How are you getting on with your new Philips TV's?

chemicalfred

Just back from holidays...I never thought I would miss a TV . First thing I did when I got back was put it on

Richersounds.ie: John

chemicalfred wrote: »

Just back from holidays...I never thought I would miss a TV . First thing I did when I got back was put it on

That's justy plain weird

(nice tho')

ATB,

John Mc

Richersounds.ie: Ashley

You managed to tear yourself away from your TV long enough to go on Holiday?

Be honest now, as you sat in your hotel room watching some small CRT did you think of yours at home????:)

(If so thats fine, nowt wrong with that.........despite what the head shrinkers may say!)


atb
Ash

Dozen Wicked Words

Firstly, Thanks very much to Nicola and Ash, all your help was really appreciated.

Well, watched the Chelsea game on my new 42 7404, very disappointed it didn't make the game any better.:mad:

Think that was the footballers fault though!!, the TV is great, the settings posted on the 7404 update page works well. I didn't notice any halo-ing around the players.

The picture is very good considering I only have a SD sky box. My little Wii looks fairly ropey on the new TV, but that's Nintendo's short comings, not Philips. Took me a while to find the "Game" mode on the TV, which works well.

I am still tinkering round the edges with the other settings, but chuffed with it. The Natural Motion is a bit jarring to start with, but on minimum seems to work well.

The BDP 3000 Blu ray which I got at the same time is great too, watched Wall-E on DVD and it looked brilliant, will have to start shelling out for Blu ray discs now.

loughan

Ashley,
I'll gladly take this opportunity to let you know how happy I am with the 32PFL9613 I snapped up earlier this summer. Superb set, incredibly detailed sound. Great service - thanks to all in RS / PS.

Kenny_D

Richersounds.ie (Ashley) wrote: »

Hi Guys

Thanks for the feedback.

I'll pick on a few points.

GSTormcrow

Below is a link that will allow you to down load the latest firmware for your TV onto a USB stick and update your TV that way.
If you like I can download it onto a stick and post out to you (providing you promise to post it back - I'll even provide an stamped address return envelope)
Let me know how you get on as we dont like to ssee unhappy Boardies:)

http://www.p4c.philips.com/cgi-bin/dcbint/cpindex.pl?tmplt=Cps&slg=ENG&sct=LCD_EXTRA_LARGE_GT40_SU&cat=FLAT_TV_CA&session=20090908124346_83.70.176.90&grp=TV_GR&ctn=42PF9831D/10&mid=Link_Software&hlt=Link_Software


Cheers all
Ash

Turns out the latest firmware is already installed on the tv. Any other reports of this problem on this model before?

Richersounds.ie: John

GStormcrow wrote: »

Turns out the latest firmware is already installed on the tv. Any other reports of this problem on this model before?

Gstorm,

not heard about it here - wanna pop it into us so we can have a look at it??
ATB,

John Mc

Satdog

Got my 32PFL5604 and well pleased with it - now watch it for the sake of watching it. Also my 5yo now wants to have his breakfast in the sitting room instead of the kitchen.
However there is one issue I can't resolve and perhaps someone may have come across it. When the TV is on it seems to affect the operation of the remote for the sat receiver. I have to switch the TV to standby, switch on the sat receiver with the sat remote then turn the TV back on. The sat receiver is a cheapie SL35 but very reliable and it is connected to the TV by a scart lead.

Any help appreciated.

hick

as a matter of interest has anyone notice that sometime when you switch on the TV the sound is really low (when connected via amp) and even if you turn the amp volume up to max it's not high enough, but if you restart the TV it sorts it out. Not a major concern but just wondering if anyone else has seen this.

Satdog

Satdog wrote: »

Got my 32PFL5604 and well pleased with it - now watch it for the sake of watching it. Also my 5yo now wants to have his breakfast in the sitting room instead of the kitchen.
However there is one issue I can't resolve and perhaps someone may have come across it. When the TV is on it seems to affect the operation of the remote for the sat receiver. I have to switch the TV to standby, switch on the sat receiver with the sat remote then turn the TV back on. The sat receiver is a cheapie SL35 but very reliable and it is connected to the TV by a scart lead.

Any help appreciated.

Regarding the above, no issues with Sony remote for DVD/VHS combi. In fact the I can operate the main TV functions with the Sony remote.

