I've been on this site for about 3 weeks (since I purchased my Sammy 5063) and have learned a ton. The picture is great, but I'm starting to see the 'soft' blacks many of you are talking about. I connected thru a Monster cable HDMI (I know I know) and Comcast DCT6208 (my receiver/speakers need to be upgraded). So I've got a week to return the 5063 to CC and I just got off the phone with Kim at TVA. I've preordered the 5674 - meaning I can still say no go once they call to confirm shipment.

Questions for htwaits (and others)...since you seem to ve very knowledgable and own the same 5063. Am I crazy? Will I truly notice a difference watching sports/movies with this HD2+ chip? Is the 7 or 6 color wheel segment that big of a deal? What are the drawbacks of a 56 vs the 46. I've got a big room and no cabinet yet. Main question I'm interested in is what are you doing with your 5063?

Thanks for any feedback.

Originally posted by emiddlet
I've been on this site for about 3 weeks (since I purchased my Sammy 5063) and have learned a ton. The picture is great, but I'm starting to see the 'soft' blacks many of you are talking about. I connected thru a Monster cable HDMI (I know I know) and Comcast DCT6208 (my receiver/speakers need to be upgraded). So I've got a week to return the 5063 to CC and I just got off the phone with Kim at TVA. I've preordered the 5674 - meaning I can still say no go once they call to confirm shipment.

Questions for htwaits (and others)...since you seem to ve very knowledgable and own the same 5063. Am I crazy? Will I truly notice a difference watching sports/movies with this HD2+ chip? Is the 7 or 6 color wheel segment that big of a deal? What are the drawbacks of a 56 vs the 46. I've got a big room and no cabinet yet. Main question I'm interested in is what are you doing with your 5063?

Thanks for any feedback.

Go to CC and look at the 5085 and 5063, and decide which one you like. I passed on HD3 sets because I think the HD2+ is much sharper. For sports, which it seems like you are interested in, there's no comparison. The 74 will make you feel like you are at the game.

And as for 56 vs. 46 - I would always get the biggest set I could fit in my space and budget. I have the 46 - only because I can't fit the 56 in my room. Now that the 56 is available, the only regret I have about my purchase is the size envy I have of the 56 owners.:( But the 46 is still plenty big for my room.

Originally posted by tjk
If anyone runs into problems, I have the service manual for the HLP4674. I'd be happy to post responses to questions for anyone that has them (may take me a bit to get back to you as the manual is at home).


How did you come across the service manual?

-pd

thanks tjk...when I asked Kim at TVA for the avs forum discount she mentioned taking your order for the 4674. By the way it was only a few bucks off the extended in home service. Did you get an extended service contract from TVA?

My wife who runs marketing for a high tech company has been educating me on these product forums (and she's a bit skeptical of some members being tied in with the manufacturers) - any thoughts? My apologies if that's inappropriate discussion material.

Originally posted by pdermody
How did you come across the service manual?

-pd

ordered it from the samsung website (www.samsungparts.com). Part # is SM-HLP4674W.

I will say that 90% is way over my head. I just ordered it so I would have all of the service menu default settings, and for $30, it's not a bad thing to have around.

Originally posted by emiddlet
Questions for htwaits (and others)...since you seem to ve very knowledgeable and own the same 5063. Am I crazy? Will I truly notice a difference watching sports/movies with this HD2+ chip?

I've enjoyed HDTV football and had better PQ at home than what I've seen at Magnolia where they use a big component loop for all their DLP sets.

Is the 7 or 6 color wheel segment that big of a deal?

I think it is compared to the HLN sets. I don't know how important it will be with the HLPxx74 sets.

What are the drawbacks of a 56 vs the 46. I've got a big room and no cabinet yet.

That's easy. As long as you are sitting at a distance that is comfortable for you go big. I don't recall any returns because a screen was too big unless the room was too small.

Main question I'm interested in is what are you doing with your 5063?

I don't know what an upgrade will cost me yet. If it isn't too much, then I will take my HTPC to our dealer and connect it using DVI. If I like what I see I will upgrade. If I can't see an improvement that's worth the extra cost (over the screen size increase) then I'll punt, and keep the HLP5063. My chance to do all this won't happen until after December 11th.

In general:

Which is better -- HD3/seven element color wheel, HD2+/six element color wheel, or HD2+/seven element color wheel?

I don't know for sure but at the moment I'm not sure the difference between the HD3 sets and the HD2+ sets is worth the extra cost. That's based on the fact I'm more interested in DVD movies than HDTV. In my room with the lights off and using a small backlight I've never been irritated by the lower contrast ratio. I've also never seen black as dark gray either. I do see an extra "pop" in HDTV sometimes when I look at HD2+ sets.

I don't know if Samsung has controlled the dithering that has been present in their six element color wheel sets.

My main impressions are base on the following setup.

I'm using a HTPC running TheaterTek through the DVI port. These are my settings.

Cinema Mode

DNIe & DNR off (I always turn off all PQ enhancement features.)

Contrast 90 (For DLP use the highest contrast you can with out crushing blacks or whites.)

Brightness 45
Sharpness 0 (same as DNIe & DNR)
Color 48

I used the Avia disk and the Digital Video Essentials disk. Matrix is not a good DVD to use for color. For skin tones one of my favorites is the Superbit version of The Fifth Element.

As soon as I have gotten past "upgrade" mode I'll have an ISF calibration done.

Here are two HLPxx63 tweaking threads that I've read.

Samsung HLP5063 Picture Settings (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=436590&perpage=20&pagenumber=1)

Setting on HLP5063 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=3953939#post3953939)

Originally posted by emiddlet
By the way it was only a few bucks off the extended in home service. Did you get an extended service contract from TVA?

I'm not sure what you mean - what was a few bucks off the extended in home service?

My wife who runs marketing for a high tech company has been educating me on these product forums (and she's a bit skeptical of some members being tied in with the manufacturers) - any thoughts? My apologies if that's inappropriate discussion material.

When you spend some time reading around here, you can figure out who you can trust;) . There is some marketing that goes on, and some biased bashing, but you can filter through that.

Originally posted by emiddlet
... and she's a bit skeptical of some members being tied in with the manufacturers) - any thoughts?
There are some very appreciated members who are up front about working for a manufacturer of products discussed in these forums.

There are occasional stealth marketers who sometimes get pounded. As tjk said, it's not hard to tell.

Originally posted by emiddlet
thanks tjk...when I asked Kim at TVA for the avs forum discount she mentioned taking your order for the 4674. By the way it was only a few bucks off the extended in home service. Did you get an extended service contract from TVA?

My wife who runs marketing for a high tech company has been educating me on these product forums (and she's a bit skeptical of some members being tied in with the manufacturers) - any thoughts? My apologies if that's inappropriate discussion material.

we can get a discount from being on this site?

subwoofer - yes - I don't think it always exists, but she took $50 off the price of an extended in home service contract. She made it sound like the discount usually applies to product, but not with something like the xx74 which is brand new.

htwaits - just moved to ATL after living in the Bay Area for 11 years. I was able to buy a home that has a Great room and an option for a true home theater.

Originally posted by emiddlet
htwaits - just moved to ATL after living in the Bay Area for 11 years. I was able to buy a home that has a Great room and an option for a true home theater.
Man do I hate bragging!!!!! ;)

Originally posted by subwoofer
ks-man, got any pictures to share with us?

Also, how far are you sitting from it? what games are you playing on it? and do you notice it to be blocky graphics since you have a 56" dlp now?

I don't have any PS2 pictures. I'm heading away for Thanksgiving tomorrow and won't be back until next week. Remind me then and I'll snap a few photos and post them.

I've played GTA:SA a few times and a quick game of Fifa 2005 to test the lag. Graphics seem good but not too different from on the old set, just a lot bigger.

I haven't done too much playing on the TV, just been watching movies since I don't have HD yet. I did spend the last 10 hours watching the 3 LOTR movies (2EEs and ROTK). I had the day off from work and figured how better to break in the set.

^thanks, I'll send you a PM next week.

Originally posted by tjk
Gus,

Sweeeeet setup!! I guess you were really waiting for the 5674 with that cabinet built!

I chuckled a little bit about the question as to whether the speakers were axioms. Not because it was a bad question, but because I have Axioms (with an M&K sub), and the Nautilus line is in an ever so slightly different price class.:D I have no complaints about Axiom, and I liked them 1000 times more than B&W's 600 series, but man do the Nautilus speakers sound good.

How's the 3910 setup treating you? I can't imagine a better picture.

I just thought they sorta looked like Axioms, with a similar wood finish and look. I'll have to check out Nautilus's but who knows where I'll be able to test them and hear them.

Guess I better not mention I have Polk satellite speakers in my place. They sound loud enough and clear to me and are barely noticed.

Group,

Picked up my HLP5674W yesterday. This is my first non-CRT TV. Should the color look the same as it does on a CRT? It seems to be off a little. I've tried to pin it down, but It's difficult. It looks like it has a slight greenish or yellowish tint to it at times, particularly in darker scenes.

I've played with the two color adjustments that I've found in the menus but it doesn't seem to do the trick. I've gone into the service menu and saw that there are adjustments that could be made there. Is there a calibration that needs to be done, or is this color issue just a function of projection TV's?

Thanks,
Randy

Originally posted by RCBrust
Group,

Picked up my HLP5674W yesterday. This is my first non-CRT TV. Should the color look the same as it does on a CRT? It seems to be off a little. I've tried to pin it down, but It's difficult. It looks like it has a slight greenish or yellowish tint to it at times, particularly in darker scenes.

I've played with the two color adjustments that I've found in the menus but it doesn't seem to do the trick. I've gone into the service menu and saw that there are adjustments that could be made there. Is there a calibration that needs to be done, or is this color issue just a function of projection TV's?

Thanks,
Randy

I wouldn't do anything in the service menu before a thorough calibration with Avia (or DVE, but I can only speak to Avia since it is all I've used). With Avia, it's pretty easy to tell if you are getting green or red push. I was able to dial in pretty accurate color settings using Avia.

Are you using component or DVI/HDMI? I assume component because you said there were two color adjustments - with DVI, tint is not adjustable. In short, don't rely on movie scenes to judge color. And the color may not be off, just not what you are used to having just gone from CRT to DLP.

Thanks tjk, I am using component, at least for now.

Question. When you run one of these calibration DVD's, where are you making the adjustments, in the service menu, or just in the standard menus?

Randy

Originally posted by RCBrust
Thanks tjk, I am using component, at least for now.

Question. When you run one of these calibration DVD's, where are you making the adjustments, in the service menu, or just in the standard menus?

Randy

The calibration DVD's are designed to help you dial in the correct settings in the standard user menu. There are five basic tests on Avia - one for white level (contrast), black level (brightness), picture (sharpness), color and hue (tint) combined, and then a final test to help determine if your set is exhibiting red or green push.

There are probably at least 100 test patterns beyond these five basic tests that a professional calibrator would probably refer to if adjusting the service menu. I ran a lot of these patterns just to see how well my TV and DVD player were functioning. If I ran into any serious problems, I would probably start by contacting the manufacturer and tell them I needed a tech to come out and adjust something. If I was still unhappy with PQ, but the set was otherwise functioning well, I would get a professional calibration. The reason I would start with the manufacturer is sometimes you can get lucky and wind up with an ISF certified technician who will adjust your service menu as part of the warranty service.

Fortunately (knock on wood) I've been happy enough with PQ after an Avia calibration that I haven't had the urge to call anyone (yet).

Those of you with the 5674, where are you ending up with Contrast and brightness for the 3 modes over HDMI/DVI/Component? I am finding that contrast levels above the 25 mark create way too much blooming and are contributing to the out of focus condition.

BTW, that is with DNIe off. With it on, picture is less out of focus and I can push the contrast into the 40's.

It just seems strange that I hear folks with contrast in the 80/90 range and do not understand why the big difference...

Originally posted by tjk
The calibration DVD's are designed to help you dial in the correct settings in the standard user menu. There are five basic tests on Avia - one for white level (contrast), black level (brightness), picture (sharpness), color and hue (tint) combined, and then a final test to help determine if your set is exhibiting red or green push.

There are probably at least 100 test patterns beyond these five basic tests that a professional calibrator would probably refer to if adjusting the service menu. I ran a lot of these patterns just to see how well my TV and DVD player were functioning. If I ran into any serious problems, I would probably start by contacting the manufacturer and tell them I needed a tech to come out and adjust something. If I was still unhappy with PQ, but the set was otherwise functioning well, I would get a professional calibration. The reason I would start with the manufacturer is sometimes you can get lucky and wind up with an ISF certified technician who will adjust your service menu as part of the warranty service.

Fortunately (knock on wood) I've been happy enough with PQ after an Avia calibration that I haven't had the urge to call anyone (yet).

TJK

Now for a really naive ?: This Avia calibration thingie is a DVD?? So you put it in your DVD player in the system and it takes you through adjustments??? Where does one buy such a DVD???

thanks

mismatched (again)

Originally posted by mismatched
TJK

Now for a really naive ?: This Avia calibration thingie is a DVD?? So you put it in your DVD player in the system and it takes you through adjustments??? Where does one buy such a DVD???

thanks

mismatched (again)

Yes, it's a DVD. Go to your favorite website and type in Avia. Very easy to find.

scpanel,

How do you like your DISH HDDVR 921? I am considering as well as a 5674.

Originally posted by scpanel
BTW, that is with DNIe off. With it on, picture is less out of focus and I can push the contrast into the 40's.

It just seems strange that I hear folks with contrast in the 80/90 range and do not understand why the big difference...

I think you are confusing some terminology.

Blooming is not something that DLP displays are susceptible. Blooming is caused on CRT based displays when the contrast is too high, as it causes the bright to become larger as the phosphors are oversaturated and neighbors start lighting up too. A fixed pixel display like a DLP or LCD can not bloom.

Focus is mechanically fixed and can not vary based on content, contrast level, or enabling of edge enhancement features on a DLP set.

If you can get up close to the screen and make out the pixel structure, your focus is fine.

I think what you might be seeing are clipping of the whites (everything above a certain level of white loses detail and just washes out to solid white) which you are calling blooming, and a preference for strong edge enhancement (the lack of which you call poor focus).

Without being able to evaluate the source and the TV itself with a test pattern generator, there is no telling exactly where your contrast and brightness should be set. I would recommend viewing the HDNet test pattern if you get HDNet (aired every tuesday morning) to evalute your HD contrast/brightness and a test pattern DVD like Avia to set your DVD player.

Originally posted by FLApilot
scpanel,

How do you like your DISH HDDVR 921? I am considering as well as a 5674.

It has been a great HDDVR. Plus there is a new software upgrade coming after Thanksgiving.

Cheezmo, I did misstate in my earlier post, I am using DVE and the HDNET test pattern from my DISH 921. But what I find really strange is this white clipping as you call it, I never saw this on my Mits 52725 and am wondering if there is something wrong w/the set.

I was out looking at plasmas as I have now tried the Mits and the Sammy. At least the Sammy doesnt lockup like the Mits was doing. Even on warm 2 via DVI, and the contrast at 26 and brightness at 50 I am seeing this white clipping. The only way it seems to be best is if I take contrast close to 0, but then the picture is washed out.

So I am still playing with the DNIe, and with it on the whites do not seem to clip as bad. Anyway, this may be my last try at DLP.

OK, I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these, just trying to determine what size. I sit about 9-12 feet away from the set, is a 56 going to be too big? 46 too small?

My room is about 17 x 17. I currently have a mock-up made of paper over the entertainment wall unit (which expands to accomodate either). I'm trying to figure out if the 56 is going to overwhelm the room, which is our living room, main play area for our one-year old, and the entrance to our home. I don't have an HT room in this house, so it's going to be a compromise with the wife ... Thoughts?

M3Pete: At 9-12 ft the 56 will be much better than a 46. I have a 6163 for this distance and think it is excellent.

I'm going to be 6-10 feet away (big sectional couch with the wedge of it facing the tv) is a 46" or 56" better?

6 to 10 ft is a large range. My experience so far agrees with many others, namely that one should not be much closer than 2x(the tv's diagonal) for these 720p dlp's. This indicator would suggest no larger than a 36" tv for 6ft and a 60" one for 10ft, again a large range. But I, personally, would go for the 56" unit, for my 6163 still looks quite good closer than 10 ft.

My 5674 is being shipped. If I want me TV calibrated, should I wait and put a few hours on the TV first.

Of course there are many resources out there to consider, but I went to CNET.com, and here is their recommendation for HDTVs in general. I think that the 74 series is probably one of the better sets out there, so the distances recommended below might be better on the lower multiple side, closer to the 2x that millerwill recommended.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5108432-1.html?tag=hdtv.4520-7874_1-5108432-1

"Go as big as you can afford.

From a home-theater perspective, you want the most immersive picture you can get, so bigger is usually better--as long as you have the room. For wide-screen HDTVs, a good rule of thumb is to sit between 1.5 and 3 times the screen's diagonal measurement away. For example, a 42-inch wide-screen set should be placed at least 63 inches (about 5 feet) from the couch. Conversely, a TV that's too small can cause eyestrain since you have to squint to make out the details. Also: while the difference between a 42-inch wide-screen TV and a 50-inch model may seem like "only" 8 inches, the 50-inch model actually offers 39 percent more screen real estate--a big jump."

