Panasonic service menu weirdness

[Alex O.]

Hello,

First time post here so please forgive me if I'm unwittingly breaching
etiquette.

Here's my problem: After switching to digital cable I finally noticed
that the picture geometry on my Panasonic CT-27D10D TV is screwed up.
The online guide, etc. let me see what regular programs did not - huge
overscan, pincushioning and other stuff.

So I scoured the web and found a service manual
(http://www.ablserv.com/files/Manuals/Panasonic/ct-32sx31/32sx_01.pdf).
Not the exact TV model that I have but seems close enough.

So I switched the TV to the "serviceman" mode and set down to write all
the settings down in case I screw up.

Unfortunately, as the manual seems to imply and my testing confirmed,
some of the adjustments that I need seem not to be accessible. I could
not access the EW CORNER, EW PARABOLA and H WIDTH "Geometry Adjustment"
settings. On the The Channel+/- buttons only go from "D00" to "D0A"
and then cycle back.

At first, I assumed that, since the service manual refers to a
different model, that the documentation is incorrect for the CT-27D10D.
So I tried adjusting every setting in the "D" menu (and then changing
it back to its original value). None seemed to control the H-SIZE.

Well, If I can adjust the V-SIZE but not the H-SIZE, I cannot really
fix the geometry, can I?

Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance,
Alex.

P.S., I do understand the dangers of mucking around in the service
menu.

 

[[email protected]]

You can just look at the post I made. I know what I'm doing and screwed
up a Toshiba.

If you hadn't mentioned pincushion I would say go into the cable box
menu. I have seen this a few times. Some cable boxes have a 16:9 mode
which is specifically for watching wide movies on a wide TV. It does
screw things up, and you generally only use it at certain times.

Physics says that if you overstretch the vertical you will get
pincushion distortion at the sides. Even if the pin ckt is working
perfectly it is not applying the correction levels required at the
corners because they are not the corners of the raster. Hard to
explain. It has to do with the fact that EW correction is usually
generated by the jungle, instead of by analog waveshaping from the
vertical feedback.

Thing is, switching to digital cable should have no bearing on this.
That part does not make sense. As if you have never seen the OSD of the
set, or a DVD or VCR. How is it that you noticed it now ? A bit
puzzling to me.

Also, Panasonic service menus are by far the most tricky and user
unfriendly. The CORRECT service manual is a big plus if you can get it.
If you haven't changed anything, you might do some troubleshooting.
These things do not just change themselves usually. Notice I said
usually.

I remember two jobs that I wish I had not changed the EPROM, one failed
to ever init convergence on an RPTV again andf the whole board had to
be replaced, and the other I lost some values that just can't be
gotten. Actually I did screw up the latter one, another tech did. On
the former one I got on the phone with the manufacturer and got an
authorization for a new board, which isn't easy. Once I told them all I
did and why they agreed to sell us the board, and the shop is an ISC !

Software is quirky shit wherever you find it.

JURB

 

[Alex]

Thank you for your reply.

Thing is, switching to digital cable should have no bearing on this.
That part does not make sense. As if you have never seen the OSD of the
set, or a DVD or VCR. How is it that you noticed it now ? A bit
puzzling to me.

The OSD of the TV is a smallish rectangle in the middle of the screen and does not show pincushion (not to mention that I could not judge overscan from that since I didn't have a frame of reference). My VCR was an older model that did not have OSD at all and the DVD only used OSD for its initial setup and it looks like a drop-down menu so doesn't display a big enough rectangle.
I was aware of _some_ overscan before but only realized how bad it is after comparing the actual picture of the cable box channel guide with a screenshot from the manual.

Also, Panasonic service menus are by far the most tricky and user
unfriendly. The CORRECT service manual is a big plus if you can get it.

You are absolutely right!

I found the correct one here (assuming the CT-27D10B and CT-27D10D are similar):
http://fileshare.eshop.bg/downloadsm/17055/PANASONIC_CT-27D10B.html

Unfortunately, it seems that the service menu does not have an H-size adjustment at all, not to mention the pincushioning.
I can adjust the V-size and the H-position but that's not enough.

Perhaps some helpful soul can take a peek and tell me what I am missing?

Software is quirky shit wherever you find it.

I know, but I'm used to that since I write it for a living
It's the electronics stuff that I am not familiar with.


Best wishes,
Alex.

 

[Alex]

Anyone?

Thank you for your reply.

I found the correct one here (assuming the CT-27D10B and CT-27D10D are similar):
http://fileshare.eshop.bg/downloadsm/17055/PANASONIC_CT-27D10B.html

Unfortunately, it seems that the service menu does not have an H-size adjustment at all, not to mention the pincushioning.
I can adjust the V-size and the H-position but that's not enough.

Perhaps some helpful soul can take a peek and tell me what I am missing?


Best wishes,
Alex.

 

[Alex]

Since nobody will help on the newsgroup, perhaps you can suggest a professional that can recalibrate the TV without costing me an arm and a leg?

I'm north of Toronto.


Thank you for your reply.

I found the correct one here (assuming the CT-27D10B and CT-27D10D are similar):
http://fileshare.eshop.bg/downloadsm/17055/PANASONIC_CT-27D10B.html

Unfortunately, it seems that the service menu does not have an H-size adjustment at all, not to mention the pincushioning.
I can adjust the V-size and the H-position but that's not enough.

Perhaps some helpful soul can take a peek and tell me what I am missing?


Best wishes,
Alex.

 

[Alex]

Anybody???


Since nobody will help on the newsgroup, perhaps you can suggest a professional that can recalibrate the TV without costing me an arm and a leg?

I'm north of Toronto.


Thank you for your reply.

I found the correct one here (assuming the CT-27D10B and CT-27D10D are similar):
http://fileshare.eshop.bg/downloadsm/17055/PANASONIC_CT-27D10B.html

Unfortunately, it seems that the service menu does not have an H-size adjustment at all, not to mention the pincushioning.
I can adjust the V-size and the H-position but that's not enough.

Perhaps some helpful soul can take a peek and tell me what I am missing?


Best wishes,
Alex.