Originally posted by HerbL
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.



HerbL

I would suggest waiting until you can see one yourself. I have had one for about 2 weeks and have been extremely pleased with the overall quality of the set. My chief complaints have been about the variability in quality in HD material, but that in not the set's fault.

Originally posted by 10sne1
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!

Yes the 74 series is worth the extra money. I have seen them in the same room on the same HD input and the blacks are better, the colors more vibrant and the sharpness noticeably nicer on the 74. The 63s are nice but the 74s are a clear winner. Mine will be delivered in the 56" variety on Thursday and I can hardly stand the wait. If you have narrowed down your choice to these two there is no choice!

M

PS the 5647 was adjacent to a nice Sony KDF set and two Plasmas, a Runco and a Fujitshu. The blacks on the 5674 were better than two of the sets with only the more expensive Fujitshu matching the Sammy 74.

Originally posted by Ripton520
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,

This is true, I am a recently trained and certified ISF calibrator who happens to own a HLP4663. I have tried to calibrate my set with my SENCORE video generator and color analyzer. The service menu adjustments for color gain and cutoffs do not work. You can adjust the settings, but they have no effect on the color analyzer. I have discussed this with SENCORE and ISF and they both have said the HLPs cannot be grey scale calibrated. They are both working with Samsung to try and come up with a solution. This only applies to the HLPs, both the HLNs, and the HLMs supposedly can be calibrated, although I haven't had a chance to try either one.

Temple Texas guy

Remember that it is human nature to complain and seek perfection. There are a good number of highly knowledgeable people in these forums may too much so. They look for perfection and when they dont see it with every media, on every input etc they seem dissatisfied. Go look at these sets for yourself and compare on different channels and with DVD playback etc. I think that you will see a noticeable improvement in the 74s over the 63s. I was very pleased to see they out black a couple very nice sets recently at a very good AV store here in Oregon.

I think that it is early and only time will tell and there will always be something better on the horizon...

Originally posted by mismatched
Temple Texas guy

Remember that it is human nature to complain and seek perfection. There are a good number of highly knowledgeable people in these forums may too much so. They look for perfection and when they dont see it with every media, on every input etc they seem dissatisfied. Go look at these sets for yourself and compare on different channels and with DVD playback etc. I think that you will see a noticeable improvement in the 74s over the 63s. I was very pleased to see they out black a couple very nice sets recently at a very good AV store here in Oregon.

I think that it is early and only time will tell and there will always be something better on the horizon...

I think your response may have been meant for the person I was respoding to (HerbL). I was responding to his post about criticism on the sets. I am extremely happy with mine as my former post would attest. Critical of it - most of us on here are looking for top notch stuff, but extremely happy.

I just got the D* HD Tivo, and connected it to my 4674 via HDMI. The picture is great, but I have run into an issue. When I set the HD Tivo to record and play Dolby, I get no sound out of the 4674 when the channel I am watching has Dolby D on. The sound does work if the channel is not in Dolby D.

The sound always works fine when I set the Tivo record/play stereo. The Dolby from the HD Tivo works great from my audio reciever, so I don't think the problem is with the HD Tivo.

Has anyone else seen this on an HLP connected via HDMI? Is the HLP series compatable with Dolby 5.1 over HDMI?

Thanks,
Joe

Originally posted by rockit
This is true, I am a recently trained and certified ISF calibrator who happens to own a HLP4663. I have tried to calibrate my set with my SENCORE video generator and color analyzer. The service menu adjustments for color gain and cutoffs do not work. You can adjust the settings, but they have no effect on the color analyzer. I have discussed this with SENCORE and ISF and they both have said the HLPs cannot be grey scale calibrated. They are both working with Samsung to try and come up with a solution. This only applies to the HLPs, both the HLNs, and the HLMs supposedly can be calibrated, although I haven't had a chance to try either one.

I'm an experiences ISF calibrator (4 years) and own an HL-P5063 and the grayscale can be calibrated on these just fine. There are two ways to do it.

1) Turn CCA off and just use the normal grayscale parameters in the DNiE menu.
2) Turn CCA off, measure and enter the coordinates of the primaries, enter your target white point in the CCA menus, then turn CCA back on (viola, it is done).

I had better results with just turning CCA off and using the DNiE parameters as CCA seems to mess with color decoding in ways I didn't like. I don't know who on earth at "ISF" or Sencore that told you that they can't be calibrated, but they are very wrong.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
I'm an experiences ISF calibrator (4 years) and own an HL-P5063 and the grayscale can be calibrated on these just fine. There are two ways to do it.

1) Turn CCA off and just use the normal grayscale parameters in the DNiE menu.
2) Turn CCA off, measure and enter the coordinates of the primaries, enter your target white point in the CCA menus, then turn CCA back on (viola, it is done).

I had better results with just turning CCA off and using the DNiE parameters as CCA seems to mess with color decoding in ways I didn't like. I don't know who on earth at "ISF" or Sencore that told you that they can't be calibrated, but they are very wrong.

do you think this adjustment method will apply work with a HLP 5674???

thank

M

Can't really say until I see one. I've done 5085's and the used the normal CCA method. Note that you need a good spectroradiometer, the Milori CF-6000 or similar in order to measure the primaries accurately.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
I'm an experiences ISF calibrator (4 years) and own an HL-P5063 and the grayscale can be calibrated on these just fine. There are two ways to do it.

1) Turn CCA off and just use the normal grayscale parameters in the DNiE menu.
2) Turn CCA off, measure and enter the coordinates of the primaries, enter your target white point in the CCA menus, then turn CCA back on (viola, it is done).

I had better results with just turning CCA off and using the DNiE parameters as CCA seems to mess with color decoding in ways I didn't like. I don't know who on earth at "ISF" or Sencore that told you that they can't be calibrated, but they are very wrong.

I won't give out names in here but you can call either for yourself. I'm sure they would welcome your comments. All I know is what I was told. I will try this on mine. Did you calibrate to D-65?

Originally posted by HerbL
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.

HerbL

Well, I went back to check my initial post to see how you might have inferred the above from something I might have written. I used adjectives like stunning, spot on, beautiful etc. My only question was on SD and that was right out of the box. Now that I've tweaked and the bulb has burned in, that has a great picture on most sources as well.

So now, in case you missed it the first time, I'll upgrade my comments to sensational. There are many HD or DVD scenes that look as if I'm either:
a. Scuba diving the coral reefs (I've been there)
b. At the arena (I've been there)
c. In the stadium (I've been there)
d. flying in space (never been there but I hear its nice)
e. hanging with the Hobbits (never done it and don't care to)

GET THE PICTURE!
Get the picture?
BB

Originally posted by rockit
Did you calibrate to D-65?

Yes.

So now, in case you missed it the first time, I'll upgrade my comments to sensational. There are many HD or DVD scenes that look as if I'm either:
a. Scuba diving the coral reefs (I've been there)
b. At the arena (I've been there)
c. In the stadium (I've been there)
d. flying in space (never been there but I hear its nice)
e. hanging with the Hobbits (never done it and don't care to)

well this might win him over. Heck I am going out and buy another one!

m

Thanks Mismatched.

I have come to that same conclusion. I went to a different Tweeter and saw a 63 and a 74 next to each other and there was a noticeable difference. More importantly, I had my wife go in and without telling her which was which, asked her of her opinion. After watching each for less then a minute... she pointed to the 74 and said that it was definitely sharper and more vibrant. The problem now is that I can't get a deal on the 74. I have someone that can get me most TVs at cost but can't get the 74 series because they are apparently only being sold thru Tweeter and a few other high end shops.

So this leads me to another question... does any other manufacturer make a 40 to 46 inch TV with the HD2+ chip in it? I'm hoping so as I'd rather get the TV at cost instead of having to go to Tweeter and pay full price for the 74.

Finally today, after waiting months for the 74's to come out, I dropped in on Magnolia and bought a 56 incher. Monday is delivery date. Seeing the 74 next to a 63 and in the same room with an 85 series convinced me to not wait any longer. In spite of personally believing that the 74 is going to have a 7 segment wheel in the not too distant future. Thanks to a great many of you who have posted your first impressions on this set. Expect some questions when I get it hookd up and comcast gets their HD box here.

Originally posted by 10sne1
Thanks Mismatched.

I have come to that same conclusion. I went to a different Tweeter and saw a 63 and a 74 next to each other and there was a noticeable difference. More importantly, I had my wife go in and without telling her which was which, asked her of her opinion. After watching each for less then a minute... she pointed to the 74 and said that it was definitely sharper and more vibrant. The problem now is that I can't get a deal on the 74. I have someone that can get me most TVs at cost but can't get the 74 series because they are apparently only being sold thru Tweeter and a few other high end shops.

So this leads me to another question... does any other manufacturer make a 40 to 46 inch TV with the HD2+ chip in it? I'm hoping so as I'd rather get the TV at cost instead of having to go to Tweeter and pay full price for the 74.

You may be screwed on that one. I do not believe anyone is currently making a sub 50" model that is HD2+ except samsung. If you have few extra inches you may look into the new RCA 50". I don't recall the model # but it has no side speakers and a fairly thin bezel. I think LG has one but it is NOT currently sold in the states.

Anyone,

I once had an HLN56XX and returned it because the fan (or colorwheel) noise was too loud for me. I don't think it was defective but just the way it was normally. I have read the samsung literature that says that the HLPxx63 (or maybe it was the HLPxx85) series was "30%" quiter. If the HLP5674 is also "30%" quiter, I would be interested in it. If it was the "85" series that was quiter, doesn't that have a different (i.e. vertical) light engine, and thus mean that maybe only that model is quiter).

Has anyone had both the HLN56xx and hlp5674 and found that the hlp5674 is indeed quiter?

Does anyone find the HLP5674 fan/colorwheel noise too loud?

BTW: I currently have a phillips 55PL9773 LCOS and don't hear any fan (or colorwheel) noise.

BTW2: Isn't the HLP5674 pretty much all the same as the HLN56XX (except for having the HD2+ chip) so therefore the fan/colorwheel sound will probably be the same?

EDIT: Just read the samsung literature again and it does say both the HLPxx63 and HLPxx85 series are "30% quiter operation (48db)". Don't know if 48db is "loud" or not. This still doesn't mean to me that the HLP56"74" is 30% quiter (see BTW2 above). Also, I have read through most if not all othet posts regarding this subject and see some people still complaining about the normal noise level on the 63 series.


Thanks

Originally posted by flynrider
Anyone,

I once had an HLN56XX and returned it because the fan (or colorwheel) noise was too loud for me. I don't think it was defective but just the way it was normally. I have read the samsung literature that says that the HLPxx63 (or maybe it was the HLPxx85) series was "30%" quiter. If the HLP5674 is also "30%" quiter, I would be interested in it. If it was the "85" series that was quiter, doesn't that have a different (i.e. vertical) light engine, and thus mean that maybe only that model is quiter).

Has anyone had both the HLN56xx and hlp5674 and found that the hlp5674 is indeed quiter?

Does anyone find the HLP5674 fan/colorwheel noise too loud?

BTW: I currently have a phillips 55PL9773 LCOS and don't hear any fan (or colorwheel) noise.

Thanks

I have the 4674 and I have never even noticed the fan unless all equipment is completely turned off and the room is dead silent. The only time I ever hear it is when I shut down the TV and everything is off and the fan stays on for a moment. I only notice this is if I am relatively close to it.

A lot of problems with fan noise may come from the cabinet you have and what you have in your room. My TV sits on a shelf but is not enclosed. I would think an enclosed cabinet would cause echo. Also, I have carpet flooring. If you had any sort of tile or wood floor you are likely going to pick it up more as well.

Back the original question: I have not owned any other models but I love this TV and in my house it is very quiet to my ears. I sit about 7-8 feet away from it.

I had the HLN56 before my HLP56. I really never noticed it in the HLN, and the same goes for the HLP. No cabinet with carpeting.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions in a positive way. I found everyones comments helpful and informative.

There was one guy that choose to respond with a personal attack and comment. Strange!! There is one in every crowd, I guess.

I placed my order for a Samsung 5674 yesterday. I'll post my comments and evalutation when I get it setup.

Thanks again!

HerbL

Originally posted by Cheezmo
I'm an experiences ISF calibrator (4 years) and own an HL-P5063 and the grayscale can be calibrated on these just fine. There are two ways to do it.

1) Turn CCA off and just use the normal grayscale parameters in the DNiE menu.
2) Turn CCA off, measure and enter the coordinates of the primaries, enter your target white point in the CCA menus, then turn CCA back on (viola, it is done).

I had better results with just turning CCA off and using the DNiE parameters as CCA seems to mess with color decoding in ways I didn't like. I don't know who on earth at "ISF" or Sencore that told you that they can't be calibrated, but they are very wrong.

What are you using for an IRE reference in D-NILE. Unless you can calibrate 20- 100 IRE at D-65, you haven't done a greyscale calibration. Measuring primaries with a spectraradiometer is not greyscale calibration. Can you tell me how to calibrate this set 20-100 IRE at D-65 with a video generator with IRE windows and a Sencore CP5000 color analyzer? It is not possible with your method.

Originally posted by HerbL
Thanks to everyone who responded to my questions in a positive way. I found everyones comments helpful and informative.

There was one guy that choose to respond with a personal attack and comment. Strange!! There is one in every crowd, I guess.

I placed my order for a Samsung 5674 yesterday. I'll post my comments and evalutation when I get it setup.

Thanks again!

HerbL

I hope you don't think I was the "one in every crowd" guy. If so, I apologize as I only meant to say that I think the 5674 is superb. Not even close to a "personal attack" was ever in my intent. But then, mismatched thinks I might have convinced you...

I'm glad you "got the picture".
Bill

Have any of you 74 series owners compared it to the RCA HD50LPW162? Thanks!

Well got my 5674 on Friday and been playing around with it all weekend. I had on ESPN IN HD yesterday and that show was on Sportscenter I believe and the Picture just blew me away. It was so much better then the Mits 55813 and the Pioneer 530 I had. last night my kids watched a Mickey's Christmas cartoon on DVD and that was just stunning. I couldn't believe the quality of the picture I was getting. Now to movies I've watched a few already and don't believe the picture to be that great. Maybe it's my DVD player I have a Zenith 318 and I'm using the DVI connection and I have it set for upconversion to 720. Any opinions on this? maybe I need to get a better DVD player. I have seen no rainbows and this set is very quite no fan noise at all. I'm pleased as of now just need to tinker with it more to get the Movies to look better.

Chad, what is the build date on the 318? You may need to download firmware to fix the white crush if it's an older one. I went from a 318 to Samsung 941. HDMI to HDMI. I feel the picture is better than the 318. According to Cheezmo, if you use the Expand mode on HDMI, you get 1:1 pixel mapping.

I downloaded the new firmware last night and notice no difference. I don't no to much about pixel mapping so is expand mode the best one to use? I believe that is what I'm using now. I have Sharpness at 0 and the picture enhancements turned off. I still have allot of tinkering to do so when my kids let me watch tv tonight I will get to do some more adjusting. Thank's for the reply.

Rockit has said:
"What are you using for an IRE reference in D-NILE. Unless you can calibrate 20- 100 IRE at D-65, you haven't done a greyscale calibration. Measuring primaries with a spectraradiometer is not greyscale calibration. Can you tell me how to calibrate this set 20-100 IRE at D-65 with a video generator with IRE windows and a Sencore CP5000 color analyzer? It is not possible"

Why are you using 20IRE? There is no way in the world your pod will read that low, accurately. A PR-650 will have trouble being accurate that low. Plus, there is a ton or switching noise at 20IRE and it is difficult to even see that window.
Secondly, when you choose your gamma setting in the SM, you are affixing to a specific look up table for Grayscale. You can't change that table, so you are trying to bring the points you are measuring as close to that curve as possible.
You can only do so much, and if you are trying to take measurements at every 10 IRE and get your curve to match that, it will never happen.
Take a look at 80, then at 30, then back at 80, then 30 once more. Then fine tune at 50 (the "midrange" where Fleshtones reside) and take what you can get.

Not sure who you are, Rockit, but Steve is an associate of mine in Lion A/V Associates, a consortium with 5 more of the most respected calibrators on the planet. In addition, I am an ISF co-instructor and heavily involved in the "calibrator's only" ISF forum.
In addition, another associate of ours in Lion A/V, Seth Schaible is consulting with Samsung.

It is difficult for me to grasp that anyone within the heirarchy of ISF would have told you that it can't be done, and it certainly depends on who you would have spoken with at Sencore.