FYI, the screen area difference between the 46 and 56 is 48 percent. So it's nearly a 50 percent increase to go from the 46 to the 56, for only a 9.3 inch increase in overall width of the TV.

Here are tables from CNET that I tried to format to include here, but I just can't:

http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5108580-2.html?tag=more

Originally posted by pdermody
Ok, I have another issue. The timer light seems to randomly blink/flash. I mean I see it flash when I send any IR in the room, but it seems to continually blink after that as well. Sometimes it will quit for a few minutes, and after that it will pick back and start blinking/flashing, pausing for about 5 seconds, then blinking fairly fast for about 3-4 times. Looking in the manual I see no mention of this symptom so I called Samsung, but the call was pretty worthless. Also, it seems to blink even when the TV is off, ie I will have the red standby light, but the timer light will blink/flash green as described above. I have tried unplugging the set and what not as instructed by Samsung, but it did not do any good. Other than that the set seems to function normally.

-pd

in case anyone cares, it was my laptops ir port triggering the timer light.

-pd

Originally posted by Stewee
My 5674 is being shipped. If I want me TV calibrated, should I wait and put a few hours on the TV first. They say to put at least 100 hours on it first.

Originally posted by Stewee
My 5674 is being shipped. If I want me TV calibrated, should I wait and put a few hours on the TV first.
There are two reasons I would wait for a while.

Electronics that fail do so early much more often than later. Depending on what is replaced, even if you can reenter all your ISF calibrated values, it will not be as good. Increase your chances of getting the most out of an ISF calibration by waiting a while.

Some think that the bulb will produce different light values as it ages. It's biggest change is supposed to be in the first 100 hours.

The worst case would be getting the ISF calibration right away and then need to exchange the set. :rolleyes:

Just got new hlp5674 a replacement/upgrade from hln567w. Like the set but have several ?'s and would appreciate some feed back. In the picture setting there is an "expand" mode as well as a "wide TV" what if any is the difference. The owners manual refers only to zoom 1/2 which does not exist on this set but is the older terminology???!!!?

Also when set is powered on there is a medium pitched whine that lasts about 2 seconds. Never heard this on the HLN.

Any suggestions for settings contrast/brightness etc. Out of the box this is better than the HLN but will obviously need adjusting. Was able to get good picture with the user settings on the HLN and hope to do the same with this set and avoid SM changes.

Thanks for the input!!

I was hoping someone who's actually bought the xx74 might compare the PQ of the xx74 with the xx85. Is PQ as good? Or are there noticeable differences? I'm tempted to dive into the hlp5674 and call it good...but almost as tempted to wait even longer for the xhd3 models (I realize that puts me in the category of a glutton for punishment).

when do those come out? the xhd3

Originally posted by TheoMD
In the picture setting there is an "expand" mode as well as a "wide TV" what if any is the difference.

The "p. size" options for HDMI or DVI inputs are:

Wide (TV) -- for Anamorphic Widescreen DVD movies or HDTV sources. There will be some over-scan. If the source is putting side bars on SD material then use it for that too.

Expand -- others have discovered that this setting results in 1x1 bit mapping and much less over-scan. So far it looks like you would use it the same as Wide (TV). I would like to get a chance to see what it does with Letterbox widescreen movies.

4x3 -- for Academy Standard 4x3 films or SD analog images that arrive without being inserted with side bars in a 16x9 frame.

If you are using a component connection the "p. size" options are the same as HLN and HLM models.

Wide
Panoramic
Zoom 1
Zoom 2
4x3 (Normal in HLN and HLM models)

After I get back from vacation I'll have a chance to try Expand with a scaling DVD player. I use a HTPC now which is set up to display all these movie aspect ratios correctly so that my HLP5063 is always set to Wide (TV) or now Expand.

I'll post what I find out in the "black bars" thread that is linked at the bottom of my messages.

The owners manual refers only to zoom 1/2 which does not exist on this set but is the older terminology???!!!?

Zoom 1 & 2 have always been associated with component input.

Also when set is powered on there is a medium pitched whine that lasts about 2 seconds. Never heard this on the HLN.

I don't hear anything when I power on the HLP5063.

Any suggestions for settings contrast/brightness etc.

For DVD movies I'm using these settings for DVI input. It wouldn't hurt to try them but you need at least Avia or Digital Video Essentials to get a good start. I'm going to get an ISF calibration done as soon as I can.

Cinema Mode
DNIe OFF
DNR OFF
Contrast 90
Brightness 45
Sharpness 0
Color 48

The only thing I've done in the service menu is set gamma to 0.

Until there are more HLPxx74 owners it will be hard to find user adjustments that are close to what your set needs.

Enjoy your set.

Thanks. Will also have to wait for more input as the set permeates the AV world.

Still concerned about this noise it happens every time on start up lasts two seconds or so and sounds like a low pitched whine or sign. It happens just prior to the picture appearing?? The HLN567 never made a similar noise any thoughts. Thanks

Originally posted by TheoMD
Still concerned about this noise it happens every time on start up lasts two seconds or so and sounds like a low pitched whine or sign. It happens just prior to the picture appearing?? The HLN567 never made a similar noise any thoughts. Thanks

It's the color wheel spinning up. Won't cause any harm.

Dale

Originally posted by TheoMD
Still concerned about this noise it happens every time on start up lasts two seconds or so and sounds like a low pitched whine or sign. It happens just prior to the picture appearing?? The HLN567 never made a similar noise any thoughts. Thanks

I get the same whine about 50% of the time that I start up the tv. I figure I will give it time and see if it gets better or worse. I figure that I have a 15 month warranty from Samsung and a total of 5 years protection from Tweeter so if it gets worse I'm not concerned about it. Since I've only had it for a couple of days there is no need to race to fix it. After the initial start-up whine I don't have any problems.

I'm away from home but one thing I will try which I don't know if you did is turning off the harmony chime on startup and shutdown. I'd see if that does anything.

They just dropped off my 5674 and took away my 567. Wow, nice picture. I like the new bezel color, although it doesn't match the old 567's stand. I also like the new menu and controls. I switched the settings to htwaits (except gamma)and it outstanding. I'm waiting for my 941 before I use Avia. I can't imagine how it will look after 100 hours and a ISF calibration. No whine on start-up BTW.

Cool H D! Mine is coming on Saturday. Can't wait. I'll definately adjust according to this thread.

Originally posted by Hi Deaf
They just dropped off my 5674 and took away my 567. Wow, nice picture. I like the new bezel color, although it doesn't match the old 567's stand. I also like the new menu and controls. I switched the settings to htwaits (except gamma)and it outstanding. I'm waiting for my 941 before I use Avia. I can't imagine how it will look after 100 hours and a ISF calibration. No whine on start-up BTW.

You lucky dog! I should get mine some time between 1 and 5. 1:20 now, come on baby.

Dale

Originally posted by Hi Deaf
They just dropped off my 5674 and took away my 567. Wow, nice picture. I like the new bezel color, although it doesn't match the old 567's stand. I also like the new menu and controls. I switched the settings to htwaits (except gamma)and it outstanding. I'm waiting for my 941 before I use Avia. I can't imagine how it will look after 100 hours and a ISF calibration. No whine on start-up BTW.

This message was intended for "Hi Deaf"

Glad to hear that the set is spectacular "out of the box"!

Now DK or anyone -- I keep hearing about ISF calibration and would like to know what ISF stands for and the way to get this done!!

mismatched

It's the Imaging Science Foundation. Check out the website here (http://www.imagingscience.com/about.htm) They have links to local ISF techs who can help you.

Originally posted by mismatched
I keep hearing about ISF calibration and would like to know what ISF stands for and the way to get this done!!

It stands for Imaging Science Foundation (http://www.imagingscience.com/)

Follow that link and you can read about them. There are several ISF certified calibrators who contribute to these forums. SethS is an instructor and can suggest other ISF calibrators in different parts of the country.

"anyone"

Hey! I beat htwaits for once! My typing must be getting faster. :)

Thanks. Turns out the store I purchased my 5674 is certified and with calibration equipment. So I should wait for a 100 hrs of on time before having the set calibrated by Chelsea Audio Hifi???

why is it important to wait 100 hours?

on one or more of these forums I read about the need for burn in time on these DLP sets to allow the bulb to stabilize or whatever. the bottom line was dont spend a lot of time calibrating until the bulb has had some burn in time. These were posts by apparently knowledgeable people including senior members of this forum. Now I am a "senior" but only in age!

Don't say burn in, you may get some people scared :)

Originally posted by subwoofer
Don't say burn in, you may get some people scared :)

you're right, "burn in is a no no these days!!"

thanks

M

I did turn the melody off initially as thought this may be related. No difference in whine with off/on. Went back to Tweeter today and the display made no such noise. I have arranged for an exchange.

Originally posted by Hi Deaf
Hey! I beat htwaits for once! My typing must be getting faster. :)
Foul!!! Someone kicked sand on my keyboard. :mad:

Originally posted by subwoofer
why is it important to wait 100 hours?
To save money on an ISF calibration is one.

The most rapid color change in the light produced by the bulbs is supposed to happen when it is new. The rate of change reduces as the bulb ages.

Most electronic failures happen to new equipment. If you rush to calibrate and then have to exchange the set or have repairs that effect PQ you will need a second calibration.

A short wait improves your odds of getting the most out of a calibration.

There -- I didn't use the "b" word. :D

Originally posted by mismatched
on one or more of these forums I read about the need for burn in time on these DLP sets to allow the bulb to stabilize or whatever. the bottom line was dont spend a lot of time calibrating until the bulb has had some burn in time. These were posts by apparently knowledgeable people including senior members of this forum. Now I am a "senior" but only in age!

That certainly applies to paying for a professional calibration and to spending a lot of time on convergence on CRT based RPTVs.

But, what harm is there in spending 10-20 minutes to get your DLP looking good for the next month, even if you will have to spend 10-20 minutes again in a month. All you have to lose is the 10-20 minutes.

Now, if you are talking about paying a calibrator $300 or so to have a full calibration, of course you would wait.

Plus, the only signifant thing that will change with the bulb aging is grayscale. If you aren't calibrating the grayscale anyway, why not do everything you can right away?

I am willing to bet that if you do a DVE/Avia calibration of the user adjustable items (contrast, brightness, color, tint, etc.) and then check again after your bulb has broken in, nothing will have changed.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
That certainly applies to paying for a professional calibration and to spending a lot of time on convergence on CRT based RPTVs.

But, what harm is there in spending 10-20 minutes to get your DLP looking good for the next month, even if you will have to spend 10-20 minutes again in a month. All you have to lose is the 10-20 minutes.

Now, if you are talking about paying a calibrator $300 or so to have a full calibration, of course you would wait.

Plus, the only signifant thing that will change with the bulb aging is grayscale. If you aren't calibrating the grayscale anyway, why not do everything you can right away?

I am willing to bet that if you do a DVE/Avia calibration of the user adjustable items (contrast, brightness, color, tint, etc.) and then check again after your bulb has broken in, nothing will have changed.

Whoa -- I stand corrected, at least partially. Seriously again to these guys in the know for their insights. I must admit the ~100 hr wait time was meant to apply for a pro calibration.

M

Cheezmo,

Do you think the white clipping problem could be fixed with an ISF calibration?

I have not heard anyone else having the same problem so I am trying to determine if I should just return the tv and maybe just get a plasma and be done with it.

I'm sure a knowledgeable calibrator would be able to correct the issue. I would ask if they could look at that specific issue first and cancel the calibration if that can't be dealt with so you can get it serviced.

Originally posted by tjk
Yes, it's a DVD. Go to your favorite website and type in Avia. Very easy to find.

A question on the Avia disk. If I use it on the 5674 to calibrate the DVI input with my DVD player (since its a DVD Avia disk), how do I calibrate the other inputs? How would I calibrate satellite, VHS, cable and other inputs if I can't play the DVD and follow along?

Your DVD player probably also has composite, S-Video, and component outputs, use them to calibrate for that type of input.

Ok, have the 5674 installed. First impressions is that it's too bright. I toned down the brightness and contrast. Still seems too bright and washed out, the blacks are not that black. My old 5063 had much deeper blacks. The picture is huge in comparison to the 5063 for some reason. Seems a lot more then 6 inches. Overall the picutre is nice, slight upgrade from the 5063, but not enough to warrant a 1k upgrade IMO. I think I need to keep tweaking the grey scale a bit.

Any recommendations Cheezmo? I already ran DVE on the Composite input for my DVD player. The contrast seems to be the most difficult to tweak. When you max out the contrast, it doesn't bloom like in the video, so where the heck do I set it. OTher then that, the tv fit so perfect in my nook above the fireplace that the bezel sits right against the lips of the wall on the nook. Looks like a Plasma. :P

Dale

Originally posted by dkyork
Ok, have the 5674 installed. First impressions is that it's too bright. I toned down the brightness and contrast. Still seems too bright and washed out, the blacks are not that black. My old 5063 had much deeper blacks. The picture is huge in comparison to the 5063 for some reason. Seems a lot more then 6 inches. Overall the picutre is nice, slight upgrade from the 5063, but not enough to warrant a 1k upgrade IMO. I think I need to keep tweaking the grey scale a bit.

Any recommendations Cheezmo? I already ran DVE on the Composite input for my DVD player. The contrast seems to be the most difficult to tweak. When you max out the contrast, it doesn't bloom like in the video, so where the heck do I set it. OTher then that, the tv fit so perfect in my nook above the fireplace that the bezel sits right against the lips of the wall on the nook. Looks like a Plasma. :P

Dale

Relax I bet you it is an adjustment problem. Watched the same set at the store and was not too bright and the colors were not washed out. But this is all objective BS so wait for the experts to advise. but relax it will get better!!

M

Cheezmo, you have a PM. Thanks.

to let me purchase a 4674 as a family holiday gift. have to run up to my local tweeter on friday to take a look (hopefully they have one up and running), but the discussion here has really wet my appetite! our cabinet is exactly 41" wide (inside measurement), so the narrow bezel is what will allow it to fit (and i can't wait to see the picture from inside the entertainment center -- it should look like nothing but picture inside the walls!).

hope to join you all soon.

Originally posted by davidwb
our cabinet is exactly 41" wide (inside measurement), so the narrow bezel is what will allow it to fit (and i can't wait to see the picture from inside the entertainment center -- it should look like nothing but picture inside the walls!).

hope to join you all soon.

That is exactly what we had, a 41" opening which housed a Toshiba rear-projection tv that was put in with the house in 1994. We inherited the tv with the house when we bought it a year ago. I will have to say the HLP-4674W fits very nicely into the space, although I am going to have to modify the cabinet a bit since the prior tv had a base cabinet built into it. I have a wooden chest below it right now just to hold it in position, but have the materials to build a shelf to put it on. Maybe this afternoon or tomorrow... It seems to have plenty of room to ventilate behind the TV as the cabinet is 24" deep.

My biggest issue is now the heat in the cabinet just to the left which houses my receiver, dvd player, and new SA 8300HD cable box / pvr. That pvr really generates a lot of heat...and the receiver always did. I am considering placing a fan on the top of the entertainment center which would draw air out of the component space...

Originally posted by dkyork
The contrast seems to be the most difficult to tweak. When you max out the contrast, it doesn't bloom like in the video, so where the heck do I set it.
Dale

I'm sure Steve will have a better answer than me, but my understanding from using Avia is that blooming only refers to CRT displays.

I set contrast at the point where the bottom half of the screen reached it's maximum whiteness (i.e. stopped getting whiter). For my set, that was at 80.

Even the Lions look good in HD.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.:D :D

There is a pattern on DVE specifically designed for setting contrast on fixed pixel displays. I don't have it handy, but it should have two crossing white "ramps" at the top.

The relatives I'm staying with today have a copy... Title 12 Chapter 14.

I just got the 5674 yesterday, and the HD picture is stunning. The TV is extremely bright, which makes watching football in a brigthly lit room not a problem. My choice was between this and the Mitsi 725, however the glare on the Mitsi is a major issue and the 5674 has NO glare.
The only negatives so far, is the manual, the pip and the remote.
The manual is very brief in all of the Sammy's features, and it really does not describe the options in detail. The PIP cannot be moved on the fly, it can't be swapped with component video, and you can't easily switch the audio. Finally the last issue, and the most important to me is that the remote does not have a code to operate the Comcast 6200 STB. Does anyone know of a code that will allow the Sammy remote to operate the Comcast STB?

Where on the back of the 74 series (56 inch) are the AV jacks? When facing the TV, are they on the Left hand side or the right hand side. I know the side jacks are on the RHS side, when facing the TV. Mine is coming tomorrow, and I need a cable, but don't know which length. The drawing does not really say, IMO.


Thanks.

Originally posted by 12many
Where on the back of the 74 series (56 inch) are the AV jacks? When facing the TV, are they on the Left hand side or the right hand side. I know the side jacks are on the RHS side, when facing the TV. Mine is coming tomorrow, and I need a cable, but don't know which length. The drawing does not really say, IMO.


