Hi Deaf,

No HDMI available on my 8300:(

I hear this is a very common occurance.

Originally posted by GoSpurs99
Hi Deaf,

No HDMI available on my 8300:(

I hear this is a very common occurance.

I picked up a Panny S97 DVD player and was not too happy with the macroblocking over HDMI, so I switched to component and put the HDMI cable it came with on my 8300 box. It worked! I was surprised that we would have that active here in Temple, TX...not an on-the-edge tech area...since so many people report them as still being inactive. However, I really don't see much difference from the component cables...to be honest...the component looked great as it was... By the way...I am on Time Warner cable.

Originally posted by Burkhardi
I almost read all 50 posts in this thread and didn't see an answer to the "Halo" question in the first couple pages of this thread. Does anyone see these? I assume the person posting is refering to the "Banding" when they said "Halo"

Can someone please throw in a Finding Nemo DVD and go the the scence where Nemo's dad (Marlin) and Dory (Ellen's voice) are down in he abyss and they are in front of the Angler Fish. Does the Angler Fish's biat (light source) glow like a street light in the fog (like in real life) like it should, or do you see bands around the light as it gets darker. In other words, is it smooth, or look like a computer with 16 colors?

You could also call it a Halo too I guess. So, please tell me that there is no Halo or banding seen in this part of Finding Nemo.

TIA!! Matt

I am 95% sold on the HLP5674W and this is the last thing I am wondering about. I may need to go to the local store and bring the Nemo DVD w/ me.

Looks like to me (unoffficaly and for what it's worth), that Halo and Banding are not the same as I thought. I went to look at the HLP5674W and saw what the Halo was, on one of the Mitz DLP, there was a glow around objects, they had a halo or glow around them. I also saw the Banding in both the Sammy and Mitz. The Mitz seemed a little better, but there was more noise on the Mitz then the Sammy, and also the Sammy didn't have any tracers on it like the Mitx did when we ran a scrolling banner accross the screen (White on black). I looked the "Kirk" too, it has a 7seg wheel, unlike the 74 series. It looked good, but had the banding too.

Seeing that both the Mitz and the Sammy had a strike (Mitz had tracers and the Sammy didn't, but the Sammy had a litttle worse banding, yet less noise)against them, but the Sammy had a less reflective screen and I will be usnig this in a living room with windows, I will go with the Sammy HLP5674W (not to mention the bezzle is so sleek on the 74series). The Mitz was both a Diamond and non Diamond series. I was able to use the store feed for the DVD, verse hooking up a DVD to the TV. They ran on the component inputs, it was nice to see all the sets, the Plasma, LCD, CRT and the rest and see the differences.

So in afew days, I hope to have a new set.

I also wanted to thanks Les for the help too..
Regards, Matt

Originally posted by Burkhardi
I also wanted to thanks Les for the help too..

You're welcome Matt.

In case anyone in interested I found a stand at OneCall. I called them on the phone and they threw in free shipping. The part number is Samsung TR56L5S.

Anyone know where I can order an HL-Pxx74W TVA doesn't list them and I can't find them anywhere?
Thanks,
GeoffQ

Geoff,

Click on the AVS members only link on TVA's site to see the 74 series, they do carry them and for a good price too.

In fact, here's a quicker link

http://www.tvauthority.com/avs-forum-members-only/avs-forum-members-only.asp

Thanks auxiliary,
Does this model have the center speaker platform on the top?
This forum is so awesome!!!
GeoffQ

i don't know about any center channel shelf, but i still have yet to see the 74 series in person

Thanks auxiliarry,
Happy New Year!!
GeoffQ

Yes, the 74's have a center speaker shelf. 20" wide by 9 1/2 deep. (56")

Originally posted by GeoffQ
Does this model have the center speaker platform on the top?

The thin bezel sets all have a case with a flat area on top. If the speaker isn't too heavy then it's a good place to put it. You don't want to cause the case to bow with some 40lb monster. Personally I would be willing to risk 10lbs to 15lbs if I owned one of the HLPxx74 sets. :rolleyes:

I just got my 5674W yesterday.

Are people using Cinema, Standard, or Film(?)? If so, what are your settings.

Or if someone could just point me to a previous post regarding the same issue.

Thanks in advance!!

Originally posted by htwaits
The thin bezel sets all have a case with a flat area on top. If the speaker isn't too heavy then it's a good place to put it. You don't want to cause the case to bow with some 40lb monster. Personally I would be willing to risk 10lbs to 15lbs if I owned one of the HLPxx74 sets. :rolleyes:

My center speaker is 17 lbs. (Axiom VP150). 26.5" wide. I have it on top of the 4674 and there has been no problem. I have it a few inches back from the bezel, supported by three rubber doorstops along the back of the shelf. It's been there for a month and a half, so I assume I would have seen any problems by now.

FWIW, the information we have been able to get from Samsung indicated that 10-15 lbs. was the shelf's limit, per htwaits' recommendation. I would assume their estimate to be pretty conservative, but I certainly wouldn't go too far above that range.

Originally posted by GeoffQ
Anyone know where I can order an HL-Pxx74W TVA doesn't list them and I can't find them anywhere?
Thanks,
GeoffQ

Try Tweeter (http://www.tweeter.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1872822).

If the above link is bad, try http://www.tweeter.com

Regards, Matt

Thanks All,
I sure love this forum!!!
GeoffQ

Mine is on the way from Vann's. I ordered Tuesday and have already had a call for delivery on this coming Tuesday. Free shipping also.

Just got my HLP467W yesterday. I am a total newbie to the HDTV world. I have charter digital cable with a scientific atlanta 8300 HD/DVR box. The high definition channels are amazing. Especially Discovery channel. I am a little shocked at the difference in quality of the HD brodcasts. I also am an avid Xbox gamer and was blown away at the quality. Latest game i have been playing is ghost recon 2 and the graphics are astounding. I of course had to get he xbox HD AV pack.

As for the non HD channels I must say that I am very very disappointed. I dont know if I hooked up stuff wrong or not but normal channels look far inferior to the CRT set I had previously. Is this normal? Im talking about extreme fuzzines surrounding images of people, text etc.

The Scientific Atlanta Box can convert signals but the documentatin states that for a better quality non HD signal to set it as passthrough. I assume this disables any conversion and lets the Sammy do it.

As for the picture in picture, I can get it to work with the cable box but not the sammy's version. I'm not really sure whats going on there. Not really concerned about that anyway. My real issue is with the terrible PQ of non HD channels.

I run digital charter cable to the Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD/DVR. I run monster component cables to a Yamaha rx-1400 surround sound AV. I hooked up the xbox to a different channel on the Yamaha AV receiver. From the Yamaha I run monster component to the component 1 input on the Sammy.

Please forgive my newbiness but any insight and/or links on hookups and settings would be appreciated.

Craig

-----------
Samsung hlp4674w
Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD/DVR (charter digital)
Yamaha RX-1400 AV surround receiver (Energy speakers)
Xbox (HD AV pack)
Monstor cables throughout

My 4674 was delivered this morning, starting to look a little better as it breaks in. Question, the "my color control", is that only available on certain inputs? I am using a msntv 2 to surf and it's connected via s-video. Mt sat box via DVI. The "my color control" function doen't work with either input, is greyed out in the menu. How do I get to the individual color adjustments? Is this available only on component? I am using HDMI for DVD, but haven't watched that yet. Thanks.

John

Craig, there's a few posts that mention SD pictures getting better as the tv goes thru it's "break in" period. I also have the 4674 and noticed what you noticed, basically bad sd quality, both grainy-ness and bad color (green push). I started with components from my stb and have subsequently switched to dvi. The quality of the colors got much better (hardly notice the green push now) and the picture quality got slightly better. I also send the sd picture from my stb (moto 6100) without conversion to the 74. You may get some improvement if you try a dvi cable and/or wait for the tv to "break-in". Just a couple of observations...

good luck

Craig, is the HDMI enabled on the 8300? If so, try the HDMI connection, that will help. Set it at 720p and set the Sammy on "Expand" mode. You can also try splitting the cable and run one to the 8300 and one directly to the Sammy. Then try viewing the SD through the "TV" input. Make sure you use a 5-1100MHz splitter.

Craig, as recommended by Cheezmo and others, try turning the sharpness to 0 and DNIe/DNR off. I like a softer picture better than the artifacts these algorithms generate. Also, as Hi Deaf suggests, splitting the cable to the TV input may help for the analog SD channels since it avoids the compression losses the PVR box will introduce.

I have had a 5674 for 2 weeks now and am so far very happy with it. Many thanks to Les, Cheezmo, Arun and all the other knowledgeable posters of this forum (too many to name them all!) for helping with the choice. Been about two full years that I have been shopping for this and readind this forum, so that could make me a name cousin of htwaits I guess :)

Haven't done much so far but watching DVD's after a quick DVE calib using just the user menu. Having young kids helped me watching a lot more than tweaking, but it's okay since the picture quality already blows me away on DVDs, using a cheap DVD/VCR combo through component. Short term plans are getting HD box (tomorrow!) and building an HTPC for DVDs, computing and games.

A couple of questions: my current PC's video card does not have DVI out (AIW9600XT) - any of you successful in displaying 1280x720 over VGA on those sets, or at least a resolution that would allow widescreen DVD viewing with a realistic aspect ratio?
Also one to Hi Deaf since we live in the same city: is Time Warner your cable provider? Your HDMI out is active, right? If yes did they give you the HDMI cable with the 8300 box?

Thanks!
Roman

Hi Deaf,

The HDMI is there but i run my feed through my Yamaha RX-1400 AV for soround sound. The Yamaha AV has no HDMI inputs or outputs. The Yamaha has two component inputs and a component output that I have hooked up to the Sammy. I have the 8300 on one of the component inputs and the xobox on the other. I switch what gets sent to the sammy with the Yamaha AV. I have many other inputs to the Yamaha via S-Video and or composite but dont use those. Heres a newbie question: Does sending a SD signal through component cables degrade it? The Yamaha has a video cenversion that converts composite signals to S-Video or component so I didnt think it would be an issue.

I need to ask some people that have the SA 8300 box how they set theirs up as well. I have it set to pass thru so it send whatever signal it get out the same. On the Sammy....if its a SD signal....I can switch the picture size between the 5 available (wide,panorama,zoom1,zoom2,4:3). If its a HD signal i only get wide and 4:3 on the sammy. All the functions on the 8300 still work even though its on pass thru (ie. stretch,zoom1,zoom2,4:3).

Anyway...i guess ill just keep playing with it....or just watch HD channels *grin* Im spoiled now.

For anyone interested i took a few pics of the rose bowl and discovery channel. I included them here in my gallery.

I added some tostitos bowl pics in both SD and HD to illustrate my disappointement with the SD picture quality.

Craig


Thanks for all replys guys. Being a newbie sucks!

Originally posted by calcraig
Does sending a SD signal through component cables degrade it? The Yamaha has a video cenversion that converts composite signals to S-Video or component so I didnt think it would be an issue.
It's not the component cable that would be degrading the signal, but the Yamaha upconversion might not be separating the composite signal into its components as well as the Sammy would. You can test whether the SD signal looks better as composite to the Sammy or upconverted via the Yamaha and delivered over component cables.

TV makers bark about their 3D comb filters, and all, that will split the separate parts of the video signal to improve the picture quality of SD. But these generally don't do anything for signals like s-video, or especially component, when the signal is already separated. So using the convenience of the Yamaha to avoid video switching at your TV may result in a PQ difference. On the other hand, the Yamaha might actually do a better job than a given TV, so it pays to try it out.

Originally posted by calcraig
Hi Deaf,

Does sending a SD signal through component cables degrade it? The Yamaha has a video cenversion that converts composite signals to S-Video or component so I didnt think it would be an issue.

I also have the 5674 and a RX-V2500, which also converts the S-Video to component. I have the Yamaha feeding the TV both the S-video1 and Component1 outputs so I can switch between to compare. I feel that the S-video output provides a better picture than the component in my case.
It may be a different story if the source input to the Yamaha was component instead of S-video.
Of course it may also be the cheap cable I'm using for the component hookup, YMMV.
Besides, I can't imagine any device being able to convert a lesser quality feed and actually improving on it. I believe the Yamaha's conversion feature is for versatility and ease of use only, not necessarily for direct improvements.

Regards,
Frank

Originally posted by digilight
A couple of questions: my current PC's video card does not have DVI out (AIW9600XT) - any of you successful in displaying 1280x720 over VGA on those sets, or at least a resolution that would allow widescreen DVD viewing with a realistic aspect ratio?

Check out the Home Theater Computers (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=26) forum.

If you go through VGA you will be forcing a double conversion into and out of analog. A DVI connection seems to be best for Samsung DLP sets. If you get one of the ATI 9xxx Pro cards and the latest drivers you can to DVI. I have the ATI 9000 Pro which goes for a pretty low price now.

The only problem I've had is that the 9000 Pro doesn't seem to allow separate setups for two monitors. I may not know how to configure it properly, but right now I'm using a dual boot system with the HT and the DLP (DVI) in one partition and an LCD monitor (VGA) and my regular PC activities in the other.

I use TheaterTek as a software DVD player and the results are very good.

On some of ATI's later graphics cards I've seen a notation that two monitor configurations are supported so maybe it's just the age of my card and not the age of my brain causing the trouble. :rolleyes:

I sent you a Personal Message (PM).

Originally posted by calcraig
Just got my HLP467W yesterday. I am a total newbie to the HDTV world. I have charter digital cable with a scientific atlanta 8300 HD/DVR box. The high definition channels are amazing. Especially Discovery channel. I am a little shocked at the difference in quality of the HD brodcasts. I also am an avid Xbox gamer and was blown away at the quality. Latest game i have been playing is ghost recon 2 and the graphics are astounding. I of course had to get he xbox HD AV pack.

As for the non HD channels I must say that I am very very disappointed. I dont know if I hooked up stuff wrong or not but normal channels look far inferior to the CRT set I had previously. Is this normal? Im talking about extreme fuzzines surrounding images of people, text etc.

The Scientific Atlanta Box can convert signals but the documentatin states that for a better quality non HD signal to set it as passthrough. I assume this disables any conversion and lets the Sammy do it.

As for the picture in picture, I can get it to work with the cable box but not the sammy's version. I'm not really sure whats going on there. Not really concerned about that anyway. My real issue is with the terrible PQ of non HD channels.

I run digital charter cable to the Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD/DVR. I run monster component cables to a Yamaha rx-1400 surround sound AV. I hooked up the xbox to a different channel on the Yamaha AV receiver. From the Yamaha I run monster component to the component 1 input on the Sammy.

Please forgive my newbiness but any insight and/or links on hookups and settings would be appreciated.

Craig

-----------
Samsung hlp4674w
Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD/DVR (charter digital)
Yamaha RX-1400 AV surround receiver (Energy speakers)
Xbox (HD AV pack)
Monstor cables throughout

I felt the same way when I hooked up my 4674 about a month and a half ago. I about had a heart attack when I saw how awful SD looked out of the box. Since I didn't have HD yet, my wife was not really thrilled that I spent over 3 grand for a TV and it looks worse than our 500 dollar 32". Not having the HD to show off hurt this issue. But I definitely feel the TV looks better over time. On day one, I felt that SD was almost unwatchable. After about 4-5 days of being on for 4-6 hours per day. It did look much better. Not sure if it is just breaking in the bulb or something else the TV has to go through. I noticed DVDs looking better over time as well. Once I got all my picture settings in and left it alone it got better.

I got HD about a week later and was BLOWN AWAY! Incredible. When watching something in HD then switching to an SD channel it makes the picture look totally horrible by comparison. Particularly the analog tier on cable. God, I wish they would ditch the analog tier and go strictly digital.

Anyway, the point is, don't give up on it yet. I think you will be happy in time. The incredible picture on HD and DVDs is worth it. We are just in a transistion period now for technology.

Roman, I have Cox cable. The HDMI is active but they don't supply the cable. I'm not sure about TW. For more info on HDTV is San Diego check out this (http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/cgi-bin/discus.cgi?pg=topics) forum. I'm "TommyV" on that one.

Craig, I know you're using the Yamaha for video switching, but if the HDMI is active on your 8300, you need to at least check it out. You might be surprised.

Hey everyone! I've been lurking around this thread for the past few days trying to get a general grasp of pros and con's about the sammy 5674. Before seeing this new sammy my wife and I were pretty set on getting a mits xx725. The mits 62" is too big for our application bu the pq is stunning. We were giving our local soundtrack one more look see to make sure the mits 52" was the one. My wife said " honey look at this one!" after much comparison the sammy wins especially with dvi and hdmi connections (mits only has hdmi). Purchasing soon, can't wait!! Thanks for all the good input as to initial opinions, and leter feedback as to issues and pq opinions!!

cack

you will not be sorry!!

Question to gsiokis:

I have a similar builtin cabinet in my living room and I was wondering how the vertical viewing angle is for your TV set up. Can you sit on the floor and watch the TV in the room?

Thanks!

Originally posted by calcraig
... I added some tostitos bowl pics in both SD and HD to illustrate my disappointement with the SD picture quality....

calcraig,
Thanks for the pics, it really helps to understand your SD problem. Unfortunately, I don't have a solution for you. I would like to try to get a better understanding of the DLP/SD problem (the only thing holding back my purchase).

Let me throw out some generalities for discussion that I have gleaned from this forum:

1. I have the impression that SD that comes from an analog source (OTA, cable) is generally poor.

2. On the other hand, I have the impression that SD from digital sources (cable, sat) is quite acceptable.

3. HD regardless of source is outstanding.

I would be most grateful if those of you with xx74's could address item 1 or 2. I hate to impose, but if someone could take a pic or two of SD material and post it as calcraig did, it we go far in easing my concerns.

I am having nightmares about possibly ruining my SD viewing. :( I have only been able to see a 5674 once, at an Ultimate in St. Louis. The only source they had was OTA SD, that was probably split several times. The picture was shockingly poor :eek: (I'm amazed Ultimate would show it). When asked, they wouldn't put a different source on it, so I left.

All of this comes down to, "If I have a good SD digital source (DishTV), will I be happy with the Sammy?". Based on calcraig's pics, I too would be quite disappointed. Could some of you guys with digital SD offer some opinions? Is there hope besides waiting for the set to break in? Thanks much for your help.

Primo

Originally posted by primoratface


1. I have the impression that SD that comes from an analog source (OTA, cable) is generally poor.

2. On the other hand, I have the impression that SD from digital sources (cable, sat) is quite acceptable.


Primo

I actually find that cable tv looks better straight from the cable jack rather than through the digital cable box. I haven't done any calibration on either input (wall cable comes through TV and Digital comes through S-video). I don't have high definition yet so maybe the digital cable would look better through a high def box.

