These types of posts are even less constructive than gazelle's.

flames are not that useful, but misinformation is worse.

We won't know for sure, until we have TVs that accept 1080p and we can compare etc. But the conventional wisdom is that no processing is better than any processing. So, 1080p accepted and 1:1 pixel mapping is better than 1080p --> 1080i --> 1080p that has to happen when HiDef DVDs come out this/next year.

Actually, with HD-DVD, wouldn't it just be 1080i-->1080p?

flames are not that useful, but misinformation is worse.

You mean like it does 1080p over HDMI and passes 5.1? ;)

I really wouldn't worry about about misinformation given that the same questions are asked again and again.

The local Tweeter guy told me Samsung will not honor the warranty on units bought from on-line vendors. True or is he full of it?

Thanks to UCSB and all others who have taken time to answer my previous posts.

Angus

He's full of it....as long as it is an authorized Samsung dealer.

For $2000 USD I want:

- 6 HDMI Inputs all carrying 5.1 (accepting 1080p)
- 2 DVI outputs for PC connectivty (accepting 1080p)
- Component Video x 4
- No Composite
- No S-Video
- A free tshirt saying "I tried to plug crappy Composite or Svideo into my fancy HDTV and I am silly" for those that fail at life.

Oh and it must also make my coffee and eggo's in the morning :D and come with a free donkey if I need to move my TV in the future.

- D

You mean like it does 1080p over HDMI and passes 5.1? ;)

I really wouldn't worry about about misinformation given that the same questions are asked again and again.

Note: This just recently posted in the 1080P Owners thread by Dealer92...

"At lunch I tested Sam 950 via HDMI to 6168 and Toslink optical from TV AVR and I got DTS. Was using Onkyo 602 and it clearly displayed DTS when that part of the Eagles Hell Freezes over Music DVD came on. 5.1 works from TV! P.S. I disconnected all other out cables from Sam 950."

He's full of it....as long as it is an authorized Samsung dealer.
I haven't read about anyone being rejected by Samsung because of where their set was bought as long as there is proof of purchase.

I haven't read about anyone being rejected by Samsung because of where their set was bought as long as there is proof of purchase.

Even better!

:D

Even better!

:D
Yes ... if you trust my memory. :o

The local Tweeter guy told me Samsung will not honor the warranty on units bought from on-line vendors. True or is he full of it?

Thanks to UCSB and all others who have taken time to answer my previous posts.

Angus

Can someone PM me the link for the AVS member discount on TVA's website?

I keep flipping back and forth between CC and BB and Tweeter as compared to TVA or another online retailer. The guys at Tweeter will not budge and they don't care if it is an honor site by Samsung. My only concern is what if I get a 50" DLP and feel like its too big, so I want to return it for a 46". How difficult would this be with an online company? Perhaps it would be the same since I drive a small car and couldn't take the tv back to BB or CC anyway.

are you supposed to calibrate your tv when you get it i ordered the 6168 and was wondering if i need to calibrate it and how i need to do that thanks

1080p that has to happen when HiDef DVDs come out this/next year.

so they say....I remember a guy telling me how wonderful mini-discs were going to be too.

They were wonderful. I used them for around 7years. I still have over 60 of them, but I haven't used my minidisc player in my car for a couple of years now. It's too slow to record to minidisc when I can just burn an entire Cd is a couple of minutes. They were also great for jogging before all the flash players came out. I jogged alot of miles in the 90's listening to music on a minidisc player. I wouldn't use one now since they are so big compared to a wma player the size of a stick of gum.

Can someone PM me the link for the AVS member discount on TVA's website?

Its on the first page of the Power Buy sticky at the top of the page.


My only concern is what if I get a 50" DLP and feel like its too big, so I want to return it for a 46". How difficult would this be with an online company?

Once on the TVA site, look at the 5 star service. Basically it is a ship back method. If you want to exchange for another set, then return shipping is free, if you just want a refund, then you pay the return shipping.

so they say....I remember a guy telling me how wonderful mini-discs were going to be too.

mini-discs !! A better comparison is with SACD / DVD-Audio. They are great ... but never really caught on. People are more interested in low-fi MP3 than HiFi SACD.

The local Tweeter guy told me Samsung will not honor the warranty on units bought from on-line vendors. True or is he full of it?

Thanks to UCSB and all others who have taken time to answer my previous posts.

Angus

Guys at Magnolia told me the same thing. There was a Samsung rep at the shop who told me they are trying to crack down on fly-by-night online vendors. Samsung marketing reps are probably telling all the concerned B&M shops to scare their customers by saying online buyers will not get warranty.

But TVA is an authorized dealer with B&M shops. They have been careful not to advertise the prices and thus stick to Samsung's policies. It should be no different than buying from BestBuy online.

I guess the policies themselves are not completely legal. If they are challenged in FTC, they will probably be ruled anti competetive.

Guys at Magnolia told me the same thing. There was a Samsung rep at the shop who told me they are trying to crack down on fly-by-night online vendors. Samsung marketing reps are probably telling all the concerned B&M shops to scare their customers by saying online buyers will not get warranty.

But TVA is an authorized dealer with B&M shops. They have been careful not to advertise the prices and thus stick to Samsung's policies. It should be no different than buying from BestBuy online.

I guess the policies themselves are not completely legal. If they are challenged in FTC, they will probably be ruled anti competetive.

Tweeter's local "assistant manager" actually told me the warranty dislcaimer against on-line vendors is on the Samsung website although I haven't had time to look for it.

Thanks again y'all for the great feedback.

Angus

Note: This just recently posted in the 1080P Owners thread by Dealer92...

"At lunch I tested Sam 950 via HDMI to 6168 and Toslink optical from TV AVR and I got DTS. Was using Onkyo 602 and it clearly displayed DTS when that part of the Eagles Hell Freezes over Music DVD came on. 5.1 works from TV! P.S. I disconnected all other out cables from Sam 950."

false alarm. the 950 was set to send a PCM (2.0) signal over HDMI. The AVR was set to DTS Neo 6, which takes the 2.0 PCM signal and converts it to 6.1, similar to how DLP IIx works. When dealer92 tried setting the 950 to bitstream, in which the player will send out a DD or DTS signal, he received no audio on the 6168 as well as the dreaded "HDMI audio not supported"

this just confirms that the only way to get a DD signal out of the optical out on these 1080p sammy's are when using the internal tuner (QAM/ATSC/NTSC)

If it is such a big deal for Samsung warranty and service not to buy online, then why do they link you to online retailers on their webpage.

If it is such a big deal for Samsung warranty and service not to buy online, then why do they link you to online retailers on their webpage.

I would imagine because those are "authorized" Samsung online dealers?

are you supposed to calibrate your tv when you get it i ordered the 6168 and was wondering if i need to calibrate it and how i need to do that thanks

You don't *have* to calibrate it, as it's usually an extra expense, but it is nice to do. Also you don't do it right when you get the TV. Rather wait (I can't remember how long) a while as the bulb needs to "break in" like a new pair of shoes.

- D

Just bought the HLR 5607. It fit in my TV nook by a hair width wise.

However, last night while watching OTA HD using rabbit ears I noticed something odd. With 4:3 material there appeared to be a slight curve on the side of the image. Almost as if it needed keystone correction. I did not try a 4:3 dvd so I am not sure if this is the reception or what. Need to make sure this is not a problem with the set before too long.

Any other experiences or thoughts.

...With 4:3 material there appeared to be a slight curve on the side of the image. Almost as if it needed keystone correction. I did not try a 4:3 dvd so I am not sure if this is the reception or what. Need to make sure this is not a problem with the set before too long...
This comes up a lot with many of the thin RPTV cabinet designs, and most here seem to attribute this pincushioning to how close the optics are to the screen. Others here may be able to supply a more accurate explanation. I've noticed them on many sets in the stores, and I've seen it differ in degree from set to set of the same model number. I'm not aware of any correction for this.

EDIT: In other words, it's more a design issue and unless it's really bad, it wouldn't be considered by most to be something specifically wrong with your set. FWIW, I think I've noticed a modest improvement in minimizing pincushioning on the xx67 series over some of the older Samsung models.

I would imagine because those are "authorized" Samsung online dealers?

I bought my hlr6167w from the online dealer that had the cheapest delivered price. I had to call Samsung for a minor issue and they scheduled a service tech to take a look at the set, no problems at all. I also registered online quickly after receiving the tv and they even extended the warranty, even after entering that I purchased the set online. Either they screwed up and gave me something I didn't qualify for, or more likely the "no warranty if purchased online" is a lie.

Off topic, but why can these online retailer's price be so much lower than brick and mortar stores?

Off topic, but why can these online retailer's price be so much lower than brick and mortar stores?


Primarily because they don't have brick and mortar and it's attendent costs. They look more like a wholesaler in that respect.

Lee

I agree with everyone who says this is a great site. I've read it for months. The problem I'm having is that my memory can't keep up. The first page is great, but what I'd like to see is something about best practices for the set up, configuration, etc.

For example, with a HD Directv/TIVO box, which connections do I want to use?
I have a 6.1/video receiver, how do I make sure I get the 5.1 while also getting the best picture?
How does any of this affect my DVD player?
What other settings to I want to make?
On the up conversion thing, how do I set my Directv box, DVD player, etc. to get best advantage?

I know all the answers are here some place, but does anyone have a way to pull some of the basics and/or best practices together a little better? I know best practices don't apply to everyone but it would be a good point of departure for many of us. If we can't get a list of best practices, can we get a running list of setup/connection/configuration things to avoid?

Thanks

... but what I'd like to see is something about best practices for the set up, configuration, etc.
The owner's thread is the place for that.

Samsung 1080p Owner's Thread --- HLRxxx8W DLP Models (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=559872&page=1&pp=30)

It seems logical for here, it's just another way to answer the questions and consolidate some things on the first page. Nevertheless, I just put it on the owners thread as well. I'm still hoping for a little help here.

It seems logical for here, it's just another way to answer the questions and consolidate some things on the first page. Nevertheless, I just put it on the owners thread as well. I'm still hoping for a little help here.
This thread was intended for information about the 1080p sets before they arrived in peoples homes. What you are looking for can only come from owners. :)

There should be plenty of opportunity for you to contribute to any consolidation of owner information. That's how the first page of this thread was created. :cool:

>Either they screwed up and gave me something I didn't qualify for, or more likely the "no warranty if purchased online" is a lie.


In the case of Samsung at the present time I think the sales guy's statement is a lie. However, it is true that some manufacturers are trying to crack down on internet sales due to pressure from authorized dealers. Two examples are Garmin for GPS and Denon for consumer electronics. No warranty from either of them if purchased at other than an authorized dealer. So far I've heard nothing about Samsung headed that way.

I was considering buying a Denon DVD player but after reading about reliability problems and refused warranty coverage I thought the better of it. So the plan can backfire.

Jon

This thread was intended for information about the 1080p sets before they arrived in peoples homes. What you are looking for can only come from owners. :)

There should be plenty of opportunity for you to contribute to any consolidation of owner information. That's how the first page of this thread was created. :cool:

This is really when we miss Arun Gupta and the great service he provided to the community. I stumbled onto the Forum in the winter of '04, and his summary posts were an invaluable source of basic info, organized incredibly well; we need to reincarnate him immediately!

This is really when we miss Arun Gupta and the great service he provided to the community. I stumbled onto the Forum in the winter of '04, and his summary posts were an invaluable source of basic info, organized incredibly well; we need to reincarnate him immediately!

What happened to him?

What happened to him?

He died from an unfortunate bicycle accident.

This thread was intended for information about the 1080p sets before they arrived in peoples homes. What you are looking for can only come from owners. :)

There should be plenty of opportunity for you to contribute to any consolidation of owner information. That's how the first page of this thread was created. :cool:

I must respectfully disagree. It seems that best practices for connecting/configuring 1080p sets has a lot to do with this thread. It's already runs through this discussion, it's just not organized or summarized. If it isn't supposed to be part of this thread, it seems like that would make all the discussion here rhetorical. It's definitaly not just for owners, although owners would clearly be interested.

He died from an unfortunate bicycle accident.

That's horrible.

This (http://www.digiupdate.com/) was Arun's baby...sorely missed!

It's definitaly not just for owners, although owners would clearly be interested.
Owners are the ones with setup and configuration information. Who else?

Owners are the ones with setup and configuration information. Who else?

There is a lot of that here. So tell me again what this thread is for then?

I must respectfully disagree. It seems that best practices for connecting/configuring 1080p sets has a lot to do with this thread. It's already runs through this discussion, it's just not organized or summarized. If it isn't supposed to be part of this thread, it seems like that would make all the discussion here rhetorical. It's definitaly not just for owners, although owners would clearly be interested.

Hi Cookie ... This is UCSB ... I've been maintaining POST #1 in this thread. I understand what you would like to see, but I would like to leave POST #1 (which is pretty large already) dedicated to spec's. It was an incredible amount of work to create.

There are links to all of the owners manuals in POST #1. They contain setup and connection instructions for all common configurations. They are a good starting point. Beyond that, as HTWaits has suggested, the Owners Thread is the place to discuss and document installation and operation tips. I have a POST over there: POST #3, that I will be using to summarize info that would be of wide interest. Right now I'm not planning on trying to solve all of the connection issues, but I will be documenting things like what DVD players perform best and how should they be setup. I haven't started consolidating info yet, but will begin here in the next day or so.

By accident I was the first one to post to Arun's first "guide" thread where he accumulated information about how to get the most out of his DLP sets. I'm sure that he would have upgraded to one of the larger 1080p sets and would have started a "1080p guide".

My Unofficial Guide to Samsung HLN Series DLP Sets (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=2182824#post2182824)

The original "guide" morphed into his web site which he created using Front Page. His plan was to have the web site redone using a professional web designer.

A lot of us think UCSB is our Arun Gupta. Thanks Bill.

A lot of us think UCSB is our Arun Gupta. Thanks Bill.

Thanks ... Arun was an inspiration. :)

When you get around to organizing it, can you add a section that explains the audio delay issue. It's confusing me. I don't know if it's only a problem if you connect your receiver to the tv, and not if you go from the sources straight to the receiver.

Hi Cookie ... This is UCSB ... I've been maintaining POST #1 in this thread. I understand what you would like to see, but I would like to leave POST #1 (which is pretty large already) dedicated to spec's. It was an incredible amount of work to create.

There are links to all of the owners manuals in POST #1. They contain setup and connection instructions for all common configurations. They are a good starting point. Beyond that, as HTWaits has suggested, the Owners Thread is the place to discuss and document installation and operation tips. I have a POST over there: POST #3, that I will be using to summarize info that would be of wide interest. Right now I'm not planning on trying to solve all of the connection issues, but I will be documenting things like what DVD players perform best and how should they be setup. I haven't started consolidating info yet, but will begin here in the next day or so.

