Samsung HLM507W
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page| Thread | Last Poster | Posts | Last Post | |
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| Archive through September 28, 2003 | Steve Alexander | 189 |
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Seung Oh | I am struggling on making a decision on an upgrade from Samsung HLM 437 to HLN 437. I bought HLM 437 last September that comes with the Faroudja DCDi. But I found HLN 437 is updated further with Samsung DNie chip. I checked a Samsung rep and it costs $536(the digital PCB $311 plus labor) to do the upgrade. I wonder if the upgrade is worthwhile. The only difference seems the DNie feature. Does anyone have suggestion on this? Thanks |
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Brian | Sure, buy the HD931 with built in DNie chipset if DVD is the thing you use most. If HD programming is on this set you really wont need DNie, its usually better for interlaced programming. Hope that helps. The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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Scotty | I finally got the HLN617W. Beautiful set. Actually bought all components for a home theater. Now just trying to sort out all the cables. Main (but maybe not last) question is this. I have the HD931 as well as the Samsung HD sattelite box. Both have DVI output. Not sure which to use. Currently have satellite hooked via DVI and the DVD hooked via component. Thinking about switching that. We are not super happy with the sat. picture via DVI - pushes it to full screen on normal broadcasts and has some distortion. Maybe somebody knows a high quality home theater specialist in Pittsburgh? Any and all thoughts/opinions are welcome. |
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Brian | well scott to be honest you dont have much of a choice. You see the HD931 is only in HD mode when you use the DVI cable. Right now the best your putting out is 480p. So I would def. reverse the cables. Then when you have the HD931 on the DVI, hit the button next to the progressive button till it flickers 720p. As for the HD tuner box. It has been my experience they look best going into a tv component. Same as a DHVS player. So hurry up and change everything so you can enjoy your new set. The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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Scotty | Brian, I did what you suggested. The satellite picture looks great - can now access "Normal" mode for non HD signals. Haven't had a chance to try the DVD yet. Still sorting out all the other cables in the back as well. Got a Harmon Kardon tuner and trying to figure out what stuff to run thru the tuner and what to connect directly. Do you know of any reputable home theater installers in Pittsburgh???? All this connecting and sorting of wires is gonna take me a while, thinking I oughta just pay a pro and have it done right. THANKS! |
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Brian | Dont go threw reciever if you dont have to, dont care about the 50mhz signal transer they claim. DIRECT IS ALWAYS BEST!!! If your looking for someone good in your area check out www.CEDIA.org and that will point you in the right area. We get trained three times a year and strive to be the best in our industry! Congrats on the your new purchase and now that your happy stop reading this forum or you'll second guess everything... The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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Jeff Ganeles | Samsung DLP, Panasonic LCD, or Hitachi LCD? Which one is best for basic Digital Cable and progressive scan DVD viewing? |
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| if i have just digital cable, is there a huge difference if the tv has the Faroudja chip(HLN507) or does not(HLN5065). you see, i am in canada and i dont think the 507 is available here. is it worth me getting the tv shipped up from the usa? |
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Steve Alexander | Speaking of second guessing.... Brian, does the color wheel on Samsung DLP's make a noise? I don't recall mine doing so at first, but now it is. It's not too annoying. Also, the tech reps a Samsung say it's normal for all DLP televisions. What do you know/think? Thanks |
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Brian | Yeah, DLP sets normally make a 25-28db back ground noise. Im used to it with most theater projectors that arent self enclosed. If it starts to make a loud wining noise and goes up and down thats probably temperature problems, which means you might now have proper ventilation on the set. The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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Mark | Does anybody know where I can find the HLN617W ... I have been waiting and waiting and waiting . I went to a local store a few weeks back and they told me 1st week in October ... I placed my order and waited some more. I received a call today from the store rep. Their Samsung rep stated they would not receive the 244 unit shipment as expected. Instead, they would receive units sporadically ... no dates were given. Any thoughts? Thanks! |
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Anonymous | Closer to thanksgiving than anything. We have over 144 units back ordered right now. They are way behind in production and dont want to rush due to initial errors they had in bulb assembly problems. Check out the Optoma 65" set, its a little more buts its a killer unit, plus has the DVO504 scaler in it, thats a grand by itself...just a though! |
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Troy | I bought a Samsung HLN507W (thanks to Brian's reassurances) and am quite happy so far. Now for HD hookup. I can't get over the air broadcast and currently have Cox cable (Southern California). They have a terrible web site and I can't get good information until I visit their office. It looks like I may switch to Dish, although I won't be able to get local stations in HD. Anyone with info on HD dish receivers, cost, function, connection, etc? I hate the idea of spending another $600+ to get HD but I guess this is what it's all about. I already have a Samsung HD931 DVD player to occupy the DVI connection. Thanks as usual |
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Roger Golden | TROY... I was supplied with a Samsung HD receiver when I hooked up with Direct TV. The satellite signal comes in on one cable. I ran an additional cable to an antenna in my attic (2 story house) which attaches to a seperate input on the receiver. The receiver sorts it all out and my local stations come in on both Direct TV and off the air in digital side by side on the channel list without having to do anything but change to the next channel. For example, my local CBS affiliate is channel 11 so if I tune to channel 11 I get the Direct TV feed but when I click up once I get channel 11-1, an off air digital signal from my antenna. There is a huge difference in the quality of the picture. The antenna signal is 25% better in a normal non-HD broadcast and the HD stuff off air is simply amazing. From the antenna I currently receive NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, WB, UPN and PBS and several minor stations in digital. I actually get 2 PBS signals off air, with one of them broadcasting 24 hour HD feed which is not the same programing that they show on regular PBS. With Direct TV I get 4 more 24 hr HD stations. |
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Troy | Roger - What were the costs and which Samsung HD receiver did you get? Thanks a bunch |
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Roger Golden | Troy - DirectTV sent the Samsung TS-160 HD receiver via Fed Ex. A few days later the guy came and installed it. The cost was $399 for the receiver including installation (running the cable and hooking it up and whatever programming and putting up a new dish.) The HD receiver requires a special oval dish which they supplied at no additional cost. I then bought a traditional roof top antenna at Radio Shack for about $45 more or less and suspended it from the ceiling in the attic (it's a two story house so the antenna height is at about 25 feet) pointed in the direction from which most stations in our area (Houston) broadcast. I ran a separate cable for it myself. I don't recommend trying a splitter cause I think it muddies up both signals. It may not but my layman's logic tells me it potentially would. The antenna signal is superb. I am still amazed at the quality of off air digital. WARNER CABLE OR DIRECTTV NEVER LOOKED THIS GOOD. The regular digital off air signal is great and the HD is incredible. |
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Anonymous | I have a HLN617W and I am trying to connect my xbox via component cables. When I switch my Samsung to my component connection for the xbox, I receive a message stating 'mode not supported' ... any thoughts? Thanks! |
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| Hello, I have a opportunity to buy a refurbished HLM507 tv. Can someone tell me the difference between the HLM and HLN. The differneces technically, but also, can one really see the difference. Thanks for your answer! |
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Anonymous | Anonymous (XBOX): the XBOX menu is in 480i -- therefore you cannot see it on the 480p/720p/1080i connector. There is a workaround: connect the first time on the 480i connector. The XBOX will recognize that it is connected to a HDTV set and give you the possibility to adjust its output to 480p/720p/1080i. After this you reconnect the XBOX to the 480p/720p/1080i connection. You will still not be able to get the XBOX menu but you will be able to play most of the games (all?). Just put in the CD and wait. Jeff: why don't you read the above statements. We discussed already several time in this forum the HLN/HLM difference including the possible firmware update. |
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Anonymous | TO all, Anyone disapponted with their non-hd signal from Dish network on the HLN-##w series? Mine looks kinda saturated with all the settings at default and the extras turned off? Should I call Samsung? |
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Anonymous | I found these settings on another forum: User Menu Adjustments: the recommended adjustments for HLN series don't seem to have consolidated yet in this forum. This is where the ranges of opinions lie: - Color Tone - Warm 2 - Contrast: 90 - Brightness: 50 to 75 - Sharpness: 0-10 - Color: 45 to 50, some report higher than 50 - Tint: 40/60 or 50/50 are reported There are no burn-in issues with this TV - so you can leave it on without fear of damaging the screen. However, I watch a lot of "normal" cable and prefer "color tone normal" and "panoramic". The other settings seem ok. Improved my picture nicely. |
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Anonymous | Thanks |
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Boston | Any comments would be greatly appreciated from those who have seen or purchased the new Toshiba 57HLX83 (great review in latest DVD ETC magazine), Samsung HLN617W or a Philips Cineo 55PL9773 (without the "purple haze" defect). |
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Anonymous | Read above and youll see a few mentions of the Toshiba. Brian has talked about it a few times. Also the sets are a four thousand difference. How can you really compare? |
