Ah, I see. Interesting. If the update went as planned, the tv should have installed itself and then experienced a brief glitch as if it was switched off for a fraction of a second (the equivalent of restarting your computer after installing a piece of software that accesses system files to install correctly.) As to why yours didn't turn itself back on, that is a mystery just like why some updates went ok and others didn't.
One thing I've read concerned me...
You're not supposed to do this, and it actually tells you not to do it. It is possible your warranty could be invalidated, then you're really screwed.
I turned mine on, it said there was a software update available, so I proceeded, and just left it. After about 8 minutes, it was all done and dusted.
Nope, it did not. Even if you take the plug off, it should not invalidate your warranty as you simply cannot have a process that relies on such user behaviour. It seems their TV are not programmed correctly and hence cheap. I say, stick to brand like Sony where you pay lil more but may be their tvs are programmed better.
Also, on their MANUAL, it says NOT TURN the TV OFF while it is DOWNLOADING, not installing..I know I did not turn it off, therefore it was not our mistake. I did get a message once it downloaded that not to switch TV off and it tried to install. But after several minutes, NOTHING HAPPENED - BLANK SCREEN.
So what do you want people to do?
It seems also that they had similar problems last year as well.
They should take care in this sort of things WHEN THEY MAKE THE TV..have a basic system where you can go back should there be a problem.
I say again.....the moral of this story is......NEVER EVER buy an IDTV....get a standalone Freeview box instead....
No, the moral is don't buy a Panasonic.
Your moral is wrong because (1) some people don't like having two box and (2) it does not make sense on buying a TV which will have analouge tuner and not digital, espcially analogue tv wil be closed down.
A better solution would be a TV which only displays what is connected like a Monitor. If you want digital get a dgi box. If you want a analogue, get a analogue box. Then you will have a excellent solution. As far as I know, there is no Tv that exist like this.
Anyway, the problem is not because of IDTV or digo box rather the company that makes it. If you build c**p tv or digi box, then you have problems like this.
So are you saying we have to contact the original dealer we bought the TV from in my case: Argos, don't think they'll have anybody that'll understand about this, sorry no offence to anyone working there, it's just they're a big concern selling shed loads of stuff and wont (I doubt) know about this specific problem with Panasonic. I'm gonna try to contact a Panasonic dealer close to me here in London and see what they have to say if I don't get a reply from Panasonic Technical tomorrow.
yes, that is what Panasonic say on their literatue. To be honest with you, I don't care who is responsible, just want mt TV back. lolz
You should be happy that you bough from Argos. I am sure Argos will simply send an engineer and sort you problem. In my case, I bought from dealer in Boltion and I am in East London. Thats my problem. Having said this, so far, there seem to be coperating - they trying to arrange an engineer to come and check my system.
Nope, it did not. Even if you take the plug off, it should not invalidate your warranty as you simply cannot have a process that relies on such user behaviour. It seems their TV are not programmed correctly and hence cheap. I say, stick to brand like Sony where you pay lil more but may be their tvs are programmed better.
Also, on their MANUAL, it says NOT TURN the TV OFF while it is DOWNLOADING, not installing..I know I did not turn it off, therefore it was not our mistake. I did get a message once it downloaded that not to switch TV off and it tried to install. But after several minutes, NOTHING HAPPENED - BLANK SCREEN.
So what do you want people to do?
It seems also that they had similar problems last year as well.
They should take care in this sort of things WHEN THEY MAKE THE TV..have a basic system where you can go back should there be a problem.
This is a very poor argument, how are sony TV's better programmed than Panasonic?. A failed update on a Sony tv would cause the same problems as what people are experiencing here and on quality terms Panasonic and Sony are more or less on the same level.
All that has happened here is that a software upgrade went wrong for some people. Its a bit like when you upgrade the BIOS in your PC, if the update goes wrong then your computer will not even switch on and is jiggered and will need the entire chip replacing unless its a dual bios system and not many are!.
If Panasonic have cancelled the upgrade, and are sending out engineers to fix TV's which haven't updated properly then I for one commend them and this is a good sign of customer support.
I say again.....the moral of this story is......NEVER EVER buy an IDTV....get a standalone Freeview box instead....
Well I would NEVER recommend buying an IDTV to replace a perfectly good working analogue TV and set top box.
