Help! GT30 has a strange clouding effect....what is it?

Really sorry to hear this, Oldboy. As someone else said, see if you can wangle a 42GT50 or maybe a 50ST50 instead.

Yep i've noticed it when watching tv tonight but it's no where near as bad as it is with bluray or dvd, what does seem strange is that in bright conditions it's virtually unnoticeable but in the evening it sticks out like a sore thumb...strange! Pixel protector had no effect after 8 hours of running so i think it's safe to rule out image retention or burn, now i'm at a complete loss as to what the cause is and it's still there this evening and i'm trying to get a good picture of it to show you all.

Hopefully i can get a picture up soon of the issue as it's easier to understand the problem when you see it for yourselves, im extremely angry at the moment but i will give it until friday to see if it lessens or fades but i think it's unlikely and then the fight will begin i guess...yet again lol...you simply couldn't make it up how many problems i've had with tv's 

Many thanks to you all for your advice and support, i can't thank you enough...it really helps at times like this when it feels like the world is against you!! 

Hello all just a quick update i've decided to act now and contacted Richer Sounds this morning about the issue, the store at which i purchased the tv couldn't suggest any potential cause or fix so i had to ring customer services who have arranged for an engineer to come out to me on monday which gives me a few days to see if the issue fades or not.

Of course i will report back on monday after the engineer has been out to inspect the tv but the only thing that keeps whirling around my mind is oh no not again, here we go...i do hope this isn't the start of another long battle but i have to say Richers have been great so far.

I'm so happy i took out a 5 year warranty as it's at times like this that it comes into it's own as the tv passes it's initial 1 year manufacturers warranty period on the 13th of next month. Fingers crossed the issue is resolved quickly and easily

Good luck on Monday.

Just an update after the engineer called today:

So the engineer duly called today, really nice chap who knew his stuff so good start...as is the way with these things i was unable to replicate the issue whilst he was here due to the bright conditions as the issue is most noticeable when it gets dark and i have to switch the floor lamp on.

The engineer was very patient and understanding and after about 20 mins he came to the conclusion that i had two options, either i live with it and see if it gets worse or improves or it could be taken in for their engineers to look at it properly as they have a dedicated Panasonic engineer. He was of the opinion that it warranted closer inspection (although they were bound to say that i guess eh lol) so that's what i've decided to do, as part of my Richer Sounds warranty i will receive a loan set for the duration of the repair which is great news.

Just got to wait now for them to call me and arrange a day to collect it once they have sourced a loan set but that should happen in the next few days, after that i will be anxcious to see if they can replicate the issue and repair it but the engineer that came out today was of the opinion that it may mean a replacement screen so i could have a bit of a wait if so but i live in hope that it's not as serious as that.

As ever i will keep the thread updated with how things progress but it sure is a very strange issue to get with a plasma tv, it's like the ghost of my LCD/LEDs of past has come back to haunt me and added clouding to my plasma lol

Got to say i've been impressed with service i've received thus far so kudos yet again to Richer Sounds, brilliant service.

Sounds like they're making the right noises for now, let's hope it continues. Will the loan set be the same model?

Good question...i have no idea tbh but i presume it will at least be the same screen size if not the same model, i just hope i don't receive a supermarket cheap as chips base model from the likes of Technika but i wouldn't be surprised. My heart would sink at that point especially if i've got it for 3-4 weeks after all you never know just how long they are going to keep my GT30 for as i guess it depends on what the issue is and what the repair may consist of

Fingers staying crossed for you, keep us updated. 

Further update:

TV being collected on friday as loan set has been sourced but still no idea what that will be so will have to wait til friday to see what turns up but now know that the repair agent is Visual FX which seem to be quite a big company operating throughout the south east of the UK (i'm in Essex) after a quick google search.

Has anyone had any dealings with this company, just wondering what their reputation is like and how quick a turnaround i can expect??

Will update on friday with what the loan set is but i'm not expecting anything of any quality, perhaps i will be surprised but tbh i'm expecting something very basic...perhaps even 720p resolution??

I did try asking this before but where is the lamp in relation to the TV?

Ooops apologies The_Lhc i completely forgot to answer you, sorry.

The floor lamp is off to the right hand side of the tv in the corner of the room on the same wall as the tv is wall mounted so that it's not shining behind the screen to cut down on any reflections. I've tried moving all the furniture behind the sofa out of the way to make sure it's not just a reflection but this made no difference so i'm sure it's not a reflection issue, what's strange about the issue is that it's at it's worst when watching the blu ray player or anything over hdmi.

I've tried changing the hdmi cable in case that was the culprit but it made no difference and although the issue is sometimes visible over other sources such as tv it's never as bad as it is over hdmi so i'm at a loss as to what the issue is.

I should add that the tv is connected via hdmi 2 (for ARC) and that it runs into my amp where all other hdmi equipment is run through and that all video processing has been turned off on the amp (it's set to 'straight' in the amp's menu).

Can you see the problem when the lamp is switched off (ie in complete darkness)?

There is a good reason I'm asking, a colleague has just recently bought a new top end Panasonic plasma and was immediately complaining of a similar thing, until he realised the "clouding" he was seeing was sunlight shining through the air vents on the back of the set onto the screen. As soon as he shut the curtains the problem disappeared. Of course he only found that out after he got the retailer to bring a replacement set to the house and wondered why the new one had exactly the same issue.

Yes it's there when the room is in complete darkness and is even worse in those conditions, the 'clouding' is most definately at it's worst when the room is in complete darkness but during the day in bright conditions it disappears completely...very strange indeed.

I don't know what else to do to try to eliminate any other possible cause tbh, i've run out of ideas hense why i called Richers to report the issue

Further update everyone:

My GT30 was collected today and the loan set turns out to be a Sharp Aquos LC-32D44E LCD tv, i'm not happy that it's a 32 inch tv and that i can't wall mount it...i've got to have it on the stand which has caused alot of issues as i now can't use my centre speaker as the tv has to be on the top shelf of my rack infront of the centre speaker.

The tv has no HDMI control or even an optical so i have to have sound from the tv through it's own speakers which is simply horrible, oh and it's a HD ready only tv that has a max resolution of 1080i and has no freeview HD tuner...not good.

I've had to place my new BDT500 bluray player on the floor infront of the stand which i'm not happy with but all i can do is hope that the quoted 7-10 days turnaround is not fiction and that i get the GT30 back soon as my living room looks a mess now, any longer than 2 weeks like this and i will get annoyed.

I had a feeling the loan tv would be basic but this takes the mickey, not even 1080p or even of the same size screen as the one taken away is disappointing to say the least