I use RCN in Chicago and supposedly they will be offering high def in about a month. I'm praying for it.

Question to those with comcast HD and Samsung HLP 4674W?

I just got my samsung HLP4674W with comcast HD. I noted that the technician had the Motorolla STD box set to have 480P YpbPr output and 4:3 override with 480p. I have since changed the stb output to 720p then to 1080I. I found that the 480 output and 1080I output was better than 720P output which I found strange since the native resolution of the TV is 720P. Even stations that had HD signal at 720P looked better when the STD output was 480 or 1080. There was less 'shimering' of the picture.

What is the best output from the stb? Why? What is the best setting for output if I want to watch channels which broadcast in SD?

By the way, I have ordered my DVI-D cable so I will be using that to connect my stb to my sammy and will be using the HDMI connection from Denon 291 to the Sammy. Will this effect the output settings? Any advise?

Thanks in advance.

PS. This site is awesome! So is the HD channels.

Can anyone tell me how to access the timer for the bulb in the hlp5674? I want to make sure that I my set was NIB.

Thanks,
unconfirmed.

Originally posted by primoratface
calcraig,
Thanks for the pics, it really helps to understand your SD problem. Unfortunately, I don't have a solution for you. I would like to try to get a better understanding of the DLP/SD problem (the only thing holding back my purchase).

Let me throw out some generalities for discussion that I have gleaned from this forum:

1. I have the impression that SD that comes from an analog source (OTA, cable) is generally poor.

2. On the other hand, I have the impression that SD from digital sources (cable, sat) is quite acceptable.

3. HD regardless of source is outstanding.

I would be most grateful if those of you with xx74's could address item 1 or 2. I hate to impose, but if someone could take a pic or two of SD material and post it as calcraig did, it we go far in easing my concerns.

I am having nightmares about possibly ruining my SD viewing. :( I have only been able to see a 5674 once, at an Ultimate in St. Louis. The only source they had was OTA SD, that was probably split several times. The picture was shockingly poor :eek: (I'm amazed Ultimate would show it). When asked, they wouldn't put a different source on it, so I left.

All of this comes down to, "If I have a good SD digital source (DishTV), will I be happy with the Sammy?". Based on calcraig's pics, I too would be quite disappointed. Could some of you guys with digital SD offer some opinions? Is there hope besides waiting for the set to break in? Thanks much for your help.

Primo

It is really hard to answer your SD question because it is not clear what your source for SD will be. Let me give you an example, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and subscribe to Comcast cable. Actually, Comcast digital cable. The first 80 or so channels are ANALOG SD, the next 70 or so are DIGITAL SD, and then we have 8 or so HD channels. Within the HD channels are local network affiliates. On these channels some of the shows are in HD and some are broadcast in SD. The SD shows are great, the HD are awesome. On the 70 or so digital SD channels quality is all over the map. Some are OK, others bad (based on the quality of the broadcast). The 80 or so analog SD channels look pretty rough.

When you say you will be watching SD, you really need think about what that means. If you mean SD shows on a network affiliate that are broadcast in HD (shows like Las Vegas, CSI, Monday Night Football), then you will get a great picture. If you mean an SD channel, like the SciFi channel, then it would be best to talk to someone that is receiving that channel already. In this example, the SciFi channel is very rough.

My Samsung DLP is in a family room next to my kitchen. I have a $300 Sony 20" in the kitchen. To put this into perspective, most analog SD shows look better on the 20" Sony.

I have a D* RCA HD STB (DTC210) and the picture is considerably shifted to the right when using a DVI input. The STB has a picture centering function, but they suggest trying to use the TV's.

Does the 5674 have a picture centering function?

Thanks to all who have posted replies and suggestions regarding my concerns about picture quality on the 4674.

Let me say that UCSB was right on target. I live in Long Beach CA and have charter cable. The first 100 channels are analog, and PQ varies across this tier from decent to crappy. The digital tier is much better. The HD tier consists of 10 channels and what can I say? WOW. In my opinion Discovery and HDnet are the cream of the crop. The others are outstanding, but are not as consistent.

With that being said, the broadcasts vary between programs in all the channels in each of the tiers.

Now, i have to admit, when several people replied that their PQ got better with time. That their Sammy "broke in". Well, I took that with some skepticism. Why would a tv need to break in. I have had it 3 days now and I must admit, the PQ across the board in the analog tier has improved. Its not an easy thing to judge due to the variances between programs much less channels but I definetly notice the difference. With more time, I hope it improves even more. Then again, with enough time, everything will be HD! *grin*

So in conclusion, at the end of day one I was ready to return the TV. After day 3 there is no way I could go back. The improvement has been considerable. Hopefully this trend will continue and with more break in time the PQ will improve even more. It will be awesome when all channels are broadcasting HD.

Again, thanks to all you who replied and offered your opinions and suggestions. Its nice to have this forum for reference!

Craig

Originally posted by primoratface
...
1. I have the impression that SD that comes from an analog source (OTA, cable) is generally poor.

2. On the other hand, I have the impression that SD from digital sources (cable, sat) is quite acceptable.

3. HD regardless of source is outstanding.

...


1. Good/clean analog signals can look fine especially if you watch in 4:3 mode and if watching a movie that was recorded on film make sure film mode is on.

2. Digital Cable/Sat can look worse than bad analog depending on haw badly the cable/sat company compressed the material (andon how good the original feed was to the cable/sat company).

3. HD varies alot -- my locals are constantly just upscaling SD material into the middle of their HD news and it looks like crap. I've even noticed some HD primetime shows which insert stock footage will occassionally insert SD or badly recorded HD in the middle of what is otherwise a great picture.

Originally posted by digilight
...
A couple of questions: my current PC's video card does not have DVI out (AIW9600XT) - any of you successful in displaying 1280x720 over VGA on those sets, or at least a resolution that would allow widescreen DVD viewing with a realistic aspect ratio?


The xx74 can do 720p or 1080 thru the VGA port if your video card has the right drivers.
Both my laptop (ATI mobile 9600 DVI/VGA) and my desktop ATI Radeon 8500 (DVI/VGA) can successfully output 1280x720 via either DVI or VGA. I am using the newest catalyst drivers (BTW all resolutions that can be done on the VGA/DVI/HDMI can be done on any of the others.

As to quality - I have compared three copies of the same DVD back and forth with both PCs at 720p hooked up one to DVI one to VGA and with my Sony Progressive (480p) DVD changer hooked to component. The DVI does look the sharpest with the 720p VGA a very close second and the 480p a distant third. You won't be unhappy with a VGA hookup as long as you have a shielded VGA cable and it isn't too long.

Paul

Originally posted by unconfirmed
Can anyone tell me how to access the timer for the bulb in the hlp5674? I want to make sure that I my set was NIB.

Thanks,
unconfirmed.

You have to enter the service menu (do at your own risk)

If Off - Mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - Power

If ON -- Power - Mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - Power

You will see the service menu -- enter the OPTION menu.
Channel/UP down will move thru the menu. Volume up/down changes settings!!!!
On the next page you will see the LAMPLIFE setting that is the number of hours on the bulb.

Press Power and wait til off to exit the service menu.

Whatever you do write down settings first if you even consider changing anything. Some settings can make your set non-functional so do research before changing anything.

With all the comments about poor SD quality when someone sets up their new HDTV, I wonder how much of the perception is due to having a TV larger than users currently have and which due to their newer technology and improved interface (DVI vs. composite for example) is a cleaner/sharper picture, thereby making flaws more visible. If I get closer to my 10 year old 32" CRT I can see all sorts of picture flaws which are not visible at normal viewing distance. Getting closer simulates having a larger set at my current viewing distance.

I also wonder if the perception that the picture improves with time is a matter of the user adjusting to the image as normal.

Anyone have old and new sets which display roughly the same 4X3 images who can set them up as closely as possible (similiar signal path) and can test the first theory above?

John

falsedawn,

In my opinion, you have nailed it. I will add that the linedoublers/scalers in many televisions leave a lot to be desired but even then, if you changed your viewing distance to give you the same sized image you had on your old 32" CRT, I bet the picture would usually be comparable, give or take different grayscale, color decoding, etc.

about SD perceptions-
I also think many of the SD issues are the result of people trying to zoom the SD to either wide or panarama ionstead of watching SD in pillarbox 4:3 mode. In my case my new picture is slightly smaller - before Sony 53" 4:3 XBR Crt -- New set 56" HLP5674 -- a very slight reduction in SD picture size. I compared my XBR vs the 5674 when I first got it and actually liked the SD picture on the Sammy better except for the initial colors. Now when I look at the Sony it looks so dim compared I can't even begin to watch it.

about improvement over time at start -

I really believe the new bulbs rapidly change color temperature over the first 30-50 hours of use and then settle down. I have had two HLP5674 sets already -- the first one for 29 days and the second one for just over a week now (stuck mirror in the first one). Therefore I have gone thru the burn in period twice after I was used to the xx74 picture. When I got the second one I set all of its settings the same as the first one and the picture just seemed too red/green and too intense which is what I thought a month earlier. After a week the second set is now as good with those settings as I felt the first set was at the end of the month.

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

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

HDMI port may be going bad. Sometimes I lose connection in the middle of watching a movie, screen will go black. then picture comes back, then screen will turn green, then snow. Does this sound more like a Cable issue? I'm just using a $20 3' cable from avcables.com. Using the new Sony 975 upconvert (looks great).

Those look like digital artifacts either in the source or caused by DNiE or Digital NR being ON. Turn them off and turn down sharpness to reduce the chance your TV is causing it.

Les, Paul, Hi Deaf - thanks for the info.

Paul you motivated me to give a shot to VGA until I build a dedicated HTPC with DVI.
When you say VGA 720p is close second, do you compare it to DVI on Expand (which per Cheezmo gives the 1:1 pixel mapping)? Can you also get a 1:1 mapping through VGA 720p? If yes is the quality loss compared to DVI some noise in the individual pixels? Is Expand available for the VGA hookup? I guess I should be able to answer that if I get it to work - just curious to hear more of your experience.


Originally posted by Paul_PDX
...
As to quality - I have compared three copies of the same DVD back and forth with both PCs at 720p hooked up one to DVI one to VGA and with my Sony Progressive (480p) DVD changer hooked to component. The DVI does look the sharpest with the 720p VGA a very close second and the 480p a distant third.
...
Paul

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

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

HDMI port may be going bad. Sometimes I lose connection in the middle of watching a movie, screen will go black. then picture comes back, then screen will turn green, then snow. Does this sound more like a Cable issue? I'm just using a $20 3' cable from avcables.com. Using the new Sony 975 upconvert (looks great).

I see these types of artifacts as well on non-HD channels. It definitely could be caused by Dnie or NR. Of course, I find that Dnie somewhat fixes this in some occasions. If you use Dnie, you have to learn to turn it on and off depending on what you are watching. These types of artifacts seem more prevelent on lesser quality channels. I've learned to just try to ignore them.

Some of your other issues does sound like it could be a cable issue or possibly something wrong with your box.

Since all of us have bought the 74 series (or looking to buy) over the last few months, does anyone know for a fact if there has been an official price reduction on them? I have noticed that TVA has reduced their price on the 74 series by about $200 since it was first available in November. I also noticed that this weekend's BB ad, shows the 63 series has a $300 price drop in effect.

Since many stores have 30-60 day price guarantees, I figure it is worth bringing up. I'd love to have a bit of money back if possible. However, I doubt I could get it unless there is some sort of official price drop from Samsung.

By the way, for anyone who doesn't know. If you buy a Sammy DLP and are a new subscriber to digital cable with HD programming, you can get a $200 Visa gift card. Go to www.onlycablecan.com/samsung for details. I think the offer is good for purchases dating back to October.

Originally posted by falsedawn
I also wonder if the perception that the picture improves with time is a matter of the user adjusting to the image as normal.

John
I can offer one data point on "improved image" perception.

We bought our HLP5063 in June with an option to upgrade to the HLP5674 when it arrived. I declined that offer in the middle of December but took an October build HLP5063 instead.

I had never seen SD that was a problem either on a HLM507 in January 20003 or the June HLP5063. Our new HLP5063 looked very bad to me. That was on the SD programming coming from a digital source through Comcast. My first reaction was that I had messed up big time making the switch.

As you can guess, by the next day I was a happy camper again. I don't know for sure if DLP sets need to have some time on the bulb, but it does seem that way to me.

Originally posted by mchuckp
Since all of us have bought the 74 series (or looking to buy) over the last few months, does anyone know for a fact if there has been an official price reduction on them? I have noticed that TVA has reduced their price on the 74 series by about $200 since it was first available in November.
Since many stores have 30-60 day price guarantees, I figure it is worth bringing up. I'd love to have a bit of money back if possible. However, I doubt I could get it unless there is some sort of official price drop from Samsung

I'm not sure how "Official" it is, but TVA did indeed drop the price by about $230 (+/-, don't have my paperwork in front of me).
I inquired about a price guarantee with them 3 weeks after my unit shipped. They are very hesitant to do anything but offer you a very minimal in-store credit.
While nowhere near an actual B&M price guarantee, I still saved beyond the local purchase price. So I'm not too sure how to feel about being screwed out of about $180 +/- for being an early subscriber and not too sure who I should direct my attention to, Samsung, TVA or myself.
Oh well...

Regards,
Frank

Originally posted by Flyrx7
I'm not sure how "Official" it is, but TVA did indeed drop the price by about $230 (+/-, don't have my paperwork in front of me).
I inquired about a price guarantee with them 3 weeks after my unit shipped. They are very hesitant to do anything but offer you a very minimal in-store credit.
While nowhere near an actual B&M price guarantee, I still saved beyond the local purchase price. So I'm not too sure how to feel about being screwed out of about $180 +/- for being an early subscriber and not too sure who I should direct my attention to, Samsung, TVA or myself.
Oh well...

Regards,
Frank

I bought my 4674 from Ovation. They have a 60-day price guarantee (mine is up in about 2 weeks). The problem is that I paid a negotiated price that is $375 less than their asking price. So even if there was an official price drop, I still saved more than a $200-$300 price drop. So it would probably be hard for me to get more money back. But if that is true, I would at least ask but probably not fight over it.

Originally posted by M3 Pete
I have a D* RCA HD STB (DTC210) and the picture is considerably shifted to the right when using a DVI input. The STB has a picture centering function, but they suggest trying to use the TV's.

Does the 5674 have a picture centering function?

Pete -

Who's "they" and why do they suggest using the TV's picture centering function?

I have the DTC210 (actually had - just sold it today), and used the picture centering function to center the pictuer on 4:3 material (mine was also shifted considerably right). I wound up with the bar about half way between center and the left end on the DTC's graphic.

On the TV, you would have to go into the service menu. Much easier to use the RCA box, particularly since it's not the TV, but rather the handshake between the box and the TV (I had another SD receiver hooked up and a much smaller adjustment was needed). I think the whole reason the STB's offer centering functions is because each TV and each input on the TV will display the picture differently, so the box gives you an option to match up with your TV/Input selection. I wouldn't use the service menu for this unless your DVD calibration indicated your picture was off center (and it wasn't on my set).
TV.

Originally posted by Flyrx7
I'm not sure how "Official" it is, but TVA did indeed drop the price by about $230 (+/-, don't have my paperwork in front of me).
I inquired about a price guarantee with them 3 weeks after my unit shipped. They are very hesitant to do anything but offer you a very minimal in-store credit.
While nowhere near an actual B&M price guarantee, I still saved beyond the local purchase price. So I'm not too sure how to feel about being screwed out of about $180 +/- for being an early subscriber and not too sure who I should direct my attention to, Samsung, TVA or myself.
Oh well...

Regards,
Frank

Many B&M's, specifically Tweeter and the aforementioned Ovation, have a price match guarantee. I think it's a huge plus. I'm not complaining, because I knew exactly what I was doing. The fact is TVA had the TV's very early and as a result I was able to get one of the first ones out there, which was worth something to me. Was it worth $230 to have the set for an extra couple of weeks? That's in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

However, if I was buying now, given how quickly this stuff changes and the fact that many reputable e/retailers stock it (Abt, Tweeter, Vann's, to name a few), I would insist on a 30-60 day price match from an on-line retailer (at a B&M you could just return yourself and take advantage of the return policy). Once availability is taken out of the equation, the only real differentiating point for an on-line retailer is price. That's why TVA lowered their price - it really wasn't any lower than Tweeter or Abt. If prices are equal or close to it, a price match guarantee for any period of time is worthwhile, and probaly even worth paying a little extra for since prices on brown goods drop over time.

Oh, and I finally saw some video lag:eek: . Picked up one of those Ms. Pac Man direct plug-in Joysticks, and the very slight delay kept causing me to miss turns. I couldn't even clear the first board without being eaten.:( . Of course, it could be that all that technology crammed into a $20 joystick makes for a lousy product. Have to try it on the good ol' analog set in the bedroom.

I've been waiting for about six months (mostly due to product availability) to join the club and get the HLP4674W. With it now being available from places under $3000 I was going to pull the trigger today, but have a hesitancy based upon the 6 segment vs. 7 segment color wheel as well as possibly the screen size. Since it is really almost impossible to obtain a valid (clean signal) side-by-side demo at a store, I'm curious what current owners have to say regarding this question (4674W or 5085W) -- since I figure most of you probably had to go through the same thing.

I'm really quite demanding picture quality-wise. I work on national and international high definition television and theatrical commercials, so my standards for quality are quite high. As an example, I'm really quite bothered by the compressed nature of high-def digital broadcast from television stations, since I'm used to viewing it uncompressed at work. I don't want to consider asthetic qualities of the actual unit (I'm not a huge fan of the Kirk "look") because if the 5085W is has better picture-quality I'd live with the visual look of the entire unit. Cost difference is also not a concern.

Anyway...I'd love to hear any reactions to the following thought processes I'm going through. Maybe its just cold feet with CES2005 coming up. But there's no way I'm waiting another year. :-)

1) Viewing distance: My viewing distance is short -- a mere 7 feet. That's why I'm considering the 4674W...it seems "big enough". Also, there is an increase in "apparent" resolution in comparision to the 5674W because the picture isn't being blown up as much for the screen -- I found the 56 quite soft for this reason. The 5085W would provide a bit more immersion into a "theatrical experience" at my viewing distance, while not degrading the quality as much. Obviously, HD is much more forgiving in this manner than SD -- but so much content is still SD and also compressed (either via cable or satellite).

2) 6-segment vs. 7-segment. I've done a lot of reading and understand the differences between the two. But I also have a concern about the 8-bit vs. 10-bit processing. It seems as though 10-bit processing would end up providing a cleaner signal in the end (without banding). But I've also read that there are newer DNIe units in the 74 series that can't handle the 10-bit -- which is one reason it went to 8-bit and the 6-segment wheel. Does the fact that 7-segment is better technology actually lead to better imagery in the end?

