In 4:3 mode or RGB full screen this display (PT50LC14) exhibits a very slight pincushion problem. In 4:3 the gray bars on the side of the actual picture bow in ever so slightly. In RGB full screen the far edges of the picture again bow in ever so slightly. I'm a picky kind of guy so I called Panasonic and they sent a tech out to the house for a warranty call yesterday. The tech had the inside line to tech support and he got a Panny tech on the phone. They had never had anyone complain before about this. The Panny tech put us on hold for about 8 minutes to go check a bunch of the same displays he had in the lab. I told him the bow was about 1/8 of an inch to bottom. He checked all the displays he had there and said I was lucky. All the ones he looked at had at least a ¼ inch top to bottom. Bottom line-within specs and there isn't any type of pincushion adjustment on LCD displays. I can live happily with that because I never watch anything in 4:3 but because I tend to be a friggin perfectionist, this is a mark against Panny. I still love the display and will take this no further but you should all be aware. Has anyone else seen this problem? Thanks.
Thanks mr.g. After I made my post I did a bunch of poking around on the web. The pin cushion issue seems fairly common on big screen RPTV. Related post here: http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18999&page=1
A short snipit from it here: " This is normal for large screen RPTVs. I have seen it equally on RPCRT, LCD, and DLP. The only sets I havn't seen it on are plasmas.
I believe the main culprit is the physical geometry of the projector screen itself (which can be replaced, but not adjusted...but I dount replacement would help). Turn off your TV and take an edge-on look at the screen (a light at a glancing angle might help). If you notice that its not perfectly flat then you will certainly get some distortion because of this. Typically, the middle of the screen will sag inward just a little and is drawn out at the edges where it is attached to the rest of the structure of the set. This will inevitably cause pincushioning. On my set (a Htachi 50v500A) the geometry is just about perfect for the middle 90% of the image. Right at the edge the image pincushions about 1/4 of an inch. top and bottom. No big deal. And of course, you won't notice it at all on any widescreen content (except for avia test patterns). You can test this by displaying something with visible horizontal and vertical lines and gently pushing on various parts of the screen (even on the box behind the screen)." Still love my Panny.
Can anyone out there verify that the PT50LC14 does NOT have any type of a pincushion adjustment avaialble within the service menu? I haven't found yet how to access the service menu and frankly, after reading some posts of folks who have accessed theirs on various TVs and how they really screwed things up, I'm not sure I want to attempt it. Thanks.
Steve N. I have noticed if the experts don't have the answer to a post - they stay away from a perticular topic. Some experts like to blab a lot after reading sound and vision mag. Then they think they know it all. I have posted quesitons in the past, but know expert has responed. The "Panny" is a great hdtv. Every one has their preferrence. Some individuals like to push certain products.
I have a similar problem with my JVC, and my buddies Samsung DLP is the same was. When I had an service call on my set, the tech told me it was pretty much a standard issue with Rear projection widescreen sets. It is caused by the angle of the lense. Manufacturers adjust the light output to fit the widescreen format which causes some issues when displaying 4:3 content.
If Broadcasters would show more HD content, the problem wouldn't be noticable.
Do the 14 series pannys seem to be more reliable? I've read alot about the 13 series issues. I have a friend who wants a 40"-45" RP LCD and I've seen great deals on the Panasonics. Would you guys recommend it over the Sony? It runs about $400 cheaper than the Sony and saving money is always good.
Thanks Mr. Lynch. The pincushion is very minor but I was trying to find out whether or not I had a deeper issue with the set. Very livable (1/8 of an inch overall) and I don't watch much of anything in 4:3. Ad far as reliabilty, I've only owned it since 04/07/05. I researched it on the web until my eyes bled and the only issue i could find were with the 13 series. Talked with Panny before buying and they stated the ballast had been redesigned in the 14 series and also recommened running a UPS. I looked at the Sonys but to my eye this had a noticably better picture. Crisper, sharper and clearer. It's like looking through a window to another world with HDTV. Paid $2250 with the factory stand at Sam's Club. I consider this one of the best purchases I ever made. Hopefully I'll feel exactly the same in 18 months.
James, I think you might want to post make and model, what you are using for cables and what is the source-cable, direct, broadcast HDTV?? S video, component, HDMI....?
MurrayArk
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Posted on
I just recently purchased a PT-43LC14 and so far I love it. No issues yet. I have heard that there is a way to check the number of hours on the bulb and was wondering if anyone knew how to find that? I just want to check the life to be sure that it is a new bulb Thanks