When you get around to organizing it, can you add a section that explains the audio delay issue. It's confusing me. I don't know if it's only a problem if you connect your receiver to the tv, and not if you go from the sources straight to the receiver.

OK ... that is definitely a topic that would be good to add.

Finally! The new Samsung 1080P DLPs have made it to the East Coast.

I stopped by the Magnolia store inside Best Buy in Nashua, NH today, and they had a brand-new HL-R5668W on display. I didn't have time to do any experimentation, but I asked the sales rep about availability. He told me they had "plenty" of them in their New England warehouse.

BTW, price was set at MSRP.

Finally! The new Samsung 1080P DLPs have made it to the East Coast.

I stopped by the Magnolia store inside Best Buy in Nashua, NH today, and they had a brand-new HL-R5668W on display. I didn't have time to do any experimentation, but I asked the sales rep about availability. He told me they had "plenty" of them in their New England warehouse.

BTW, price was set at MSRP.

Off-topic, but I have to ask. They are working on a Magnolia in-store section at my local Best Buy (Mall of Georgia Location) and say it should be finished by the end of August. How are these from what you've seen? I noticed that only some of the Magnolia lines will be offered in these stores but I am interested in seeing how the section will fit in with the rest of the Best Buy standard retail feel.

Jeff

Finally! The new Samsung 1080P DLPs have made it to the East Coast.

I stopped by the Magnolia store inside Best Buy in Nashua, NH today, and they had a brand-new HL-R5668W on display. I didn't have time to do any experimentation, but I asked the sales rep about availability. He told me they had "plenty" of them in their New England warehouse.

BTW, price was set at MSRP.

Try making them an offer they can't refuse.

Hi Cookie ... This is UCSB ... I've been maintaining POST #1 in this thread. I understand what you would like to see, but I would like to leave POST #1 (which is pretty large already) dedicated to spec's. It was an incredible amount of work to create.

There are links to all of the owners manuals in POST #1. They contain setup and connection instructions for all common configurations. They are a good starting point. Beyond that, as HTWaits has suggested, the Owners Thread is the place to discuss and document installation and operation tips. I have a POST over there: POST #3, that I will be using to summarize info that would be of wide interest. Right now I'm not planning on trying to solve all of the connection issues, but I will be documenting things like what DVD players perform best and how should they be setup. I haven't started consolidating info yet, but will begin here in the next day or so.

Understood and thank you for all your good and helpful work. This is just one of several threads you run/start that provide an excellent forum.

One last comment. I suspect there are many folks like me who don't really want to be an expert but would like to learn from others willing to share their expertise. It takes a lot of time and work for more casual participates to go through a thread like this.

Something summarizing how best to connect/configure/use these sets would be useful to many people and may also help put technical discussions into a more applied context. In the end, I guess the thread i'm asking for is "how to get the most out of these expensive investments?" Maybe it boils down to 1080p for dummies? :) Oh well, thanks again. I'll do more reading and less posting.

It takes a lot of time and work for more casual participates to go through a thread like this.
That's why I recommended the 1080p owner's thread. I expect that there will be a summary there sometime after the 1080p sets have been in members hands for two weeks. :rolleyes:

Cookie1:

Ok here just for you:

VIDEO

TIPS:

1. When connecting a video device (be it a DVD player, personal computer, video game console, etc). try and use the best connection possible, usually a digital connection. There are some applications when a analog cable may work better, but most often a digital connection is what you're often. Whichever you use is up to you, here's (in my opinion) the cable types in order from WORST to BEST:

1. Composite Video (the yellow plug)
2. S-Video (the plug with lots of little pins in it)
3. Component Video (red, green, and blue plugs)
4. VGA (the plug you see on your computer monitor)
5. DVI (like VGA except with more pins and a big slot size pin)
6. HDMI (a little small metal type plug)

AUDIO

Again the same rules apply for audio as they did for video, try and use the best connection you can afford, and use easily with your equipment. We're not 100% sure as far as I know, but it appears that 5.1 audio cannot be passed through the HDMI ports on the Samsung HLR units - thus you'll want to have it like this:

DEVICE: VIDEO Cable -> SAMSUNG
AUDIO Cable -> Surround Sound Receiver

Of course if you don't have surround sound, plug it all into the TV :). Now back into the list of WORST to BEST audio connections:

1. Mono Audio (no one uses this anymore I hope)
2. 2 Channel "Stereo" audio (red and white plugs usually)
3. Optical Audio 2 Channel (plug an optical cable into the TV and then have it plug into some external speakers (NOT your receiver if you have one)
4. Digital Coax (usually 1 RCA connector, ornage in color) / TOSLINK (or Optical) (a square connector with a little tip: Both of these types are digital connections and pretty similar from my experiences.

Again the decisions you have make:

1. Where's my TV going?
2. Where's my equipment going?
3. How far do my cables have to run?
4. What cables can I afford?
5. Do I have an upconverting DVD player (and thus might want to get away from icky composite video?)
6. Does the wife have a problem with me buying $400 worth of cables? :D

I say AGAIN, these hints are NOT set in stone, they vary between device, setting, room, budget, personality, donkey weight load, etc. If you have any questions, the Owners thread is the place for you because only there can you talk to others who actually OWN a TV similar to yours. The rest of us are still waiting :)

Cheers,

- D

The lip synch delay problem keeps rearing its ugly head over and over again in this and other threads about the new Samsung HLR models. A while ago someone (UCSB, Administrator?) mentioned that he had it on good authority from a high-up contact at Samsung (Steve something in Marketing) that the new HLR models, especially the 68/78, would NOT have lip synch delay issues. This does not seem to be the case so perhaps whoever it was (UCSB, Administrator?) needs to bring this problem back to the attention of his contact at Samsung for commenting on.


Not surprising - Who would expect somone in Marketing to knock their own merchandise? Probably the LAST person you would look to for a frank answer would be someone in Marketing. Maybe next to last - i suppose asking someone in PR would be even more naive:)

Copied and pasted to word for future reference. Thanks for taking the time.

I have so many cables running back there between so many devices it's sometimes confusing as hell - most folks talk about getting a Calibrator but I think I need to have my cabling scheme checked to make sure connections are maximized first and somehow magically hide them as the wife thinks they're unnecessary and must be concealed from view - not as easy as she thinks. You have a unique way of making your points in your posts that are entertaining as well - Thanks! :D

I see the 1080P Samsungs are starting to show up on the bargain sites! One site is showing the 5678, but at not much of a bargain price, even after rebate.

That's actually helpful, to me and I suspect others as well. Next question, I know the up conversion thing is in play as well. Are their sumilar rules of thumb for how best to set source (HD Directv, DVR, DVD, etc.) and 1080p to deal with this? Other rules of thumb to think about are: best game connections/setup, best voice sync options, etc. A little more of this type of thing really helps some of us who are interested but just not at the same level.

Thanks again.

Copied and pasted to word for future reference. Thanks for taking the time.

I have so many cables running back there between so many devices it's sometimes confusing as hell - most folks talk about getting a Calibrator but I think I need to have my cabling scheme checked to make sure connections are maximized first and somehow magically hide them as the wife thinks they're unnecessary and must be concealed from view - not as easy as she thinks. You have a unique way of making your points in your posts that are entertaining as well - Thanks! :D

Ditto. Nice post Daphoid, helpful to quite a few I'm sure.

[b]

Again the same rules apply for audio as they did for video, try and use the best connection you can afford, and use easily with your equipment. We're not 100% sure as far as I know, but it appears that 5.1 audio cannot be passed through the HDMI ports on the Samsung HLR units - thus you'll want to have it like this:

I say AGAIN, these hints are NOT set in stone, they vary between device, setting, room, budget, personality, donkey weight load, etc. If you have any questions, the Owners thread is the place for you because only there can you talk to others who actually OWN a TV similar to yours. The rest of us are still waiting :)

Cheers,

- D

1) Can someone explain to me why anyone would want to use the HLR for 5.1 sound? I will definitely be sending the audio port from my cable box to the receiver via coaxial. Are you referring to 5.1 not available via HDMI on the Samsungs by the cable cards? I'm confused on this.

2) Where is the owners thread? Or is that the ones similar to this but for xx67w?

Not surprising - Who would expect somone in Marketing to knock their own merchandise? Probably the LAST person you would look to for a frank answer would be someone in Marketing. Maybe next to last - i suppose asking someone in PR would be even more naive:)
No, Giselle, you are the last person any of us would ask. :cool:

[QUOTE=subwoofer]1) Can someone explain to me why anyone would want to use the HLR for 5.1 sound? I will definitely be sending the audio port from my cable box to the receiver via coaxial. Are you referring to 5.1 not available via HDMI on the Samsungs by the cable cards? I'm confused on this.QUOTE]

If the HDMI inputs would accept 5.1 audio the TV could sync the 5.1 audio to the video. The optical output on the TV could then be used to feed the in sync 5.1 audio to your sound system.

subwoofer: the idea of 5.1 sound coming out of the HLR optical output is to minimize the lip sync or video delay problems. The notion is that the TV can lock the audio with the video, frame to frame, so that there is no audio delay. The TV is the "best" place to do this because, theoretically, it knows how much delay is being used.

Unfortunately, Samsung does not seem to have engineered this feature into their current series of TVs.

subwoofer: the idea of 5.1 sound coming out of the HLR optical output is to minimize the lip sync or video delay problems. The notion is that the TV can lock the audio with the video, frame to frame, so that there is no audio delay. The TV is the "best" place to do this because, theoretically, it knows how much delay is being used.

Unfortunately, Samsung does not seem to have engineered this feature into their current series of TVs.

I am not aware of any other manufacturer doing it either. Some people here have claimed that other manufactures can but if you check with the manufactures I'm confident you will find otherwise.

subwoofer: the idea of 5.1 sound coming out of the HLR optical output is to minimize the lip sync or video delay problems. The notion is that the TV can lock the audio with the video, frame to frame, so that there is no audio delay. The TV is the "best" place to do this because, theoretically, it knows how much delay is being used.

Unfortunately, Samsung does not seem to have engineered this feature into their current series of TVs.

Not good. But I'm sure everyone is ok by running from their cable box to an AVR to achieve 5.1 sound. I've heard of some audio lag but it seems to be the result of using composite cables rather than optical. That true? It doesn't seem to be an issue of someone owning an AVR that has a delay built in since the delay that occurs isn't constant.

vandu: I don't know if they have or if they haven't, but I intend to find out,

subwoofer: you should scan through the owner's thread. There is a whole discussion on how to hook up the TVs and what is or isn't true about lip sync.
owner (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5944159&posted=1#post5944159)

^Where is that thread? Is it the more specific Samsung threads owned by UCSB?

^Where is that thread? Is it the more specific Samsung threads owned by UCSB?

Click on the button marked "owner" in wtr1's post!!!

Click on the button marked "owner" in wtr1's post!!!
The Palo Alto Fry's Electronics now has the HLR6168 on display. If you know Fry's and especially the Palo Alto store, you will be amazed that it is connected to a Samsung HD850 outputting 1080i over HDMI. They were playing Spiderman.

The "6168" was in custom mode and I switched it to cinema mode.

They also had it in a spot where it was possible to view it from any distance you might desire.

A supervisor may come along and correct all these obvious errors any minute now.

I understand that the HD850 may have some problems, but I didn't notice anything strange. The PQ looked pretty good but without some calibration there were some crushed blacks.

If I win the California lottery tonight I probably won't buy this TV. I think I would rebuild my house and install the new Sim2 front projector written up on our home page. It starts at $18K and has three "Dark3" HD2+ chips in the light engine. Lens options are extra! :eek:

The Palo Alto Fry's Electronics now has the HLR6168 on display. If you know Fry's and especially the Palo Alto store, you will be amazed that it is connected to a Samsung HD850 outputting 1080i over HDMI. They were playing Spiderman.

<skip>

If I win the California lottery tonight I probably won't buy this TV. I think I would rebuild my house and install the new Sim2 front projector written up on our home page. It starts at $18K and has three "Dark3" HD2+ chips in the light engine. Lens options are extra! :eek:


Thanks htwaits. :)

If someone gave you $4k, what TV would you buy? :p

News out from VSDA indicates that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will only work through the HDMI input. Great news for us with or contemplating the newer 1080p Samsung sets, but the older HD sets with DVI (and no HDMI) may be out of luck.

Below is a brief synopsis (link to the article changes daily, but for today, you can see it at http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents).

"As if the format war weren't bad enough, there's now some early indications that at least the HD-DVD format will only allow playback of full 1080 resolution video signals through HDMI connectors. This would be a copy protection measure meant to insure that the best quality video is only available through digitally encrypted/protected outputs (rather than less protected or unprotected analog outputs). It's very possible that Blu-ray Disc will follow suit. What this would mean for consumers, is that if you've purchased your HDTV in the last year or two, you MIGHT be okay (as most new HDTVs sold on the market come equipped with HDMI inputs), but consumers with older HDTVs (pre-HDMI) are out of luck. That's a VERY large percentage of the HD market that is immediately unable to take full advantage of the new formats"

DVI--->HDMI converters. Always a solution

DVI--->HDMI converters. Always a solution

Definitely worth a try. I'm actually going to beta test a component to VGA converter, since my DVD player outputs 1080p via component, and hook it up to the Samsung VGA input, which accepts native 1080p. Thank goodness for converters. Interesting to find out whether they work (or work well) for these applications.

News out from VSDA indicates that Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will only work through the HDMI input. Great news for us with or contemplating the newer 1080p Samsung sets, but the older HD sets with DVI (and no HDMI) may be out of luck.
Almost all DVI equipped sets have the same copy protection that HDMI uses. As far as the signal itself, HDMI is backward compatible with DVI.

Optoma built some DVI sets without copy protection. I don't recall anyone else doing that.

Of course, anything is possible when it comes to messing with consumers. :rolleyes:

If someone gave you $4k, what TV would you buy? :p
Probably a new refrigerator, washer/dryer, dishwasher and some paint. :o

Oh! You asked which TV. If I didn't have one I would wait until I could see all of this years sets. If the money was mine to spend today only, then I would get a 61" HLR and try to convince my wife that it was a 50" set on steroids.

Almost all DVI equipped sets have the same copy protection that HDMI uses. As far as the signal itself, HDMI is backward compatible with DVI.

Optoma built some DVI sets without copy protection. I don't recall anyone else doing that.