However I bought an IDTV because I had a 14" Acorn monitor and Nokia 9850T for my freeview setup previously. So both needed replacing, and the logical thing to do was buy an IDTV!.
And even if you'd bought just a box and a software upgrade failed on that you would still expect the manufacturer to sort it out. Im sure you wouldn't just bin it and shell out another £30 - £40 for a new box just for the sake of it.
It seems odd that some peoples updates have gone ok and others have failed dramatically.
I am also disappointed to hear that Panasonic aren't taking this problem more seriously, and telling people to go to the dealer that sold the set is bull. They made the TV, and the software which broke it so they are responsible!.
Interesting point..some seem to have upgraded OK..others have not.
I am no Engineer,but that seems to indicate that there may be no problem with the software itself..maybe transmission interference?
If so,who is responsible...Panasonic or the Broadcaster?
When you say "off" are you really turning if off i.e. turning off the power switch and removing the mains plug or just putting it into standby with the remote? Standby isn't really "off" and probably won't fully reset the processor. Pulling the mains plug , leaving it for a minute and reapplying power will though.
All that has happened here is that a software upgrade went wrong for some people. Its a bit like when you upgrade the BIOS in your PC, if the update goes wrong then your computer will not even switch on and is jiggered and will need the entire chip replacing unless its a dual bios system and not many are!.
Point taken point about Sony\Pana argument. I only said this because I am annoyed with the whole state of affairs. I have a TV that don't work properly.
But I don't think, the BIOS is destroyed (in terms of TV), just a defect in DVB Operating System. Hence, the analogue works but not DVB. In case of PC OS like XP, even if you restart, it tries to reinstall it self. In this case, it does not clean install, hence the term software upgrade. This upgrade failed and it seems that there are no mechanism to revert to previous working TV OS.
I managed to get hold of Panasonic earlier and managed to prize out of them a local dealer who will come out and fix the problem at Panasonic's expense. So I contacted them midday, can't fault them at all, they've been briiliant, they've just visited me this eve with the software re-boot card (sent to them from Panasonic) BUT it didn't work either now he's got to contact Panasonic tomorrow to find out what to do next. What has this software upgrade done to our televisions??? Let me know if anyone's visit is succesful with this card. Thanks.
I was sitting watching my TV when it asked me to install download. I said yes and it came up "Calculating Time for Download as 7 Minutes". It went off and started downloading. It then said DO NOT TURN OFF TV so I left it alone. It then appeared to turn itself off but actually just went black screen. It sat there for about 20 minutes and then the red standby light came back on. I then left it like this for around 30 minutes, and then I pressed a channel on the remote to turn it back on.
AND NOW ITS TOTALLY GOOSED!
Contacted Panasonic and they have put me in touch with a dealer who is going to come out and reload firmware. But having read what people have said, now I am not very confident that that will even work.
Point taken point about Sony\Pana argument. I only said this because I am annoyed with the whole state of affairs. I have a TV that don't work properly.
But I don't think, the BIOS is destroyed (in terms of TV), just a defect in DVB Operating System. Hence, the analogue works but not DVB. In case of PC OS like XP, even if you restart, it tries to reinstall it self. In this case, it does not clean install, hence the term software upgrade. This upgrade failed and it seems that there are no mechanism to revert to previous working TV OS.
Ok, The software in the TV is written into Flash RAM, this is exactly the same kind of chip as the BIOS in your PC. Although as you rightly say in the TV it is an Operating system. The principle is exactly the same however, and it isn't like Windows XP because there is no hard drive. When the software is updated, the old software is wiped from the chip entirely and the new software replaces it. If this gets currupted whilst it is updating then the tv either won't work at all or it will be unusable on certain features, in this case the DVB.
As I said earlier, a lot of PCs these days have whats called a dual BIOS, so there are two chips containing the software. When you upgrade, if it fails the second bios is automatically used instead, and the corupted chip is flashed with a copy of the software on the second bios so there isn't a problem.
They could do this with TV's but it would be expensive I guess. A PC's bios is around 256k In size. So 2 chips of that capacity isn't expensive. By contrast A TV's operating system could be anything between 2038kb and 8192kb in size so would be costly to implement.
Anyway Im pleased to see Panasonic are acting to sort out peoples sets and it makes me feel more comfortable that if this problem ever happens to me they will be willing to sort it out.