There is a bit of minor controversey, behind the scenes, debating whether tri-stimulus sensors can accurately detect the Samsung primaries, as Samsung claims they are outside the Colorspace boundaries, however, the Progressive Labs / Ovation piece with its software and sampling speed seems to do just fine with regard to measuring (with visually verifying, of course).

Originally posted by rockit
What are you using for an IRE reference in D-NILE. Unless you can calibrate 20- 100 IRE at D-65, you haven't done a greyscale calibration. Measuring primaries with a spectraradiometer is not greyscale calibration. Can you tell me how to calibrate this set 20-100 IRE at D-65 with a video generator with IRE windows and a Sencore CP5000 color analyzer? It is not possible with your method.

The CCA mode is a special mode that Samsung developed (aparrently with the help of Joe Kane) for their front projectors but has worked its way down into these light engines. It allows you to measure the primaries and white point, then enter in your target primaries (on some models) and white point and it does the math and actually comes out pretty darn close. It helps a bit if you first calibrate the grayscale 20-100 (as you said) using the DNIe parameters with CCA off and then fine tune it a bit (as it tends to get off on the low end) with those parameters after turning it back on.

As I said, I prefered leaving off CCA on my own set and just using the DNIe parameters. (I assume that you know to use the RED_C_COEFF (red contrast), RED_B_COEFF (red brightness), etc. parameters for grayscale. If you are using some other parameters I can understand why you never saw the grayscale change.

I measure the grayscale with a Milori Colorfacts CF-6000.

This really isn't the place for a tutorial on ISF calibration of these models, I suggest you get in touch with www.isfforum.com where you can hash through some of this stuff with other calibrators. I really just intended to curb the spread of misinformation (ie that these sets can not be calibrated).

This set will not calibrate D-65, no matter what IRE is used. Gamma is set to 0 before any adjustments.

You say "it is not possible with my method".

Is your claim that with CCA off, while measuring a gray pattern and changing (for example) RED_C_COEFF and RED_B_COEFF, nothing changes?

Perhaps there is a rogue firmware version out there that for some reason can not be calibrated, but other than that I still suspect user error, as I have calibrated several.

Thanks for the advice, I was not aware of the forum.

I was not using the COEFF, will try again.

Hello all. This is my first post, and am looking forward to some good feedback from the forum. I took ownership of a 5674 yesterday, and am not real happy with the picture. I originally had a 56" tantus, and decided to upgrade to the new model. My first problem, is that if you look closely in the black parts of the screen in either HD or SD, it is not a clean black. There seems to be some video noise. I talked to my salesman, and he says the one in the showroom also exhibits the noise I am talking about in the blacks. It also looks like the picture is compressed more so than before. I am using the exact same receiver as before so this should not be an issue. It is hooked up via the DVI port. Also, last night the DVI signal deciced to turn into snow, and I can only see the picture if I rewire via RGB. Can someone please look at their set closely and see if the blacks are "clean"? Also, I don't see a choice for viewing in the expand mode that I have seen mentioned here.

Any and all help is greatly appreciated,
Hector

Hector, what you're seeing when you look close is the green dot crawl or noise. I think all the HLP's have it, I'm not sure why. If you sit at a normal distance, you won't see it. My blacks seem much darker than my HLN had, green dots or not. No compression that you stated. The DVI should work, check the set-up on your STB. The expand mode is only on the HDMI input. You'll have to get an HDMI adapter to use it with your STB.

Well, if you weren't adjusting the grayscale parameters, that would certainly explain why the grayscale wasn't changing.

Just out of curiousity, what parameters were you attempting to adjust grayscale with. Perhaps we can keep others from making the same mistake.

Originally posted by ElPorto
Hello all. This is my first post, and am looking forward to some good feedback from the forum. I took ownership of a 5674 yesterday, and am not real happy with the picture. I originally had a 56" tantus, and decided to upgrade to the new model. My first problem, is that if you look closely in the black parts of the screen in either HD or SD, it is not a clean black. There seems to be some video noise.

If brightness is properly adusted, black should be clean, but anything even just barely above it will exhibit the "temporal dithering" that you describe. As you said it is only visiible if you look closely. Sit at your normal viewing distance and unless you sit too close, you shouldn't notice it.

Steve, you are the man. Hector, look closely at the screen while adjusting the brightness. At the 44 setting I had the dithering(noise). At 43, completely gone.

Originally posted by ElPorto
Also, I don't see a choice for viewing in the expand mode that I have seen mentioned here.

If it is the same as the HL-Pxx63 models, the Expand option will only be there when viewing 720p over DVI/HDMI.

Not sure if this is the best place to ask this question, but it seems to have come up here:

When I use DVE to set black level (Brightness), I come up with ~55or 56 (for my Sammy 6163, Denon 2910) when I use the 'Reverse Gray Ramps' (Title 12, Chapter 14), but when I use the 'pluge' bars in Chapter 2, 3, 5, etc., come up with a Brightness of ~ 44 or so. Does anyone have this experience, and does anyone know what is preferred?

Originally posted by Cheezmo
If it is the same as the HL-Pxx63 models, the Expand option will only be there when viewing 720p over DVI/HDMI.

FWIW, expand is also available via 720p on rgb.

-pd

Originally posted by Cheezmo
Well, if you weren't adjusting the grayscale parameters, that would certainly explain why the grayscale wasn't changing.

Just out of curiousity, what parameters were you attempting to adjust grayscale with. Perhaps we can keep others from making the same mistake.

Menu 2 gain and offset. I have tried what you suggested with the COEFF and I can visually see the changes but the analyzer is showing little change. Can get nowhere near D-65. Could this be an analyzer problem?

Hello Everyone,

I'm sorry but I am too lazy to read this entire thread because it's getting long. I'm wondering, is there going to be a 50" set in the new 74 series? If so, when is it projected to be available? I'm looking for a certain set of dimensions and I believe the 50" should work. Like many, I want the HD2+ chip.


TIA.

No. 46" and 56" are the only two sizes in the xx74 series.

Originally posted by RickGr4
Hello Everyone,

I'm sorry but I am too lazy to read this entire thread because it's getting long. I'm wondering, is there going to be a 50" set in the new 74 series? If so, when is it projected to be available? I'm looking for a certain set of dimensions and I believe the 50" should work. Like many, I want the HD2+ chip.


TIA.

Nah, I don't think so. Only the 46 and 56 inch sets are being made. Maybe the HD3+ will have a different size.

I too am in the same situation. I rather have something in the middle of 46 and 56. 50 or 52 is perfect for my room size. So if I do get a 46", I feel I'm going too small whereas if I get a 56", I feel like its alittle overkill. Although, from what people here say (always wild thoughts) they mention that you should always go bigger, if you have the room.

Well, I recieved my replacement 5674 this morning and PQ is much better than the first. This set does not have the same problems with being out of focus and what I call the big white blur where I had to keep contrast in the 30 range. Anyway so far so good.

Also the picture geometry is much better on this set, and it has an October build, the first set was Sept.

Thanks to all the research I've been doing on AVS, mostly in this thread, yesterday I purchased a 4674 from a local Tweeter. I also ordered a Sammy DVD player, the HD941, not expected to arrive for another three weeks. Next step is drop more cash on a HD DirecTV Hr10-250. Since both the DVD player and the HD PVR communicate digitally through the HDMI (and the 4674 only has ONE HDMI port), I'm wondering if I really need the HD941 since the 4674 already does scaling with the Genesis chip. Maybe I would be better off with a DVI player that can handle DVD-Audio discs (Denon 1910)?

Can someone tell me if I really need an HD941 if I have a 4674?

Thank to so many of you for helping me pick the right TV. Can't wait to pick it up on Wednesday!

-pjc

The 941 does the up-conversion closer to the source, which is good. It also can do a 1:1 pixel map with your 4674 if you use HDMI. I would use a DVI adapter for the Hr10.

pjc, can't you connect the HD941 thru the DVI port?

Sub, the 941 crushes blacks if you don't go HDMI to HDMI.

what do you mean crushes? and why not get another model of the Sammy DVDs that have DVI output?

Originally posted by Hi Deaf
The 941 does the up-conversion closer to the source, which is good. It also can do a 1:1 pixel map with your 4674 if you use HDMI. I would use a DVI adapter for the Hr10.

Ah! Excellent point. Hadn't considered that. No black crushing I hope...
I knew from reading the HD941 thread that the only way to avoid that was to go HDMI to HDMI.

Hadn't thought about that with the PVR. THANKS!

-pjc

I'm going with the Sony DVPNS975v. It has an HDMI output. I'm also going to hook my 4674 up to Dish Networks HD DVR921, which has HDMI also. Given that neither of these devices has DVI, I'll use a HDMI-DVI cord to make the second connection. The question is: Which component gets the HDMI-HDMI connection, which gets the HDMI-DVI port? Any advice? Just try 'em both and see what works best? Both components also have composite video and the 4674 has two of those, but I don't think anyone is using them for satellite or DVD. Thoughts?

Sorry, lets make that a question above regarding the two COMPONENT inputs on the 4674, not the COMPOSITE inputs.

Unless you want to run audio into your TV as well, it shouldn't matter. Use the digital inputs, not the components.

I will second that!!

Thanks much Hi Deaf & Mismatched. We'll see how this all comes together.

Originally posted by mchuckp
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.

This really works! I just got my set and I could see the gnats inside the set before I even turned it on. If you see the gnats, DO NOT TURN YOUR SET ON! When the bulb came on, they gnats flew out. On the sofa, the curtains, the bananas -- GOD THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!!! :eek:


Oh, wait. I don't even have an HDTV yet. It was only a gnatmare. :D

Okay, sorry about that.


Anyway, I just wanted to say I appreciate all the feedback everyone is providing on these sets. I've been waiting on a set like the 4674 for quite a while now. I'll have to wait a few months for the price to come down a bit, but this is the set I'm getting as soon as I can afford it. It would be nice to have one that's 49 or 50", but I'm just being too picky. A 1080p version would be nice, but I'm not going to wait that long.
Well, back to the cave to lurk some more.

Does anyone know if there are discrete codes for each input on the xx74? I am tired of having to cycle through all active inputs!

My WEGA XBR HD set was recently stolen so I wen't down to Magnolia and purchased the 4674 and now I am trying to get it to hook up to my HTPC via DVI.

Right out of the box I get 1280x720 which looks nice but I get unused slush on all 4 sides; which would not be too bad but is a bit off center.

Is there a Powerstrip profile that will get me the full screen area?

I did search to see if I could find this in the forums with no luck, any help you can offer would be appriciated.

Originally posted by Paul_PDX
I believe you can get true one to one with all of the HD2+ models (either the 85 or the 74 series). You can get it with the HD3 (63 series models) however due to wobulation it will look soft compared to what could be done before. Won;t get mine til next week to know for sure but other 85 posts make me sure it can be accomplished.

Run any decent pattern generator on the hlp5063.. it will resolve 1280x720 patterns even if it wobulates (btw, anyone has any TI literature on wobulation).. how can a row of 1x1 pixels look "softer" than other 1x1 lines displayed on hd2+'s?

The reason it looks softer is because the pixels are actually rotated 90 degrees. The reason is that they tilt on a diagonal (attached on two corners) and in order to be able to reflect light to two places on the screen they need to pivot horizontally.

If you look closely you will see that they are diamonds, not rectangles.

Making a vertical line one pixel wide out of diamonds is not going to be as well defined as making it out of rectangles. Although, I presume that diagonal lines could potentially look much cleaner on an HD3 ;)

But, if you get your face of the screen and move back to reasonable viewing distance the difference is not as huge as one might imagine. The "wobulation" technique smooths things out so that it isn't quite as obvious as stack of diamonds and you can definitely make out the resolution lines on a 1280 pattern.

I have a 5674 and would like to ask 3 questions
1- When watching football in HD when the camera is shooting close ups, or is shooting at a relativity close range the picture is very clear. But when shooting the game from a distance, an example would be right before the snap of the football when all 22 players are on camera the picture is not clear. I have noticed this on other T.V.s as well. Is this issue on all T.Vs? or is it worst on HD and DLP. Is there a way to adjust the T.V.? I have the same problem w/ basketball games, clear up close, not clear when entire court action being shown.
2-When I am watching in 4x3 mode there is a very thin white line at the top of the screen where the picture meets the the border that flickers. Is there a adjustment for this?
3- I want to have a wall unit built around this T.V., How much room should I leave in the rear and sides for ventilation.
Thank you for your time, this forum is GREAT!

Originally posted by scpanel
Does anyone know if there are discrete codes for each input on the xx74? I am tired of having to cycle through all active inputs!

I have an earlier Samsung DLP model for which I downloaded the discrete codes from RemoteCentral.com. You can choose whatever remote file type you need (ie. Pronto, HTM, etc.).

Originally posted by wko
I have a 5674 and would like to ask 3 questions
1- When watching football in HD when the camera is shooting close ups, or is shooting at a relativity close range the picture is very clear. But when shooting the game from a distance, an example would be right before the snap of the football when all 22 players are on camera the picture is not clear. I have noticed this on other T.V.s as well. Is this issue on all T.Vs? or is it worst on HD and DLP. Is there a way to adjust the T.V.? I have the same problem w/ basketball games, clear up close, not clear when entire court action being shown.
2-When I am watching in 4x3 mode there is a very thin white line at the top of the screen where the picture meets the the border that flickers. Is there a adjustment for this?

1- The more video process/sharpness/enhancement that is applied the more fine detail will get messed up. I would suggest turning of DNIe, Digital NR, and turning down sharpness. What you lose in "artificial enhancements" will be made up for in accurate detail. Other than that, it depends on the cameras, focus, etc. and of course resolution.

2- That is an overscan issue. The picture may need to be shifted upwards in the service menu, or use the TV Wide mode instead of Expand to get a little more overscan (but that depends on what resolution/input type you are using, my tip applies to 720p input.

Wko -
1 - COuld be due to which cameras are being used on the field, or, If you are watching over cable or sat it could be due to compression -- still items can be resolved very sharp because it doesn;t take much bandwidth to resolve the image changes while wider or more action items generally will require more bandwidth to resolve changes and the cable & sat providers often skimp on bandwidth.

2- Not normal - if it happens with over the air (antenna-all channels) or hooked to a DVD player with simple video cables I would suspect the set. If using Cable or Sat I would suspect your receiver or receivers settings.

3. I'd leave at least two inches to allow heat to rise behind the set, if you have a shelf tight to the top of the set you could have a small opening in the back of shelf to allow heat to keep on rising. I don't have this problem as my design is going to allow full access from a equipment room behind my set so I vent into that room and that gives me access to the bulb and cables.


Originally posted by wko
I have a 5674 and would like to ask 3 questions
1- When watching football in HD when the camera is shooting close ups, or is shooting at a relativity close range the picture is very clear. But when shooting the game from a distance, an example would be right before the snap of the football when all 22 players are on camera the picture is not clear. I have noticed this on other T.V.s as well. Is this issue on all T.Vs? or is it worst on HD and DLP. Is there a way to adjust the T.V.? I have the same problem w/ basketball games, clear up close, not clear when entire court action being shown.
2-When I am watching in 4x3 mode there is a very thin white line at the top of the screen where the picture meets the the border that flickers. Is there a adjustment for this?
3- I want to have a wall unit built around this T.V., How much room should I leave in the rear and sides for ventilation.
Thank you for your time, this forum is GREAT!

Planning on getting a Sammy (maybe) and I can't decide on the 46 or 56". I pretty much have my stand narrowed down and its 59" wide. Now the 46" model is about 41 inches wide and the 56" model is about 50 inches wide. If I were to have two side speakers with either tv, how far away from the tv would they have to be for good LEFT and RIGHT sound?

My problem is that if I get the 4674, I can place the speakers (small satellites) on the table with the tv. I figure I will have an extra 18" of space or 9" from each side of the tv. That seems an OK distance for the speakers to be placed. If I get the 5674, I will have an extra 9" of space or 4.5" on each side of the tv. Is that too close to place speakers to a tv? Its just hard for me to put the speakers on stands next to a wide table in my tv room. I could get the 4674 and a smaller stand, but who wants to settle for a smaller tv? :)

Are you thinking out loud or do you really want advice? Do both speakers have to be next to the TV? I put one speaker close on one side and the other speaker about 6-8 ft away from the TV on the other side of the fireplace. It sounds fine. My room is 16' wide and 20' lone, fireplace on the "wide" wall.

hope this helps

M

I'm not thinking out loud, I need some advice. Anyone, anyone?

Your setup seems kinda odd that you have a speaker so far away. I'm surprised there isn't any noise with that setup. Is the room just oddly shaped or something? Pictures?

