Hitachi 42HDT79 Plasma TV "Dancing" Pixels Issue

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  • darkNiGHTS0
    New Member
    • Mar 2015
    • 6
    • USA

    #1

    Hitachi 42HDT79 Plasma TV "Dancing" Pixels Issue

    I picked up a Hitachi 42HDT79 sitting by the curb today and plugged in it. So far everything works great, except for a "dancing" pixel issue along the edge of certain color combinations.

    Now first, before I get into describing the issue I'm going to note that I haven't taken it apart yet. I plan on replacing the 3300uf @ 100volts cap, assuming this problem is fixable. It smells badly of cigs.

    Now, back to the issue. With certain color combinations, instead of a straight line, certain pixels from one color "dance" into the other. It's worst with black and other colors. Below are some pictures of some color combinations that have this issue:






    And then certain color combinations are fine and 100% sharp:



    It's fine with more colors than it's bad with - for example with that purple background, the only two colors that react are black and that lime green. Those pixels are just statically wrong - they dance around in similar formations shown in the pictures, unrelated to their location on the screen, only related to the colors they're showing. I should note this happens on any input on the TV - HDMI, composite, S-video, etc.

    It's pretty noticeable overall - like on a soccer field, the shadowed portions of the field the pixels are dancing everywhere, probably because it's that green and black combination.

    Now I'm wondering if all this could be fixed by cleaning? Or is one of the boards most likely permanently damaged and need to be replaced? Or is there a specific part that could have gone bad causing an issue like this? If anyone could point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it!
  • tom66
    EVs Rule
    • Apr 2011
    • 32560
    • UK

    #2
    Re: Hitachi 42HDT79 Plasma TV "Dancing" Pixels Issue

    You might be surprised... But, this is normal. It's called "dithering" and it's used to enhance the number of available colours. It's a lot more visible on older TVs like these although in general you shouldn't see it past 6 feet viewing distances. Modern plasma panels have better dithering algorithms which aren't very noticeable. I've never been a massive fan of Hitachi plasma panels for a number of reasons... Wouldnt be surprised if they also have bad dithering
    Please do not PM me with questions! Questions via PM will not be answered. Post on the forums instead!
    For service manual, schematic, boardview (board view), datasheet, cad - use our search.

    Comment

    • darkNiGHTS0
      New Member
      • Mar 2015
      • 6
      • USA

      #3
      Re: Hitachi 42HDT79 Plasma TV "Dancing" Pixels Issue

      Originally posted by tom66
      You might be surprised... But, this is normal. It's called "dithering" and it's used to enhance the number of available colours. It's a lot more visible on older TVs like these although in general you shouldn't see it past 6 feet viewing distances. Modern plasma panels have better dithering algorithms which aren't very noticeable. I've never been a massive fan of Hitachi plasma panels for a number of reasons... Wouldnt be surprised if they also have bad dithering
      Thanks for the response. I don't think it's intentional because it's even on the system menu. I recorded two videos of it:

      System menu:
      https://www.dropbox.com/sc/tgr5gfpo2...wKPEQvb5PDkK7a

      Original Xbox via component cables:
      https://www.dropbox.com/sc/be1xmfboa...KllIjh8pbvnBYa

      When it's not on a straight line (like the Xbox), it goes everywhere and depending on the color composition of the scene, it makes it very visible from more than 6 feet away. Specifically video games, it's really awful for.
      Last edited by darkNiGHTS0; 03-12-2015, 01:15 PM.

      Comment

      • tom66
        EVs Rule
        • Apr 2011
        • 32560
        • UK

        #4
        Re: Hitachi 42HDT79 Plasma TV "Dancing" Pixels Issue

        Oh.... I couldn't see those videos on my phone on the train home... Yeah, that's not normal, dithering is much more subtle. It looks like "mal-discharge" but I have no idea if it can be fixed on a Hitachi panel. (It can be on some other panels.)
        Please do not PM me with questions! Questions via PM will not be answered. Post on the forums instead!
        For service manual, schematic, boardview (board view), datasheet, cad - use our search.

        Comment

        • darkNiGHTS0
          New Member
          • Mar 2015
          • 6
          • USA

          #5
          Re: Hitachi 42HDT79 Plasma TV "Dancing" Pixels Issue

          Yup, it definitely looks like that.

          https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=37878

          It's definitely not usable for video games, but it makes make a good sports TV for the basement. It honestly wasn't that bad for soccer from 6 feet away.

          Comment

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