In the end, I'll probably be happy with either -- but I figure one last check for personal experience from others is worth the time.

Originally posted by tjk
Pete -

Who's "they" and why do they suggest using the TV's picture centering function?

I have the DTC210 (actually had - just sold it today), and used the picture centering function to center the pictuer on 4:3 material (mine was also shifted considerably right). I wound up with the bar about half way between center and the left end on the DTC's graphic.

On the TV, you would have to go into the service menu. Much easier to use the RCA box, particularly since it's not the TV, but rather the handshake between the box and the TV (I had another SD receiver hooked up and a much smaller adjustment was needed). I think the whole reason the STB's offer centering functions is because each TV and each input on the TV will display the picture differently, so the box gives you an option to match up with your TV/Input selection. I wouldn't use the service menu for this unless your DVD calibration indicated your picture was off center (and it wasn't on my set).
TV. "they" are the folks on the DTC210 thread over at HDTV Hardware, whom I believe are quoting advice from RCA. I used the DTC210 centering function this morning and it looks better. I'll stay away from the HLP service menu for now. I'll check it against the HDNet test patterns tomorrow.

My SD DirecTivo has no centering issue, all the 4:3 settings appear to have a centered picture, and I'm not stretching any SD to 16:9 anyway.

Originally posted by johnmont
2) 6-segment vs. 7-segment. I've done a lot of reading and understand the differences between the two. But I also have a concern about the 8-bit vs. 10-bit processing. It seems as though 10-bit processing would end up providing a cleaner signal in the end (without banding). But I've also read that there are newer DNIe units in the 74 series that can't handle the 10-bit -- which is one reason it went to 8-bit and the 6-segment wheel. Does the fact that 7-segment is better technology actually lead to better imagery in the end?
THAT is a very good question! Others who have compared the two side by side, cannot tell the difference.

I hate the slight banding that is visible when an 8-bit DLP is fed a perfect gray ramp. Whether the 85-series really uses the full 10 bits to improve this situation, is unknown. Is the 10-bit processing used in the gamma correction, in the dark green segment only, or in all the colors? One thing is for sure, the DMD mirrors have relatively slow switching times, and based on calculation, it seems doubtful that they could keep up with 10 bits of data for each color. Please... let me know if you find out!

The best way to compare these sets would be to feed a perfectly smooth gray ramp test pattern via DVI/HDMI to both sets (set to 1:1 pixel mapping) and carefully analyse the results.

As for screen size, I think you're making the right choice to go with the smaller screen - DLP dithering and other artifacts are DEFINITELY more visible, the closer you sit to the screen. The recommended viewing distance seems to be 2-3 times the screen diagonal - no closer.

Gary

Originally posted by johnmont
I've been waiting for about six months (mostly due to product availability) to join the club and get the HLP4674W. With it now being available from places under $3000 I was going to pull the trigger today, but have a hesitancy based upon the 6 segment vs. 7 segment color wheel as well as possibly the screen size. Since it is really almost impossible to obtain a valid (clean signal) side-by-side demo at a store, I'm curious what current owners have to say regarding this question (4674W or 5085W) -- since I figure most of you probably had to go through the same thing.

I'm really quite demanding picture quality-wise. I work on national and international high definition television and theatrical commercials, so my standards for quality are quite high. As an example, I'm really quite bothered by the compressed nature of high-def digital broadcast from television stations, since I'm used to viewing it uncompressed at work. I don't want to consider asthetic qualities of the actual unit (I'm not a huge fan of the Kirk "look") because if the 5085W is has better picture-quality I'd live with the visual look of the entire unit. Cost difference is also not a concern.

Anyway...I'd love to hear any reactions to the following thought processes I'm going through. Maybe its just cold feet with CES2005 coming up. But there's no way I'm waiting another year. :-)

1) Viewing distance: My viewing distance is short -- a mere 7 feet. That's why I'm considering the 4674W...it seems "big enough". Also, there is an increase in "apparent" resolution in comparision to the 5674W because the picture isn't being blown up as much for the screen -- I found the 56 quite soft for this reason. The 5085W would provide a bit more immersion into a "theatrical experience" at my viewing distance, while not degrading the quality as much. Obviously, HD is much more forgiving in this manner than SD -- but so much content is still SD and also compressed (either via cable or satellite).

2) 6-segment vs. 7-segment. I've done a lot of reading and understand the differences between the two. But I also have a concern about the 8-bit vs. 10-bit processing. It seems as though 10-bit processing would end up providing a cleaner signal in the end (without banding). But I've also read that there are newer DNIe units in the 74 series that can't handle the 10-bit -- which is one reason it went to 8-bit and the 6-segment wheel. Does the fact that 7-segment is better technology actually lead to better imagery in the end?

In the end, I'll probably be happy with either -- but I figure one last check for personal experience from others is worth the time.


I am very satisfied and in fact blown away most of the time especially on HD stuff. For example, I HD-PVR'd the Rose Parade off Discovey HD on New Years Day. Playback was just amazing. I watched sunrise in Maine on live TV and likewise. I had been considering the Mits 52725 set before becoming aware of the 74 series. As to whether the 74 is same better or inferior to the 85 series,??? All I know is that I have barely adjusted anything and the picture via cable, via a Denon 2910 or on Mot 6412 PVR playback are all so wonderful I cant imagine that the silly looking 85 set is significanly better.

see my attached image on page 50 of this thread for a quick pic I took off Discovery HD. The right 1/2 of the image is a bit out of focus due to my photographic inability but I think that you can see that the lion and her cub, the grass and water look tre naturale!!

go for it!

M

I can tell you this, got my 4674 Friday, haven't calibrated it yet with DVE, just by my own vision. Watched the Transporter on DVD via my Denon 2910 connected via HDMI (read a review in Secrets about how good the transfer was). The Denon was set on 720P. The picture blew me away, didn't know DVD's could look this good. The picture was very sharp, detailed, and deep color. I don't have my HD D* receiver hooked up yet, the installer is coming Friday. If HD betters the DVD experience I will be one happy camper. I did see the dreaded rainbow effect. It is only visible for me when the room is dark and there is dark info on the screen along with white/light info. And I can only see it if I snap my head away from the screen very fast. Since I don't do whiplash and movies I don't see it as an issue :-) If I don't turn away fast it doesn't occur. Under normal viewing it's non existant for me. After viewing DVD's and HD though (in the store), SD does leave you wanting more. Hopefully in the next couple of years a lot more content will come on line with D* as the new sats go up.

John

john(antennahead) summarizes the 74 perfectly, including his rainbow discussion. He has his 2910 set up the same way as I. Furthermore, I have my 2910 set in normal black mode and not enhanced as advised on several threads in this great forum.

Thanks mismatched. I have my 2910 set to normal black mode as well. Thinking about watching Starship Troopers in superbit tonight :-)

John

superbit???

They're regular DVD's that are carefully transferred to DVD without all the "extras" so a higher bit rate can be allocated to the picture and sound. They also contain a DTS soundtrack that many DVD's don't have.

John

Originally posted by mchuckp

By the way, for anyone who doesn't know. If you buy a Sammy DLP and are a new subscriber to digital cable with HD programming, you can get a $200 Visa gift card. Go to www.onlycablecan.com/samsung for details. I think the offer is good for purchases dating back to October.

I saw this offer and wondered if it also applied to someone who already has digital cable but signed up for HD?

John

Originally posted by antennahead
I can tell you this, got my 4674 Friday, haven't calibrated it yet with DVE, just by my own vision. Watched the Transporter on DVD via my Denon 2910 connected via HDMI (read a review in Secrets about how good the transfer was). The Denon was set on 720P. The picture blew me away, didn't know DVD's could look this good. The picture was very sharp, detailed, and deep color. I don't have my HD D* receiver hooked up yet, the installer is coming Friday. If HD betters the DVD experience I will be one happy camper. I did see the dreaded rainbow effect. It is only visible for me when the room is dark and there is dark info on the screen along with white/light info. And I can only see it if I snap my head away from the screen very fast. Since I don't do whiplash and movies I don't see it as an issue :-) If I don't turn away fast it doesn't occur. Under normal viewing it's non existant for me. After viewing DVD's and HD though (in the store), SD does leave you wanting more. Hopefully in the next couple of years a lot more content will come on line with D* as the new sats go up.

John

You mentioned being blown away by DVD quality. I felt the same way on my 4674 until I got an HD receiver. DVDs don't even compare to good HD. Here in Cincinnati, Time Warner sends a 100% uncompressed HD signal for all of its HD channels. The video quality is amazing! I was watching Fellowship of the Ring on TNT HD and it was definitely better than the DVD quality. I think once you get HD, you will realize the limits of DVD. Remember a DVD is 480 lines, while HD is 720 or 1080 lines. If it is a good HD signal, the sharpness and color are totally stunning. Of course there is plenty of HD content that is not that good either, but this is from the source and not the cable/satellite provider.

All right, I'm getting off topic: This is for the anal fellow comtemplating the 74 series over the kirks. I do not think you will ever get a good comparison of these two TVs in a store. As many times as signals are split and the use of mediocre cabling and the picture settings in the tube, there is no way you can get a true comparison. That being said, I saw the 4674 hooked up about 15 feet away from a 5085 and I walked back and forth for about 15 minutes and I could not tell a difference. Maybe if you could run a controlled experiment with identical signals and such and truly see them side by side, then who knows maybe the 85 series edges out the 74 series. But in a store, I could not see it at all.

I am totally thrilled with my 4674. As said by most, SD is not great but tolerable. It didn't look too bad until I got HD, now it is tough to switch between the two. Having HD, makes SD looks 100 times worse. Many of us have claimed that SD looks better after a burn in period. I think this is true and not just a matter of getting used to it. It about gave me a heart attack the night I got it. SD looked horrible. Once I played with the settings and left it mostly alone for about 3-4 days, it was much better.

As for your viewing distance, I would recommend the 4674. I sit about 7.5-8 feet away and it looks great. But at this distance you can definitely see any flaws in signal quality. If I stand behind the couch, SD looks much better. If I lean way over the coffe table (maybe 4-5 feet away), then it is just too close and you lose clarity and the dithering in the screen is easily seen. I think if I would have opted for the 5674, it would be way too big from 8 feet and the larger picture is going to show off more defects in the picture. I too am very anal about my picture. I tend to sit and analyze the PQ more than just enjoy a show. I really need to stop this (LOL)! If you think there is any reason that you think you will be moving the TV to a larger space then maybe consider the 5674. If not, go with the 4674. Some will tell you different, but I think a 46" TV is perfect for 7-9 feet viewing distance. Particurly if you are an anal!!!

Good luck!

Originally posted by johnmont
Since it is really almost impossible to obtain a valid (clean signal) side-by-side demo at a store, I'm curious what current owners have to say regarding this question (4674W or 5085W) -- since I figure most of you probably had to go through the same thing.

I saw the 5674 and 5085 side by side at Magnolia and thought they looked quite comparable. I don't see rainbows, though. Someone who does might notice a difference.

John

Falsedawn

I think that it is worth a try! I am in same boat. Recently signed up for the HD box and service with Comcast but was a digital cable subscriber previously. I plan on trying for the gift card. Only thing is I am not sure what a Visa gift card is???

I agree with you on the DVD issue, I just didn't expect it to look near as good as it did. With a good transfer and my 2910 set to 720P I was very impressed. Now I can't wait until I have HD on Friday. Although you are blessed to get a 100% uncompressed signal, that's great. If it wasn't for congress forcing local channel availability (or actually the reverse, forcing national feeds off D* so you had to watch local to "protect" locals, yea, right) those of us with D* would have a much better signal all around. I have been with them since 1994 and remember how the depth of color was prior to all the compression. sighs

John

Originally posted by falsedawn
I saw the 5674 and 5085 side by side at Magnolia and thought they looked quite comparable. I don't see rainbows, though. Someone who does might notice a difference.

John

My understanding is that rainbows are a DLP thing (and maybe other types of sets). Most noticeable in a dark room and when there is a white object on the screen. I only notice rainbows when I look away quickly, like when I am eating ice cream and trying not to drop any (and hence have my spouse crucify me!!) LOL

The rainbows are not a big issue unless maybe you have seriously shifty eyes ...

M

Originally posted by mismatched
The rainbows are not a big issue unless maybe you have seriously shifty eyes ...
Or a nervous tic... :D

Originally posted by mismatched
Falsedawn

I think that it is worth a try! I am in same boat. Recently signed up for the HD box and service with Comcast but was a digital cable subscriber previously. I plan on trying for the gift card. Only thing is I am not sure what a Visa gift card is???

The Visa gift card is basically a pre-paid credit card. You can use it anywhere visa is accepted. Pretty sweet! Hopefully it can work for you!

I just happen to sign up for digital cable 2 days before hearing about the deal. Time Warner gave me all the channels they have plus HBO, Showtime, HD tier, DVR service, and Road Runner high speed internet for about $90/month for a full year if I switched from Satellite. Pretty sweet deal particularly since Time Warner has a good amount of HD compared to Dish Network. Downfall of Satellite is not getting INHD and INHD2 channels. These have some of the best looking HD out there. But I will have to see if I can still afford cable after my year deal is up.

Alright, so to get so far off topic.

Originally posted by bruce73
Or a nervous tic... :D

heh

Originally posted by mchuckp Some will tell you different, but I think a 46" TV is perfect for 7-9 feet viewing distance. Particurly if you are an anal!!!

Good luck! [/B]
Ha! I prefer "demanding professional" as opposed to anal....its seems so negative. Alright alright, I'm anal. :D

Thanks for the comments -- really appreciate your perspective

This is a very timely discussion given that I have decided on the 5085 or the 5685. Can someone point me to any threads that may be discussing the pros and cons of the xx85 series - just like this one?

Thanks a ton!

Originally posted by wish_i_had_hdtv
This is a very timely discussion given that I have decided on the 5085 or the 5685. Can someone point me to any threads that may be discussing the pros and cons of the xx85 series
Here are some from a search for "5685".

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=484956&highlight=5685

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=488900&highlight=5685

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=459140&highlight=5685

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=428777&highlight=5685

Originally posted by Paul_PDX
You have to enter the service menu (do at your own risk)

If Off - Mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - Power

If ON -- Power - Mute - 1 - 8 - 2 - Power

You will see the service menu -- enter the OPTION menu.
Channel/UP down will move thru the menu. Volume up/down changes settings!!!!
On the next page you will see the LAMPLIFE setting that is the number of hours on the bulb.

Press Power and wait til off to exit the service menu.

Whatever you do write down settings first if you even consider changing anything. Some settings can make your set non-functional so do research before changing anything.
Boy getting this "secret handshake"/"dark alleyway" information is really useful. Now I now for sure that I'm nearing the point of "good" bulb burnin and can start going down the DVE cal path. Just curious, how/where is this top secret information come by (as long as you don't have to shoot me that is...)?

thanks paul_pdx in anycase...:)

P.S. The rose bowl parade on discovery HD was unbelievable, I could almost smell the flowers! Sure glad for my ringside seat, in the comfort of my den and no rain/crowds/cold/etc., like looking thru a window.

You can buy a service manual from Samsung Parts -- otherwise your best bet is parts of this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=244193

and/or

seraching for SAMSUNG AND SERVICE AND MENU

I've got a 5674 on the way and I still need to get a stand for it. Until reading this thread, I didn't realize there was a speaker shelf on top and was planning on putting my center speaker in the stand. But if it will fit on the shelf on top, I'd much rather put it there. Dimensions are 6.75"H x 23"W x 10.5"D. And would need a little more room (less than an inch) on the depth for the connections. Will my center speaker fit on the shelf?

Back to the stand. Is the standard TV stand you can get with the 5674 worth getting? An issue I have is my TV and stand will already be sitting 12" above the floor. Because of this, I'm thinking I should look for a shorter stand than the standard stand? What height should I be looking at? My viewing distance will be about 14'.

By the way, I knew about these forums, but in my extensive research before buying, I forgot to look here. But it sounds like I still made the right decision. I've also got the Denon 3910 on the way for DVDs. I've read several posts about using that unit with the 5674 and it all sounds good. I'll be coming in here often. You guys are great!

Originally posted by eddieb
I've got a 5674 on the way and I still need to get a stand for it. Until reading this thread, I didn't realize there was a speaker shelf on top and was planning on putting my center speaker in the stand. But if it will fit on the shelf on top, I'd much rather put it there. Dimensions are 6.75"H x 23"W x 10.5"D. And would need a little more room (less than an inch) on the depth for the connections. Will my center speaker fit on the shelf?

Back to the stand. Is the standard TV stand you can get with the 5674 worth getting? An issue I have is my TV and stand will already be sitting 12" above the floor. Because of this, I'm thinking I should look for a shorter stand than the standard stand? What height should I be looking at? My viewing distance will be about 14'.

By the way, I knew about these forums, but in my extensive research before buying, I forgot to look here. But it sounds like I still made the right decision. I've also got the Denon 3910 on the way for DVDs. I've read several posts about using that unit with the 5674 and it all sounds good. I'll be coming in here often. You guys are great!

Ed

as for the size of your center channel I think yours will work but others may be better able to advise but I do know that you do not want to put much over 15 lbs on top of the Sammy according to this thread and the manufacturer. Ideally you want the center of the screen and your eyes to line up but up to a 15 degree up or down off straight ahead will work fine. But you are correct that if the stand will be sitting 12" off the floor you will be limited on what stands will work. (you could get a high chair!) Seriously, I sit at 14.5' and my Studio Tech component rack which is 22" high works great.

hope this helps and enjoy your great new equipement (which is very similar to mine!!--good taste!!)

m

PS I put my CC on the top shelf of my stand protruding a couple inches. I thought that putting it on top was a bit overwhelming to the interior decorator in our house (my spouse!).

I need some advice on the dimensions of the 5674 as well!

I have a hole in the wall in the family room which is 46 inches wide and 24 inches deep (the height is not an issue). Obviously, the depth is enough but the width is just about 4 inches too little for this TV.

This is why I have to either:

1) Go with the xx85 series in which case I might need to downsize to 5085 instead of the 5685. (because the TV will have stand 2 feet in front of the wall rather than be flush with it).
OR
2) get the 4674 which may be too small for my viewing distance of 12-13 feet.

Any creative ideas on how to get a 5674 into my family room? :-)

thanks!

can you widen the hole by a mere 4"???

Originally posted by wish_i_had_hdtv
I need some advice on the dimensions of the 5674 as well!

I have a hole in the wall in the family room which is 46 inches wide and 24 inches deep (the height is not an issue). Obviously, the depth is enough but the width is just about 4 inches too little for this TV.