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Boston | Anonymous -- I understand that the new Toshiba (model 57HLX83)is supposed to retail at $5,499. It may not even be in stores yet. The prior version (X82) has been discontinued and I understand had significant quality issues. Tweeter is dumpiong its remaining floor models at 5 - 6k. What has sparked my interest is the reduced price of the new model and the 99 rating given to it by DVD ETC. Perhaps no consumers have seen it yet. It may be worth the wait in the 4 - 6k price range. |
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Anonymous | I am looking at the HLN467W at Tweeter, planning to connect to Cox HTDV in Southern California. Is this a good choice? |
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Anonymous | Great TV, lousy cable service. You won't find much to see in HD. I signed up because I was told they provide local SoCal stations in HD - not. Cox is so behind the curve. Get DirectTV or enjoy your DVDs. |
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walter ousatiouk | Yes!HLN467W at Tweeter is a good choice! |
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Anonymous | If Cox has poor HDTV, does that mean I have to buy Direct TV? Any other options? |
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Bill | At least Cox offers HDTV! I'm stuck with Adelphia in my area. I know there have been many postings on model comparisons, but mine is a little different. I'm comparing 2 refurbished models: HLM507W - $2500 or HLN5065W - $2700 Does anyone have an opinion on which is the better deal? |
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| HLN 467 vs 437 at 8 feet viewing distance Which size is better for viewing HD in wide format and regular channels in unstreched format? I could not find HLN467 in the stores. It seems to be sold mainly through the web. |
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Matt | I just purchased the HLN507 after much research and must say I'm a little disapointed. I think my Hitachi Ultravision had a better picture. Are these DLP sets not meant for watching local news? How many news channels are in HD? Even watching CNBC is quite quenching considering the cost of this set. The ticker is washed out, all text is blurred and flickers? Is this just a bad set or has others seen the same thing? I would be happy to pay for the Wired Guy to fly into San Fran to tune or what ever...Any suggestions? P.S. Just rented the Matrix, whats up with the huge black strips on top and bottom? I this the norm for Wide Screen DVDs, I thought that was the whole idea of 16:9 sets, to eliminate the black bars? Thanks for your feedback! Matt |
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Anonymous | Matt, Try these settings for your Sammy (worked for me): - Color Tone - Normal - Contrast: 90 - Brightness: 50 to 75 - Sharpness: 0-10 - Color: 45 to 50, some report higher than 50 - Tint: 40/60 or 50/50 are reported Also, you should watch non HDTV programming in 4:3 or panoramic mode. With DLP there is no danger for burn in if you stay all the time in 4:3. Finally, 16:9 comes in different formats - for some of them you keep having black strips even on a 16:9 set - any 16:9 set. Still, you have a much larger picture with a 16:9 set as if you would watch the same DVD on a 4:3. Hope this helps. Ralph |
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Anonymous | With any of the Samsung DLP models (43/46/50/56/61), the top of the screen seems to be only a few inches deep - it does not look like enough to space to support a center-channel speaker on top of the TV. However, I have not seen it discussed anywhere so I assume it is not a problem. Anyone with one of these set please comment. If center channel speaker does not work on top of set, can it be placed in Samsung TV stand? |
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Anonymous | Anonymous: the Sammy's have a shelf-like extension on the top large enough for most center channel speakers - very convenient. Ralph |
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Mike | To all, I have owned a HLN-437w and I was expieriencing the same issues with clarity. Ralph's settings helped a lot but I was still wondering if I had a bum set or not. I went to the authorized Samsung service center and the tech showed me a stack about 2 inches thick of tickets regarding the same issues that we are expieriencing. He stated that its he signal and not the set. The problem is that set is converting the signal and to quote Brian "garbage in, garbage out". He said that it depends on the signal and other factors such as splitters cables use and such. He recommends going to HD as well as trying out different providers. A good way to check is if your DVD's play great then and you still have any issues on regular tv than your signal is to blame. |
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| Purchased the HLN5065W 2 weeks ago ($2850 plus tax). Direct TV feed with the Samsung TS160 receiver. I use a rooftop antenna for local HD feeds. Picture quality of HD channels (both Direct TV and off air channels) is amazing. Watching HD football broadcasts is mind blowing!. DVD looks great as well (component hook-up). Non HD picture is good relative to other big screens. TV produces very good sound. Have not noticed any ghost images or rainbow effects. TV noise level is not an issue. A few small complaints. "Split screen" option does not work with DVI and component hook-up feeds - you can only use the standard small picture in picture option for these feeds. Would like to have 2 DVI inputs (one for DVD player). Need to connect sources (DVD, Direct TV receiver) seperately to stereo receiver for suuround sound as there are limited "audio out" options. |
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John Moore | Just bought a Samsung 43" DLP TV. Upon starting it up there appeared to be a 2" or so high "dust bunny" projected onto the inside of the screen. Any suggestions re how to proceed? |
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Anonymous | If its in the middle of the screen then its normal. The manual mentions this as a normal occurence and that it goes away when the picture comes on. If it is still there when viewing a dvd, tv or anything else I would call Samsung to get Elmer Fudd over to get rid of the wabbit. |
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David | All, Just getting started with research on upgrading my old Pioneer 50" and seemed to be zeroing in on the Samsung HLN507. But then read Brian's comment on the Toshiba 57HL38 LCOS. Anyone know of any drawbacks w/ LCOS vs DLP? Also, check out bigbangelectronics.com They're selling the 57HL38 for $4,799 w/ free shipping! |
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Ken | Way back on Sept. 30, Steve Alexander asked, "I've noticed that there is a higher pitched whine that turns on after the set is turned on and stays on until I switch it off. On switching it off, the sound appears to go away when the lamp/color wheel turn off. The fan is still running and that isn't so bad. Has anyone else noticed this? Is that the "whine" of the color wheel and is it normal? It's not too bad, but if I should have Circuit City swap or not my time is running out." My set had the same symptom when I got it. Tweeter service said it was NOT normal and they would order a replacement Color Wheel. Well, today they wound up replacing the entire "engine" (VERY large subassembly) and the whining noise is GONE. My advice to anyone with this problem is to call for service. It is NOT normal. (There is, of course, a very quiet fan sound which is normal) |
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Ken | On Oct. 14 Eugene asked, "HLN 467 vs 437 at 8 feet viewing distance--Which size is better for viewing HD in wide format and regular channels in unstreched format?" I have the 437, viewing at 8 feet, and I wouldn't want a regular (non-HD) picture any larger. You see all of the defects in the regular picture very clearly. It's the equivalent of a 35" 4x3 set. Would you want a bigger 4x3 set at 8'? I wouldn't! The picture is plenty big for DVD viewing at this distance. I don't have HD cable (yet...) |
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Steve G | Well, here it is the end of October and I haven't bought an HDTV yet. Saw the Samsung DLPs at Comdex last Nov, and here it is only a couple weeks til Comdex again. I have now read threads on the Phillips LCOS set claiming it can look awesome with good contrast. The Sam 467 & 567 which I was waiting to buy have not shown up in any stores near me yet so I guess now I will just wait a little longer and see the new offerings at Comdex in 3 wks, and the Consumer elect show in Jan. In the mean time I may go buy a Samsung CRT based Proj TV to get me through Christmas. I played with the HCN529w at Circuit City last week and had the picture outperforming the 437w it was sitting right next to. I do not need the builtin HD tuner, as I have ordered the Voom HD satellite service which includes it, but the 5529w & 529w list 1920 horiz resolution where the 5527w w/o tuner lists only 1000. I have yet to find a store where I can do side by side compare of the 5527w with the DLP or even a Sony Grand Vega 3 chip LCD,(which by the way really looks great compared to the earlier version and I'm also considering now). The 5527w is available as a close out at $1599 from Best Buy, so I may just buy it and give it a turn. If I keep it I will have to disassemble it to paint the silver front panel to a much darker tone. (I hate all this silver craze and am glad to see mfrs starting to bring back black & gray, as I wish to see the picture, not the TV.) Also, the RCA Scenium 50" DLP is now shipping and has a builtin web browser and cable & HD tuners built in for the same price as the Samsung 50. Has a glossy screen though so I can't use it as I don't have a darkened room. I can't wait any longer for HD so I must capitulate. I'll let you know the results of this quest soon. |
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Anonymous | I am considering the Samsung HLN467W DLP because it will fit perfectly in the space I have. I have not seen one, but I have seen 2 HLN437Ws (CC and Sears). Both of these sets had a very obvious green cast to the picture, making flesh tones look very unnatural. The Samsung looked terrible next to the Sony KF42WE610 (which will not fit in my space). This was very surprising given the rave reviews about the picture. Does anyone have an explanation? |
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Mike | Like any set it depends on signal and/or settings. My expierience with Sears and CC is that the sales people have no clue and I would suspect that someone either screwed with the settings or did not properly set up the unit. My expierience with the my HLN-437w has not been perfect as I have heard with other owners but after playing with the settings (on a non-hd signal) I am satisfied and better yet amazed by the DVD picture. Go to different stores at different locations and time and I guarentee that you will see a difference. |
