Your experiences with FW v0.14.93.0 for 8000, 9000 and 21:9 series (2011 models)

[bluevoice]

I don't mean to insult your or anyone else's intelligence, but have you checked that you have the TV set to 'Home' and not 'Shop' in the menu? I and a few people had issues with all the settings reverting back to defaults after powering down their 9705's and it was down to this menu option setting back to 'shop' after firmware updates.

Hi Eliot, thanks for your suggestion, I just checked, just to be sure, the tv is set to 'Home'.

[stefanox]

same side here

Hi Eliot, thanks for your suggestion, I just checked, just to be sure, the tv is set to 'Home'.

[sgk]

Hi Eliot, thanks for your suggestion, I just checked, just to be sure, the tv is set to 'Home'.

The same for my TV.

[EdgarPrao]

I did this upgrade (46pfl9706) a couple of days ago and it now seems that all backlighting LEDs are stuck on max output. Adjusting "baclight contrast" has no effect and there is no local dimming going on under any setting or any mode. I get a very bright, slightly washed out picture with poor black levels. I had disabled local dimming prior to upgrade, not sure if this has anything to do with it.

Any good ideas?

Try to use the main power switch to power off the TV completely. Local dimming does sometimes not work after a firmware update until a complete power cycle.

Prao

[Bluestraw]

With local dimming switched 'off', does anyone else see some slight added brighness on the left / right screen edges? It's only visible on certain medium-intensity backgrounds, but definitely there for me. When I turn local dimming on, it becomes hardly visible.

[limpitakis]

But that is exactly what local dimming does. It conmepsates light throughout the screen. When you switch local dimming to off the screen becomes a kind of CCFL one and thus light may find a way to escape and presents itself as brihghtness.
For me that is an indication that your local dimming works as it should,
Nick

[Eliot]

But that is exactly what local dimming does. It conmepsates light throughout the screen. When you switch local dimming to off the screen becomes a kind of CCFL one and thus light may find a way to escape and presents itself as brihghtness.
For me that is an indication that your local dimming works as it should,
Nick

I think the issue here is why people who have bought a full array LED TV are having to switch off the Dynamic Backlight in the first place.

The backlight seems to be a little over zealous and seems to flicker on and off whilst the picture is displaying a constant image with seemingly constant brightness and contrast. My 9705 never suffered with this, but my 9706 certainly does.

Hopefully Philips will comment on this and it would be interesting not only to know when this issue can be fixed, but also what the difference between the system used in the older models and the 9706 is.

[Cinema 21:9]

I had several Localdimming Philips TV, but no device has been so demonstrated a useless operation of the Localdimming as the Cinema 21:9 9956th
In light images ever darkened areas are unnecessary, although it will usually reduce the contrast. What does that be necessary?
Check out some of the image without Localdimming!
There is still only in the black area under IRE 5 is a need to regulate to prevent the black areas are gray.
Otherwise, it's absolutely pointless to regulate and only destroys everything!
Does it really none of your engineers with a 21:9 Cinema 9956 home and sees the correct day this unnecessary mistake?
Philips, but please listen to your customers, we are the best testers, you may wish you, you still have to implement it only!

List of errors PFL 58 Cinema 21:9 9956 firmware '93

- Sporadic flashes in the picture
- Image unnecessary pumps
- Superimposed pattern in gray images at 10 IRE
- Sometimes sluggish menu
- If Clear LCD On and Natural Motion Off is always after a restart Natural Motion On, even though the menu is Off


Please Philips is, but from these mistakes!

(Google Translator)

[DerShortyy]

My summery after 2 weeks testing the FW 14.93 on 46pfl9706/k02
At first everything seems to be very stable, especially while watching normal TV. Also entering NET TV and the Menu is much faster as before.
BUT
Sometimes it still occures that the TV comes from standby with no picture but sound and ambilight are on. This happens sometimes if you switch channels, mostly if you switch to ZDF HD.
The most problems occures with the internet/network based applications. I have experienced that enabled HBBTV causes a lot of trouble in the TV, neither the HBBTV pages (red button ) doesn´t get loaded or if they get loaded the TV reboots after some undefined time or the network connection crashes. You can recognize that it crashes because the channel you are watching turns to black screen and turns on again. After that happens you can try to open NET TV and you will see that the TV tries to reconnect to NET TV.
Also the IP-EPG causes these troubles. Neither the programm information doesn´t get loaded at all and everything you can see is a black sreen with these loading bubbles or it might happen that the IP-EPG can´t be controlled at all with the remote.
After these reboots or crashes NET TV and the Menu of the TV is very slow and you are not able to do USB recordings anymore thats why you have to hard switch off the TV to get it run in a normal/acceptable way.