This is why I have to either:

1) Go with the xx85 series in which case I might need to downsize to 5085 instead of the 5685. (because the TV will have stand 2 feet in front of the wall rather than be flush with it).
OR
2) get the 4674 which may be too small for my viewing distance of 12-13 feet.

Any creative ideas on how to get a 5674 into my family room? :-)

thanks!

That's going to take some work. If you really want it in the hole, you'll need to take some studs out that are on the sides of your hole. This could cause some support issues for your ceiling and/or second floor. I'm kinda surprised you can go with the 85 series because the speakers are on the side and the 74 series have them on the bottom. If I recall, the 74 series is 49 15/16 width? MY opening was 49 13/16 wide so I had to remove the corner beading and sand it down. One good thing is that after the front bezel, the tv angles back. You could maybe build a mantle shelf out of a 2x6 along the bottom. Push the TV in and have the rest sit on the shelf. I was going to do that, but figured I'd sand a little and push the tv all the way in. FWIW, my 5674 rocks and it looks great in a hole on the wall. It looks like a Plasma on the wall. :)

Dale

You have the dimensions down pat!

To answer your question reg. the 85 series - I would have to place the stand in front of the hole which means eating up space in the living room and also means reducing my viewing distance by a good 2.5 feet (because the base of the pedestal is 28-30 inches deep). This is why I was saying that I might have to make do with the 5085 because 5685 might be too big for a 10 foot viewing distance.

As for your other suggestion of building/buying another shelf to support only a part of the TV - I thought about it but I think it will look hokie!!

thanks though.

Originally posted by wish_i_had_hdtv
You have the dimensions down pat!

To answer your question reg. the 85 series - I would have to place the stand in front of the hole which means eating up space in the living room and also means reducing my viewing distance by a good 2.5 feet (because the base of the pedestal is 28-30 inches deep). This is why I was saying that I might have to make do with the 5085 because 5685 might be too big for a 10 foot viewing distance.

As for your other suggestion of building/buying another shelf to support only a part of the TV - I thought about it but I think it will look hokie!!

thanks though.
I don't think 10 ft is too close for a 56" set, but that's obviously a personal preference. If you're willing to go with the pedestal set, why not also consider putting the 5674 on a stand in front of the wall? I'm guessing you could find a stand that wouldn't be as deep as the 5685 pedestal, thus helping with your concern about viewing distance.

Originally posted by fcsmith
I don't think 10 ft is too close for a 56" set, but that's obviously a personal preference. If you're willing to go with the pedestal set, why not also consider putting the 5674 on a stand in front of the wall? I'm guessing you could find a stand that wouldn't be as deep as the 5685 pedestal, thus helping with your concern about viewing distance.

Isn't 10 ft too close while watching SDTV?

Yes, I will gain a few inches by placing the 5674 on top of a stand in front of the wall but I think the pedestal design is cool and I would just get that (with the Samsung component stand) instead.

I think Dale's suggestion of shoving the TV in as far as it will go and then propping up the remaining 5-6" in front with some kind of stand could be a viable possibility.

Originally posted by wish_i_had_hdtv
Isn't 10 ft too close while watching SDTV?



No, absolutely not for a 56" screen. No matter how far back you go, SD will still not look like HD. And from 10', HD will look perfect.

I'm starting to see more and more rainbows, starting to drive me nuts and really bumming me out as I love the picture quality of my 4674. I bought this set at Tweeter and I believe I have a 30 day wndow to return it. I've read in another tread here that over time they tend to diminish. They are visible now though in every DVD I watch. I don't know if I want to take the chance they will go away and miss my 30 day window. If I return it I will probably order a Panny 50 7UY plasma through one of this forums sponsors. I realize this is a Sammy DLP thread, but what do you guys think. Forgetting the additional money for the Panny, will I be happy? I have read great things about it in the plasma section. Don't really want a LCD RP or the D'lia. Opinions please?

John (bummed)

How many days do you have left? It is too bad you are having this problem. I am sitting here watching USC thump poor Oklahoma and being just amazed that I am not really there!!!

PS Ashlee Simpson is on now which is a bit of a bummer!!! LOL

Only had the set 4 days, so 26 left. I agree about being there, I love the picture, but the rainbows are getting to me. Was eating dinner with a tv tray watching a DVD and everytime I'd turn away to the plate bam, rainbow :-(

John

I am in the same boat w/my 5674. I see rainbows and am looking at either the 50UY or the Onyx. I called to have mine returned today not taking any chances as the rainbows seem to be getting worse, not better at the 30 day mark.

Other than the rainbows the set is great.....

Felt it was about time I chimed in with my thoughts regarding my 3 week old 5674 set.

Been waiting over 2 years for the early HLN and later HLP Sammy
DLP's to pass and develop through a few generations before I pulled the trigger. Felt the 74's were to my liking and was just waiting for the 2+ with no pedestal.

Well ....... went with TVA for the 5674 and had a seamless transaction. Was waiting for the other shoe to drop but have not heard, or seen, it yet. Knock on the proverbial wood here.

No smudges, no blinking lights, no high pitched whining at start-up, and no issues to cause any concern so far. And after 4 straight days of running the set I felt I might have a keeper. So far, so good.

I had initially approached Tweeter in NH ( tax free) for the sale but the sales rep was too "distant" and simply left me with the impression they would not budge. This was of course after I told him of the upcoming 74 series of which he was totally unaware. Plus I had concerns about hauling the unboxed unit back in my van. So weeks later I went with TVA and have nothing but good things to say about the transaction.

Anyway, enought about that. Running the 5674 with a Denon 2910 ( did buy that when I was at Tweeter ) with the current V.-5. through a straight HDMI connection (Ram) to the 74.

I have an ISF calibration scheduled for the 19th of this month. But I have concerns about the colorspacing thread and some hopes that Denon will provide V-6 and more to correct some lingering issues which the 2910 exhibits.

BOK

BOK

You have the same setup I have. I am a novice and did the rudimentary Avia chapter 7 for video purposes and used some info on this thread to adjust my PQ. I am now watching USC kick Oklahoma's butt and I cannot imagine a better picture! I ahd considered an ISF calibration but now am having strong second thoughts!!

Enjoy

Mike

Hey scpanel, sorry you see them to but glad I'm not the only one who's going nuts here. What do you think about the sharpness and detail issue of the 50 7UY versus the Sammy? I wonder if it will be close enough to satisfy me. This set is great ......... except for the rainbows.

John

I am struggling too, I had a mits DLP and never saw a rainbow, so this is a new one for me. I think the Panny will be a great set just need to be careful not to burn static images. I saw the Panny Onyx and was really impressed and since they use the same panel it ought to be great.

But I am really struggling with this decision. I placed the call for pickup but if this set were about 1K less I could probably live w/it.

I hear ya scpanel. I love the detail, the pic is so sharp, but the rainbows get to me. I wish I knew as some said in another thread whether in time they will diminish. I don't want to loose my 30 day window so I will probably sent it back close to the limit if they don't go away. The commercial Panny will cost more but I'm not willing to go back to my 36 inch tube. Our luck SED will be here in a year or two and kick butt :-)

John

Mike,

Yes, I have read many of your threads and thank you for your contributions to the forum. Very helpful for all of us who follow in your steps.

Of course HTWaits and all the other contributors are to be commended as well, esp HT--- thanks for your diligence and input. Extremely helpful.

I am still bothered by the occassional MB from the 2910 but fortunately it rears the ugly head in very few scenes on a few DVD's. Still annoying and us Denon owners are trusting Denon to provides a firmware fix ,somehow soon.

I will let you know how the ISF work goes ,for sure.

my setup: http://cgi.audioasylum.com/systems/783.html


BOK

After using my 4674 for a bit, I've noticed a couple things that I'd like others opinions on.. mostly on 4:3-type broadcasts, as it seems I watch more of these than I'd like. :)

1) When watching shows on HD channels that aren't HD themselves (or basic analog channels), there are black bars down the side as is normal in 4:3 mode. The black bars are pretty badly curved and not quite even (the right bar is slightly more bent than the left). From what I understand from reading this forum, this is a common problem on DLPs? If so, is there any improvement a technician could make to make them straighter or at least even or is it just slightly random per TV how the bars are? It's not a huge deal, but after watching a plasma at a friend's where the lines were straight, it's been bugging me a little more. :)

2) When shows have the black bars on the sides, I've noticed that there is what I'd call an overlap on the screen image. For example, if I look at the right-most black bar on a 4:3 show and look at the very left edge of the bar (where the picture starts), there is about a one centimeter "overlap" on the screen image that is visible. So, I can see that it's a little darker (for example) just inside the bars. I know this isn't an illusion as I can go close to the TV and see the same overlap bar, although it's harder to make out among the other grainiess one sees so close. Is this the signal or the TV? Is this common? It's not a big deal either, but I just want to make sure it's not the set.

3) Also, I've noticed when black bars are on the sides of shows, there is an illusion of brightness extending about an inch onto each side of the black bars. So, if a show has a commercial that is on a white background, it looks to the viewer as if there's white extending about an inch to either side of the picture onto the black bars. I know the bars aren't really there, of course, as I can go up to the TV and don't see them, but I wonder if my brightness is just too high?

4) Finally, I'm a bit curious why the TV can't do a Zoom if I'm viewing 480p or lower quality broadcasts. I'm using DVI from a Motorola 6412 box and have the setting to 1080i for 16:9 and 480p for the 4:3 override. Why is it that for non 16:9 stuff, the TV doesn't let you Zoom in? I noticed that my friend's plasma did let me do this. In my case, I know the 6412 has a stretch mode which is similar, but I'm just curious to understand the behavior.

Thanks for the input. :)

assuming you have DVI from the STB to your Sammy use 720p from your 6412 as that is recommended by all the experts. And use Expanded picture mode! there is more on this point earlier in this thread

Originally posted by mismatched
assuming you have DVI from the STB to your Sammy use 720p from your 6412 as that is recommended by all the experts. And use Expanded picture mode! there is more on this point earlier in this thread

Yes, I have DVI from the Motorola 6412 to my Samsung 4674. I'm curious though where you are reading that 720p from the box will be better than 1080i? It was my understanding that a few stations broadcast in 1080i and these will look better in 1080i while others (ABC, FOX) broadcast in 720p and may look better in that resolution. I've also read that still scenes/movies may look better in 1080i, but fast-moving things like sports will generally look better in 720p. From what I can tell though, there isn't that big of a practical difference. Can you point me to the literature on this? I have no problem changing this setting if it's that much better. :)

Originally posted by TayX
I have no problem changing this setting if it's that much better. :)
The logic for using a "720p"/"480i override off" setup is that only the 1080i sources will have to be de-interlaced and scaled.

If your STB is set to 1080i then the STB will have to convert 720p to 1080i and the TV will have to convert it back to 720p. There is less chance for error using the "720p" setup. At least the 720p sources go all the way to the screen without any extra processing.

Remember that 1080i is 520p when it's bobbed. They are both HDTV so pick your own poison.

Originally posted by TayX
After using my 4674 for a bit, I've noticed a couple things that I'd like others opinions on.. mostly on 4:3-type broadcasts, as it seems I watch more of these than I'd like. :)

1) When watching shows on HD channels that aren't HD themselves (or basic analog channels), there are black bars down the side as is normal in 4:3 mode. The black bars are pretty badly curved and not quite even (the right bar is slightly more bent than the left). From what I understand from reading this forum, this is a common problem on DLPs? If so, is there any improvement a technician could make to make them straighter or at least even or is it just slightly random per TV how the bars are? It's not a huge deal, but after watching a plasma at a friend's where the lines were straight, it's been bugging me a little more. :)

2) When shows have the black bars on the sides, I've noticed that there is what I'd call an overlap on the screen image. For example, if I look at the right-most black bar on a 4:3 show and look at the very left edge of the bar (where the picture starts), there is about a one centimeter "overlap" on the screen image that is visible. So, I can see that it's a little darker (for example) just inside the bars. I know this isn't an illusion as I can go close to the TV and see the same overlap bar, although it's harder to make out among the other grainiess one sees so close. Is this the signal or the TV? Is this common? It's not a big deal either, but I just want to make sure it's not the set.

3) Also, I've noticed when black bars are on the sides of shows, there is an illusion of brightness extending about an inch onto each side of the black bars. So, if a show has a commercial that is on a white background, it looks to the viewer as if there's white extending about an inch to either side of the picture onto the black bars. I know the bars aren't really there, of course, as I can go up to the TV and don't see them, but I wonder if my brightness is just too high?

4) Finally, I'm a bit curious why the TV can't do a Zoom if I'm viewing 480p or lower quality broadcasts. I'm using DVI from a Motorola 6412 box and have the setting to 1080i for 16:9 and 480p for the 4:3 override. Why is it that for non 16:9 stuff, the TV doesn't let you Zoom in? I noticed that my friend's plasma did let me do this. In my case, I know the 6412 has a stretch mode which is similar, but I'm just curious to understand the behavior.

Thanks for the input. :)

Comment on #4: I believe if you use DVI or HDMI, ZOOM mode is turned off. I think it only works if hooked up with analog cables. If you really want to use zoom, you could keep the DVI plugged in but also plug in component or s-video. When you want to use zoom, select Component or S-video. I tried this on mine and it worked. However, I personally don't like zoom mode. I prefer a smaller sharper picture than filling the screen.

Originally posted by htwaits
The logic for using a "720p"/"480i override off" setup is that only the 1080i sources will have to be de-interlaced and scaled.

If your STB is set to 1080i then the STB will have to convert 720p to 1080i and the TV will have to convert it back to 720p. There is less chance for error using the "720p" setup. At least the 720p sources go all the way to the screen without any extra processing.

Remember that 1080i is 520p when it's bobbed. They are both HDTV so pick your own poison.

I would prefer to run output of my STB at 720p so I can use the expand mode, however, I think my TV does a better job the my STB at rendering the picture so I leave it on passthrough and let my TV do all the rendering. Best way is to just run it both ways and see if you see a difference and pick the best one. I just felt that my TV produced a sharper picture. I am using a Pace box (not sure the #) with Time Warner cable.

Well, my 5674 has a problem. I think I blew a lamp. Or possibly it's the internal switch that turns on the lamp. The lamp came on one time while I was experiencing the problem, but only once. I have a call into Tweeter for a service call. I'll let you know what it turns out to be.

I have a 4674 and have played with both AVIA and DVE to set my user settings. I have noticed that I can't get the RED and GREEN to look quite right though. Has anyone started using the service menu settings to adjust the color output for the decoder? Don't get me wrong the picture looks pretty darn good, I just want it better... I guess that's we we hang out on these forums.

I'm currently using both DVI and component inputs on the TV from two different DVD players.
Denon 5900 DVI
Panasonic F65 Component

I'm not sure which setting(s) to adjust, the service manual only has the most basic of info. Any good books out there on this stuff.

Thanks much
-john

Just thought I would pass along some general personal viewing comments on my 5674. I have owned this "Box" for almost two weeks now. Most of my viewing to date has been HD Material via DTV Sat and Local HD Feeds via OTA UHF.

When I originally set out to look at and purchase a new HD Set, I had both the intent and budget to go the 50" Plasma Route. I just wanted to get the best HD Set I could find to suit my tastes. I probably spent 4 months looking at and researching the different technologies and auditioned most of the the latest and greatest sets within those categories.

I finally fell off the Plasma Band Wagon and ultimately settled on DLP, Samsung, and then the Samsung 5674. To my eyes the Best Plasmas still look a little more "transparent" when looking at quality source material, but I honestly felt everything else was so darn close or equal, that I did not not want to spend a couple of grand more on the Plasma Screens.

I told myself that when I uncrated this thing and fired it up that I would not start "tweaking" until I had some time to spend with it in "as is condition" from the factory. I would then have a solid familiarity and reference point from which to begin any needed adjustments I might want to make. Also, from reading the many posts here, I knew this set was going to change after several hours of extended break-in. Mine did just that!!! It got much better.

Over the years I have owned a number of well-regarded high-end TV Sets and I have always had to adjust these extensively to meet my own viewing tastes.

Well call me weird and beat me up on this if you wish, But I Love This Set Man, Right Out of the Box exactly the way it came from the factory.

Every time I turn this Set On it amazes me even more on just how good it looks "as-is". I could not be happier. I am quite sure eventually I will do the DVE and AVIA thing, but for now, I am very pleased.

Some basic observations:

1. I have watched mostly sports programming (NFL) to date, and have noticed some motion blurring. This seems to manifest itself on 1080i programming with wide long focal length camera shots, i.e. punt returns kickoffs etc. It does not seem to be there on 720P Broadcasts. I also see (unlike SD) lots of shots where camera operators are not properly focused.

2. I have not yet seen any Rainbows. I have been looking hard at trying to see them, but have not! Not complaining here as I don't want to see them either.

3. No Fan or Color Wheel Noise noticed.

4. I do find some eye-strain after prolonged viewing with this set. Not sure why on this one?

5. This Box is bright and has excellent contrast. I don't care what the comparative spec sheets say.

6. I would also rate the Color Rendering, Black and White Levels right up there with the best Plasma Screens I have seen. My set also does not have any "green push" as observed by some other viewers.

7. This set is very transparent, maybe not quite as good as the best Plasmas, but hey, it's good enough for me and I have an extra $3K in my wallet.

8. High Definition, Like High Fidelity is a Standard not always attained.

however,

9. When you feed this Box high quality source material its picture quality is simply stunning.

Happy Viewing!

Signed:

"Real Satisfied"

HerbL

I and others more in the know recommend feeding your set 720p material including from a STB because that is the native resolution of the set. I believe that you will see less weird stuff that way.

Herb -- your experience is similar to mine --6 weeks out and I haven't yet felt I needed to find my DVE disk. The picture on cinema when you lower the brightness and sharpness is nothing short of fantastic...

Paul

A lot of the weirdness you see is inherent in the source. I see exactly the same thing on many sources. The blurry scenes you mentioned does seem to be pretty evident in network shows. Kind of funny when they pan back and forth between two people talking and one person is perfectly in focus and the other is blurry.

Sometimes when I get poor PQ on HD stuff, I start wondering if all my settings are right then I switch to HD Discovery Theater to remind myself that everything is near perfect and that it is just that there is a huge swing in source material out there. Man if everything could look as good as shows on Discovery HD, we'd be in heaven!!!!

I too am with you on your overall thoughts on the 74 series. This is an incredible TV. It will be nice when there is more good quality content to fill the screen. I think I will be happy with this set for many years to come.

After lurking in this forum for some months now I finally decided to go and purchase a 4674 from Magnolia in Lynnwood, WA. Before I went and made the purchase I thought I would go to The Good Guys and see what they were offering the set at with no intention of buying it there.

The Good Guys were $100 less the Magnolia though they didn't have the stand and their service plan did not cover bulbs but I could walk out of the store with the set and they offered 24 Months same a cash.