Of course, anything is possible when it comes to messing with consumers. :rolleyes:

My recent understanding of the situation is that there are two flavors of HDCP, DVI and HDMI each implementing a different flavor. However, since HDMI is supposed to be backward compatible with DVI, HDMI devices are supposed to use the DVI HDCP when a DVI device is detected during the handshake...so it should be all good.

I doubt BluRay would limit itself to HDMI, most likely use i.Link/1394 as well given Sony's influence and the fact that its digital encryption is strong like HDMI.

My recent understanding of the situation is that there are two flavors of HDCP, DVI and HDMI each implementing a different flavor. However, since HDMI is supposed to be backward compatible with DVI, HDMI devices are supposed to use the DVI HDCP when a DVI device is detected during the handshake...so it should be all good.

I doubt BluRay would limit itself to HDMI, most likely use i.Link/1394 as well given Sony's influence and the fact that its digital encryption is strong like HDMI.
That sounds reasonable. Could you do me a favor. Please change "build" to built" in your quote of my message. I had a senior moment and I need a cover up. Thanks. :eek:

Time will tell, but I don't think that Blu-Ray will use the i.link/1394 connection. My reasoning for this is that the current Sony specs for the WE, WF, XS, XBR, A10 and A20 do not include that type of connection. The ability to record/time-shift high-def content is an important feature to me and I expect this type of connection to do this. The lack of it on the Sony products is one of the big reasons I'm currently in the undecided Samsung/Toshiba camp.

" Time will tell, but I don't think that Blu-Ray will use the i.link/1394 connection. "

No realistic chance. Why bother? Maybe on units that record for attaching to a cable box.

If the money was mine to spend today only, then I would get a 61" HLR and try to convince my wife that it was a 50" set on steroids.

HTWaits, How savvy is your wife with HT? If she's not tell her the measurement of the width of the screen rather than the diagonal and squeeze in the extra.

Ray Romano would do that. Give it a shot, How wide is that 61"? Download the 50 or 56" manual. Just a thought as many guys have to deal with that WAF impact. Could make a dedicated thread for guys - How to sell the wife on "bigger being better " since we here it all our lives guys and we just agree with Bigger or else she doesn't get any until you get what you want (Yeah right!) (Just funning) ;)

I'm confused a bit as well.
I have a 5.1 speaker setup ( 2 front L/R, center, 2 Surround L/R) I own the Onkyo TXNR1000 receiver. I plan to connect my Onkyo to the 5688 via HDMI & connect my Samsung HD950 DVD player via HDMI to the 5688. I will be connecting my XBOX via the HD AV Pack (component cables) to the TV & will use an Fiber Optic cable from Xbox to AV Pack for 5.1 sound for my XBOX.

This setup will give me 5.1 surround sound for my system using the HDMI from Tv to Onkyo receiver right?

HTWaits, How savvy is your wife with HT?
It was a joke like the four grand. I don't play those games in the real world. ;)

I went into a different local SoundTrack store today, one that I had never been in before, and searched out the big HDTVs area where I was immediately grabbed by the HLR5078, it just stood out from everything else around it (a Mits 52" DLP, a 55" Sony A20, a Mits 52" RPLCD, a Samsung HLR5067 and a Sony 50" RP-LCD all of which had a decent HD feed playing assorted stuff including some kind of nature program with great colors and motion. As I've noted before, the picture on the HLR5078 was amazing. So bright, so clear, so detailed, excellent blacks and shadow detail, and the colors are superb. Even at 10-12' away it differentiates itself from the other models, including the HLR5067 (which also has a darned good picture IMHO). Still haven't seen a larger size 68 or 78 though. Anyway, I've viewed the HLR5078 three times now with a favorable gut reaction each time. If I can get the wife to agree I'm pulling the trigger. ;) If not, I think I could could be happy with the HLR5067.

I was in the Park Meadows CO Soundtrack Tues night still no 61. Had the saleguy turn the TV to dynamic mode and it was much more impressive than the first time they had it up when it didn't blow me away. I agree very good PQ. Salesguy told me that they had received a 61 a few days before and it was sent back because of some unknown problem. Five stores in CO now have the 61. Closest to me supposedly is the store at Wadsworth and Bowles. Planning to go over there this weekend.

What are the differences between the HLR6178W and HLR6188W, besides the "Floating Screen Look"?

I am specifically trying to determine if the screens are different (matte) , size of the unit is wider, deepr or loner, same inputs (2 hdmi) and the sound is the same?

I know this is opinion based, but what look do you like better the 78 or 88?

I'm confused a bit as well.
I have a 5.1 speaker setup ( 2 front L/R, center, 2 Surround L/R) I own the Onkyo TXNR1000 receiver. I plan to connect my Onkyo to the 5688 via HDMI & connect my Samsung HD950 DVD player via HDMI to the 5688. I will be connecting my XBOX via the HD AV Pack (component cables) to the TV & will use an Fiber Optic cable from Xbox to AV Pack for 5.1 sound for my XBOX.

This setup will give me 5.1 surround sound for my system using the HDMI from Tv to Onkyo receiver right?

don't forget to connect an digital optical or coax cable from the 950 to the onyko. since the 950 is connected by hdmi to the tv, you won't be able to receive 5.1 from the player.

don't forget to connect an digital optical or coax cable from the 950 to the onyko. since the 950 is connected by hdmi to the tv, you won't be able to receive 5.1 from the player.

Darn, this is annoying. Ok so you mean aside from having the DVD connected via HDMI to my TV I would also need to make a 2nd connection using Digi Opt or coax to the TV as well?
When you say Digi Opt, you mean a Fiber Optic cable right? :confused:

I would go hdmi from dvd to tv and optical or coax from dvd to receiver.

Just remember that for every a/v component that outputs video and sound (dvd player, stb, game consoles) you need to get that video and sound to your display device and your audio video receiver if you want surround sound. HDMI was supposed to combine both, but as you see, that theory hasn't caught up to reality yet.

At least you get flexibility this way.

The TV is your video display device so that will always be considered receiving input and your other components as giving output. Now your audio video receiver can do both. It can receive input and send output and that can complicate or simplify your setup. I usually like to keep the number of devices between the signals to a minimum, so I usually don't route video through the a/v receiver, only audio for the surround sound experience. But if your tv only had one set of inputs and your receiver 2 or more, then it woudl make sense to also route video through the a/v receiver to take advantage of the extra inputs.

Hopefully I haven't confused you even more.



Darn, this is annoying. Ok so you mean aside from having the DVD connected via HDMI to my TV I would also need to make a 2nd connection using Digi Opt or coax to the TV as well?
When you say Digi Opt, you mean a Fiber Optic cable right? :confused:

stepmback What are the differences between the HLR6178W and HLR6188W, besides the "Floating Screen Look"?

You need to see the very first page UCSB has posted tons of quality photo's and info there and I think you've confused the numbers they would be 6168 and 6178 - I don't believe a 6188 exists. The 88 is a Kirk Pedestal model but I think it only goes to 56".

68 = Matte and floating screen - only difference is cosmetic
78 - Shiny black

I like the 78 series but it's marketed to higher end stores and price is not discounted as much as the 68 and I feel the shiny blacks reflections reported could be distracting in a light filled room. I like the way it looks but I don't want reflections interfering with my viewing or pay the difference for a pretty frame and an example was 6768 versus 7178 of about $1400 for 4" and the shiny black - with the difference I got my Stand and AVR. I bought the 6768 based upon being a better value. But it also depends on your personal preference and pocketbook - your money - your decision. Good Luck! :D

Question: in comparing the 68 series to the 78 series, do you think the blacker bezel on the 78 does a better job of enhancing the look of blacks in the TV's image?

Question: in comparing the 68 series to the 78 series, do you think the blacker bezel on the 78 does a better job of enhancing the look of blacks in the TV's image?I haven't seen any 68's and 78's side-by-side, so I can't directly answer your question. But after spending an evening so far with my 5078, the black lacquer bezel doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would from a darkness standpoint.

The only time I notice a small negative effect is when there's a flood of black on the screen when watching in a lit room. In that case, it tends to call just a bit too much attention to itself. But darken the room a bit, or get to more typical content with a more broadly distributed value range? Then the set's higher contrast ratio just makes those blacks look truely deep and rich, pretty much matching the darkness of the bezel.

The nice thing is that we're not talking about a huge bezel here. In relation to a 50"+ screen, it's quite thin. Compare that to, say, a 16"x23" poster framed with 3" inches of matte board around it -- the color and value you choose for that matte has a much greater effect on your perception of the colors and values in the poster). So all in all, I think it works against the blacks in the image a small amount, and only then in certain situations where a direct comparison is obvious/evident.

I was in my local BB (Magnoila section) and asked them to look up which Samsung 1080p models they were expecting to get in stock. They show several of the 78 series. But, no 5078.
As for the shiny black bezel on the 78 series, you don't have a choice if you want the 50" model :(


From the pictures I was kind of leaning towards the 78 - it seems
to look more classier in pictues.

But I have the 6168 and I think it looks really cool. Since the bottom of the
TV looks like it is part of the stand, the TV looks like a plasma floating in
air. Of course I haven't spent any time with the 78 seies but at this point
I am very glad I went with the 68 series. And from the last post it looks
like there could be some viewing benefit also...

Well, my local Tweeter here in Raleigh, NC called with bad news again. Originally, they were supposed to get shipments in on 7/22 - then it slipped to 7/29. Now it is next Friday, which means by the time I get it, it will be 12-14 days from now.

Has anybody seen a store that has the 5678 (shiny bezel)?? Let me know if you can. I am willing to ship one in from west coast if need be.

Thanks!
George

Well, my local Tweeter here in Raleigh, NC called with bad news again. Originally, they were supposed to get shipments in on 7/22 - then it slipped to 7/29. Now it is next Friday, which means by the time I get it, it will be 12-14 days from now.

Has anybody seen a store that has the 5678 (shiny bezel)?? Let me know if you can. I am willing to ship one in from west coast if need be.

Thanks!
George

Magnolia HiFi here on the West Coast has plenty in inventory.

Well, my local Tweeter here in Raleigh, NC called with bad news again. Originally, they were supposed to get shipments in on 7/22 - then it slipped to 7/29. Now it is next Friday, which means by the time I get it, it will be 12-14 days from now.

Has anybody seen a store that has the 5678 (shiny bezel)?? Let me know if you can. I am willing to ship one in from west coast if need be.

Thanks!
George


I know. I was just there yesterday and heard the same thing. I'd like to see it next to the Qualia they already have.

Magnolia HiFi here on the West Coast has plenty in inventory.
Thanks. Do you know if they ship? I see stores in VA that I will call as well.

I am bummed. I moved into my new house 2 weeks ago. I designed my house around the Sammy, actually my fireplace is housing my TV. My 26 inch looks so out of place: http://www.inno-tech.com/misc/Raleigh/Galloway/Blykeford_Lane/4_fireplace4.jpg

Can't wait too much longer - visitors coming soon :(

Thanks. Do you know if they ship? I see stores in VA that I will call as well.

I am bummed. I moved into my new house 2 weeks ago. I designed my house around the Sammy, actually my fireplace is housing my TV. My 26 inch looks so out of place: http://www.inno-tech.com/misc/Raleigh/Galloway/Blykeford_Lane/4_fireplace4.jpg

Can't wait too much longer - visitors coming soon :(

It should be very entertaining when you build your first fire. :eek:

Thanks. Do you know if they ship? I see stores in VA that I will call as well.

I am bummed. I moved into my new house 2 weeks ago. I designed my house around the Sammy, actually my fireplace is housing my TV. My 26 inch looks so out of place: http://www.inno-tech.com/misc/Raleigh/Galloway/Blykeford_Lane/4_fireplace4.jpg

Can't wait too much longer - visitors coming soon :(

Your best bet is to call the VA stores.

I know. I was just there yesterday and heard the same thing. I'd like to see it next to the Qualia they already have.

The HLR5678W that I was using for testing at Magnolia HiFi in San Ramon on Tuesday was right next to the Qualia 006. I don't think it is neccessarily fair to compare a 56" set to a 70", but the Qualia lacked the impact of the Samsung. They are both great sets. But, I preferred the Samsung by a safe margin. In the words of the Magnolia staff member helping me, "I wonder what Sony is going to do now." The only fair comparison is to compare a Samsung 67" or 71" to the Sony ... so that will have to wait acouple of weeks. Magnolia is planning to focus on the larger sizes and they are moving out the smaller sets ... so I will be able to compare the Qualia to a Samsung soon.

But, to just set your expectation correctly (I know you saw these at CES) the Qualia has a look closer to the Samsung 720p sets in terms of contrast ... while the Samsung 1080p is in another league. When they are right next to each other it is apparent and I like the higher contrast ratio look significantly better.

The HLR5678W that I was using for testing at Magnolia HiFi in San Ramon on Tuesday was right next to the Qualia 006. I don't think it is neccessarily fair to compare a 56" set to a 70", but the Qualia lacked the impact of the Samsung. They are both great sets. But, I preferred the Samsung by a safe margin. In the words of the Magnolia staff member helping me, "I wonder what Sony is going to do now." The only fair comparison is to compare a Samsung 67" or 71" to the Sony ... so that will have to wait acouple of weeks. Magnolia is planning to focus on the larger sizes and they are moving out the smaller sets ... so I will be able to compare the Qualia to a Samsung soon.

But, to just set your expectation correctly (I know you saw these at CES) the Qualia has a look closer to the Samsung 720p sets in terms of contrast ... while the Samsung 1080p is in another league. When they are right next to each other it is apparent and I like the higher contrast ratio look significantly better.

Qualia 06 is old hat at this point - and I agree - I'll take my Sammy 1080p DLP even if they were the same price! I believe Sony is going to have to deliver
with the SXRD models later this year.

You got to love competition - it greatly benefits consumers...

What has everyone found to work best for cleaning their display screen?

Is there a specific product made specificly for this task?

Or does everyone simply use a damp cloth? In the past this is what
I have always used but would like to know about products that
might streak less, etc.

What has everyone found to work best for cleaning their display screen?

Is there a specific product made specificly for this task?

Or does everyone simply use a damp cloth? In the past this is what
I have always used but would like to know about products that
might streak less, etc.Tony I use a microfiber cloth...just a little damp...works great.

Tony I use a microfiber cloth...just a little damp...works great.

Thanks! - any special place on-line to get good quality micofiber cloths?

Thanks! - any special place on-line to get good quality micofiber cloths?
I got mine in an auto parts store. Target or any similar type store might have them in the auto, kitchen or cleaning areas.

Be carful that there isn't any kind of cleaning or polishing stuff added. They work fine dry too. I only use a moist one for those "hard to remove" stains.

Here are some old links.

http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=44
http://www.microfibertech.com/

I got mine in an auto parts store. Target or any similar type store might have them in the auto, kitchen or cleaning areas.