Thanks.

Facing TV they are on the right hand side.

We were a few days behind the curve here with Magnolias getting later shipments. I'd prepaid for the HLP5674 so I had one waiting on Friday the 26th. Naturally the busiest shopping day of the year.

Setup was easy, my wife and son helped get it out of the box. My wife was nervous about the size of the box but the TV sits just right in our TV room.

My first look was with Sat SD. Uh oh. Not so great. Got it all tweaked and the stretched SD started looking better. What everyone here has said about SD is true. Its OK, not great. Then it was time to test out DVD via component. Beautiful picture. Went through some Finding Nemo and Pirates of the C. and the color, contrast and detail were all spot on.

Today, I switched from Dish to Directv and got the HD package with the Tivo HD-250. Hooked up with HDMI and the HD is STUNNING quality. Sharp as a tack. Then added the DVI cable from my Denon DVI and what had been great became sensational.

Even English Premier League soccer looks decent in the SD 4:3 and reasonable in the Panorama mode. First look at some college basketball and football show flaws in the source. What's one to do?

OK, I'm one that was waiting for this TV since last May when it was announced and after first viewing and some minor tweaks, I can say that with only the SD conditions, it is a fantastic viewing machine.

Bill

Denon 5900
Tivo HD 250
Rotel 1055
Rotel 1085
Paradigm Studio 40
CC 470
ADP 470 Surrounds
Samsung HLP 5674

We like to see more 74 series pictures. Big TIA!

Originally posted by Bill Briare
Facing TV they are on the right hand side.

Thanks. I use to live in Portland. Very nice area.

Originally posted by 12many
Thanks. I use to live in Portland. Very nice area.

I grew up in Las Vegas. Looks like we switched places.

Hi guys, I have a few questions to those with the 5674 model...

I currently have the HLP5063 and am currently on my 3rd set due to the 3 blinking light problem, well my 3rd set just today got it again. I'm now debating whether to just replace that one again, or upgrade to the new 5674 model.

1. Has anyone heard or had the 3 blinking light problems with the new sets?
2. What are the significant differences between the 2 TV's, such as color wheel, light engine, and HD chip?
3. Anyone have any problems with the blotches on the screen caused by air pockets or moisture?
4. How much better (or worse) is the audio delay and delay for video game consoles (most noticible for me at least on the PS2)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to get to Magnolia tomorrow morning and do the exchange/upgrade.

Originally posted by Wingfan191
Hi guys, I have a few questions to those with the 5674 model...

I currently have the HLP5063 and am currently on my 3rd set due to the 3 blinking light problem, well my 3rd set just today got it again. I'm now debating whether to just replace that one again, or upgrade to the new 5674 model.

1. Has anyone heard or had the 3 blinking light problems with the new sets?
2. What are the significant differences between the 2 TV's, such as color wheel, light engine, and HD chip?
3. Anyone have any problems with the blotches on the screen caused by air pockets or moisture?
4. How much better (or worse) is the audio delay and delay for video game consoles (most noticible for me at least on the PS2)?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I would like to get to Magnolia tomorrow morning and do the exchange/upgrade.

1. I'm a 4674 owner. I'm not aware of any "74" owners experiencing the 3 BL problem. It's a little too early to report on problems of the set as they have not been out that long. I've had mine for almost a month, and so far (knock on wood) no problems.
2. 74's have HD2+ chip. IMHO, it's worth whatever upgrade charge you have to pay. But I can't tell you how to spend your money, and it depends on what you like to watch. Again, IMHO, for sports there is no comparison between the HD2+ and the HD3. The HD2+ creates a sharpness and realism that the HD3 can't match, hence the markup on the sets. While the 74's have a 6 segment color wheel (vs. 7 segment for the 63's), I have yet to see any concrete evidence that it makes much of a difference. I would do a comparison at Magnolia - they should have both sets up and running.
3. No - again, probably not enough experience with the 74 series to jump to any conclusions, but so far, seems to be a pretty good set from a quality control standpoint.
4. I don't play video games (not that I wouldn't like to, but if I added that to my list of vices, like watching lots of football, I would be headed for divorce court:( ). Seems to me from reading the forum that no hard core gamers are happy with any DLP set.

Originally posted by tjk
1. I'm a 4674 owner. I'm not aware of any "74" owners experiencing the 3 BL problem. It's a little too early to report on problems of the set as they have not been out that long. I've had mine for almost a month, and so far (knock on wood) no problems.
2. 74's have HD2+ chip. IMHO, it's worth whatever upgrade charge you have to pay. But I can't tell you how to spend your money, and it depends on what you like to watch. Again, IMHO, for sports there is no comparison between the HD2+ and the HD3. The HD2+ creates a sharpness and realism that the HD3 can't match, hence the markup on the sets. While the 74's have a 6 segment color wheel (vs. 7 segment for the 63's), I have yet to see any concrete evidence that it makes much of a difference. I would do a comparison at Magnolia - they should have both sets up and running.
3. No - again, probably not enough experience with the 74 series to jump to any conclusions, but so far, seems to be a pretty good set from a quality control standpoint.
4. I don't play video games (not that I wouldn't like to, but if I added that to my list of vices, like watching lots of football, I would be headed for divorce court:( ). Seems to me from reading the forum that no hard core gamers are happy with any DLP set.
Thanks for the info. Amazingly, I just tried to turn my TV on again and it worked, grrrrrr. So now I don't know what to do. I have a feeling it will happen again, it's just a matter of when. If I turn it on tomorrow morning and it gives me the 3BL's, it's outta here. Hopefully it won't and I can keep it for a bit longer so I can get more feedback on the new sets.

I just got back from being away for a few days and my 5674 started up with no whine. It seems that it happens most often if I turn off the set and then turn it back on within a few hours. Should I try turning it off and back on a couple of times to test this or are you not supposed to do that with a DLP?

I'm trying to decide if I should have Tweeter try to fix or replace the tv or not. Apart from the occasional whine at start-up (2-3 seconds) the tv is working fine. Does anybody know if Tweeter usually tries to fix the tvs or just swaps them out with a new one? I'd hate to call them to fix it and lose my tv for a couple of weeks right after I got it. Thanks.

Originally posted by Bill Briare
We were a few days behind the curve here with Magnolias getting later shipments. I'd prepaid for the HLP5674 so I had one waiting on Friday the 26th. Naturally the busiest shopping day of the year.

Setup was easy, my wife and son helped get it out of the box. My wife was nervous about the size of the box but the TV sits just right in our TV room.

My first look was with Sat SD. Uh oh. Not so great. Got it all tweaked and the stretched SD started looking better. What everyone here has said about SD is true. Its OK, not great. Then it was time to test out DVD via component. Beautiful picture. Went through some Finding Nemo and Pirates of the C. and the color, contrast and detail were all spot on.

Today, I switched from Dish to Directv and got the HD package with the Tivo HD-250. Hooked up with HDMI and the HD is STUNNING quality. Sharp as a tack. Then added the DVI cable from my Denon DVI and what had been great became sensational.

Even English Premier League soccer looks decent in the SD 4:3 and reasonable in the Panorama mode. First look at some college basketball and football show flaws in the source. What's one to do?

OK, I'm one that was waiting for this TV since last May when it was announced and after first viewing and some minor tweaks, I can say that with only the SD conditions, it is a fantastic viewing machine.

Bill

Denon 5900
Tivo HD 250
Rotel 1055
Rotel 1085
Paradigm Studio 40
CC 470
ADP 470 Surrounds
Samsung HLP 5674

Bill

I too am in the Portland area and am awaiting arrival of my 5674 (although not from Magnolia). I find your review of SD a bit disappointing. Is SD via cable really going to look worse than it does now on my 8 yr old 45" Mitsubishi rear project CRT set?? Did switching from Dish to Direct TV improve SD PQ?? Did you happen to try HDMI off your Denon DVD player? I am on Comcast and was planning on using a DVI cable from the STB to the TV and HDMI from my 2910 to the TV...

thanks, enjoy your set and post any other words of wisdom that we might find valuable,

Mike

Hi Wingfan, sorry to hear of your troubles. That sound very odd to have three sets in a row have the same problem. Is the set placed in an alcove, or otherwise enclosed location that could be limiting it's ventilation out the back? I really like this 63 series, and that is what I am using in my bedroom theater at the moment. I think that the 7 segment wheel spinning at a faster 10,600 RMP, combined with their new actuator circuit makes for a very smooth image on HD. As for SD, well that is up to the incoming signal. Stick in a DVD via S-video and you can see that it's scaling abilities are great. Even the HD channels at the off hours that are showing upconverted SD looks excellent. But the bottom line is this, garbage in garbage out.

I just picked up a HLN5674W and one thing is driving me nuts, maybe somebody can help me out here.

I use my Outlaw Audio 950 pre/pro and it's component switching. Well I have my DVD player hooked up with component (soon I'll get a DVI player) and my cable box from COX which is a HD box. Then I have a single component cable going to my TV.

Well with the HLN5674W you have 3 component inputs, 1 for 480i, 480p and then 2 for 480p, 720p and 1080i. So I hooked up my component cable to the 480p, 720p 1080i hookup since the component has a signal coming from my HD box. Well with that selection I can't watch regular cable that way.

So how do I do this? Do I have to use S-Video for my cable and component for my HD channels? What a pain if so. I had a panny LCD front projector before this and it just had one single component input and I could use that for whatever was plugged into my recievers component switching.

Does any of this make sense?

What resolution is the HD cable reciever set for for 4:3 material? There is an option in my Comcast Motorola reciever for 4:3 and I have it disabled in the menu. It works fine using DVI, I have not tried component.

Also, what happens if you run the cable box directly to the tv? Does the cable box have DVI out also, and have you tried that yet?

It really sounds like the receiver is putting out a 480i signal for the 4:3 material, another thing to try would be to use the 480i component input and see if the SD channels come in to see if thats the problem, then if so it has to be an option in the cable box.

Originally posted by SethS
Hi Wingfan, sorry to hear of your troubles. That sound very odd to have three sets in a row have the same problem. Is the set placed in an alcove, or otherwise enclosed location that could be limiting it's ventilation out the back? I really like this 63 series, and that is what I am using in my bedroom theater at the moment. I think that the 7 segment wheel spinning at a faster 10,600 RMP, combined with their new actuator circuit makes for a very smooth image on HD. As for SD, well that is up to the incoming signal. Stick in a DVD via S-video and you can see that it's scaling abilities are great. Even the HD channels at the off hours that are showing upconverted SD looks excellent. But the bottom line is this, garbage in garbage out.
No, my tv is out in the open about a foot from the wall sitting on a stand which looks like the ones in the pictures from Samsung's website. I think it might have something to do with heat. Our heater was on and it was very warm in our apt, so I turned it off and let it cool down for a few hours. I then went back upstairs and tried again, and it turned on. So I've gonna hold off a bit longer to see what's going on.

Originally posted by scpanel
It really sounds like the receiver is putting out a 480i signal for the 4:3 material, another thing to try would be to use the 480i component input and see if the SD channels come in to see if thats the problem, then if so it has to be an option in the cable box.

This Motorolla box from COX is pretty old. I can't find anything in the menu to change anything for this box.

I can get SD channels to come in if I use the s-video out and have that hooked up to the TV. But who wants that? :(

There must be some kind of hidden service menu for this box.

Originally posted by mismatched
Bill

I too am in the Portland area and am awaiting arrival of my 5674 (although not from Magnolia). I find your review of SD a bit disappointing. Is SD via cable really going to look worse than it does now on my 8 yr old 45" Mitsubishi rear project CRT set?? Did switching from Dish to Direct TV improve SD PQ?? Did you happen to try HDMI off your Denon DVD player? I am on Comcast and was planning on using a DVI cable from the STB to the TV and HDMI from my 2910 to the TV...

thanks, enjoy your set and post any other words of wisdom that we might find valuable,

Mike

Hey Mike: I was going to PM you awhile back because I figured you were in PDX too. If you enable it or PM I we can talk. To answer your questions: The SD quality is just fine. I went from a 36" Toshiba Cinema series CRT and its a much bigger picture. It does show the limits of SD. Since you are already on Comcast, you will notice the analog channels are not super anyway. I have basic cable so I get the locals there as well. Big difference between the Directv and cable version of the same show.
The PQ change from Dish to Direct was negligible. I only did it because I wanted HD recording and the Dish 921 isn't up to snuff. I already really like the Tivo paradigm for recording much better. It only took a few minutes to figure it out. I can't get HD over the air, I'm out in Happy Valley in Clackamas and will have to deal with an antenna or Comcast HD if I want to get HD locals. The HD package on Direct is free for 6 months.
The Denon player is DVI out so there was no reasonfor me to try HDMI.

Now, to get back on topic... don't be too stressed out about buying this TV. I assume you're getting it at Chelsea if not at Magnolia? I hope they give you a good price as I got a very good price and am quite happy with the service at Magnolia. The PQ of this set is just sensational. There are going to be some shows that seem a bit blotchy and blurred because of the size of the 4:3 but after just two days I am so sold on the HD that I will not be looking for a lot of SD programming. When I do watch it, it is a good enough viewing.
So, to summarize...
High Def is incredible on this set!
DVD's are incredible on this set!
Cable and SD satellite are fine, don't worry too much about them because you'll get used to watching them about 3 minutes into the show and won't even notice anymore that they are SD.
Be prepared to be spoiled by HD, it really does make you want more programming to enjoy.
BB

BB- am just about to buy the 4674 and was planning on using the Dish 921, as I have Dish now. But if I'm better switching to Direct, now's the time. Did you truly find the 921 a pain to use? Anything more to elaborate on? I think the Sat services are pretty much the same.

BB-just called Direct to inquire. Told $999 for HR1--250 HD Reciever/DVR. That's 2x Dish's price. Doesn't seem right.

Originally posted by Bill Briare
Hey Mike: I was going to PM you awhile back because I figured you were in PDX too. If you enable it or PM I we can talk. To answer your questions: The SD quality is just fine. I went from a 36" Toshiba Cinema series CRT and its a much bigger picture. It does show the limits of SD. Since you are already on Comcast, you will notice the analog channels are not super anyway. I have basic cable so I get the locals there as well. Big difference between the Directv and cable version of the same show.
The PQ change from Dish to Direct was negligible. I only did it because I wanted HD recording and the Dish 921 isn't up to snuff. I already really like the Tivo paradigm for recording much better. It only took a few minutes to figure it out. I can't get HD over the air, I'm out in Happy Valley in Clackamas and will have to deal with an antenna or Comcast HD if I want to get HD locals. The HD package on Direct is free for 6 months.
The Denon player is DVI out so there was no reasonfor me to try HDMI.

Now, to get back on topic... don't be too stressed out about buying this TV. I assume you're getting it at Chelsea if not at Magnolia? I hope they give you a good price as I got a very good price and am quite happy with the service at Magnolia. The PQ of this set is just sensational. There are going to be some shows that seem a bit blotchy and blurred because of the size of the 4:3 but after just two days I am so sold on the HD that I will not be looking for a lot of SD programming. When I do watch it, it is a good enough viewing.
So, to summarize...
High Def is incredible on this set!
DVD's are incredible on this set!
Cable and SD satellite are fine, don't worry too much about them because you'll get used to watching them about 3 minutes into the show and won't even notice anymore that they are SD.
Be prepared to be spoiled by HD, it really does make you want more programming to enjoy.
BB

Bill

Thanks for the clarification on SD vs HD. I do know that now having HD will spoil me. That may be good and will reduce my viewing time!!

I enabled PM although I don't know how to use it! I did get a better deal at Chelsea than Magnolia based on a package price of the 5674, a Denon 2910 and a Denon 3805 receiver. Included were B&W speakers to complete my surround system. I did not want to mix speaker types in my system and have been very happy with the sound of the B&Ws, personal taste I realize. So if you want to PM perhaps we can help each out on the intricacies of this HT stuff, which I am totally new at..

Mike

Originally posted by oregonstitch
BB-just called Direct to inquire. Told $999 for HR1--250 HD Reciever/DVR. That's 2x Dish's price. Doesn't seem right. SolidSignal, a board sponsor (see ads above) sells it for much less than $999, but NOBODY sells the HR1-250 for anywhere close to $500.

Supply and demand, nobody makes an equivalent HD receiver/DVR unit for D* yet, so the demand and price remain high. You can sometimes get D* to give you some incentives on service to make it better. Go to either the AVS DVR forum or the Tivo Communities forum that is linked here from AVS for more details.

Originally posted by mismatched


I enabled PM although I don't know how to use it!

Mike

Mike: Above any message is a small box labeled PM. If you click on that above my messages you will send a private message. If you want to read your messages, click on the link above in the 'menus' that says User CP. That will get you to your personal area where you can read PM's or look at any threads that you have subscribed to.

Good luck with your purchases. It looks like you've got a great system coming.
BB

Originally posted by oregonstitch
BB- am just about to buy the 4674 and was planning on using the Dish 921, as I have Dish now. But if I'm better switching to Direct, now's the time. Did you truly find the 921 a pain to use? Anything more to elaborate on? I think the Sat services are pretty much the same.