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Brian | Your best bet for buying a tv in a retail environment is being your own sales person. Just the other day I took a client of mine into the circuit city around here to order the 61" DLP, being that is so back-ordered it is almost impossible for a custom installer to get. The first thing I noticed was a sea of tvs in a row, which means a DA(digital amplifier) was sending the signal. One look behind the tv showed a rats nest of wires and power cables on top of them(ouch!!!)not one tv was on a monster power cleaner (remember, retail stores are constantly having power surges and dips which can kill a tv- be warry when buyind a demo model!!)So I politely went up to a sales person told him who I was and it was my intent to leave that store with an order that night and the warranty (might as well just throw the money into the toilet if you dont get a service plan on any of these new tvs). The first thing I asked was if I could take a dvd player by itself and hook it directly to the set. I brought my own cables in a bag which I showed him before we begun. I made the direct connection and brought my clients favorite movie(gladiator). Next I went into the picture settings and reset all the values making sure the million finger march on those remotes didnt have things all wacked. I was going to bring my video essentials tuning disc but I forgot it, I would have done the salesman a favor had I brought it! We watched a movie in progressive scan and my client was very happy even though I told him that I would still need to calibrate some menu adjustments. I then asked the store man where the HD feed was and he said it was three tvs away, I asked if we could also hook that up directly and he said he didnt have long enough cables and honestly didnt know how to. So i compromised, I went out to the van, got some 30ft cables and did it myself. Well needless to say without a DA and much work the picture was the beautiful sammy picture we have all grown to love. In the process I taught a sales 'kid' how to sell a 5k tv and do a proper demo. we walked away with an order that night, the warranty(kid smiled, we all know they get about 20 bucks for selling it- beer money) and I tipped him ten bucks for letting me use his store as a showroom. Its cheaper than driving all over town after all, oh and do this on a dead evening, like a wednesday night, NOT THE WEEKEND! People, ur spending a boat load of money (this aint the Advent 27" best buy special-eekk best buy but thats another story)yuo wouldnt buy a car without a test drive. That store is there for you, not the salesman. An empty store would go out of business! Use it as your test lab. You should see some of the messes Ive made on week days, but as long as they know they are getting the sale normally they dont care. If they do care, leave, there probably not competent to have your business anyways. Hope that helps. The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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Anonymous | Thanks for your responses re the HLN-437w. Still, I don't understand why that TV would show green fleshtones in 2 different stores with the same feed and the same non-expert salespeople as all the other TVs there (probalbly 20 or so total) - none of which had this problem. Is there something about the Samsung that requires special adjusting? |
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Anonymous | Hey anyone having issues upon startup. It seems that every time I turn on my Sami its black and white and no sound. I have to turn it off and back on and it plays fine. |
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Anonymous | Sounds like a bad decoder board, would get fixed as soon as possible! |
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Anonymous | Does anyone have a suggestion regarding powering up the HLN467W? I have the television on a switched outlet on my receiver and the receiver is on a Monster 1000 UPS. When the receiver is powered off the television shuts off (as expected). However, when the receiver is powered back on the televsion must be turned on manually either by remote or by using the button on the side of the unit. I would like to have a single button solution for powering on the units if possible. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. |
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Anonymous | The latest I heard was that the 437W and 4365 are identical, Samsung just didn't pay for the licensing of Faroudja Film Mode on the 4365. Can anyone confirm or deny this?? |
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emkmd | Brian, Thanks for the great advice. Even in a higher end store like Hi-Fi Buys (Tweeter), they feed the TVs a garbage signal. I have not been able to find a 61" DLP to see yet, but I'm glad it can display a good picture. -E |
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| Does anyone know the screen dimensions on the HLN467W, not the overall width? Thanks!! John |
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| I have just purchased the HLN5065W. It will be delivered 11/4. My cable does not offer any HDTV feeds yet..."there coming soon". The cable box doesn't even offer svideo out. I am looking at getting DirectTV. Doing the research it appears you can either get the DirectTV w/ Tivo built in, or get the DirectTV w/ the HDTV receiver built in. I would like to have both capabilities. I love my Tivo, but would like to have one integrated so I can use the dual tuner to tape 2 shows concurrently. I also have 3 other sets in the house. I want to feed all 4 sets. Reading the DirectTV/Tivo box info, it appears you need to use 2 feeds for that box to get the 2 show taping capability. Any suggestions? |
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Anonymous | Tazman, Word is that DirecTv plans a HDTivo for March/April next year (including an off air HD receiver). Ralph |
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Anonymous | I recently bought a Samsung HLN467W and although the video was very sharp and clear, the picture had a green cast which could not be adjusted. A service tech tried to adjust it but could not. The seller replaced the set with a new one, and while it was not as bad as the first, it still has a green cast. I am waiting for a second tech to try to adjust this one, but my hopes are not too high. Additionally, when playing a VHS tape, I get a hue (tint) abberation at the top 20% of the screen. This occurs off and on, and I is duplicated using 3 different VCR's. Is anyone familiar with these symptons, and if so, any suggestions. Thanks |
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Roger Golden | Hey anonymous from yesterday, this is just a personal observation with absolutely no scientiific basis, BUT what I have observed going from store to store throughout Houston and looking at these sets is this: the sets with serial numbers ending with 7W (HLN507W...)with the much heralded Farouja Chip always have a greenish hue to the picture. Those with numbers ending in 65W (HLN5065W...)without the majic chip do not have the greenish tint problem. I'm sure there are plenty who will disagree with this but it is what I have observed many times. I hope this helps. Interestingly, I have also noticed that some people do not seem to see the green tint, even when it is painfully obvious to everyone else. The people on screen look like they're from Mars or something but some people will think it looks normal. Go figure. |
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Anonymous | To address the power question posted on Oct. 27, you must access the service menu and select options and switch autopower from off to on. To access the service menu perform the following steps. With the television turned off press mute, 1, 8, 2, power. This will turn the televsion on in service mode. I hope this helps. |
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Anonymous | Like everyone else here, I have been researching the daylights out of TVs. I've compared Samsung DLP to every other LCD TV out there. I had the unique opportunity to spend about 3 hours at CC fiddling with settings on the same video source and get a side-by-side comparison of all the RPTVs (Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, Hitachi). My conclusion is that by far the Samsung has the clearest picture. I was able to freeze the pictures (with each remote) at the same time of the same image. Hands down the DLP is the clearest picture. On the other hand, the DLP had really bad greens - especially turf on a football field or nature shows with trees. I was able to make the DLP greens look better, but not at the expense of something else. So, clarity alone does not necessarily make for a "good picture." I noticed that the DLP image, compared to LCD, had a bit of shimmer to it - it seemed to move just slightly - especially if you get up close to it. The Sony LCD, by far, had the most stable picture in that respect. I loved the Hitachi 50" but didn't like the fact that it doesn't have a PC input and the matching stand is $599 (it is a nice stand but not $599 worth of nice). All things considered, I think that the best value out there in a 50" TV is the Panasonic 50LC13. It had decent color, good clarity, PC hook-ups, JPEG card reader, and lots of component inputs and costs about $1500 less than the DLP. The DLP did a slightly better job at broadcast/analog cable signals, but only marginally. The Panasonic definitely has a better audio system too. While I do agree that the MEM (yes folks the DMD chip is a Micro Electro-Mechanical Machine) technology in the Samsung will last longer than LCD, I do question the reliabilty of the color wheel (9000 RPMs with a 100W light shining through it is a lot of abuse). So, if you are thinking about buying a Samsung DLP TV, I strongly suggest that you spend some time doing serious side-by-side comparisons. Put all these TVs through their paces (not just DVDs or the HDTV signals). Fiddle with all the adjustments. Try to get images to match with each other. Try the side-by-side freeze test using the same soruce like I did. That is my two cents. Good luck to all of you in your TV adventures! |
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Anonymous | Any status on when the Samsung HLN617W will be available from Best Buy Plasma? I ordered one in July, but the sales reps keep telling me 1-3 weeks. |
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CJAY | I have had my Samsung HLN4365 DLPTV for about a week. It worked perfectly for a few days but it has started to freeze (picture stuck or goes black) and the TV is unresponsive to remote control and even side buttons after random periods of on time. Basically the whole set freezes up- usually in the middle of a DVD (using the Samsung HD931 with DVI connection). The only solution is to un plug the TV for a few minutes and power up again -even then only side buttons work -remote control is dead. AFter sitting idle for a long while remote will power the unit on but menu is not available from the remote. I have a service call in but was wondering if anyone had similar experiences or advice? Thanks in advance |
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VideoTweaker | Anonymous - Did you see my postings from a few months ago? I noticed Samsung DLP did not do well on blue to blue green (ocean water). Also the good black level is at the expense of picture detail - dim objects cannot be seen. I am waiting for the next generation to see if any of these issues are improved. |