Kenny_D

Cheers John. Had a quick look over on avforums and saw some people had the same problem:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-televisions/479207-sony-40x2000-phillips-42pf9831d-2.html

"When watching TV the picture suddenly disappeared but the sound and ambilight however were still working. The power led also indicated that the TV was still on. So, some way or another there was still a picture but the screen was black. Only when shutting down the TV and then restarting it did the picture come back. "

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-televisions/314792-philips-clearlcd-42pf9831d-42pf9731d-14.html

The tv runs out of warranty in January. The problem happens rarely but has happened maybe 7-8 times in the 8/9 months. Might not seem like a lot but I'm worried it might get worse after the warranty runs out. With regards to dropping it in for a look, it could be a few days or even weeks before the fault is seen, is there some way it can be diagnosed by opening it up? Or are there any diagnostic checks I can run within a service menu? It's a shame because the picture quality really is amazing on this set and I dont think I can live without ambilight now that I've been spoilt with it. I was also considering possibly upgrading to one of the new 9 series if the picture quality is anything like the standard of my current set.

ozi3333

Hello, I'm new to the forum and I just bought an 8404.

I'm having a hard time finding settings in mkv2vob which works with the television, would anyone care to screenshoot some settings that work.

I want the best picture quality, and the best audio quality possible, only 2 audio channels though.

Please?

TouchingVirus

ozi3333 wrote: »

Hello, I'm new to the forum and I just bought an 8404.

I'm having a hard time finding settings in mkv2vob which works with the television, would anyone care to screenshoot some settings that work.

I want the best picture quality, and the best audio quality possible, only 2 audio channels though.

Please?

Hey ozi3333,

As I'm sure you've realised, the MKV container is not supported by the 7404/8404/9664 range of TV's.

Most MKV's are AC3 audio and h264 video. The TV supports both of these codecs which means that you usually just have to take them out of the MKV container and put them into one that the TV supports - AVI, MPG or MP4.

Unfortunately, there are other issues with the TV's multimedia support - certain codecs are only supported in specific containers. So choose your container:

MP4: Supports the h264 video, so no re-encode necessary. Doesn't support AC3 audio, need to transcode it to AAC. No one-click tool for this afaik.

AVI: Don't bother. AC3 is supported, but you'll have to transcode the video from h264 to something else. Philips have issues with AVI playback using DivX/XviD codecs resulting in jerky scenes.

MPG: Doesn't support h264, supports AC3. Pretty sure this can be done with mkv2vob - in Configuration set Transcode to Always, and Transcode Codec to MPEG-2 (Fast). See how that works out for you.

In the end, I'm using TVersity to transcode files to MPG for playback on the TV, it works grand enough

hick

ah the holy grail of ripping I use Imtoo which you can set to auto output for a particular device, but I'm always open to new suggestions (for backing up my own personal collection to video file of course)

Also I have my Archos 5 docked up to the TV via HDMI, so once the pic is decent on the Archos the TV does it's best to upscale it a bit more, so I don't really use the USB on the TV it's all done via the Archos and I have to say no complaints!!!

chris_ie

Suppose I can post here now!

Got the 32PFL7404 yesterday for the bedroom after my 8-9 year old 19" CRT from Aldi or somewhere packed in on me.

Fantastic TV!

I use an a/v sender to watch Sky Tv upstairs in the house we rent. Had been slightly worried that the picture from the a/v receiver might have looked a bit poor on a bigger tv but the tv does a really good job with it. Looked a bit blurred at first but easily fixed with settings.

Still unsure on the whole fluid motion thing. I have it set to minimum at the minute which is pretty good. I think when its on full it looses the movie effect (on movies of course), thats just my opinion though. It is fantastic at what it does though, with the fluid motion tech, its just personal preference, if you like it great, if you dont you can turn it off I've been changing it depending on what I'm watching.

Overall, great TV, worth the money.

EDIT : Just to also add, the HD content off the Popcorn Hour A110 look great, haven't tried any blu-rays yet but have no doubts it will be fantastic.

ozi3333

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Hey ozi3333,

As I'm sure you've realised, the MKV container is not supported by the 7404/8404/9664 range of TV's.

Most MKV's are AC3 audio and h264 video. The TV supports both of these codecs which means that you usually just have to take them out of the MKV container and put them into one that the TV supports - AVI, MPG or MP4.

Unfortunately, there are other issues with the TV's multimedia support - certain codecs are only supported in specific containers. So choose your container:

MP4: Supports the h264 video, so no re-encode necessary. Doesn't support AC3 audio, need to transcode it to AAC. No one-click tool for this afaik.

AVI: Don't bother. AC3 is supported, but you'll have to transcode the video from h264 to something else. Philips have issues with AVI playback using DivX/XviD codecs resulting in jerky scenes.

