bad next to the sony. It wasnt as clear and seemed to have a grayish tint to the picture that made it not clear looking. After adjusting some the settings, we got it to look ok. I personally think this was just a bad model cause it had a very disappointing picture. This was the first model of lcos I have seen in person. I just ordered the PHILIPS 55" 55PL9223 Does any one have any input on this model? Iam really sweating bullets here after seeing the 9773 set today. |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | I was contacted by the TV repair man and he is coming Thursday to replace the light engine on my Cineos. I hope it doesn't solve the problem so I can get an exchange. One more thing, I was contacted by two different repair shops, and each one suggested the replacement of the light engine, although one of them mentioned the new light engines aren't sealed either. The game continues. |
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Unregistered guest | Just purchased a new 55 for 1999. Prices are really falling since production has stopped. Looked like a good gamble. All big screens seem to have some problem. Didn't do a warranty since my AMEX doubles the manufacturers warranty for free. I'll let you know how it goes. Been watching a 27 Sharp. It has to be better than that! |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Tech repair man came by and replaced the light engine/lens and no more spots. I watched him dismantle the TV and was surprised to see so few components inside. Basically speaking, motherboard on the right, light engine/lens in the center, and inputs on the left. Just above is the large chamber which houses the mirror for the rear projection. One thing that bothered me was the amount of dust that was found on the lens, which is located at the bottom of the chamber and sits flat pointing up towards the mirror. Remember, the light engine and lens is all one part. The repair man said the lens sometimes collects dust and in turn affects the picture. So the question is, what difference does it make if the light engine is sealed, when ultimately the lens will always be exposed to dust inside the television? |
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Jbighitter Unregistered guest | Took the unit back today. Quit working after 5 hours. Calls to Philips service were answered quickly and the guy there recommended that I just return the unit as opposed to trying to get it fixed. I knew from the postings here that I was taking a risk. Fortunately, all it cost me was a couple of hours and I got my purchase price refunded. |
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agd Unregistered guest | I bought a 55PL9974/37 Sept. 4th from a Bose Dealer. I had to wait two months for the stand. The set and stand were delivered and installed on Nov. 4th. On Nov. 5th, the sound went out (internal speakers, not set up with external speakers). Not even a hiss from the speakers. I phoned Philips' customer service # provided, went down the phone tree to Cineos. Informed them of my problem. They did a bit of research and asked me to ensure my external speaker switch was not switched to EXT... I informed the agent that my set did not have such a switch. He then said, "I see that your set does not have that switch". (My owners manual does indicate that switch is present). He said that a technician would be at my house on Monday (Nov. 8th). I received a call from Philips on Nov. 6th...again informing me of the location of my EXT speaker switch :"Above and to the left of the AC input" I informed the caller that my set had an indent in that area, but no switch. I told him I would check again, but wanted to confirm that the tech would be at my house on Monday. He assured me the tech would be there. When no tech came Monday, I phoned Philips again, gave my service reference number (at about 4:30PM CST). I was told that a part had been ordered. I asked the agent how they knew which part or order if no one came to look at the Cineos set? He said they order several parts and use the one they need. No mention of when someone would be over to actually fix it. Not satisfied with that response, and the fact that no tech came to the house, I again phoned Philips a few hours later, and spoke to a 'supervisor' named Vito. He told me that he has no record of a part being ordered and that he would place my service request on his supervisor's computer for attention. It has now been 1 week since that call...with no follow-up. I returned to the Bose dealer on 11/11/04 and informed them of my situation. The dealer phoned a different Philips number and I spoke to a Penny who told me to contact a specific TV shop in my area for repair. When I did, the owner told me he had never heard of Cineos and that I should give the set back. He said "Philips never tells me anything". THIS WAS THE SHOP THAT PHILIPS REFERRED ME TO! The Bose dealer took my information and promised to help me. I got a call from the dealer the evening of 11/11/04 who told me that he got nowhere with Philips..no help what so ever...