Thanks to sir Clondalkin. At last, a reliable explanation.
I spoke with 3 Panasonic Japan technical support people. Why 3? I want to know if their reply would be consistent.
Tama yan!
If you dont trust my Japanese, that's not my concern.
I have absolute faith in your Japanese.
1. They cannot discuss about service menu access by an owner through technical support, but mentioned that service menu is primarily used for Service or Repair, not for fine tuning of a "TV in good working condition."
2. An owner can make as much manual adjustments as the Operating Manual describes.
3. Service menu must only be accessed by authorized Panasonic personnel, if and when necessary.
That is consistent with what the experienced users know. The service menu is intended to be hidden from the user, to ensure that only authorized Panasonic technicians can access it.
4. Panasonic Japan reserves the right to void any warranty claims if any unauthorized person modifies settings within the service menu. The final decision can only be made once the (defective) TV is inspected by Panasonic Japan Service Center.
That's logical. If the unit's defect has nothing to do with the service menu, then the issue of whether or not the user accessed it is irrelevant.
It is not accurate to say that mere access of the service menu automatically voids the warranty. The usual warning is that accessing the service menu "may" invalidate the warranty; which means that accessing the service menu may invalidate the warranty only where the damage was caused by the user's unauthorized service menu modifications.
That's why Panasonic Japan said their service center will first inspect the unit, determine what caused the damage, then finally decide whether or not the service menu modification was the cause of the damage.
Ang matindi talaga, si panaphil. Mag-calibrate ka lang daw, void na warranty mo.
Iyan ang sabi niya, ha. Wag nyong dagdagan ang post niya ...
5. I asked "will you do professional calibration on my TV?" - to which Panasonic Japan replied manual picture settings are available for the owner to adjust according to his/her taste.
6. I asked "what if I dont find the available manual settings enough?" - to which Panasonic Japan repeated "an owner can make as much adjustments as the Operating Manual describes."
The way I understand it, they meant that you can calibrate all you want, just don't touch the service menu.
Panasonic Japan avoided answering questions 5 and 6 directly, but the message is clear enough. Maybe they were just being polite...