Be carful that there isn't any kind of cleaning or polishing stuff added. They work fine dry too. I only use a moist one for those "hard to remove" stains.

Here are some old links.

http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=44
http://www.microfibertech.com/

Thanks, I just picked up a five pak of the "ultra" microfiber towels found
at the second link. Thanks again!

It should be very entertaining when you build your first fire. :eek:

Won't be too hot, it is a digital fire: http://www.firedvd.com/ :)

Or does everyone simply use a damp cloth? In the past this is what
I have always used but would like to know about products that
might streak less, etc.

What would be getting on some of you guys' screens that would need a damp cloth to clean the screen? The only thing I ever get is dust that is easily removed with one of those swifters.

What would be getting on some of you guys' screens that would need a damp cloth to clean the screen? The only thing I ever get is dust that is easily removed with one of those swifters.

swifters?

You must not be married and if you are shame on you :D

Swifters are a new gadget for household cleaning. Instead of washing a mop, you just put on a new towel on the end and mop away. Another way of increasing the garbage in our landfills since they typically break and you end up having to buy more of the poles.

swifters?

You must not be married and if you are shame on you :D

Swifters are a new gadget for household cleaning. Instead of washing a mop, you just put on a new towel on the end and mop away. Another way of increasing the garbage in our landfills since they typically break and you end up having to buy more of the poles.

Thanks. I have been married twice hoping the third time will be a charm :-)



I assume a non dampened microfiber towel will do the same...

As one other post stated, "long time reader, first time post-er"

I have a question regarding TV stands. I know a few are out there for HLR5668 but does anyone have a list of stands that will support the HLR5668, I just need a list of manufacturer. I am looking for a stand that has enough room to both support the TV and several components (DVD player, AV, cable box, tivo etc)..

As one other post stated, "long time reader, first time post-er"

I have a question regarding TV stands. I know a few are out there for HLR5668 but does anyone have a list of stands that will support the HLR5668, I just need a list of manufacturer. I am looking for a stand that has enough room to both support the TV and several components (DVD player, AV, cable box, tivo etc)..Look here...TV Stand Thread...http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=431593

Jwv651

Thanks,

Its a start in the right direction..

Jwv651

Thanks,

Its a start in the right direction..I used this stand for my HLP6163..Platreau cr-2v 64" they also have a cr-2v 56" bought mine at Racks and Stands on the net...here's a photo of my old setup...I will be using this same stand when I get my 67"

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=26094

They are, incidentally, called Swiffers, not Swifters. I don't find them particularly landfill-negative either. We throw out a lot less filthy, soap-laden water from the floor and don't have disgusting mops running around waiting for disposal.

Used carefully with a hand, they might be an appropriate tool.

A dampened microfiber cloth sounds like an even better tool.

They are, incidentally, called Swiffers, not Swifters. I don't find them particularly landfill-negative either. We throw out a lot less filthy, soap-laden water from the floor and don't have disgusting mops running around waiting for disposal.

Used carefully with a hand, they might be an appropriate tool.

A dampened microfiber cloth sounds like an even better tool.

Gasoline, brillo pad and a Swifter is all you'll ever need. The combination of gasoline and brillo pad will give your screen that warm soft glow you've always wanted. Then use the swifter to wipe off the excess gasoline. Just dump the leftover gas down the storm drain. :)

P.S. For Giselle, this only works on JVCs!

I don't find them particularly landfill-negative either.

And don't get me started on "Disposable Diapers" - Human Fices in the landfill.

I would go hdmi from dvd to tv and optical or coax from dvd to receiver.

Just remember that for every a/v component that outputs video and sound (dvd player, stb, game consoles) you need to get that video and sound to your display device and your audio video receiver if you want surround sound. HDMI was supposed to combine both, but as you see, that theory hasn't caught up to reality yet.

At least you get flexibility this way.

The TV is your video display device so that will always be considered receiving input and your other components as giving output. Now your audio video receiver can do both. It can receive input and send output and that can complicate or simplify your setup. I usually like to keep the number of devices between the signals to a minimum, so I usually don't route video through the a/v receiver, only audio for the surround sound experience. But if your tv only had one set of inputs and your receiver 2 or more, then it woudl make sense to also route video through the a/v receiver to take advantage of the extra inputs.

Hopefully I haven't confused you even more.

Ok so let me get this straight. You're suggesting the following?

1) HDMI between Onkyo AVR & TV
2) HDMI between HD950 DVD & TV in addition you suggest a Digi Optical cable from DVD to Onkyo AVR for 5.1 & above surround sound?

Ok so let me get this straight. You're suggesting the following?

1) HDMI between Onkyo AVR & TV
2) HDMI between HD950 DVD & TV in addition you suggest a Digi Optical cable from DVD to Onkyo AVR for 5.1 & above surround sound?

No. Connect your DVD player to the TV via HDMI; this is for video. Connect your DVD player to your AVR via digital optical cable; this is for 5.1 audio.

No. Connect your DVD player to the TV via HDMI; this is for video. Connect your DVD player to your AVR via digital optical cable; this is for 5.1 audio.

LOL, that's what I posted, what do you mean no?

:D

LOL, that's what I posted, what do you mean no?

:D
No to your #1 and yes to your #2.

NO NO NO :D

DVD -----> HDMI ------> TV for video
DVD ------>coax/optical --------> a/v receiver for audio

If you happen to have an a/v receiver that had more hdmi inputs than the tv, then you could alternative route video through hdmi to the receiver and then to tv. You then change inputs on your a/v receiver, not your tv. Your tv would stay on the hdmi input.



Ok so let me get this straight. You're suggesting the following?

1) HDMI between Onkyo AVR & TV
2) HDMI between HD950 DVD & TV in addition you suggest a Digi Optical cable from DVD to Onkyo AVR for 5.1 & above surround sound?

You guys have me really confused.

Let's try this again.

1st connection will be DVD Player connected to my Onkyo AVReceiver via optical cable for 5.1 audio.

2nd connection will be DVD player connected to TV via HDMI for video.

3rd connection will be Onkyo AVReceiver connected to TV via HDMI.

4th connection XBOX via HiDef AV pack component cables connected to TV for HD gaming video.

5th connection XBOX connected to TV via optical cable for 5.1 sound gaming.

This is correct?

You guys have me really confused.

Let's try this again.

1st connection will be DVD Player connected to my Onkyo AVReceiver via optical cable for 5.1 audio.

2nd connection will be DVD player connected to TV via HDMI for video.

3rd connection will be Onkyo AVReceiver connected to TV via HDMI.

4th connection XBOX via HiDef AV pack component cables connected to TV for HD gaming video.

5th connection XBOX connected to TV via optical cable for 5.1 sound gaming.

This is correct?

I'm not into xbox, but re the dvd: your steps 1) and 2) are correct, but forget step 3).

Does anyone else here feel that analog channels look worse on DLP tvs than CRT? I was checking them out at Circuit City today and some were horrible, such as TLC, MTV, and Bravo and Gameshow Network. Is it always this way or was it just the feed? Be better if Comcast had all of their channels as digital.

Does anyone else here feel that analog channels look worse on DLP tvs than CRT? I was checking them out at Circuit City today and some were horrible, such as TLC, MTV, and Bravo and Gameshow Network. Is it always this way or was it just the feed? Be better if Comcast had all of their channels as digital.

I have an SFA 8300 DVR feeding the SD stations in 480p to my 6168. The picture definitely looks better than my CRTs. A 480i signal does not look as good.

I'm not into xbox, but re the dvd: your steps 1) and 2) are correct, but forget step 3).

So how am I suppose to connect my Onkyo AVR to my 5688 , using which connection/cables?

I was under the impression I was to use an HDMI connection? Are you suggesting not to connect my Onkyo AVR to my TV? This has me puzzled.

How many hdmi inputs does your Onkyo have? How many does your futre tv have?

Forget about number 3.

I would route all your audio through the receiver, not the tv. The tv can only pass surround sound from it's internal tuner it seems. So let your a/v receiver handle all the audio duties.

So for number 5, I would also connect the xbox to the a/v receiver.

Of course remember that this means that you now have to switch inputs on your tv and then switch inputs on your onkyo also to get the sound going.



You guys have me really confused.

Let's try this again.

1st connection will be DVD Player connected to my Onkyo AVReceiver via optical cable for 5.1 audio.

2nd connection will be DVD player connected to TV via HDMI for video.

3rd connection will be Onkyo AVReceiver connected to TV via HDMI.

4th connection XBOX via HiDef AV pack component cables connected to TV for HD gaming video.

5th connection XBOX connected to TV via optical cable for 5.1 sound gaming.

This is correct?

How many hdmi inputs does your Onkyo have? How many does your futre tv have?

Forget about number 3.

I would route all your audio through the receiver, not the tv. The tv can only pass surround sound from it's internal tuner it seems. So let your a/v receiver handle all the audio duties.

So for number 5, I would also connect the xbox to the a/v receiver.

Of course remember that this means that you now have to switch inputs on your tv and then switch inputs on your onkyo also to get the sound going.

Slocko & Miller I appreciate your advise & help.

My Onkyo has 2 HDMI & the 5688 1080p has 2 HDMI.

OK, I will connect the XBOX HD AV pack & Optical cable to the Onkyo AVR instead of the TV.

As far as having to switch inputs on AVR & TV, I'm guessing you mean having to select say for example "VIDEO 1" on the TV to get the DVD to display the video & " VIDEO2" for the audio to work? I do that now on an old stero system with a bulit in receiver, I am assuming this is what you mean.

I bought the Logitech harmony 880 Universal remote to control all of my components, this will make switching the inputs easier.

Back to the Onkyo AVR & TV, I don't connect these together @ all? :confused:

So how am I suppose to connect my Onkyo AVR to my 5688 , using which connection/cables?

I was under the impression I was to use an HDMI connection? Are you suggesting not to connect my Onkyo AVR to my TV? This has me puzzled.

You haven't listed any video being input to your A/V Receiver.

The HDMI from your receiver to the TV is a video path but the receiver doesn't have any video to send to the TV. What is it's purpose? We can't see why you need it.

Most people split their signals this way.

Audio to the AV Receiver which implys that you will always use your AV Receiver for sound and not use the TV's sound.

Video to the TV which implys that you control selection of video input through the TV and audio input through the AV Receiver.

That's how my system is set up. It's not convenient, but it's results are very good. Your steps 1,2 and 4,5 are following this plan.

You haven't listed any video being input to your A/V Receiver.

The HDMI from your receiver to the TV is a video path but the receiver doesn't have any video to send to the TV. What is it's purpose? We can't see why you need it.

Most people split their signals this way.

Audio to the AV Receiver which implys that you will always use your AV Receiver for sound and not use the TV's sound.

Video to the TV which implys that you control selection of video input through the TV and audio input through the AV Receiver.

That's how my system is set up. It's not convenient, but it's results are very good. Your steps 1,2 and 4,5 are following this plan.

OH I see now. Since the DVD would be connected to the TV directly, thus bypassing the AVR, via HDMI, that's the Video path.

My question to you would then be, why not route the Video from the DVD using HDMI through the AVR, then connecting the AVR to TV using HDMI?

My Onkyo AVR is the TXNR1000 Model. Cost me $3200, has a Modular based system, allowing me to swap cards in the back for future upgrade & proof.

Thanks for your patience guys.

TMSKILZ,

You have two options, both will offer different benefits.

Option 1:
Connect the DVD player (HDMI) and XBox (component) to your receiver and then run one HDMI cable to the TV. Check that your receiver will convert the component signal to HDMI and send it out via HDMI. This approach has convenience, you will only be using your HDMI input on the TV. But, you will not be able to tune each input to optimize the source since both the DVD player and XBox will be coming in on the same input.

Option 2:
Connect the DVD player (HDMI) and XBox (component) directly to the TV. This means that you will have to change inputs when you change devices (your Harmony may do this for you automatically). This setup allows you to tune each input for each source. Downside is you will only be using your reciever for audio and will not have a video connection so you will lose any on TV messages from your receiver. If on screen messages are important to configure your receiver, run a separate HDMI or component video cable from the receiver to the TV.

Added: If it was me, I'd try both configurations and see which has the best benefits.

My question to you would then be, why not route the Video from the DVD using HDMI through the AVR, then connecting the AVR to TV using HDMI?
You can. There is just no need to do both. If I had your receiver, and it made using a Universal remote easier, that's probably what I would do. I would probably do the same thing with my Comcast STB if the receiver has two HDMI inputs.

My Onkyo AVR is the TXNR1000 Model. Cost me $3200, has a Modular based system, allowing me to swap cards in the back for future upgrade & proof.
Nice.

UCSB & HTW thanks for responding. But I'm still confused.

So here's what I plan on doing to get the best optimization out of my TV & components according to your advise & suggestions.

HDMI connection between DVD & TV.

Optical connection between XBOX & AVR for 5.1 AUDIO gaming. The XBOX HD AV Pack has an Optical slot on it to connect the optical cable.

Optical connection between DVD to Onkyo AVR for 5.1 audio DVD movies.

XBOX HD AV Pack component cable connection between XBOX & AVR for VIDEO gaming, or do I connect XBOX directly to TV instead?

So how am I suppose to connect my Onkyo AVR to my 5688 , using which connection/cables?

I was under the impression I was to use an HDMI connection? Are you suggesting not to connect my Onkyo AVR to my TV? This has me puzzled.

Yes, you do NOT connect the AVR to the tv; the tv does video, the AVR does audio. Again:

1) Connect the DVD to the TV via an HDMI (or component) cable; this gets the video to the tv.

2) Connect the auido output from the DVD to the AVR via a digital audio cable (Toslink or coax); this gets the audio to the AVR.

3) Connect all your speakers to the AVR.

4) If you have cable, substitute "stb" for "DVD" in steps 1) and 2) for its connection.

XBOX HD AV Pack component cable connection between XBOX & AVR for VIDEO gaming, or do I connect XBOX directly to TV instead?

Under the option you have outlined, connect the XBox component output directly to the TV.

You may need to run one additional cable (s-video, component, HDMI - all will work) from the receiver to TV ... only if you need to see on-screen commands to optimize the setup of your receiver. You would use this during setup to run commands on the receiver, such as audio adjustments.

After you are more comfortable with your equipment later, you may want to explore some of the other connection options through the reciever. You spent a lot of money for those options.