(AND THAT'S THE DEALER CALLING!). The dealer came out to my house the see the set, and could not find the problem. The dealer set up was fine, I have no problem with that. Bottom, line, I put the set and the stand in my vehicle, returned it to the Bose store that day, and got a refund for the stand and set. I have been a Philips customer for years, and am deeply dissappointed with their 'customer no-service' on a set that cost me $3999. I now understand that the Cineos line was discontinued between my purchase date and my delivery date. Bose did offer me a new set for $2499..I told them that it was not the set that concerned me, it was the lack of Factory support. What will happen when the lamp goes out after 6000 hours? What if the set has problems after the warranty? There was no offer of an extended warranty from Philips. The Bose dealer is to be commended for his attention to my situation. I told him that if he sold another brand, I would have bought it that day from him. |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Well, to make a long story short, the white spots are back only after one day. I had one incredibly big spot about the size of a volleyball and another baseball size one. The larger spot of the two happened to disappear the next day. Called Philips back the next day and asked for an exchange or refund. They said their policy is to at least attempt two repairs before discussing an exchange or refund. They also mentioned if I could convince Goodguys retail store to except a return that would be OK. Well of course Goodguys won't take back the TV because I bought it in late January. The Game Continues. |
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New member Username: WcswebdesignPost Number: 3 Registered: Nov-04 | Just wanted to drop you guys a line and let you know I got my 55PL9223/17 manufactued in sept 2004 set yesterday and got it all set up and have viewed it about 10 hours, hows your set? Well, I have a few small things I wanted you to hear to see if you got them aswell. My first thing with my set is that, I can see what is called the rainbow effect more often then I should. I have direct TV HD and am running the samgsung ts160 with dvi out. My 2nd upset is that I can hear a high pitched noise that I have had with older CRT sets not to noticeable but I know its there. Overall the set has a great picture which is really impressive, I would give it a 8.9 out of 10 even with the small few issues. I look forward to hearing your input about the set. Price paid $2300.00  |
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Unregistered guest | I recently bought the 62" Philips from BOSE. A floor model. $3G's including the stand. It had a slight defect in the display (very mild tilt that was very difficult to see). BOSE agreed to have it serviced at no charge to me. Well... after two weeks...they called and said they could not get it serviced in a timely manner and offered a credit towards a new unit in-the-box (read more money). After a little heated complaining, they agreed they botched the deal and agreed to an even up swap. I love the picture. Hate the rainbow effect. BTW typically the rainbow effect is more pronounced (meaning visible) when room lighting is on and you're less than 6 feet away from the set. Darkness or ambient light and 6 foot or greater distance; this set beats all the others I reviewed before my purchase. This thing is HUGE! The picture and the size has caused a few slack jaws. The fact that Philips has discontinued this product makes me extremely nervous. But the "bang for the buck" settles my nerves just a bit. I am also curious about Ryder92111's adjustments on his model. Ryder92111 please post or email me. |
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ryder92111 Unregistered guest | bigblockStang, Here are my settings. Some are intentionally left out because the option to change them gets overridden by the other option settings. Contrst = 62 Brightness = 52 (viewing in a sun lit room) Sharpness = 5 Color Temp = Warm Auto Picture = Personal. Ryder |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Repair man came by on Friday of last week and replaced light engine for the second time. Everything looks OK. He mentioned his TV purchase won't happen for a couple of years because LCD flat panel will surpass all others, including plasma. |
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Unregistered guest | Bought the 55PL9773 5 months ago and was plagued by the white spot problem talked about at length on this site. Philips replaced light engine 2 weeks ago and spots are gone (for now). Other problem is picture noise, even with VOOM Sattelite HD with a Monster Cable DVI input. It is especially prevelant with images of the sky or on buildings. Looks kinda like the blur of real life images behind high heat sources. Like when you look at an airplane from the side as it sits on the runway with its engine running. The environment behind it looks distorted. I see such distortion or noise to a much lesser degree with my LCOS. Light engine replacement did nothing to resolve that. Any ideas??? |
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Unregistered guest | Where does the MDL 55PL9524 fit chronologically and/or generationally. I haven't seen anyone reference it here. I can get it for $1753 total incl. delivery but am being cautious due to everything talked about. Any advice would be appreciated. |