MPG: Doesn't support h264, supports AC3. Pretty sure this can be done with mkv2vob - in Configuration set Transcode to Always, and Transcode Codec to MPEG-2 (Fast). See how that works out for you.

In the end, I'm using TVersity to transcode files to MPG for playback on the TV, it works grand enough

Thanks for your feedback!

Turns out the file I'm trying to convert is H264 and AC-3

Any hope? And how do you convert with TVersity?

EDIT: The mpeg conversion didn't work. Even with transcode to always.

TouchingVirus

TVersity is a network media streamer, so it's running on my PC and sharing files over the network to my TV. So I can click Home -> Browse PC and watch things on my TV that are on my PC rather than have a USB stick. TVersity practically works out of the box with only the smallest of changes necessary for the TV

TVersity can also stream to your Xbox/PS3 if it's connected to the network (and your TV isn't) - I chose to stream to my TV rather than have my PC, Xbox and PC on at the same time, I also hug trees for a living

TVersity will not convert files, it transcodes them on-the-fly or as required by the TV. So in other words, you're playing some movie, and in the background your PC is transcoding the next minute of that movie to MPG for playback when the TV needs it.

There are a few small downsides to this, the first being that you can't fast-forward very fast at all (About 8 seconds per second). This is because transcoding is being done on the fly. Also, TVersity or the TV doesn't seem to know when a file is finished playing, so the last frame of the movie you're watching will stay there until you press STOP and then you're back in the menu. It's a small price to pay for getting videos on demand IMO rather than waiting 10 minutes to convert them to MP4 and sticking them on a USB stick



If you cannot connect the TV to a network or TVersity isn't suitable, you can use a combination of tools to achieve what you want (Oh, I know it'd be easier if Philips implemented MKV support )

1) Extract the video and audio streams from the MKV file with MKVextractGUI.exe
2) Convert the audio ac3 stream extracted in step 1 to aac using NeroAACenc.exe
3) Use YAMB to create an mp4 file with the h264 video stream extracted from step 1 and the AAC audio stream created in step 2
4) Transfer to USB media and play movie

chris_ie

Any of you guys consider using a media player? I used TVersity for a while streaming to my XBox on my other TV. Bought a Popcorn Hour A110 last year and havent regretted it. Plays 99.9% of the files I have tried.

Played DTS albums from it also through the surround sound setup I got from RS :eek: nice

TouchingVirus

chris_ie wrote: »

Any of you guys consider using a media player? I used TVersity for a while streaming to my XBox on my other TV. Bought a Popcorn Hour A110 last year and havent regretted it. Plays 99.9% of the files I have tried.

Played DTS albums from it also through the surround sound setup I got from RS :eek: nice

Yup, I'm seriously considering the PCH-200, it's one mean looking machine. However, for the cost of it I could probably build a very similar spec HTPC, load up some 'ol Windows and not have to worry about codec problems ever again

It's not a major issue for me the way things are at the minute, the TV, xbox and PC are in the same room, networked via a 100Mbps switch and I don't have the money to invest in a proper Amp/Speaker set up so regular DTS/DD over optical which the PC does is just grand

chris_ie

TouchingVirus wrote: »

Yup, I'm seriously considering the PCH-200, it's one mean looking machine. However, for the cost of it I could probably build a very similar spec HTPC, load up some 'ol Windows and not have to worry about codec problems ever again

It's not a major issue for me the way things are at the minute, the TV, xbox and PC are in the same room, networked via a 100Mbps switch and I don't have the money to invest in a proper Amp/Speaker set up so regular DTS/DD over optical which the PC does is just grand

Yeah read a bit about the PCH-200, looks good. Sounds like your pretty sorted anyways! PC was in a different room in my house which made things a hassle. Especially when setting it up initially or when somethig went wrong, constantly in and out between rooms!

ozi3333

TouchingVirus wrote: »

If you cannot connect the TV to a network or TVersity isn't suitable, you can use a combination of tools to achieve what you want (Oh, I know it'd be easier if Philips implemented MKV support )

1) Extract the video and audio streams from the MKV file with MKVextractGUI.exe
2) Convert the audio ac3 stream extracted in step 1 to aac using NeroAACenc.exe
3) Use YAMB to create an mp4 file with the h264 video stream extracted from step 1 and the AAC audio stream created in step 2
4) Transfer to USB media and play movie

TVersity wouldn't do the trick for me.

But I will stick with your recipe.

What about x264-videos?