Originally posted by subwoofer
Your setup seems kinda odd that you have a speaker so far away. I'm surprised there isn't any noise with that setup. It's not an ideal setup, but you can usually set up the receiver so that each speaker, no matter where it is, provides the same sound level to the listening area.

Here is a helpful link, it's how Dolby suggests you set up your room.

http://www.dolby.com/consumer/home_entertainment/roomlayout.html

yea I've seen that link before and I pretty much have a similar setup, although my subwoofer is between the LEFT and REAR LEFT speaker.

I guess it doesn't matter if the LEFT, RIGHT and CENTER speakers are close but I have heard from some audiophiles that you can get some problems with sound since there is almost no difference in any of the 3 speakers since they are so close. Therefore, it practically makes 1 large speaker. As I said before, I have my LEFT and RIGHt speakers about a foot (12") from the side of my tv and the center rests on top. With this, I get very good sound from each speaker. I guess I could test it tonight to see if putting them closer makes a difference.

Anyone have a Sammy DLP here that has close speakers?

I have a 5674 and my Mirages are on each side of the TV. I have limited space on this one wall so I went and bought these floor standing speakers just because of space issue. The sound is wonderful no complaints at all but again my living room is small.

One of the reasons to keep L/R speakers close to the L/R sides of the TV is to keep the sound of something moving left-to-right across the screen coincident with its picture. You don't want something to move 40 in across the screen and sound like it moved 12 ft across the room!

That's why the L & R speakers are behind the left and right sides of the movie screen in a theater. [The center's back there, too, but it's hard to make a center speaker sound good when it's behind a DLP!]

I have been lurking on this site for a while and learned a ton from everyone on the board. Pulled the trigger on the 4674 and am pleased so far. HD out of the box was great using Moto 6200 STB and supplied component cables. Will upgrade to DVI in next day or two. Sony DVD with HDMI took some warming up but I compared to my Panny CRT and was pretty pleased in first few hours of running the set. Noticed the dithering but have not gone through my DVE disc yet, and hope this will improve it some. It appeared there was a slight audio sync lag in a portion of the disc, but not evident in other materials.

SD signals were pretty bad but I have noticed improvement as the set gets up to speed.

Have not hooked up XBOX yet. Waiting on my A/V rack to come in this week.

Coupled with my ROTEL 1068 and B&W 700 series throughout, I hope I am done for a while.

I'm curious what kind of improvement people are seeing as the set "gets up to speed".

The only thing I can think of that would be changing during the initial break in period would be the color of the light output from the lamp. (I bought a floor model so didn't get to experience/measure that).

Other than that, I would suspect that the "improvement", is just getting used to how it looks.

Is there anything else "changing" that people are able to quantify?

I have a 5674 and will be getting a permanent base for it to sit on soon. I have the feeling that the answer to this question is "personal preference", but I was wondering if there are any supposedly ideal vertical viewing angles for the DLP screens. For example should the center of the screen be right at eye level, or slightly above, or slightly below, etc.

Thanks,
Randy

Originally posted by Cheezmo
I'm curious what kind of improvement people are seeing as the set "gets up to speed".

The only thing I can think of that would be changing during the initial break in period would be the color of the light output from the lamp. (I bought a floor model so didn't get to experience/measure that).

Other than that, I would suspect that the "improvement", is just getting used to how it looks.

Is there anything else "changing" that people are able to quantify?

It may be the subjective "just getting used to how it looks" as you suggest but to me, it really seems that after about 3-4 days (I let it run straight for 3 days), the SD got sharper. Now the SD on most D* channels is much better than out of box. Mabye an illusion of familiarity but to my eyes the pic is definitely better.

Originally posted by RCBrust
I have a 5674 and will be getting a permanent base for it to sit on soon. I have the feeling that the answer to this question is "personal preference", but I was wondering if there are any supposedly ideal vertical viewing angles for the DLP screens. For example should the center of the screen be right at eye level, or slightly above, or slightly below, etc.

Thanks,
Randy

Yes, the center of the screen should be at eye level, i.e., ~ 38 to 42".

I too have been lurching for about a year here. Finally pulled the trigger on a 5674 and have NOT been disappointed. My first concern was bringing it home and having the SD signal look horrendous. It doesn't! Very viewable. Since I have an extremely bright room (18 x 15 with one full window wall - 12' high) the unit passed the 'direct sun' second test today! There is a period of time that the sun (at this time of year) shines directly on the screen - can't believe I can actually view it! So, put me down as one extremely happy user - and i have barely 'put it to the test'. Now to improve the signal, cables, to be totally blown away. Oh, and Tweeters was running a special over the weekend that enabled me to have my set right away, as opposed to being 'listed' at the same price!! It is sooo nice to be happy knowing that there is plenty of 'upside' to still test! I will continue to keep checking here so that I will get the most out of this fantastic screen! One happy family here.

We just brought home and set up a Samsung HLP4674W. Very happy except....
Sound through Sony DVD sound system is out of synch with the picture (you hear the word then the lips move...). This may be basic but I am pretty low tech. The sound is fine through the TV speaker but out of synch through the DVD surround sound receiver. Thanks in advance for help!

Originally posted by TBP
I too have been lurching for about a year here. Finally pulled the trigger on a 5674 and have NOT been disappointed. My first concern was bringing it home and having the SD signal look horrendous. It doesn't! Very viewable. Since I have an extremely bright room (18 x 15 with one full window wall - 12' high) the unit passed the 'direct sun' second test today! There is a period of time that the sun (at this time of year) shines directly on the screen - can't believe I can actually view it! So, put me down as one extremely happy user - and i have barely 'put it to the test'. Now to improve the signal, cables, to be totally blown away. Oh, and Tweeters was running a special over the weekend that enabled me to have my set right away, as opposed to being 'listed' at the same price!! It is sooo nice to be happy knowing that there is plenty of 'upside' to still test! I will continue to keep checking here so that I will get the most out of this fantastic screen! One happy family here.

very good news. Any digital pictures?

Sorry this isn't a tweak question but where have you guys been able to find the 74 series? TV authority i know has them but they are hidden. I've been wanting to check out one up close to compare with 63 series and sony xs955 but can only go on features and your feedback.

If there's a Tweeter near you, try them. Also Magnolia.

thanks, a tweeter about 20 miles away. not great but not bad.

Does magnolia have a website?

I'm not sure. Hey Les, are you there?

I also just today took delivery of a 5674. Comcast will not be here until tomorrow so I hooked it up to my digital cable STB and through my Denon 3805. All with S-Video cables. I was prepared to give the wife a number of excuses why we spent 4K plus to watch this crappy picture. Turned it on and the video/sound was immediately out of sync. no problem though for the Denon. 3ms of adjustment and it was right on. And the picture? very good. Right out of the box. A least as good as my 35 inch RCA CRT. Can't wait for the HD STB to arrive tomorrow. Life is good!!

Magnolia has a website but no prices listed. They post links to the manufacturers' websites. I bought my 5674 at Magnolia.

Originally posted by OLFRT
Turned it on and the video/sound was immediately out of sync.

So the out-of-synch issue plagues the 74s as well? It amazes me that after spending 3 or $4,000 there is such a basic problem with the technology.

Is this only a Samsung issue, or is it isolated to DLP sets? Or is it present in any HDTV that needs to up-scale the signal?

It has always been somewhat of an issue with line doublers. The problem is that they have to look at a several fields of the incoming interlaced video in order to decide how to process it (3:2 pulldown for film vs. other methods for video material). Apparently something the Samsungs (or DLP in general) need to do adds a bit more delay. Samsung has dealt with it to some extent by giving the TV the ability to delay audio to keep things in sync. But, if you use and external audio processor and it does not have a delay option, you have a problem.

The problem seems to be isolated to interlaced sources (composite/S-Video/480i component) so using a progressive scan DVD player may solve your problem (or adding an external line doubler like an iScan). I haven't noticed a sync problem with 720p video over HDMI.

There's been about a billion threads and posts on audio synch issues, and whether the TV or some other component is to blame.

My thoughts are this - it is much more related to the source and the vehichle through which you view that source than the TV.

I've had my 4674 for a little over a month. I watch everything through a DirecTV receiver, including OTA networks. I've had zero problems with audio synch issues. The quality of STB's you get from cable companies varies greatly, but I'm sure in most instances they are garbage. Why would Motorola make a decent product if you were forced by Comcast to use it? Your audio synch could very well be a result of garbage in, garbage out. And while I'm not a gamer, the problems with Play Stations and X-Box units probably arise because those units are cheap DVD/video game players.

Here's what I would do before you claim your DLP has audio synch issues:

1. Have your STB do zero processing. Send it a signal exactly as it is coming in to your STB.

2. Use the best connection your STB allows.

If you still have audio synch issues in this case through your TV's speakers,
you probably have a bad STB. Try a DVD, with a good DVD player, and if the synch issues persist then you can at least say it's your TV, and in that case I would return it for a new one.

And I don't mean to sound like a shill - I don't work for DirecTV and have no interest in the company - but I spent some time over the weekend with two friends who just bought Samsung DLP's with D* and have no problems.

Originally posted by tjk
There's been about a billion threads and posts on audio synch issues...
Sorry to bring it up again! But I just want to confirm one thing.

If you still have audio synch issues in this case through your TV's speakers...
I wasn't even aware of this problem. I thought the issue was only, as Cheezmo wrote:
if you use and external audio processor and it does not have a delay option, you have a problem.

Cheezmo also wrote:
Apparently something the Samsungs (or DLP in general) need to do adds a bit more delay.
So, I just want to confirm: this audio delay problem is isolated to DLP based sets? LCD RPs, for example, would not have this problem?

Thanks.

Thank goodness for the glossary - I've been able to decipher the acronyms in the responses to my DLp4674 audio synch post! Again, I don't know much on this subject - okay, virtually nothing on this subject - and, even worse, I'm a girl so I labor under that disability in the AV department.

The audio synch problem occurs only when using the DVD/Surround Sound Receiver. The TV speaker doesn't have an audio synch problem with the cable input or the DVD input.

"1. Have your STB do zero processing. Send it a signal exactly as it is coming in to your STB."

I have the DVD AV audio/video output from the audio/video control receiver connected directly to the TV "AV1" audio and video inputs - it doesn't go through the STB.

"2. Use the best connection your STB allows."

What would be a "best connection"? Is it a matter of the cables or which input jacks you are using? Is it better to use the component jacks or the AV jacks?

"If you still have audio synch issues in this case through your TV's speakers,you probably have a bad STB. Try a DVD, with a good DVD player, and if the synch issues persist then you can at least say it's your TV, and in that case I would return it for a new one."

As above, the DVD output is not being routed through the STB. The problem only occurs with the Sony DVD player/sound system and the sound system speakers. Do I need to look at a better DVD player or video/audio controller? What DVD/sound system would you all suggest? As it is currently connected, the sound and picture are in synch if we are using the TV speaker for the sound. If we use the DVD system speakers, then the synch problem occurs. If I need some kind of delay contraption, what would it be and where would it be hooked up?



"And I don't mean to sound like a shill - I don't work for DirecTV and have no interest in the company - but I spent some time over the weekend with two friends who just bought Samsung DLP's with D* and have no problems."

There's been no audio synch problem with the cable and none of the DVD signal is routed through the STB.

I appreciate the responses and hope that you will help me a little more on this.

There is a problem with the cable if I play the sound throught the audio system rather than through the TV speaker. Is there a sound system controller I can buy that can make the audio synch adjustment?

pld,

I had the exact same questions when I bought my HLP6163. A/V sync issues when listening through my surround sound processor but the issue is not present via the TV speakers. The Samsung has a built in audio delay that is adjustable in the SM settings: 1, 2, or 3 (default) which I presume corresponds to 10ths of seconds. So the TV is automatically delaying the audio to compensate for the video processing time. Since this delay is only applied to the TV speakers, it stands to reason that when you feed the audio to your own processor it will need to produce a similar delay. By now you probably had pieced together most of this already.

There are quite a few surround sound processors out on the market today in the $200+ range that have an audio delay feature built in for this very reason. Look for Digital Dolby 6.1 and 7.1 receivers as I haven't found any 5.1's out there with this feature. The fact that this feature is out there implies that video delay is an inherant problem in todays home theaters and not limited to just the DLPs, though they may in-fact suffer more noticably than other technologies.

pld
Not sure but I think I remember someone previous who had a similiar problem. Your sound system does not have the ability to delay sound to sync with video. Sound coming from the TV speakers has no delay problem. I believe if you run the sound to the TV and then back to the receiver/speakers you would be OK.

I have a HLP6163 fed by DVI, Hughes HTL-HD and 3-4 year old Denon Receiver fed via digital optical cable from the STB. I only notice the audio being out of sync when viewing some, not all, HD. The Denon can be set for delay by inputing the distance in feet for each speaker. I have tried increasing the distance and decreasing the distance but cannot eliminate the problem.

I have the HTL-HD set to variable 1 which passes through everything except 480I (up converted to 480P). Is there anything else I can do???

I just got my set installed yesterday and thought I'd make a few comments. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the set (previously, had a SONY 27" WEGA), but I have a couple of issues/comments. Note that this is my first HDTV so some of these may be non-issues, but I thought I'd bring them up anyway.

1) Unfortunately, there is a dead pixel on my screen which I noticed almost right away, but not until after the installers left. I assume there's nothing that can be done for this except to get the set swapped out with another one?

2) Also, on the second or third time I turned on the set, I noticed the infamous smudges, but they went away after a little while.

3) The brightness on the TV (especially at the top or bottom) changes quite dramatically if I sit up or down even a couple of inches while watching the set. Is this normal? Is this expected and I should just sit in the middle and be still for optimal viewing?

4) I have the 4:3 channels set to have the black-bars on the right and left-hand sides and the bars definitely appear a little curved. Is this pretty standard for HDTVs or is this a problem?

5) The analog SD channels look much worse than I had thought they would. Basically, my analog SD channels were bad even before so I knew they wouldn't be great now, but I did add a noise filter for the co-ax cable and I now am also using DVI from the Comcast DCT6412 DVR to my TV, where before I was using Composite. In any case, the analog SD channels are quite bad for me, but I guess my cable is crappy in general. Oh well. And, yes, I know these TVs aren't ideal for this to begin with, but sadly, stations like CBS out here are analog-only. I'm also not sure it's really the TV's fault, but I just thought I'd post my first impressions.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the set, but bummed out about the quality of my cable (which I already knew was bad) and that I have a dead pixel. Hopefully the next set will be perfect if they replace it for me.

Sam

Sam

Try a signal booster/amplifier for your cable and check all the connections that you can. There are other who are very pleased with the SD reception so your conclusion that you are having a cable problem is most likely correct. How do DVDs look on your set? Also you might want to invest in Avia or one of the other DVD based adjustments...

hang in there

M

On the subject of the picture getting better over time:

I've had mine for over a week now -- I've actually undone color changes other than brightness that I had applied to cinema mode (went back to defaults and lowered brightness) because the issues I thought I originally had seen had changed. The bulb definitely does appear to go thru some changes in the first hundred hours or so. Color rendering seems even better than at the start and contrast is better than it started out. Still haven't tried AVIA yet as I need some free time to work on that.

On the subject of audio delays:

1) If I send audio and video from my TIVO thru SVideo and audio jacks in the tv I see no synch issues.
2) If I send my Tivo Svideo and digital audio (TOSL) to my Yamaha receiver which converts the Svideo to component 480i and send that video to the 5674 thru component 1 and play the audio thru the speakers I see no synch issue.
3) If I watch and listen to 1) from above and listen also to the audio from my receiver hooked up as 2) then I hear the two audios being out of synch as with an echo.

I also assume the delay is coming from the Faroujda as Cheezmo suggested since it is alway looking for 3:2 pullup in the interlaced frames before it can scale. I need to play more and see if movie mode on or off makes any difference. Or any of the FLI settings in the service menu. Again I just need some time -- maybe the other half will head to the inlaws for a weekend and let me just play :)

After finally getting my audio cables so I can hook up the audio, I also discovered the delay issue. I am running S-Video from the DirecTivo box to the TV, and the audio via optical to my receiver. Like others, I get an echo when I use both the TV audio and the receiver, with the TV being a fraction of a second behind the receiver. Of course, there are no issues when I play the TV speakers alone, everything syncs fine.

Makes perfect sense to me, since the S-Video cable is feeding 480i sgnals to the TV, which has to get both sets of interlaced lines, assemble them for progressive output, and then upscale them to 720p (not necessarily in that order). That's quite a bit of processing, so it's not instantaneous. My receiver has a much easier task, just run the optical signal through the DAC and amplify the output.