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wjjz106 Unregistered guest | Robert J - The Cineos 55PL9524 55-inch Projection HDTV is a 2004 Epic Model. The model carries the same features as the Matchline Model except for Pixel Plus. The color of the set differs in models. It comes with 3rd Generation LCOS Light Engine which ensures a dust free image. GenI and GenII developed dust issues a/k/a "snowballs". Other features include: 55" Liquid Crystal on Silicon High Definition Imaging (LCOS) High Resolution Television Monitor -- 1280 x 720p Digital Natural Motion Digital Crystal Clear Active Control Plus+-- analyzes and adjusts incoming signal 2 Tuner Double Window PIP Virtual Dolby Surround, 20 total watts RMS 3D Y/C Comb Filter HD Component and DVI Input Side AV Convenience Jacks Matching Stand Available Swivel Available (55" & 44" only) Please keep in mind that Philips has stopped production, 11/04, on the Cineos line and stores should be selling them at clearence prices. BTW - That is a good sales price you've gotten for the set  |
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Unregistered guest | I have just bought the 55PL9524 55-inch Projection HDTV. It works well in general. I do notice a passing rainbow like a ghost. The TV shows all the poor quality of the cable feeds as well as compression artifacts. DVD pictures are good. I am comparing it to a Philips 46" rear tube projector circa 1988 that has given us excellect service until the deflection stopped. I have two questions, 1. It has some flaring of the rectangle at the bottom 1/4 of the picture. Not terrible but very noticeable when I send in computer images. 2. Can I address it in other than 640x480 pixel mode? 800x600 would be a whole lot better and of course, the maximum utilization would be nice. Does anyone know the price of the replacement lamps? Comments, help, suggestions? |
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Nicolas Unregistered guest | I have had a Phillips model 51PW9303 HDTV monnitor, I came home last night from work and noticed the picture was not as bright as normal. The picture seems almost dull, even on the HD channels which are normally so clear and vibrant they almost hurt my eyes when I am watching at night with no lights in the room on. I have tried to adjust the brightness to see if maybe my son had played with it and messed up the settings, did not help at all. I have had the set for about 4 months or so, has anyone else had this same issue or does anyone have an idea what this could be. |
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Unregistered guest | regarding Philips quality control: I have a plasma 42 pf9966...I was blown away by this unit in best buy and bought it on the internet for under 4000...It has HD resolution and the HD picture is spectacular (especially with the ambilight). I was concerned about the analog pictures through their inboard tuner...But they have done a great job with this input as well using line double "movie" mode it is a great picture... That said it is sad that I report that their quality control is pitiful.... 2 months ago I recieved a brand new unit...It had 2 verticle lines of resolution that were damaged and locked on one color...Monitor Outlet on the internet got this replaced (Monitor Outlet is top notch)..But the second uniyt arived and it worked for 3 das and then would not power up... With reluctance I went the repair route,,, and the techs arived and tried replacing the Power unit and did not work.... Parts were ardered and basically they replaced EVERYTHING inside the plasma display keeping only the bezel from the original unit...the parts took 2 weeks to order and arrived AT MY HOUSE ...one was on a shipping pallet and was gigantic (the PDP itself)this alone was a huge inconvenience as it took up huge amounts of space... with 2 weeks elapsing between fixes they (the techs) arrived and put together an entire plasma display in my living room.... it worked for 2 hours and then went absolutly haywire...double images ...upside down pictures.... You can imagine my disbelief 2 months later I still don't have a working unit... I call the company and demand either my money back or a new unit....they tell me it is probably "the small signal board" and they order that which will probably take another week...and the guy tells me that "they have gotten bad parts from the warehouse before".... This has been one of the worst experiences as a consumer in my life and I sadly will never again buy ANYTHING from Philips. |