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| I have been waiting for Samsung to come out with a 50" DLP set with the new HD2+ chip as a replacement for the current HD2 chip. Does anyone know when the HD2+ chip will become available for DLP televisions? Right now, the HD2+ only seems to be used for the very expensive front projection DLP units. 1. Will the HD2+ chip make it into the 50" televisions? 2. Is it worth waiting for? 3. Is there anything else on the horizon that's worth the wait? Thanks. |
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| I took a close look at Sony Grand Wega, Samsung DLPs, and Hitachi LCD this weekend. I was very surprised at what I found between the different manufacturers: 1. Sony 42 and 50-inch Grand Wega -- I wanted to like it soooo badly. A friend is a dealer and will give me a good deal on a set. He loves Sony... dislikes DLP a great deal due to reliability issues of 1st generation. Anyway... what I witnesses were poor blacks (lots of whitish in the black areas), screen dooring, unconvincing detail. I found the 42 and 50 inch models were exhibiting the same characteristics with HD signal, DVD progressive, or satellite dish. Graphics from Fox football were also fuzzy. Overall, Sony delivered the worst picture. 2. Hitachi LCD 50V500 -- I was impressesed. Side-by-side with the Sony the Hitachi ate it's lunch in every aspect. Blacks were better... but detail blew me away compared to Sony. I could see the screen door. but it was less detracting for some reason. Why is this TV not getting more press??? What I didn't like were the gray bars used for 4:3 viewing. Why did Hitachi do this? LCD does not burn in. 3. Samsung DLP 43 and 50-inch -- Hands down the best image of the bunch for any source. Period. Green hues were more evident in fleshtones than I would have preferred... I'm hoping these can be toned down. I stuck my ear by the base to hear the not-so-marevelous color wheel spinning away. That's not cool... I hate my PVR for making noise... now I may have two spinning tops in the living room. Again, the Hitachi blew me away considering it bested the Sony's by a wide margin. Granted, these sets are in the store and who knows what the settings are. But sitting there, it was undeniable the Sony's did not make the cut. And again, I soooo wanted to like then. I did not find my friendly sales person in Ultimate Electronics or CC to be in a wheeling and dealing mood. Posted price was it unless I showed up with a competitor ad. So... questions I have are... Who else has been checking out the Hitachi's, can the gray bars be elminated in 4:3 mode, and why is this TV not getting more play? Where can I buy a Samsung or Hitachi for a low price... mail order is perfectly fine at this stage as I am not into playing too many haggle games. I would be interested in hearing recommendations for buying through internet. |
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Brian | Everyone here is always looking for the best "deal". Yet you all go to chain stores to do your research, make comparisons and ask questions, then its right back home to purchase from the internet. If you havent realized it by now, in about two years there wont be much of a selection on the internet when it comes to electronics. As of now CC, Best Buy, Tweeter and Sears are in collaboration to pull all the product lines that can be found dirt cheap online. Small high end stores like myself have a huge sign on the door before you walk in "Internet Shoppers Beware". Many of you know I am on a few of these boards and I love to give out general knowledge that helps everyone, but it sickens me when price becomes the only motive for purchase. Retail (brick and mortar) stores stay open becuase we provide the ability to shop a product and experience. All these so called online super stores wont be around when the major chains start pulling product. I have a tiny store with a huge amount of overhead, I can only imagine what the big guys have. I bet many of you would hate to lose your job becuase it can be done online cheaper. How about all you accountants, salesman, insurance brookers and real estate people, youve seen what has happened with the internet ( Foxtons for you who sell realestate) and im sure the majority get pist, but when they get home that all goes away and they buy from reallycheapimaketendollars.com . I just dont get it? So next time you decide to take away someones job, stop a manufactuer from producing a product becuase dealers are worried about margin and fill the world of useless unwarrantied crap think twice. But dont worry, the retail stores are working real hard to make sure there wont be one real soon. The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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WireBrat | With all due respect to the better dealers (typically boutique shops)... Why should I support a local chain stores when I did 95% of my research online. 5% was visual at the store. Most of the info I received from the salesperson was incorrect... trying to sell me extended warranties for 1/5 - 1/6 the price of a product without answering my questions about the technology. Some guy at CC informed me the Sony GW was better than the Samsung due to the memory stick slot... otherwise, it's the same exact thing... a TV. Nice! Poor guy... how can a store let someone on the floor who is that clueless? Granted, the stores allowed me to view a product which is very important. But I was insulted at being shown list price with a "if you find it elsewhere for less let us know" negotiation tactic... and zero movement from the sticker price. If stores go out of business... it's because they're not doing their job. Others may have had a better experience in CC, BB, and Ultimate. But I did not. I don't see how a showroom with a bunch of drones selling extended warranties, with little to no product knowledge, and mostly horrid setups so I have to fiture out if the picture I'm seeing is true representation of a product is being demonstrated to me. That's very sad... and not worth a $400-$700 premium for having an item on the floor. My local dealer would have served me well and I would have gladly paid a premium for his services and advice (vs. going Internet). However, I was not pleased with the products he offered. That's not his fault... he did his job very well... but I decided to purchase a brand he does not carry... and a brand the chain stores horribly represented. I actively support taking away someone's job who can't do it well and I expect someone to take away mine if I don't do it well either. |
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Anonymous | With all due respect to the brick and mortar stores, I would not mind paying a little extra for "free delivery" and support from a local retailer. 25% more is quite a markup, in my particular case. I'm buying my TV from an online store. It's OK to make money, just don't make too much money. |
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MMK | I agree with both WireBrat and WireGuy. The folks at CC & BB are simply clueless. I told my wife the other night that I can't believe I know more about the TV than the sales person (OK, I'm an electronics engineer who designs VLSI chips, but still...). I had a CC guy tell me that on the Sammy the entire screen was "lined with tiny mirrors" - what an idiot. I've had similar results buying cars, appliances, etc. But, overall, on big ticket items I would still tend to buy local - does not seem to be worth the risk buying mail-order (most TVs cannot be returned). At least with CC/BB you have 30 days no questions asked to return it - that is worth a few hundred dollars on a $4K TV. I look at it as a comination of things - do your research online, go to the dreaded CC/BB and view the product, and then buy it locally. In Washington DC I like Meyer-Emco - small local chain and the folks really know what they are talking about. Ask someone in CC/BB what the difference is between HLN and HLM or 5065 vs. 507 - you will get a glassy look and a totally BS answer. BTW: Contrary to what I said a few days ago about Panasonic being best value, I just ordered a Sammy HLN507 and HD931 - gets delivered Friday. So, I'll let you all know how it worked out! |
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Jas | WireBrat - I got my Samsung DLP HLN507W from High Point(NC) Circuit City couple of weeks back for $2999. There was an advertised sale from one of their store in NY (CC #3681) for the same price and I asked my local store to match the price. They hesitated but when I said that my friend will pay for it in NY and I will pick it up in NC, they honored the same price. I am sure if one store can sell it at a reduced price, another store (within continental US) can sell it at the same price. Good luck !! |
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Hawk | MMK: I think you miss the fundemental truth of the chain stores. Their employees are not "salepeople" but "order takers." Regardless of what your profession might be, if you spend any time at all looking at this stuff and reading a little bit about the products, you soon realize that you now know more than the order takers at BB or CC. BTW, you want fries with that? |
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Brian | Thats why I always say! As always, support your local custom home theater installer! |
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| What's the best way to clean a Samsung DLP TV's screen? I've been leery of using Windex or other cleaning solutions. |
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Anonymous | Old used dryer sheets, they dont hold static and do the job great! |
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Anonymous | Ditto....to everyone who said "garbage in garbage out"......haven't made the plunge on a new tv yet as I'm still having difficulties with the reality that my year old widescreen is toast...... terrible burns on this 47" Panasonic....poor overall picture......Since I have two Direct tv receivers I discovered that since I had not used the second receiver for a month or so Direct tv cut off my service ...even though I was fully paid up.....representative told me that since I was not using the signal..it was turned off.....after much discussion and reseting equipment...I was back "on line".....Weeks later I'm still ticked off about disconnecting my service and "charging" me for no service...it led me to make another phone call to directtv to vent my anger......I was attended by a lady that was so apologetic and so unbeleivably pleasant that I got involved in a long friendly conversation.... which led me into a discussion of my not so digital signal.......This nice lady explained that it's true that the majority of networks broadcast a diminished signal that is then digitally broadcast to viewers......therefore the garbage in garbage out syndrome......I can't help but beleive that this entertainment industry is so hell bent on manipulating profits that it corrupts service to create a climate to legitimize the purchase of higher definition equiptment to be placed in between the tv and the signal box..................joe |
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Hank | I am researching the Samsung 43" DLP. The factory calls it HLN4365W and Circuit City calls it HLN437W. I called Circuit City's 800 number and they didn't know what the difference was. Can anyone tell me if there are different models within this size and how they differ? Thanks! |