Off to Magnolia I went to buy the set. I have purchased their before and recieve some great deals there. I started talking with a sales associate and he started giving me a line of attitude about matching the price at the Good Guys, in a condescending tone he told me that the Good Guys would have to have it in stock if they were going to honor their price even though Magnolia was not in stock. Further more, the last time I bought a TV at Magnolia they offered to knock $300 of the price and now they are harassing me about $100 on a $4000 purchase.

I was and am really irritate with this sales associate. Needless to say I did not buy the set. I would still like to buy from Magnolia, does anyone have a suggestion of who to work with in the Seattle area or a better option?

Thanks

Originally posted by mchuckp
A lot of the weirdness you see is inherent in the source. I see exactly the same thing on many sources. The blurry scenes you mentioned does seem to be pretty evident in network shows. Kind of funny when they pan back and forth between two people talking and one person is perfectly in focus and the other is blurry.

I think you couldbe correct on this!

Sometimes when I get poor PQ on HD stuff, I start wondering if all my settings are right then I switch to HD Discovery Theater to remind myself that everything is near perfect and that it is just that there is a huge swing in source material out there. Man if everything could look as good as shows on Discovery HD, we'd be in heaven!!!!

Good Point Also! There is indeed a huge swing in source material out there. Garbage In Garbage Out!

When you feed this Set Quality Stuff it really rewards the viewer.

I too am with you on your overall thoughts on the 74 series. This is an incredible TV. It will be nice when there is more good quality content to fill the screen. I think I will be happy with this set for many years to come. [B]

Amen!

HerbL

Originally posted by 13chris13
I was and am really irritate with this sales associate. Needless to say I did not buy the set. I would still like to buy from Magnolia, does anyone have a suggestion of who to work with in the Seattle area or a better option?

Sure. Without getting irritated, call the manager of the Magnolia store and tell him your experience. Let him decide if he wants to make the sale. I will be amazed if you get turned down.

Good luck.

I agree with htwaits. You likely got a salesperson who was having a bad day and attitude. I almost bought at a Magnolia in Portland but a smaller place actually beat their price by $150 and they were where I bought my front B&W L/R speakers several years ago and I wanted to stick with the same speaker brand in completing my surround system. Contact the manager and tell him why you would prefer to buy at Magnolia. And dont pay more than $300 for a 3-4 yr extension warranty on the set, including the bulb.

good luck and you will salivate watching the NFL playoffs!!!

13chris13,

4000? I got my 4674 online from onecall for $3200 delivered with a 5 year in home warranty which covers bulbs. If you dont use the warranty you get 1/2 of it towards any new purchase.

The set was at my door 3 days after order received. You might check them out as their west coast wharehouse is located in Washington state. Let me know if you go with them....you can say i refered you and ill get a $50 rebate! *grin*

calcraig

I sent you a PM

John

Originally posted by mchuckp
I would prefer to run output of my STB at 720p so I can use the expand mode, however, I think my TV does a better job the my STB at rendering the picture so I leave it on passthrough and let my TV do all the rendering. Best way is to just run it both ways and see if you see a difference and pick the best one. I just felt that my TV produced a sharper picture. I am using a Pace box (not sure the #) with Time Warner cable.

Ok, please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is Expand mode? :)

Originally posted by htwaits
The logic for using a "720p"/"480i override off" setup is that only the 1080i sources will have to be de-interlaced and scaled.

If your STB is set to 1080i then the STB will have to convert 720p to 1080i and the TV will have to convert it back to 720p. There is less chance for error using the "720p" setup. At least the 720p sources go all the way to the screen without any extra processing.

Remember that 1080i is 520p when it's bobbed. They are both HDTV so pick your own poison.

Ok, I understand the 720p argument. I also note that you seem to recommend turning off the 4:3 override for non-HD programming? The choices on the 6412 set-top box are OFF, STRETCH, 480i, or 480p and I've had mine on 480p. Are you suggesting OFF will be better for analog PQ?

Originally posted by TayX
Are you suggesting OFF will be better for analog PQ?
I have a Motorola 6200 and a HLP5063 set up that way. I'm not saying that it's the only way to do it. I want all sources in their original aspect ratio so that setup appeals to me. I also like the idea of seeing the 720p sources unmodified.

I found my way to that setup from reading in this forum.

The Comcast analog stations are OK and the SD digital stations are better. I don't watch a lot of SD TV but I did watch the NFL on Fox this year on an analog SD channel because Comcast and Fox don't have a HD contract.

I didn't notice any significant difference between CBS (1080i) NFL HD and ABC/ESPN (720p) NFL HD.

My STB doesn't have a pass through choice but if it did I would try it out.

Originally posted by TayX
Are you suggesting OFF will be better for analog PQ?
I have a Motorola 6200 and a HLP5063 set up that way. I'm not saying that it's the only way to do it. I want all sources in their original aspect ratio so that setup appeals to me. I also like the idea of seeing the 720p sources unmodified.

I found my way to that setup from reading in this forum.

The Comcast analog stations are OK and the SD digital stations are better. I don't watch a lot of SD TV but I did watch the NFL on Fox this year on an analog SD channel because Comcast and Fox don't have a HD contract.

I didn't notice any significant difference between CBS (1080i > 720p) NFL HD and ABC/ESPN (720p > 720p) NFL HD.

I think that our STB has to de-interlace 480i to 480p anyway because DVI and HDMI don't accept 480i as input.

I got my 5674 from Vann's and it was delivered 2 days ago. I really haven't had enough time to give it a fair evaluation but I will give my initial impressions. I have a Pace T/W HD cable box hooked up with DVI. Most of my watching has been HD channels. I've briefly hooked up a HTPC with Theatertek DVD player but I didn't have the minijack needed to plug in the sound so I just looked at the picture.

The set is very bright and I have turned down the color and Brightness setting considerably. I'm using Cinema in expand mode. I still see more mosquito noise than I am used to with my Dwin TV3 which is an HD2 projector on 92" screen. I think the picture will look much better after more hours on the bulb and some more calibration. Maybe it needs to be ISF'd. Even though the colors look very bright they do not look real to me. Skin tones are excellent. They look better since I've turned the color settings down to the mid 30's range. I much prefer the Dwin for HD, the colors look more natural with little or no noise. The 5674 has a bit blacker blacks but more motion artifacts. I've also seen rainbows more with the Samsung than my Dwin. I think it is the brightness and I have seen fewer since turning it down. The SD analog looks bad compared to my old 60" standard definition Pioneer Elite or my Dwin. I hooked up a gamecube with the Svideo which looked good on the Elite and I thought it was pretty bad. I would guess computer gaming would look very good. Viewing angle seems to be fairly critical as when I stand up the set gets dimmer. My viewing distance is about 10 feet.

I don't have my stand yet and it is on a table. The stand is due to be delivered Friday and I will set up a HTPC and also try using my Bravo D1. I thought the DVD played with TT looked pretty good. I may have this set professionally calibrated if I can find someone in my area. I'll put some more hours on it first.
This may take a while because as long as my Dwin is working I don't think I will want to watch the Samsung a lot.

Question, if I set the tv in cinema mode, then manually adjust to say:
contrast 90
brightness 50
sharpness 0
color 50
then set the tv in standard mode and make the same manual adjustments, eg:
contrast 90
brightness 50
sharpness 0
color 50
does this now make my standard & cinema modes identical? Or is there something more to cinema mode you don't get with standard (or dynamic for that matter)? I should probably just try it and see if there's a difference, but I'm not at home right now. If anyone has any technical insights to what each mode offers over the next, I'd appreciate the enlightment.

Hmm good question. i presumed that the cinema vs standard etc referred to factory default settings to optimize viewing in a dark vs bright room for example. And that you could adjust the setting in any given mode any way you wanted to and hence have different setting for different media or light conditions. Not sure how far off base I am here. I too would like to know if there is any inherent difference between these various modes!!

Originally posted by mayhew
does this now make my standard & cinema modes identical?
What I understand is that Cinema mode has a gray scale closest among the three modes to 6500k. The other two have higher temps with the Dynamic mode being the showroom torch mode gray scale. Standard is somewhere in the middle.

An ISF calibration could change any of the three to as close as possible to 6500k.

Originally posted by mismatched
Hmm good question. i presumed that the cinema vs standard etc referred to factory default settings to optimize viewing in a dark vs bright room for example. And that you could adjust the setting in any given mode any way you wanted to and hence have different setting for different media or light conditions. Not sure how far off base I am here. I too would like to know if there is any inherent difference between these various modes!!

For standard and dynamic the HLPxx74 models give us a choice of color temperatures in the menu --(cool2, cool1, normal, warm1, warm3) the cinema mode does not give us that setting it is locked at what appears to be approximately warm1 if you have changed the color temp on dynamic or standard you can easily see that setting all the other settings (brightness,contrast etc) the same will still result in a different looking picture as you cycle thru picture modes with your remote.

Originally posted by htwaits
What I understand is that Cinema mode has a gray scale closest among the three modes to 6500k. The other two have higher temps with the Dynamic mode being the showroom torch mode gray scale. Standard is somewhere in the middle.

An ISF calibration could change any of the three to as close as possible to 6500k.

The HLPxx74 ship with Dynamic and Standard set with color temp at Warm1 out of the box. So all three are balanced to about 6500k when we get them. What is different in the xx74 models is that the brightness, contrast, sharpness, and color settings have all been pushed much higher for dynamic and in between for standard when we get them.

This is an HLPxx74 thread for the discussion of the HL-P4674 and HL-P5674 models. For other samsung models there are some threads listed in the first post of this thread.

Please try and keep the discussion consistant with these sets.

No prices please -- we don't want this thread deleted.

Some Receivers and Set top box discussions may be better in the parts of the forum for those areas if it gets beyond things that are specific to the HL-Pxx74 connections and setup.

So assume I always have warm1 selected. If I manually set constrast, brightness, sharpness & color identically for all 3 modes (dynamic, standard & cinema), will I end up with exactly the same results? Or is there something more "under the hood" that each mode provides?

Sorry to belabor this topic, but tweak-o-phites want to know, thanks.

I tried to get all the settings identical with a still image frozen on the screen from my tivo and felt that Dymanic and Standard could be set identical but the Cimnema setting seemed to have a subtle difference -- I haven't yet looked at the SM to see what else could be lutrking there I just keep enjoying how good this set is compared with my earlier CRT and with my HLN617.

Originally posted by mchuckp
I would prefer to run output of my STB at 720p so I can use the expand mode, however, I think my TV does a better job the my STB at rendering the picture so I leave it on passthrough and let my TV do all the rendering. Best way is to just run it both ways and see if you see a difference and pick the best one. I just felt that my TV produced a sharper picture. I am using a Pace box (not sure the #) with Time Warner cable.

Ok, I now see that there is an Expand mode, but as far as I can tell, it's only available in PC mode? Perhaps I'm mis-understanding, but how can one use this mode with HD broadcasts connected from a STB? What will it actually do to a 720p signal?

Originally posted by TayX
Ok, I now see that there is an Expand mode, but as far as I can tell, it's only available in PC mode? Perhaps I'm mis-understanding, but how can one use this mode with HD broadcasts connected from a STB? What will it actually do to a 720p signal?

Someone correct me if I am wrong here:

If the TV is receiving a 720p signal, you can set it to Expand mode and you will get 1:1 pixel mapping and very minimal overscan. If the TV is receiving anything else, then Expand is not an option and you have to use WIDE. This will cause more overscan.

I personally have had it set to passthrough for a few weeks (since I have gotten it). My first impression out of the box was that I thought the picture looked better, letting my TV scale it. I think I will change my box to 720p for a while and see if I can tell the difference. I like the idea of less overscan but not if it hurts PQ.

Just wanted to add something: You say you see Expand under PC mode. Expand won't even show up as an option unless it is receiving 720p. Ex. If you have it set to 1080i and you flip Picture Modes, your only option will be Wide or 4:3. If you switch it to 720p, then you get Expand, wide, or 4:3. Hope this helps.

Originally posted by mayhew
So assume I always have warm1 selected. If I manually set constrast, brightness, sharpness & color identically for all 3 modes (dynamic, standard & cinema), will I end up with exactly the same results? Or is there something more "under the hood" that each mode provides?
I believe there is something else involved than just user settings. If you have identical settings for all three modes and pause on an image such as the very light grey Showtime presentation screen for one of its features (or any other grayscale image, say, from a B/W film) and toggle through the modes, you will definitely see color shifts, with Dynamic's being the coolest (more blue) to Cinema's being the warmest (more red).

Now how that is achieved, I don't know.

Originally posted by mchuckp
Ex. If you have it set to 1080i and you flip Picture Modes, your only option will be Wide or 4:3. If you switch it to 720p, then you get Expand, wide, or 4:3. Hope this helps.
Just a small amplification.

If you input 720p through either DVI or HDMI (the only digital inputs) you get the following aspect ratio modes.

Wide (TV)
Wide (PC)
Expand
4x3

Expand is bit mapped 1x1 so no scaling takes place. Wide (TV) is scaled to as much as 5% overscan. That's traditional with TV sets to cover up garbage at the edges. Expand cuts the overscan down to about 1%. That works great for HDTV or DVD movies. I get a little garbage along the top of the screen when digital SD images come on the screen tuned to ABC.

Wide (PC) is not as sharp because the image has been scaled down about 1" on all sides to remove all overscan. That's done to make the whole desk top visible for computer work. I have my desk top set up so that I can get the extra sharpness of Expand but if something is out of reach I just switch to Wide (PC).

My software DVD player and STB take care of 4x3 images for me so I've never used that mode.

Only Expand is bit mapped 1:1. (Think about it, you can't have two different overscans and have them both be 1:1). Wide (TV) is scaled to increase the overscan.


Originally posted by htwaits
Wide (TV) and Expand are bit mapped 1x1 so no scaling takes place. The difference is that Wide (TV) may have as much as 5% overscan. That's traditional with TV sets to cover up garbage at the edges. Expand cuts the overscan down to about 1%.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
Only Expand is bit mapped 1:1. (Think about it, you can't have two different overscans and have them both be 1:1). Wide (TV) is scaled to increase the overscan.
Thanks Steve. I corrected my HLN/HLM based assumptions. :rolleyes:

I foo'd up the other night by not committing to paper the default gamma in the service menu of my 5674W. Does anyone happen to have it? Or a way to reset to factory defaults?

I know it has to be between 0 and 15 :-)

Originally posted by kevinha
I f'd up the other night by not committing to paper the default gamma in the service menu of my 5674W. Does anyone happen to have it? Or a way to reset to factory defaults?

I know it has to be between 0 and 15 :-)
There is no reset. If you only changed gamma then it's probably 0, 1, or 2.

I haven't heard of one over six but I haven't been following HLPxx74 default gamma settings.

Zero is a good choice on a lot of HLPxx63 sets. Mine is still at 2 which is the default for a "63" series firmware version 1035 set.

To get a better guess post your firmware version and ask for someone with the same firmware to post their gamma setting.

Thanks. The firmware on my 5674W is T_AT2NUS_1111.

Originally posted by kevinha
Thanks. The firmware on my 5674W is T_AT2NUS_1111.
You forgot to ask. ;)

Some people don't read all the messages.

Originally posted by Paul_PDX
I tried to get all the settings identical with a still image frozen on the screen from my tivo and felt that Dymanic and Standard could be set identical but the Cimnema setting seemed to have a subtle difference -- I haven't yet looked at the SM to see what else could be lutrking there I just keep enjoying how good this set is compared with my earlier CRT and with my HLN617.

Paul,

I see a clear difference between Cinema and Standard using the same settings (contrast 85, brightness 48, sharpness 0, color 47 and warm1) on the hdtv signal (comcast 6412 via dvi->hdmi) and DVD signal (Bravo D2 via DVI).

Based on Samsung's documentation I believed that the warm1 setting controlled the color temp and warm1 was closest to 6500K.

I have previously speculated that Cinema is a more accurate color decoder than Standard. I have no confirmation on that. I cannot say if grayscale temp is also affected.

We really could use information from an actual Samsung engineer. Anyone have some contacts at Samsung? Ftlee?

Brad

bbalfour

You got me interested now. I will have to check out Cinema vs standard with same settings. I have been using cinema for everything including during my quick and dirty Avia calibration. I must admit I love the color balance etc. Based up some scenes of places of been in various INHD shows the PQ is excellent using Cinema and the following apps. Contrast 85, Brightness and color about 50. This using DVI and HDMI from Mot 6412 and Denon 2910, respectively.

PS a 6412 and 2 Tivos!! wow you do anything else. wink

FTLee seems to be occupied elsewhere.

Originally posted by mismatched
bbalfour

You got me interested now. I will have to check out Cinema vs standard with same settings. I have been using cinema for everything including during my quick and dirty Avia calibration. I must admit I love the color balance etc. Based up some scenes of places of been in various INHD shows the PQ is excellent using Cinema and the following apps. Contrast 85, Brightness and color about 50. This using DVI and HDMI from Mot 6412 and Denon 2910, respectively.

PS a 6412 and 2 Tivos!! wow you do anything else. wink

FYI...
Last night I did the same test, switching between cinema, standard & dynamic, all other manual adjustments being equal. My preference ended up with cinema for overall picture, just seemed to be the closest real looking, window-like image. Need to do DVE cal still, but this looks like a good starting point for me:
cinema
contrast 90 (just because everyone else is around here)
brightness 55 (cinema was a bit dark)
sharpness 0 (appears to do nothing)
color 45
tint (greyed out)
color temp (greyed out)
stb moto 6200 -> dvi -> tv @720P
dvd 2910 -> hdmi -> tv @720p

Originally posted by mayhew
FYI...
Last night I did the same test, switching between cinema, standard & dynamic, all other manual adjustments being equal. My preference ended up with cinema for overall picture, just seemed to be the closest real looking, window-like image. Need to do DVE cal still, but this looks like a good starting point for me:
cinema
contrast 90 (just because everyone else is around here)
brightness 55 (cinema was a bit dark)
sharpness 0 (appears to do nothing)
color 45
tint (greyed out)
color temp (greyed out)
stb moto 6200 -> dvi -> tv @720P
dvd 2910 -> hdmi -> tv @720p

you copycat, not only the same exact equipment but very similar settings. I too need to do DVE but do I mean "need"?? Let me know by PM if the DVE does anything for you...

You are obviously a person of impeccable taste with this stuff and settings!

PS I presume you have the 3805 also??

I've asked this before but no one responded. It seems on subject to the recent posts. Several people have just noted that they still need to do a DVE calibration. Are you referring to just DVDs or for your STB as well?