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Unregistered guest | Thinking about a 44inch Phillips LCOS (55 is just too big for our living room) . . . but I am worried after hearing all of these problems with the 55inch models. I've been looking at 44PL9223 or 44PL9523 models, which have appeared in less reputible online stores and ebay for less than $1800. Any thoughts? If the thoughts are bad, any recommendations in the ~40inch range for less than 2k? |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Well, here we go again!!! Had my TV fixed twice for the snowball affect a month ago and now the darn thing won't even turn on. Called Philips on 1-3-05 and was referred to the Escalation Department for god knows what? Apparently the deptpartment deals with serious issues concerning televisions that are possibly deemed un-repairable. Have been expecting a phone call now for almost three weeks, but no cigar. In regards to the previous post, don't even consider buying a Philips Lcos, unless you enjoy the misery of it all. Then again, misery does love company. |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 1 Registered: Dec-04 | I too had my light enginge replaced a couple months ago for the snowball effect and now mine won't power up!!!!!! This TV has been nothing but a headache. |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Hey Darin, the last tech repair guy who showed up at my house mentioned he had replaced more than a few motherboards on this model. I wonder if the no power up problem is caused by the motherboard? Philips is going to replace the light engine for the third time and I find it hard to believe that will fix the problem. Hopefully it will be three and out for Philips, and a new plasma replacement. |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 2 Registered: Dec-04 | Cool Hand, So Philips will replace your light engine for the third time in order to resolve the power up problem????? What's this about a plasma replacement?? |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 3 Registered: Dec-04 | Philips called back in about 24 hours to let me know they "think they have the parts to solve the powering up problem". Doesn't sound reassuring. They will be ordering the parts and contacting me again to schedule the repair. We'll see |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Apparently their "No Lemon" Guarantee covers products repaired more than three times for the same problem during the factory contract term will be replaced. This was how it was explained to me by a customer care rep. on 1/25/05. The plasma theory was based on the earlier post by the anonymous gentleman who received plasma in exchange for his Cineos. Probably just wishful thinking. |
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New member Username: WhodyawantWY USA Post Number: 1 Registered: Feb-05 | MAD at Philips! We bought a Philips Cineos 55PL9774 from Ultimate Electronics in October '04 for $3000. We thought we made a "good deal". Since then our TV keeps shutting off by itself. Sometimes 2 or 3 times in one hour, sometimes only once in a few days. I have been on the phone with Philips several times. On their suggestion we have changed the surge protector/power strip, "reset" the TV, and exchanged the lamp. Still, the TV shuts off by itself. Now we are waiting for Philips to send a technician who would contact us in 3 to 5 days. It has been a week and no word. Now we are scared because after searching the net I find out that Philips quit manufacturing the LCoS in October '04. So at the same time they decided to bail out, we bailed out $3 grand that doesn't come easy for us. Should I raise hec with Ultimate Electronics? With Philips? Should I demand a replacement TV? Anyone have a similar experience or advice to share? UGGGHH! |
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wjjz106 Unregistered guest | Shanda Fife - I would recommend the following AV Science forum threads: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=268216&perpage=20&page number=1 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=339831&perpage=20&page number=1 Your issue has been discussed in both. |
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Unregistered guest | I am in the same boat as Shanda, bought my PL55 about a year ago.I've had no problems at all, love the set. I am concerned, however, about getting a replacement lamp. I've looked everywhere online, and cannot locate one. Philips will not respond to any of their email site questions. One site showed a lamp for a 55PL9773 (I have the 977 s), and am wondering if it's the same lamp? Philips is a huge company, so I would think that since they let down their customers on this set, they need to either support us or give us a solution. |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 4 Registered: Dec-04 | It's been 12 days. Still no call from Philips regarding a tech coming out to fix the dang thing. |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | I've been waiting six weeks and have been told it is now going thru the buy back process. Don't know if I should believe them or not. Each time I call it seems like their giving me the run around. Be patient is what they tell me. Their idea of patience equals poor customer care. Don't wait any longer and call them back. |