Stitch:
This goes a bit a field of the thread title but I've researched the 921 vs. the Tivo 250 pretty thoroughly for about six months. I was ready to be an early adopter of the 921 but couldn't get one and then the troubles started mounting for lots of people. I've been with Dish for years without problems so the decision to move was not taken lightly. I know the 921 just had a big price drop, they have a lot of refurbished units on their hands from what I understand.
I plugged 'soccer' into the Tivo and now its automatically recording soccer for me. There are already a lot of things I like about its interface and things I miss about the Dish DVR. I never had the 921, just going on other's opinions. Do your research and then decide, they both have their benefits I'm sure.

Oh, one of the things that kept me from buying the 921 was that they can't get local channels listings OTA. Come to find out in my location (other side of Mt. Scott), I have trouble getting OTA on the Tivo. So one of the main reasons I went with Tivo is now moot. I'm watching Aimee Mann in HD and its great sound and pic. All is good. PM if you have questions or give me a call.
Bill

Originally posted by Bill Briare
Stitch:
This goes a bit a field of the thread title but I've researched the 921 vs. the Tivo 250 pretty thoroughly for about six months. I was ready to be an early adopter of the 921 but couldn't get one and then the troubles started mounting for lots of people. I've been with Dish for years without problems so the decision to move was not taken lightly. Bill

I have a 921 and think it is the best HDDVR out there. DISH has been sending software updates to solve many of these OTA issues you mention and there is a new release coming in the next week or so. I am very pleased with mine and had DIRECTTV but they never offered much HD programming in the beginning nor an HD DVR and would never switch back.

Bill, scpanel & M3 Pete,

Many thanks, and sorry for getting off track a bit. BTW, when people refer to the "light engine", is that just the blub? That's what the sales guy at Sound Advice/Tweeters told me. But that too does not seem correct. Have we learned what light engine is in the XX74? I've seen many posts refering to it as the HD2 light engine, implying it is in some way a weak link in the light engine/color wheel/HD2+ chip chain.

We were at Magnolia in Santa Clara, CA today. They have the 5674 up on display... with a noticable blue tint to everything. We asked the salesmen to check connections, etc, but nothing he or we could do with the remote could get rid of the blue tint.

Since we're comparison shopping (4674 vs. the Panasonic PT-50DL54), the tint scares us a bit. So, we went to the Magnolia in Palo Alto, CA who also have a 5674 up (but no 50DL54 :( ) . However, it did not have the blue tint.

I'm hoping/assuming this may still be a connection problem or just a dud of a unit, but I'm curious if anyone else has seen this on the new Sammy's. Was it just this unit or is this a relatively widespread problem?

Thanks.

Originally posted by allenw
We were at Magnolia in Santa Clara, CA today. They have the 5674 up on display... with a noticable blue tint to everything. We asked the salesmen to check connections, etc, but nothing he or we could do with the remote could get rid of the blue tint.

Since we're comparison shopping (4674 vs. the Panasonic PT-50DL54), the tint scares us a bit. So, we went to the Magnolia in Palo Alto, CA who also have a 5674 up (but no 50DL54 :( ) . However, it did not have the blue tint.

I'm hoping/assuming this may still be a connection problem or just a dud of a unit, but I'm curious if anyone else has seen this on the new Sammy's. Was it just this unit or is this a relatively widespread problem?

Thanks.

I have seen a 4674 in person and did not notice any blue tint problem. there are adjustments for color tone that are warm and cool etc and that may be the problem. I think the fact that the second store did not have the blue tint problem answers your ? better than I can

Mike

Fan cheering at football game. ESPNHD

Huddle up in snow bowl.

Raider breather

Smallville Girl

I'm learning its pretty tough to take decent pics of a DLP. Of course, I'm just pointing and shooting without a tripod or setup. Couch potato pics for tonight.

This one seems a bit blurry but Smallville seems shot with very soft filters anyway.

Last one.

For anyone having concerns about SD over a 74 series:

Well I just hooked up 4674 on Friday night. Out of the box, I was extremely unhappy with SD via Dish Network DVR. I literally considered the stations unwatchable and really doubted my purcase for a while. I did play around with picture settings all evening and again on Saturday. It seemed that I was able to get the picture to be not very good but watchable. On Sunday, I got up and turned the TV on and left it on most the morning. By lunch time, I could start seeing a noticeable difference in picture quality for the better. By Sunday evening, I would say the picture was pretty comparable to what I saw on my old Toshiba 32". Since it is a bigger display, obviously the picture isn't going to be as sharp.

So in the end, I feel there is a lot of truth to what people say about the bulb needing to be burned in. It seemed like once I made some changes to the color and had it close to what I thought was right and just left it alone for a while it started rendering the pictures much better. On Friday and Saturday, I was seeing a lot of bleeding colors, poor skin tones, and just overall poor picture rendering. It slowly got better of the next few days and now I am happy with it.

so moral of the story: If you aren't thrilled with it out of the box, give it a few days. I really don't think it was just that I got used to the picture over a few days I really think it just keeps getting better every day. Even my wife who is no tech snob like me, made the same comments. Even DVDs are looking better every day. I watched Harry Potter Friday night and picture was pretty good but I could definitely tell skin tones weren't very crisp. On Sunday I watched Star Wars Ep. II and The Two Towers and I would say it was incredibe! Definitely near HD quality via a Denon 1910 hooked up with DVI. I probably have about 20-25 hours on the TV now.

BTW, SD is over Dish Network via S-Video. My non-HD DVR doesn't have Component. I will be getting TW cable in a few weeks and I will comment on Cable vs. Satellite quality once I make the switch. I just pray they delivery me a HD DVR!!!!! I'm on a waiting list to get one.

My DVD is a Denon 1910 upconverting player set to 720P via DVI.

Has anyone preformed an ISF gray scale color calibration on the HLP4674W? I heard rumors that Samsung has disabled the gray scale adjustments on the newer Sammys.

Also, with several folks now receiving the new HLP4674W, has anyone had any initial problems like a bulb going out within the first few weeks or a dead color wheel?

I am not suggesting there are problems with the unit, just trying to verify some of the rumors I have heard.

Thanks,

John

I took delivery of a 5674 last week picture was not right and there was a loud whine when color wheel started up. Returned set for new 5674 and now problem free.

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between "Expand" and "Wide" using the DVI input?

I have a DVD player hooked up to it and I can't seem to tell the difference between the two. "Expand" is not even mentioned in the manual. I think I read earlier in this forum to use "Expand" and that it is just poorly named.

Confused,
Mike

Originally posted by mchuckp
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between "Expand" and "Wide" using the DVI input?

I have a DVD player hooked up to it and I can't seem to tell the difference between the two. "Expand" is not even mentioned in the manual. I think I read earlier in this forum to use "Expand" and that it is just poorly named.

Confused,
Mike

You should always use Expand through DVI. It is poorly named. It has mimimal 1-2% overscan (vs. 4-5% on wide), and 1:1 pixel mapping. You can verify the differences easily with the overscan pattern on Avia.

Originally posted by oregonstitch
Bill, scpanel & M3 Pete,

Many thanks, and sorry for getting off track a bit. BTW, when people refer to the "light engine", is that just the blub? That's what the sales guy at Sound Advice/Tweeters told me. But that too does not seem correct. Have we learned what light engine is in the XX74? I've seen many posts refering to it as the HD2 light engine, implying it is in some way a weak link in the light engine/color wheel/HD2+ chip chain. this has been discussed to death here, but I'll give a quick summary. THe xx85 sets have an all new light engine that is housed in the pedestal base. Apparently, Samsung could not get that light engine to work in the xx74 sets, so it reverted back to an updated version of the light engine used for the old HD2 chip, as well as the six segment color wheel (instead of the seven segment used in the xx85 and xx63 sets).

From what I've seen, there is not that much difference between the xx85 and the xx74, and the xx74 is better than the xx63, so the "old" technology does not seem to be hurting the PQ.

I've had my 5674 for about a week now. I'm running a Denon 1910 DVD player through DVI. I hadn't noticed any audio sync problems viewing either satellite or a few different DVDs up till this point.

Yesterday, we were viewing a rental DVD (Elf) and I noticed a definite lip syncing problem. This morning, I put some other DVDs in and the sync seemed fine. The rental came with both full screen and wide screen DVDs so I tried the other one and it looked the same. I tried both 480p and 720p and it didn't seem to change.

Has anyone else seen any sync problems with the 5674? Any ideas, thoughts?

Thanks,
Randy

Originally posted by Bill Briare
Fan cheering at football game. ESPNHD

Is that a green tint I see in the foreground fan's beard and around the background fan's eyes? I also see it around the quarterback's eyes in "Raider Breather". Are the photos accurate representations of your DLP picture? It's not as bad as what I have seen with the Mitsubishi DLPs though.

Thanks
John

Originally posted by Bill Briare
Raider breather

Bill -

Your on-screen scoreboard/clock is pretty close to the center of the screen. What is the picture size you are using? The clock on my screen is much further out of the way.

^I think all HDTV channels with football on them have the damn scoreboard for NFL games in the middle of the screen. Its really lame. I think they do that so they don't have to change it for SD channels.

Originally posted by subwoofer
^I think all HDTV channels with football on them have the damn scoreboard for NFL games in the middle of the screen. Its really lame. I think they do that so they don't have to change it for SD channels.

The scoreboard on my 4674 is much further out of the way. On his picture of the huddle, it is actually covering one of the players. The only time this happens on my set is when I watch it in SD in the stretch mode.

Are you sure this is ESPN HD? There should be and ESPNHD logo on the bottom right of the screen, and I don't see it in any of these pictures. This looks like ESPN's SD channel (which should put to rest the bogus assertions that SD is crap on DLP's).

Originally posted by RCBrust
Yesterday, we were viewing a rental DVD (Elf) and I noticed a definite lip syncing problem. This morning, I put some other DVDs in and the sync seemed fine. The rental came with both full screen and wide screen DVDs so I tried the other one and it looked the same. I tried both 480p and 720p and it didn't seem to change.

Has anyone else seen any sync problems with the 5674? Any ideas, thoughts?

Thanks,
Randy

This may be just a coincidence, but the only time I noticed a sync problem so far was during a portion of Elf. I was watching with family, so I did not have a chance to investigate. However, this was a 480i through S-video as I am waiting to decide what new DVD player to purchase.

Originally posted by tjk
The scoreboard on my 4674 is much further out of the way. On his picture of the huddle, it is actually covering one of the players. The only time this happens on my set is when I watch it in SD in the stretch mode.

Are you sure this is ESPN HD? There should be and ESPNHD logo on the bottom right of the screen, and I don't see it in any of these pictures. This looks like ESPN's SD channel (which should put to rest the bogus assertions that SD is crap on DLP's).

come on you football guys, settle this scoreboard/SD/HD issue already!!

Originally posted by RCBrust
I've had my 5674 for about a week now. I'm running a Denon 1910 DVD player through DVI. I hadn't noticed any audio sync problems viewing either satellite or a few different DVDs up till this point.

Yesterday, we were viewing a rental DVD (Elf) and I noticed a definite lip syncing problem. This morning, I put some other DVDs in and the sync seemed fine. The rental came with both full screen and wide screen DVDs so I tried the other one and it looked the same. I tried both 480p and 720p and it didn't seem to change.

Has anyone else seen any sync problems with the 5674? Any ideas, thoughts?

Thanks,
Randy

Randy,

Hate to see that you are having sync problems. I just got the 4674 on Friday. I also picked up the Denon 1910 at the same time. So far I have watched Harry Potter (Azkiban), Star Wars Ep. II, LOTR: Two Towers, Mean Girls, and a small bit of Monsters, Inc & Pirates of the Carribean. I have not seen any audio sync problems yet. I will let you know if I do. Sounds like maybe there could be something going on in certain DVDs causing it. I don't know enough in the technical side of DVD rendering to even speculate the problem.

Is Elf DTS? If so, have you watched anything else that is DTS?

What firmware version of the 1910 do you have? Push 1 2 3 4 Display without a disk in and it will tell you. I have version 1.09 and a manufacture date of Sept 04. I heard there is a 1.10 but I don't know what it fixes.

I got the 5674 last Tuesday and have a few audio sync issues using DirectTV. It seems like its only one channel (HDNet) so I'm thinking maybe its the broadcast??? I have gone back to that channel and not had the problem, so it only seems to be certains shows/concerts. I have only tried one DVD and seemed to have no problem with that at all. But besides one or two times with the sunc issues I absolutely LOVE this tv. NFL on HD is like your actually sitting at the game!

Does anyone know how I can get my hands on a 4674 in the Detroit area? BB and CC have no idea what I am talking about when I ask them, if and when they are getting them. I returned my 4663 last month when I saw the 74 being rolled out and the waiting game is getting old. S:confused:

Thanks!

Sorry to be somewhat off topic but I did a search and couldn't really find what I was looking for.

I wanted to get either AVIA or DVE for calibrating my 4674. Is there a thread somewhere that talked about these two and which I should look at for a DLP set?

Again sorry to be offtopic, just need a little guidance. I'm not really seeing it in other forums.

Thanks,
Mike

Originally posted by mchuckp
Hate to see that you are having sync problems. I just got the 4674 on Friday. I also picked up the Denon 1910 at the same time. So far I have watched Harry Potter (Azkiban), Star Wars Ep. II, LOTR: Two Towers, Mean Girls, and a small bit of Monsters, Inc & Pirates of the Carribean. I have not seen any audio sync problems yet. I will let you know if I do. Sounds like maybe there could be something going on in certain DVDs causing it. I don't know enough in the technical side of DVD rendering to even speculate the problem.

Is Elf DTS? If so, have you watched anything else that is DTS?

What firmware version of the 1910 do you have? Push 1 2 3 4 Display without a disk in and it will tell you. I have version 1.09 and a manufacture date of Sept 04. I heard there is a 1.10 but I don't know what it fixes.

So far we have watched "Harry Potter - PoA", "The Day After Tomorrow", "The Garfield Movie", and "Elf". "Elf" is the only one I noticed it on. I already returned it, but I looked it up on Amazon and apparently it is not DTS.

I've already checked the firmware and it is 1.09. I'm also curious what 1.10 does, and how you do the upgrades. I'm assuming there's a CD or DVD that you have to get that when put in the 1910, it autoboots and updates the firmware???

I haven't noticed any sync problems watching standard DirecTV. Again, just that darn "Elf" movie so far. :)

Thanks,
Randy

Originally posted by mchuckp
Sorry to be somewhat off topic but I did a search and couldn't really find what I was looking for.

I wanted to get either AVIA or DVE for calibrating my 4674. Is there a thread somewhere that talked about these two and which I should look at for a DLP set?

Again sorry to be offtopic, just need a little guidance. I'm not really seeing it in other forums.

Thanks,
Mike

Just go to amazon. I have used Avia, which is around $35 and is more comprehensive, but for the $15 or so, I'm going to get DVE also, as the contrast test pattern is updated for fixed pixel displays.

Originally posted by mchuckp
I wanted to get either AVIA or DVE for calibrating my 4674. Is there a thread somewhere that talked about these two and which I should look at for a DLP set?

Again sorry to be offtopic, just need a little guidance. I'm not really seeing it in other forums.

Mike,

I'd also like to hear the answer to this question.

Randy

Originally posted by blkwrxwgn
I just picked up a HLN5674W and one thing is driving me nuts, maybe somebody can help me out here.
...
Well with the HLN5674W you have 3 component inputs, 1 for 480i, 480p and then 2 for 480p, 720p and 1080i.

...
Does any of this make sense?

Sounds like you are talking about a different set -- there is no HLN5474W there is a HLN567 that is a different set than what this one is about.

The HLP5674 has only two component ins but both support all resolutions from 480i to 1080i.

Initial OOB review:

Got my set Saturday at Magnolia HiFi Beaverton,OR as I was out of town on Wednesday when my order came in. It fit in the back of my Chevy Blazer by laying it on its back using the Styrofoam inserts to cradle it.

When I got home I immediately Hooked it up with the following sources:

Sony DCR-CX875P progressive Sony DVD player via component
PC with an ATI8500 DVI video card via DVI
Laptop with a ATI 9600 video card via VGA
Sony SAT-T60 DirecTivo via S-Video
Pioneer CLDD704 LD player via S-Video
and for a alternate hookup
Yamaha RXV-2400 Receiver component output as a component pass thru for the DVD and for converting the S-Video of the Tivo and LD as a second component input.

I haven't yet hooked up any HD sources other than the PCs and I haven't hooked up any over the air antennas to see the ota performance.

I recently had an HLN617W1 for about 30 days and other than that I am comparing to my 53" non-HD Sony XBR set.

Positives:

Startup time - much better than the 45-50 seconds with my HLN617W1.

Initial reactions with the TIVO and the DVD were that the color rendering and contrast out of the box were dramatically better than I had observed with the HLN617W1. We both decided that the dynamic setting was too bright as shipped and did most of our testing with the Cinema setting and all other settings set as shipped.