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David | There are only two differences (possibly only one): (1) The 437W has a black bezel while the 4365W has a silver bezel (2) The 437W definitely comes with the Faroudja chip, which is supposed to make non-interlaced pictures look better. The 4365W is not advertised as coming with this chip, although a lot of people on the net have said that it does come with it anyhow and that Samsung just hasn't paid the licensing fee necessary to claim that it does. |
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Anonymous | To Brian @ www.thewireguys.net; several postings, recently those dated Nov. 04, 05, and 11, 2003, note a green hue on the Samsung DLP's (HLNxx7W model). This was not apparent to me on a unit positioned separate from others while viewing the promotional DVD supplied by Samsung. However, the green hue is readily visible when viewing a HDTV loop feed on a Samsung DLP positioned adjacent to other HDTV units. Brian -- my question -- Can the green hue be (1) eliminated, or (2) at least minimized by a "whole nine yards calibration?" Thanks. |
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| Hey everyone, I'm looking for some help/advice. I bought the Samsung HLN507W and I'm having problems with the component inputs. I bought a new DVD player with Progressive scan. Plugged it into the first set of jacks (the 480i/480p jacks) and it worked great for a few minutes, then I started getting a bunch of 'tearing' horizontally across the screen. Once this happened, the only way to get rid of it was to unplug the set for a few minutes, then plug it back in. Running the player in interlaced mode worked fine. I returned the DVD player and got a different model, also a new set of component cables. The same thing happens in progressive mode. If you've see The Two Towers Extended Version, I can get to the first scene with the orcs and Aragorn and Co. chasing them. It's chapter 4, I think...and the tearing starts again. It's pretty consistent as to where it occurs. Could I be doing something wrong, or is this a defect with the set? Has anyone heard of such a thing happening? TIA, I'm feeling kinda sick in my gut after spending this much money and not being able to watch a movie. |
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| Image quality with ultra widescreen (2:35) DVDs on Samsung HLN617W. OK here's the problem. I convinced my wife to drop the cash on the HLN617W and overall it has been great. Thanks to info here I was able to get Circuit City to drop there price significantly...so thanks! Anyway, the image quality overall has been great with one glaring exception. When viewing older widescreen DVDs (2:35 Aspect) such as Abyss Special Addition or the Die Hard movies I am unable to get a clean picture when view in the wide (16:9) mode. When watching these DVDs in the "wide" aspect setting on my tv, I still have the black bars top and bottom like you would expect for 2:35, but the image has the same stretched look I get when watching a 4:3 image in 16:9 mode. If I change the aspect setting on the TV to "normal" (4:3) mode then the image is clean but is completely surrounded by the black bars. The DVD player is set for a 16:9 TV and I have viewed other 2:35 DVD's (Bugs Life) and they look fine. i am seriously hoping this is an error on my part and not an issue with the TV. Any insight would be greatly appreciated |
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Brian | LOL...the DLP green dilemna, good have i had this question before. The greenish tint your seeing is a current DLP flaw. Its something that HD+2 and other new DLP technologies are so eagerly trying to fix. It has to do with the color wheel speed and thats why the new sharp vision DLP projector we just got has a 7x color wheel and enhanced green processing. So what does that do for all of us who have a DLP set right now? Should we throw rocks at the samsung rep, naw, save those for Sony!!! Every sammy set we sell at our store we calibrate either at delivery or on our store. Up to the customer where they want it done. Like many of you have probably figured out by now I owned a sammy DLP, but I had to get rid of it becuase a customers set went bad so I gave him mine because you cant get a 61" anywhere. Now I have a 50" Optoma DLP and I LOVE IT!!! But again it costs more. Getting back to the green "issue". With DVD Video Essentials the Digital Version, there is an option to calibrate all the primary colors, green being one. If you use this track and the SMPTE color bar they provide you will be very suprised and happy with the results you will get.... Thats all im going to say on that though, becuase ill get flooded with emails on what to do...so please, its the holidays, be kind, just take my advice and explore the procedure for yourself! HAPPY TURKEY DAY EVERYONE!! PS. if you still are waiting to buy a DLP set, wait till the Philips LCOS is released, ITS AWESOME!!! The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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Anonymous | Brian - Thanks for the 11/24/03 update on the "green hue." |
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| Re: Green Hue...as I said in my posting of Nov.5th, I have noticed the green hue only on those units with model numbers ending in 7W [as in HLN507W typically found at Circuit City and other places]. The units of supposed lesser quality with model numbers ending in 65W [as in HLN5065W sold at Best Buy for instance] do not have the green hue for whatever reason. This is my personal observation after looking at literally dozens of both types [there are many electronics stores in Houston]. I bought the HLN5065W 4 months ago and it has a gorgeous picture with very accurate, vivid colors with correct flesh tones, no GREEN HUE and absolutely no problems thus far. I am not a real life custom home theater installer like Brian, just an average consumer. But, if you like the Samsung DLP [like I do], go to Best Buy and get the 65W series. It is absolutely awesome. As big screen HDTVs go, it's a lot of bang for the buck and has no green hue like the 7W series does. |
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David | But I saw a 4365W at Sears, and next to all the other pictures it clearly had a green hue. Whereas by contrast, a 567W that I saw at Tweeter barely had the problem at all. I think the issue is how the sets have been tuned and calibrated, not which number they are. According to Samsung and general net wisdom, the 5065 and 507 are identical machines except for the word "Faroudja" appearing in silkscreen on the case of the 507, and ditto for the 4365 vs. 437 (except for the bezel color). |
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| Uneven DVD letterbox I recently purchased an HLN617W and the set has been great. I have made some adjustments to green levels based on info here and they have made a big difference. Now I have a really weird problem that I've seen other posts on, but have not seen an answer. When watching an anomorphic 2:35:1 DVD (LOTR) the image appears to be slightly slanted. Sure enough I measure the black bars top and bottom on each side of the screen and there is a difference of a little over 1/4". Sounds stupid, but for me it's a real disctraction. Image quality is great other than this. I'm really hoping someone knows how to correct this. BTW - My previous post concerning issues with "stretched" look with some widescreen DVD's was for older non-anamorphic DVDs only...so one problem solved. Thanks |
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Anonymous | My hln507w is less than a week old. Without discrete remote codes for each input, can somebody recommend a smart macro-based universal remote and the way to program one-touch dvd, vcr, and hd cable box inputs? |
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| I currently have a HLN507W scheduled for delivery.. Reading this forum has brought some questions to mind. (Brian, any thoughts? You are way in the know man 1) Will a video scaler make output from a PC more usable on a HDTV ? I would like to use widescreen resolutions from my PC for gaming / general display purposes (I am streaming media from a server in another room... thanks to 250 gig HD and iTunes, with very little quality loss from original CD). 2) I currently have a Sony 12 bit progressive scan DVD player. Should I use the progressive output capability of the player, or the television to achieve consistent picture quality? 3) Am I likely to achieve picture comparable with my current TV, a Sony KV36 HS 500 high def CRT? |
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Brian | Scaler wont do much for computer. Remember, the native resolution of the Sammy is 720p, BUT ive seen the Radion 9500 with DVI on it before and it looked stellar. The video card has a slew of video output options that should take care of the whole scaling and resolution options. The sammy does have the FLI-2300 chipset which is nice for cheap dvd players, but you might find that your may look better, just becuase the chipset in the tv is really geared for interlaced and analogue video. Best bet, try both! Its as easy as progressive scan ON, progressive scan OFF! The pictures cant be the same. One is CRT, the other fixed chip digital display. Colors will look brighter on the Sammy but the blacks will cream it on the CRT (wont matter if you watch tv with lights on. I love CRT high defs for a regular tv. I have panny 36" in my bedroom and i still love HDNET on it, even thought it scales everything to 1080i. But as things progress you will fall in love all over again with TV becuase of the sammy....be patient my son, your day will come! The Wire Guy As always, support your local custom home theater installer! www.thewireguys.net |
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| The HLN5065 and HLN507 are exactly the same except for the color of the bezel around the screen. The 65 models are silver and the 7 models are charcoal. I have hooked up progressive scan DVD, Panasonic Hard drive recorder, and a computer. Everything is flawless except that I do not have cable or satellite, just antenna. Very, very pleased with the system. Got it at Best Buy but also found at Circuit City and Nebraska Furniture Mart and Ultimate Electronics. Most stores are backordered now since it is the holiday season. |
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Steve Mallon | I bought a HLN507 a few weeks ago. It has a great picture! One problem: Either the fan or color wheel or both are too loud. Has anyone heard about or experienced the same problem? |
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Kenlex | Steve -- My HLN437 had a noisy color wheel when I got it in August. I bought Tweeter's service policy with it, and they were out in a flash, agreeing that it was noisy and should be replaced. It took awhile for them to get the part (they actually replaced the entire "engine" since they could get that more quickly than they could get just the color wheel assembly), and the new one has been fine. The color wheel is not totally silent (you can tell the difference at power-off, when the color wheel shuts down while the fan runs a bit longer), but it definitely shouldn't scream like a banshee, either. You should get yours repaired under warranty. |