I've been reading through all the posts on this, and the owners thread and was becoming really interested in replacing my 5 year old HDTV with one of the new Samsung 1080p's. I went down to Best Buy and they had the 6168 on display in their "Magnolia Home Theater" room. It pretty dark in there and the room was filled with many plasma and DLP displays. I was extremely disappointed in the Samsung. It was easily the WORST television in the whole room. The picture was not clear or bright at all and the viewing angles were very poor. Every TV in the room had the PBS HD loop running. I had to stand dead center and crouch down, like a baseball catcher, to see the brightest image. And even that wasn't too bright. There were sets that were half the price that looked brighter and sharper, with much better viewing angles. At first, I thought they may have labeled the set wrong. Could this be an old Samsung model with the wrong display card? I asked one of the salesman to check and, sure enough, it was a genuine 6168. What a disappointment. From what I was reading on these threads I was expecting an ultra sharp and very bright picture. Stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, were some of the adjectives used to describe the picture quality of these new Samsungs. What I saw was anything but that. There was a Mitsubischi right next to it (don't remember the model) with a contrast ratio of 2500:1 and the picture was significantly brighter than the 6168, with better viewing angles. Huh? How could this be? Which brings me to my next question: The display card had the 6168's contrast ratio listed at 5000:1, but on Samsung's site and various dealers sites, it lists the contrast ratio at 10000:1. Which one is correct?

I went to other places in town to check and see if they had any on display with no luck. So my first impressions were not very good. I will wait until other local retailers get these in stock before I cast my final opinion but, so far, it's not looking too good.

I've been reading through all the posts on this, and the owners thread and was becoming really interested in replacing my 5 year old HDTV with one of the new Samsung 1080p's. I went down to Best Buy and they had the 6168 on display in their "Magnolia Home Theater" room. It pretty dark in there and the room was filled with many plasma and DLP displays. I was extremely disappointed in the Samsung. It was easily the WORST television in the whole room. The picture was not clear or bright at all and the viewing angles were very poor. Every TV in the room had the PBS HD loop running. I had to stand dead center and crouch down, like a baseball catcher, to see the brightest image. And even that wasn't too bright. There were sets that were half the price that looked brighter and sharper, with much better viewing angles. At first, I thought they may have labeled the set wrong. Could this be an old Samsung model with the wrong display card? I asked one of the salesman to check and, sure enough, it was a genuine 6168. What a disappointment. From what I was reading on these threads I was expecting an ultra sharp and very bright picture. Stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, were some of the adjectives used to describe the picture quality of these new Samsungs. What I saw was anything but that. There was a Mitsubischi right next to it (don't remember the model) with a contrast ratio of 2500:1 and the picture was significantly brighter than the 6168, with better viewing angles. Huh? How could this be? Which brings me to my next question: The display card had the 6168's contrast ratio listed at 5000:1, but on Samsung's site and various dealers sites, it lists the contrast ratio at 10000:1. Which one is correct?

I went to other places in town to check and see if they had any on display with no luck. So my first impressions were not very good. I will wait until other local retailers get these in stock before I cast my final opinion but, so far, it's not looking too good.

You should have brought up the settings menu and RESET picture settings to default. There is a function on the bottom of the video setup screen to reset the video settings. When TV's are in a store people come by and freely modify the picture settings. It is impossible to know what you are looking at, but the Samsung video reset function should get you back to some baseline.

Contast ratio is spec'd at UP TO 10,000:1. See post #1 of this thread for many sources to verify this number.

You should have brought up the settings menu and RESET picture settings to default. There is a function on the bottom of the video setup screen to reset the video settings. When TV's are in a store people come by and freely modify the picture settings. It is impossible to know what you are looking at, but the Samsung video reset function should get you back to some baseline.




I should have mentioned in my post that I asked the salesman about the settings and he played around with it. None of the changes made any significant difference. It almost looked as though the lamp was in its final hours. That's how dull the picture was. Like I said, I'm reserving my final judgement on this set until I can see it on display somewhere else. Hopefully my experience will be much better.

I should have mentioned in my post that I asked the salesman about the settings and he played around with it. None of the changes made any significant difference. It almost looked as though the lamp was in its final hours. That's how dull the picture was. Like I said, I'm reserving my final judgement on this set until I can see it on display somewhere else. Hopefully my experience will be much better.

Did you put the picture mode on dyanamic? I have now seen the 5078 twice and finally saw the 6178 today. The first time I saw the 5078, I must say that my reaction was not quite as negative as yours, but I did have the reaction that it was only incrementally sharper than the TVs around it. I went back a few days later had the salesguy switch to dynamic mode as someone on this thread had indicated and was really impressed. It makes a difference.

Today when I finally saw the 6178, the remote was with it and I had 10 minutes to really play around with the settings. The picture you describe looks a lot like the movie mode which is a nice picture but darker and seemingly designed for low light. I do agree that you need to see it in more than 1 place.
Overall the picture definitely looked the best of any other set in the store. Very sharp, visibly better contrast than the 720p set, but on this store's setup I didn't see quite the advantage in detail that I'd seen in another store on the smaller 50 inch version. So I do think it depends on the hookup and a bunch of other factors.

My only negative reaction today was that when I asked to see a non hd picture on it, the standard def picture they were feeding it really looked like garbage and possibly worse on this set than a 720p samsung next to it. Of course there are so many variables on how the other set was configured that it is hard to tell.

I did see a post above that indicates that 480p looks good while 480i looks bad. I would gather this was 480i. Lots of digital artifacts and bad conversion, but it may have also been that the signal had been split so many times in the store that there wasn't much left. Unfortunately you are never going to see the exact picture you will be looking at for years until you have it home.

Any owners out there with comments about standard def viewing. Is that something you just have to live with when you are trying to look at 480 material on a 61 inch set? If I'm going back and forth between getting a 61 and a 56 and the standard def issue bothers me, am I better off getting a slightly smaller set since for the next few years there will still probably be more standard def content than HD? Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

Bruin95,
What store (location) did you see this TV in?

Thanx

bruin95 It was easily the WORST television in the whole room. The picture was not clear or bright at all and the viewing angles were very poor. The following is not meant as an attack on you personally but trying to understand why a review would be posted that has been done under false conditions and then presently as a true evaluation of the TV?

If you truly read the Owner's Feedback you should realize that what you were viewing was a bad feed and/or setup in the store. I have been copying and pasting the feedback/reviews from the onset into a running text file for review(to separate it from the chatter) and have 10 pages of POSITIVE Feedback that is quite the opposite of your review. I've done this because to much chatter is in between and I have a preorder for the 6768 and wanted to be able to evaluate based upon a combination of as much feedback as possible as we have a delayed delivery - too much outside chatter resides in between to truly track so I casually copy and paste into this running file and then can transfer to Excel or Filemaker Database for sortng. A reviewer should ensure the feed and conditions are proper first otherwise the report is FALSE.

Are you suggesting that the 10 pages of positive feedback are false? These are from Real Owners with Proper in-home connections. Come on you don't even know what and how they were feeding the signal or the settings. A quality review would not be submitted without knowing the conditions were proper first as who gives a damn about a review when conditions are improper. The only negative feedback I've observed are the Lag/Sync or delivery issues - Never have I seen a negative review regarding PQ. Do you even know the cabling process at BB/Mag? If you did you'd understand why - not everything in the store is setup digitally outside their HD Feed.

After ten pages of OWNERS raving about Brightness, PQ, CR, Sharpness - Does it not make you wonder why you observed the opposite? Consider the Source and overwhelming evidence and the fact these are experienced AVS members many of which already own HDTV's from which to judge. Don't you think you owe it to members here that your review is based upon real viewing with proper connections/settings versus poor/improper connectivity? I'm not trying to champion the TV as much as the fact someone would report improper connections/signal that have nothing to do with the PQ of these 1080P sets that run totally contrary to evaluations from real owners.

You might as well have unplugged the connections or placed a set of rabbit ears and reported back this is a state of the art HDTV that REQUIRES proper connections to maximize the experience and nothing less will do - just as the PC we are sitting at and entering feedback requires proper connections - and BTW even the SD reviews have been good on this set but an improper connection within a facility like BB/Mag is only going to be worse - folks here know the pathetic AV experience of BB Rep's can account for this otherwise why would they not maximize the viewing experience of what's probably the only 1080P DLP set in the store? Because the last time I was there they didn't even know what 1080P was as I quote "huh, what's that?" and that speaks volumes.

This is actually more of a review of the ineptness of the local store AV Staff if they cannot maximize the ability of this set like the dozens of real owners that have them in their households now and reporting on the owners thread - that is truly your evaluation - not the TV. :cool:

so anyone had problems with the video game lag on the 6168, if so please let me know they should be calling me next week sending my tv if i find out about the lag first, thanks

kregstrong so anyone had problems with the video game lag on the 6168, if so please let me know they should be calling me next week sending my tv if i find out about the lag first, thanks
Unfortunately, there's still no true consensus of the video lag. Some observe it and others don't. So far I don't recall anyone saying it would be a deal killer or return the set as a result. Most say it's intermittent but tolerable for their use and some result from wireless controller use. I'm also waiting for more testing by serious gamers - so far one of the serious gamers was a PC Gamer and I don't bother with PC Games as I have an Xbox for that - I think we should have many new members taking delivery this week and hopefully we'll get more feedback on Xbox video lag - so far it hasn't been a serious problem from my viewing of feedback postings. We can hope - I just bought HDTV Xbox connections to await my 6768 to maximize connectivity with the set. :D

bruin95 The following is not meant as an attack on you personally but trying to understand why a review would be posted that has been done under false conditions and then presently as a true evaluation of the TV?

If you truly read the Owner's Feedback you should realize that what you were viewing was a bad feed and/or setup in the store. I have been copying and pasting the feedback/reviews from the onset into a running text file for review(to separate it from the chatter) and have 10 pages of POSITIVE Feedback that is quite the opposite of your review. I've done this because to much chatter is in between and I have a preorder for the 6768 and wanted to be able to evaluate based upon a combination of as much feedback as possible as we have a delayed delivery - too much outside chatter resides in between to truly track so I casually copy and paste into this running file and then can transfer to Excel or Filemaker Database for sortng. A reviewer should ensure the feed and conditions are proper first otherwise the report is FALSE.

Are you suggesting that the 10 pages of positive feedback are false? These are from Real Owners with Proper in-home connections. Come on you don't even know what and how they were feeding the signal or the settings. A quality review would not be submitted without knowing the conditions were proper first as who gives a damn about a review when conditions are improper. The only negative feedback I've observed are the Lag/Sync or delivery issues - Never have I seen a negative review regarding PQ. Do you even know the cabling process at BB/Mag? If you did you'd understand why - not everything in the store is setup digitally outside their HD Feed.

After ten pages of OWNERS raving about Brightness, PQ, CR, Sharpness - Does it not make you wonder why you observed the opposite? Consider the Source and overwhelming evidence and the fact these are experienced AVS members many of which already own HDTV's from which to judge. Don't you think you owe it to members here that your review is based upon real viewing with proper connections/settings versus poor/improper connectivity? I'm not trying to champion the TV as much as the fact someone would report improper connections/signal that have nothing to do with the PQ of these 1080P sets that run totally contrary to evaluations from real owners.

You might as well have unplugged the connections or placed a set of rabbit ears and reported back this is a state of the art HDTV that REQUIRES proper connections to maximize the experience and nothing less will do - just as the PC we are sitting at and entering feedback requires proper connections - and BTW even the SD reviews have been good on this set but an improper connection within a facility like BB/Mag is only going to be worse - folks here know the pathetic AV experience of BB Rep's can account for this otherwise why would they not maximize the viewing experience of what's probably the only 1080P DLP set in the store? Because the last time I was there they didn't even know what 1080P was as I quote "huh, what's that?" and that speaks volumes.

This is actually more of a review of the ineptness of the local store AV Staff if they cannot maximize the ability of this set like the dozens of real owners that have them in their households now and reporting on the owners thread - that is truly your evaluation - not the TV. :cool:

If that wasn't a personal attack, I don't know what is...every person is entitled to their own opinion, sheesh...

bruin95 ...... I have been copying and pasting the feedback/reviews from the onset into a running text file for review(to separate it from the chatter) and have 10 pages of POSITIVE Feedback that is quite the opposite of your review. I've done this because to much chatter is in between and I have a preorder for the 6768 and wanted to be able to evaluate based upon a combination of as much feedback as possible

No need to jump down this fellows throat. If you are truly interested in objective reviews then realise your view is clouded by the fact you have pre-ordered the 6768 sight unseen, and now need to defend that decision.

I'm probably going to get the 6168, and was dissapointed by the initial impressions of reviewer also, however, I certainly want to go into the probable purchase with blinders off and as much critcal analysis of these DLPs as possible.

Cheers

Hello Sean:



I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you about the set, I have called all 3 of my contacts, and that TV does not show on the Samsung Price lists yet, however the sales reps are

Talking it up to the stores but my friends seem to think that they won’t be shipping it in Canada for another 2 to 3 weeks.



That’s all the news I have as yet. (the US market always receives stuff a bit faster than the Canuck Market.



Sorry for the bad news.

Daphoid's Installer

Looks like I'm waiting, ;_;

- D

Looks like I'm waiting, ;_;

- D

D,

About three weeks is the estimate I'm getting also from stores just south of you in Kitchener.

A poster from another forum gave me this Canadian link that lets you order the HLR6168 now.

http://www.thebrick.com/Application/Cart/BuyRoom.asp?TraderID=34DC92B9-3DBD-438F-AA0B-BD0F699D5896&ProductID=1BFFD88A-7DCD-4671-A2F0-CDE668DB3F25&SellOrderId=EF121BAA-05B2-401B-995D-3C815F6E28A5&CategoryID=40C57F77-0A02-4C09-9034-8D3D2E41A1C9&SiteCode=EN&CategoryTracking=8766211A%2DA4E5%2D45A6%2DA5DB%2DF7151E3D7F5 F%2C40C57F77%2D0A02%2D4C09%2D9034%2D8D3D2E41A1C9

However, chances are you won't get it any faster than just waiting for it to arrive in stores, and you'll get the added bonus of seeing before leaping.

:)

Hehe yes, that and I'm getting it through an installer who'll deliver it to my house, carry it into my room, and set it up for me :D

- D

bruin95 The following is not meant as an attack on you personally but trying to understand why a review would be posted that has been done under false conditions and then presently as a true evaluation of the TV?

If you truly read the Owner's Feedback you should realize that what you were viewing was a bad feed and/or setup in the store. I have been copying and pasting the feedback/reviews from the onset into a running text file for review(to separate it from the chatter) and have 10 pages of POSITIVE Feedback that is quite the opposite of your review. I've done this because to much chatter is in between and I have a preorder for the 6768 and wanted to be able to evaluate based upon a combination of as much feedback as possible as we have a delayed delivery - too much outside chatter resides in between to truly track so I casually copy and paste into this running file and then can transfer to Excel or Filemaker Database for sortng. A reviewer should ensure the feed and conditions are proper first otherwise the report is FALSE.