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Unregistered guest | I purchased the 55pl977s in March 04 from Good Guys when they were still $4k. I paid $550 more for an extended warranty because I was told it was the only way to get in home service. 6 months later I not only have the snowballs but a white cloud 2 feet long and 4" high in the middle of the screen. I called GG and a tech came out to the house, took one look at the TV and said "we can't work on these in house, we need to take it in". Thanks for wasting half my day.. So they picked it up a week later. I waited 2 weeks, no call. I called and they said it would be ready the next day. 2 Days later, I called and they told me they had just contacted Philips about the problem and were waiting for Philips to respond. Another 4 weeks goes by and by now I am calling almost daily to GG corporate, the store, and the service center. Mid December Philips decides to repair the TV. I called Philips customer service, having read about all the units that supposedly had been repaired only to have the problem reappear. I was told the "fix" was finally available, and my unit would work fine. 2 weeks after the parts arrived, my TV was finally returned from GG. (It is now 3 1/2 months from the time I reported the problem, 8 weeks of which the unit was in the shop for a one day repair.) Wait- here's the good part... GG did not touch the light engine or clean the lens of the projector, they only replaced the front panel and screen. The result was that after 2 months of sitting in their dusty warehouse, the problem is twice as bad. I called Philips the next day, who tells me the cineos models include in home service during the warranty period. I am still waiting for the tech to call, but hopefully the Philips tech will not be the totally incompetent morons that the Good Guys service center employees seem to be. |
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Bronze Member Username: 55pl977_usrSan Jose, CA USA Post Number: 13 Registered: Jun-04 | Mike, Although I did not pay full price for my 55PL977S, I also got it from the Good Guys and paid $500.00 for the extended warranty. My set already had the "snow balls" problem when I first got it and I went right back to GG with it. They did give me a little run around but the same day it was agreed that I would get a new set, the 55PL9774 that was supposed to have the issue resolved. I did get the TV within two weeks of the agreement and the only gripe that I have is that the base was not replaced, since my original base and TV were silver and the new TV was black. Now, I had to put GG to task and I really got them on the extended warranty issue. If they sell the stuff (which they push like heck for you to buy) the least that they should do is honor it immediately. I would suggest to you to tell them, as forcefully as you might and still being polite, that you will report them to the Better Business Bureau and any other Retail Controlling Agency that you can think on; and that you EXPECT this problem to be solve within a reasonable time frame (say four weeks.) Doing precisely that got their attention on my case. |
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Unregistered guest | Thanks Hector, but for now I am putting my faith in Philips as they have already called and ordered a new light engine for me, in less than 2 days. They will repair the TV in my house, so I don't have to be completely without a TV while waiting for parts. Why Good Guys cannot do it that way, I do not know. |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 5 Registered: Dec-04 | Well its day 22 day and I called Philips to check on the status of the repair. This was the third such phone call since the original repair request. I don't like to be a jerk about this stuff but by now I am pretty pissed. I asked to speak with a manager right away and they said one was not available but would call me back. An hour later I got a call from the tech letting me know that the parts "just came in" (what a coincidence)and said he would be at my house tomorrow for the repair. I never did get a call from the manager at Philips customer care. UNBELIEVABLE!!! I will post tomorrow to let everyone know if the dang thing is working right |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 6 Registered: Dec-04 | The repair guy came by yesterday and replaced the motherboard which did solve the powering up problem. So at least the TV works now. One problem still persists. Background images are loaded with picture noise and artifact. The tech had NO explanation due to the fact that the noise is only on background images even in HD. A close up with be flawless but the sky in the background looks horrible. The tech was on the phone with Philips for over an hour trying to work thru the problem but was unsuccessful. He will be following up with one of the engineers from Philips and get back to me. Anybody else have this type of problem?? |
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Mike St.Amand Unregistered guest | 3-1-05 The tech from Philips was actually from a private TV repair shop that did not work for Philips directly, but under contract for Philips and Sony. He replaced the light engine, cables, and power supply. The picture on the new sealed light engine is brighter and sharper than when my set was new. I have compared this set side by side with the Mits 52" DLP and I believe the color on the Philips is more realistic. In high def, through the DVI the picture is awesome. Just hope it stays that way for a while.... |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 7 Registered: Dec-04 | I finally heard back from the tech that fixed the original powering up problem. He spoke with an engineer at Philips regarding the picture "noise/artifact" on background images. Though the tech had never seen such a problem only on background images, the engineer seems to think that there are 3 more parts that should solve the problem. The tech will be back on 3-9-05. I will let everybody know what happens. I have gotten no feedback from this posting regarding the problem with background images so I guess nobody else has had such problems. |
