Page 1 of Help with Philips 32PW9527!

Following good reviews of this TV on the forums I recently bought one. It immediately displayed an intermittent `flashing` on the screen - like a flashgun going off. The `flashing` usually stopped after about 5 minutes.The retailer swopped it for another - for the same thing to start happening to the replacement, which I am also arranging to send back.

It`s a pity because I like the set. I`ve been onto Philips who say they are not aware of any issues with this model. Has anyone else experienced similar problems?

Where and when does the flashing occur? For instance, my Philips flashes at the top of the screen when scenes change quickly from a dark to a very light (ie. sky) scene. Only flashes once at the very top, and then stops. It`s bearable, though admittably I wish it didn`t occur. I never noticed it until recently after I got my DVD player. The TV`s about 3 years old (Philips), so not the same make or model as yours (and the flash is not due to the DVD).
If you`re taking it back, perhaps you would consider taking up Westy`s suggestion for a TV in one of his articles, over on the left of the screen under the `Opinion` banner? Good luck.
Jim

We do not have a "flashing" problem, but our 9527 has developed a light vertical band, just off centre of the screen about 2cm wide over the last week or so. This is most noticable when you have a fast moving background with a uniform colour, like the sky or the green of a football pitch. It`s most noticable on light rather than dark colours. I`m going to get this investigated. It`s very frustrating, because now I`ve seen it, I can`t take my eye off it!

rainbow6

The `flashing` covers the whole picture i.e. the pricture goes completey white for a split second then returns to normal. It does this intermittently for the first 5 minutes or so when first switched on. I don`t think it is the same problem you are experiencing because the engineer who came to inspect the first TV at the request of the retailer (to ascertain it was a genuine fault before replacing it) thought it was a processor problem. (I suspect this is in some way connected to 100hz processing or Pixel Plus).

It also happens whether using the TV tuner, dvd, satellite or video - so I`m not blaming any of my other equipment - which all worked fine on my old Hitachi widescreen.

It just seems strange that the same thing happens on the replacement set - especially as none of the reviews I`ve read have really criticised the picture quality.

Many thanks for the advice about the `opinion` banner.

numskull

Thanks for the reply.

Funnily enough I noticed 2 vertical `shady` bands on my screen also - mainly noticable during panning shots - particularly light scenes like sky or grass etc. One is about 3cm wide to the left of the screen and the other is the same width about 6cm in from the right.

I put this down to my dvd player - as it only seems to happen when using the dvd. It`s only a cheap dvd player (Dansai 955) and the bands are not really noticable unless panning a light coloured background - so I`m prepared to live with it for the time being. I intend to upgrade the dvd player when I`ve collected more dvd`s.

I`m pretty sure I can`t blame this on the TV. Good luck.

My second 32PW9527 which was a replacement under guarantee had the flashing problem you describe - sometimes it being not white but a black flashing instead - and the ngineer who visited said it was a faulty screen tube and he was surprised why it was not also momentarily swithing itself off, but that fault developed later. The flashing always lasted about one and a half minutes from the time of the picture appearing on screen (but it never occurred when there was the blue screen - when any one of the unused EXT channels was chosen) and from then on once it had warmed up it would only occur occasionally until the next time switching it on which would repeat the process. While I was waitng for it to be replaced it developed another problems whre instead ofthe normal black screen from switch on until the picture appeared, there was a red screen with slanting equally spaced narrow yellow lines with moving faint images of the TV channel visible too. From then on the picture`s colours were somewhat faulty. The first set had a bent shadow mask as has my third set under guarantee. Also, this third set has the apparent problem where under its own initiative the brightness clicks down three levels slightly and then back up again. There are also, two faint vertical narrow bands on the screen which are visible in a twilight scene and a darkened room scene (I did not notice it on the previous two sets) . The Colour registry is also off, mainly on the left hand side but the guarantee engineer who saw it said it was the yoke which was causing the latter but it was within normal limits. I have asked for another engineers visit concerning the bent shadow mask on the top right hand side about 12 cms in from the edge which aslo vibrates when the sound "gets going" as well as disturbing the other side of the screen too which is also slightly blue when a white background is frozen onto the screen. The first set had a similar bent shadow mask where it also developed a dirty yellow and green patch but that time it was only during the credits at the end of the war film The Longest Day after having played all of that black and white film. Otherwise, there was just a slight orange hue to black and white films in that area and also a slight deterioration in the colour pictures there too. On my third set there is a slight smokey area on the top right hand-side as described above and in line with the aforementioned vertical band when there is a light background e.g. sky, and this is the bent shadow mask. But today, as I intimated, it developed temporarily into a dirty green and yellow area when a small box of the daytime Baghdad skyline was right behind it when the rest of the screen was darker showing something different.
I am wondering if bent shadow masks are mainly caused by inconsiderate handling i.e. knocks received during transit to the customer.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 25th March 2003, 14:05

I didn`t mention it previously but both the sets I have had have also switched themselves off and back on again. It happens randomly and there is a `cracking` sound - the screen goes black and after about 3 seconds the picture gradually re-appears. I originally put it down to my power supply - but obviously it`s a fault.

It is still flashing periodically, also.

I assume you saw my reply to numskull about the `shady` vertical bands
- it sounds very much like the problem on your TV. I blamed the DVD player for that one.

I am waiting for this second set to be collected and I am not having another Philips. I think there are numerous problems with this model and I cannot understand how it got so many rave reviews.

Are you intending to keep yours and have it repaired?

Yes indeedee - our`s has just started swiching itself off and on too!
Fed-up now and have just called John Lewis to get it looked at - not that they will be able to do anything because it`s "intermittent"! It started last Sunday and switched itself off and on 6 or 7 times in the space of 20 minutes. Since then it has done it on 4 or 5 more occasions but it can go on without a problem. The light band, slightly to the right of centre has always been there since we got it in December.

It`s all a bit disappointing really, as the overall picture is very, very good & much, much better than the Panasonic PL10 that this replaced (also under guarantee from John Lewis). I`ll let you know the outcome.

Num

Well, the Engineer came on Saturday. Wasn`t aware of this problems discribed on this thread. He said they`d check with Philips today to see if they could shed and light on the problems (some hope) and then all they could do was to take the set away and soak-test to see if they can get the same problems to occure. So - I await the call - won`t hold me breath!!

numskull

Very interesting. I e-mailed Philips in the middle of March with details of the identical faults present on both the sets I`d had delivered.

They replied as follows: "We aren`t aware of any faults with our TVs and they all leave the factory after being manufactured to the highest standards. However if there are any faults with the unit within the 1st 12 months then it is down to the retailer to resolve the issue."

I think the last sentence says it all about their attitude to customer service. If Philips do become aware of an issue with their sets I don`t think they will make it public and the engineers tasked with fixing the problems will be working in the dark. How much better it would be if Philips admitted to the problem and offered the engineers a `fix` - instead of your set disappearing for a week or so of tests.

Although I like the TV and I think the picture quality is excellent, I won`t be buying another Philips - cos their customer service stinks.

Good luck with your repair, though.