I didn't say "don't buy a Panasonic" ..I said don't buy an IDTV ..... I have two Panasonic TU-CT20s myself.My current Philips 28PW9617 replaced an FST 23" Panasonic TV that lasted from 1987 until 2002 with digital pictures via a TU-CT20 for the last 6 months of its life.
For your interest ,Panasonic have produced a new STB ..the TU-CT41 priced at £70.99..
Hi guys. Been browsing this site for quite many months now when wanting to find out info on anything that hits our airwaves or latest technology.
Just thought I'd start by saying GOOD JOB, keep it up all!, one of the better sites among the thousands of pleb-like ones.
Well, my old mans got this tv digital wotchamacallit magic box, Ive got a thomson TUTV bpx. The same thing happened to them yesterday while updating the software. Anyway, after to 1 failed call to panasonic (straight to busy tone) 1 rather pointless call to FactoryShack in Wakefield West Yorkshire, and 2 straightforward emails to Panasonic customer support. This being the latest reply from them:
Customer Support
ISSUE RESOLUTION: Dear xxxxx,
Thank you for your further mail.
In response, your most appropriate course of action would be to refer to
your local authorised service centre for a solution to this problem.
Details of those in your area can be found on our website, www.panasonic.co.uk, under 'Customer Support' and 'Find a Service Centre'.
They will be able to re-load the software and correct the fault for you.
Please note that if this download has caused a fault with your television,
your retailer or local service dealer will be able to rectify this for you
as advised, and you would not be charged for labour for this service.
Alternatively, if you do not wish for your service agent to perform this
upgrade for you to correct the set, or if your service agent is unable to
assist you, we can provide a CAM module directly for you to perform the
required software upgrade yourself. The CAM will come provided with
instructions on how you may do so. In order that we may provide you with
this solution, please provide us with the following information:
Name
Address
Telephone number
Model number of television
Serial number of television
Once you have provided us with this information, we will arrange to send
you a loan module and the instructions. Please return the module in the
enclosed envelope once the upgrade has been completed.
I trust that this information has been of assistance to you. However, of
course, if you should have any further queries, please do not hesitate to
contact us on 08705 357357 or customer.care@panasonic.co.uk and we will
endeavour to assist.
Regards,
Customer Support
And so I replied requesting to have the cam module sent to the house. As A) from what ppl have said, not 100% reliable Dont fancy wasting a day, stopping in for some "egineer" to turn up. Its just not convieniant...
So, guess I'll have to wait until I get a response tomorrow and keep you guys posted through out.
Oh yea, gonna cancel my TUTV tomorrow. Yet another extremely dissapointed customer. Eurosport simply cannot replace a range of entertainment shows.
Im quite happy watching the repeats of Married With Children on ITV2. Bloody class ! Oh yea, Emley moor transmission going down earlier, leaving me with only 2 chans....what a joke!.. could this week get any worse????!
My TX28DT4 seems to have upgraded OK - the problems sem to be with the more modern ones - Thankfully My Dad didn't understand what the upgrade was, so didn't do it !!
BTW
Does that mean you get a free CAM to keep Anathema ? ?
I have the same problem and eventually got through to Panasonic after repeated attempts. I was really angry with them and they immediately suggested they send out the Cam card to me, which I have agreed to for now. It has yet to arrive.
Has anyone received the card and tried to repair yet? Would be grateful if anyone could post their experience with this.
I got the cam module over the weekend - the fix was to plug the card into the slot at the back on the TV, turn it on and let it do its' stuff.
Retuned the digital channels, all now working OK
Well here's the really good news... had and engineer turn up today. He's got the TV up and running again. HOORAY!!
He insereted the upgrade card with the cam in the back of the set and within about a min it was up and running again. Now I've noticed something strange? I'm now getting occasional break-up of pic and sound on the ITV, CH4 mux. Didn't have this problem before this upgrade. I've checked the siginal and it's exactly the same still reads 9 on the int signal meter. Also I can't get the ITV text test page to work (ITV text coming early summer). My transmitter is Crystal Palace, TV: TX28DTX1C Anyone else got this problem since their upgrade??
