Panasonic PT-52LCX16 LCD RPTV at Costco and some questions...

[waltchan]

After 20 years with an old wooden console Panasonic 25" CRT tube TV in the living room, my parents have decided to bite the bullet and purchase the new Panasonic 52" PT-52LCX16 with the $300 off coupon sale coming on June 19 at Costco. It's very similar to the PT-52LCX66 but only comes with one HDMI input.

I am new to the projection TV forum area, so there are some things I am not sure of. My parents asked me:

1) whether this TV uses a light bulb or not, and if it does use a light bulb,
2) how long does the bulb typically lasts (how many hours)?
3) How much does the bulb really cost
4) can my parents put it in by themselves without calling a technician? Is it easy to change?
5) If not, how much does a technician charge to change a bulb?
6) They also ask me how good Panasonic is in making LCD projection TV sets.
7) Are they reliable or do they break down fast?
8) Also, does this TV offers a PC input?
9) If my dad plug in his Dell Dimension desktop to the Panasonic 52" TV, will the picture be better than the one on the CRT monitor or worse?
10) How much resolution can he get by plugging it into the PC input?
11) Finally, is this a good value? Is it worth the money?
12) If not, are there any better alternatives? I know my parents can't spend more than $1,600 for a new TV.

Thanks to anyone who can answer my questions.

[Ratman]

I'll answer the questions reluctantly. I know that you already have the info based on your "expertise" of gathering info about various TV's (makes and models) on the AVS Forum.

1) yes... it's a projection LCD
2) depends on usage, it can vary. Especially based on # of warm up/cool down cycles
3) depends on the type lamp. Figure average ~$225
4) most lamps are user replaceable.
5) depends on the warranty. I could be free.
6) yes
7) depends
8) yes VGA
9) depends... could be worse, better or the same.
10) the native resolution is 1280x720....
11) Sure... if you have a $$ off coupon.
12) You know of many alternatives Walter.

Please play nice in my sandbox.

[oman321]

I've been very happy with my Panasonic 04 model. Bulb has exceeded my expectations and the set gets heavy daily usage. The bulb is simple to replace, instructions come with the replacement bulb, couple of screws and pull out a cartridge and then reinsert the new one. Helped, my uncle buy RPLCD a few months ago and for the money, connectivity, and how much they liked my set decided to go with the 52" Panny as well.

[waltchan]

Thanks for replying.

[belerek]

Can anyone confirm whether or not this set has PIP or POP? The user manual didn't mention it, but I'm hoping someone has further insight. Thanks.

[oman321]

My version and my uncle's both have POP (split screen side by side). Having said that though it was mentioned in the manual. If your looking at the costco model and the manual doesn't mention it, it's probably a feature that was left out. FYI on my manual it's on page 38 double check yours as the manuals are similar.

[belerek]

oman,
Thanks for the tip. I have the manual that covers both the LCX16 (Costco) and LCX66 (retail). Unfortunately, p. 38 or the surrounding pages don't mention it either. Guess I'll have to live w/o it, at least for this set. Thanks again.

[oman321]

Not to worry, I never really use that feature anyways. I would much rather have a second HDMI connection as you do.

[waltchan]

Who's buying this tomorrow at Costco with the $300 discount? Sale starts tomorow. :)

[belerek]

Just bought it. I have to check out the SD broadcasts as well as the HD, but it should be better than the crappy RCA set I bought & returned to Costco a few months back. Thanks to all for your input in the thread.

Waltchan, i'll try to share my experiences in this thread. Hopefully you can do the same =).

[peter_bigblock]

I'm new, just bought the Costco PT-52LCX16 and so far (one day) I love it. The picture is wonderful, it's a snap to use, light-weight (easy to move around) and the sound is pretty good for a TV. I'll post more thoughts when I've had it a while.

[blacksurfer]

I purchased this set, but to tell the truth, I'm getting a little buyer's remorse. The picture is blurry and I'm using Directv with s-video output to the tv. I understand that the HD picture looks great on this set, but I have no plans to upgrade to HD. Also, I'm concerned about the short life of the bulb, but this set does come with an 18 month warranty. The picture is my main concern when using analog signals.

