The Custom ISF Calibration on my Panasonic VT30 went POOF!

[NoWave]

I bought a Panasonic VT30 a year ago after much research and debate. One of the attractive features was the ability to have it professionally calibrated, including ISF Day and Night modes.

So I paid the retailer the fee for the calibration (which was done after "proper" pixel aging) which was performed by a well known calibrator. The set arrived and I was quite pleased with the results. The ISF modes were noticeably better than the THX mode and better than the "Custom" mode settings which were published by the same calibrator. I believe that there was quite a bit of time spent on the calibration, as it included the 3D modes as well.

Several months later we were sitting around watching a movie on Dish and POOF! the screen blinked for a moment and the picture changed in a very noticeable way. So I checked the TV menu and it had switched over to Custom, away from ISF Night (very different settings). When I went to switch it back, the ISF Night and Day settings were gone. Simply not there. Vanished.

I was astounded. The retailer and the calibrator swear that losing the calibration settings is impossible on this set. I argued back and forth for months, not knowing what to do, since the set warranty doesn't cover losing the calibration, or so I was told.

I did some additional research and learned about some software that sounds like it allows technicians to remotely access your Panasonic set and make adjustments. Perhaps some Panasonic engineer somewhere inadvertantly pointed at my set? Which would be strange, since my set would have to initiate the dialog in order for the router to allow it, I would think. It is connected to the Internet, which is very convenient for code updates and Viera access.

Has anyone ever heard of this happening?

Did I make a mistake in not calling Panasonic?

Does it even matter, now that I could buy the interface and software and do my own calibration for around $400?

 

[mike123abc]

Sounds more like there was a glitch in the set and it reset itself back to factory condition.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Yepp, sounds like a factory reset or something.

 

[tigerfan33]

Did your calibrator give you a copy of the settings?
Most do just for something like this.

 

[gadgtfreek]

If not, you should always note them. I put mine in a spreadsheet when cal is finished.

 

[NoWave]

There is no user access to the ISF settings (or so I was told). I believe they are in a file you can save if you have the CalMAN software. I asked for the file but never received a reply from the calibrator. I didn't even get a calibration report, though it was promised to me on several occasions ("it's coming ..."). I will never do business with this company or this calibrator again.

I use the "Dnice" manual settings for Custom mode which look okay, but they are not nearly as nice as the ISF calibration.

 

[jayn_j]

The reason is because the calibrator went into the service menu and adjusted settings that are not user accessible. If he had provided the settings, we probably could have helped you get into and recover the service mode settings.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

All my calibrations I got the settings and reports given to me at the time of the calibration.

 

[lakebum431]

Who was the calibrator and the company so none of us get burned like this in the future?

 

[teachsac]

Seriously. I always gave reports. Anyways, service menu is easily accessible on Panasonics. Even Jason knows

S~

 

[NoWave]

As I previously mentioned, not all ISFcc calibration settings are user accessible, not even via the service menus (which I did happen to use at delivery to verify the "break in" hours promised by the calibrator). At least this is what I was told and it seems to be supported by the VT30 threads at other forums such as HighDefJunkies. Which is why I asked them for the calibration file after my settings disappeared. The calibrator insisted that it wasn't possible to accidentally lose the ISFcc calibration -- that it was stored in nonvolatile memory. It sounded as if someone would have to go into the service menu to do a factory reset or something for that to happen.

I suppose a spurious factory reset might be possible if there was a glitch in the hardware. But I don't recall losing any other settings at that time...

 

[Tampa8]

When I had by previous rear projection TV's calibrated I too always received a full report, with all the settings. The latest LG 3D Tv's can be accessed by a tech over the internet also. Most all the needed calibrations can be made without the need to even get into the service menu.
Sorry to hear about the loss of data. I don't remember ever reading or hearing that happen.