Comments
Nope, it did not. Even if you take the plug off, it should not invalidate your warranty as you simply cannot have a process that relies on such user behaviour. It seems their TV are not programmed correctly and hence cheap. I say, stick to brand like Sony where you pay lil more but may be their tvs are programmed better.
Also, on their MANUAL, it says NOT TURN the TV OFF while it is DOWNLOADING, not installing..I know I did not turn it off, therefore it was not our mistake. I did get a message once it downloaded that not to switch TV off and it tried to install. But after several minutes, NOTHING HAPPENED - BLANK SCREEN.
So what do you want people to do?
It seems also that they had similar problems last year as well.
They should take care in this sort of things WHEN THEY MAKE THE TV..have a basic system where you can go back should there be a problem.
No, the moral is don't buy a Panasonic.
Your moral is wrong because (1) some people don't like having two box and (2) it does not make sense on buying a TV which will have analouge tuner and not digital, espcially analogue tv wil be closed down.
A better solution would be a TV which only displays what is connected like a Monitor. If you want digital get a dgi box. If you want a analogue, get a analogue box. Then you will have a excellent solution. As far as I know, there is no Tv that exist like this.
Anyway, the problem is not because of IDTV or digo box rather the company that makes it. If you build c**p tv or digi box, then you have problems like this.
yes, that is what Panasonic say on their literatue. To be honest with you, I don't care who is responsible, just want mt TV back. lolz
You should be happy that you bough from Argos. I am sure Argos will simply send an engineer and sort you problem. In my case, I bought from dealer in Boltion and I am in East London. Thats my problem. Having said this, so far, there seem to be coperating - they trying to arrange an engineer to come and check my system.
This is a very poor argument, how are sony TV's better programmed than Panasonic?. A failed update on a Sony tv would cause the same problems as what people are experiencing here and on quality terms Panasonic and Sony are more or less on the same level.
All that has happened here is that a software upgrade went wrong for some people. Its a bit like when you upgrade the BIOS in your PC, if the update goes wrong then your computer will not even switch on and is jiggered and will need the entire chip replacing unless its a dual bios system and not many are!.
If Panasonic have cancelled the upgrade, and are sending out engineers to fix TV's which haven't updated properly then I for one commend them and this is a good sign of customer support.
Well I would NEVER recommend buying an IDTV to replace a perfectly good working analogue TV and set top box.
However I bought an IDTV because I had a 14" Acorn monitor and Nokia 9850T for my freeview setup previously. So both needed replacing, and the logical thing to do was buy an IDTV!.
And even if you'd bought just a box and a software upgrade failed on that you would still expect the manufacturer to sort it out. Im sure you wouldn't just bin it and shell out another £30 - £40 for a new box just for the sake of it.
Interesting point..some seem to have upgraded OK..others have not.
I am no Engineer,but that seems to indicate that there may be no problem with the software itself..maybe transmission interference?
If so,who is responsible...Panasonic or the Broadcaster?
I did everything! lol
Point taken point about Sony\Pana argument. I only said this because I am annoyed with the whole state of affairs. I have a TV that don't work properly.
But I don't think, the BIOS is destroyed (in terms of TV), just a defect in DVB Operating System. Hence, the analogue works but not DVB. In case of PC OS like XP, even if you restart, it tries to reinstall it self. In this case, it does not clean install, hence the term software upgrade. This upgrade failed and it seems that there are no mechanism to revert to previous working TV OS.
Panasonic service agent called, could not fix problem. Has to contact Panasonic again!!!!!!!!!!!
:mad:
You can find your local Panasonic approved service agent by putting in your postcode on this page:
http://www.panasonic.co.uk/customer-Support/svc-dealer-locator.asp
AND NOW ITS TOTALLY GOOSED!
Contacted Panasonic and they have put me in touch with a dealer who is going to come out and reload firmware. But having read what people have said, now I am not very confident that that will even work.
Will keep you posted.
Ok, The software in the TV is written into Flash RAM, this is exactly the same kind of chip as the BIOS in your PC. Although as you rightly say in the TV it is an Operating system. The principle is exactly the same however, and it isn't like Windows XP because there is no hard drive. When the software is updated, the old software is wiped from the chip entirely and the new software replaces it. If this gets currupted whilst it is updating then the tv either won't work at all or it will be unusable on certain features, in this case the DVB.