Also SD upconversion was much smoother and that the artifacting of upconversion was nearly gone from my viewing position of about 10'. Side to side comparisons of SD material with my old Sony and this set generally caused me to notice the brightness difference more than the quality difference. When I did the same test with the HLN617 we always noticed the quality issues with SD material more than the brightness.

We watched two DVDs thru component inputs at 480p upscaled by the set: The Superbit version of The Fifth Element looked fantastic using the Cinema video mode, dark scenes were much better than I remembered with the 617. I then tried assorted scenes using both my DVI PC and my VGA laptop letting the laptop do the upscaling to 720p -- detail looked even better than with the sets upscaling on both the DVI and VGA inputs -- this matched my experience with the 617 however we both continue to believe the 5674 color is much improved out of box. VGA inputs were slightly softer looking than with the DVI.

I then briefly looked at a bunch of JPEGs taken with a 2 megapixel digital camera via the PCs DVI hookup. Color and rendering was excellent and compared well with my Laptops capabilities.

I didn't have a chance to double check that I was in 1:1 mapping with my DVI but I was using a setting that I had confirmed was one to one with my earlier 617 set so I imagine that I was still in one to one now (will report more later).

Finally I briefly tried the S-Video input using my LD player and was very happy with the Genesis processing upscaling when zooming a letterbox version of Star Wars Return of the Jedi.

Audio synch -- So far with both component and svideo interlaced sources and with 720p DVI and component progressive sources I have not spotted any audio synch issues using either the TVs or my receivers speakers and my source devices.

Internal mute setting (I wish there was a Discrete for this one). Great for when you use your receiver for sound almost exclusively (this wasn't present on the HLN617W1).

Negatives:
Fan noise -- definitely louder and higher pitched than on my 617W (I can hear it along with the Tivo when the sound is muted).

I watch my SD material in 4:3 PillarBox mode unless the material is letterboxed by the broadcaster in which case I use Zoom 1. There is a noticeable slight pincushin to the sides of the letterbox on both sides. Also the set appears to be quite a bit brighter in that the surrounding black columns show a slight illumination at all times enough that a black screen appears slightly lit (way better than on an LCD but more noticeable than it had been with the HLN617).

Rainbows--With the HLN617W I only observed rainbows on one occasion without intentionally trying to see them -- at the time I was almost falling asleep. With the HLP5674 I have seen them on almost all viewing sessions. I just got back from a week away and I am still in a period where I have been a bit sleep deprived so I will have to see if this continues or increases. Right now I see one or two flashes an hour. My other half only saw them once when I kept replaying a scene where I was seeing them on our Tivo.

Never the less, these negatives are still so small that they won't cause me to return this set. The picture is significantly better than any LCD or DLP I have had a chance to watch except for the HLP5685W and so far I have not begun to tweak.

Unknowns remaining: OTA performance, Anynet uses/issues, SM tweaks, HDMI performance, have I achieved 1:1 with PC via DVI, Will the rainbows let up?

Congrats to other owners and I will post more as the weeks progress.

New comments added on 12/1

1) Rainbow issues seemed to be from being tired after my trip or from watching OOB settings. In two days since I have seen no rainbows (even went back to DVDs where I was seeing them). I still don't have set up optimal but I am using much lower brightness setting from the default and also have switched to normal instead of warm1 for color settings.

2) PC settings are achieving 1:1 pixel mapping when in Wide mode just as I was getting with my older HLN617. No wonder DVDs upscaled by a PC and input at 720p DVI were looking so good.

So far so good...

mchuckp - curious as to what settings you used for your s-video connection. I just picked up the 5674 on Wednesday and have run the Avia for HDMI and have the settings at:

Expand
Digital NR off
DNIe - off (but have noticed some content to look better with it on)
Contrast 87
Brightness 38
Sharpness 65 (left at default - I really do not see much change using this setting??)
Color 48

My settings for the SD picture via s-video from both satellite and Tivo seem to be off and I have not found a happy medium. Anyone else have settings for other than DVI/HDMI setup? My Samsung HD satellite box shows up on Thursday but I will still need setup for my existing Tivo since I didn't opt for the HR10250.

Current setup is
Samsung HLP-5674W
Denon AVR3805
Denon DVD2910
Sony SVR3000(Tivo)
Sony A65(Satellite - soon to be Samsung TS360)
B&W Speakers

Thanks - Tyler

Originally posted by tyrob
mchuckp - curious as to what settings you used for your s-video connection. I just picked up the 5674 on Wednesday and have run the Avia for HDMI and have the settings at:

Expand
Digital NR off
DNIe - off (but have noticed some content to look better with it on)
Contrast 87
Brightness 38
Sharpness 65 (left at default - I really do not see much change using this setting??)
Color 48

My settings for the SD picture via s-video from both satellite and Tivo seem to be off and I have not found a happy medium. Anyone else have settings for other than DVI/HDMI setup? My Samsung HD satellite box shows up on Thursday but I will still need setup for my existing Tivo since I didn't opt for the HR10250.

Current setup is
Samsung HLP-5674W
Denon AVR3805
Denon DVD2910
Sony SVR3000(Tivo)
Sony A65(Satellite - soon to be Samsung TS360)
B&W Speakers

Thanks - Tyler

thanks for tips on DVD setup

I am curious about how your system sounds??

I have on order:
Samsung HLP-5674W
Denon AVR3805
Denon DVD2910
and
B&W Speakers as a surround system

thanks

M

Last week I purchased a Samsung HLP-4674W tv and have it hooked up to Comcast DCT-6412 HD DVR unit. My picture quailty is not as sharp as I had expected in several areas. I have three main issues:

1) The middle 12" - 18" of the screen seem to be blurry occasionally as compared to the rest of the screen. When I watch the set the images seem to look like they are wavy.

2) The text on the screen, especialy around company logos and white text seems blotchy around the edges. Like a computer graphic that has been compressed.

3) I had a few fast moving images as they went across the screen seem to have a trailing image that had to catch up to the original image on the other side of the screen.

I am trying understand if these are issues that are know with DLP technology or could they be related to the TV not being tuned properly or the DVR unit not working. My understanding is that the images going through the DVR unit are always shown in a compressed MPEG 2 format even when you are not recording. I have the hookup from the DVR to the TV using the DVI port. The quality seems better than the component hookups.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I can't help with (1) that does not sound normal.

(2) Sounds like it is probably in the source, normal artifact for highly compressed MPEG video.

(3) sounds like a noise reduction artifact, try turning off Digital NR and/or DNiE (I recommend keeping both off anyway). DLP's do no suffer from image retention issues like you are describing. Plasma and LCD displays can.

mismatched - I really like my system but with speakers you always have to consider personal preference. I had some old rock solids and the b&w center when I had close quarters. Now that I expanded I added the b&w surrounds(in-wall) and also picked up 604's for the front. I'm sure others would of spent their money differently but I really like the way b&w's sound - call me crazy. My only regret.... I should of bought the larger surrounds.

rrowlands - what picture mode do you have the TV set at?? I tried using the panorama for SD and thought I was having a bad acid trip watching the picture roll across the screen. I would recommend either the 4:3 or Wide.

Ready to jump into this thread....

Have now had my HLP-5674 for about a week. Pre-ordered from TVA in October and had it delivered last Wednesday. Extremely happy so far. Calibrated with Avia as others in this thread have and will post my settings for different inputs. My Denon DVD-1600 died during calibration. So I (Temporarily) picked up a Sammy HD-841 to satisfy my urge to see the DVI input until my 2910 arrives.

Calibrated the DVI input last night and when the 841 is working, the DVI image is outstanding. Tested with both Phantom Menace and Nemo. Both were stellar.

Caught the Pats game Sunday OTA, component input. Looked great. Need to spend a bit more time calibrating this input, but overall I was very happy. So far no audio sync issues as others have described.

I have noticed that on 1080 OTA image was shifted to the right about 1.5 " the CBS logo in the upper right corner of the screen was being cut off and there was a black bar about 1.5" wide on the left side of the image. Any idea of cause and how to fix?

Originally posted by tjk
The scoreboard on my 4674 is much further out of the way. On his picture of the huddle, it is actually covering one of the players. The only time this happens on my set is when I watch it in SD in the stretch mode.

Are you sure this is ESPN HD? There should be and ESPNHD logo on the bottom right of the screen, and I don't see it in any of these pictures. This looks like ESPN's SD channel (which should put to rest the bogus assertions that SD is crap on DLP's).

Todd, I think the pictures have been cropped to only show the upper left of the set. I'm certain these are from ESPN-HD, because otherwise, the overlaid scoreboard would be crammed into the upper left corner of the screen.

Originally posted by falsedawn
Is that a green tint I see in the foreground fan's beard and around the background fan's eyes? I also see it around the quarterback's eyes in "Raider Breather". Are the photos accurate representations of your DLP picture? It's not as bad as what I have seen with the Mitsubishi DLPs though.

Thanks
John

Is the green tint common on DLP's? I had actually returned my LG LCD as it had a green tint/push issue in the lower grayscale, and picked up the 4674 and it too has it (albeit not as bad). Since you mentioned the Mitsubishi I thought I would ask if this is common and if I should accept this? I can see it with the majority of my viewing, and it can be spotted pretty easily via Avia, or DVE patterns (dnie and digital nr are both off for what its worth).

-pd

Originally posted by tyrob
mchuckp - curious as to what settings you used for your s-video connection. I just picked up the 5674 on Wednesday and have run the Avia for HDMI and have the settings at:

Expand
Digital NR off
DNIe - off (but have noticed some content to look better with it on)
Contrast 87
Brightness 38
Sharpness 65 (left at default - I really do not see much change using this setting??)
Color 48

My settings for the SD picture via s-video from both satellite and Tivo seem to be off and I have not found a happy medium. Anyone else have settings for other than DVI/HDMI setup? My Samsung HD satellite box shows up on Thursday but I will still need setup for my existing Tivo since I didn't opt for the HR10250.

Current setup is
Samsung HLP-5674W
Denon AVR3805
Denon DVD2910
Sony SVR3000(Tivo)
Sony A65(Satellite - soon to be Samsung TS360)
B&W Speakers

Thanks - Tyler

Tyrob,

I'm not at home right now, but I can post my settings later. I did not use any sort of calibration yet on S-Video for Satellite. I simply tweaked it until it seemed reasonable. I am using 4:3 mode. I hate any sort of stretching. Many people say leave DNLE off, but I have found that it makes my picture look better on most channels. Click the Demo button for it and it will show you ON and OFF side by side. I also have been using STANDARD picture mode with COOL 1 color. To my eyes, it seems that the COOL 1 settings helps hide some of the digital compression. I didn't like the WARM settings. It made everyone look too red.

Like I said, I will post all my S-Video settings later on once I get home from work. Everyone please remember that I did NOT calibrate the picture and I'm far from an expect at this. Just seems to be working well for me. Just didn't want anyone thinking that I'm some expert and follow my suit. Just answering Tyrob's question.

If anyone else has S-Video settings help for Satellite, I would like to hear them. I think my picture looks pretty good but I'm sure it can be improved.

Thanks,
Mike

Originally posted by rrowlands
Last week I purchased a Samsung HLP-4674W tv and have it hooked up to Comcast DCT-6412 HD DVR unit. My picture quailty is not as sharp as I had expected in several areas. I have three main issues:

1) The middle 12" - 18" of the screen seem to be blurry occasionally as compared to the rest of the screen. When I watch the set the images seem to look like they are wavy.

2) The text on the screen, especialy around company logos and white text seems blotchy around the edges. Like a computer graphic that has been compressed.

3) I had a few fast moving images as they went across the screen seem to have a trailing image that had to catch up to the original image on the other side of the screen.

I am trying understand if these are issues that are know with DLP technology or could they be related to the TV not being tuned properly or the DVR unit not working. My understanding is that the images going through the DVR unit are always shown in a compressed MPEG 2 format even when you are not recording. I have the hookup from the DVR to the TV using the DVI port. The quality seems better than the component hookups.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

In reference to issue #2:

I noticed the same thing on my 4674. Logos and such seemed to bleed pretty bad out of the box. The picture seemed to get better over the next few days. Now I think they look pretty decent on SD except I still see it occassionally on certain logos and writing on the screen. Since I don't always see it now, I blame the source material. I've had the TV for 5 days now and I swear it looks better every day! I believe there is truth to letting the bulb burn in. I HATED my SD picture out of the box. I tweaked the settings for a few days then just left it alone and it got better.

Just my two cents. BTW, I also use a DVR.

Originally posted by mchuckp
In reference to issue #2:

I noticed the same thing on my 4674. Logos and such seemed to bleed pretty bad out of the box. The picture seemed to get better over the next few days. Now I think they look pretty decent on SD except I still see it occassionally on certain logos and writing on the screen. Since I don't always see it now, I blame the source material. I've had the TV for 5 days now and I swear it looks better every day! I believe there is truth to letting the bulb burn in. I HATED my SD picture out of the box. I tweaked the settings for a few days then just left it alone and it got better.

Just my two cents. BTW, I also use a DVR.

I reported the PQ not looking good at first either. I preferred the 5063 alot more actually. Everyday the PQ is getting better though. It's much better then then 5063 PQ now IMO. Don't know what caused it, but the PQ has definitely improved over time. I've had my 5674 since Nov 24th.

Dale

Originally posted by falsedawn
Is that a green tint I see in the foreground fan's beard and around the background fan's eyes? I also see it around the quarterback's eyes in "Raider Breather". Are the photos accurate representations of your DLP picture? It's not as bad as what I have seen with the Mitsubishi DLPs though.

Thanks
John

WHAT?!?! I'm not seeing that and I got 20/20 vision. You guys are too picky.

BTW, I still have yet to see the 5674 or the 4674 at my local Best Buy or Circuit City. I still need to try Tweeter

I ran Avia again and am wondering about my Sharpness adjustment. I can take it from 0 to 100 and really not notice much if anything. I tried this with Avia and on an SD feed. Can anyone confirm? I want to know if my adjustment is broken and I need to return.

Thanks!

Any obvious tint in the grayscale can easily be corrected by ISF calibration. While you should certainly take it up with the vendor/manufacturer if it is really bad out of the box, if you are thinking of getting an ISF calibration anyway, just rest easy that it will be corrected at that time.

People often ask me if calibration is still necessary with DLP's, Plasma's, etc. The fact that people are still noticing bad grayscales is evidence that it is.

Originally posted by Paul_PDX
Initial OOB review:

Got my set Saturday at Magnolia HiFi Beaverton,OR as I was out of town on Wednesday when my order came in. It fit in the back of my Chevy Blazer by laying it on its back using the Styrofoam inserts to cradle it.

When I got home I immediately Hooked it up with the following sources:

Sony DCR-CX875P progressive Sony DVD player via component
PC with an ATI8500 DVI video card via DVI
Laptop with a ATI 9600 video card via VGA
Sony SAT-T60 DirecTivo via S-Video
Pioneer CLDD704 LD player via S-Video
and for a alternate hookup
Yamaha RXV-2400 Receiver component output as a component pass thru for the DVD and for converting the S-Video of the Tivo and LD as a second component input.


Paul, any pictures of your setup and the tv quality?

Originally posted by tyrob
I ran Avia again and am wondering about my Sharpness adjustment. I can take it from 0 to 100 and really not notice much if anything. I tried this with Avia and on an SD feed. Can anyone confirm? I want to know if my adjustment is broken and I need to return.

Thanks!

In many inputs/modes, the sharpness control on many Samsungs indeed does nothing. It is likely not a problem with your specific set. In almost all cases it should just be turned all the way down anyway, just in case it is doing anything to "enhance" the picture.

Originally posted by subwoofer
BTW, I still have yet to see the 5674 or the 4674 at my local Best Buy or Circuit City. I still need to try Tweeter

You won't see them at Best Buy or Circuit City. Tweeter does carry them.

All,
Is anyone running separate feeds from their cable or sat box? DVI for Digital/HD stations and component/s-video for SD channels? I am only running a DVI from Comcast DVR (6412) to the DLP......

BTW - I am getting the set calibrated on 12/11 by Josh Lehman (Cheezmo I think you know him....) in person since I live in Atlanta. I will post results after calibration. I have approximately 65 hours on the set and should easily have over 100 by the time Josh comes by to do the calibration.

Gus

Originally posted by gsiokis
All,
Is anyone running separate feeds from their cable or sat box? DVI for Digital/HD stations and component/s-video for SD channels? I am only running a DVI from Comcast DVR (6412) to the DLP......

Gus

I am, only so that I can use my A/V receivers on screen display and s-video switching.

I don't notice much of a difference on SD material between s-video and DVI. In fact, in wide mode, s-video looks better through my SD Ultimate TV receiver than through DVI on my HD receiver. If I watch SD through DVI, 4:3 looks better.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
In many inputs/modes, the sharpness control on many Samsungs indeed does nothing. It is likely not a problem with your specific set.

Tyrob -

I've experienced the same thing. Sharpness through my DVI output does nothing. I never see the white outline that Avia says to look for, and the black lines never become blurred.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
In many inputs/modes, the sharpness control on many Samsungs indeed does nothing. It is likely not a problem with your specific set. In almost all cases it should just be turned all the way down anyway, just in case it is doing anything to "enhance" the picture.