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| Hi, Can anyone tell me the difference between the HLN617W and the older HLM617W model? On the website, the only difference was that the N model stated a pitch of 0.155mm. And then the N seems to refer to HD2, but nothing about this on the M model. Would sincerely appreciate your advise. Thanks a lot, Mil. |
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| Can anyone list their default settings in the Service menu for the HLN437W? I was tweaking and can't remember the actual defaults. THanks |
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S. m. Unregistered guest | Kenlex--Thanks for the info. I think the noise is fan noise because it stays on for a brief time following shut down. I guess I want to know if it is to be expected to hear the fan in the background even withthe volume is at a reasonavle level and if anyone else has had the same problem with the HLN507. |
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New member Username: PcpapantPost Number: 1 Registered: 12-2003 | I have a HLN617W with a Focus Enhancements Center Stage 2 scaler and a Sony HD-200 Directv box. I am having a problem with changing inputs on the Centerstage unit (DVD, Directv, and VHS run into the scaler and then scaler's DVI out to the tv). When I change components, the tv sometimes gives me half of a picture or flickers or just gives me garbage. After a few tries, it works fine. I've been through 2 tvs (Circuit City was wonderful and swaped the units in 1 day!!!) and 2 scalers. Focus Enhancements also sent Samsung a unit and had them play with it. Samsung had the same issues I had but no explanation. Bottom line, no one can tell me why I am having an issue, although both agreed it was a "synching" issue. Anyone have any thoughts??? |
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New member Username: NghumpPost Number: 2 Registered: 12-2003 | I just recently purchase the HLN617W. I don't know if I am expecting too much. On a standard broadcast you end up with two black bars on either side of the picture. This isn't the issue. I don't know if anyone has noticed but there are two light lines down either side of the screen about a half-inch wide. A repairman attributed this to over scan. He also said that Sony's KDF60XBR950 had the same problem. I didn't believe him so I checked it out at my local Circuit City store and sure enough the Sony had this phenomena as well. Has anyone else noticed this? I find it disconcerting. I have a Sony DVD player that doesn't have progressive or DCDi feature. The HLN617W has these features built in. I use component cables to connect my DVD player to the HLN617W. An Ultimate Electronics sales person told me that this hook up would bypass the HLN617W DCDi feature. Does anyone know if this true? |
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New member Username: ArianaPost Number: 1 Registered: 12-2003 | - - HLN507W SD Picture Quality - - HD quality from the HD811 Dish Network Satellite Receiver with DVI input is superb. DVD quality from the Samsung HD931 with DVI input and 1080i option is also excellent However, Standard Definition channels look rather awful. Even worse than with a crummy rear-projection TV Set. I have tried with both the DVI input and the standard analog Video input. Any ideas would be appreciated. |
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Anonymous | Ariana I have gone thru 2 Samsung DLP's and ended up returning both. The SD channels looked terrible,and trying to watch a S-VHS tape was impossible. Other than the predominance of green in the picture, HD was great. I settled on a Sony GW, and am very satified with same. The blacks are not as good as the Samsung, but everyting else is far better. |
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New member Username: Bigwong23Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2003 | Hey there people. I was wondering if anyone could help me out here. I bought the Samsung 50" DLP. I'm very happy with it. I just can't wait to get a HDTV service. But anyways, here is the problem. I just bought the Samsung HD931 (about $299). I was told by the guys at Circuit City that using the DVI connection would be the best. But....I just watched 28 Day Later and it didn't look at that great. Should I connect Component instead of DVI??? Will Component still be converted to 1080i??? Is the "upconversion" on the DVI pixelating the pixture??? The HD931 obviously looked good on their "DEMO" disc with the DVI connection but with a rented DVD it didn't look all that great. I have yet to see a DVD movie that is 1080i resolution >:-( Can someone help me out and clarify some of this? |
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New member Username: Tweaver113Post Number: 1 Registered: 12-2003 | The Samsung HD931 is a great player for sure, but married to a Samsung DLP monitor, its redundant. The Samsung DLP TV's contain all of the same image processing goodies packaged in their DVD player, so there's no advantage to having the same chips in both units. But if you have a non-Samsung TV, there could be some advantages with this Samsung player, like the Farouja chip and DNie image processing. |
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Anonymous | Intel Moves Into Consumer Electronics Thu 8 January, 2004 18:40 By Daniel Sorid SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp. INTC.O on Thursday said it will begin supplying microchips for digital televisions this year as part of a push into the $100 billion consumer electronics market. The world's largest microchip maker said it intends to give consumer electronics the same level of attention it gave last year to wireless technology, which was highlighted in a $300 million marketing campaign for its laptop computer chips. While Intel already dominates the market for PC microprocessors, its latest initiatives target a new set of competitors: consumer electronics leaders such as the Netherlands' Philips Electronics PHG.AS , who are unlikely to accept the chip giant's entry without a fight. "Our goal is to eliminate boundaries between electronic devices inside and outside the home," Paul Otellini, Intel president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. "For Intel in 2004, this effort will receive as much focus as the work we did last year to advance wireless technologies for mobile computing." Otellini, who is scheduled to outline Intel's plans on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, said the company expects to deliver a microdisplay chip, which uses a technology called liquid crystal on silicon, in the second half of the year. Display manufacturers in China, Taiwan, and the United States are now working with Intel prototypes, the company said. Otellini is also expected to outline the company's work on a slim-form computer it calls the Entertainment PC. The PC, expected to be available from PC manufacturers mid-year for under $800, connects directly to the television and includes a remote control instead of a keyboard. The Entertainment PC, Intel said, will organize TV programs, movies, music, and video games, and share them over wireless home networks. Earlier this week, Intel said it would invest $200 million in companies that are building "digital home" technologies intended to allow media to freely flow between electronic devices around the home. Intel's television chips use a novel technology that combines liquid crystals, a mirror-like surface and a silicon chip. Texas Instruments Inc. TXN.N already supplies a chip using a rival technology, called digital light processing, which uses more than a million microscopic mirrors to reflect a high-definition image onto a big-screen television. Big-screen sets based on DLP are produced by Korea's Samsung Electronics 005930.K , France's Thomson TMS.PA , and others. Intel said it expects televisions based on its technology to be available for less than $2000. The company said Infocus Corp., a U.S. digital projector maker, China's TCL and Skyworth, as well as Taiwan's Primax PDC are developing products based on prototype Intel microdisplays. |
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James Restoper Unregistered guest | I just discovered this site today and have found much of the information useful. I have been thinking about buying a new HDTV for over 7 months...and was really close to buying a 34" Sony WEGA Widescreen (tube tv) KV34HS510 but the thing weighs slightly over 200 pounds. Although I was impressed with the quality (and I've always owned Sony tv's) and wouldn't have to worry about burn in, especially since I use the playstation2 and xbox. But the I saw the 43" Samsung DLP and I was happy with the picture I saw (which was the 4365w) but the price was out of range for me. When I went to a different store I saw the 437w, the 507w and the 617w and now I'm leaning towards the 507. Someone earlier posted having problems with the xbox menu and I also recall reading somewhere that the Playstation2 has syncing problems with the set. Is this true? Are there any other peopole/places here or elsewhere that talk about these problems? What are the solutions to the problems? Also, I don't yet have HD service, so I would be running from analog cable (Charter Communications, here in St. Louis). How bad is the picture quality going to be using an HDTV set with analog cable? Will it look like it currently does on an older Sony 27inch tube (non-hdtv)? Or will it look pixelated? What kind of images can I expect? In the stores, I can't get a clean tv signal, so it's hard to see what the end result would be, but I do get a great signal in my condo. Since this is going to be the biggest purchase for me, next to my condo and my car (which is finally paid off), I'm trying to be very informed and I just want to know all the pros/cons. |
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Kenny01 Unregistered guest | I have the Samsung HDLP 50 " dlp. I just got the set and the picture is great on HDTV. However, I've noticed that the sharpness control makes absoutley no difference whether it is all the way up or down. I've tested it on DVD, regular TV, and HDTV. Can someone who has the Samsung 50" DLP test the sharpness control and see if it makes any difference in the detail of the picture. I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my set. Every other control seems to work. Thanks |
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bo Unregistered guest | I am also planning to buy a Samsung DLP TV, but don't know what size to go. The distance from my view point is around 9 feet. I will either go for HLN467W or HLN507W. These two sets are the same price from the place I will purchase. I heard that 467W uses a next generate TI chip? Is it true? Any suggestion here? |
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New member Username: EmkmdPost Number: 8 Registered: 12-2003 | Bo, I think I am going to pull the trigger on the 507w. The 46, 56, and 61" sets have a new cabinet design that incorporates set top room for a speaker, cable box, etc. I am told that the internal components of the 46 and 50 are the same and that the 50 is going to be discontinued. From 9 feet the 507 is probably better. Try the following link: http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html I took a tape measure to the store yesterday and 50" seemed fine for 8-10 feet. The 56" seemed a bit too big, too much eye movement required while watching. Try the following link to the samsung website: http://www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/product/b2c_product_subtype.jsp?eUser=&pr od_path=%2fAudio+and+Video%2fTV%2fDLP+TV If you click on the side by side comparision of our DLP models link, the pop up table says that the 50 and 46 both use the HD2 chip. At some point this year the HD2+ chip will come out in rear projections, and the sets will get slimmer, but who can wait forever. -E |