TouchingVirus

h264/x264 ..it's all the same as far as the TV is concerned so the same method applies

hick

Here's a simple and cheap solution, and well worth it, know several people with em and they work a dream only reason I don;t have one is I have a dock for the Archos for every telly
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=408560

http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=572

Video -MPEG1/2/4, WMV9, AVI (MPEG4, Xvid, AVC), H.264, MKV, MOV (MPEG4, H.264), MTS, TP, TS

ozi3333

TouchingVirus wrote: »

h264/x264 ..it's all the same as far as the TV is concerned so the same method applies

Nice

However, I found a program to use, 'Avidemux', and it worked! Mp4 container, h264-video and AAC-sound.

But when I open an .mkv-file I meet this 'error':

--H.264 detected

If the file is using B-frames as reference it can lead to a crash or stuttering.
Avidemux can use another mode which is safe but YOU WILL LOSE FRAME ACCURACY.
Do you want to use that mode?--

What does this mean?

But I chose 'Use', and it worked perfectly, but when I launched it on the big-screen, I noticed what I would call som 'noise' in the picture, do you think this is a result of the error-message from earlier?

JohnDigital

I'm using a PopcornHour A110 too. Fantastic little machine, the C200 seems a great progression, but as my A110 still fits my needs perfectly I'm not planning an upgrade anytime soon.

Only issue I have with it is that the A110 doesn’t have any ability to allow you to adjust the a/v sync (lip sync) and I’m finding that the processing of video in the 8408 takes a bit long particularly on bluray rips the sync is very slightly out (200ms or so), its barely noticeable but I can see it. It's definetly the processing on the tv as when I step into Game mode and replay the files they are spot on.

belmulletman

Just saw this review of the 37PFL9604 on Techradar and though i'd post it here...
One hell of a review!
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/audio-visual/televisions/plasma-and-lcd-tvs/philips-37pfl9604-637105/review

RGMR2

Hi There,

I wonder if anyone is experiencing these issues with their 8404?

First one is that I play a SD dvd on the tv and all is well. I play a BluRay on the same player and the volume drops hugely. The Connection is through a HDMI. The player is a Sony BDP 350. I can't see any way of altering the volume on the player. Any ideas?

Secondly, When watching sky SD, I can hear a terrestrial channel that is coming in although at a low level. Bit upsetting when watching David Attenborough's 'Earth' and Marty Morrisey starts shouting at you through a tin can;) .


Appreciate any insight.

RGMR2

Richersounds.ie: Ashley

Hi RGMR2

To be honest I'd say its to do with how your BD player is handling the downmixing of Dolby True-HD/dts HD Master Audio from a BR Disc into a 2 channel stereo feed to be sent to the TV.

Have you looked through the Audio options in the players menu? You may need to set them individually for DVD and for BR i'd say.

The 2nd one is a strange one - haven't heard of that before.
Let me see if I have this correct - When you are watching SKY - via SCART cable (?) you can hear the audio from and analogue channel.
Have you tuned the analogue channels into the TV thats being fed by the RF input on the back of the TV? or is it coming from the SKY box as well?

I'm grasping here but have you tried another SCART cable?
What happens when you unplug the RF feed into the TV?

I've tried to replicate the 2nd issue in store but no joy.

If I can think of anything else I'll post pack to you.

Cheers
Ash

RGMR2

Richersounds.ie (Ashley) wrote: »

Hi RGMR2

To be honest I'd say its to do with how your BD player is handling the downmixing of Dolby True-HD/dts HD Master Audio from a BR Disc into a 2 channel stereo feed to be sent to the TV.

Have you looked through the Audio options in the players menu? You may need to set them individually for DVD and for BR i'd say. Yes, but i'll take another look.

The 2nd one is a strange one - haven't heard of that before.
Let me see if I have this correct - When you are watching SKY - via SCART cable (?)YES. you can hear the audio from and analogue channel.CORRECT.
Have you tuned the analogue channels into the TV thats being fed by the RF input on the back of the TV YES, DIRECTLY. NOT THROUGH THE SKY BOX or is it coming from the SKY box as well? NO.

I'm grasping here but have you tried another SCART cable? NOT YET
What happens when you unplug the RF feed into the TV? SOUND DISSAPEARS

I hope to have another go at it over the weekend. Thanks for the swift reply.

RGMR2

rednik

Hi Ash
I am still having problems with the 9664 and the Denon 2309 through HDMI.Have all the latest firmware but this persists. I'm just wondering is there anybody else here running Sky HD through a 2309 to the 9664. Any info would be appreciated.