I'm confused on the sharpness thing. I agree that I don't seem to really see a difference in sharpness. But if it works or not, why would you want sharpness turned way down? When I think of the word sharpness, I would think that turning it down would make my picture blurry and less sharp.

Can anyone phrase this in a way that I would understand why sharpness would want to be low.

Confused,
Mike

Originally posted by mchuckp
I'm confused on the sharpness thing. I agree that I don't seem to really see a difference in sharpness. But if it works or not, why would you want sharpness turned way down? When I think of the word sharpness, I would think that turning it down would make my picture blurry and less sharp.

Can anyone phrase this in a way that I would understand why sharpness would want to be low.

Confused,
Mike

Again I'll defer to Steve's expertise, but if sharpness is set too high, you could lose subtle details in the picture. At least that's what Avia says.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
Any obvious tint in the grayscale can easily be corrected by ISF calibration. While you should certainly take it up with the vendor/manufacturer if it is really bad out of the box, if you are thinking of getting an ISF calibration anyway, just rest easy that it will be corrected at that time.

People often ask me if calibration is still necessary with DLP's, Plasma's, etc. The fact that people are still noticing bad grayscales is evidence that it is.

The tint I am seeing is not consistent across the grayscale, it shows up in bands and skips/moves around depending on black/white/color level controls. It does smack me in the face when watching something like the old b/w twilight zone though. I can remove it somewhat by dropping green down in ire 50 level, and bringing blue and red chroma gamma up a bit (external of the monitor), but then it starts to affect the colors of everything else.

I keep debating about getting an ISF calibration, I had always managed to do things to a 'good enough' point in the past (geek in me likes to do things myself), but if you think an ISF calibration will get rid of what I described above I guess I will start to seriouslly consider that path as I really like the set, but don't really like that behaviour.

Hey, just noticed you are in Texas, ever make it down to Houston? :D

-pd

Sharpness can do many things, depending on how the manufacturer implements it.

In some cases, it softens the picture below the middle and adds edge enhancement as you increase it above the middle. Once other edge enhancements are turned off, this is how the Mitsubishi CRT RPTV's sharpness controls work. That is why if you can't turn off the other edge enhancements, slightly below center is appropriate on those, you may lose a little resolution but it is worth it to reduce the edge enhancement.

On most digital displays like the Samsungs, the sharpness control does not have any frequency attenuation (softening) functionality. At 0 it does nothing, as you increase it it adds edge enhancement.

That is why you can never make a blanket statement for all TV's as to where to set sharpness. It all depends on how the manufacturer has implemented it for a particular display.

[And yes, I do get down to Houston from time to time]

If you call directv and ask for their customer retention department, you can ask for a credit to your account plus some free pay channels for buying the hr10-250.

It may take a few calls to get someone who will give the full amount to you, but here is what you should be able to get:

$250 credit
6 months free showtime
6 months HBO for $2.99
6 months free HD (standard offer)

Originally posted by temtexdent
You won't see them at Best Buy or Circuit City. Tweeter does carry them.

Do we know if and when they will be available @ BB or CC? With no Tweeter I have no other option for the 4674 unless I buy over the net which I really don't want to do. I like the 30 day grace of BB and CC and have used it before.

Thanks,
Mike

Originally posted by Bronco94
Do we know if and when they will be available @ BB or CC? With no Tweeter I have no other option for the 4674 unless I buy over the net which I really don't want to do. I like the 30 day grace of BB and CC and have used it before.

Thanks,
Mike

Ultimate Electronics has them. At least they have them on their website. I haven't actually made it to the store yet.

Brian

Originally posted by Bronco94
Do we know if and when they will be available @ BB or CC? With no Tweeter I have no other option for the 4674 unless I buy over the net which I really don't want to do. I like the 30 day grace of BB and CC and have used it before.

Thanks,
Mike

To my knowledge, Best Buy and Circuit City have never carried this line with the thin bezel. It seems like someone thought they would special order one, but I can't confirm that. Look for higher end stores.

Originally posted by Bronco94
Do we know if and when they will be available @ BB or CC? With no Tweeter I have no other option for the 4674 unless I buy over the net which I really don't want to do. I like the 30 day grace of BB and CC and have used it before.

Thanks,
Mike

I don't know where you are located but places that have store fronts that have them are Tweeter/Hi Fi Buys, Ovation (OH, IL, KY, IN), Magnolia (west coast). If you give your location, someone may be able to help you out.

Cheezmo & tjk thanks for the info!

Just received my Tech-Craft stand(PTV48B) for the TV and the darn thing has the predrilled holes too far out which bent the turn/lock screws. Hopefully I can find another one with the holes in the right spot otherwise looks like maybe a Bello or Avdeco which cost considerably more. Anybody else find a nice stand for the 5674? Trying to stay around the width of the TV and preferably black.

When everything is put together I'll post some pics.

Thanks.

Originally posted by tyrob
Anybody else find a nice stand for the 5674? Thanks.

I have two HDTV's and I use a Studio Tech Ultra U-22 cabinet on one system. It is black with silver / aluminum metal finish on the doors and hardware. Very high quality.

http://www.soundscapeav.com/ultra.html

I've had the 4674 for about a week now. Overall I'm pretty pleased. There are some nagging issues, however.

HD:
Very Good to Excellent. Using SA 8300HD DVR, over component. NFL on Fox, Espn, and ABC is outstanding. CBS is less so. I get some pixelization on movement. Is it known that CBS is of lesser quality? Do they compress their signals more? INHD looks outstanding for the most part. but on their basketball feeds also get pixelization. Also, color banding, in sky scenes, it's not always a smooth transition.

DVD:
Good to Excellent
Using the new Sony 975 upconvert to 720p, over HDMI. Very impressed with this player, and what DVDs can now bee seen as. The Star Wars discs are excellent, as is Gladiator, almost HD like. LOTR ROTK is not so good. almost blurry, a little pixelly. Is is known that LOTR is of lesser quality? I see people mention 'super bit' version of 5th element. Is there a way to tell when buying DVDs that it's a 'upgraded quality version'?

SD:
Hit and miss. Some stations are just plain ugly, very pixelated. wife even comments on it. analog stations are the worst. the digital stations are usually pretty good quality.

one issue that I have is that text sometimes looks like it has ghosting, or some sort of overdraw. can also see it in peoples clothing. Here's an example, from Music Choice on digital cable;

here (http://members.cox.net/colegrove/TV0001.JPG)


Settings that I came up with, after using THX calibration on SW:

contrast: 87
Brightness: 48
Sharpness: 30
Color: 40

Usually use the normal color tone. Warm 1 or 2 gives an crazy red push, and facial tones look pretty bad. Sometimes use cool1 on cable.

HDMI port may be going bad. Sometimes I lose connection in the middle of watching a movie, screen will go black. then picture comes back, then screen will turn green, then snow.
Will probably call on that one.


pic (http://members.cox.net/colegrove/TV0003.JPG)

another pic (http://members.cox.net/colegrove/TV0004.JPG)

Originally posted by KevinSDiego
NFL on Fox, Espn, and ABC is outstanding. CBS is less so. I get some pixelization on movement. Is it known that CBS is of lesser quality?
My understanding is that FOX, ESPN, and ABC all broadcast HD at 720p, which is the native resolution of the 4674. CBS broadcasts at 1080i.

Does your DVR convert the signal or does it pass through the native resolution? Likely, therein lies your answer.

I've tried all settings, for cable box to just send 720p, passthrough, or 1080i. I see no difference.

Interesting...This weekend will mark the first HD football game in my house, so I'll make an effort to note differences in PQ across the various networks and report back.

Does the use of the HDMI and DVI inputs render the component and s-video non accessible? I seem to remember hearing this. Since I couldn't receive OTA HD channels (I live behind Mt. Scott in Portland), I went and got a Comcast HD box for $6 a month HD locals. When I went to run it into component, they were greyed out and not accessible. I figured they were rendered useless because of the digital inputs being in use. I had to run it to antenna 1 with a coax cable.

Not possible to use all the inputs?
BB

Have had a Toshiba CRT RPTV for a few years and am looking at upgrading to a larger TV. Am very interested in a DLP set and it looks like all the owners of the new Sammy HL-PXX74 units are really happy with them.

Even with the HD2+ Chip, are these TVs still succeptible to the "Rainbow Effect"? Or is that a thing of the past now?

Thanks!

BB, I know that with some of the inputs, the device has to be powered on for it to be accessible on the menu.

Originally posted by Hi Deaf
BB, I know that with some of the inputs, the device has to be powered on for it to be accessible on the menu.

Yeah, that was it. I had the Comcast box setup wrong and it wasn't sending through the component. All's well now.
BB

BSM re: Rainbows

Some people see them but most do NOT see them. Go to a store and watch DLP sets... it will be quickly evident if you are susceptible to them.
The xx74 has very few reported rainbow problems.

If you have a spare day or two read all the posts on this subject in the various threads.

Strange problem on 5674? I turned on my tv last night and noticed something I never saw before. When the tv is on and the screen is black, I can see green blurry dots in the dark areas and it's across the entire image. You have to get pretty close to the tv to see this, like a few feet. For some reason the PQ didn't look quite as good, can someone else confirm this on theirs and see if they see the same thing? I'm a little worried, but maybe this is normal if you're up close. This happened on DVI watching HD tv and components watching a DVD last night. Please don't tell me my tv is breaking!!

Dale

[HDMI port may be going bad. Sometimes I lose connection in the middle of watching a movie, screen will go black. then picture comes back, then screen will turn green, then snow.
Will probably call on that one.


Ah man, I'm getting near the same thing on my component inputs. I was hoping it was my crap Sammy DVD player. I'll be watching and then the screen will go black, then the movie will continue, and then go black. I've exchanged cables so far. Just need another DVD player to test.

Dale

Originally posted by dkyork
Strange problem on 5674? I turned on my tv last night and noticed something I never saw before. When the tv is on and the screen is black, I can see green blurry dots in the dark areas and it's across the entire image. You have to get pretty close to the tv to see this, like a few feet. For some reason the PQ didn't look quite as good, can someone else confirm this on theirs and see if they see the same thing? I'm a little worried, but maybe this is normal if you're up close. This happened on DVI watching HD tv and components watching a DVD last night. Please don't tell me my tv is breaking!!

Dale

I see the same thing. Almost looks like little greenish gnats flying around. I see them when the screen is black and I'm very close to the TV. I just assumed this was normal. I'm sure the TV isn't designed for me to be 2 feet away. My picture quality seems very good and everything else seems normal. If someone else can confirm that they see this, I will assume it is normal.

is it me or does his Sammy 5647 look bigger than other DLPs? Just seems to be very thick.

I'm not liking what I am hearing about most of these xx74s.........time to wait again

Originally posted by mchuckp
I see the same thing. Almost looks like little greenish gnats flying around. I see them when the screen is black and I'm very close to the TV. I just assumed this was normal. I'm sure the TV isn't designed for me to be 2 feet away. My picture quality seems very good and everything else seems normal. If someone else can confirm that they see this, I will assume it is normal.

Ok whew. Thanks for looking chuck. I thought this was something new and it's been nagging me ever since, but I think it's safe to say that it's normal. It's still weird isn't it?

Dale

Sound Advice has the 4674 here on display and I notice the greenish gnat thing also. I was hoping it was just that set and the way it was setup. The other 2 Samsung DLP's right beside it does not show this at all. I can see it from about 4 feet away on dark scenes. This has me worried I should be getting mine in the next few day's. Has anyone else notice this in their sets?

Originally posted by chad2323
Sound Advice has the 4674 here on display and I notice the greenish gnat thing also. I was hoping it was just that set and the way it was setup. The other 2 Samsung DLP's right beside it does not show this at all. I can see it from about 4 feet away on dark scenes. This has me worried I should be getting mine in the next few day's. Has anyone else notice this in their sets?

Now you're making me second guess myself. It's strange I didn't notice this before, that's why I'm thinking this came out of nowhere.

Dale

It's the first thing I notice when they put that model on the floor and I asked the Salesman about it and he said it was probley the feed that was going into the set. Yesterday when I was there and looked at the other Samsungs right beside it and they did not show this at all again i thought it might be because the way they had it setup. I only see it in dark scenes and they look's like green dots to me. Again from I distance you can't see them but my living room is small and this will bother me I'm sure. I'm going back there today and have them find the remote for that TV and play with the settings.

Originally posted by chad2323
It's the first thing I notice when they put that model on the floor and I asked the Salesman about it and he said it was probley the feed that was going into the set. Yesterday when I was there and looked at the other Samsungs right beside it and they did not show this at all again i thought it might be because the way they had it setup. I only see it in dark scenes and they look's like green dots to me. Again from I distance you can't see them but my living room is small and this will bother me I'm sure. I'm going back there today and have them find the remote for that TV and play with the settings.

that might be one reason I never noticed it. I'm about 8 feet away watching this tv. I just happened to be putting in a DVD yesterday and looked right at the tv and saw all these fuzzy green dots. It wasn't pleasant. However, it's not the feed. I'm getting it on all of my inputs. DVI, Component, and S-video. Kinda has me worried. I'll wait to hear other reports. I tried tuning my brightness down and that didn't help either.

Dale

Wow, I saw this when I was in Tweeter and thought that the green dots were caused by a poor feed. Damnation! I was all set to buy this set in January :(

Originally posted by Lampei
Wow, I saw this when I was in Tweeter and thought that the green dots were caused by a poor feed. Damnation! I was all set to buy this set in January :(

My question now is why are some sets displaying this and some aren't. Can anyone confirm this at a local B&M and see if all or only a couple sets do this. This might be just a 74 series thing, but I'm killing myself wondering why I didn't see this before and I'm 90% positive I didn't because it wasn't there.

Dale

Originally posted by dkyork
My question now is why are some sets displaying this and some aren't. Can anyone confirm this at a local B&M and see if all or only a couple sets do this. This might be just a 74 series thing, but I'm killing myself wondering why I didn't see this before and I'm 90% positive I didn't because it wasn't there.

Dale

I wouldn't stress about this too much yet. I haven't read anyone say theirs doesn't do it. For anyone worried about it who is thinking of getting one, you don't see it from a normal viewing distance. I normally sit about 6-8 feet away from my 4674 and don't see it at all. The only time I see it is when I am sitting right in front of the TV to put a DVD or video game in. Once I move away, you can't see it at all.

My guess is that it is normal but would be good to hear from other folks. Maybe it is only a 74 series thing or maybe it is a Sammy HD2+ thing.

All I can say is my picture looks great and you can't see it unless you are right up on the TV.

Originally posted by luebster
My understanding is that FOX, ESPN, and ABC all broadcast HD at 720p, which is the native resolution of the 4674. CBS broadcasts at 1080i.

Does your DVR convert the signal or does it pass through the native resolution? Likely, therein lies your answer.

There is definitely a difference among the networks. I find CBS to be the worst picture among the four majors. I think they have invested much less in HD than the others (as an example, Letterman is not in HD, Leno is). NBC looks better than CBS, so I don't think it's a 1080i conversion issue. I just think CBS sucks, relatively speaking. It's like they don't think HD will catch on. Their HD broadcasts are also very often not DD, whereas Fox is always in DD.

I'm having a new problem with my 5674. When I stand one foot away and use my fingers to hold my eyes open, then stare right at the screen it seems to really bother my eyes. This only happens when I am one foot away and holding my eyes open. If I close my eyes, I have bright patches that I can still see EVEN WITH MY EYES CLOSED!

I'm heading off to stores today to confirm this. Anyone else seeing this?

Originally posted by Bill Briare
I'm having a new problem with my 5674. When I stand one foot away and use my fingers to hold my eyes open, then stare right at the screen it seems to really bother my eyes. This only happens when I am one foot away and holding my eyes open. If I close my eyes, I have bright patches that I can still see EVEN WITH MY EYES CLOSED!

I'm heading off to stores today to confirm this. Anyone else seeing this?

.....:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Bill Briare
I'm having a new problem with my 5674. When I stand one foot away and use my fingers to hold my eyes open, then stare right at the screen it seems to really bother my eyes. This only happens when I am one foot away and holding my eyes open. If I close my eyes, I have bright patches that I can still see EVEN WITH MY EYES CLOSED!

I'm heading off to stores today to confirm this. Anyone else seeing this?

Awesome post.:D

I agree with the spirit of Bill's post. If you are watching this TV from 6 feet or less, it will look like crap. Just concern yourself with issues that exist under normal viewing conditions.

Originally posted by Bill Briare
I'm having a new problem with my 5674. When I stand one foot away and use my fingers to hold my eyes open, then stare right at the screen it seems to really bother my eyes. This only happens when I am one foot away and holding my eyes open. If I close my eyes, I have bright patches that I can still see EVEN WITH MY EYES CLOSED!

I'm heading off to stores today to confirm this. Anyone else seeing this?

Try sunglasses. I always wear them when I'm watching TV.

Originally posted by tjk
Awesome post.:D

I agree with the spirit of Bill's post. If you are watching this TV from 6 feet or less, it will look like crap. Just concern yourself with issues that exist under normal viewing conditions.