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bo Unregistered guest | hi Eric, thanks for your information, it is quite useful. But somehow I can not open the second link. I am comparing the Sony LCD Wega, Samsung DLP and Philips LCoS. Sony is out of question, its picture quality can not compete with DLP and LCos. Since LCos is on it first generation, I finally decide to go for DLP, which already on its second or maybe third generation. Life is too short, Need to enjoy it For the samsung 7W and 65W serial, I may just pick the 507W. It is $130 cheaper that 65W, and seems like that they are nothing difference except the frame. |
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New member Username: EmkmdPost Number: 9 Registered: 12-2003 | Bo, After about 7 months of looking I pulled the trigger on the 507W today. The Sony LCD's do have a good picture, however, they can get stuck pixels. In addition they do not refresh fast enough. The first run of Phillips LCOS sets were all bad, all had a purple hue. I checked the set out and was unimpressed. In addition people complain much more about rainbows on this set than the Samsungs. The difference between the 5065 and 507W may just be the cabinet. If you check the samsungusa website: http://www.samsungusa.com/ then look under products, TV, It does not show the "Faroudja" Film Mode 3:2 Pull Down Enhancement for the 5065. Some say that the set has it, but that Samsung did not pay for the liscensing, so it is not listed. I would go for the 507W. I should have mine on Friday, and Comcast will be out to hook-up the HD. And all will be good. -E |
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Anonymous | Would you recommend the DVD Video Essentials or Avia Setup DVD to set up and try to get rid of the green hues on my new Samsung HLN4365W or are they only good for a regular TV. Thanks DPR |
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John Zimmer Unregistered guest | OK .. I have read this thread and there is alot of good information, but what I have not seen discussed enough is the Toshiba 57hl[x]8[23] models. These tvs on paper look amazing, reviews are good, and they seem to be available on the web sites I have looked at online, so has anyone bought one yet ? I am really tempted to go for the 57hl83 sight unseen. 3 LCOS chips at 1080P between $3500 and $5000 (depending on vendor) this sounds good to me. BTW I called toshiba and asked about the 82/83 at the end of the Model Number and why some models have an X. She said the last digit is the year it is manufactured. So 82 = 2002 and 83 = 2003; the X or lack thereof is irrelevant and she said that they are dropping it from their models. I am not convinced of that one since their own web site does not even advertise the model without the X (i.e. 57hl83) If someone else knows the deal on that it will be much appreciated. |
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New member Username: EmkmdPost Number: 10 Registered: 12-2003 | John, The reason noone is discussing the Toshiba LCOS is because there are no TOshiba LCOS sets. I happened to see one (57HLX82) at a Tweeter outside of Houston last year. There were problems with the picture. The new sets were supposed to be out last Sept. They were reportedly having problems with the manufacturing of the LCOS chips, whoever makes them. The Phillips LCOS sets had problems with picture quality in their initial release. I saw one of the newer sets and thought the picture was pretty bad. Reportedly Toshiba has dropped the LCOS sets until further notice. THe 57" was one of the top products at the CES in 2003, but Toshiba did not have LCOS sets last week at the CES (I think). Intel released information that they will have a 50" LCOS set some time this year, with a cost of $1800. Sony has a technology similar to LCOS, that will be out, eventually. LCOS will probably make it because it is a good technology. Just not presently. -E |
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New member Username: DprPost Number: 1 Registered: 01-2004 | Eric K..... I would be interested to know how you like your new Samsung 507W ??? I just got a 5065W and after doing all my homework I found that they are identical sets except for the blak bezel around the 507 it is silver around the 5065 They both have the same Faroudja chip only the 507 is licenced let me know if you find the green to agravating or can you live with it . Me I found it got on my netves the first week or so but maybe I am getting used to it now (the jury is still out). DPR |
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Anonymous | For those of you with the green problem in the display, Samsung has a fix.(service bulletin 20030916010).A serviceman makes a simple internal adjustment and according to Samsung will solve the over emphasis of green in the picture. |
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New member Username: James_restoperPost Number: 3 Registered: 01-2004 | any charge for the serviceman to "make a simple internal adjustment" to solve the over emphasised green? |
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bo Unregistered guest | Here is the news, may be should wait for HLP5063W, hope it will fix the green problem and provide even better picture quality, Anybody have the picture yet? "Samsung - Booth #11027 in the Central Hall -- Winner of CES' Best of Innovations 2004 for the video category, Samsung introduces its new Floor Standing DLP TV Designer Series. With 50" (HLP5085W) and 56" (HLP5685W) screen sizes, it offers a new pedestal design with a vertical mounted DLP light engine for enhanced look and a cabinet that is less then 13" deep. These revolutionary TVs feature HD2+ DLP technology and new Samsung Cinema Smooth(TM) Gen 4 Light Engine and offer a 3000:1 contrast ratio. -- Also new at CES is Samsung's next-generation of Slim Bezel DLP TV with 46" (HLP4674W) and 56" (HLP5674W) screen sizes. The ultra slim bezel in this line reduces width and focusing all attention on the picture. Sharing comparable feature set as the Floor Standing series these TVs will be available in Q3 2004. -- Samsung will also be introducing the first DLP TV utilizing HD3 technology in 46" (HLP4663W), 50" (HLP5063W), 56" (HLP5663W) and 61" (HLP6163W) screen sizes. Available in Q2 of 2004. These TVs offer Samsung's Cinema Smooth (TM) Gen 3 light engine, bringing consumers increased brightness, 1500:1 contrast ratio and a smooth, film-like picture." |
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Julian Unregistered guest | I have a Samsung HLN617W and I need to tone down the green and red tint in my TV. I've tried doing this thru the user's menu with no luck, even tried the settings that someone suggested using the Warm 2 custom. I need to go into the service menu but when I tried the mute-1-8-2-power it did not work. The TV just went to the regular broadcast program. Does anyone know the code for the HLN617W for the service menu? Thanks for any help.... |
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New member Username: DprPost Number: 2 Registered: 01-2004 | Could anyone tell me how to enter the service menu of a Samsung HLN4365W as I live in the country and am having a hard time getting a samsung repair person to come to my home because the nearest big city is 60 miles away . I would like to reduce the green a bit as it has a greenish hue on certain programs but seems OK with a DVD. Thanks |
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New member Username: LexxPost Number: 1 Registered: 01-2004 | Julian. If you are having trouble accessing the service menu, start by making sure batteries are strong. Unplug the unit from the wall. Wait 20 seconds and plug it in again. Do the mute-1-8-2-power thing, pausing for 1/2 to 3/4 of a second between entries. Hope that works for you. |
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JohnnyD Unregistered guest | Brian, I have the HLN507W. It is four months old and now there is a very noticeable, high-pitched noise which I believe is the color wheel. It seems to come and go. I could here it before, but now it gets loud at times. In a previous post, you said something about temperature. There is nothing new in the environment the TV is in. Any thoughts? Also, if I need service, should I use my Circuit City protection plan or use the one year Samsung warranty directly. Thanks. |
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bob m. Unregistered guest | I have the HLN617W and have loved the television, but it shut off on its own and won't come back on. Both green lights on front as well as the temperature light are flashing. Any solutions? This is the second set I have had with this problem. The dealer replaced the first time, but did not say what the problem is. Picture quality is outstanding. |
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Unregistered guest | Our 8 month old Samsung DLP Proj 50 TV lost all yellow and blue color yesterday....called for service and they are scheduled to come in a few days...just wondered if anyone else has had the same situation? |
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Unregistered guest | Have you looked at he sony KDF 70 XBR 950? |
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arungupta Unregistered guest | You can find the latest info on DLP, LCoS and Samsung DLP (HLN, HLN-1 and HLP) sets here: www.digiupdate.com See the list of guides on the top right. |
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Unregistered guest | Hi Guys, I recently purchased a Samsung HLN617W and it was Friday. I hooked everything up and seemed to be working fine. So far so good... Yesterday, Comcast came and upgraded my cable box to the HDTV STB. He connected the HDTV receiver using a component cable to Component-3 input on the TV. He tested the HDTV channels and the HDTV pictures displayed great. Satisfied, I let the serviceman leave. After he left, when I switched from the HDTV channels to the non-HDTV channels, but when you switch over to a a non HDTV channel, the picture is all scrambled and after a couple of seconds the the TV finally displays a message "Mode not supported". The component-3 input supports 480p / 720p / 1080i. If I use the S-Video output from the cable receiver, all channels are visible, but I loose the clarity on the HDTV channels. After researching on this topic for a couple of hours, this is what I THINK is the problem. Any suggestions would be greatly helpful a. The Comcast (Motorola DCT-5100) Set Top Box (STB) output 480p (or) 1080i on the component output for the HDTV signals and am guessing that it does 480i for the non-HDTV channels. Hence the scrambled image. b. If I connect the STB output to Component-1 video (which supports only 480p/480i), the non-HDTV channels come in fine, but I loose the HDTV signals. Am I on the right track so far ? If so, what I need to do is change the STB to up-convert all signals to 1080i, if so, how can I make this change on the Comcast STB ? You can post or direct email me Thanks SC schalasani@minds.tv Any quick suggestions ? Later |