I have seen someone note that you can take your STB input and plug it into the DVD player, do DVE, then plug it back into your STB for calibration. I don't see how this would be accurate. I recently bought a Denon 1910 DVD player and ran it through DVE. I didn't like the player so I tried the Sammy 941 and ran it through DVE. The Sammy's settings came out 20-30 points higher to match the same contrast, brightness, and color.

So if there can be this much variation between DVD players for color control, how could it do me any good to set my TV input for my STB with my DVD player?

What is the best way to set the picture for STB's? HD NET shows test patterns at 8AM tuesday. Can I use my DVE color strips to set it using their patterns? How do I use their white and black scale? They don't give any instructions for it.

Thanks for anyone's input. Currently my settings were done by just watching with my naked eye and what seemed right. They seem to be in the same ballpark as what most people post.

Mike

Originally posted by mayhew
FYI...
stb moto 6200 -> dvi -> tv @720P
dvd 2910 -> hdmi -> tv @720p

Mayhew and Mismatched

Glad to see everyone converging on some settings. Explanations of Cinema vs Standard are mostly just for my technical curiosity. I can live with us knowing what to do even if none of us know why it works.

By the way, I noticed that Mayhew has his connections reversed from mine. You are doing STB => DVI and DVD => HDMI. I have my DVD => DVI and the 6412 STB via DVI => HDMI. Have either of you read the (long) thread on color space conversion and HDMI upconverting DVD players in the other forum [http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=486428]? In reading that I came away with the impression that a DVD player (which uses the Standard Definition color space) ought not be connected to the HDMI input since that expects 720p to be the HDTV color space and that a "green depression" results. Have you seen that? Have you tried to hook the DVD to DVI and the STB to HDMI?

Brad

Originally posted by bbalfour
In reading that I came away with the impression that a DVD player (which uses the Standard Definition color space) ought not be connected to the HDMI input since that expects 720p to be the HDTV color space and that a "green depression" results. Have you seen that? Have you tried to hook the DVD to DVI and the STB to HDMI?

Brad
My HTPC(TheaterTek) is connected DVI to DVI. My Motorola 6200 is connected to HDMI with a HDMI cable with a DVI connector on one end.

I'm not sure what "green depression" is but I haven't noticed it. :rolleyes: Maybe I just lucked out with my connection choices.

Does it make a difference if the STB starts out as DVI? Will that mess up the expectations of the HDMI input port?

Originally posted by bbalfour
Mayhew and Mismatched

Glad to see everyone converging on some settings. Explanations of Cinema vs Standard are mostly just for my technical curiosity. I can live with us knowing what to do even if none of us know why it works.

By the way, I noticed that Mayhew has his connections reversed from mine. You are doing STB => DVI and DVD => HDMI. I have my DVD => DVI and the 6412 STB via DVI => HDMI. Have either of you read the (long) thread on color space conversion and HDMI upconverting DVD players in the other forum [http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=486428]? In reading that I came away with the impression that a DVD player (which uses the Standard Definition color space) ought not be connected to the HDMI input since that expects 720p to be the HDTV color space and that a "green depression" results. Have you seen that? Have you tried to hook the DVD to DVI and the STB to HDMI?

Brad

FYI I have my STB set up DVI/DVI and my Denon DVD player HDMI/HDMI. I have not noticed any green depression assuming that means too little green, rather if anything a bit of a green push on certain DVD scenes (DVD movie that is). I followed the thread you mentioned but decided that my picture is so sweet on HD broadcasts and movies that I cancelled my subscription...

Just a quick note on the whole HDMI thing. When I was worried about the terrible SD picture quality many of the posters here recommended me changing from component to HDMI since my STB supported it. By the way, after about 100 viewing hours the SD picture quality has improved remarkably. Many have stated that maybe this is an illusion as I have just gotten used to it etc. Not so. It is considerably better. Friends who saw the set day one and have now seen it the 2nd time ask me what i did to make it so much better, so it is not just a personal thing. I truly believe the set broke in.

Anyway, with that being said, i went out and purchased the highly outrageously priced HDMI cable. I was able to switch back and forth between component and HDMI and i noticed no difference what so ever. Nada. The cable will go back tomorrow. Heck, I could almost buy a DVD player for the cost of the cable! *grin*

Does anyone here subscribe to Voom? I'm curious as to the quality of their broadcasts compared to cable.

Craig

For me as well, the DVD->HDMI (720p YCbCr)->TV path seems to pose no color issues at all. This just may happen to be the right combination to sidestep the color space problem. No green issues as far as I can tell. I will be DVE'ing soon and maybe can get more concrete feedback at that time.

By the way calcraig, the 3M hdmi cable I bought from pacific cables was <$40...

question:

My cable company supplies a Scientific Atlanta 8300 STB with dvr. When setting it up it recognizes that my Sammy 4674 supports 480i, 480p, 480i wide, 480p wide, 720i, 720p, and 1080i. I let the STB recognize all and set it for pass thu. Would I be better off just sending the 420p and 720p and the STB converting the 420i, 720i, and 1080i signals? I'll defiinetly play around but any input anybody has would be cool!

Craig

How does one get into the service menu to change Gamma to 0.

Thanks in advance:)

GoSpurs,

Check this out...it might be helpful

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/brandspecific/samsung/samsung_tips.html

as for your name.....all i can say is..... .04

*grin*

Craig

Okay, I've searched and not found an answer to this question so forgive me if it's been addressed already. When the 74 series was introduced there was a rumor going around that the 6 segment color wheel would be replaced by the 7 segment one in units manufactured sometime around the middle of the year on. Did this actually happen or are the 74 series still made with 6 segment wheels?

74 series is 6 segment color wheel.

Calcraig, thanks for the link. Much appreciated!

As for your name (Cali?):
Spurs-27-7
Lakers-16-14

JK!! LOL:)

Originally posted by mismatched
FYI I have my STB set up DVI/DVI and my Denon DVD player HDMI/HDMI. I have not noticed any green depression assuming that means too little green, rather if anything a bit of a green push on certain DVD scenes (DVD movie that is). I followed the thread you mentioned but decided that my picture is so sweet on HD broadcasts and movies that I cancelled my subscription...

mismatched and others,

have you set your DVD hdmi output to ycbcr @720p? Wondering if rgb makes any difference in the colors you see? I'll be trying this myself when I get home, seems to be a conclusion that was reached in the thread bbalfour pointed out. That is, to use rgb over hdmi for the DVD SD colors via 720p upconversion and get correct HD colors on the TV. If anyone has any DVE color calibration comparisons between hdmi rbg vs ycbcr settings, I'd be really interested in that as well.

thanks

I had my HLP5674 for almost 2 weeks now and I loved it. It's currently used as a monitor for my HTPC. My video card is the ATI 9700Pro and the driver can accept color profile files with .icc or .icm extensions. Is there such a file that exists for the Samsung DLP?

Gospurs,

We're rebuilding.... you don't want to count titles do you? hehehe

For anyone interested....I noticed that my local blockbuster had both the Avia and DVE disks. Off to go rent and copy!

Craig

Calcraig,

With the DVE and Avia, you will need the red, green, blue filters that come with the disc. So if you DVD shrink, or whatever, you'll need to go to a local photography studio to buy the filters. So this from the Avia web site:

The Red, Green and Blue Filters Allow Some Other Colors to be Visible
The red, green, and blue color filters supplied with AVIA DVD were chosen to be as color selective as practical. Unfortunately, no filters are perfect color separators. They all leak a small amount of the other primary colors. The filters supplied with AVIA meet or exceed the selectivity of filters supplied with other video calibration products and serve well for most users. However, if you need even better color separation, consider doing one of the following:

1. Place a cap on your three gun projector's other two color guns to achieve perfect separation. This is the most accurate method of isolating each color.

2. Use the display's color gun "cut-off" switches to perfectly separate the primary colors. This requires information from a service manual. Attempt this only if you are skilled in television service work.

3. Obtain glass optical filters from a photographic supply shop. The following photographic Kodak/Lee filters may provide better separation of colors but even these are not perfect.

Deep Red Tricolor #29
Deep Green Tricolor #61
Deep Blue Tricolor #47B

http://www.ovationsw.com/avia.html

Only #3 applies. Hope this helps!

BTW, don't count the titles, but I'll take two championships and the best record among the 4 major sports since 1997 any day:)

I have had the 5674 for a little over a month now, and I have experienced problems for the past two weeks. Everyday it takes the color wheel longer and longer to spin up and while it is spinning it is making a loud grinding sound. When you first turn the TV on, it now takes about 10 minutes for the wheel to spin up. The second problem is that the picture flickers continuously, and it is getting worse, almost to the point that you can't even watch it. My recommendation is for people to think long and hard prior to spending ~$4k, on this television. IMHO it seems that this Samsung set is not ready for production. I am having Tweeter's repair service replace the disc ifor a second time in it next week and I will let you know how it turns out.

12/10 New 5674 arrives
12/11 D* HD system is installed & 5674 is up and running
12/12 5674 shuts down w/3 blinking error lights (replace lamp). Samsung is called and a work order for repairman to fix is issued.
12/15 Repairman comes and gets bulb # for replacement and orders part.
12/20 Repairman returns & replaces new bulb and the same thing happens as on 12/12. Repairman calls Samsung and they say will send him a whole new complete unit w/bulb, ballast, & light engine and will arrive on 1/6/05.
1/07 Repairman returns and replaces complete unit and 5674 is up and running. Turned TV off & went to work, came home and after 2 hours now I get this "check fan (1) 2 3" display and TV shuts down. What is a person to do???? Someone told me to reset the bulb hours. Is there a way to do this and will this work? Or should I be entitled to a new TV? The Griz

Originally posted by GoSpurs99
How does one get into the service menu to change Gamma to 0.

This might help too.

Originally posted by millerwill
htwaits: Is it possible for you to give a step-by-step 'idiot proof' protocol for going into the SM and making this gamma change? I've never been into the SM and have always been nervous about the idea. But you sound like it's worth it. (Have a 6163.)
Can one idiot protect other idiots? ;)

Here are the "enter-SM" instructions for the HLN sets. They are the same for a HLP set but the contents of the SM and navigation keys are different. I haven't checked all the navigation instructions myself.

Find Samsung Firmware Version:

The firmware version installed on any set is recorded on the first page of the SM. There is a long ID number at the bottom of the page. The last three digits (HLN) or last four digits (HLP) are the firmware version of your set.

Remember that in any dealing with Samsung you are not supposed to know your firmware version.

Record your User Settings for "Picture" before you enter the SM. The HLP sets will revert to factory defaults for the UM when you exit the SM.

Instructions for accessing the Samsung Service Menu:

Anyone using these suggestions should know that the only change I have ever made to the SM is changing GAMMA from the default value to zero. I have never "messed around" in the SM. Remember that there is no reset function. If you see something that looks like one don't use it.

I can recommend, without any reservations, recording all original SM settings before making additional changes.

****** Thanks to LCH. 09/02/2003 ******

Turn Melody off in the user menu (allows entering the Service Menu from power On state without using a lamp cycle).

With the set ON, press Power-Mute-1-8-2-Power in quick succession.
(If the set is already off, just do Mute-1-8-2-Power )

The service menu should appear for the input you were viewing before keying the above sequence. Be sure to give the set enough time to complete the process(30-60 seconds).

While in the service menu, you can change inputs with the TV/Video button to view the SM for other modes.

Use the CH up, CH down & select keys to navigate the Service Menu. Press MENU to return to the main Service Menu after viewing individual functions.

Later, you will use the VOL(+) & VOL(-) keys to change the SM values.

" ... when you access the SM on the HLPxx63 (probably all HLP models), the directional arrows around the "Enter" button control navigation, not the volume and channel buttons ..." MacGyver1970.

To Exit the SM, power off. Leave it off for several(30) seconds. (until all cooling activity is complete)

Example steps to change GAMMA on a HLP5063 with firmware version 1011 and a build date of May 2004:

The SM main menu looks like this.

1. DDP1011 (The GAMMA setting is here.)
2. GM1601
3. DNIe
4. FLI2310
5. CXA2171
6. Vsp9437
7. Upd 64083
8. CCA
9. SP Actuator
10. OPTION (The tally of hours of lamp operation is in this menu.)

Ver: T_ATLNUS_1011 (this is the firmware version)

First record user menu entries for "picture" and enter SM.

Steps from the main SM.

1. Select DDP1011 using the directional arrow keys -- up and down.
2. Enter DDP1011. I used the right arrow key but maybe the "enter" key will work too.
3. Select GAMMA using the up or down arrow key.
4. I entered GAMMA using the right arrow key, but the "enter" key may also work.
5. I used the right and left arrow keys to change the value of GAMMA.
6. I used the up arrow key to return to the DDP1011 menu. Again, the "enter" key or "menu" key might do the same thing.
7. I returned to the main SM with the "menu" key.
8. Power off and wait for a full shut down to save entries that you have changed in the SM.

9. Power on after about 30 seconds and enter your user menu picture settings.

This change to GAMMA makes "some" owners happy. I feel that after setting GAMMA to zero and setting brightness with the DVE DVD that the details in dark scenes were improved. To really get the most out of our set I am getting an ISF calibration done by SethS.

As of 12/14/2004:
Mode = Cinema
contrast = 90
brightness = 45
sharpness = 0
color = 48
Digital NR = OFF
DNIe = OFF

Enjoy.

For anyone who is curious, the factory default gamma on the HL-P5674W appears to be 2.

Since calling Samsung went no where (and the tech guy just ranted about how no one is supposed to be in the service menu), I went back to Abt Electronics here in Chicago to see what a new set had.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is if you go into the Service Menu to write *everything* down before you do *anything.*

Originally posted by kevinha
I can't emphasize enough how important it is if you go into the Service Menu to write *everything* down before you do *anything.*
Especially if you have a problem remembering single digit numbers. :D

Thanks Htwaits!!

Originally posted by grizzly
Someone told me to reset the bulb hours. Is there a way to do this and will this work?
The bulb hours counter does just that -- it counts hours. If you put a new bulb in a "working" machine it's reasonable to have the tech set the hours back to zero for record keeping.

You need a new set, better service or a refund. I hope you reported the new problem to Samsung.

LOL! Well, I knew it was < 4, b/c I didn't have to go far to get to zero.

With that said, I reset it to 2, put my Denon 2910 back to an IRE of 7.5, put the Denon in HDMI/RGB mode (as opposed to HDMI/YCbCr), put the HL-P5674 into Cinema mode and recalibrated with DVE.

I then watched I, Robot tonight and it was stunning! The picture was the best I've seen on DVD since I've setup my TV and DVD player.

Originally posted by htwaits
Thanks Steve. I corrected my HLN/HLM based assumptions. :rolleyes:

Ok, I finally changed my Motorola 6412 STB to output 720p instead of 1080i and changed the TV to Expand mode as per the suggestions here. Normal HDTV viewing looks fine so far, but several commercials in 4:3 have problems on the corners. For example:

xxxx---------
xxx----------
xx------------
x-------------
---------------

If that is the 4:3 viewing area of the TV, the X's represent a black corner overlapping the picture, although obviously, it doesn't cover a quarter of the screen. But, it is pretty noticeable and I've seen it a few times, often on the same commercials. I never noticed this before in 1080i. Is this something to be concerned with?

FWIW, my 4:3 override mode is still set to 480p.

don't watch commercials!!

Originally posted by htwaits
My HTPC(TheaterTek) is connected DVI to DVI. My Motorola 6200 is connected to HDMI with a HDMI cable with a DVI connector on one end.

I'm not sure what "green depression" is but I haven't noticed it. :rolleyes: Maybe I just lucked out with my connection choices.

Does it make a difference if the STB starts out as DVI? Will that mess up the expectations of the HDMI input port?

Well, according to what I gather from that thread, neither you nor I will see "green depression" (a lack of green in the picture -- the opposite of green push). It only happens on DVD DVI out to TV HDMI in or DVD HDMI out to TV HDMI in -- if I read the thread right. DVI to DVI is fine. And, because it is an SDTV vs HDTV color space mismatch, it doesn't affect HDTV STB's like the 6200.

Brad

I changed my Pace box settings from Pass to 720P. This allowed me to choose expand and get the one to one mapping. I like the picture better this way. I compared component to the DVI from the pace box and the DVI is sharper and I like it better. I thought the pass through would have been better so that the Samsung could do the scaling but I was wrong about that. My Bravo D1 only has DVI so I either need a new STB with HDMI or a DVD player with HDMI. You would think there would be a computer video card with HDMI but if there is I don't know about it. It would be nice if this set had another DVI input. I may hook up my Pioneer elite DVD player with component as the Bravo doesn't do well with component until I get something else, or get a DVI switcher.

This set really needs 3 digital inputs(DVD, computer, and STB) so that you can retain the separate setting on each input. At least I am much happier with the picture than before. The Samsung really does have improved black levels compared to my Dwin HD2.

I tried using the HDMI to DVI cable which worked for the picture but there is no way I can see to get the sound to the TV without using a separate sound system so I still have problems.

Originally posted by TayX
FWIW, my 4:3 override mode is still set to 480p.
Try 480 override = OFF.

I'm not sure I am able to visualize what you are seeing.

Remember that the reason for TV over-scan is to hide crap at the edges. I see some from ABC when SD material is playing. On solution, in my case is to switch modes to Wide(TV) or ignore the crap to stay as sharp as possible.

Originally posted by bbalfour
DVI to DVI is fine. And, because it is an SDTV vs HDTV color space mismatch, it doesn't affect HDTV STB's like the 6200.

Brad
Thanks for the information Brad.

I have my Denon 2910 hooked up to my 5674 via HDMI/HDMI and do not notice any green depression. Before the firmware update on the 2910 I did see some green push on certain scenes. Therefore these generalization about color space seem to be just that although the thread is interesting and full of apparent expertise!

watching San Diego against the Jets in HD via Comcast and am not at all concerned as I have the best seat in the house!!

PS STB hooked up DVI/DVI and the field is green and so are the Jets uniforms!!!

Originally posted by htwaits
Try 480 override = OFF.

I'm not sure I am able to visualize what you are seeing.

Remember that the reason for TV over-scan is to hide crap at the edges. I see some from ABC when SD material is playing. On solution, in my case is to switch modes to Wide(TV) or ignore the crap to stay as sharp as possible.

I changed the override to OFF, but I still seem to have this happen now and then. Basically, to visualize it, imagine this: Go to the upper-left corner of the viewable area of your screen. Make a circle about an inch to the right of that corner. Also, make a circle about an inch straight down from that corner. Now, connect the two circles with a diagonal line to form a triangle in the upper-left corner and fill that triangle black. That's what it looks like. I'll try to get a picture up, but my digital camera is ancient and the picture will probably not be too great. :)

From reading this forum, the consensus seems to be that Cinema mode with a few tweaks gives the best PQ. Given that, for people that like Cinema mode, do you always leave it on? Do you watch sports in Cinema mode? Do you watch DVDs (all kinds)? What about X-Box games? I'm just curious if even those that prefer Cinema mode change it now and then or if everyone just leaves the TV in one mode all the time?