Nobody is watching this tv from 6 feet or less, or at least I hope not. It's the point of where these green dots came from or were they always there. That's what we're trying to determine. If they've always been there then probably no biggie. If they came out of nowhere, then will it get worse or is something wrong, that I'll have to fix later? These are reasonable questions on a 4000 dollar tv.

Dale

Originally posted by mchuckp
I wouldn't stress about this too much yet. I haven't read anyone say theirs doesn't do it. For anyone worried about it who is thinking of getting one, you don't see it from a normal viewing distance. I normally sit about 6-8 feet away from my 4674 and don't see it at all. The only time I see it is when I am sitting right in front of the TV to put a DVD or video game in. Once I move away, you can't see it at all.

My guess is that it is normal but would be good to hear from other folks. Maybe it is only a 74 series thing or maybe it is a Sammy HD2+ thing.

All I can say is my picture looks great and you can't see it unless you are right up on the TV.

I saw the green gnats right out of the box from day one. But as I said, I'm not going to be concerned that something is wrong with the TV unless I hear some folks say they don't have them at all.

Originally posted by mchuckp
I saw the green gnats right out of the box from day one. But as I said, I'm not going to be concerned that something is wrong with the TV unless I hear some folks say they don't have them at all.

That's good to know. I won't worry about it then.

Dale

Originally posted by mchuckp
I don't know where you are located but places that have store fronts that have them are Tweeter/Hi Fi Buys, Ovation (OH, IL, KY, IN), Magnolia (west coast). If you give your location, someone may be able to help you out.

Sorry, it would help if I stated my location. I am in the Detroit area and need help!!!!! Didn't BB buy Magnolia? Wonder if I can get them to order one for me? Any help in the Detroit area would be appreciated - ready to buy!

Thanks

Best Buy is still running Magnolia as an independant unit. I don't believe either has access to each others inventory even in the few BB stores whith embedded Magnolia Theater rooms (in those stores there are two different sets of sales people).

Originally posted by Bronco94
Sorry, it would help if I stated my location. I am in the Detroit area and need help!!!!! Didn't BB buy Magnolia? Wonder if I can get them to order one for me? Any help in the Detroit area would be appreciated - ready to buy!

Thanks

I live in Cincinnati, OH. BB did buy Magnolia but I was told by Magnolia that they could not order me the TV and send it to BB (at least at this time).

If you are up for a road trip you could hit Tweeter or Ovation in IL. Or maybe come down to Cincinnati for Ovation (however they are currently out of stock). There could be some stores in your area that have them but you will need to call around to any specialty stores that you might have in your area.

If you look at the 85 series at BB, it will give you a comparable picture to the 74. I've seen the 2 next to each other and could not tell the difference in picture quality. Many others have posted this as well. If you like the picture quality of the 85 series, you could order one sight unseen online. TV Authority is a very reputable store that is a sponsor on these forums. They will cut you a good price and ship it to your door. If you don't want it, they have a 30-day return policy.

Good luck to ya!!!

I just added these comments to my OOB brief review from Monday -

New comments added on 12/1

1) Rainbow issues seemed to be from being tired after my trip or from watching OOB settings. In two days since I have seen no rainbows (even went back to DVDs where I was seeing them). I still don't have set up optimal but I am using much lower brightness setting from the default and also have switched to normal instead of warm1 for color settings.

2) PC settings are achieving 1:1 pixel mapping when in Wide mode just as I was getting with my older HLN617. No wonder DVDs upscaled by a PC and input at 720p DVI were looking so good.

So far so good...

Has anyone used AVIA with a reference black signal to check this out on their home set?

I will start looking for this tonight -- I sure don't think I have seen anything like this so far on my 5674.

Originally posted by Paul_PDX
Has anyone used AVIA with a reference black signal to check this out on their home set?

I will start looking for this tonight -- I sure don't think I have seen anything like this so far on my 5674.

lol, now you'll see them and be ruined. :p It's kind like that thing when you don't notice something until somebody tells you about it. Let us know if you see them.

Dale

dkyork

I agree. If we take every post too seriously we will all sell all of our HT stuff and become full time bookworms!!

LOL

M

Originally posted by dkyork
lol, now you'll see them and be ruined. :p It's kind like that thing when you don't notice something until somebody tells you about it. Let us know if you see them.

Dale

That is one reason why I don't want to do any A/B work with the Denon 1910 scaling DVD player I bought. People have complained about green push in dark scenes and macro-blocking. I think I have very good blacks and only notice minimal macro-blocking. I probably would have never noticed the MB'ing if I didn't know to look for it.

The green gnat thing is different to me. Like I said, after about 3 feet you can't even see it. I know it is there, but it doesn't really bother me. I just want to make sure that it isn't actually a problem that is going to lead to a bigger problem in a few months. Every else has it and I'm cool with it. Some do and some don't, then I would like Samsung to tell me why I see it.

Originally posted by mchuckp
That is one reason why I don't want to do any A/B work with the Denon 1910 scaling DVD player I bought. People have complained about green push in dark scenes and macro-blocking. I think I have very good blacks and only notice minimal macro-blocking. I probably would have never noticed the MB'ing if I didn't know to look for it.

The green gnat thing is different to me. Like I said, after about 3 feet you can't even see it. I know it is there, but it doesn't really bother me. I just want to make sure that it isn't actually a problem that is going to lead to a bigger problem in a few months. Every else has it and I'm cool with it. Some do and some don't, then I would like Samsung to tell me why I see it.

Exactly how I feel. Hopefully we'll get more feedback.

Dale

The 'green gnat thing' you are discussing here is not new. This 'dithering' as it is more commonly know was present on the HLN series of sets, and is the primary reason why the dark green 7th segment was added to the color wheel in the 63 and 85 series of sets. Since the 74 series still uses the 6 segment color wheel, the 74 series still has dithering.

My question is, if it is not visible at a normal/realistic viewing distance why bother about it?

Just got back from Sound Advice and what I found out was none of the other DLP's have the round splotches just the 4674. The salesman notice it right off but didn't know what it was. On the 4674 I can see them from 4 foot away on only certain dark scenes. I just hope I don't notice it more on the 5674. The first day I seen this set thats the first thing I notice and wondered about but at the time I just thought it was a feed problem so didn't think about it to much. I will get mine on Friday and I will see if I can notice them at my viewing distance.

Anyone know a store in Ohio that carries these sets?

Originally posted by f300v10
The 'green gnat thing' you are discussing here is not new. This 'dithering' as it is more commonly know was present on the HLN series of sets, and is the primary reason why the dark green 7th segment was added to the color wheel in the 63 and 85 series of sets. Since the 74 series still uses the 6 segment color wheel, the 74 series still has dithering.

My question is, if it is not visible at a normal/realistic viewing distance why bother about it?

Interesting. If this statement is true, I am cool with it. Definitely sounds like it is a normal thing for this set. We all know the 74 series is just an updated version on an older model. We all wish that a tabletop 85 was available but it is not. Updated from an older set or not, it is the best Sammy has to offer if the 85 series doesn't work in your space. I love my 74 and since I only see it close up it doesn't bother me that it is there. I am sick of waiting around for the latest and greatest and I'm thrilled to have pulled the trigger on this TV.

Ovation in Mason (suburb of Cincinnati).

http://www.ovation-av.com/

Originally posted by Low Roller
Anyone know a store in Ohio that carries these sets?

I just posted this yesterday in this forum. The only one I know off hand is where I got mine.

Ovation Audio/Video in Mason, OH (North side of Cincinnati)
http://www.ovation-av.com/findus.aspx

Call them and ask for Duke. He is the store Manager who sold mine to me. At present they are out of stock but are hoping to get them in real soon.

Originally posted by luebster
Ovation in Mason (suburb of Cincinnati).

http://www.ovation-av.com/

Luebster, you posted while I was typing. Damn you!!!

BTW, you don't belong in this forum! You bought the RCA. Go hang out in the RCA forum!!!! We don't take kindly to your kind around here.

Just kidding.

Only because you stole the only 74 in Ohio out from under me :p

Originally posted by luebster
Only because you stole the only 74 in Ohio out from under me :p

Ouch that hurt!!!

I did feel bad about that but I did figure that I got there first....Somehow.

I'm really surprised they sold me the TV for what they did since it was the only one they got in. They easily could have kept the price high knowing that someone would pay for it. I actually paid less than TVA's price. Great place to shop, highly recommend to anyone.

Originally posted by mchuckp
I just posted this yesterday in this forum. The only one I know off hand is where I got mine.

Ovation Audio/Video in Mason, OH (North side of Cincinnati)
http://www.ovation-av.com/findus.aspx

Call them and ask for Duke. He is the store Manager who sold mine to me. At present they are out of stock but are hoping to get them in real soon. Thanks. I definately want to check them out.

Originally posted by f300v10
The 'green gnat thing' you are discussing here is not new. This 'dithering' as it is more commonly know was present on the HLN series of sets, and is the primary reason why the dark green 7th segment was added to the color wheel in the 63 and 85 series of sets. Since the 74 series still uses the 6 segment color wheel, the 74 series still has dithering.

My question is, if it is not visible at a normal/realistic viewing distance why bother about it?

Unless I read it wrong, according to the HLP service manual, the 7th segment is a neutral density filter (gray, not green). That would improve the blacks but not have any affect on "green gnats". Even if it was a dark green filter, that would mean that it only lets green light through which would make any green issue worse.

It is normal to have "gnats" in very dark grays, but they should be gray, not green, unless your grayscale perhaps goes greenish at the bottom end. It could be indicative bad grayscale, or bad color wheel timing or something.

Originally posted by mchuckp
Interesting. If this statement is true, I am cool with it. Definitely sounds like it is a normal thing for this set. We all know the 74 series is just an updated version on an older model. We all wish that a tabletop 85 was available but it is not. Updated from an older set or not, it is the best Sammy has to offer if the 85 series doesn't work in your space. I love my 74 and since I only see it close up it doesn't bother me that it is there. I am sick of waiting around for the latest and greatest and I'm thrilled to have pulled the trigger on this TV.

Here Here for one practical guy!

Here are 2 quotes about the 7 segment wheel I found with a quick google. Both refer to HD2+ DLP front projectors, but the purpose of the 7th segment is the same on all DLP light engines:

------

Taken from http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/video/DPX1100.htm

"Seven-Segment Color Wheel
Yamaha debuts the use of a seven-segment color wheel, with an ND filter-equipped green segment having been added to the previous wheel. The seven-segment structure reduces dither, while color reproduction is excellent. Better color balance contributes to a 30% improvement of actual brightness."

-----

Taken from http://www.ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/704marantz/

"The second difference is the introduction of a seven-segment color wheel (compared to six in the S2). The extra segment is dark green, and is said to improve the reproduction of green and to reduce dither noise in dark scenes.

These design changes come from TI, and are expected to be incorporated into top-of-the-line DLP projectors from all manufacturers."

------

Note that both articles refer to the 7th segment being a green segment, and that the goal of the new segment was to improve dark greens and reduce dither (AKA green gnats).

Cheezmo, from what I understand, the 'green gnat dithering' was a 'hack' used to render dark greens that could not otherwise be produced with the 6 segment wheel. The dithering refers to alternating green and black to produce the look of a darker green. By adding the 7th segment that could be used to produce the dark greens, the 'dithering hack' was removed.

OK, I stand corrected. Sounds reasonable.

Originally posted by f300v10
Here are 2 quotes about the 7 segment wheel I found with a quick google. Both refer to HD2+ DLP front projectors, but the purpose of the 7th segment is the same on all DLP light engines:

------

Taken from http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/video/DPX1100.htm

"Seven-Segment Color Wheel
Yamaha debuts the use of a seven-segment color wheel, with an ND filter-equipped green segment having been added to the previous wheel. The seven-segment structure reduces dither, while color reproduction is excellent. Better color balance contributes to a 30% improvement of actual brightness."

-----

Taken from http://www.ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/704marantz/

"The second difference is the introduction of a seven-segment color wheel (compared to six in the S2). The extra segment is dark green, and is said to improve the reproduction of green and to reduce dither noise in dark scenes.

These design changes come from TI, and are expected to be incorporated into top-of-the-line DLP projectors from all manufacturers."

------

Note that both articles refer to the 7th segment being a green segment, and that the goal of the new segment was to improve dark greens and reduce dither (AKA green gnats).

Cheezmo, from what I understand, the 'green gnat dithering' was a 'hack' used to render dark greens that could not otherwise be produced with the 6 segment wheel. The dithering refers to alternating green and black to produce the look of a darker green. By adding the 7th segment that could be used to produce the dark greens, the 'dithering hack' was removed.

So what we may be concluding is:

1. The 7 segment color wheel is a lot of marketing hype;

2. It is a great benefit vs. the 6 segment wheel if you sit 4 feet from your tv.

:D

Okay, my $0.02...

This dark dithering problem has bothered me from day one since I purchased my HLN567W. It prompted me to look for it in other DLP RPTVs. From memory this is what I recall after seeing various TVs at BB, GG, and Magnolia:

HLPxx63 - was very effective at reducing, almost eliminating the dithering
HLPxx85 - was better than HLN, but nowhere near as good as the 63
Toshiba DLP - was about the same as my HLN
Mitsu DLP - was about the same as the 85
JVC Dila - none
Sony LCD - none

Granted if I use DVI, the dark dithering is significantly reduced, but still not to the level of the 63.

I call this dark dithering because there is another form of dithering that I've noticed on my HLN with fast or panning motion, where the image looks like it was rendered down to a 16-bit color depth as it moves across the screen.

Others have noticed this with gaming consoles connected to the Sammy DLPs, while I see this when panning digital stills across the screen.

Originally posted by tjk
So what we may be concluding is:

1. The 7 segment color wheel is a lot of marketing hype;

2. It is a great benefit vs. the 6 segment wheel if you sit 4 feet from your tv.

:D

I believe it was designed to throw off populations of real gnats within your household. If a gnat approaches 4 feet of your television then they see the TV's gnats thus scaring them off.

Therefore Samsung reverted back to the 6-segment color wheel to keep gnats away from your TV.
Man, the sucks for all you 63 and 85 series owners. What do you all do to control the gnats in your house?

I'm sure Samsung will have a press release on this within the next few days.

LOL!!!

dithering idiots is what I say tougue in cheek

Originally posted by Aceman
Maybe its me, I know the HD2+ is the big difference, but I gotta tell you, I think the 63 series chasis is among the nicest on the market. I like having a dark frame around a screen PLUS the chasis' aren't near as deep as the competitions. I wish Samsung had built the 74 series on the 63 chasis but what do i know. now i'm on the fence with the 5663 vs. 5674.

UGH! ALso, i can get a kdf55wf655 for 2800 or so, any thoughts/advice guys???

Aceman

Aceman,

I agree the thin metal bezel on the xx74 looks kinda of cheap to me like a thin picture frame. I prefer the xx63 body on the xx74 brain....anyone else?

Originally posted by mmccking
Okay, my $0.02...

Granted if I use DVI, the dark dithering is significantly reduced, but still not to the level of the 63.

Is it generally accepted that using a digital connection (DVI or HDMI) will significantly reduce dithering?

I've never really noticed it on my 5674, but I also never really went 3 feet from the screen and looked for it. I'm connected to my DVD with very cheap component cables, so if it isn't a big problem with those, and a good HDMI cable will significantly reduce the dithering issue (which is the biggest selling point of the 7 seg wheel), I guess the biggest drawback of the 74 series is pretty much negated.

Now if I can only decide if my color wheel whine (about 1-2 seconds if I start up my tv without it being off for about 12 hours) warrants a replacement.

Originally posted by live2veg
Aceman,

I agree the thin metal bezel on the xx74 looks kinda of cheap to me like a thin picture frame. I prefer the xx63 body on the xx74 brain....anyone else?

I also prefer the thicker black border of the xx63 sets; think it frames the picture better. What we REALLY need is for the 6197 (the xHD3) set to come out in the xx63 body: then we get the sharpness of the hd2+ sets (or better), with no dither! It of course comes at a price, but probably not too bad ( a street price of less than $6K).

Originally posted by ks-man
Now if I can only decide if my color wheel whine (about 1-2 seconds if I start up my tv without it being off for about 12 hours) warrants a replacement.

I can hear my color wheel start up when I first turn the set on. I don't know if it's a whine to the extent you are talking about.

But if it only lasts 1-2 seconds (as mine does), why do you care? It takes a good 30 seconds for the picture to reach it's full brightness level. I wouldn't return it. You've got 15 months on the warranty if it gets worse, but I have a feeling what you are describing as a whine is perfectly normal.

I took delivery of a 5674 last week and it had intermittent whine 2+ seconds 1-2x before picture would come on and this would occur on almost every start up. In addition the picture looked fuzzy/out of focus. None of the floor models at Tweeter exhibited this whine so back my TV went. Exchanged mine for a new 5674 which has a great picture and only a 1-2 second whine on start-up which appears normal. Previous owner of a HLN567 and my initial impression of the 5674 is quite favorable. It appears Samsung has given much more control in UM to tweaking colors; although have not made any significant changes.

My 5674 arrived yesterday and I'm really happy with it. My only concern is that the rear fan was not spinning when I peered around the back to take a look. Should it always be turned on?