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Unregistered guest | I HAVE SAMSUNG HLN 617 MY TV HAS SOUND PROBLEM ANYONE HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBELM SOUND DELAY PLEASE POST UR ANSWER ASP THANK U |
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allan Unregistered guest | i'm very happy with my sammy hlm5065w BUT in this thread i've noticed a rather disturbing trend...noisy colour wheels my set is approximately 6 months old and recently upon power on the colour wheel is unseemly noisy. it seems to be a shimmering sound. This only lasts for a couple of minutes then settles down into its normal hum. i've read that it may be a ventilation issue but my set is well away from any walls or anything else that would block the sides and back. a couple of people here already have had theirs swapped out and replaced and i wonder if i ought to do that too...or is it just a normal start up function |
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loopz213 Unregistered guest | has anyone found out what is samsung doing about the sound delay on these DLPS i have a 56 inch one but noticed those delays. Pleas help |
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Unregistered guest | Does anyone know if it is possible to use DVI with an Optoma RD50 and Samsung HD931? I know one is DVI-I and the other is DVI-D,but is there some way? Different cable or adapter?..Thanks D |
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DonGotti Unregistered guest | Sorry for previous post..I didn't mean to post in the wrong thread..... |
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Unregistered guest | I JUST GOT A SAMSUNG TS-160 HD OFF AIR AND DIRECTV UNIT. I NOTICE A POP IN THE AUDIO WHEN I CHANGE FROM A ANOLOG TO A DIGITAL OR DIGITAL TO ANALOG STATION.. ANY ONE ELSE HAVE A 160 WITH THE SAME THING.. IF SO DID YOU FIX IT??? |
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Maryland Unregistered guest | Brian, what say you on the Samsung audio/video synch issue? Is there a fix, or is it a design flaw that owners have to live with? My new HLN467W has a noticable synch problem that comes and goes using S-Video input from TiVo and Component input from a PACE 550 Comcast HD box. |
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Unregistered guest | I had an old version of the Samsung model that had one 480i input and 2 480p+. For a comcast HDTV Box you need to set the default resolution to 480p so that you can watch both HD and regular channels. hit menu button when the box is off and the setup menu will come up. Also the new version of the Samsung DLP HLN507W makes no distinction to resolution. The picture looks better for analog stations. |
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Bronze Member Username: EmkmdPost Number: 59 Registered: Dec-03 | dctim, THe 480p inputs should also accept 720p and 1080i. You can set the comcast box to either 1080i or 720p, I have done so with my HLN 507w. I cannot tell which output looks better. If the HD station is broadcast in 1080i, should you set the box to 1080i and let the TV do the conversion to 720p? I do not get ABC HD, but have ESPNHD which is in 720p, HBO I think in 1080i. So should you set the box to output 720p, which is the native resolution of the TV, so 720p broadcasts are better. If you do this the box will do the conversion from 1080i broadcasts to 720p. In any case, I think either one of these is better than the 480p, although I am going to give it a try to see if the analog stations do look better with no loss in quality of the HD stations. -E My Stuff. Yamaha V795a Sony NS700P Monster 3600 New PS2 Samsung HLN 507W DLP Klipsch KSW12 subwoofer Klipsch RP3 Fronts with built in powered subwoofers Klipsh center and rears Monster Cables all around Comcast digital cable with HD box. |
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zebra1 Unregistered guest | I have a new HLN 507W DLP and am getting my Dish Network HD receiver next week. Should I use the DVI or the component? Right now I am running S video on a standard Dish receiver and its OK but not what I expected. I am also running s video to my dvd player and it marginal. Any help. |
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Bronze Member Username: EmkmdPost Number: 60 Registered: Dec-03 | Definitely use component over s-video, should make a huge difference. I could not tell you about DVI vs component. Most posts say there is not much of a difference between the two. Let us know if you do a comparison. -E |
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carpie99 Unregistered guest | Does your Samsung look terrible with orange color's - the TV looks all washed out - is this normal or is something wrong with the TV |
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Bronze Member Username: EmkmdPost Number: 62 Registered: Dec-03 | Sounds like something is wrong. Take a look at one of the posts from above (I pasted it below). I used settings similar to this, but I think I use warm 1; I'll have to check that. I have not used a set up disc yet, but that might be another option. Follow up your post to let us know if the picture gets better. -E "Matt, Try these settings for your Sammy (worked for me): - Color Tone - Normal - Contrast: 90 - Brightness: 50 to 75 - Sharpness: 0-10 - Color: 45 to 50, some report higher than 50 - Tint: 40/60 or 50/50 are reported Also, you should watch non HDTV programming in 4:3 or panoramic mode. With DLP there is no danger for burn in if you stay all the time in 4:3. Finally, 16:9 comes in different formats - for some of them you keep having black strips even on a 16:9 set - any 16:9 set. Still, you have a much larger picture with a 16:9 set as if you would watch the same DVD on a 4:3. Hope this helps. Ralph" |
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rmichelli Unregistered guest | I'm getting ready to purchase a Samsung HLN5065W. Can anyone please tell me if they have had any problems viewing the screen in a slightly bright sunlite room? THANKS! |
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mdskah Unregistered guest | I love my HLM507W. However, it recently began clicking off immediately after startup, with all three indicator lights blinking. I then unplug and restart and it works fine. This now happens every startup. Anyone out there with this problem? Any solutions? |
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badsnoopy Unregistered guest | Brian I also have the Samsung HLN5065W. With Comcast cable the HDTV channels, dvd and playstation 2 come in perfect. The problem is with analog and digital cable channels. None of these come in good at all. Had cable company out and they said the siganl is great. Called Samsung and they were going to send out a service rep. When I spoke to the shop and explained my problem they told me that is normal. Then they said that there is nothing that can be done it is only a good tv to view HD and dvd. When I called Samsung back and spoke to their HDTV specialists they also said that is normal and there is nothing that can be done. I even ask why they sell a $3000 tv that you can't watch regular or digital cable channels on. Even went so far as to go to another store that has Direct TV hooked up and they said the same thing about only HD channels will come in good. Now I understand fully that digital cable and hd channels will have a difference but my $700 tube tv has a better picture on those channels than the DLP. I also tried the settings that were listed in this thread with no help. I noticed you said in an earlier post something about a setup disc you forgot to take to the store when you took someone there to give a demo. Any answers you can provide will be greatly appreciated otherwise this thing has got to go back to the store. |
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Morry Unregistered guest | Badsnoopy, you are absolutely correct, the Samsung DLP displays analog and digital cable poorly, and VHS tapes are almost unwatchable. I went thru 2 of these sets, returned both, and settled on the Sony Grand Wega LCD. As far as I am concerned, the HD picture displayed on the Sony is at least as good, if not better than the Samsung, plus the colors are true, not overly green. Additionally, the Sony's picture on all other signals, including VHS, is as good or better than a CRT. |
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Badsnoopy Unregistered guest | Morry thanks for the response. Funny thing is I just got back from looking for a Sony. Could you tell me what size you have? I was thinking about trying to find the 40" I've heard about. Unable to find one yet. Appreciate the help. |
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Morry Unregistered guest | Badsnoopy - I have the KF-42WE610, 42". They make a KF-50WE610 and a KF-60WE610, 50" and 60". I would have probably gone for the 50", but it wouldn't fit in my space. They may be in short supply, I am not sure. My local Circuit City has one on the floor, but I do not know if in stock. |
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Badsnoopy Unregistered guest | Morry I really thanks for the info. If some miracle doesn't happen soon I'll be right across the street at BestBuy returning my Samsung anyway. Guess I should have went with the Sony in the first place like I was going to. |
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tommie Unregistered guest | Badsnoopy, if you decide on the Sony just exchange the Samsung at Best Buy, they have plenty Grand Wegas |
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Unregistered guest | what a fabulous forum. Extremely informative for a new DLP shopper like myself. I'm trying to decide if I want to bite the bullet and go with a 50" Sammy DLP or a 36" CRT. Obviously the two aren't totally comparable. The reasons I'm considering NOT going with the Samsung are primarily these: I've heard that regular cable, digital cable, and vhs look really bad on DLP. That worries me a bit. I have a ton of dvds, so that's good, however I'm a little worried about which way to go for HD, either with Direct TV or Comcast. Does anyone have any suggestions which they prefer? And how many channels are actually broadcast in HD? I'd hate to have 170 channels, but only 10 that I can watch. My other main concern is with the lip synch issue. I read an interview with Steve Panosian, Director of Marketing at Samsung. He said "The lip sync problem varies by video source and the cause is based on several factors. Depending on the video broadcast source across the spectrum of TV and cable networks, digital satellite channels and separately, the compression techniques used for DVD titles, the lip sync level issue varies in being noticeable." His comment, seems to indicate this is still a major issue. Sure it may not be Samsungs fault, but before I spend 3000 bucks on a tv, I don't want to worry about lip synch issues. Do any of you old pros have any opinions on these issues? Are some of the new models mentioned at CES 2004 supposed to eliminate these issues? (HLP5085W, HLP5685W, Tantus: HLP5674W, HLP4674W, Base: HLP6163W, HLP5663W, HLP5063W, HLP4663W, 1080p. I guess the only reason I'm still considering a 36" CRT tv is to avoid these potential issues, and 36" seems to be as big as I can go. Thanks for all your help and suggestions. |
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