[Ratman]

Bulbs are bulbs... they will eventually burn out. This is a given when using a projection TV (non-crt).

I would pose the question though... why buy an HDTV if you have no plans to upgrade?

IMO... bite the bullet and upgrade to HD to get the best from your TV. If thats's not feasible for some reason... then you may want to consider returning/exhanging the HDTV for a "regular" analog TV.

[blacksurfer]

Even if I bite the bullet, there are only a few channels on DTV that are in HD. This tv is also an analog tv. In the store there was only an HD dvd feed, so there was no way to preview an analog feed. Yeah, I might pack it up this weekend and return to Costco.

[Ratman]

Here's what's available on D*:
http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/imagine/HDTV_programming.jsp

Also... I believe the TV has an internal ATSC receiver. Have you considered connecting an antenna and at least try to get your locals digitally?

[blacksurfer]

I live in the booneys...no over the air signal is available. Must have satellite.

[Ratman]

No matter... some is better than none.

L.A. is the "boonies"? I find it difficult to beleive that no one in the area can get digital channels OTA.

What's your zip code?

[blacksurfer]

I live in Los Angeles County...Antelope Valley area. (93551) You must have cable or satellite or all you can pickup is UHF channels.

[Ratman]

Yeah... antennaweb isn't optimistic.
I still think that if you were creative/persistent, digital from LA proper wouldn't be out of the question with the right antenna and pre-amp. At only 26 miles away... the potential is there IMO.

[dcrandon]

I just bought the TV from Costco as well. So far I love it. But I'm a little confused about the different aspect ratios. When watching HD, you can choose from several aspect ratio/zoom/stretch settings. The manual doesn't really clearly indicate which is setting which is default. In my experimentation, it appears that the "Full" setting doesn't change the aspect ratio at all. But in the manual, it says the "Full" setting will elongate the picture slightly. I don't see that at all. It looks perfectly natural. What is anyone elses experience?

David

Just bought it. I have to check out the SD broadcasts as well as the HD, but it should be better than the crappy RCA set I bought & returned to Costco a few months back. Thanks to all for your input in the thread.

Waltchan, i'll try to share my experiences in this thread. Hopefully you can do the same =).

[57U]

See the HDTV FAQ on "Black Bars" and "Widescreen Stretch Modes". Most HDTVs say "Full" on HD channels, even though there is no stretch, the TV is simply "forced" into Full when it receives an HD signal.

I'm surprised that you can stretch the HD channels. It's very rare to find an HDTV that properly stretches HD (for example a 4:3 Upconvert to get rid of bars). Most HDTVs only properly stretch 480i/p signals.

If you have a STB, make sure it's sending 720P or 1080i for the HD channels.

[dcrandon]

Yes, it's interesting that I can zoom and stretch HD signals to my hearts content. But I don't actually...I'm given four choices for HD programing, "Justify", "Zoom", "Full", and "H-Fill". In the manual, none of them are described and being default, all of them change the picture, but in practice, the "Full" mode does not seem to do any processing at all and I see the true picture, bars and all.

But the description of "Full" is: FULL mode displays the picture at maximum size, but with a slightly elongated appearance."

David

[57U]

It's odd that you have stretch on HD signals, but if you use it (Just for example), remember to switch back to Full for real HD programmes, otherwise you'll be missing the sides of the programming. Do you hava a STB (Cable or Satellite?) or are you using an internal tuner.

I usually recommend watching the equivalent SD channel and stretching there, but it's up to you.

[dcrandon]

When we watch HD channels we set the thing to "Full". We leave it at "Full" regardless of weather the programming is actually HD or widescreen or 4:3. It just looks the most natural, although the bars are there. Any other mode makes anything look to unatural to me. The manual says this mode will stretch the edges of the picture, but it doesn't.

David

[57U]

The manual says this mode will stretch the edges of the picture, but it doesn't.It will stretch the image sideways on 480i/p inputs, but not 720P/1080i. You can check this if you have a DVD player that outputs 480i/p, or on an SD channel on a properly set up STB.

Even though I have mentioned the STB (Set Top box) twice before, you have not responded regarding that question...