Unfortunately, I don't have any delay for my receiver, so I'm going to have to live with the speakers being slightly off from the picture. It's not that bad since it's only a fraction of a second, I have to really concentrate to see that the lips are off slightly sync, even on the news.

The component cables arrive today, so I'll see how it is with my DVD player. Since that outputs 480p, the TV processing could take less time, we'll see.

I got the Samsung stand for the TV, and the instructions show that you secure the TV to the stand by screwing in a strap to the back of the TV. The strap is already attached to the stand.

My question is, where do you put the screw? The TV is not pre-drilled that I can see, and I'm not just going to blindly stick in a screw to the back of the set. Anyone know?

Other than that, the stand is sweet. It comes fully built, with six hidden little casters underneath the base so you can roll it around.

Originally posted by TayX
1) Unfortunately, there is a dead pixel on my screen which I noticed almost right away, but not until after the installers left. I assume there's nothing that can be done for this except to get the set swapped out with another one?
[/B]

A few of my coworkers have indicated to me that this isn't a big deal. Is it common to have dead pixels on new TVs? Do people live with this or should I ask to have it replaced? I thought I should have it replaced, but now I'm not so sure.

Sam

Originally posted by TayX
A few of my coworkers have indicated to me that this isn't a big deal. Is it common to have dead pixels on new TVs? Do people live with this or should I ask to have it replaced? I thought I should have it replaced, but now I'm not so sure.

Sam

Stuck pixels are not common for Samsung DLP's. Get the set exchanged, or phone Samsung - they will replace the light engine.

Gary

Sorry if this is duplicative, but I did get a 7674 at Tweeters as a result of reading through this thread on the forum. The TV looks terrific in the store and will have one in my home this week. THere is an extended warranty available for $599 for 4yrs and it includes a bulb replacement. Is this worthwhile? Is there an alternative that is better?

Thanks!

You found a 76" 74 series Sammy. Wow!

Typo aside you have made a good choice in a TV. The 4yrs on the warranty is 4 additional yrs beyond the 1 yr Sammy warranty?? Even so the $600 is too high even with bulb replacement. Around Portland OR the warranty for this type of coverage is running $300 - 350. I

clicked too soon: as I was saying I would try to get a better deal on the warranty. That price is too high.

Correction, I ordered a Samsung HL-P4674W--sorry for the typo! I used this forum as a resource--wound up returning a Sony XBR960 for this new DLP.

ANy info/advice regarding an extended warranty for this DLP would be helpful.

Thanks!

FWIW, I got a 4-year warranty that includes yearly maintenance (cleaning the dust, etc.) and bulb-replacement for about $400.

Originally posted by mismatched
clicked too soon: as I was saying I would try to get a better deal on the warranty. That price is too high. mismatched and cbavatar - there is an "edit" button next to the "quote" button. Feel free to edit your posts rather than posting a separate correction.

[edit] see, I'm using it now. Typically, extended warranties are huge profit centers for stores, and are typically priced so there is some negotiating room. I'd ask the salesman to cut the price, the worst he can do is say no. If he says he can't cut the price on the warranty, tell him you want the TV price lowered. There is always some way to get what you want ...

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MDRLou
[B]I have a HLP6163 fed by DVI, Hughes HTL-HD and 3-4 year old Denon Receiver fed via digital optical cable from the STB. I only notice the audio being out of sync when viewing some, not all, HD. The Denon can be set for delay by inputing the distance in feet for each speaker. I have tried increasing the distance and decreasing the distance but cannot eliminate the problem.

Hi MDRLou - My Denon is a bit newer but I would think the same type menu. The delay you are setting is for speaker location and will not fix the out of sync problem. Go to Denon's menu under Setup, then Advanced Playback, then to the delay menu. By default the delay is 0, try 3 or 4 ms and then go from there. That will fix your sync problems.

Originally posted by TayX
FWIW, I got a 4-year warranty that includes yearly maintenance (cleaning the dust, etc.) and bulb-replacement for about $400.

Can you provide more information about this bargain so I can see if it is available locally?

TayX

Are you referring to the Tweeter "Performance Package"?

I got a 5 year for 350 with my 4674 but does not include bulbs.

Originally posted by cb_avatar
Can you provide more information about this bargain so I can see if it is available locally?

I got the warranty from Magnolia Audio/Video in Bellevue, WA.

Sam

When watching HD football and basketball when the camera is showing up close shots the picture is very clear, when showing whole field or whole court shots it is blurred. Should they look the same or will there always be a difference? Cheezmo suggested earlier that I turn off the DNIe and digitalNR and lowering the sharpness to -0-, which I did. This suggestion did help, but I am not totally satisfied, I read how people are thrilled w/ their HD football so I assume they are not having this issue. Does anyone have additional tricks up their sleeve? I have a hlp 5674

I returned a Hln b/c of audio/sync issues, waited for this T.V. thinking Samsung solved the problem. I have NOT seen a problem, but I am not using any surround sound system, only the T.V. speakers. I do plan on installing a surround sound system. Slowly more and more audio/sync issues seem to be popping up on this thread, but seem to be only happening when watching through a reciever and surround sound system. I am getting a little nervous b/c my 30 days is up 12/23. any comments are welcomed. Thank you and Merry Xmas.

Originally posted by wko
I do plan on installing a surround sound system...

Purchase a receiver in your new system that lets you adjust an audio delay and you will be able to compensate for any sync issues.

wko,

I have the 4674 and have watched about 8 games of HD football in the time I have had it and all but one game was perfect...color, sharpness and contrast. Maybe the cameras at that one game were not the best.

Watched 2 or 3 basketball games and also perfect...

you know it is nice to hear some positives on this forum, instead of all the complaints. But then again that is why we have this nice forum, to erase our complaints. I get my 5674 tomorrow along with new AV receiver, DVD player and speakers. Oh man !!!

Originally posted by mismatched
I get my 5674 tomorrow along with new AV receiver, DVD player and speakers. Oh man !!! Have fun! But given the audio delay I have experienced between the receiver and the TV, I would make certain the AV receiver has a delay function. It's becoming more common and I'd make sure I have it before I even open the box. If not, get one that does, you'll be happier later on.

Any suggestions for a stand for the 5674? I know Samsung is now making the stand with variable lengths to accomodate all models. I'm not looking for built in look, but one that fits it near perfectly to minimize the size. Prefer a hi-tech look as opposed to wood.

Also has anyone been getting discounts off the MSRP of $4199. Is their a Powerbuy available?
I've been waiting for this since last season's NBA playoffs!

Originally posted by M3 Pete
But given the audio delay I have experienced between the receiver and the TV, I would make certain the AV receiver has a delay function.
In other threads, I've seen video delay estimates in the neighborhood of 200msec -- far more than an audio receiver is likely to accommodate. It seems that feeding the TV progressive video, especially 720p, and turning off DNIe, etc. is more likely to reduce the video delay more effectively than an A/V reciever would be able to increase the audio delay. And if you could increase the audio delay to match a lengthy video delay, you'd be totally screwed when playing video games.

I purchased one at Tweeters over the weekend and am very happy with it. They had it marked down to near TVAuthority prices. i was able to pick it up so saved delivery charges - in CA so tax was hitting me either way. Magnolia didn't want to deal unless i found a deal - in other words, let me do the work! Oh - forgot to mention the clincher with Tweeter - they will honor the price for 60 days (almost SuperBowl sales time) with an automatic 30 days (anything less advertised, they send the check) the next 30days, I need to be aware (and let them know).

Originally posted by M3 Pete
....given the audio delay I have experienced between the receiver and the TV, I would make certain the AV receiver has a delay function. It's becoming more common and I'd make sure I have it before I even open the box. If not, get one that does, you'll be happier later on.

No problem, my soon to arrive Denon AVR3805 has the delay adjustment feature but thanks for the recommend!

Originally posted by trickknee
Any suggestions for a stand for the 5674? I know Samsung is now making the stand with variable lengths to accomodate all models.

The variable width stand is for the 63 series. Samsung sells a custom stand for the 5674 model and a different stand for the 4674. The are on their web site. The 5674 stand model number is TR56L5S .

Yesterday I picked up my new 4674 from Tweeter. One day later I will admit being very please with my purchase and have zero buyer's remorse. Some specific topics for feedback:

Audio Synch Issues Having watched both DVDs, Satellite and OTA signals, I have yet to see any delay between what I was hearing from my receiver and what I was seeing on screen. I do have the internal mute turned on - not sure if that will make a difference or not.

Color Saturation/Brightness This set is BRIGHT! After entering in some of the tweaks suggested earlier in the thread, it seems to be under control. However, the reds still seem extreme, especially from TV or Satellite signals. I have not seen any suggestions for TINT settings on the 74 series, with standard video signals (not component or DVI). Any suggestions on this would be appreciated!

PQ In a word - stunning. We popped Toy Story in as the first disc. While my HD941 has yet to be delivered, I have $30 Norcent DVD player driving images via component cables and I swear this movie looked 3D!

At this point, I really can't wait to see a HD picture to this set. If anyone has a gently used Sammy T165 HD receiver for sale, let me know! I've got a close eye on eBay as well. I'll *need* something before Feb. 6! Thanks to everyone here for pointing me in the right direction with this purchase!

-pjc

Well I finally got around to adding the 5674 to my MX-800 remote so I can have it automated like my older Sony was and I am thrilled to discover that the Discrete Remote codes are working better than most older HLP threads had led me to expect.

Discrete codes for HDMI, DVI, RF, Component 1 and Component 2, Video 1, SVideo 1 and Svideo 3 are working as is discrete power Off.

Currently Discrete Power ON, Video 2, and 3, and Svideo 2 are not working for me.

None of the discretes for 4:3, Wide, Panarama, Zoom1&2 work but that is the same as it is on the older sets.

The big news is HDMI discrete is working -- I have read many threads where people couldn't get that one to work so I am thrilled.

I will experiment more tonight and report back.

Originally posted by trickknee
Any suggestions for a stand for the 5674? I know Samsung is now making the stand with variable lengths to accomodate all models. I'm not looking for built in look, but one that fits it near perfectly to minimize the size. Prefer a hi-tech look as opposed to wood.

Also has anyone been getting discounts off the MSRP of $4199. Is their a Powerbuy available?
I've been waiting for this since last season's NBA playoffs!

trickknee - I ended up buying a Z-Line Designs Model T35-1S TV Stand. It was perfect for the 5674. It's a gorgeous looking stand too. Anyone looking for a stand for their 5674 should look for one of these. I got mine at Tweeter.

What method did you use to get the discrete codes? I cannot get HDMI or DVI to work on my 4663 which has upgraded firmware. I think the 4674 firmware is the same. My first 4663 DVI discrete code worked by teaching an advanced code from a OFA remote. But the advanced code for DVI doesn't work for the new TV.

Thanks for your help.


Originally posted by Paul_PDX
Well I finally got around to adding the 5674 to my MX-800 remote so I can have it automated like my older Sony was and I am thrilled to discover that the Discrete Remote codes are working better than most older HLP threads had led me to expect.

Discrete codes for HDMI, DVI, RF, Component 1 and Component 2, Video 1, SVideo 1 and Svideo 3 are working as is discrete power Off.

Currently Discrete Power ON, Video 2, and 3, and Svideo 2 are not working for me.

None of the discretes for 4:3, Wide, Panarama, Zoom1&2 work but that is the same as it is on the older sets.

The big news is HDMI discrete is working -- I have read many threads where people couldn't get that one to work so I am thrilled.

I will experiment more tonight and report back.

Just setting up my 5674 with a Denon 2910 DVD player and having some connection problems

1) initially set up the DVD to 5674 via HDMI but Samsung 5674 was not detecting the HDMI signal. We tried turning off DVD player and selecting HDMI input on TV but TV could not set to HDMI because it was not an option, that is the TV did not know there was anything plugged in the HDMI port.
so we set up the DVD player via DVI to the TV and we now get a picture that is sweet out of the box.

Because I would like to use DVI to DVI with my Comcast HD PVR I wanted to use HDMI with the DVD player but have been defeated with that overall configuration.

As I said I read previously on the 2910 forum about turning off the DVD player, setting the TV source to HDMI and then turning on the DVD player. however that did not work because the TV could not sense a HDMI connection with the TV off.

Help !!

mismatched

Originally posted by mismatched
Just setting up my 5674 with a Denon 2910 DVD player and having some connection problems

As I said I read previously on the 2910 forum about turning off the DVD player, setting the TV source to HDMI and then turning on the DVD player. however that did not work because the TV could not sense a HDMI connection with the TV off.

Help !!

mismatched

If you've read about this on the 2910 forum, perhaps there is a firmware update available from Denon? It works flawlessly with the 3910, although when playing a DVD-A disc, the video menus are not viewable through HDMI (have to switch to s-video. Not really worried about seeing song lyrics and still photos in high res, so not a big deal).

It it's a common problem than Denon should either have a firmware fix or will have one soon. If it's not a common problem, I'd get a new 2910.

Originally posted by mismatched
Just setting up my 5674 with a Denon 2910 DVD player and having some connection problems

1) initially set up the DVD to 5674 via HDMI but Samsung 5674 was not detecting the HDMI signal. We tried turning off DVD player and selecting HDMI input on TV but TV could not set to HDMI because it was not an option, that is the TV did not know there was anything plugged in the HDMI port.
so we set up the DVD player via DVI to the TV and we now get a picture that is sweet out of the box.

Because I would like to use DVI to DVI with my Comcast HD PVR I wanted to use HDMI with the DVD player but have been defeated with that overall configuration.

As I said I read previously on the 2910 forum about turning off the DVD player, setting the TV source to HDMI and then turning on the DVD player. however that did not work because the TV could not sense a HDMI connection with the TV off.

Help !!

mismatched

I have the same setup and mine works fine and my 2910 has an Aug 2004 build and wonder if yours is earlier. Did you set HDMI on and the 720P resolution in the 2910 menu? I had the same problem but once I did that it worked fine.

Originally posted by montyward
What method did you use to get the discrete codes? I cannot get HDMI or DVI to work on my 4663 which has upgraded firmware. I think the 4674 firmware is the same. My first 4663 DVI discrete code worked by teaching an advanced code from a OFA remote. But the advanced code for DVI doesn't work for the new TV.

Thanks for your help.

The Home Theater Master MX-800 has quite a few different Samsung HDTV TV code sets in their predefined ir librarys -- I tried one which didn't have model number called Extend Functions (it had HDMI1 HDMI2 DVI2 and IEEE1 thru 3 as well as separate code for all the aspect ratios.

I merged parts of this code set with the code set for a HLP5685 to come up with a mostly working set for the 5674. Now I need to figure out why SVideo 2 and video 2 and 3 aren't working and why the discrete on isn't working (but I may program that as Discrete OFF, TGL ON since that will always end up on for my needs).

I notice a few Samsungs sets (I think plasmas) had a remote code for CC Toggle I didn't get that to work unfortunately.

One more remote code I found that wasn't a discretes was PIP Size (toggles between the sizes for PIP).

However other PIP codes which weren't already on the 5674 remote, like PIP Location toggle and PIP source toggle didn't work for me which would have been nice extra codes to have.

Originally posted by scpanel
I have the same setup and mine works fine and my 2910 has an Aug 2004 build and wonder if yours is earlier. Did you set HDMI on and the 720P resolution in the 2910 menu? I had the same problem but once I did that it worked fine.

scpanel

The 2910 is a black loaner not sure when bulit. My 2910 silver is backordered. Maybe good this is so, maybe I will get one that works on HDMI! Meanwhile I will go into the 2910 menu and try your suggestion.

So you have the 5674? Did you use Avia or something to tweak the analog channel reception? I had the Comcast guy check the signal strengths when he "installed" the HD PVR Moto 6412. They were fine and the HD channels were awesome but the reg channels were not good. I am prepared to be patient but any advice you might provide will be appreciated

mismatched (again)

Originally posted by mismatched
scpanel

The 2910 is a black loaner not sure when bulit. My 2910 silver is backordered. Maybe good this is so, maybe I will get one that works on HDMI! Meanwhile I will go into the 2910 menu and try your suggestion.

So you have the 5674? Did you use Avia or something to tweak the analog channel reception? I had the Comcast guy check the signal strengths when he "installed" the HD PVR Moto 6412. They were fine and the HD channels were awesome but the reg channels were not good. I am prepared to be patient but any advice you might provide will be appreciated

mismatched (again)

Mismatched -

Try this # - 973-396-7499 - for Denon support. Tell them about the problem - see if it is a firmware issue. If it is, they will send you an update CD. This sounds like it may have been addressed if not everyone is having the issue. Your new silver unit will probably be fine. But the firmware updates are free and easy to install, so why not get it while you have your loaner.