Originally posted by TayX
From reading this forum, the consensus seems to be that Cinema mode with a few tweaks gives the best PQ. Given that, for people that like Cinema mode, do you always leave it on? Do you watch sports in Cinema mode? Do you watch DVDs (all kinds)? What about X-Box games? I'm just curious if even those that prefer Cinema mode change it now and then or if everyone just leaves the TV in one mode all the time?


I've got every input set to Cinema mode then tweaked from there to my room, light and liking. After calibrating the set and audio and getting the MX700 remote set up just how I want it, I don't tweak hardly at all anymore. I just enjoy movies, HD and SACD's at my convenience and don't think much more about the settings. I'm happy to let it be now. I'm a pretty obsessive tweaker but there is a time of diminishing returns and then I just enjoy. Hope you can do the same.

Htwaits,

I went into the service menu and changed the gamma setting to 0. Calibrated (5674W) with DVE and Avia, and used the suggested settings (DNIe off, Digital NR off, etc.).

Wow, what a major difference. Thanks for your continued help for me and others:)

Now I'm just waiting for my Oppo upscaling DVD player!!

I'm glad it worked. Enjoy.

I have a Dish 921 and you can set the 921 for 720p or 1080i output. The manual for the 4674 says nothing about what signal to feed it over DVI (the HDMI goes to the Sony 975 DVD). I seem to recall the "native" resolution for the 4674 is 720p. Is it down converting the 1080i signal from the STB to 720p? If so, should I just have the STB output 720p?

GoSpurs99, I'm curious why you dropped your gamma to 0 from the default of 2?

oregonstitch

My humble understanding is that you should set your STB to 720p to match the native resolution of your monitor. That is how I have my Moto 6412 set up and HD broadcasts via Comcast can be awesome depending on the HD source itself

It made the picture darker. Blacks are blacker.

Using DVE and Avia helped to fix contrast, brightness, color, sharpness, etc.

After adjusting gamma, all settings reverted back to factory settings. I had to change them all using DVE and Avia and the color filters supplied.

Read this about gamma:

http://www.cgsd.com/papers/gamma.html

But did it affect any other colors? I had adjusted it to 0 and after recalibrating with DVE swore that I had some off colors.

And how close are you able to get in adjusting colors wit DVE and the color filters? I cannot get the blues to line up to save my life, so I "get close."

Originally posted by oregonstitch
I have a Dish 921 and you can set the 921 for 720p or 1080i output. The manual for the 4674 says nothing about what signal to feed it over DVI (the HDMI goes to the Sony 975 DVD). I seem to recall the "native" resolution for the 4674 is 720p. Is it down converting the 1080i signal from the STB to 720p? If so, should I just have the STB output 720p?

Does the 921 have a passthrough setting? It lets the signal pass to your TV and lets your TV do the rendering instead.

If so, I recommend letting your 921 output at 720p and then also try it on passthrough. Which ever has the best picture, use that setting. I am currently using a Pace 550 HD box from Time warner and I think my TV does a better job than the box, so I have it set on passthrough. I'm sure some boxes will do a good job which is why a lot of folks will have it set to 720p out of the box.

If you don't have a passthrough setting, then yes you would want it set to your native resolution of 720p.

In the end, do what gives you the best picture!

I've got the Pace box and I have a hard time telling which looks better. I've tried pass and 720p and don't see a lot of difference. It is difficult to a:b the pictures. My STB is under the TV and you have to change the settings at the box and there is a delay after the change before the picture comes back on. I would agree that the TV probably has the better processing but I can't really see the difference. How do you find that the picture is better? I haven't checked for dithering on pans, so maybe the pass is better in producing less artifacts. I'm hoping T/W comes out with a good DVR in my area. I have inquired and been told they should be getting new ones in this month.

When the TV is receiving 720p over DVI/HDMI, you can select the "Expand" picture size (instead of "Wide TV", the default) which will make a significant difference. In that mode, the TV does NO scaling and your overscan is down around 1.5%.

With the Pace box set to pass the tv is automatically set to expand mode when the channel is a 720p channel. When you switch to a 1080i channel it goes back to wide. On a 1080i signal coming in the tv processor has to scale it to 720p before it displays so would it not still be getting the 1:1 mapping here also? And what difference does it make with the analog or SDTV digital channels? It seems to me like the processing in the TV should be better than the Pace box.

Cheezmo, what's the difference that this makes? i.e., what's the difference between Expand and Wide TV?

Expand gives you 1:1 pixel mapping. When the signal comes in at 720p the display matches exactly the input of 1280x720 and no scaling is done. This info can be found earlier in this thread.

Originally posted by antennahead
It's official, I dropped the cash and finished with the credit card and now own the 4674, Denon 2910, and a Samsung 360. Hope I am comfortable with the SD to HD issue on the DVD/display hookup.

A couple of comments on the 360. Reading lots of post on the HD Programming and HD Info and Reception forums, consensus is that the 360 STB has some design flaws that may annoy you. Its OTA reception is poor compared to the Sony and Hughes boxes, the signal meter is erratic and thus quite worthless, it's had problems decoding certain HD material off satellite and there is no RF output for sending the signal to other TVs. My son had a 360 and was quite disappointed. He was about to return it to D* when it crapped out, so problem solved. The Hughes HTL-HD he got in its place has performed flawlessly from the day he got it.
You may have better luck, or they may have fixed some of these issues, so just a word of warning.
Carl

If you run a DVE disc and have a scaling DVD player, you can see overscan difference. There is a test pattern that shows the amount of overscan and when you have it set to Expand, you can see very little overscan. When you set it to Wide, then you get more clipped off. If the TV does not receive a 720p signal then it will default to Wide and you lose a bit.

Randall,

you asked what difference I see when setting the Pace box to 720p or letting the TV do it. It is very tough to switch between the setting and give a fair comparison. I could be imagining that I think my TV does a better job than the Pace box, but when switching around I got the impression that the overall picture was a hair sharper and color tone was a bit better. Again, maybe I think I'm seeing a difference that isn't there. But in my mind, if I am, then I want my TV to do the scaling. I'm not overly concerned about the overscan. If I lose 5% around the edge instead of 2%, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

You mentioned you were waiting for a HD DVR in your area. I'm in the same boat here with TWC in Cincinnati. I've been calling them every week. I am also on a waiting list for one. They keep saying "Soon". A few have told me before the end of January. I guess I will see. I just hope the HD DVR box gives just as good of an output on the Pace. I'm happy with the picture quality and it will be tough to switch to a box that doesn't give as good a picture that I'm used to.

Does anyone know if you run two different receivers by different manufacturers but they are both set to "Passthrough", would you theoretically get the same PQ since the TV is rendering the picture anyway? Or even though it is set to Passthrough, there is still a step the receiver goes through before the Passthrough phase that would make one better than the other?

Hmm...

mchuckp,
I'm not sure if I can tell a difference in picture quality either as I said before. A different box can give different picture quality. The box has to decode the encrypted channels. The Pace does give a good picture. I need an HDMI connection that the Pace doesn't offer.

Originally posted by Randall Morton
mchuckp,
I'm not sure if I can tell a difference in picture quality either as I said before. A different box can give different picture quality. The box has to decode the encrypted channels. The Pace does give a good picture. I need an HDMI connection that the Pace doesn't offer.

Are you currently running the Pace via DVI>HDMI or are you using component? I am using it DVI>DVI. If you are using component, this could be a reason you don't see a difference in PQ. Maybe the slight loss in sharpness over component when uses passthrough equals out to the rendered output of the pace @ 720p.

I can tell that DVI gives a little sharper picture than component (as should be expected).

Hopefully your area will get the SA 8300 HD DVR. It has HDMI and I've read it is a pretty decent machine.

Good luck to you! Just set your system to what ever looks best to your eyes. I'm not expert. To me, I think I see a difference and think that the TV does a better rendering job. Run through it yourself and make your own conclusions. If you can't tell the difference, then don't worry about whichever way you set it up. Just sit back and drool over the fine PQ!!!

have fun.

I'm using DVI/DVI. I can easily see the difference using component. If I had it to do over I would look for a set with more digital inputs. If you go DVI/HDMI you can't get the sound through to the TV speakers. I have a separate system for home theater and I use the Samsung as a TV and my son will watch DVD on it once I get the player hooked up.

I have a Bravo D1 that looks awesome on this set, but to use it and get sound I have to unplug the Pace box. I really think the strong suit of this set is playing DVDs. I like the HD better on my projector. I think the picture will get better when I have more hours on the set as I only have about 10-15 hours now. I think there is more noise with a new bulb and some other motion artifacts show up more readily also.

I am almost ready to buy a 4674 and now with all of the CES post mortems I have a question about:

1 - 720P vs 1080 on a 46 inch set - will it make a difference? Maybe I should wait for the next generation?

2. Current best pricing is from TV Authority, but is still almost a Premium, would the prices drop significantly on the current 4674, when the Spring release happens?

I use a Samsung T150 for over the air and don't care about onboard tuners.

Any opinions or other data is appreciated.

I have the SA 8300 set on pass thru and I could see absolutely no difference between component and HDMI on the 4674.

Just my 2 cents!

Craig

originally posted by Kevinha

But did it affect any other colors? I had adjusted it to 0 and after recalibrating with DVE swore that I had some off colors.

And how close are you able to get in adjusting colors wit DVE and the color filters? I cannot get the blues to line up to save my life, so I "get close."

Kevinha,

I did notice that the blues were off slightly, but it was soooo close it was hardly worth attention.

Bottom line, big difference and a much better picture:D

I'll give it another shot tonight with DVE. I recently discovered the 1:1 mapping of "Expand" mode at 720p, so I have to recalibrate anyway.

Man there are too many little tweaks!

I've also noticed in the Setup menu of the menu, there's a way to tweak the red, green and blue colors. I was going to see if I could get my blues, greens and reds even closer using this as well.

Originally posted by kevinha
I'll give it another shot tonight with DVE. I recently discovered the 1:1 mapping of "Expand" mode at 720p, so I have to recalibrate anyway.

Man there are too many little tweaks!

I've also noticed in the Setup menu of the menu, there's a way to tweak the red, green and blue colors. I was going to see if I could get my blues, greens and reds even closer using this as well.

careful!!

Anyone have suggestions for how to go about calibrating my display for my STB (Comcast 6412 DVR) and my 5674W?

I've got DVE and have done the calibration (and continue to tweak it!) for the DVD player. However, I have not seen nor read anything about how to handle the STB.

I'm tempted to plug my DVD player into the DVI port and calibrate again with DVE, but I know that its highly likely the output from the DVD player and the STB are substantially different.

Suggestions?

mismatched, I assume by "careful!" you mean if I were to use the service menu for this. That's *not* what I'm talking about.

It's on the standard menu, Setup, Color Weakness. Three RGB sliders that each can be set between 0 and 9.

remember that these calibration DVDs are aimed to meet the criteria set up by the powers to be and for images seen on a big screen at the theatre at least that is my undestanding. Ultimately you want to be blown away by your PQ and at the same time have the image be realistic. I found the best way to do this is watch Sunrise Earth on Discovery Theatre or some high quality HD broadcast like INHD. Pick a landscape that is breathtaking and ideally a place that you are intimately familiar with. That is you been there and done that, whether it be sunrise at the Tetons or snorkeling in the Caribbean, doesn't matter. now ask yourself: Does this look real? Do I feel like I am back there again?? And if so you got the set adjusted just right. At least that is my humble opinion. I have heard that the best ISF calibrator can make your set perform up to the strictest technically correct standards and yet you might change the settings back to your liking. I am not badmouthing these experts. Just raising a point to consider here...

Tweak sure but at some point just say "Geez this looks great!!" and enjoy!!"

PS I must admit the tweaking can be addictive ....

Originally posted by kevinha
Anyone have suggestions for how to go about calibrating my display for my STB (Comcast 6412 DVR) and my 5674W?

I've got DVE and have done the calibration (and continue to tweak it!) for the DVD player. However, I have not seen nor read anything about how to handle the STB.

I'm tempted to plug my DVD player into the DVI port and calibrate again with DVE, but I know that its highly likely the output from the DVD player and the STB are substantially different.

Suggestions?

HD Net runs test patterns on Tuesday mornings. You can record with your DVR and adjust.

Edit: Oh, wait. HD Net is not available on cable. Just calibrate your DVD player, and make any adjustments to the STB using your eye. The adjustments you get with DVE should render a good picture from your STB. Your other choice would be an ISF calibration.

Originally posted by Tarooka
I am almost ready to buy a 4674 and now with all of the CES post mortems I have a question about:

1 - 720P vs 1080 on a 46 inch set - will it make a difference? Maybe I should wait for the next generation?

2. Current best pricing is from TV Authority, but is still almost a Premium, would the prices drop significantly on the current 4674, when the Spring release happens?

I use a Samsung T150 for over the air and don't care about onboard tuners.

Any opinions or other data is appreciated.

If you are concerned about pricing, as your point 2 indicates, then why wait for the inflated price of a 1080p set? I've never seen a 1080p set, so I can't make a definitive comment, but there is no way I would wait. No one broadcasts in 1080p, and so you would be relying on the TV to upconvert or deinterlace everything anyway. I really question how much of a difference it's going to make, particularly at 46", which I have, and which is on the small side for a widescreen TV.

Originally posted by tjk
HD Net runs test patterns on Tuesday mornings. You can record with your DVR and adjust.

Edit: Oh, wait. HD Net is not available on cable. Just calibrate your DVD player, and make any adjustments to the STB using your eye. The adjustments you get with DVE should render a good picture from your STB. Your other choice would be an ISF calibration.

Actually in the Bay Area HD Net, is available over the air and on Alameda Power Cable

Personally I would wait if I had not just bought a set. The prices don't look inflated to me, they look very reasonable. Even if you can't see the diference in resolution, you could see the difference in contrast ratio. If I have an awful tv now then go ahead and buy. Also when the new sets appear there will be some great deals on the current models. These new sets may be full of bugs but they sure sound good. I copied a description from another thread.



The 56” HLR5688W pedestal DLP is the very first 1080P DLP TV to hit the market. The Cinema Smooth™ Optical Engine provides super-high (1920 x 1080) pixel density and progressive scanning for matchless video-image quality. The 5000:1 contrast ratio keeps colors lifelike and vibrant, while Samsung’s enhanced Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe™) takes the signal from any kind of input and turns it into a stunning picture. The set is Digital Cable Ready (DCR) with a built-in CableCARDTM eliminating the need for a set-top box for digital cable program viewing.

The unique pedestal display showcases Samsung’s design ingenuity and ensures that the set “Fits Where Others Won’t.” The DLP TV utilizes Samsung’s AnyNet™ System Solution providing simple one-touch control for home theater equipment. Two High-Definition Multimedia Interfaces (HDMITM) ensure optimal signal transmission from DVD players and other digital devices. Cinema Film Mode, 3:2 pull down and a robust 30-watts of audio power complete the home theater experience. The 50” model, HLR5087W, incorporates the same features with a Cinema Smooth™ 720P engine and a single HDMI. Both models will be available in February 2005. The HLR5087W has a $3,699 MSRP. The HLR5688W has a $4,999 MSRP.

Originally posted by Tarooka
1 - 720P vs 1080 on a 46 inch set - will it make a difference? Maybe I should wait for the next generation?

The smallest DLP likely to have 1080p anytime soon is 56".

2. Current best pricing is from TV Authority, but is still almost a Premium, would the prices drop significantly on the current 4674, when the Spring release happens?

There doesn't seem to be a direct replacement for the HLPxx74 sets. But, if the new 46" set due in April has better PQ or even equal PQ it would be hard to justify much of a price difference.

Hey calcraig,

Sent you a PM

13chris13

Ok, so I gathered that most people prefer to use 720p for their STB as that's the native resolution of the TV. Does the same then hold true for DVDs? I have a Samsung HD941 and I have it set to 720p (using HDMI->HDMI), but does anyone find that they get better PQ at 768p or 1080i? Sorry if this is off-topic, but I want to know precisely how the quality is on the 4674 so I think it's relevant. :)

Also, is there a big difference between a basic HDMI cable (as comes with the Samsung HD941) and a good, shielded one? I have a decent DVI cable, but my HDMI cable is just the one that came with the DVD player. Does the PQ noticeably change on the 4674 with a better HDMI cable?

Originally posted by tjk
HD Net runs test patterns on Tuesday mornings. You can record with your DVR and adjust.

Edit: Oh, wait. HD Net is not available on cable. Just calibrate your DVD player, and make any adjustments to the STB using your eye. The adjustments you get with DVE should render a good picture from your STB. Your other choice would be an ISF calibration.

TJK,

I have Time Warner cable and get HDNET. I assumed most cable providers had it. I thought pretty much everyone had it.

Originally posted by TayX
Ok, so I gathered that most people prefer to use 720p for their STB as that's the native resolution of the TV. Does the same then hold true for DVDs? I have a Samsung HD941 and I have it set to 720p (using HDMI->HDMI), but does anyone find that they get better PQ at 768p or 1080i? Sorry if this is off-topic, but I want to know precisely how the quality is on the 4674 so I think it's relevant. :)

Also, is there a big difference between a basic HDMI cable (as comes with the Samsung HD941) and a good, shielded one? I have a decent DVI cable, but my HDMI cable is just the one that came with the DVD player. Does the PQ noticeably change on the 4674 with a better HDMI cable?

TayX,

Check out this thread. I think it will help. It is totally about the 941.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=474770&goto=newpost

In configuring my 5674W with the DVE pluge pattern, should my outter most bar "disappear" and be the same color as the background, or should it be slightly visible?

My reason for asking is that if that bar is below the level of video black, wouldn't I want my 5674W to be able to display that black, thereby rendering more detail in black scenes?

You want the last bar to be just visible in a dark room. Take it one step further and it should totally disappear then bring it back. If you go below visibility here you will actually lose any black shades that you take it below.

Originally posted by Randall Morton
.....I copied a description from another thread.



The 56” HLR5688W pedestal DLP is the very first 1080P DLP TV to hit the market. The Cinema Smooth™ Optical Engine provides super-high (1920 x 1080) pixel density and progressive scanning for matchless video-image quality. The 5000:1 contrast ratio keeps colors lifelike and vibrant, while Samsung’s enhanced Digital Natural Image Engine (DNIe™) takes the signal from any kind of input and turns it into a stunning picture. The set is Digital Cable Ready (DCR) with a built-in CableCARDTM eliminating the need for a set-top box for digital cable program viewing.