[dcrandon]

First of all, sorry about not saying anything about the box. We have a STB Motorola DCT-6412 by Comcast. I have it set to output 720P, 16:9, with upconverting any 480i to 480P but not to change the aspect ratio.

You are correct, when watching a SD signal, a new aspect ratio option appears called "4:3" which shows the original aspect ratio. All the others do stretch or zoom the picture.

For an HD station, "Full" seems to maintain the original aspect ratio, even though the manual doesn't state this, and even though "Full" stretches the picture on SD signals.

David

[dcrandon]

Also, here's the link to the manual. Aspect ratio stuff is on page 36.

http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPERMANPDF/PT52LCX66.pdf

Also, I've got a couple of questions regarding using the Avia disc, and adjusting black levels. While I of course want the blackest blacks I can get, I a more concerned about seeing detail in the darker or shadowed areas of the picture, even if my deepest blacks aren't as black.

On page 39, can you tell me how I should adjust the "Black level", "Black extension" and "Dynamic iris settings"?

Thank you very much,

David

[57U]

1. I suggest you try 1080i instead of 720P on the STB. Most HDTVs prefer a 1080i setting. Even those that are 720P. If you've already done this, fine.

2. I can't believe how poorly aspect ratios are explained in most HDTV operating manuals...

3. I believe that black level should be set to light. I will not comment on the "advanced settings" and hope that an ISF techician, or someone VERY familiar with this TV can comment on those - otherwise leave them on "normal".

For a start, as indicated in the HDTV FAQ "What you need to do to you new HDTV", turn off any "automatic" settings in the user menu and use the setup disk to change any user settings appropriately.

AVIA explains how to do the contrast/brightness settings (which affect each other) and may need some "back and forth" to get correct.

I like the pattern with vertical grey bars where the bar at one end is white and the one at the other is black. Each bar should be greyer than the next and in the second to last bar to black, you should still see a difference from the black bar. If the second to last black bar is "too black" then this needs to be adjusted to see shadow details.

In many "digital" TVs this is not as easy to do as with a CRT-based TV.

[evil_lives]

I was wondering if anybody has anything bad to say about their purchase from Costco??. Was there the other day and they now have the PT-56LCX16 on sale with stand for $1999.99 :canada: .
It looked quite nice in store...

I was wondering if it is a good TV?? How good is the bulb life???

Thanks for any replies..

Peace.

[mukadeen]

I am returning this model to COSTCO because it is starting to act funny. It would restart from time to time because it is having trouble starting up. Called up Customer Service for warranty repairs but its a pain to get a service scheduled. I am one of those people who hates malfunctioning electronics. I have been trying to resolve this issue since last month and today I gave up and decided to return the product. I guess I am 1 in 10 that gets the bad product. Panasonic customer service should have acted quicker. Now I am no longer an avid fan of their name and may not buy one for a number of years.

[evil_lives]

mukadeen,

That really sucks.... I ended up buying one also.
So far it has been a great purchase... The picture is great....

How long did you have it before it started to have problems??? I searched around on the net and couldn't find any problems??

[mukadeen]

I had the Panasonic 52LCX16 since late June of this year. I noticed the problem about a month into using it but i just turn it on and off and it works. But 2 months ago until yesterday, the startup failure seems to be more frequent. And the power LED indicator will just turn RED then blink ORANGE after failing to startup. I decided to return it to COSTCO after 5 months because of this problem and because I could not get Panasonic to get it fixed as quickly as I would.

Too bad, I love the TV and would keep it if not for this problem and poor customer support from Panasonic.

[evil_lives]

Well I just hope that it was just one bad machine... I really love the look of this TV.

Did you have any problems with the return???? Did you even think about an exchange???, or have you completly given up on Panisonic???
A buddy if mine had said that you don't ever deal with the manufacture. That Costco takes care of any problems????

Once again thanks for the replies...

[mukadeen]

Trying one more time, COSTCO got a brandnew one $100 less than when I purchased it. So I got it since I love the TV. Hope this is a good one.

[evil_lives]

good to hear.... Hope you have better luck this time!!!

[ohheck]

I just looked at this set yesterday at my local Costco. It was $1499.99 with the stand. Seemed to be an awfully good price.