As for making sure you have the right output on the 2910, I'm using the 3910 as reference, but there is an HDMI/DVI button on the top left of the remote control that will toggle through: HDMI/DVI off, HDMI RGB, HDMI Y Cb Cr, and DVI. Make sure your display on the 2910 is one of the HDMI outputs. It should not matter what resolution you select (480, 720, 1080). The 2910 should be able to send all three to the Sammy.

I'll be back on line tomorrow - let me know how it goes.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mismatched
scpanel

The 2910 is a black loaner not sure when bulit. My 2910 silver is backordered. Maybe good this is so, maybe I will get one that works on HDMI! Meanwhile I will go into the 2910 menu and try your suggestion.

So you have the 5674? Did you use Avia or something to tweak the analog channel reception? I had the Comcast guy check the signal strengths when he "installed" the HD PVR Moto 6412. They were fine and the HD channels were awesome but the reg channels were not good. I am prepared to be patient but any advice you might provide will be appreciated

mismatched (again) [/QUOTE

Mine is silver too! I read TJK's message but for some reason when I first set mine up I too could not get the HDMI to work until I forced the 720P, Its worth a try as I thought I had a defective player in the beginning.

With HDMI the set is supposed to be able to tell the box the desired resolution and the box is supposed to be able to tell the set what res it is in.

From Geffens website about HDMI:
"- supports bi-directional communication between devices, allowing the DTV to communicate its preferred audio/video formats to the set-top box, and the set-top box to communicate what video format it is providing to the display. This enables the DTV to make intelligent decisions on how to render any given image in the format designated by the original film providers."

I do have the 5674, and SD is OK, but HD is great. I have both the DISH DVR 921 and a Comcast HD reiever as the DVR is not yet avaliable, but once it is I will have 2 DVR's.

I used DVE and if I decide to keep this set I will have it ISF calibrated. But so far this set being a 56" and the footprint being the same as the 52" Mits 52725 (plus the reflective screen problem) makes it a good choice for my room.

Originally posted by scpanel
[QUOTE]Originally posted by mismatched
scpanel

The 2910 is a black loaner not sure when bulit. My 2910 silver is backordered. Maybe good this is so, maybe I will get one that works on HDMI! Meanwhile I will go into the 2910 menu and try your suggestion.

So you have the 5674? Did you use Avia or something to tweak the analog channel reception? I had the Comcast guy check the signal strengths when he "installed" the HD PVR Moto 6412. They were fine and the HD channels were awesome but the reg channels were not good. I am prepared to be patient but any advice you might provide will be appreciated

mismatched (again) [/QUOTE

Mine is silver too! I read TJK's message but for some reason when I first set mine up I too could not get the HDMI to work until I forced the 720P, Its worth a try as I thought I had a defective player in the beginning.

sorry for the denseness at this end but what do you mean by :"..forced the 720p...)

thanks

m

Sorry to divert for a second, but scpanel, how do you swtich between the 921 and the Comcast HD receiver? I'm getting a 4674 and it has only HDMI and DVI, and I'm guessing you have a DVD player around somewhere for one of those connections. BTW, hows your 921 working. Mine showed up today.

Ok guys I posted the message below about an hour ago. Seems like the dashed line is gone after I watched an School of Rock for a while on Comcast SHO HD. Now when I switched back to CNN SD 4:3 the dashed line up the right side in the black bar is gone!!

strange days ...

another strange problem: Just set up my 5674 Sammy with the MOTO 6412 STB and the HD PQ is just awesome. And some of the non HD like CNN is pretty darn good OTB also. However, I am noticing a weird dashed white line that is just right (1" max.) of the right edge of the 4:3 picture. that it is in the black bar on the right. It is a perfect dashed line and this occurs on multiple non HD non wide channels. Not sure if this is my set or the TV broadcast. Anyone else seen anything like this. at present I am using component video out of the STB instead of DVI because I have my DVD player using the DVI input on the Sammy.

Any ideas on trouble shooting this problem?

mismatched

Just got my 4674 and i have a few comments and questions. Please consider that I have only had the set for several hours and I am getting familiar with it. As a point of reference, I also have a HLN437W that was calibrated by Cheezmo. Some of the comments below could be because I am so use to the HLN.

Fans and color wheel - During normal operation very quite. Can't hear them. More quiet then the HLN. However on power-up I hear the melody, then the wheel start up, then an short squeak. After that silence. Anyone else experiencing this?

Internal Reflections: I checked for internal reflection and didn't see any.

Color - Something's going on here. Seems to have a yellow tint. The defaults are way too over saturated. Need to work on adjusting these. I tired using the color weakness option in set-up. It doesn't appear to be working right Here is what I am seeing when adjusting the color weakness option:

When you increase the red , the red get more saturated. When you adjust the green up, every thing gets more red. Don't understand that. When I adjust the blue, it doesn't look like anything is happening. You can only adjust one of the colors. For example if you first adjust the red and then adjust the green, the red goes back to zero. If you adjust one of the colors the other two return to zero.

Can one of you guys check it out and let me know what you see?

Blacks: No doubt the black are blacker. However, I just got done watching Smallville and some of Law and Order. On dark scenes it is dark to the point where some detail seem to be lost. Kind of like what I experienced when I had an LCD.

Contrast: There is certainly more light to dark contrast when compared to my HLN.

Detail: Except for the comments regarding the blacks, I see more detail then with the HLN

The above was based on over the air and Directv. I have a TS 160 receiver with a component connection.

On the DVD side I have a Bravo D2 and a DVI connection. I watched Shrek. It was absolutely stunning, best I have every seen it, I also scanned through The Fifth Element. Again it was the best I have seen it.

That's it for know. If some one would answer my questions regarding the squeak on turn-on and the color weakness option I would appreciate it.

Later

I posted previously on the squeal. Got first 5674 approx two weeks ago and noted prolonged and more than one squeal (whine) on startup. Set was returned. Replacement 5674single brief squeal (whine) 1 sec or so on start up prior to picture display at color wheel start. This was also present on display model. Have had this set for 2 weeks and no problem love the picture both SD/HD. Had previous HLN567 and this is an improvement over that.

Thanks TheoMD,

Does the color weakness option on your set work as I described?

TWD - I've had my set 1 day short of two weeks -- For the first week I was of the opinion that I needed to greatly lower brightness and adjust tint and color to keep everything from looking too vivid and skins from looking slightly red, about three days ago I noticed that setting things back to default and just lowering the brightness was all I needed (cinema modebefore and after). I think the bulb goes thru a fairly significant change the first 50-100 hours or so and then steadies out. When I hit 100 hours I will work on adjusting with Avia.

Wide is 4:3

I switched from component to a DVI connection from my Comcast HD STB. Now with mode in standard and Wide the picture is a standard 4:3 size. Switching to 4:3 yields a picture that is stretched vertically and has black bars on the side. It's like a normal 4:3 view squashed from each side into a 4:3 space. Panorama, Zoom 1 and 2 are no longer options on the menu settings for size. The manual refers to Component mode but there is no component mode. Can you stretch a 4:3 picture to fill the 16:9 screen? I could earlier but not now.
Jim

Paul

nteresting and I will keep this in mind. So you do always use cinema mode?? I only have about 6 hrs on my 5674 so will have to couch potatoe it a bit more. Actually it only arrived yesterday.

Mike

PS Where abouts are you in Oregon??

Originally posted by OLFRT
Wide is 4:3

I switched from component to a DVI connection from my Comcast HD STB. Now with mode in standard and Wide the picture is a standard 4:3 size. Switching to 4:3 yields a picture that is stretched vertically and has black bars on the side. It's like a normal 4:3 view squashed from each side into a 4:3 space. Panorama, Zoom 1 and 2 are no longer options on the menu settings for size. The manual refers to Component mode but there is no component mode. Can you stretch a 4:3 picture to fill the 16:9 screen? I could earlier but not now.
Jim

A lot of digital channels add the 4:3 side bars as part of the picture. In that case, you should use the expand mode on the 74, and you will have a normal 4:3 picture.

Mismatched -

Any luck with the HDMI on the 2910?

"A lot of digital channels add the 4:3 side bars as part of the picture. In that case, you should use the expand mode on the 74, and you will have a normal 4:3 picture."

That is not really the problem. 16:9 HD channels show 16:9 and 4:3 digital and SD channels show 4:3. That is with the TV set to Standard Mode and picture size Wide. If I change to 4:3 picture size, ALL are then squished into the next size smaller screens. A 16:9 shows in 4:3. And a 4:3 shows in a 4:3 screen size but with black bars on the side.

And there is no Expand Mode with my DVI connection. I was under the impresion that Expand was a PC connection command. :confused:

I've never owned a DLP or HDTV before and reading these posts and looking at Sammy DLP's over the past year I figured I was not a rainbow person. But now that I have a 4674, am I seeing what people refer to as rainbows? Basically when viewing blue scenes either sky or underwater or some other colors, it appears that there is some banding or grouping of shades of that color for an instant or two. Is this a rainbow or just a DLP limitation on color adjustment in moving scenery?

TWD-
Does the color weakness option on your set work as I described?

On my 4674 it does the same thing. I was in that menu when I tried using DVE. So I got the blue setting as close as possible and then left it. What else can you do?

Mike -- re Cinema mode
without having lots of time to adjust it more we decided cinema worked pretty well for almost everything we watch (DTV satellite DVDs, don't have HiDEF yet except upscaled PC stuff). As I said we did turn the brightness down quite a bit also. Whe the sun is shining on the set in the daytime (not often this time a year as you know -- were in the Coastal Range out from Yamhill) Dynamic or Normal has been popped on a few times but I really don't have enough Bright light experience to say for sure if thats the way I'll go (for Dynamic, Standard I adjusted both brightness and the color temp to Normal instead of Warm1).

Paul

Originally posted by OLFRT
"A lot of digital channels add the 4:3 side bars as part of the picture. In that case, you should use the expand mode on the 74, and you will have a normal 4:3 picture."

That is not really the problem. 16:9 HD channels show 16:9 and 4:3 digital and SD channels show 4:3. That is with the TV set to Standard Mode and picture size Wide. If I change to 4:3 picture size, ALL are then squished into the next size smaller screens. A 16:9 shows in 4:3. And a 4:3 shows in a 4:3 screen size but with black bars on the side.

And there is no Expand Mode with my DVI connection. I was under the impresion that Expand was a PC connection command. :confused:

For your first issue, are you sure that you cable box isn't set to output the signal a certain way? I always have my receiver set in "full" mode, and let the TV do the size adjustments. If you have your receiver/cable box set to 4:3 or some pillarbox option, then your TV set to 4:3, I would imagine it could mess thins up a bit. You should also make sure that your cable box is set for a 16:9 TV, and not a 4:3. I'm sorry if you've already done all of this. Without being there, it's tough to help.

As for your second issue, you are not the first person I've seen who cannot get the Expand mode with their DVI. I always watch in Expand through DVI, as it has the least amout of overscan. My P Size options through DVI out of my D* receiver are Wide, PC Wide, Expand, and 4:3. I'm not sure why anyone else's would be different. Cheezmo has suggested that Expand is the best mode available because of the overscan reduction (which I verified with Avia).

Originally posted by tjk
For your first issue, are you sure that you cable box isn't set to output the signal a certain way? I always have my receiver set in "full" mode, and let the TV do the size adjustments. If you have your receiver/cable box set to 4:3 or some pillarbox option, then your TV set to 4:3, I would imagine it could mess thins up a bit. You should also make sure that your cable box is set for a 16:9 TV, and not a 4:3. I'm sorry if you've already done all of this. Without being there, it's tough to help.

As for your second issue, you are not the first person I've seen who cannot get the Expand mode with their DVI. I always watch in Expand through DVI, as it has the least amout of overscan. My P Size options through DVI out of my D* receiver are Wide, PC Wide, Expand, and 4:3. I'm not sure why anyone else's would be different. Cheezmo has suggested that Expand is the best mode available because of the overscan reduction (which I verified with Avia).

I wasn't getting Expand mode either until I found this suggestion from HTWAITS in another thread. Once I set my STB per these settings, all the supported modes for DVI work, including Expand...

HTWAITS wrote:
"You can get to the "6200's" setup menu by turning the TV on and selecting the STB input. With the STB OFF, press "menu" on the STB remote. Sometimes I have to press "menu" several times.

At some point a very crude menu will pop up. It looks like an old DOS screen.

I have mine set to 720p, 16x9, and 480i override off. You might want to try that.

Once you get the STB outputting 16x9 and 720p with 480i override off you should get all four aspect mode options using the "p. size" button.

I haven't tried any of the other "6200" setup options."

Hope this helps

(BTW, I have a Motorola 6200 STB & Comcast - don't remember if that's what the OP has...)

Originally posted by bkushin
I wasn't getting Expand mode either until I found this suggestion from HTWAITS in another thread. Once I set my STB per these settings, all the supported modes for DVI work, including Expand...

HTWAITS wrote:
"You can get to the "6200's" setup menu by turning the TV on and selecting the STB input. With the STB OFF, press "menu" on the STB remote. Sometimes I have to press "menu" several times.

At some point a very crude menu will pop up. It looks like an old DOS screen.

I have mine set to 720p, 16x9, and 480i override off. You might want to try that.

Once you get the STB outputting 16x9 and 720p with 480i override off you should get all four aspect mode options using the "p. size" button.

I haven't tried any of the other "6200" setup options."

Hope this helps

(BTW, I have a Motorola 6200 STB & Comcast - don't remember if that's what the OP has...)

Thanks bkushin. Even when on vacation, htwaits has a solution.:)

tjk
thanks for input. I've tried to check the STB for a way to adjust for output but there is none. It is a Motorola 6200 I think. Unless there is a switch on the back there is nothing in the onscreen controls to let me change output modes. HDTV broadcast in 16:9 comes through as 16:9 and fills the entire screen IF AND ONLY IF the tv is set to WIDE. If I set it to 4:3 then all incoming signals are squashed from both the left and right. It sounds as if the cable box is set for 4:3 like you describe. So now I am off to talk to Comcast Tech.
The Expand mode and options you describe are noted in the 5674 manual but only for PC input. Are you fooling your TV into thinking the STB incoming signal is a PC via DVI connection? My STB is the only device I have connected at the moment. I use my Denon 3805 for sound via digital optical cable.

Originally posted by OLFRT
tjk
thanks for input. I've tried to check the STB for a way to adjust for output but there is none. It is a Motorola 6200 I think. Unless there is a switch on the back there is nothing in the onscreen controls to let me change output modes. HDTV broadcast in 16:9 comes through as 16:9 and fills the entire screen IF AND ONLY IF the tv is set to WIDE. If I set it to 4:3 then all incoming signals are squashed from both the left and right. It sounds as if the cable box is set for 4:3 like you describe. So now I am off to talk to Comcast Tech.
The Expand mode and options you describe are noted in the 5674 manual but only for PC input. Are you fooling your TV into thinking the STB incoming signal is a PC via DVI connection? My STB is the only device I have connected at the moment. I use my Denon 3805 for sound via digital optical cable.

Like most electronics manuals, the 4674/5674's manual is awful. As Cheezmo (an ISF calibrator) has been gracious enough to educate us, and inform us that Expand is the proper setting on the 74's to reduce overscan. If you run the overscan pattern on Avia, you will notice that switching from Wide to Expand reduces overscan to around 1% from the 4%-5% result you get with the Wide mode. It also provides 1:1 pixel mapping. DVI cables are basically PC cables - maybe that's why the manual notes it is PC input.

And your cable box must have a way of setting the TV type. Before calling Comcast, it may be even more helpful to search the HDTV Hardware thread for your cable box. Seems like a pretty common one so there should be lots of info on it.

Originally posted by oregonstitch
Sorry to divert for a second, but scpanel, how do you swtich between the 921 and the Comcast HD receiver? I'm getting a 4674 and it has only HDMI and DVI, and I'm guessing you have a DVD player around somewhere for one of those connections. BTW, hows your 921 working. Mine showed up today.

I am using HDMI for my Denon 2910 (set at 720P) DISH 921 (720P) and Component for the comcast HD box (1080i). I will be getting my new Comcast DVR too on 12/20.

I love the 921, and the L211 software version was spooled this week so it is even better now. But I still want to check out the Comcost HD DVR...

I am looking for a way to get the sammy discrete codes to my Marantz Rc2000 mk2, since I do not have a Harmony or Pronto remote

tjk,

Wha are you using for a D*receiver. I am looking for a replacement for my Sammy 160.