Can anybody confirm this behaviour?

[german_gyu]

Yes, i can. I can't say anything about the changes to the old software, because i got the TV (37PFL9606, TVB-C, only free SD and HD digital and analog channels, no CAM) with the 14.93, but I have the same experiene with the software. Watching TV is mostly OK, but NetTV or HBBTV brings the system in trouble. The Net functions are all much to slow !
1. Both (NetTv or Hbbtv) are not realy useable with WLAN. It takes to long and sometimes it is completely not more possible to work with. In this case it is also not possible to switch off NetTV/HBBTV. System is frozen for a while (seconds up to minutes). So i switched after a few days to PowerLAN.
2. TV crashes (reset) sometimes if you switch back from HBBTV or NetTV while playing. Same happens sometimes if you use HBBTV or NetTV.
3. Sometimes if you switch back from HBBTV or NetTV screen stays black. Healing by change channel.
4. Sometimes if you switch back from HBBTV or NetTV screen audio is muted. Healing by double press mute.
5. Sometimes hbbtv menu (red button while viewing ZDF) could not be switched off. (red key doesn't work)
6. Sometimes Network connection is broken after a while (not possible to use any net function). Only black screen and scanning bar (searching network) is visible. Healing only by switch off and on the TV.
7. Sometimes videotext does not work anymore. Healing only switch off and on the TV. (hbbtv and NetTv works !?)
8. ZDF Mediathek does not work anymore. Not via hbbtv and not via App.
9. Sometimes (but then always) switching the TV channels leads to a short dropout of the picture. Switch -> black screen (normal switch) -> 0,5 second visible channel -> 1 s black screen -> visible channel again. -> Healing ? (i does not remember yet)
10. EPG -> TO SLOW and with a lot of errors !!! With 16 Mbit internet and proofed 90 Mbit Powerlan connection ! If you switch from one channel list to the next, often not the full information is updated. Then it shows the RTL logo, but the program of WDR or so. Healing: scroll TWO screens up or down and then back to the screen with the error. Additionally the content is not realy cached. If you scroll down one page and then back on page the screen is filled with delay. (we are living in a time where all mobil phones can changed here screens smoothly!).
11. In EPG sometimes two menu bars are visible (first line on top of screen isn't deleted)
12. In EPG: If you select one movie, then the screen goes short black (why this switch to black) and then display the movie content. But with a lot of space at the top, then a list of the actors and then only a small part of the movie content. The real content of the movie is often not more visible (second screen) and must be reached by stupid scroll down function (no concrete steps, only jumps from links to links, what makes no sense on such screen). Have no one at philips checked the workability of this function ?
13. Sometimes EPG is visible (works well), but shows never ending loading bubbles ...
14. If you have enabled view of only the favorites channels (TV install analog channels from channel 300 on) then the EPG still shows ALL channels, which means you must scroll down 30 pages (that does not work without reset or lost of your patience)
15. After using hbbtv/epg/nettv sometimes TV seems to be very slowly.
16. Sometimes small hbbtv popup (on rigth lower corner) comes up after switch channel, but if you press the red key hbbtv of the previous channel is shown !
17. No direct jump key on remote control to EPG or NetTV, but this senseless sound/option key. (hdmi control of the amplifer via easylink works realy fine). Additionally useability of the keys on the remote control is not understandable. On hbbtv there seems no concept about the user interface. Sometimes number keys, sometimes colored keys, sometimes jump keys. Sometimes menu and ok button. Same with the current TV program. On some screens visible on the left, on some screens on the rigth, some screens transparent. Sometimes not visible. Sometimes a black screen between screens, sometimes a transparent screen. (Steve is died, but i wouldn't wonder if the apple TV shows the right way of doing such things)
18. If you switch from IP EPG to normal EPG, no programm from analog channels are shown (IP TV asks for not detected channels, why does "not IP EPG" not the same ???
19. Sometimes switching channels are not possible anymore. Only volume can be changed, but volume bar is not visible. Healing: Sometimes select TV as source. Sometimes press "back" button.
20. Five weather apps, but none of them remembers the city or my preference screen ?! It's enough to make you weep.
21. Apps screens to slow (at least the entrance screens should be cached and fast)

.... to be continued ...