Are you suggesting that the 10 pages of positive feedback are false? These are from Real Owners with Proper in-home connections. Come on you don't even know what and how they were feeding the signal or the settings. A quality review would not be submitted without knowing the conditions were proper first as who gives a damn about a review when conditions are improper. The only negative feedback I've observed are the Lag/Sync or delivery issues - Never have I seen a negative review regarding PQ. Do you even know the cabling process at BB/Mag? If you did you'd understand why - not everything in the store is setup digitally outside their HD Feed.

After ten pages of OWNERS raving about Brightness, PQ, CR, Sharpness - Does it not make you wonder why you observed the opposite? Consider the Source and overwhelming evidence and the fact these are experienced AVS members many of which already own HDTV's from which to judge. Don't you think you owe it to members here that your review is based upon real viewing with proper connections/settings versus poor/improper connectivity? I'm not trying to champion the TV as much as the fact someone would report improper connections/signal that have nothing to do with the PQ of these 1080P sets that run totally contrary to evaluations from real owners.

You might as well have unplugged the connections or placed a set of rabbit ears and reported back this is a state of the art HDTV that REQUIRES proper connections to maximize the experience and nothing less will do - just as the PC we are sitting at and entering feedback requires proper connections - and BTW even the SD reviews have been good on this set but an improper connection within a facility like BB/Mag is only going to be worse - folks here know the pathetic AV experience of BB Rep's can account for this otherwise why would they not maximize the viewing experience of what's probably the only 1080P DLP set in the store? Because the last time I was there they didn't even know what 1080P was as I quote "huh, what's that?" and that speaks volumes.

This is actually more of a review of the ineptness of the local store AV Staff if they cannot maximize the ability of this set like the dozens of real owners that have them in their households now and reporting on the owners thread - that is truly your evaluation - not the TV. :cool:


You have to be the most obnoxious poster i've seen here. He is perfectly entitled to his opinion. It is also shared by many who've seen these sets and think thne picture quality is awful or the sync issues or inability to pass 5.1 Dolby or the HDMI compatibilty flaws or some other reason make them unpurchasable. His is not a lone opinion. You, on the other hand, have made a sight-unseen purchase of a very dubious product, so are trying to defend yourself or attack others who think your opinion carries little or no weight, as would any opinion of one who purchased this sight unseen. Please tone it down or better yet, don't comment on those opinions you disagree with at all. You never know, they might be absolutely right and you might be dead wrong.

No need to jump down this fellows throat. If you are truly interested in objective reviews then realise your view is clouded by the fact you have pre-ordered the 6768 sight unseen, and now need to defend that decision.

Cheers


Hear! Hear!

You have to be the most obnoxious poster i've seen here. He is perfectly entitled to his opinion. It is also shared by many who've seen these sets and think thne picture quality is awful or the sync issues or inability to pass 5.1 Dolby or the HDMI compatibilty flaws or some other reason make them unpurchasable. His is not a lone opinion. You, on the other hand, have made a sight-unseen purchase of a very dubious product, so are trying to defend yourself or attack others who think your opinion carries little or no weight, as would any opinion of one who purchased this sight unseen. Please tone it down or better yet, don't comment on those opinions you disagree with at all. You never know, they might be absolutely right and you might be dead wrong.Sammik: I agree with you Westa6969 needs to tone it down and so does Tony...But my bigger problem is YOU...Why are you even here...I back tracked on some of your older post and all you do is Bash Samsung...If you don't like Samsung then stay the Hell out of here...you have know business here...go pal up with your buddy Gazelle...and bad rap Samsung somewhere else... ENJOY!

Sammik: I agree with you Westa6969 needs to tone it down and so does Tony...But my bigger problem is YOU...Why are you even here...I back tracked on some of your older post and all you do is Bash Samsung...If you don't like Samsung then stay the Hell out of here...you have know business here...go pal up with your buddy Gazelle...and bad rap Samsung somewhere else... ENJOY!

Another board Nazi? I suggest you get together with your buddy and start a thread: Only Yes Men and people who post agreeing with us need apply.

This is an open forum and anyone may post their opinion. Sorry if that offends you.

... picture quality is awful ....

If you think the picture quality on the Samsung 1080p sets is awful, can you recommend a RPTV with excellent picture quality?

I would like to inform many people, as has already been stated. That there is an ignore function on this board. I realize some people don't take other people's feelings into consideration when they post, and some people do troll, and yes even I've been guilty of snapping at someone, however there's no need for this regress into a yelling match. It's evident that posting openly in the thread that someone is annoying you is not the right court of action.

If the person really bothers you, you have three options:

1) simply skip over their posts and those pertaining to it
2) contact the user via PM and discuss things rationally
3) use the ignore function, that way you won't have to worry and get all huffy.

The above is right, this is an open forum for those to ask questions, post answers, and talk about upcoming technologies. I do agree then our excitment sometimes the Lip Sync or Gaming discussions get a little long winded, but it's all apart of a process to try and figure out WHY our beloved TV's are working the way they are.

We should feel fortunate and proud that we actually have the TIME and CARE to sit down and troubleshoot where most people wouldn't even notice it, give a damn, or just take it back to the store.

If someon doesn't like Samsung, please don't come here and whine to us, this thread is obviously filled with people who are happy with Samsung's products, or who are looking for some positive and real commentary, NOT the random bashing. No one has the right to disrupt a thread purely because they don't like a company, when people do that my mind simply writes you off as being childish. I see a lot of this on gaming forums frequented by 10-18 year olds. I'd hoped that with a more technical minded forum, we'd get a more mature crowd - but obviously there are exceptions.

Not everyone is in the wrong though, I sincerely look forward to postings by UCSB, Akastp, htwaits, Administrator, T-Wave, and others, and I thank you for your continued contributions and helping even a big geek like me with his questions, and I hope I can answer yours too (if they're computer related, I'm your man).

Cheers!

- D

D...I agree..Well said!

Another board Nazi? I suggest you get together with your buddy and start a thread: Only Yes Men and people who post agreeing with us need apply.

This is an open forum and anyone may post their opinion. Sorry if that offends you.

When you spend so much time bashing samsung on samsung threads having no interest in buying samsung tvs, don't be too surprised when people find you offensive. You rather give the impression that being offensive is the point. Try the same thing in the qualia thread or the jvc thread and you will get a similar reception. Don't act as if it is surprising. There is a large room for debate and disagreement in these threads. You just don't see it because you can't discuss the pros and cons of a technology in a constructive way.

bruin95 The following is not meant as an attack on you personally but trying to understand why a review would be posted that has been done under false conditions and then presently as a true evaluation of the TV?




Mister, you need to take a chill pill. What I stated was a FIRST IMPRESSION, not a review. There's a BIG difference. I realize that in-store picture quality should be taken with a grain of salt, but the other displays in the room weren't having the problems I saw with the Samsung set. Also, like I have already stated, I will reserve judgement until I see these sets on display somewhere else. I DON'T jump to conclusions on first impressions, but obviously YOU do.

Bruin95,
What store (location) did you see this TV in?

Thanx


Best Buy (Las Vegas). West Charleston location.

Another board Nazi? I suggest you get together with your buddy and start a thread: Only Yes Men and people who post agreeing with us need apply.

This is an open forum and anyone may post their opinion. Sorry if that offends you.Sammik....This is why WE come here...From AVS: Please remember that AVS Forum is a place for people to talk about Home Theater and how to better it. It is where people come for advise on how they can get the best of what they own and to learn more about this hobby we love. People new to Home Theater also come to AVS Forum to receive advise on how to setup a theater and what may work for them in their home. we have professionals for all walks of life both seeking help and giving it freely.

Enough said. Lets all enjoy our passion for better video and audio! :D

Mister, you need to take a chill pill. What I stated was a FIRST IMPRESSION, not a review. There's a BIG difference. I realize that in-store picture quality should be taken with a grain of salt, but the other displays in the room weren't having the problems I saw with the Samsung set. Also, like I have already stated, I will reserve judgement until I see these sets on display somewhere else. I DON'T jump to conclusions on first impressions, but obviously YOU do.

he's just angry you messed up his 10 page speadsheet:). He'll get over it

Got my HL-R5078W home yesterday from Magnolia...no thanks to the Sacramento manager that tried to hi-jack it.....only to find that the fan is inop on it. I was able to view a few channels for a minute or two, but not long enough to give any sort of review. However, I have Comcast and I was expecting the Non-Digital channels to look pretty bad. To my surprise, most of the channels looked pretty good. Some were a little grainy and in some scenes parts of the image looked like you were looking through a very fine light diffuser (as in overhead flourecent lights in the bathroom, just not opaque) which gave it a bit of a shimmering effect. Br9ightness was good out of the box, in fact, the wife said it was too bright (not sure what the setting was). When I get something that is more functional for greater than 2 minutes, I will be glad to post more info.

Got my HL-R5078W home yesterday from Magnolia...no thanks to the Sacramento manager that tried to hi-jack it.....only to find that the fan is inop on it. I was able to view a few channels for a minute or two, but not long enough to give any sort of review. However, I have Comcast and I was expecting the Non-Digital channels to look pretty bad. To my surprise, most of the channels looked pretty good. Some were a little grainy and in some scenes parts of the image looked like you were looking through a very fine light diffuser (as in overhead flourecent lights in the bathroom, just not opaque) which gave it a bit of a shimmering effect. Br9ightness was good out of the box, in fact, the wife said it was too bright (not sure what the setting was). When I get something that is more functional for greater than 2 minutes, I will be glad to post more info.

Jim, the Magnolia HiFi in San Ramon has a 5078 floor model that they want to sell (because they have setup a 5678). I think it was only out for less than two weeks. I did some of my testing on it. It might be an easy way to save some money.

Don't know if you noticed it but a few weeks ago I created a first impressions thread about the new (at that time) Samsung HLR5067. I had mixed feelings about it and pointed out some negatives as well as positives. I did not get pounced on by any of those here that like Samsungs (as do I) but I did get jumped on last week by one of the resident Samsung DLP haters who seemed to think that I would not be rational if I were to purchase a Samsung DLP based on my first impressions, even though subsequent viewings and research resulted in my not being overly concerned about issues I had with the initial viewing. So, be careful if you post some bad first impressions and then mention that you are going to buy a Samsung TV anyway. Anyway, I'm not going to attack you for posting a bad first impression about the 6168, it simply did not look good to you for whatever reason. I still wonder if perhaps it didn't have a good enough HD feed though. Personally, I have yet to see a RP-LCD or JVC D-ILA set that looks as good TO ME as the Samsung DLPs, especially the 5078. I hope you get a chance to see the 6168 in a different store so you'll hopefully see it in a better light.


My disappointment wasn't based solely on the actual quality of the picture. In-store feeds are usually crummy, in most cases, to begin with. I realize that. The major disappointment I had was the overall brightness of the set. The viewing angles were terrible. When I first approached the set from the side, I thought it wasn't turned on. You had to stand dead center and squat down to basically see anything. Sort of like the old rear projection sets I vowed never to buy. Even playing around with the settings didn't help. I am, admittedly, not familiar with all the different mode settings the TV has to offer, but I was expecting something quite better from a set with at least a 5000:1, or more, contrast ratio. I am just chalking this up to either a faulty or improperly set up TV. I fully expect to see something quite better in my next "encounter".

Best Buy (Las Vegas). West Charleston location.
They finally got a 1080P dlp in? I went there last weekend and they had none... that store is about 2 miles from my house.. I'll have to go check it out and see...

They finally got a 1080P dlp in? I went there last weekend and they had none... that store is about 2 miles from my house.. I'll have to go check it out and see...

Hopefully it will be set up better when you go.

Hopefully it will be set up better when you go.

The Magnolia in Best Buy at West Charleston and I215 has the HLR6168 set up with a Direct HD Tivo HR10-250 as a source. I thought it looked great yesterday. Once I set the Direct box to output 1080i instead of 480p the HD picture was stunning.

I have a HL-R6768W on pre-order from TVA, anybody heard anything about when they may ship? Thanks in advance.

I have a HL-R6768W on pre-order from TVA, anybody heard anything about when they may ship? Thanks in advance.

Mid to late August.

I will be visiting San Diego this upcoming week/end and wanted to know where I could see an HL-R5xxxwhatever (5078w would be nice) on a showroom floor where I can see the picture.

There is no place where I can find one on display in Manhtattan where I live (you would think the Samsung store in the new Time Warner Building would have one, but they don't.)

I figured while I was in San Diego I could pop in somewhere and see one. I will be in the vicinity of downtown, North Park, Hillcrest area.

thx

Mid to late August.I wonder what happened to (early to mid August)...With all of these delays hopefully they decided to add the HDMI 1080P input or a HDMI input that can except 5.1...wishful thinking ;)

My disappointment wasn't based solely on the actual quality of the picture. In-store feeds are usually crummy, in most cases, to begin with. I realize that. The major disappointment I had was the overall brightness of the set. The viewing angles were terrible. When I first approached the set from the side, I thought it wasn't turned on. You had to stand dead center and squat down to basically see anything. Sort of like the old rear projection sets I vowed never to buy. Even playing around with the settings didn't help. I am, admittedly, not familiar with all the different mode settings the TV has to offer, but I was expecting something quite better from a set with at least a 5000:1, or more, contrast ratio. I am just chalking this up to either a faulty or improperly set up TV. I fully expect to see something quite better in my next "encounter".
Interesting. On my 5668W I run it in Movie mode all the time. The other two modes are way to bright, even in daylite and well lit rooms. Even way off center the picture looks too bright and over colored.

I wonder if the set was defective? There should not be much of a difference between a 56 and 61.

I wonder what happened to (early to mid August)...With all of these delays hopefully they decided to add the HDMI 1080P input or a HDMI input that can except 5.1...wishful thinking ;)
Have to save something for CES :)

My disappointment wasn't based solely on the actual quality of the picture. In-store feeds are usually crummy, in most cases, to begin with. I realize that. The major disappointment I had was the overall brightness of the set. The viewing angles were terrible. When I first approached the set from the side, I thought it wasn't turned on. You had to stand dead center and squat down to basically see anything. Sort of like the old rear projection sets I vowed never to buy. Even playing around with the settings didn't help. I am, admittedly, not familiar with all the different mode settings the TV has to offer, but I was expecting something quite better from a set with at least a 5000:1, or more, contrast ratio. I am just chalking this up to either a faulty or improperly set up TV. I fully expect to see something quite better in my next "encounter".

