panasonic ct-36hx40 (1 Viewer)

[ken t]

ordered the ct-36hx40 from Sears. Using the price match guarantee, they lowered their price to $1,799. I also ordered the matching stand and they were both delivered today.
Well, I am more than a little disappointed! The TV's box/carton looked a little ragged when they took it out of the delivery truck. Delivery personnel tell me that it would be easier to bring the set into the house uncartoned, so they unpack it on the sidewalk. They basically poured the set out of its box causing a little "ding" on the front panel. I was already concerned seeing the condition of the box and their handling of the set. They brought it in and then brought the stand into the house (still in the box).
After allowing the TV to reach my room temperature, I turned it on. Right off the bat I noticed some inconsistent colors in the lower right and upper left hand corners. I attempted to adjust this with the geomagnetic adjustment to no avail. Then I noticed that the screen was tilted - lower on the left. It is very pronounced!
I called the Panasonic service number and after a 5 minute wait was greeted (or lack thereof) by a not-so-friendly voice. She had me reset the TV's parameters. When that didn't work she told me there was nothing she could do and coldly told me to contact my local service center. No explanations or apologies for a defective product.
The service center guy told me that he could come out next week and that he would have to take the set apart to make the screen tilt adjustment.
I decided instead to call Sears and have them ship out another set. The earliest they could deliver is next Thursday. Oh, I forgot to mention that I opened the box to the tv stand to find the top of the stand cracked in two places. Ironically, the carton is crushed right where it's posted "fragile." Looks like somebody dropped something very heavy on top of the stand.
Now I'm trying to figure out whether I will keep the next tv if it has the same problem. Besides the listed problems, the picture is pretty amazing with s-video DVD. My only alternative at this point is the xbr400 and that set has its own problems....

 

[Takosan]

Ken,
I wish you get a better set the second time around. At least Sears seem to keep on delivering until you are satisfied.
I, too, am waiting for the CT-36HX40 to hit my reseller. If it doesn't come by end of this month I might try bringing the quote to Sears to see if they'll match.
BB has the 32" but not the 36"; the picture, IMHO, looks very good. Good luck & let me know if you decide to keep your 2nd se or not. Also what is the mfg date on your first set? 2nd set? I thought I read on this forum that mfg date of December or later has less geometry problems ...
Takosan

 

[ken t]

the date for the 1st set is Jan 2001. I'll let you know about the 2nd set and its performance. I think the Pannys offer a better picture for our dollars compared to the XBR. Well, at least that's what I thought when I purchased the Panny. I just saw my friend's brand new 36" XBR and thought it looked great with DVD. We didn't get a chance to see OTA or cable since he didn't have that set up yet, but the DVD picture is at least equal to the Panasonic's. Makes me regret not going with the Sony - I just can't get over the ugly chassis the Sony comes in....

 

[Takosan]

Ken,
At least you might get a better 2nd set & then you'll be happy that you didn't go w/Sony.
Takosan

 

[ken t]

well the new/replacement set arrived. These panasonic sets must be very sensitive to placement. The screen seems to have some obvious geometry problems depending on which direction the set faces. The screen tilt is not as pronounced facing one direction as in others. Also, there is some discoloration in the corners depending on the placement of the set. The geomagnetic correction helps some. I believe I'll be keeping this one, and I'm sure glad to be rid of that first one! The manufacture date on this set is also Jan 2001.
The matching stand is missing a couple of the shelf studs. I'm hoping that Panasonic will mail me replacements when I call tomorrow....
I still think the Pannys offer more for the dollar than the Sony, and I actually prefer the Panny's picture over the Sony's even though the picture seems "dark" on some scenes regardless of the brightness setting.