I've just returned from a week long vacation to find that something is wrong with my Samsung DLP set (model HLR5067WAX/XAA).

Upon powering on the set there is an overlay of vertical colored bars on standard def channels and a checkered set of colors on high def channels. It does this on all channels and I tried turning the set on/off multiple times to no avail. I can still see the stations in the background, but these colored bars/checkers appear on top of the picture and flash various colors.

One very strange thing I should also note, when I go into PIP the station in the PIP window looks just fine whilst the station in the main window still has the overlay of colors. Also, for some reason the option for me to swap between windows is now grayed out in the set's menu.

Finally, I received word from a relative that one night while I was on vacation a bad storm came through the area. I could tell when I returned home that the power had been out at one point because all of the clocks were flashing. I'm not sure if this may have had anything to do with my TV's problem though as 2 others sets in my house are still working just fine. This Samsung set was plugged into a surge protector, however, the cable was directly connected to the set.

Any assistance or pointers on how I should troubleshoot this issue are greatly appreciated!

Regards

Sounds like it could be the dmd board which costs over $1000. So if you have an extended warranty, have them check that out. Otherwise, if it is the board, it's not worth fixing.

One more possible option. If you can prove that a circuit board was fried by lightening while attached to a surge protector, many of the good quality protectors have an equipment replacement guarantee if the attached item is destroyed by a surge. Check that out also.

Noooooooo!!!!

Is there an inexpensive way I can test it myself to figure out if it really is a bad circuit board?

Unfortunately the set is 4-5 yrs. old and is no longer under warranty. The surge protector is also older and I doubt it has any kind of replacement coverage.

I did find out at work today that there were "brownouts" throughout the city last Monday when I was out of town. At least my 60" Sony Bravia is still okay, but still, I always have liked the Sammy :(

Vertical lines across tv=dmd board
Beehive looking pattern across whole screen=dmd board

Also pretty much any line pattern vertically or horizontally across screen means the dmd board needs to be replaced. If it's something else you'd need a repair person to check it out.

Why does the channel in the PIP window look fine though? Wouldn't a bad board affect that picture as well?

Assuming you are correct though and the dmd board is bad is there some place I can buy a replacement and try to fix it myself since it's no longer under warranty?

I've built several PCs over the years and I'd be willing to try my hand at fixing the set myself if I can find a replacement board for fairly cheap. I'd sure like to at least give it a shot before junking it.

As always, I refer people to www.samsungparts.com, put your model number into the left column and all the parts for your tv will come up. The dmd board is very expensive and I wouldn't order one unless you were positive that is the problem. A few people have posted that they were able to get local repair shops to do the job for about the $650 range. Looks like your dmd board is only $450 after their $50 rebate thing, not horrible, but still a lot. And I'm only guessing about the dmd being the cause of the problem.

dryvlyne, please post what you find out! My HLR5067WAX/XAA has started having problems as well. I am getting all kinds of weird things on all sources(looks like green checkerboard, sometimes some line but not like I saw on Samsung site). I have noticed that if I go to the color setting screen with the picture of the lady on each side, everything is perfect. So I am wondering if it has something to do with the tuner or what?!? I have analog cable with HD over the air, and it is worse on the analog cable than on the pure HD over the air.

Also, I can remove power from the TV for a minute or so, and re-power the set and everything is fine... for a while, then it will start doing it again.

EG

Also, I can remove power from the TV for a minute or so, and re-power the set and everything is fine... for a while, then it will start doing it again.

EG

Could be heat related, try adding more ventilation temporarily and see if it lasts longer.

Why does the channel in the PIP window look fine though? Wouldn't a bad board affect that picture as well?


Is PIP analog only? There are three boards processing video, so whatever path the signal is taking is what's causing you trouble. It may even have nothing to do with your TV, but is all at the source or the cable connecting the source and the TV.

Try eliminating all other variables before blaming the TV.

- Check over the air HDTV, does it look fine?

Also check,

- S-video
- Component
- RCA video
- IEEE 1394, if you have a source.
- HDMI
- PC input (the least processed signal on these sets)

If you find that all the analog sources are fine, but only the digital ones are exhibiting distortion, then you can blame the inputs to the digital processing board (digital processing still does the scaling if it's not at native resolution).

If you find one digital source problematic, but another good. It could be that digital source or the cable.

The service manual for the HLR series specifically mentions vertical bars at 16 pixel intervals as a defect which requires board replacement. It also mentions other distortions as well. I can't remember them all right now since I don't have it in front of me, but IIRC there is a mention of wide horizontal bars and a checkerboard as well.

Thanks for the suggestions darkmark.

Upon your advice I did some further testing and I've found that the PC input and component inputs work just fine. For now I've taken my cable box from my other set and hooked it up to the Sammy via component cables.

All of this leads me to believe that a power surge must have come through the coax and messed up the tuner inside the set. I'm going to be sure to invest in a better surge protector (one with a coax input) this weekend in the hopes in saves my Sammy from really getting killed next time!

All of this leads me to believe that a power surge must have come through the coax and messed up the tuner inside the set. I'm going to be sure to invest in a better surge protector (one with a coax input) this weekend in the hopes in saves my Sammy from really getting killed next time!

Good deal! Glad I saved you a few bucks. I should do the same thing. The last surge dealie with coax I tried distorted the signal severely, so I'll probably just go buy an inline one and run the wire to the ground on the outlet in the wall.

I downloaded the service manual yesterday and looked through the troubleshooting and path of the signals. I am waiting until it messes up, but as I was watching it last night, little green squares were starting to appear briefly on all inputs. So based on that and the path of the signals, I think it's the digital board doing something weird in mine. I am going to let it keep going and get worse and do a couple of the test pattern they suggested in the service manual to see if I can narrow it down.

If it were heat I would think you could just turn it off for quite a while and the problem would go away, that doesn't seem to be the case. I am hoping for maybe just removing the board connections and reconnecting them, but who knows. Been a great set up until this point.

EG

dryvlyne, please post what you find out! My HLR5067WAX/XAA has started having problems as well. I am getting all kinds of weird things on all sources(looks like green checkerboard, sometimes some line but not like I saw on Samsung site). I have noticed that if I go to the color setting screen with the picture of the lady on each side, everything is perfect. So I am wondering if it has something to do with the tuner or what?!? I have analog cable with HD over the air, and it is worse on the analog cable than on the pure HD over the air.

Also, I can remove power from the TV for a minute or so, and re-power the set and everything is fine... for a while, then it will start doing it again.

EG


My parents started having a similar issue with their 3 year old 56" Sammy. I came on here trying to find a solution and found this post.

So the issue is sometimes (so far twice now in two months) they will turn on the tv and the screen will be green and sorta snowy on Cable input HD or SD channels, as well as on Antenna hook up on HD or SD channels. The tv will look normal on the TV guide screen, but will stay green on part monitoring the channel you are on. But when you go to any other input the tv is fine. I can unplug the tv from power for a few seconds and it goes back to normal for another month or so.

So the general thought is that it is the DMD Board?