Are you serious? The viewing angles on these tvs are amazing. The only time the picture goes out is when I'm standing right in front of it and looking down onto it. The horizontal viewing is amazing.

I would assume that the in-store feeds are crummy because they are splitting the connection to about 6 or 7 other tvs. This is the main reason why I'm holding off on getting a 4667w is due to how bad the analog channels looked. They looked worse than my 32" JVC CRT. Anyone else notice this or should I try a second store? Tweeter the other month did look better, maybe I need to go back this week.

What is the scheduled release date for 7178? Thanks.

he's just angry you messed up his 10 page speadsheet:). He'll get over it

You can bet if it was a positive impression then westa would have added it. Every post after then would his chatter about 11 pages of positive reviews. I've read a lot of these reviews and it seems that for about half the people this is their first hdtv. He doesn't take that into account.

I've seen the 5668 once, and the 6168 three times so far (twice at Fry's so that may not count :-)). I really want to like the 56 (the 61 is too big - going to attack me about this westa?) but I'm still waiting. The bulk of content I watch is still SD and I got the guy at Magnolia to switch it over this weekend. I had really low expectations so it did look a bit better than I thought. He wasn't able to keep it on for very long since the feed was for all the other sets too and there were other people watching. HD does look good but I've been watching a 36XBR400 for the last 5 years that has a great picture (albeit small for 16:9 which is why I'd like to move up) it's my comparison and so far I haven't considered a projection set until now.

Interesting. On my 5668W I run it in Movie mode all the time. The other two modes are way to bright, even in daylite and well lit rooms. Even way off center the picture looks too bright and over colored.

I wonder if the set was defective? There should not be much of a difference between a 56 and 61.I can at least second this observation ... I've found my new 5078 to be noticeably improved in vertical viewing angle, primarily because it's so freaking bright at the smaller size. Sure, within <6', the viewing angles take a pretty big hit like many other RPTVs. But at my wife's viewing distance of 9' at a 20 degree horizontal angle, she can sit up or completely lie down on the couch with minimal detriment to the perceived brightness of the set. It's still "hottest" closest to dead center, but the brightness really does help the set overcome the problem. Just my humble opinion.

Bruin95, let us know what you think once you see another set, or that one again if you have some time to play with it. Thanks for your input! :)

Derekj, you're right about the fact that a number of us are new HDTV buyers ... I'm one of them, and I fully admit to not being able to supply this forum with the comparative experience and wisdom that others here can offer. The only weight I can contribute to my positive opinion of the 5078 is that I spent a hell of a lot of time over the last 2-3 years watching DLP and LCD RPTVs improve and change (not always for the better ;)). I took a chance on the set, knowing full well that it would have some idiosyncracies. I thought the 5067 looked quite good in multiple stores, but I wanted a sharper and brighter picture (something sharper than an HD3 set but with fewer visible artifacts than an HD2+ set) and the extra HDMI. Personally, I think it's quite nice, but yes, I'm now a believer after getting the thing in my living room. :D Would have also considered the upcoming SXRD sets coming out, just couldn't wait any longer ...

purchased the hlr5067 last week, and th epicture is amazing. all regular, non-hd channels look much better than expected. have no complaints, except for a small lag when playing playstation. anyone have a fix for this lag? i hooked th playstation up to the tv via component cables, and renamed component 2 game mode.

What is the scheduled release date for 7178? Thanks.

Magnolia AV told me 'Aug 10' a week ago, but admitted that this was a code for them that meant 'sometime in Aug'. But upon hearing about the delays in the appearance of the 6768, I think it may be that the 7178 won't be seen until Sept (assuming that it will come out after the 6768).

Even though I'm also impatient, in some ways this may be better, since I would really like to see the Sammy 7178 right next to a Mits 73727, to see how they stack up in comparison, before making a final decision. And the Mits is supposed to appear in Sept (unless, which is probably likely, that it too is delayed!) It would make my life easier if they came out relatively close together, so that I don't have the uncontrolled urge to jump on one before seeing the other!

...

It would make my life easier if they came out relatively close together, so that I don't have the uncontrolled urge to jump on one before seeing the other!

That pretty much sums up how I ended up with my wife :D

That pretty much sums up how I ended up with my wife :D :D

That pretty much sums up how I ended up with my wife :D

Has your wife seen this post?

purchased the hlr5067 last week, and th epicture is amazing. all regular, non-hd channels look much better than expected. have no complaints, except for a small lag when playing playstation. anyone have a fix for this lag? i hooked th playstation up to the tv via component cables, and renamed component 2 game mode.

what games have you noticed lag on? I'm close to bringing my PS2 over to Tweeter and trying Madden 2005 on a 5067w to see if there is lag when doing punts or kickoffs.

lag on mvp 2005. i hope that there will be no prob with madded 2006

You can bet if it was a positive impression then westa would have added it. Every post after then would his chatter about 11 pages of positive reviews. I've read a lot of these reviews and it seems that for about half the people this is their first hdtv. He doesn't take that into account.

I've seen the 5668 once, and the 6168 three times so far (twice at Fry's so that may not count :-)). I really want to like the 56 (the 61 is too big - going to attack me about this westa?) but I'm still waiting. The bulk of content I watch is still SD and I got the guy at Magnolia to switch it over this weekend. I had really low expectations so it did look a bit better than I thought. He wasn't able to keep it on for very long since the feed was for all the other sets too and there were other people watching. HD does look good but I've been watching a 36XBR400 for the last 5 years that has a great picture (albeit small for 16:9 which is why I'd like to move up) it's my comparison and so far I haven't considered a projection set until now.

I don't think having half new buyers is too bad a ratio. On the forum it always seems there is a pretty high percentage of first time buyers. Sometimes I feel that people who have been here a long time make mountains out of mole hills every bit as much as the newbees see pimples as dimples so I don't mind having the mix.

It'll be my first time owning an hd too if I actually pull the trigger this year though I've been following the forum for a couple years now and have spent a good amount of time looking at stores and sometimes at a lucky friends house:) Your one up on me on actually having 1080ps available where you are. New models are painfully slow in showing in my area and I haven't had the oppurtunity to see the qualia yet either(just for the hobbyists curiosity). I've thought so far that the diamond pattern has helped some with SD but hurt some with HD. Since I haven't bought yet I'm interested in hearing the bad as well as the good, but we each have our own preferences. I've been pretty impressed with the dlps in the past and less so with the other digital displays up until now, so they definately have most of my interest. I haven't paid much attention to screens as small as a 36 though that would be larger than the largest display i've owned to date:)

I just bought a new HLR 5067 and have been using it for about 4 days now. I'm having a problem with it that I'm sure someone has seen before. Forgive me in advance if it's already been discussed, but I just don't have the time to read the 4,800+ posts in this thread.

On the left and right side of the screen the picture is stretched. It's visible in about 6 inches on each side. I have Time Warner digital cable, although it's not the HD box yet. I plan on getting it soon.

Is this a calibration issue? A defect/problem with these DLP sets? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Need some help...I'm upgrading my whole system. I recently bought the Denon AVR-3805 and have the Samsung HL-R6768W on pre-order. I'm looking for a good DVD player. I'm leaning towards the Denon DVD 2900. I've just started my research but I thought you guys may save me some time seeing of which there are some very knowledgable people posting here. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I don't think having half new buyers is too bad a ratio. On the forum it always seems there is a pretty high percentage of first time buyers. Sometimes I feel that people who have been here a long time make mountains out of mole hills every bit as much as the newbees see pimples as dimples so I don't mind having the mix.

It'll be my first time owning an hd too if I actually pull the trigger this year though I've been following the forum for a couple years now and have spent a good amount of time looking at stores and sometimes at a lucky friends house:) Your one up on me on actually having 1080ps available where you are. New models are painfully slow in showing in my area and I haven't had the oppurtunity to see the qualia yet either(just for the hobbyists curiosity). I've thought so far that the diamond pattern has helped some with SD but hurt some with HD. Since I haven't bought yet I'm interested in hearing the bad as well as the good, but we each have our own preferences. I've been pretty impressed with the dlps in the past and less so with the other digital displays up until now, so they definately have most of my interest. I haven't paid much attention to screens as small as a 36 though that would be larger than the largest display i've owned to date:)


I didn't mean my comment in a negative way. It was more to put some context into westa's "10 pages of reviews" attack. I think most new buyers are very impressed when moving up to HD, I was and so have a few friends of mine that made the jump. I've also seen many people impressed by the shear size of the new screen (whether HD or SD). I think once the "new-ness" wears off that you can begin to look at it a little more critically - that doesn't mean you regret your purchase. 5 years later and I still really like my set. It's biggest downside is a 36" 4:3 tube showing a 16:9 picture is small at 10' away. That said, I'm not sure if I will made the jump to a new set unless a number of my criteria are met. Although, given TVA's return policy, I may go for it if on the edge to see how it works out in my home.

I'm looking forward to all the reviews and I think it's sucks that anyone who says anything negative is dismissed. Their impressions are just as valid as anyone else's. All this stuff is so subjective anyway.

It's biggest downside is a 36" 4:3 tube showing a 16:9 picture is small at 10' away. That said, I'm not sure if I will made the jump to a new set unless a number of my criteria are met. Although, given TVA's return policy, I may go for it if on the edge to see how it works out in my home.

derek: I had a 36" Proscan 3x4 crt until about a year ago, when I got a hlp6163. I recommend that you try one of these new ones; I don't think you will be disappointed.

how do you like your 2910?

how do you like your 2910?

Pretty well. I went through the Sammy 841, 941, Panny s97, and Denon 1910, until finally ponying up for the 2910. As I've discussed over on the 1080p Owners Thread, I do see occasional macro-blocking on fairly rare occasions, but it's not been frequent enough to bother me. The overall PQ is excellent, it passes BTB with ease, and is a solid unit. I would have been happier to have found something acceptible for </= $300, but finally gave up. When I got it, the Sammy 950 and Oppo were not out, so I haven't tried them. But I understand that the Oppo also has some (though maybe small) degree of MB'ing, and the 950 doesn't pass BTB. Thus all players seem to have some shortcomings, so it seems you just have to try one to see if it is acceptible to you, and if not return it. But note: UCSB has had very bad luck wrt MB'ing on the Denon 3910 (very similar PQ to the 2910), but tonydeluce finds the 3910 to have very good PQ with only occasional MB'ing (sounds similar to my experience with the 2910). So it seems that things are still somwhat up in the air. I would keep track of the discussions on the 1080p Owners Thread, where I think you will see lots of talk on this topic.

I just bought a new HLR 5067 and have been using it for about 4 days now. I'm having a problem with it that I'm sure someone has seen before. Forgive me in advance if it's already been discussed, but I just don't have the time to read the 4,800+ posts in this thread.

On the left and right side of the screen the picture is stretched. It's visible in about 6 inches on each side. I have Time Warner digital cable, although it's not the HD box yet. I plan on getting it soon.

Is this a calibration issue? A defect/problem with these DLP sets? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

you probably have selected "panorama" mode

Slightly OT, but what is BTB? And why does it matter if its passed? Sorry about my ignorance....

I went to other places in town to check and see if they had any on display with no luck. So my first impressions were not very good. I will wait until other local retailers get these in stock before I cast my final opinion but, so far, it's not looking too good.

in most cases FIRST IMPRESSION do last, but in this case i believe it won't last that way

you probably have selected "panorama" mode
Thanks! It's nice to have people around to help with my incompetence.... ;)

Thanks! It's nice to have people around to help with my incompetence.... ;)
Here is another tip for the future. :)
There is an owner's thread dedicated to your "family" of Samsung models -- HLRxx67, or HLRxxx8.

I would give you a link but I'm on vacation using a strange laptop and don't have my bookmarks handy. I can't type on this thing. :eek:

I would give you a link but I'm on vacation using a strange laptop and don't have my bookmarks handy. I can't type on this thing. :eek:

You're on vacation can you just can't stay away from the AVS Forum--now that really is a case of addiction (I should know!).

I've decided on the Denon DVD-3910. Does anyone know the best place to pick one up over the net?

Here is another tip for the future. :)
There is an owner's thread dedicated to your "family" of Samsung models -- HLRxx67, or HLRxxx8.

I would give you a link but I'm on vacation using a strange laptop and don't have my bookmarks handy. I can't type on this thing. :eek:

Here 'tis

Samsung HLRxx67W Owners Thread --- 720p DLP HDTV - AVS Forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=537675&page=1&pp=30)

--Don

I've decided on the Denon DVD-3910. Does anyone know the best place to pick one up over the net?
Don't know the best place on the net, but watch out for that pesky "no authorized dealer = no warranty" restriction that Denon has. There was an intense discussion in the AVR forum a while back as to whether Denon actually enforced the restriction, which, as usual for such discussions, reached no conclusion. However, I don't think I'd want to be the first to find out the answer is "yes."

Slightly OT, but what is BTB? And why does it matter if its passed? Sorry about my ignorance....I'm probably not the best person to answer, as I'm new to the term myself, but here's my best interpretation so far. I'll gladly make corrections to this post if any experts point out inaccuracies, as I don't want to spread any misinformation. I would put this in the DVD thread but I'm not sure if it deserves a new thread or if there's a good place to put it:

BTB = Blacker Than Black

The term refers to values in a grayscale range that are supposed to be too dark to see ... or maybe more accurately, values that are outside of the displayed data range and are used as a buffer so that a source device (like a DVD player) won't clip the blacks or whites when sending the image data to your display.

In the computer world, the range between the displayed values of black and white is represented numerically from 0-255. On that scale, black would be 0 and white would be 255. (I don't have that transposed, do I? The RGB expression of black is 0|0|0, and white is 255|255|255, so I think I've got it right...).

But in the video world, the displayed value range is represented from 16-235, with 0-15 being reserved for values "darker" than black, 16 being black, white being 235, and 236-255 reserved for values "lighter" than white. Supposedly the purpose of using this limited range between black and white is so that no blacks or whites are actually clipped by your source device. Supposedly if your device "passes" BTB, it means that it is transmitting these buffer values to your display, and therefore you're seeing the entire intended value range the producer of the source material had in mind. I don't know why or how clipping occurs, though. I've also read that some (many?) movie directors intentionally use BTB values, although I don't know why.

Hope that helps some, and hope I didn't screw it up too much. :)

A suggestion:
For newbies who want to get some info on these models (other than specs) it is going to be frustrating to go through some 200 pages in this thread. So I was wondering if it would make sense to add a section to the very first post about issues like "issues list" and list some major issues (if any) that owners of different models have been facing so far. Then based on the model a person wants he or she can go through the issues list and search this thread using keywords from the issues list and read only those posts. That way they dont have to read all 200 pages. They can quickly check if there are any issues that will bother them and then make the buying decision.