The unique pedestal display showcases Samsung’s design ingenuity and ensures that the set “Fits Where Others Won’t.” The DLP TV utilizes Samsung’s AnyNet™ System Solution providing simple one-touch control for home theater equipment. Two High-Definition Multimedia Interfaces (HDMITM) ensure optimal signal transmission from DVD players and other digital devices. Cinema Film Mode, 3:2 pull down and a robust 30-watts of audio power complete the home theater experience. The 50” model, HLR5087W, incorporates the same features with a Cinema Smooth™ 720P engine and a single HDMI. Both models will be available in February 2005. The HLR5087W has a $3,699 MSRP. The HLR5688W has a $4,999 MSRP.

Start another thread! Many of us love our "old" XX74W sets . There are always new sets coming out. Don't entice us to "look back". Plus who wants one of these strango pedestal sets, although the other stuff sounds cool!

mismatched

Thanks all for the advice on the STB 720p issue. I'm an expand mode 720p guy now and I'll give the Avia calibration for the Sony 975 and the HDNet Tue 8am test patterns a go.

"strango pedestal"

That's about the nicest description of the pedestals that I've heard. I'm supposed to convince my wife the picture is worth that??

Just got a new HLP4674 a couple of weeks ago and have noticed that the screen is slightly concave. In fact, it is so slightly concave it's hard to see even when moving reflections around the corners. I had to place the straight edge of a ruler on the screen from the top edge to the side edge to be sure it was there. But sure enough, the screen is concave.
Anyway, it's causing a pincushion effect on the sides which is only really noticable when viewing the desktop of my HTPC (PC wide mode) since that mode has no overscan.
I just wanted to post a query to see if this is common and normal or if the screen on my set was not mounted properly.
I appologise if this has been previously discussed; I did a cursory search of this thread and could find no mention of the problem.

thanks,
Trey

Originally posted by mchuckp
I felt the same way when I hooked up my 4674 about a month and a half ago. I about had a heart attack when I saw how awful SD looked out of the box. Since I didn't have HD yet, my wife was not really thrilled that I spent over 3 grand for a TV and it looks worse than our 500 dollar 32". Not having the HD to show off hurt this issue. But I definitely feel the TV looks better over time. On day one, I felt that SD was almost unwatchable. After about 4-5 days of being on for 4-6 hours per day. It did look much better. Not sure if it is just breaking in the bulb or something else the TV has to go through. I noticed DVDs looking better over time as well. Once I got all my picture settings in and left it alone it got better.

I got HD about a week later and was BLOWN AWAY! Incredible. When watching something in HD then switching to an SD channel it makes the picture look totally horrible by comparison. Particularly the analog tier on cable. God, I wish they would ditch the analog tier and go strictly digital.

Anyway, the point is, don't give up on it yet. I think you will be happy in time. The incredible picture on HD and DVDs is worth it. We are just in a transistion period now for technology.

I received my HLP5674W on Sunday and was not at all impressed with SD. Like you I had a hard time with paying $3-4K for a TV that looks worse then the $2K Sony 35 XBR CRT that I bought in 1999. However, there seems to be jumps in performance after some time, just like you said. Day one was horrid. Day two was better and so on. Yesterday (Tues) I went to TimeWarner and got the HD box and was for the most part impressed with the difference. The HD Channels look day and night better. Even the Non-HD but via the digital feed look better too.

My question is this, I MAY BE TOO CLOSE TO THE TV ?
I bought the 56" and wonder if I should bring it back and get the 46" like you have? If I step back serveral feet, the picture is much, much better.
We sit 10-11 feet from the DLP now. the manual says to sit 5-7 times the the lenght of the screen. It seems to me like the same issue I have when I am too close to a CRT TV.
when they say 5-7 times the lenght, is that the height or width? I assume this was written for a 4:3 TV, but it does address DLP in the single page addition that came with the TV (also address cleaning,black dot, cooling fan, and reflection) so I don't know? anyway, if it's a 56", and my assumption if when they say "lenght" they mean how long/far as in height of the screen, which is 27" for the HLP5674W, then I would need to be at least 11.25 feet away with 13 being the sweet spot I assume.

What is the screen height of your HLP4674W? Even though I would no be completely happy with a smaller screen, the improvment in PQ would be worth it.

Can you please answer the following questions for me? Thanks,matt burkhard

1. What is the height of the screen of the HLP4674W?
2. What is the diag size of the HLP4674W when in 4:3 mode? (it's ~48" on the HLP5674W)
3. How far do you sit from your HLP4674W
4. Are you happy with the PQ from said distance?

Thanks agian!

Burkhardi - I'm only sitting 7-8 feet from my 5674 and love it. What you're seeing is what you'll see on any large screen TV. It can only display whatever signal it recieves. You said it yourself that the HD channels look great.

Here is some info to read up on:
http://155.230.213.77/movie/hdtvfaq.html

and a thread on the subject:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=467328

Hey,

Can someone direct me or answer the folowing? :

I have the 5674 & an HDTivo & want to use my Tivo remote with the Sammy. I got it to work thru the tivo provided sammy-code but the volume is "non-repeating" (i.e. you have to incr/decr. volume one tic/keystroke at a time) Anybody got a secret code out there? This is one sweet display!

Thanks!

1. What is the height of the screen of the HLP4674W?
2. What is the diag size of the HLP4674W when in 4:3 mode? (it's ~48" on the HLP5674W)
3. How far do you sit from your HLP4674W
4. Are you happy with the PQ from said distance?

1. not at home don't know off the top.
2. 38" used to have an old 40" RPCRT, so I had to check :-)
3. 11 to 12 feet.
4. yes it's beautiful

I would have really liked to try a 56" set but the WAF just wasn't there.

Originally posted by Phil Upton
Burkhardi - I'm only sitting 7-8 feet from my 5674 and love it. What you're seeing is what you'll see on any large screen TV. It can only display whatever signal it recieves. You said it yourself that the HD channels look great.

Here is some info to read up on:
http://155.230.213.77/movie/hdtvfaq.html

and a thread on the subject:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=467328
Thanks, I'll read up on the links in a second. The HD does look great, but even the HD looks better from a distance. 7-8 feet WOW..that's close. what do you watch?
Example:
we watch 60% SD TV, 20% HD TV and 20% HD from DVD source.
The nice thinig is that there are more and more HD channels coming =)

I'll give it some more time before I go with the smaller one.

Originally posted by fibreKid
1. What is the height of the screen of the HLP4674W?
2. What is the diag size of the HLP4674W when in 4:3 mode? (it's ~48" on the HLP5674W)
3. How far do you sit from your HLP4674W
4. Are you happy with the PQ from said distance?

1. not at home don't know off the top.
2. 38" used to have an old 40" RPCRT, so I had to check :-)
3. 11 to 12 feet.
4. yes it's beautiful

I would have really liked to try a 56" set but the WAF just wasn't there.
Thanks for the quick reply.
If I do go with the 46" and like it better, then perhaps you may feel better about no getting the 56" since we sit only a foot closer then you. I may wait till Fri or next week and decide. I have 30days, so time is on my side. There is also the "WOW factor", the current one wwe have is almost overwhelming from our distance, but Phil watches from 7-8' and is a happy camper, so it may be more of a personal taste thing?

Burkhardl, here is a resource for calculating viewing distances. I have a 4674 and sit 10 ft for normal viewing, but move in to 7 ft. when watching a movie. The PQ is great even at 7 ft. I should note that I don't watch SD on this set (HDTivo is the answer!).

http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

Originally posted by chrisdow
Hey,

Can someone direct me or answer the folowing? :

I have the 5674 & an HDTivo & want to use my Tivo remote with the Sammy. I got it to work thru the tivo provided sammy-code but the volume is "non-repeating" (i.e. you have to incr/decr. volume one tic/keystroke at a time) Anybody got a secret code out there? This is one sweet display!

Thanks!

I've got the same issue, I don't think there is a solution (short of buying a universal remote). It's odd because the remote for my A/V receiver does allow continuous volume control with the 4674.

Before I had the HD Tivo, I had an RCA DTC210 - same issue - volume only went up one tick at a time with it's remote.

chrisdow

I concurr with TJK as I had the same problem adjusting the volume continuously with the remote for my Motorola STB. I recommend the Harmony 680 Remote !!

mismatched

Originally posted by chrisdow
Hey,

Can someone direct me or answer the folowing? :

I have the 5674 & an HDTivo & want to use my Tivo remote with the Sammy. I got it to work thru the tivo provided sammy-code but the volume is "non-repeating" (i.e. you have to incr/decr. volume one tic/keystroke at a time) Anybody got a secret code out there? This is one sweet display!

Thanks!

I'm having the same issue with my Scientific-Atlanta box from TimeWarner.
Furthermore Samsung does not support the box, and once I looked at thier site, the don't support any other brand of Home Theater stuff either..that's lame...
http://erms.samsungusa.com/customer/sea/jsp/faqs/faqs_view.jsp
So I have to keeping hitting the button on the SA remote to get the volume on the Samsung to change. The SA remote can also be set to turn on/off both the cable box and TV with one the power button. It can turn both off, but not on.

Originally posted by Burkhardi
I'm having the same issue with my Scientific-Atlanta box from TimeWarner.
Furthermore Samsung does not support the box, and once I looked at thier site, the don't support any other brand of Home Theater stuff either..that's lame...
http://erms.samsungusa.com/customer/sea/jsp/faqs/faqs_view.jsp
So I have to keeping hitting the button on the SA remote to get the volume on the Samsung to change. The SA remote can also be set to turn on/off both the cable box and TV with one the power button. It can turn both off, but not on.

I sure wouldn't expect Samsung to have to support problems with Scientific Atlanta's remote or anybody elses for that matter. They work great with the Home Theater Master, Universal Remote, and Harmony ones.

Originally posted by Paul_PDX
I sure wouldn't expect Samsung to have to support problems with Scientific Atlanta's remote or anybody elses for that matter. They work great with the Home Theater Master, Universal Remote, and Harmony ones.

Nor do I, but I do expect a $3k+ TV and a "World Class" manufacture to support a popular cable box, as well as not (as I see it) making you buy their Home Theater stuff if you want to you their remote.
I could maybe see them not supporting other peoples TV and home theater, but this is the first TV that I can remember that will not work a Scientific Atlanta Cable Box. I think I will look into a "universal remote" and just use that for everythinkg (as you suggested). I just liked the way I was able to use my Sony remote (and TV) and it would even know that I was using a cable box and redo the buttons accordinly (ie in TV mode, it would work the cable channels when I pushed channel up/down). I guess this is a bit off topic, sorry.
Regards

edit: The above link does not work (Java?).
From the Samsung site:
"You can program your Samsung television universal remote control to operate cable boxes, DVD players, and VCRs from most manufacturers. You cannot program your Samsung television remote to operate another manufacturer's television or any home theater system."
" "
So perhaps I misread it and they mean any home theater, even their's?
however, the no support for SA still stands.

imstester,

I just saw an 4674 at Good Guys and it was the only Samsung DLP that had a noticeably concave screen, so you're not the only one seeing this. The reflection of the store's lights were noticeably warped especially around the corners.

I pushed slightly on all the RPTVs there to see if it was just a bad unit, but out of all the models, HLN, HLPxx63, Mitsu, Sony and JVC, the 4674 had the most "lose" screen of the lot, meaning the edges of the screen had play within the body of the TV and the gray metal lip. It was even loser than the HLN567 they had.

I'm worried because I'm getting at 5674 as a replacement for my lip-sync impaired 567.

Anybody else notice this on their 56"?

I haven't noticed this concaveness--only the fantastic PQ!!!

9' ft. away from my 4674 and it's great. Wish I had bot the 56 though.

Originally posted by Burkhardi
Nor do I, but I do expect a $3k+ TV and a "World Class" manufacture to support a popular cable box, as well as not (as I see it) making you buy their Home Theater stuff if you want to you their remote.

Sorry I misunderstood you -- the HDTivo guys were talking about the Tivo remote not having a code for the Samsung DLP. I see now you were talking about the Samsung remote not having a code for the SA box which they really should have in the US market...

Does anybody use the 5674 with a cable TiVo? I tried all remote codes and only 0092 kind of works. The volume doesn't auto-repeat. I have to toggle the volume button for every increment. Any advise is appreciated.

I have a 4674 and I dont see an expand mode. I have 4:3, wide ,panoramic and zoom. Where is the expand mode?




[i]Originally posted by Cheezmo [/i


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.

What is the input and scan rate. You only see expand when you feed them 720p over DVI or HDMI.

sorry for the novice questions
I dont understand. I thought DNIE and NR were good things. Why would you turn them off? When would you use them?




Originally posted by Cheezmo
Geometry on these is a mechanical adjustment of the light box. If they even had service mode adjustments it would involve digital scaling/warping of the image which would generally not be useful.

The bottom line is that these sets (I have the HLP5063) look great (I call it "pixel perfect") with DVI/HDMI 720p input in Expand mode, with DNiE and Digital NR both off. I would highly recommend using a DVD player that can feed it that scan rate/input.

I haven't yet tried to evaluate or determine the bits per pixel but I haven't seen any obvious banding (again, with DNiE and Digital NR off, with them on, it looks horrible).

I am using a samsung hd841 dvd player with DVI. I have no idea what scan rate means.

Originally posted by Cheezmo
What is the input and scan rate. You only see expand when you feed them 720p over DVI or HDMI.

Originally posted by Timbo 2000
sorry for the novice questions
I dont understand. I thought DNIE and NR were good things. Why would you turn them off? When would you use them?

They are both "features" that alter the image. DNIE adds edge enhancement and makes the black level dynamic depending on the overall image brightness. It also messes with the gamma curve and other things. Digital noise reduction typically softens the image and obscures detail in order to make things look "smoother".

If you have a clean input signal (HD over DVI/HDMI or a good component source) why would you want to mess it up with all those "enhancements"?

If you had a really noisy VCR source, Digital NR might be useful, I can't fathom why you would want any "enhancements" that DNIe does. A customer of mine pronounced it "Deny" the other day and it cracked me up. It "denies" you an accurate image.

Boy I feel like a sucker! These were some of the reasons I bought the set( sales people ahhh!!) Thanks for the help.



Originally posted by Cheezmo
They are both "features" that alter the image. DNIE adds edge enhancement and makes the black level dynamic depending on the overall image brightness. It also messes with the gamma curve and other things. Digital noise reduction typically softens the image and obscures detail in order to make things look "smoother".

If you have a clean input signal (HD over DVI/HDMI or a good component source) why would you want to mess it up with all those "enhancements"?

If you had a really noisy VCR source, Digital NR might be useful, I can't fathom why you would want any "enhancements" that DNIe does. A customer of mine pronounced it "Deny" the other day and it cracked me up. It "denies" you an accurate image.

Has anyone been able to use a custom resolution output from an ATI card using just driver settings, without using Powerstrip? I am trying to fix the overscan problem on my HLP5674 connected via DVI. In the Expand mode at 1280x720, the text looks great in 1:1 pixel mapping, but over-scanned of course. I read that the new NVidia drivers now provide custom profiles for HDTVs to prevent over-scan, but I couldn't find any such solutions for my ATI 9700Pro card.

Originally posted by Timbo 2000
I am using a samsung hd841 dvd player with DVI. I have no idea what scan rate means.
If your DVD player is connected to the TV with a DVI cable then you can set the DVD player convert the information on the DVD disk.

DVD disks contain data in 480i. Your set is probably defaulting to use 480p as it's output until you configure it to do either 1080i or 720p. With a Samsung DLP your choice should be 720p because that's the resolution of the chip (1280x720p) that makes the image.

Check your manual for instructions on where to select output resolution.

I am not sure what "set the dvd player convert the information on the disk" means.I have the dvd player output set to 720p I know that. Is there something I am missing? Also how do I set the monitor to the expand mode? thanks.


Originally posted by htwaits
If your DVD player is connected to the TV with a DVI cable then you can set the DVD player convert the information on the DVD disk.

DVD disks contain data in 480i. Your set is probably defaulting to use 480p as it's output until you configure it to do either 1080i or 720p. With a Samsung DLP your choice should be 720p because that's the resolution of the chip (1280x720p) that makes the image.

Check your manual for instructions on where to select output resolution.

Originally posted by Timbo 2000
I am not sure what "set the dvd player convert the information on the disk" means.I have the dvd player output set to 720p I know that. Is there something I am missing?

I don't know. When you are playing a DVD press the "INFO" button on the remote and tell us what it says.

Also how do I set the monitor to the expand mode? thanks.

You do it with the "P. Size" button on your remote.

A curious thing about the DNIe mode is that it enables the "my color" menu. This menu allows the user to set the red green blue colors. I'm not sure of the overall effect these color sliders have (haven't played with them enough), but it may allow one to compensate for the color calibrations issues in DVE. Just curious why this menu is only enabled when DNIe is enabled (why not have this feature always available)?

info button says

signal-stereo
picture-cinema
sound-movie
srs tsxt-off
1280x720@60hrz




Originally posted by htwaits
[B] [/Bquote:


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Timbo 2000
I am not sure what "set the dvd player convert the information on the disk" means.I have the dvd player output set to 720p I know that. Is there something I am missing?

I don't know. When you are playing a DVD press the "INFO" button on the remote and tell us what it says.

Also how do I set the monitor to the expand mode? thanks.

You do it with the "P. Size" button on your remote.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
]

Originally posted by Timbo 2000
info button says

signal-stereo
picture-cinema
sound-movie
srs tsxt-off
1280x720@60hrz
That's what it should be.

When you press the "P. Size" button on the remote you should cycle through "Wide (TV)", "Wide(PC)", "Expand", and "4x3" modes.

What modes do you see if you keep pressing the "P. Size" button?

Can anybody tell me if the 5674 focus can be adjusted? Right now I have a 5674 and a Mits 52725 side by side in my AV room. I'm trying to make a decision as to which one I want to keep and the only problem with the Samsung is the focus is soft compared to the Mitsu, which is sharp. I might have noticed this at the store but I wasn't sure. Is this possibly normal because of the screen differences?
I have the 52725 a few weeks but the big problem, for me, is the amount of noise the fan makes and the painfully slow tuner. Right now the Sammy is much quieter.
I only have about 20 hours on the 5674 and the red push(?) has calmed down some and with some playing around I've got both sets looking nearly alike, because I do like the Mits picture. The focus may have gotten a little better also. I can just about count the hairs on Jay Leno's head with the Mits but not quite with the Sammy.
I'm running a Pioneer HD cable box into a component video splitter box so both sets can be on at the same time. I have as yet to try a DVD.
The only color that needs a little more pop on the Sammy is the yellow but I don't know how to go about that.
A little help on the focus and the Mits. will be making its way back to the store. Any info or comments would be appreciated.