Thanks,
Eric

Originally posted by Bill Briare
I'm having a new problem with my 5674. When I stand one foot away and use my fingers to hold my eyes open, then stare right at the screen it seems to really bother my eyes. This only happens when I am one foot away and holding my eyes open. If I close my eyes, I have bright patches that I can still see EVEN WITH MY EYES CLOSED!

I'm heading off to stores today to confirm this. Anyone else seeing this?

Just wanted to get back to you all on this. I was able to go to several stores and have confirmed that this is definitely a problem with every set I looked at. When I close my eyes I see lots of white flashing dots, sometimes for minutes after the video event. I get the same result on the HLP 6163, the 85 series, the Mits, the Panasonic, the Toshibas, all the 74 series and even on the JVC D-Ila. It is a bit less on the plasmas, however. Do you think this has to do with the burn in problem somehow being reversed?
Thanks for the suggestion of wearing sunglasses. That seemed to help. Thanks also to all who have helped so much along the way as I waited for this 5674 and for indulging my rather verbose sense of humor.

Regards,
Bill

Hello all 5674 owners--Im anxiously awaiting delivery of my set tom (Dec 2)--Ive already committed to a calibration in January--i am told a neutral density filter can be applied to my set to improve black levels. Anyone had any expereince with this add on?

Mike in South Carolina
New home for Steve Spurrier

Ultimate Electronics has them. At least they have them on their website. I haven't actually made it to the store yet. I'm seeing a 56, but not a 4674. Can you help us find the 46 on the Ultimate site?

SpecialEd

I think that Ulitimate parent company is Soundstage or something like that and they go under that name in CO. I have been in one in Denver area last June.

Originally posted by Bill Briare
Just wanted to get back to you all on this. I was able to go to several stores and have confirmed that this is definitely a problem with every set I looked at. When I close my eyes I see lots of white flashing dots, sometimes for minutes after the video event. I get the same result on the HLP 6163, the 85 series, the Mits, the Panasonic, the Toshibas, all the 74 series and even on the JVC D-Ila. It is a bit less on the plasmas, however. Do you think this has to do with the burn in problem somehow being reversed?
Thanks for the suggestion of wearing sunglasses. That seemed to help. Thanks also to all who have helped so much along the way as I waited for this 5674 and for indulging my rather verbose sense of humor.

Regards,
Bill

as they would say "Don't stand so close!!"

M

Originally posted by SpecialEd
I'm seeing a 56, but not a 4674. Can you help us find the 46 on the Ultimate site?

It isn't there. They'll order the 4674 for you, but it (at least 2 weeks ago) was a special-order item for them, they've not yet decided to stock it. The salesmen in the Minneapolis area I've talked to seemed to think they're GOING to stock it, but it hasn't happened yet.

Scott

Originally posted by SpecialEd
I'm seeing a 56, but not a 4674. Can you help us find the 46 on the Ultimate site? My local store (Las Vegas-Rainbow) had a 5674 on display and I was told there was a 4674 "in the back."

I noticed some prior posts on this issue. Im having some intermttent synch issues on my 4674. NOt always there so its tough to say if its the cable box or the tv. I would appreicate any comments or suggestions

I've had my 4674 for a week and a half. There are audio sync issues with 480i inputs with the audio going through the receiver. This seems to become more prevalent as the quality of the source degrades. And from reading the board, this seems to be a well known issues with DLP's.

Currently, I have the TiVO going directly into the TV (audio and video), and there are no sync problems, but there were massive sync problems when the TiVO was going through the receiver to the TV. I suppose that if I connect the TV audio outputs back into the receiver, there should be no sync issues, and I can use the receiver speakers.

There do not seem to be any sync issues on non-480i inputs. Xbox works fine through component (on progressive scan games). I'm picking up some component cables for the PS2, although I'll probably have some audio/video sync issues for 480i games.

Originally posted by stuback
Currently, I have the TiVO going directly into the TV (audio and video), and there are no sync problems, but there were massive sync problems when the TiVO was going through the receiver to the TV. I suppose that if I connect the TV audio outputs back into the receiver, there should be no sync issues, and I can use the receiver speakers.


That is exactly what I have done and it has solved my audio-video sync problems with Tivo.

Originally posted by sdolson
It isn't there. They'll order the 4674 for you, but it (at least 2 weeks ago) was a special-order item for them, they've not yet decided to stock it. The salesmen in the Minneapolis area I've talked to seemed to think they're GOING to stock it, but it hasn't happened yet.

Scott
Yeah, I can 'Special Order' one from SoundTrack (the Colorado front for Ultimate), but their Satisfaction Guarantee does not apply to Special Orders. So, I have to buy a 4674, sight-unseen, and if it doesn't measure up, then that's just too *%&# bad ??

I'm really surprised that a gorilla like Samsung would let some chimp retailer stiff them like this. But I know what I'm getting when I buy a Mits and I'm sure as hell not gettin' it from Ultimate.

Thanks to you all for your help.

I've finally decided it's time to upgrade my old Wega to an HDTV - and my current top candidate is the HLP4674. Though I have yet to find it on the web or in a store, so I still need to consider price - how do the 74s compare in price to the 63 and 85 models? When can I expect to see the 74s in stores?

I've been learning a lot from this forum. I have one question about the DVD players that some here have that convert up the resolution to 720p then output using DVI. I believe that for at least one of the players I looked at the technology used to do this is the same as that in the Samsung TVs. So, what's the benefit of having the DVD player do the conversion over simply using a progressive scan DVD player and letting the TV do the conversion?

thanks for the help!

Originally posted by jensph
I have one question about the DVD players that some here have that convert up the resolution to 720p then output using DVI. I believe that for at least one of the players I looked at the technology used to do this is the same as that in the Samsung TVs. So, what's the benefit of having the DVD player do the conversion over simply using a progressive scan DVD player and letting the TV do the conversion? try this post

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4741263#post4741263

In fact, it's recommended reading for just about anyone here. Really great stuff.

Originally posted by jensph
I've finally decided it's time to upgrade my old Wega to an HDTV - and my current top candidate is the HLP4674. Though I have yet to find it on the web or in a store, so I still need to consider price - how do the 74s compare in price to the 63 and 85 models? When can I expect to see the 74s in stores?


One of the few places I've seen the 4674 with a pricetag is Vann's, at http://www.vanns.com. Their price for the 4674 is currently around what Best Buy is asking for the 5063, and a good deal below what I've seen the 5085 for. As to the stores, depends on where you are, some people have already seen them in stores for a month, but distribution seems pretty limited.

Scott

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/show...263#post4741263


this is a bible!!

thanks

M

NEW TO THE FORUM, NEW TO THE THREAD. CAN ANYBODY TELL ME HOW A SONY DVP685 PROGRESSIVE SCAN DVD (NO UPSCALING) WILL LOOK ON A HLP5674W VIA COMPONENT CABLES ? SHOULD I LEAVE THE DVD IN PROGRESSIVE OR LET THE SAMMY DO THE SCALING ? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. MY THEATER IS DONE, SOUND IS AWSOME, I HAVE A CUSTOM BUILT STAND THAT HOUSES MY CENTER CHANNEL SPEAKER, SUB, AND COMPONENTS . . . NOW ALL I NEED IS A BIG TV ! THANKS AGAIN.

I have a Sony DVP-CX875P progressive DVD and I hook it up via component. I have tried it set to Progressive and to Interlaced (with the TV set to Movie mode) and I find very little difference with the Sony's deinterlacing or the Samsungs 5674's Genesis (Faroujda) processing. I slightly prefer letting the DVD player for now since I mostly have disks that are correctly flagged (video vs film). Since the Sony can read the flags it is able to automatically switch to Video mode when playing disks that were souced from video (like tv series). If I had lots of old DVDs that were flagged wrong I would probably let the Genesys chip figure it out.

Does anybody have any idea if Best Buy or Circuit City is going to carry the HLP5674 ? I live in NE Ohio and none of the retailers mentioned in this thread are near buy. I'm not too thrilled about buying something major like this online, plus I'd like to see one before I buy it (not that i don't trust the expert opinions in this forum). I called my local CC and BB and they didn't know. I called Samsung CS and they said this model hasn't been released on the east coast yet ? Any other info for those of us heading into the long winter months in Ohio ?

THIS is all over this and the other 74 model threads if you searched...

The xx74 series will only be at high end stores and a few select others who carried the Tantus models. BB, CC, Sears, Costco, Walmart, etc won't have these.

The closest thing to a national chain with these sets is Tweeter.

Originally posted by BOWERSHT
Does anybody have any idea if Best Buy or Circuit City is going to carry the HLP5674 ? I live in NE Ohio and none of the retailers mentioned in this thread are near buy. I'm not too thrilled about buying something major like this online, plus I'd like to see one before I buy it (not that i don't trust the expert opinions in this forum). I called my local CC and BB and they didn't know. I called Samsung CS and they said this model hasn't been released on the east coast yet ? Any other info for those of us heading into the long winter months in Ohio ?

You will likely have to take a drive to PA and hit Tweeter or go south to Cincy for Ovation. If you go south, call them first, they aren't having a whole lot of luck yet getting much of a stock.

My 5674 has arrived here in the sticks in Portland OR. But no install till next week. Nonetheless the "sister set" was set up on Discovery HD Theatre next to a Sony KDF 55 (?) " rear projection LCD and two Plasmas, a Fujitshu and Runco. The blacks on the Sammy scorched the Sony and Runco and it was a tie with the Fujitshu. The Sammy was out of the box and I don't doubt this because Ford the salesperson said it was just arrived in the store the day before. He said you want to tweak around with it. I said "No, it was just fine". It was bright, sharp and the colors were very nice. I am sure it can be improved upon and then "Watch out". Granted this was HD and not analog SD broadcast junk but heck this is why we buy these cool sets. I cant wait for install in 6 days!!

Originally posted by Ripton520
Has anyone preformed an ISF gray scale color calibration on the HLP4674W? I heard rumors that Samsung has disabled the gray scale adjustments on the newer Sammys.

Also, with several folks now receiving the new HLP4674W, has anyone had any initial problems like a bulb going out within the first few weeks or a dead color wheel?

I am not suggesting there are problems with the unit, just trying to verify some of the rumors I have heard.

Thanks,

John

Sorry to bring this up again. but I was wondering if anyone can confirm or deny that the gray scale adjustments in the service menu have been disabled in the new Sammy HLP sets making it impossible to adjust the gray scale color.

Thanks,

Originally posted by mismatched
I cant wait for install in 6 days!!

SIX DAYS! What the heck is taking so long? They can't find the turnoff to L.O.?
:D

You've waited this long, it'll be worth it.
BB

originally they said they could not install until Dec 13! but they called back a day later to say they had had a cancellation and wondered whether Thursday would work. I hesitated about a nanosecond and said "YES!".

but silver 2910 DVD player is backordered. They will loan me a black one in the meantime. And I have Comcast and the HD-DVR arriving a couple hours after the Chelsea guys arrive here. So I will most likely not show much at work on Thursday!!!

I feel the "flu" coming on!

M

Originally posted by BOWERSHT
NEW TO THE FORUM, NEW TO THE THREAD. CAN ANYBODY TELL ME HOW A SONY DVP685 PROGRESSIVE SCAN DVD (NO UPSCALING) WILL LOOK ON A HLP5674W VIA COMPONENT CABLES ? SHOULD I LEAVE THE DVD IN PROGRESSIVE OR LET THE SAMMY DO THE SCALING ? THANKS Welcome to the forum. First thing to do is find the caps lock button and turn it off. Using ALL CAPS is akin to shouting on a forum.

As to your question, all I can say is try it and see. I have a Sony 777ES mega changer and I am waiting for my 15-foot cables to arrive so I can hook it up.

So far I have the TV (5674) and an S-Video cable for the SD STB. I am waiting on everything else, including the stand, audio cables, and component video cables. I was hoping to get the stand before I fired it up, but since that will be at least Monday, I'm going to be watching it on the floor all weekend!

Anybody read their recommended viewing distance guide that comes with the set? It's crazy! It says for SD you should be five to six times the width of the set away!!!! Six times the width of the 5674 is 28 feet away!!!! For HD they recommend 4 times the width, which is 19 feet away! I'd have to face the TV out the sliding glass door and sit outside! :D

Hello,

Brand new to the board. I have a question for all of you. I'm thinking of either getting the 4674 or the 4663. I have been to Tweeter and looked at the 4674 and 5663(they didn't have the 4663 but it's the same technology). Anyway, the dilemma is that I can get the 4663 for 750 bucks less then the 4674. So is the 4674 worth paying the extra money for? I appreciate your feedback as I need to make a decision quickly.

Thanks!

Originally posted by mismatched
My 5674 has arrived here in the sticks in Portland OR. But no install till next week. Nonetheless the "sister set" was set up on Discovery HD Theatre next to a Sony KDF 55 (?) " rear projection LCD and two Plasmas, a Fujitshu and Runco.

mismatched

Which store is that? I'm in Corvallis.

John

Originally posted by mismatched

but silver 2910 DVD player is backordered. They will loan me a black one in the meantime. And I have Comcast and the HD-DVR arriving a couple hours after the Chelsea guys arrive here. So I will most likely not show much at work on Thursday!!!

I feel the "flu" coming on!

M

Just picked up a silver 2910 last night and the PQ is amazing with the 5674. I had the Panny XP30 and sold it this week to get the 2910. So far it seems to be a great pairing with greater detail.

I think you will be pleased!

Sorry for the double Post, I meant to reply here first!

Like many of you here, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the "74" Series.

In my area, Charleston, SC, none of the B.B. or C.C. Stores have any and cannot answer any questions re: when and if they will carry them. The local Tweeter Store also has none, but is willing to order one.

Without having anything to "eyeball" I am, so far, having to rely on all of you who have taken delivery of these models and for your personal evaluations.


With so few actually delivered and in the hands of owners, it is hard to make any vailid objective judgments. My initial "read" of your published comments is that many of you are not thrilled or happy with the performance of these models. In fact, it seems many of you are in a way almost dissatisfied with your purchase, although most of you have not actually stated that your initial comments are not encouraging.

For $4,000 plus for a TV, it seems that one should expect "glowing reports" on performance and owner satisfaction, instead of the almost apologetic reaction from some here for having made the purchase. It seems like many who have taken delivery of their Sets are trying to convince themselves of a positive experience to support their purchase decision to buy this model.

I was expecting and hoping for more postive reports. So far, no one here has yet convinced me that you really like your new "74" Model Set.

Can we possibly take a Poll here to see the satisfaction level of everyone who has taken delivery?

If my interpretation of your comments is wrong please advise!

Thanks for your input!

HerbL

Herb

You might have a reading disability if you conclude that most of us are unhappy with our xx74. Try reading more posts.

I for one am VERY happy with this TV. I'm not the biggest Technofile but I do know quality and I feel this set is tops. I'll report more when time permits me to try out AVIA for the fine tweaks. No apologies here Herb.

HerbL: I don't have a 5674 (have had a 6163 since August), but have seen them frequently at Magnolia HiFi; and the PQ is indeed slightly sharper and more crisp than a xx63. It's as good as the Mits dlp's, and with the subperb Samsung non-glare screen. If I was willing to 'downsize' from 61", I would certainly swap for a 5674.

Herb,

Welcome to AVS!:D

I don't own a an xx74, but I am interested in them. A couple things to keep in mind. People here are the most critical coinsures of home theater equipment you will ever find. This isn't a bad thing. There is no perfect technology or peice of equipment out there. What may be right for you will not be right for someone else. If your looking for consensus, your looking in the wrong place. AVS is a great place to learn about a product, warts and all, so you make the most informed decision posible for yourself. Just don't expect to find a universal opinion of something, at least not here.

FWIW, I don't find most of the impressions of the 74's here negitive. Critical, yes.....In a good way. When I drop several thousand $ on something, I don't want any suprises.

Originally posted by HerbL
Sorry for the double Post, I meant to reply here first!

Like many of you here, I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the "74" Series.

In my area, Charleston, SC, none of the B.B. or C.C. Stores have any and cannot answer any questions re: when and if they will carry them. The local Tweeter Store also has none, but is willing to order one.

Without having anything to "eyeball" I am, so far, having to rely on all of you who have taken delivery of these models and for your personal evaluations.


With so few actually delivered and in the hands of owners, it is hard to make any vailid objective judgments. My initial "read" of your published comments is that many of you are not thrilled or happy with the performance of these models. In fact, it seems many of you are in a way almost dissatisfied with your purchase, although most of you have not actually stated that your initial comments are not encouraging.

For $4,000 plus for a TV, it seems that one should expect "glowing reports" on performance and owner satisfaction, instead of the almost apologetic reaction from some here for having made the purchase. It seems like many who have taken delivery of their Sets are trying to convince themselves of a positive experience to support their purchase decision to buy this model.

I was expecting and hoping for more postive reports. So far, no one here has yet convinced me that you really like your new "74" Model Set.

Can we possibly take a Poll here to see the satisfaction level of everyone who has taken delivery?

If my interpretation of your comments is wrong please advise!

Thanks for your input!

HerbL