Thanks guys on the cable box setup. bkushin's suggestion worked great. the sTB was set to 1080i. Changing it to 720p allowed the Expand mode to be chosen.
Still not sure why I can not fill the 74's screen with a picture. Until I switched to DVI from component, I could "stretch" a 4:3 signal to 16:9 by choosing Wide in the Picture Size menu. Hmmm. I need to experiment more.

Originally posted by TWD
tjk,

Wha are you using for a D*receiver. I am looking for a replacement for my Sammy 160.

I'm using an RCA DTC210. I love it, but I'm having a hard time without HD Tivo, so I'm going to sell it (I've had Tivo or Ultimate TV for a couple of years, so I'm gotten pretty used to watching TV that way). The RCA is 2 months old - I've got all of the original packaging. PM me if you are interested - I was going to put it on Ebay at some point soon.

Hi guys,

Remember me... the unfortunate soul with the 40.75" cabinet with a 3/4" trim on the front. I gave up on the 4674 about a month a go because I thought it would not fit past my trim, and could not be rotated in.

Well, your not going to believe this. I was out shopping with the wife today, pondering the Dell W4200HD plasma I ordered (but has not shipped yet), and when she went into Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I of course walked across the parking lot to the Tweeter.

I thought I might as well look at the plasmas, but there was my old friend/nemesis, a Samsung HLP-4674W DLP sitting there (they did not have one in the store last time I was there). Glutten for punishment that I am, I asked to borrow a tape measure. Dog-gone!!! I actually can fit this puppy in my cabinet when I swing it in!

I had written it off about a month ago because I made a scale cut out from the drawing on the web site and decided it would not fit.

So, I don't know....I guess the Samsung is back in the running. Now I have to decide between the DLP or the plasma, and I have to decide within about a week or so, before the Dell ships!

Pros for the DLP: it is true 720p aspect ratio (true 16:9), it is has a 4" bigger screen, and it is from an actual TV company.

Pros for the plasma: it has an HD tuner, and it costs a bit less (if I get from Tweeter).

Oye vie, this is driving me even nuttier!

Please help me with nuggets of wisdom!

Originally posted by mismatched
No problem, my soon to arrive Denon AVR3805 has the delay adjustment feature but thanks for the recommend!

As I'm sure you're probably aware from the Denon 3805 threads, although it has an audio sync adjustment feature, it's not as user friendly as it could be (you have to dig into a menu that fills the screen to make adjustments, meaning you can't do on-the-fly audio sync adjustments for particular shows/channels or even see the results of your sync work affecting the image displayed on screen).

Anyone have any suggestions on where to see a xx74 in Southwestern PA (Pittsburgh area)?

I'll be in Indiana for the holidays and will try an Ovation there if I can't track anywhere down here.

I returned the Sony XBR960 (too small) and picked up the HLP4674. What a great picture. It is really remarkably clear, on SDTV and HDTV. Using a Channel Master OTA and Directv (RCA) DTC210 set to 720p.

I searched the thread and could not find much on TV settings (brightness, contrast, etc.). Anyone care to share their settings for a component or DVI connection?

Thanks!

In previous posts i could not "stretch" the incoming picture coming from a Motorola STB (6200 model)to my 5674. I hooked up my ancient VHS player to see if I could "stretch" analog signals. Those I can. On an S-Video connection the 5674 allows settings of Wide, Panorama, Zoom 1, 2 and 4:3. So an analog signal (480i?) coming through the VHS can be "stretched" from 4:3 to 16:9 BUT a 720p signal coming from the STB Can NOT be "stretched" from 4:3 to 16:9. Is this because the 5674 can manipulate analog signals and not digital signals? Or is my thinking all off on this.

scpanel, sorry to be so obtuse. But in your reply to my earlier post, you say "using HDMI for my Denon 2910 (set at 720P) DISH 921 (720P) and Component for the comcast HD box (1080i). " Doesn't the 4674 have only 1x HDMI and 1x DVI? Do you have the 921 connected to the DVI?

Originally posted by GSB
Stuck pixels are not common for Samsung DLP's. Get the set exchanged, or phone Samsung - they will replace the light engine.

Gary

To follow-up here, I did end up getting my TV swapped out and the installers came to replace the TV yesterday. There were several problems with the installation from Magnolia this time not present during the original install (different installers). The most important one is that they carried my TV from the truck out-of-the-box and uncovered to my house in the pouring rain!! They then set up the TV (with my help), tested it, and left with the TV screen and cabinet still soaking wet. I was beside myself with shock at the whole process.

I thought the TV was fine but it looks like there are a few "spots" on the screen that are visible in bright scenes or white screens. I might have to get it replaced again. Sigh.

Sam

Originally posted by oregonstitch
scpanel, sorry to be so obtuse. But in your reply to my earlier post, you say "using HDMI for my Denon 2910 (set at 720P) DISH 921 (720P) and Component for the comcast HD box (1080i). " Doesn't the 4674 have only 1x HDMI and 1x DVI? Do you have the 921 connected to the DVI?

Yes,

Denon 2910 - HDMI input
921 - DVI input
Comcast HD set top box - Component input

For some reason when I force the Comcast HD reciever to 720P, the video becomes jittery, so its set at 1080i. Waiting on my Comcast HD DVR in about a week anyway.

I set up my set using the DVE DVD and wound up with

Contrast 83
Brightness 38
Sharpness 55
Color 58

All enhancements (e.g., DNIe) were disabled.

Interested if this comes close to others.

Group,

I am a 5674 owner. Is there any difference between video over DVI compared to video over HDMI? Are they electrically the same thing with just a mechanical difference in the connectors, or is there a quality difference?

Thanks,
Randy

OK - I accept as fact that you cannot view SD material full screen on a 4674 when connected via DVI. It will always default to a 4:3 image - even in "Expand" mode. So my question: Why?

Is this a design or marketing decision? Or are there technical reasons why this is true? I can guess that it has something to do with staying in the "digital domain", but I'm curious. Is it displaying EXACTLY how the material is broadcast? Why won't it let you stretch the image if you so choose?

At times, I'd like to be able to expand the image to full screen, but because my Motorola 6200 is connected to my 4674 via DVI, it appears this is not possible. I would love to hear from anyone who knows why this is the case...

Thanks,

Barry

BTW, my 6200 is configured for 16:9; 720p, 480i Overide off. And as mentioned in other posts, I also had to set it to output 1080i when connected via component - 720p would not work...

Just received my 5674 yesterday & switched my sat. service to D* and a new HD dish w/sammy 360 receiver was installed this afternoon. I like to learn as I go, and I have learned alot from this forum, however I have a 2nd TV (Non HD w/coax cable) in my office that I can't seem to get a single to it. I've tried using that ANT 1 out and I seem to be getting nowhere. Is there a way to split the signal to do that? The 5674 is connected to Sammy 360 is DVI to DVI. Thanks for your help. Note: I also have a DVD & VCR to hook up (just to the 5674 only). Thanks again. Grizz

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bkushin
[B]OK - I accept as fact that you cannot view SD material full screen on a 4674 when connected via DVI. It will always default to a 4:3 image - even in "Expand" mode. So my question: Why?

Is this a design or marketing decision? Or are there technical reasons why this is true? I can guess that it has something to do with staying in the "digital domain", but I'm curious. Is it displaying EXACTLY how the material is broadcast? Why won't it let you stretch the image if you so choose?

I think it because most people would rather see the SD programs with black side bars and not distorted.

Grizzly, it might be that the 360 can only have a signal on either the DVI or the antenna, not both.

grizzly,

Could the Ant 1 out be coax? If so, that is just a pass through of your OTA antenna signal. You should try using the yellow video RCA output, or the S-video output instead.

Joe

Originally posted by bkushin
OK - I accept as fact that you cannot view SD material full screen on a 4674 when connected via DVI. It will always default to a 4:3 image - even in "Expand" mode. So my question: Why?

Is this a design or marketing decision? Or are there technical reasons why this is true? I can guess that it has something to do with staying in the "digital domain", but I'm curious. Is it displaying EXACTLY how the material is broadcast? Why won't it let you stretch the image if you so choose?

At times, I'd like to be able to expand the image to full screen, but because my Motorola 6200 is connected to my 4674 via DVI, it appears this is not possible. I would love to hear from anyone who knows why this is the case...

Thanks,

Barry

BTW, my 6200 is configured for 16:9; 720p, 480i Overide off. And as mentioned in other posts, I also had to set it to output 1080i when connected via component - 720p would not work...


I have an RCA 210 and hooked it up via DVI to my 5674. I can view all SD programming on D*stretched. Only thing I can't stretch are OTA channels. They broadcast with the black bars part of the screen.

Dale

Originally posted by dkyork
I have an RCA 210 and hooked it up via DVI to my 5674. I can view all SD programming on D*stretched. Only thing I can't stretch are OTA channels. They broadcast with the black bars part of the screen.

Dale

I kind of suspected it was something to do with the SD content or the STB - So is the issue with Comcast and/or the Motorola STB? Is Comcast passing the SD content WITH the black bars? Meaning it's not a limitation of the TV??

Maybe I should go back & read HTWAITS' info re: Black Bars...

Barry

This TV (HLP-XX74) is UGLY!!!

I saw it at Tweeters and I couldn't believe how ugly looking it was. I really wanted to buy this model and I am glad I went to Tweeters to check it out.

Originally posted by dnaren
This TV (HLP-XX74) is UGLY!!!

I saw it at Tweeters and I couldn't believe how ugly looking it was. I really wanted to buy this model and I am glad I went to Tweeters to check it out.

and what looks better? imho this is the best looking table top set out there.

to each his own...

I recently had my HL-N4365W replaced with an HL-P4674W. I had the HLN just over a year but kept having problems with it. Samsung and Tweeter were great about getting me a new set but it took a really long time and was a huge hassle.

Anyways I just set up the HLP yesterday and am having a problem with the PC settings. With the HLN I was able to output at 1280x768 (WXGA) without a problem. Now the HLP is giving me the "not supported mode" message at this resolution - the only one that will work is 1024x768. Is this strictly a driver issue with my computer's video card or is it something with the TV? My video card does not have a digital out (DVI).

Thanks

I was in one of the Minneapolis area Ultimate Electronics yesterday, looking over the 5674 that they had in and checking on prices and availability of the 4674. A change from the last time I was there: the 4674 has dropped in price, AND it is now being stocked. According to the sales guy, they had 50 units that were arriving Monday at the central warehouse, 41 of which were already spoken for. So, no more special ordering 4674's from Ultimate, they'll now be regular items and therefore subject to Ultimate's usual procedures. Hurrah!

Scott

DrJack - I would recommend posting that question in this forum..
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26

dnaren - to each his own. I think it looks great sitting in my media room.

Originally posted by TayX
I thought the TV was fine but it looks like there are a few "spots" on the screen that are visible in bright scenes or white screens. I might have to get it replaced again. Sigh.

Sam [/B]

Just received my 4674 yesterday and have noticed a stuck mirror in the upper left corner right out of the box as well. It would not be a big deal, but I am bothered knowing that its there and find my eyes being drawn to it during bright scenes. I am debating swapping it out for a replacement, but your experience has me somewhat discouraged. My impression was a stuck mirror on a new DLP would be extremely rare. Anyone else have thoughts on this issue?

tenderfoot, are you sure it is a stuck mirror and not dust on the screen? I had what I thought was a stuck pixel on my HLN467W, but it turned out to be dust. If the dark spot is exactly square, and falls perfectly in line with the pixel grid, then it probably is a stuck mirror. If not, it is dust on the screen.

Hi all,

First just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the great info you've offered up. After much thought and discussion I decided to go with an HLP4674 and a denon 2910 last saturday. To my surprise tweeter had both in stock, so I left the store with my new gear, got home hooked everything up and was blown away!

After a week now I have noticed what many others have said, that over a bit of time the pq really does improve on it's own. HD over comcast looks fantastic, dvd's are better than I've seen before.

However I have calibrated the tv as much as I can using the user menus, and I've never messed with any of that service menu type stuff before. So I'm kinda hesitant to start now, for fear that I'd screw something up. But there is a definite need to tone down the green in the picture.

If anyone can offer some help, maybe a walkthrough with the values I should be entering, or if anyone knows of any ISF calibrators that work in this area I'd really appreciate it. Also how much does it cost generally?


Thanks a bunch,
Chris

Originally posted by f300v10
tenderfoot, are you sure it is a stuck mirror and not dust on the screen? I had what I thought was a stuck pixel on my HLN467W, but it turned out to be dust. If the dark spot is exactly square, and falls perfectly in line with the pixel grid, then it probably is a stuck mirror. If not, it is dust on the screen.

I thought it might have been dust at first also but no luck. About 3 inches from the left and 1 inch from the top of the screen. It appears as a black spot roughly the size of 1 pixel, but to my eyes seems to extend slightly to neighboring pixels.

Am I being picky or should I expect a new DLP to have 100% functional pixels?

Static,

Have you tried going into the set-up menu and tweaking the colors in the color weakness option?

with dnie and dnr off, over the DVI or HDMI those controls aren't accessible. at least I don't believe they are. The greenish tinge shows up over both of those inputs. It's not severe, but it's noticable.

Originally posted by bkushin
I kind of suspected it was something to do with the SD content or the STB - So is the issue with Comcast and/or the Motorola STB? Is Comcast passing the SD content WITH the black bars? Meaning it's not a limitation of the TV??

Maybe I should go back & read HTWAITS' info re: Black Bars...

Barry

I would think it's the service or STB. Probably the STB. I hate the bars on the sides and view all my D* SD channels stretched. Unfortunately I have the bars on the OTA channels except when they play HD content, then they broadcast full screen. You might want to check out the Motorola thread. I've never used anything but the RCA 210, so I'm not sure about yours.

Dale

Originally posted by static14
Hi all,

First just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the great info you've offered up. After much thought and discussion I decided to go with an HLP4674 and a denon 2910 last saturday. To my surprise tweeter had both in stock, so I left the store with my new gear, got home hooked everything up and was blown away!

After a week now I have noticed what many others have said, that over a bit of time the pq really does improve on it's own. HD over comcast looks fantastic, dvd's are better than I've seen before.

However I have calibrated the tv as much as I can using the user menus, and I've never messed with any of that service menu type stuff before. So I'm kinda hesitant to start now, for fear that I'd screw something up. But there is a definite need to tone down the green in the picture.

If anyone can offer some help, maybe a walkthrough with the values I should be entering, or if anyone knows of any ISF calibrators that work in this area I'd really appreciate it. Also how much does it cost generally?


Thanks a bunch,
Chris

Go to Imagingscience.com, they have a directory. I looked and there are several in MD.

Ross

thanks a lot ross :)

I have a couple questions for those of you using a PC connected to one of these sets with a DVI cable.

What video card are you using? If possible, I'd like to see a pic of someone's desktop running in 'Expand' mode(I believe thats the one that does 1:1 pixel map). Were/are there any issues you encountered using a PC with your set?

Thanks,

LR

...there is a definite need to tone down the green in the picture.

I have noticed this too using DVD through HDMI. I recently watched Bourne Supremacy and Elf on my 5674, and the green was pretty overwhelming in both cases. Granted I've only logged 5 or 6 hours on the set. Is this something that can be fixed with the AVIA DVD? Or does it require ISF calibration?

Secondly, I switched back and forth between 720p and 480p mode on the DVD player, and thought PQ was better in 480p mode. This may show my ignorance, but I guess I was expecting the reverse to be true. Are there certain DVDs that look better in 720p than they do in 480p? If so, how does one tell them apart?

p.s....great site. Helped me considerably with my purchase.

Originally posted by tenderfoot
I thought it might have been dust at first also but no luck. About 3 inches from the left and 1 inch from the top of the screen. It appears as a black spot roughly the size of 1 pixel, but to my eyes seems to extend slightly to neighboring pixels.

Am I being picky or should I expect a new DLP to have 100% functional pixels?

For me, the spots on the current set are not pixel-sized, but more like an inch in size on the top-right corner. If I look closely at the TV (a few inches away), I can see a ton of these spots around the TV, but only a couple are noticeable from a distance. I'm not sure what would cause this, but I think the rain might be a contributing factor. :)

Sam

Originally posted by static14
Hi all,

First just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the great info you've offered up. After much thought and discussion I decided to go with an HLP4674 and a denon 2910 last saturday. To my surprise tweeter had both in stock, so I left the store with my new gear, got home hooked everything up and was blown away!

After a week now I have noticed what many others have said, that over a bit of time the pq really does improve on it's own. HD over comcast looks fantastic, dvd's are better than I've seen before.