22. Only one highligth more ... Sometimes if the screen is black and only the network scanning bar is visible at the bottom, then the complete screen brightness changed in the rhythm of the scanning bar. Similar thing happens if the menu screens of the via HDMI connected amplifier or similar devices. The complete screen flounce (flashing) with each step of the menu bar of the devices. That makes you mad after a while (my amplifier have many many menus entries).

[DerShortyy]

7. Sometimes videotext does not work anymore. Healing only switch off and on the TV. (hbbtv and NetTv works !?)
9. Sometimes (but then always) switching the TV channels leads to a short dropout of the picture. Switch -> black screen (normal switch) -> 0,5 second visible channel -> 1 s black screen -> visible channel again. -> Healing ? (i does not remember yet)
13. Sometimes EPG is visible (works well), but shows never ending loading bubbles ...
15. After using hbbtv/epg/nettv sometimes TV seems to be very slowly.
16. Sometimes small hbbtv popup (on rigth lower corner) comes up after switch channel, but if you press the red key hbbtv of the previous channel is shown !
19. Sometimes switching channels are not possible anymore. Only volume can be changed, but volume bar is not visible. Healing: Sometimes select TV as source. Sometimes press "back" button.

I can confirm all the mentioned issues quoted above, although i didn´t described them explicit in my post.

Additionally i want to add the following issue:
- sometimes when you open up the IP-EPG the screen is just black and on the left upper corner you can see a little blue "OK" button. you can left with the back button but the IP-EPG is stuck to this black screen, when you open up again

[bluevoice]

I can confirm all the mentioned issues quoted above, although i didn´t described them explicit in my post.

Additionally i want to add the following issue:
- sometimes when you open up the IP-EPG the screen is just black and on the left upper corner you can see a little blue "OK" button. you can left with the back button but the IP-EPG is stuck to this black screen, when you open up again

I also see this behavior on my Philips Cinema Gold tv. To solve this I always perform a hard restart (by button) and than it works again in most cases.

[DerShortyy]

I also see this behavior on my Philips Cinema Gold tv. To solve this I always perform a hard restart (by button) and than it works again in most cases.

a hard reset is of course no acceptable way to solve this issue!

[Joerg78]

Can confirm some of the mentioned issues with 37PFL9606K.

1. hbbtv is very unstable. Often videotext doesn't work when hbbtv is enabled. e.g. activate hbbtv, switch to ARD HD (or to any other channel which also provides "videotext" via hbbtv). Press the videotext-button -> the "hbbtv-videotext" appears. Press videotext-button once more -> "old fashioned" videotext appears, but popup-windows (when pressing the options-button) won't appear. Sometimes videotext gets stuck, channels cannot be switched, ...
2. IP-EPG is unrealiable, sometimes unreachable (which means you even cannot play recorded videos!).
3. On German TV-Channel N24 sometimes the "Laufband" (sorry, don't know the english word. It's a small bar at the bottom of the screen where the news are cycling) stutteres. Seems like a problem with deinterlacing.
4. Very often encrypted channels cannot be viewed (using a CI+-module from Kabel Deutschland; vendor is Smit): Switching to an encrypted channel causes the message "encrypted program" ("Verschlüsseltes Programm"). Switching to another channel and then back often solves that problem (for the affected channel only!). CI+-firmware is up-to-date (3.3.3 L12).
5. Sometimes after recording a program the TV won't fully go back into standby: The LED of the USB-HDD still lights up; activating the TV will nearly instantly bring back the TV screen (no "Philips"-Logo, no booting up).

[DerShortyy]

This evening it happend again,after the TV was stable the whole time,it shut down automatic after 2hours. I can't reproduce because This ist the first time after i updated 2weeks ago.
Can anybody confirm ?