I posted these questions yesterday but can' seem to find my post... so here goes again.
I purchased a SAMHLP6163W on Jan/05. Now I'm hearing the chip on this model is not good, doesn't give good picture quality. Also, this TV doesn't give a true 1080i format. Can you pros. please shed some light on this issue. Which chip does this TV have? And which Samsung DLP out there infact carry 1080i format? I'm happy with the pictures i'm getting now from my HDTV box, but if I can get a better picture then I feel like I should have waited! Another question, Can you really tell a different between 720p and 1080i format? Thanks.
"Now I'm hearing the chip on this model is not good"
That's a bunch of crap!
If you're happy with the picture quality that's all that matters.
You have a 2004 model with the HD3 720P chip. It has a fabulous picture with off-air ED/HD networks and cable or sat digital HD channels. It even displays SD with acceptable quality.
Most all HD fixed pixel displays are designed to convert any input format to 720P. That's the way they're made. Only a few HD CRT sets still have 1080i displays.
The 720P format is superior because all the lines are displayed in each of the 60 frames per second. It handles fast motion scenes much better. The 1080i format devides the lines into odd and even and then interlaces them.
Yes, there is a 1080P chip out there that displays all the lines, but at 30 frames per second. It's found in the HL-R6168 and HL-R6178, but the price is up there. The Texas Instruments chip uses an HP proprietary technology called wobulation to duplicate existing pixels and fool your eyes into thinking you are watching a 1080P picture. TI has come up with a true 1080P chip that doesn't use wobulation, but it's not yet available.
Another set that uses true 1080P is Sony's KDS-R60XBR1 LCOS tv. Some people who have seen it say that it's awesome. So is the price.
I love my 720P and I'm going to wait a year or so until the price comes down on all those 1080P sets. Then I might spring for a 67 or 71 inch model, which will benefit more from those extra progressively scanned lines.