However I have calibrated the tv as much as I can using the user menus, and I've never messed with any of that service menu type stuff before. So I'm kinda hesitant to start now, for fear that I'd screw something up. But there is a definite need to tone down the green in the picture.

If anyone can offer some help, maybe a walkthrough with the values I should be entering, or if anyone knows of any ISF calibrators that work in this area I'd really appreciate it. Also how much does it cost generally?


Thanks a bunch,
Chris

Give your set at least 100 hrs on time before doing any significant adjustments. Avia is similar is okay because it does not take much time. I have been very satisfied with my 5674 especially on HD broadcasts and am waiting for additional "burn in" time. Bad term I know but dont know what else to call it.

I can tell from the posts in this thread that the xx74 series were delayed from when they were originally going to come out. How long was this delay?

The Samsung 2004 DLP Brochure lists the xx77 series to come out in Mar 2005 and I'm wondering if that's a reasonable date to expect or if it would likely be several months after that.

Seems like the integrated QAM tuner/CableCard input might be worth the wait.

Originally posted by dkyork
I would think it's the service or STB. Probably the STB. I hate the bars on the sides and view all my D* SD channels stretched. Unfortunately I have the bars on the OTA channels except when they play HD content, then they broadcast full screen. You might want to check out the Motorola thread. I've never used anything but the RCA 210, so I'm not sure about yours.

Dale

Thanks for the feedback dale. It's not really a big deal - I'm more curious than anything. And as I said, I'd like to at least be able to stretch the image if I want to...

I'll check for comments in the Moto thread(s) as well - thanks again for the suggestion.

Barry

Originally posted by allskill
I can tell from the posts in this thread that the xx74 series were delayed from when they were originally going to come out. How long was this delay?

The Samsung 2004 DLP Brochure lists the xx77 series to come out in Mar 2005 and I'm wondering if that's a reasonable date to expect or if it would likely be several months after that.

Seems like the integrated QAM tuner/CableCard input might be worth the wait.

The 74 series were about 4 months late. seemed like forever. Cable cards sound like a good idea but they don't allow you to access some cabl;e features, like On Demand. For me I've not seen the positive for paying for a built in tuner when the cable/dish companies will give you one free.

A 77 series? I hadn't heard of that model. Is it the same 74 series with a 7 segment wheel? I thought the next series out, the xHD3, was going to be the 97 series.

I waited for a couple weeks after the 74s came out. I was disappointed to hear about the 6 segment wheel. Finally after going to Magnolia and seeing their display I bought a 5674 on the spot. Have not been disappointed one bit. Like computer technology, tomorrows will be bigger and better. for me todays was just real fine.

I second that on the 5674, an awesome viewing machine. I will qualify that with the fact that this is my first HDTV but I evaluated this baby next to Sonys and a couple different plasma sets costing significantly more and I chose the 74 and am very happy that I did so. Only have a few days on it but have been impressed with the out of the box performance. Will give it a couple weeks of play time and then do some adjustments, maybe an ISF if I can find a reliable person.

Mismatched

The xx77 is supposted to be the xx74 with an internal hd tuner and cable card.

Great Forum, and great thread. I just received my 5674 and couldn't be happier. Ordering, delivery, and setup went perfect.

I know everyone likes pictures so i attached one this this message.

I do have one question for everyone...

Currently i have put my center speaker on top of the TV (Thank goodness for the TV design to handle the center speaker). I just found out that I can fit the center speaker in my new TV stand. I can place it dead center on the top shelf.

My question is...where is the best place to put the speaker, on top of the tv or below in the TV stand? If everyone feels the top is better, how bad will the audio be with it under the TV? My wife would prefer it under the TV as it would be out of sight.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

I had my center speaker in the shelf below (my hip 6163) but changed it to be on the top ( on the recommecations from this forum). I think it did sound better on top, more open and expansive sound. It was a more confined sound in the stand below.

I think the short anwer is that the PQ is very similar on the two, but that the audio is significantly better on the 3910 if you use analog audio output. If you use digital audio cables connected directly to an AVR, then you don't really benefit from the 3910's audio capabilities.

Thanks for your quick response...

As you can see in the picture the doors to the TV stand have holes in them and they may not interfere with the sound.

Can you elaborate more on the why people in this forum feel that center speaker should be above the TV?

Thanks!

Originally posted by Hi Deaf
I'm not sure. Hey Les, are you there?
I am now. ;)

Les, what do you think about my center channel question?

I was in exactly the same position last week when I had my 5674 based system installed. The install guys convinced me that my wife would be uphappy with the speaker on top of the set. I put it on the top shelf of the stand and am very happy with the center channel sound and my wife came home and said "The set looks smaller than I thought it would!" I breathed a sigh of relief--LOL.

enjoy!

m

Mismatched...good to hear this option can work. I was afraid of comprising the audio too much with teh new placement. I will try it tonight and see how it goes. I was also advised to tilt the speaker up a little to compensate for it being low. What do you think of that?

What stand do you have. Do you think the metal door on my stand will mess with the sound as well?

Originally posted by millerwill
I think the short anwer is that the PQ is very similar on the two, but that the audio is significantly better on the 3910 if you use analog audio output. If you use digital audio cables connected directly to an AVR, then you don't really benefit from the 3910's audio capabilities.

Can you briefly elucidate? You mean that for the 6 cables that you need to use for SACDs that the 3910 will do a better job but when using a toslink connection for everything else that 2910 will be similar audio wise??

thanks

M

PS I put my speaker on the top shelf of the stand and it sounds quite nice. Must admit did not try it on top because my wife "hissed"! LOL

Originally posted by a1rmann
Mismatched...good to hear this option can work. I was afraid of comprising the audio too much with the new placement. I will try it tonight and see how it goes. I was also advised to tilt the speaker up a little to compensate for it being low. What do you think of that?

What stand do you have. Do you think the metal door on my stand will mess with the sound as well?

tilting the speaker a bit sound like a good idea. I dont have sufficient room on my top shelf to do that.

I have a Studio Tech stand which is "wood" with brushed aluminum posts. If you can tolerate the speaker above visually, try it both ways and let me know which seems better!

m

PS the stand is "open" all the way around and has no doors....

Originally posted by Cheezmo
OK, I have to eat my words on this one. The problem is that when you go into the service menu's it defaults to the "Wide TV" picture size mode. That mode does indeed scale and has more overscan. The 1:1 pixel mapping mode is the poorly named "Expand" mode which I never tried expecting per the name that it was some kind of stretch mode for expanding 4:3 material or something.

So if you have one of the HLP sets, make sure you set your picture size to Expand when viewing HD (720p) material. You'll get less overscan and 1:1 pixel mapping.

Ok just got a 5674, reading thru the forum, came across this.... Just want to confirm that THIS IS A SERVICE MENU OPTION NOT A PICTURE SIZE OPTION in the user menu. Does it hold true for just DVI or HDMI as well?

Originally posted by a1rmann
Thanks for your quick response...

As you can see in the picture the doors to the TV stand have holes in them and they may not interfere with the sound.

Can you elaborate more on the why people in this forum feel that center speaker should be above the TV?

Thanks!

My tv stand has all open component compartments. Still the center speaker did not sound as 'full' as with it on top. I'm no expert AV'er, but I did notice the difference.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mismatched
[B]Can you briefly elucidate? You mean that for the 6 cables that you need to use for SACDs that the 3910 will do a better job but when using a toslink connection for everything else that 2910 will be similar audio wise??


Yes, this is what I mean. I use a toslink connection, and from what I have understood from this forum, the better DAC's of the 3910 are by-passed; that is the reason I chose the 2910

Originally posted by mismatched
Can you briefly elucidate? You mean that for the 6 cables that you need to use for SACDs that the 3910 will do a better job but when using a toslink connection for everything else that 2910 will be similar audio wise??

When using a digital cable (toslink or coaxial) to your receiver, your receiver does the Digital/Analog conversion and all of the bass managment. Therefor, whatever DAC's you have in your DVD player are bypassed, and it really makes no difference from an audio perspective whether you have a 2910, 3910, or any other player for that matter. Using 6-channel analog output, the DAC's in your receiver are bypassed - the DVD player does the conversion and the bass managment, and sends the signal to your receiver which sends it directly to the amplification stage.

Since the DAC's in the 3910 are so good, and it provides full bass management for DVD video, audio, and SACD, unless you have an extremely good receiver, it will probably be beneficial to your audio to use the 6-channel output. The component with the highest quality DAC's should be used for the conversion. So it really depends on the set up of your system, and how good your receiver is compared to your DVD player. Of course, with SACD, you must use the 6-channel output unless you are using the fireware connection, as SACD cannot be passed over any other digital connection at this point.

You can easily switch between the ext. input and digital input on any receiver to do an A/B comparison on your own.

Originally posted by Sharkey
Ok just got a 5674, reading thru the forum, came across this.... Just want to confirm that THIS IS A SERVICE MENU OPTION NOT A PICTURE SIZE OPTION in the user menu. Does it hold true for just DVI or HDMI as well?

The picture size option is a function on the remote, not a service menu option. (p. size button on the bottom left). Your picture size options via DVI/HDMI are Wide, PC Wide, Expand, and 4:3. As Cheezmo has noted, Expand is the best mode as it produces the least amount of overscan (1% or less) and 1:1 pixel mapping. Expand is not available via component or s-video.

________________________

As for the various questions regarding speaker placement, there is nothing wrong with placing a speaker below the TV, as long as there is nothing between the drivers and the listener obstructing the sound, and there isn't too much resonance in the cabinet. I would not recommend putting it in an enclosed space as it could make the bass sound too boomy. In either placement, the drivers should be angled to point at the primary listening position. On top of the TV, I highly recommend rubber doorstops. The not only tilt the drivers down at the listner, but they also help support the speaker and distribute its weight evenly on the TV. With a 74 series TV, WAF aside, the shelf provides a pretty ideal speaker placement option with a $1 investment in some doorstops, but below the TV is fine if you can aim the speaker up at the listening area.

Originally posted by bkushin
I kind of suspected it was something to do with the SD content or the STB - So is the issue with Comcast and/or the Motorola STB? Is Comcast passing the SD content WITH the black bars? Meaning it's not a limitation of the TV??

Maybe I should go back & read HTWAITS' info re: Black Bars...

Barry
I'm just back from Maui so I'm lagging behind this thread and trying to catch up. I hope this isn't all redundant by now.

I intend to go through the "Black Bars" information and make sure it is up to date as soon as I get a chance. Keep in mind that it's based on specific DVD setups and as we have seen, the Samsung sets react differently depending on the setup. I don't remember putting anything into it about STB setup.

My impression is that the Samsung DLP's expect any 720p input to be wide screen. I'm using TheaterTek as a software DVD player on my PC and it can be set up to pre-format all outputs to 16x9. If I play a 4x3 movie the black bars are put in by TheaterTek automatically. I haven't had a chance to set it up for the older Letterbox wide screen movies yet.

With the Motorola 6200 set to output 16x9 at 720p and with 480i override off, I believe the image sent to the TV has the black bars pre-inserted. We watch analog SD, digital SD, and HD channels with the TV in "Wide" or "Expand" mode. The image is always correct from an aspect ratio perspective.

I have no interest in "filling" the screen with SD material so I've never tried to figure out how to do that. It can probably be done with the controls in the STB and/or component connections.

I guess I'm just a black bar softy. :)

Originally posted by htwaits
I'm just back from Maui...


Welcome back. The only thing, I guess, that makes having to leave Maui tolerable is coming back to a nice HT system.:)

Originally posted by htwaits
I'm just back from Maui so I'm lagging behind this thread and trying to catch up. I hope this isn't all redundant by now.

I intend to go through the "Black Bars" information and make sure it is up to date as soon as I get a chance. Keep in mind that it's based on specific DVD setups and as we have seen, the Samsung sets react differently depending on the setup. I don't remember putting anything into it about STB setup.

My impression is that the Samsung DLP's expect any 720p input to be wide screen. I'm using TheaterTek as a software DVD player on my PC and it can be set up to pre-format all outputs to 16x9. If I play a 4x3 movie the black bars are put in by TheaterTek automatically. I haven't had a chance to set it up for the older Letterbox wide screen movies yet.

With the Motorola 6200 set to output 16x9 at 720p and with 480i override off, I believe the image sent to the TV has the black bars pre-inserted. We watch analog SD, digital SD, and HD channels with the TV in "Wide" or "Expand" mode. The image is always correct from an aspect ratio perspective.

I have no interest in "filling" the screen with SD material so I've never tried to figure out how to do that. It can probably be done with the controls in the STB and/or component connections.

I guess I'm just a black bar softy. :)

HT -
THANKS for the reply. I went & re-read your "Black Bars" link & yes, it is definitely all related to DVD & does not address STB. I have set my 6200 (per your advice here) as you described above & yes, everything displays correctly as far as aspect ratio goes. And I'm not sure I'll ever want to "stretch" SD/4:3 content, but it just bugs me that I can't if I should want to! So my curiousity has gotten the better of me & I'm on a quest to determine if it's possible. I suspect (as you suggest above) that it may be possible through DVI with the right combination of settings on the STB & TV. My thought is that it is really determined by the interaction of the settings on both devices. Or are you saying that it can only be done through a component connection? I just haven't had time to experiment since I posted my original question - hopefully I'll be able to do so shortly. In the meantime, if anyone else has already tried this, it would be great to know the result...

Thanks,

Barry

Originally posted by lshahin
I have noticed this too using DVD through HDMI. I recently watched Bourne Supremacy and Elf on my 5674, and the green was pretty overwhelming in both cases. Granted I've only logged 5 or 6 hours on the set. Is this something that can be fixed with the AVIA DVD? Or does it require ISF calibration?

Secondly, I switched back and forth between 720p and 480p mode on the DVD player, and thought PQ was better in 480p mode. This may show my ignorance, but I guess I was expecting the reverse to be true. Are there certain DVDs that look better in 720p than they do in 480p? If so, how does one tell them apart?

p.s....great site. Helped me considerably with my purchase.

What DVD player are you using? It could be your player. I had a Denon 1910 which is known to have a greenish push in dark scenes. I traded it out for the new Sammy 941 and now I'm happy. If you are seeing an overly green cast to the whole picture then it is likely the TV. You can look into the color adjustments in the menus.

Originally posted by tenderfoot
I thought it might have been dust at first also but no luck. About 3 inches from the left and 1 inch from the top of the screen. It appears as a black spot roughly the size of 1 pixel, but to my eyes seems to extend slightly to neighboring pixels.

Am I being picky or should I expect a new DLP to have 100% functional pixels?

If you are pretty confident that it is a damaged mirror and you can't get rid of it, I would get a new one. You spent A LOT of money on that TV and it should work perfectly.

Since you bought it at Ovation, I would call Duke and tell him what is going on. My guess is that he would order you a new one and tell you to keep that one until it arrives. Since you live so close, maybe you can even talk someone in to coming out and taking a look.

But whatever you do, DON'T SETTLE FOR NOTHING BUT PERFECT! You should get what you deserve. I have no complaints on mine but would take it back in a heart beat if it had any issue at all.

mchuckp

Originally posted by allskill
The Samsung 2004 DLP Brochure lists the xx77 series to come out in Mar 2005 and I'm wondering if that's a reasonable date to expect or if it would likely be several months after that.
Samsung contacts indicated a while back that there would be no xx77 models. Of course there will be something new with a HD tuner but not labeled xx77. :)

Originally posted by tjk
Welcome back. The only thing, I guess, that makes having to leave Maui tolerable is coming back to a nice HT system.:)
The weather is better in Palo Alto today than any time during our two weeks on Hawaii or Maui. :rolleyes:

We spent 12 hours in the rain doing the volcano with our grandsons. Joy, joy, joy!

Originally posted by htwaits
The weather is better in Palo Alto today than any time during our two weeks on Hawaii or Maui. :rolleyes:

We spent 12 hours in the rain doing the volcano with our grandsons. Joy, joy, joy!

The weather in Chicago is like the apocalypse is upon us! I'd still rather cruise down Haleakala in a tropical rain then walk down the street here into a 40 mph wind! You California folks make me jealous;)

Originally posted by a1rmann
Les, what do you think about my center channel question?
A long long time ago we lived in Thailand for a year and a half. When you live in Bangkok you "must" have something built out of teak.

At that time (1968) the big thing for me was a plan to get our first stereo system. We had a nine foot stereo cabinet built in three sections. It was designed to fit a spot in the living room that we would be returning to.

The idea was to put the full sized book shelf speakers in the two end sections. I had speaker cloth installed so that the speakers were setting less than one inch inside the cabinets when the doors were open.