As I said earlier, a lot of PCs these days have whats called a dual BIOS, so there are two chips containing the software. When you upgrade, if it fails the second bios is automatically used instead, and the corupted chip is flashed with a copy of the software on the second bios so there isn't a problem.
They could do this with TV's but it would be expensive I guess. A PC's bios is around 256k In size. So 2 chips of that capacity isn't expensive. By contrast A TV's operating system could be anything between 2038kb and 8192kb in size so would be costly to implement.
Anyway Im pleased to see Panasonic are acting to sort out peoples sets and it makes me feel more comfortable that if this problem ever happens to me they will be willing to sort it out.
I didn't say "don't buy a Panasonic" ..I said don't buy an IDTV ..... I have two Panasonic TU-CT20s myself.My current Philips 28PW9617 replaced an FST 23" Panasonic TV that lasted from 1987 until 2002 with digital pictures via a TU-CT20 for the last 6 months of its life.
For your interest ,Panasonic have produced a new STB ..the TU-CT41 priced at £70.99..
http://shop.panasonic.co.uk/invt/tuct41
Just thought I'd start by saying GOOD JOB, keep it up all!, one of the better sites among the thousands of pleb-like ones.
Well, my old mans got this tv digital wotchamacallit magic box, Ive got a thomson TUTV bpx. The same thing happened to them yesterday while updating the software. Anyway, after to 1 failed call to panasonic (straight to busy tone) 1 rather pointless call to FactoryShack in Wakefield West Yorkshire, and 2 straightforward emails to Panasonic customer support. This being the latest reply from them:
Customer Support
ISSUE RESOLUTION: Dear xxxxx,
Thank you for your further mail.
In response, your most appropriate course of action would be to refer to
your local authorised service centre for a solution to this problem.
Details of those in your area can be found on our website,
www.panasonic.co.uk, under 'Customer Support' and 'Find a Service Centre'.
They will be able to re-load the software and correct the fault for you.
Please note that if this download has caused a fault with your television,
your retailer or local service dealer will be able to rectify this for you
as advised, and you would not be charged for labour for this service.
Alternatively, if you do not wish for your service agent to perform this
upgrade for you to correct the set, or if your service agent is unable to
assist you, we can provide a CAM module directly for you to perform the
required software upgrade yourself. The CAM will come provided with
instructions on how you may do so. In order that we may provide you with
this solution, please provide us with the following information:
Name
Address
Telephone number
Model number of television
Serial number of television
Once you have provided us with this information, we will arrange to send
you a loan module and the instructions. Please return the module in the
enclosed envelope once the upgrade has been completed.
I trust that this information has been of assistance to you. However, of
course, if you should have any further queries, please do not hesitate to
contact us on 08705 357357 or customer.care@panasonic.co.uk and we will
endeavour to assist.
Regards,
Customer Support
And so I replied requesting to have the cam module sent to the house. As A) from what ppl have said, not 100% reliable
So, guess I'll have to wait until I get a response tomorrow and keep you guys posted through out.
Oh yea, gonna cancel my TUTV tomorrow. Yet another extremely dissapointed customer. Eurosport simply cannot replace a range of entertainment shows.
Im quite happy watching the repeats of Married With Children on ITV2. Bloody class ! Oh yea, Emley moor transmission going down earlier, leaving me with only 2 chans....what a joke!.. could this week get any worse????!
I think steering away from all in one anything unless it is stupidly cheap is a bit of good advice.
BTW
Does that mean you get a free CAM to keep Anathema ? ?
Has anyone received the card and tried to repair yet? Would be grateful if anyone could post their experience with this.
Retuned the digital channels, all now working OK
He insereted the upgrade card with the cam in the back of the set and within about a min it was up and running again. Now I've noticed something strange? I'm now getting occasional break-up of pic and sound on the ITV, CH4 mux. Didn't have this problem before this upgrade. I've checked the siginal and it's exactly the same still reads 9 on the int signal meter. Also I can't get the ITV text test page to work (ITV text coming early summer). My transmitter is Crystal Palace, TV: TX28DTX1C Anyone else got this problem since their upgrade??
Still awaiting delivery of card direct from Panasonic, should have arrived Monday.
Two options - but still no digital TV.
Does anyone knows what will happen with future updates, or is this best avoided - like Panasonic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!