Panasonic P50G20 - help with buzzing

[Goa'uld]

Thanks to PH I picked up a G20 from John Lewis at £699. Can any of the tv experts give an opinion on Plasma buzz?

It's only been on for around 6 hours, not sure if that makes a difference. There is a noticable buzz from the set when there is alot of white/brightness on screen. This is very audible/distracting above normal sound levels (I have a surround system with sub running), it stops as soon as the picture changes to a dark theme and comes back as soon as the brightness is on.

Is this a normal thing that I just need to get used to? Is it a faulty unit? The folks 46G20 doesn't seem to do this and it's driving me potty......finally got the cantilever stand put together with no instructions and then I get this noise!

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[.Mark]

I posted pretty much the same post soon after I got my 50" G20, the consensus was that at this size it is noticeable and some hear it more than others.
Now whether mine has got better or I have got used to it I couldn't say but I do notice it less if that makes sense. Neither my wife nor my daughter have mentioned it so perhaps you and I just have super-hearing

I don't think it's regarded as a fault, more a 'feature'

[J.R.B.]

Common issue with the G20 range. My 42G20 does it and after a few months of ownership it is still annoying..

[Goa'uld]

The thing is that I realise this unit is pretty rare with the new G30's coming out this year so if I start asking John Lewis to take it back/fix it I risk not getting a G20 in the end. The picture is immense, the detail is amazing, the xbox is WOW. Just gutted that something so little is ruining the new telly feeling.....watching masterchef and dreading everytime they put a white plate down with a close up and BUZZZZZZ!

[h0b0]

I have a 58" Panasonic and I noticed the noise straight away. It seems better now after a couple of months but sometimes is still very noticeable.

[Goa'uld]

After extensive testing last night I can report that there is a fix for the buzzing.

Just put COD on the xbox and the noise of the xbox fans drowns out the tv buzz - magic! Had another couple of test discs in last night on the Sony S370 player, then chucked a couple of MKV files through it too. I think I can forgive the buzzing when the picture is so unreal. The blacks are just so black, stupid thing to say but it really is impressive, Battlestar has never looked to good!!

[Zingari]

I have the older 42" Viera plasma and thankfully no buzzing. If you go behind it you can hear the fans but fortunately it doesn't transmit round the front. May also help that my set is angled to the wall so there is no reflection of sound.

I was tempted for this 50" but I'll hold out for the LED Samsung when the price gets more realistic.

BTW if anyone knows where I can get a replacement remote (ideally original Panny) at a good price let me know as the bloody buttons keep sticking on mine even after taking it apart several times.

[jbudgie]

J.R.B. said:

Common issue with the G20 range. My 42G20 does it and after a few months of ownership it is still annoying..

I've got two 42G20's and neither do it.

[headcase]

The buzzing is fixable! We have had loads come through our workshop with this problem, they swap out one of the boards and its job done.

[Deva Link]

Goa'uld said:

It's only been on for around 6 hours, not sure if that makes a difference. There is a noticable buzz from the set when there is alot of white/brightness on screen.

Aren't you supposed to run them in at reduced brightness levels?

(Or is that from the olden days).

[.Mark]

headcase said:

The buzzing is fixable! We have had loads come through our workshop with this problem, they swap out one of the boards and its job done.

Really? Perhaps I need a chat with Mr. John Lewis?

[headcase]

Oh yes, they will even give you a loan set whilst it is away, lots of our repairs come from John Lewis.

[Goa'uld]

Yeah, been running it in nice and gentle - not sure if it's absolutely required but peace of mind and all that. But even still it buzzes when there are whites on screen or large sky sections etc - Family Guy is actually almost unwatchable due to the bright slabs of colour, at late night you can't really crank up the surround to 11 to mask it

If this is a fault that you see quite often then it's a wonder that Panasonic don't issue a recall like car manufacturers would - it can only be hurting their reputation with customers getting a less than impressive performance than they/I expected. Do you mind a PM to see where I can take this? I really don't want to change the TV model/brand as the picture is immense.

[headcase]

All you need to do is to phone up John Lewis and tell them what your fault is. Depending on who you talk too they will either book you a service call or try to fob you off by saying 'they all do it' or 'its normal'. It is normal for a plasma to buzz but not so that you have to turn the volume up to mask it. As long as you can hear the buzzing at a reasonable volume level and NOT 'well I can only hear it when I have turned the volume down and stick my ear on the cabinet' then you have a fault. Then record some different programs that show up the fault and have them ready to play back when the guy comes round, there is no point booking a call if you cant show the fault, you will just be told to see how it goes. The buzzing is caused by some of the coils on one of the drive boards, I dont know if they were manufactured wrong or were driven wrong but a board swap usualy sorts out the problem.
Its not just the G20 that suffered, it was the 70's 80's too.

[.Mark]

TBH I'm not sure mine would fall within the repair criteria, it's really only noticeable on whole white screens. I'll wait a while as I've got a 5 year warranty, I'm sure mine is getting better.
Thanks for the info.