Much to my amazement based on totally inexperienced expectations, the speakers sounded like they were in a tunnel -- all of the stereo effect was lost.

From that time on I've never put speakers inside another enclosure. I'm not sure what it would do to a center speaker. Maybe it would work better with the speaker front extended a bit out of the enclosure. Trial and error works best if you don't have to pay for the errors. :)

Originally posted by tjk
... I'd still rather cruise down Haleakala in a tropical rain then walk down the street here into a 40 mph wind!
True for me too, but our Haleakala visit came with frequent very strong gusts of wind and sudden tropical downpours -- all day long.

To be fair, today in Palo Alto is way above average even for this area.

better start a Palo Alto vs. Haleakala thread!! :)

a1rmann,

I like the black stand you got. Who, what, where, how much?
Is it black wood grain with brush steel posts?

Tell me what you can...assembly, delivery, access to the back, cable management.

Getting my 5674 Wednesday. Looking so far at the Bush VS74377-03 which I was going to get for the Mitsu 62725 until I changed my mind again. Didn't like the Sammy stand because the bottom shelf is essentially on the floor.

Here's a mockup of the shelf with the 5674, thanks to Photoshop.

Phil

a1rmann,

I like the black stand you got. Who, what, where, how much?
Is it black wood grain with brush steel posts?

Tell me what you can...assembly, delivery, access to the back, cable management.

Getting my 5674 Wednesday. Looking so far at the Bush VS74377-03 which I was going to get for the Mitsu 62725 until I changed my mind and finally the 5674 came out. Didn't like the Sammy stand because the bottom shelf is essentially on the floor.

Here's a mockup of the shelf with the 5674, thanks to Photoshop.

Phil

a1rmann,

I like the black stand you got. Who, what, where, how much?
Is it black wood grain with brush steel posts?

Tell me what you can...assembly, delivery, access to the back, cable management.

Getting my 5674 Wednesday. Looking so far at the Bush VS74377-03 which I was going to get for the Mitsu 62725 until I changed my mind and finally the 5674 came out. Didn't like the Sammy stand because the bottom shelf is essentially on the floor.

Here's a mockup of the shelf with the 5674, thanks to Photoshop.

Phil

____________________________________


Phil,

Yes it seems they use high quality heavy wood frame with Steel posts.

- assembly- Seems very easy to do yourself (although I had Magnolia take care of it for me)
- delivery - Magnolia delivered it assembled (weighs around 150 pounds)
- access to the back is great. They have removable (twist caps) that enable you to take the back on and off as frequently as you need. You can also have the back pannel (3 pieces set to different heights to accomdate wires coming out of the bottom or top.
- Cable Management...Does not have any type of channeling for the wiring but it works for me to have the wiring coming out of about a two inch gap at the bottom

Goto www.salamanderdesigns.com and you can customize a full entertainment system includings drawers, side panels, lighting etc...and see what it would look like with measurements.

I personally picked this stand for many reasons:

- Looks
- it can be locked (keep the 11 month old out of the equipment)
- Holds all my AV equipment
- Can house a center channel (still considering if I want to do this)
- Can house the heaviest of equipment (my AMP is over 80 pounds)


Salamander Designs
30 Arbor Street
Hartford, CT 06106
888.224.4113
860.313.0525 (9am - 5pm Est.)

Remember one thing...This stand will set you back about double the price of the Samsung matching stand. My dad got the stand you are looking at and it is very nice. I needed doors and locks and more room for AV equipment. With my stand you get 3 rows where the Samsung stand you only get two.

Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck.

Salamander stands are wonderful except if I recall correctly they are modular and for the 5674 two modules were too small and three too large for my space. I really wanted to shell out the extra bucks but the size factor was nonoptimal

You are correct on the size. I ended up with the 3 modulars and it is approx. 63 inches across. The 5674 is about 50 inches. So using my trusty calculator (just kidding) you have about 6.5 inches on each side. IMO, not that bad and as you can see in the pictures...it looks good. Now if you want something that matches perfectly this stand wouldn't work.

One thing though...with the 3 modulars you get more AV storage (which is the reason I finally decided to go this way. If it was any smaller it wouldn't work for me.

So it all depends on your needs and setup.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by tjk
The picture size option is a function on the remote, not a service menu option. (p. size button on the bottom left). Your picture size options via DVI/HDMI are Wide, PC Wide, Expand, and 4:3. As Cheezmo has noted, Expand is the best mode as it produces the least amount of overscan (1% or less) and 1:1 pixel mapping. Expand is not available via component or s-video.

tjk,
This is why i was so confused. According to my sets menu and the manual the picture modes are labeled as such: Wide, Panorama, Zoom1, Zoom2 and 4:3. For DVI and HDMI both, I can only select Wide and 4:3. Is there something im missing?

Originally posted by Sharkey

This is why i was so confused. According to my sets menu and the manual the picture modes are labeled as such: Wide, Panorama, Zoom1, Zoom2 and 4:3. For DVI and HDMI both, I can only select Wide and 4:3. Is there something im missing?
What's probably missing is 720p input material.

Originally posted by Sharkey
[QUOTE]Originally posted by tjk
The picture size option is a function on the remote, not a service menu option. (p. size button on the bottom left). Your picture size options via DVI/HDMI are Wide, PC Wide, Expand, and 4:3. As Cheezmo has noted, Expand is the best mode as it produces the least amount of overscan (1% or less) and 1:1 pixel mapping. Expand is not available via component or s-video.

tjk,
This is why i was so confused. According to my sets menu and the manual the picture modes are labeled as such: Wide, Panorama, Zoom1, Zoom2 and 4:3. For DVI and HDMI both, I can only select Wide and 4:3. Is there something im missing?

You must output to your set via DVI or HDMI using 720p to get the EXPAND option. If you output to your TV at 1080i or anything else, you only get WIDE or 4:3.

Hope this makes sense.

Originally posted by htwaits
Samsung contacts indicated a while back that there would be no xx77 models. Of course there will be something new with a HD tuner but not labeled xx77. :)
Did these contacts give any sense as to when this "something new" might arrive? Or should I just wait patiently for CES?

Originally posted by allskill
Did these contacts give any sense as to when this "something new" might arrive? Or should I just wait patiently for CES?
I don't have "Samsung" contacts and our main source of such contacts seems to be occupied elsewhere.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4536763#post4536763

I think the best place to learn about models that will arrive in August 2005 plus or minus two months would be at CES. :)

I'm sure this has been discussed on different forums...but I have to ask again. What do you think about getting the extended warranty/service? I know they vary from store to store and Consumer Reports once said "NO". But with a relatively new technology (yes even though it's Samsung's 3rd generation DLP's---Ford has been making cars for around 100 years, doesn't mean the 2005 aren't going to breakdown quickly), is it wiser to get the insurance? What's the likelyhood that the light engine, segment wheel, fan, DLP chip will fail?

I know I once bought a RepairMaster warranty on a S-VHS VCR, and needed service. I was told to take it to a nearby independent authorized JVC service center. They did a horrible job...all three times. Eventually I was given a new, latest model S-VHS VCR. While I was happy at the end, it was frustrating to deal with. I won't go that route with RepairMaster again.

The GG's is offering one that's pretty steep in price. $550 for 5 years. He knocked off another $50 off the set, for a total savings of $750 off MSRP. So in a way it's a free service plan. It also includes annual preventative maintenance (does a DLP need it?). I don't know if it includes a calibration (off course you can always say, "Hey the colors are off". I bought a similar service plan for a fridge I bought at Sears, and forgot about the annual cleaning until the 3 year plan was about to expire. The guy came, vacuumed the coils and took temperture reading. I guess it's a waste if you don't use it.

BTW, it doesn't include the replacement bulb.

I'm asking myself, will I want to upgrade this TV in 3-5 years? Will the warranty make it an "easier sell" if I want to sell it within 5 years. My Amex card would double the one year Samsung warranty...for free. Wonder if it would include the bulb?

Your advice/comment would be appreciated!

Considering all the moving parts in a DLP, I would say you definitely want an extended warrranty. You can however consider getting an extra 4 years RepairMaster warranty for around 2 Benjamins. It does not cover the bulb either, but is a whole lot cheaper.

Just got my 4674 about 3 weeks ago. I borrowed DVE from a friend and set the color of my DVD player. I would like to make sure my STB is set properly as well. Right now it is just set to what my eyes thought was right by watching different channels.

I am currently using Dish Network and my receiver is hooked up through S-Video (until I get my HD receiver). I've read other threads that say you can plug your S-Video cable into your DVD player and set it using DVE. Then plug it back into the STB.

I don't see how this would be accurate. Every piece of equipment is going to output color somewhat different or there would be no need for setting colors in DVE.

I recently had two DVD players I was testing out (Denon 1910 & Samsung 941). After going through DVE for both units, the settings were different.

Here are my settings:
Denon Sammy
Contrast 85 90
Brightness 43 60
Sharpness 0 0
Color 45 67

So if these two players are this different in settings to match the same color output. Why would I think that hooking an S-Video cable up to either of them and running DVE would give me the correct color for my STB?

Someone please tell me if my logic is wrong. If I am correct that this doesn't make sense, how would you set the correct color on an STB?

Thanks,
Mike

p.s. I LOVE MY 4674!!!

Had a new set delivered yesterday and wow what a difference! Not only are there no stuck mirrors, but PQ seems much more detailed and smooth out of the box. I have this set up to a Pace550 STB via DVI and a Denon 2910 through HDMI and am extremely pleased with the performance so far, and looking forward to breaking in the bulb and calibrating with DVE.

mchuckp - did you decide which DVD player you are going to go with? I am also curious as to how to calibrate HD properly.

Originally posted by tenderfoot
Had a new set delivered yesterday and wow what a difference! Not only are there no stuck mirrors, but PQ seems much more detailed and smooth out of the box. I have this set up to a Pace550 STB via DVI and a Denon 2910 through HDMI and am extremely pleased with the performance so far, and looking forward to breaking in the bulb and calibrating with DVE.

mchuckp - did you decide which DVD player you are going to go with? I am also curious as to how to calibrate HD properly.

I bought the Denon 1910 and had it for about 2 weeks. I took the samsung 941 home for the week from Ovation and tried them head to head. I like the Sammy better. Little better PQ, DVD-A, HDMI, and no green push in dark scenes. And this was hooked up through the cheap cable it came with. There are some issues with not passing BTB tests at 720p and through DVI but it does at 1080i. I could not tell the difference in PQ when switching though, so I am happy with it. I'm not going to go into too much detail here since it is off topic. Here is a link to a thread that gives my lengthy review for anyone interested about it.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4807829#post4807829

My review is near the top of page 16. I would love to get the 2910, but I am having a hard time rationalizing spending more than twice as much when blue ray or HD-DVD is a year or two out. I think I will have to be satisfied with what I have until then.

p.s. Tenderfoot, I got a question for you off topic. Check your PMs.

Ok so I have my 5674 for one day.

I notice that there are little green dots everywhere. I even watched a movie in letter box and the black bars on the top and bottom have the green dots. Please let me know if this is normal and what I can do to minimize it. In the Matrix it was extremely bad. Is this what everyone is referring to green push?

Also, I have a question with the DVD player. I have a Denon 2910 connected directly to my TV via DVI. I have the sound going from the DVD player to my receiver via digital coax cable. For some reason I can't get a signal going to my subs. Do i need to turn some things off on my DVD player? My set up consist of the following:

NHT VT 2 (Left, right, center, Rear R, Rear L, Sub Two)
Sherwood Newcastle AVP 9080 Seperates (receiver, amp)
Denon 2910
Sherwood Newcastle CD Changer
Adelphia Cable

Can anyone help with the green dots, and any suggestions in setting up my DVD player?

Thanks!


PS. Mchuck are these thigns you dealt with, with your 1910? Did you get to compare the 2910 to the Samsung 941? What did you use to calibrate your TV. Did you have the issues with the green dots?

If you are seeing anything in the black bars you likely have your brightness control set to high. Reduce it until the dots in the black bars just disappear and that should be a pretty good estimate of where to set brightness other than using a real test pattern.

You shouldn't be able to see the green "noise" in dark parts of the picture from your normal viewing distance. If you do, either you are sitting too close or there may be a problem with the set.

Cheezmo,

I am fairly novice in making changes to the settings on TV's. Do I do any setup with the DVD player? or do everything through the TV? Also can you point me in the right direction on do I make changes in the service menu? Or do I make them elsewhere?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Does anyone know if you put speakers close to or right next to a Sammy 5674 or another DLP tv what will happen to it? Will it become discolored due to magnets?

I plan on getting a 59 or 60 inch wide table for either a 46, 50 or 56 inch tv. Then I would love to put a speaker on each side of the tv, sitting it on top of the table. I'm also not sure if I will get great stereo sound from my LEFT and RIGHT speaker with them being so close to the tv, but I have heard here that it doesnt matter where you place them cause a receiver can fake it. Meaning, it can delay the sound to make it sound to be coming from any distance from the tv.

Originally posted by a1rmann
Ok so I have my 5674 for one day.

I notice that there are little green dots everywhere. I even watched a movie in letter box and the black bars on the top and bottom have the green dots. Please let me know if this is normal and what I can do to minimize it. In the Matrix it was extremely bad. Is this what everyone is referring to green push?

Also, I have a question with the DVD player. I have a Denon 2910 connected directly to my TV via DVI. I have the sound going from the DVD player to my receiver via digital coax cable. For some reason I can't get a signal going to my subs. Do i need to turn some things off on my DVD player? My set up consist of the following:

NHT VT 2 (Left, right, center, Rear R, Rear L, Sub Two)
Sherwood Newcastle AVP 9080 Seperates (receiver, amp)
Denon 2910
Sherwood Newcastle CD Changer
Adelphia Cable

Can anyone help with the green dots, and any suggestions in setting up my DVD player?

Thanks!


PS. Mchuck are these thigns you dealt with, with your 1910? Did you get to compare the 2910 to the Samsung 941? What did you use to calibrate your TV. Did you have the issues with the green dots?

First, as for the green dots - as Cheezmo notes above, you should definitely not see anything in the black bars. There is one exception to the black bar issue - I notice that sometimes on Showtime HD there is some small white "flickering" in the black bars. It happened on Pulp Fiction, whihc was shown in it's OAR. It was clearly a Showtime issue - no other channel had this problem. Anyone else experience this?

As for the green dots in the picture - the color wheel makes tiny green dots visible througout the picture from 1 foot away or less. I believe this is what is referred to as dithering. They are completely invisible from > 1 foot or so. Not really a big deal because from inside of 6 feet, any picture is going to look awful.

As for your subwoofer question, it should not have anything to do with the 2910. If you are using a coax connection to your processor, you are bypassing the bass management in the 2910. I would check your receiver settings.

Originally posted by subwoofer
Does anyone know if you put speakers close to or right next to a Sammy 5674 or another DLP tv what will happen to it? Will it become discolored due to magnets?


DLP's are not affected by speakers that are not magnetically shielded. That is a CRT issue.

Originally posted by subwoofer
Does anyone know if you put speakers close to or right next to a Sammy 5674 or another DLP tv what will happen to it? Will it become discolored due to magnets?


Won't be a problem at all. Magnets affect CRT's, not DLP/LCD, etc. Maybe if you get a strong one inside the set next to the DLP chip it could cause some problems ;)

Originally posted by a1rmann
Cheezmo,

I am fairly novice in making changes to the settings on TV's. Do I do any setup with the DVD player? or do everything through the TV? Also can you point me in the right direction on do I make changes in the service menu? Or do I make them elsewhere?

Thanks in advance for your help.

You usually leave the DVD player alone (although some do need non-default settings for proper black level).

On the TV, got to Menu -> Picture and adjust the brightness.

Originally posted by tjk
DLP's are not affected by speakers that are not magnetically shielded. That is a CRT issue.

Sweet. Do you guys think that would be a good setup? Have a 59" wide table with a 50" wide tv. Leaving 9 inches to play with, or 4.5" on each side. My speakers are about 3 inches wide. Or get a 41" wide tv leaving 9" on each side.

Thanks Cheezmo and TJK :)

Hi All,

I've recently upgraded to an HLP5674 from a 5063 and here are my impressions:

1. The black levels apper to be more bleak when compared to the 5063. I was expecting the opposite. Could this be due to the screen size? Nothing else has changed (e.g. lighting) and I am sitting about 9 feet away.

2. I notice some kind of glossy reflection, which is hard to describe. This is not smudges(I have those also). I am assuming it is some kind of a screen reflective surface that the xx63 models did not have. Has anybody else notice this?

Thanks in advance for any help
-Michael