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New member Username: DlbiamontePost Number: 8 Registered: Dec-04 | Well the tech from Philips arrived with two parts. When he finished installing them the TV would repeatedly power down after 15 seconds. A quick diagnostic check revealed that one of the new parts was "faulty" and was causing the powering down problem. So They will have to re-order the part and set up another service call (the fourth). The picture "noise/artifact" problem on background images persists and I hate this TV more and more everyday!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Unregistered guest | My 55pl977 still is working fine, although I am nervous about support when it does go down. This probably won't help, but my son just purchased a SONY 42" LCD, which powered down after 5 - 10 seconds from Best Buys. After two weeks of service work and back and forth to his house and shop, he finally gave up and returned the set. A 44" Zenith is being delivered now, we'll see...... |
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Unregistered guest | My 55pl977 still is working fine, although I am nervous about support when it does go down. This probably won't help, but my son just purchased a SONY 42" LCD, which powered down after 5 - 10 seconds from Best Buys. After two weeks of service work and back and forth to his house and shop, he finally gave up and returned the set. A 44" Zenith is being delivered now, we'll see...... |
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New member Username: RanjitmPost Number: 1 Registered: Mar-05 | My Philips 55PL977S shows no closed captioning on inputs AV3 or AV4 (which are the only two inputs I can use for my HD comcast cable). CC does work on AV1 and AV2 but I can't use these for HD. Anyone with the same problem? Any ideas? Have you ever seen an HD channel with CC on this TV? Thanks for your input, Ranjit |
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Cool Hand Unregistered guest | Well the odyssey is over for me, just received my refund check in the mail from Philips. It took about 3-months and a dozen phone calls, but they finally came thru. Funny thing is no one from Philips has told me what to do with the TV. One rep told me they would probably just have me trash the TV. Very strange to say the least. Good luck to everyone |
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Perrey Z. Unregistered guest | Ranjit, All Philips {Cineos and FlatTV} manufacture before December 30th 2004 only offered closed caption on the basic inputs {AV1 and AV2}. And it wasn't that essential since most external HD tuners and some HD satellite receivers have/had closed caption decoders built into them, which will perform just like the CC from the T.V., {You'll be controlling the channels from that STB, right?} another point was if you wanted to watch DVDs, you could simply set the subtitles which performed just like CC. Nowadays, this has change, the company has re-designed this feature for all current models on production. {which includes 15-models introduce last year.} And all the new units made after January 2005 offer closed caption thru all inputs and the DVi has been replace with the much better HDMi. I own a 30" LCD 30PF9956 that i got at Cosco with a manufacture date of February 2005 and have all the improvements, while my local BrandsMart U.S.A. and Best Buy still have the old inventory that have the DVi with the limited closed caption. This is not an isolated problem with Philips, the Hewlett-Packard #PL4245N {which i also own} have closed caption on TV mode only. HP, which doesn't manufacture their own sets has not corrected the problem and have no plans of doing so. |
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Perrey Z. Unregistered guest | I came to this forum after a 3-day search on Google for reviews on this unit and to find out where i could get it for under $2,000.00 since i knew it was dicontinued. sadly what i ended up reading from all your experiences wasn't what i was expecting. The key factors that got me hooked up were the screen size, the affordable and innovative Euro-design Philips offers {compare to Bang & Olufsen}, their unique take on the latest technology and of course, many previous satisfactory purchases. In my case, Philips has always delivered great products with a trouble-free customer service., But after this unfortunate disaster, do you all think they will try to re-enter the Micro Display business again? if so, what would you think they'll go for DLP or LCD? and what fancy name they'll use? |
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