I know there is a wealth of information here but it is very hard to read so many posts to bring oneself upto date. So if people who have been active in this thread from the beginning could gather a issue list and append the first post just like it is being updated/appended with any additions, it will greatly help newbies.
Just my 2c's

Well tonight I did alot more testing of the Samsung 5067w at three different stores: Circuit City, Best Buy and Tweeter.

Tweeter - Got to watch some nice HD signals that looked very good. Can barely notice a difference between 1080p Sony and the 720p Mits. They didn't have a Samsung on the floor showing tv signals. Also got to see digital channels such as CNN that looked fine. They didn't have Comcast cable so I didn't get to see what analog looked like. Went back into one of the rooms and got to watch a DVD on the 5067w and it was very very nice. Really no complaints.

Best Buy - Oh boy, where do I start with this place. Well the fact that they only had HD signals going to every single tv there made it hard to see what the HDTVs can really do. The good news was that they had a PS2 hooked up to their only Samsung 5067w but didn't have a game in it. The salesman wasn't also willing to try a game on it of theirs nor was he willing to let me bring one of mine. Very lame. They weren't really selling this tv to me at all.

Circuit City - Didn't spend too much time on the 5067w there but just wanted to view analog stations again since they use Comcast (please read my last big post here). Channels looked alright. I was standing about 10 feet away from the tv and it was the closest you'd wanna be in analog mode. Picture also looked better in normal mode than stretched. Also, I felt that the HD channels looked just as good as the other two stores. Just as I left I checked out some digital movies they had on Encore channel and it looked nearly as good as a DVD. It'll be nice whenever Comcast upgrades all of their stations to digital.

Still cant decide on getting a HDTV. On one hand they are really really cool for HD and DVD sources and some digital programming. But maybe its best to wait another year or two until all channels are digital and when everyone figures out if 1080p or 720p is the standard. Sure one of better but will tv stations use it capability. I can wait on an HDTV but it would also be fun to own one now. Any recommendations?

I didn't mean my comment in a negative way. It was more to put some context into westa's "10 pages of reviews" attack. I think most new buyers are very impressed when moving up to HD, I was and so have a few friends of mine that made the jump. I've also seen many people impressed by the shear size of the new screen (whether HD or SD). I think once the "new-ness" wears off that you can begin to look at it a little more critically - that doesn't mean you regret your purchase. 5 years later and I still really like my set. It's biggest downside is a 36" 4:3 tube showing a 16:9 picture is small at 10' away. That said, I'm not sure if I will made the jump to a new set unless a number of my criteria are met. Although, given TVA's return policy, I may go for it if on the edge to see how it works out in my home.

I'm looking forward to all the reviews and I think it's sucks that anyone who says anything negative is dismissed. Their impressions are just as valid as anyone else's. All this stuff is so subjective anyway.

I agree with you basically about his response to bruin. Reviews are inevitably going to be done from people with different knowledge bases and different goals. People shouldn't feel like they should not respond just because they aren't seeing things the same way as the majority. bruins post seemed to be as much a question about what he was seeing as a review to me, and some of the best advice given on this forum is in response to a good description of what a poster is seeing. Posts aren't necessarily going to fit well into a pretty matrix though I certainly applaud people trying to put one together if they can. I also basically agree with westa's premise that there was likely a setup problem with the set. The way bruin described the pq problems, especially with brightness and horizontal viewing angle seem inconsistent with what I would expect from the 1080ps unless the new technology has introduced some problems that aren't present in last years models. But that could also be my own preferences shining through. Almost all of the digital displays seem adequate to me in both brightness and horizontal viewing angle.

Well tonight I did alot more testing of the Samsung 5067w at three different stores: Circuit City, Best Buy and Tweeter.

Tweeter - Got to watch some nice HD signals that looked very good. Can barely notice a difference between 1080p Sony and the 720p Mits. They didn't have a Samsung on the floor showing tv signals. Also got to see digital channels such as CNN that looked fine. They didn't have Comcast cable so I didn't get to see what analog looked like. Went back into one of the rooms and got to watch a DVD on the 5067w and it was very very nice. Really no complaints.

Best Buy - Oh boy, where do I start with this place. Well the fact that they only had HD signals going to every single tv there made it hard to see what the HDTVs can really do. The good news was that they had a PS2 hooked up to their only Samsung 5067w but didn't have a game in it. The salesman wasn't also willing to try a game on it of theirs nor was he willing to let me bring one of mine. Very lame. They weren't really selling this tv to me at all.

Circuit City - Didn't spend too much time on the 5067w there but just wanted to view analog stations again since they use Comcast (please read my last big post here). Channels looked alright. I was standing about 10 feet away from the tv and it was the closest you'd wanna be in analog mode. Picture also looked better in normal mode than stretched. Also, I felt that the HD channels looked just as good as the other two stores. Just as I left I checked out some digital movies they had on Encore channel and it looked nearly as good as a DVD. It'll be nice whenever Comcast upgrades all of their stations to digital.

Still cant decide on getting a HDTV. On one hand they are really really cool for HD and DVD sources and some digital programming. But maybe its best to wait another year or two until all channels are digital and when everyone figures out if 1080p or 720p is the standard. Sure one of better but will tv stations use it capability. I can wait on an HDTV but it would also be fun to own one now. Any recommendations?Buy now and don't look back ;)

A suggestion:
For newbies who want to get some info on these models (other than specs) it is going to be frustrating to go through some 200 pages in this thread. So I was wondering if it would make sense to add a section to the very first post about issues like "issues list" and list some major issues (if any) that owners of different models have been facing so far. Then based on the model a person wants he or she can go through the issues list and search this thread using keywords from the issues list and read only those posts. That way they dont have to read all 200 pages. They can quickly check if there are any issues that will bother them and then make the buying decision.

I know there is a wealth of information here but it is very hard to read so many posts to bring oneself upto date. So if people who have been active in this thread from the beginning could gather a issue list and append the first post just like it is being updated/appended with any additions, it will greatly help newbies.
Just my 2c's

I think this is a good idea....even for the "not so new" newbies! :)

...and once you start watching something in HD you'll start watching almost anything in HD and your viewing of SD will steadily decline. Now, where are those "grass growing" and "paint drying" HD channels? ;)

True but one of the biggest problems with non-HD and non-digital channels are the unique ones and reruns of great shows. All shows in syndication are on analog stations and most channels that are unique, such as Bravo, TLC, MTV, VH1, GSN, etc etc are also on analog. Makes it a tough buy to get an HDTV.

A suggestion:
For newbies who want to get some info on these models (other than specs) it is going to be frustrating to go through some 200 pages in this thread. So I was wondering if it would make sense to add a section to the very first post about issues like "issues list" and list some major issues (if any) that owners of different models have been facing so far. Then based on the model a person wants he or she can go through the issues list and search this thread using keywords from the issues list and read only those posts. That way they dont have to read all 200 pages. They can quickly check if there are any issues that will bother them and then make the buying decision.

I know there is a wealth of information here but it is very hard to read so many posts to bring oneself upto date. So if people who have been active in this thread from the beginning could gather a issue list and append the first post just like it is being updated/appended with any additions, it will greatly help newbies.
Just my 2c's

Hi Mupi ... I've been maintaining POST #1 in this thread. I think your idea is a good one and should probably be in the both the 720p and 1080p owners threads. Since I also started those threads, I have place savers at the tops of each of those threads that could be used to summarize issues. In fact, in the 1080p thread I have a list of many of the open issues at the top of the thread (POST #3). I've been organizing answers to the 1080p open issues and DVD player compatibility issues in Word here on my computer and was hoping to get that summary POST moving. Keeping a thread organized and important information professionally summarized is more work than it appears ... but, I am thinking about what can be done.

UCSB: I note that the 'Technical Drawing' of the 7178 is still listed on your Meister Post as 'Not Available'. Any way to check and see if it IS available? Tx, Bill

UCSB: I note that the 'Technical Drawing' of the 7178 is still listed on your Meister Post as 'Not Available'. Any way to check and see if it IS available? Tx, Bill

I am expecting Samsung to add the 7178 to their web site soon and then the technical drawing will be available. If you send Kirk@TVAuthority a PM, he might be able to email you the file if he has received it. If you get a copy, please let me know.

FYI: The August '05 issue of Widescreen Review (WSR) has a nice writeup on DLP technology; it points out many of its "weaknesses," but it is very informative nonetheless...

I’ve been doing a lot of research on tvs and home theatre systems in the last few months. Here are my findings and let me know if you have any suggestions and/or answers to some things I’m still trying to find out. I think I can say for not just myself, but for a few people, that they are looking for the whole package: tv, stand, speakers, dvd, etc. I’ve seen a lot of threads addressing one issue or another, but I think having answers to a complete setup would be interesting and informative. I, and I’m sure others as well, are looking for something that will work awesome all together.

TV: Samsung HL-R6178W:
I went to Tweeter and took a look at it since I’ve been reading up on it since March and it finally came out. I compared it to the 67 series, other manufacturers, and the Sony Qualia, and the picture is amazing. I even turned caption on, and noticed the text was a lot more crisp than the 67 and Qualia. What’s amazing is that on the 6178, they are using diamond shaped overlapping pixels that make it virtually impossible to see up close. I don’t have an extremely large living room and will be sitting about 8 feet away, so I was worried about getting a 61 inch, but I think it will be really good with the new 6178 model. Even up close it looked good and didn’t notice pixels. What do you guys think?

Stand: TR61X2SB
Samsung just came out with the TR61X2SB for it. I think I’m going to get this one instead of the older TR61X2 since the new one is adjustable. Any thoughts?

Home Theatre System: Harmon Kardon CP35?
I’m looking for one under $2,000, but that has really good VIDEO and AUDIO quality that will work best with the types of inputs and outputs and 6178 has. I’m a music guru, so I’d like to get something really crisp and loud as well. I wouldn’t mind going a little over $2k to get it though. I’ve looked at the HK CP35, Pioneer HTZ-940DV, Kenwood HTB-s715DV, some of the Sony Dream Systems (don’t want wireless though since I know I will lose quality), and others. I looked at the BOSE, but it seemed like you wouldn’t get as good of sound and video quality as others and don’t need the hard drive they provide to store songs. Any suggestions on the CP35 and others that are around the same price and have awesome video and audio quality? I want to make sure I get something that will use the latest technology that I can get for about that price, but I’m not sure on HDMI input/outputs, etc.

Where to get it?
I’m looking at Vanns since the TV in only $4,000 with no tax and shipping included. Have you heard any good/bad feedback about Vanns? I’d like to go the cheaper route, but am worried I’ll get it, something may be damaged, won’t be able to return it, and be stuck with a problem. Most retailers are selling it for $4,500+tax right now.

Remaining questions and concerns:
- I’m going to be gaming a lot with Xbox and am looking to eventually get PS 3 when it comes out. Since there are talks about PS 3 being in 1080P, will I be able to get that resolution on the 6178? Will it just upscale to 1080p automatically? I’m not sure if this is where the HDMI 1080p input comes in where the tv doesn’t have? Also, do you think it will have any lag? I’d hate to get it and not be able to play it because there is bad lag. Please let me know your thoughts.
- I have Comcast and will look into getting On Demand and want HDTV. Since the signals coming from there are 720p or 1080i (I think you can set these yourself?), will the tv upscale it to 1080p automatically? If so, then would I set it to 1080i to get the best picture instead of 720p? I guess I still don’t know what the HDMI 1080p input would be used for and why a lot of people are making it a big deal that the 6178 doesn’t have HDMI 1080p inputs? There have also been some talks about the 6178 not having 5.1 HDMI sound, but with the theatre system, I would assume you would get around that? With a tv like this, I would think most people would want to get a good home theatre system as well.
- Are cables that come with the system and tv sufficient, or would you get that much of a difference and get other cables?

Well it was an interesting experience. Fry's in Burbank finally put out a 5668 on display. I've been bugging them for nearly the two weeks that they have had 6168s and 5668s in receiving. They just had no interest in doing anything with them.

They placed the 5668 between an RCA 61" DLP and a Panasonic ~56". They were all fed from the same loop, HDSports channel via component input. The Samsung was clearly better than the RCA unit hands down, before I even got my hands on a remote control. I immediately reset the video controls to default. I was puzzled in that the Samsung and Panasonic were very close in picture quality. I tinkered with the video controls for awhile, putting them close what lot of people are ending up using. The brightness of the two displays were very close, the black detail was markedly better on the Samsung and the detail resolution was clearly better on the Samsung. But you had to look close to see the differences. Standing back I perferred the Samsungs overall appearance. I finally checked the Panasonic model (I had assumed that it was a microdisplay as Fry's had put the entire back in that type). I was astonished to find that it was an HD plasma.

My mind is now made up, the 6168 will look great. This is the first RP that I would consider to replace my 36" HD XBR.

What exactly should I look for when comparing 1080p and 720p tvs? I've been looking at the Sony Qualia next to a Song 3LCD tvs and I can't notice a major difference. Any tips?

Where to get it?
I’m looking at Vanns since the TV in only $4,000 with no tax and shipping included. Have you heard any good/bad feedback about Vanns? I’d like to go the cheaper route, but am worried I’ll get it, something may be damaged, won’t be able to return it, and be stuck with a problem. Most retailers are selling it for $4,500+tax right now.


Why don't you look into the PowerBuy thread. You may find out you can beat that price by a pretty decent margin.

sub,

I'd pay particular attention to the screen door effect, or lack thereof, between the two sets. Also, see how each one treats an SDTV signal when it comes in. Colors, black level, minimized rainbows on one vs. another and graininess of one vs. another are all good things to compare. Now... if all things are equal amongst these, I'd just use the physical looks of the set or the price to pick.

Good luck,
Jeff

What exactly should I look for when comparing 1080p and 720p tvs? I've been looking at the Sony Qualia next to a Song 3LCD tvs and I can't notice a major difference. Any tips?

The first thing to understand is the quality of the signal feeding the TV, type of input, and resolution. For example, if you have a 480i or 720p signal. You will probably not see any extra detail when comparing a 720p to a 1080p set. The second thing to be aware of is the settings on the TV. It is always a good idea to set the TV back to defaults (in picture setup area).

But, assuming everything is setup right. You should be able to see improved detail in the parts of the picture that show detail, blacker blacks, higher contrast. The picture should look much better.

You're on vacation can you just can't stay away from the AVS Forum--now that really is a case of addiction (I should know!).
Who me? :rolleyes:

We are at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this week. This is our fifteenth year here so all I do is attend two plays per day, eat in great restaurants, and stay out of the "noon day sun". It ranging between 98 - 105 degrees this week.

That's what I'm doing now. ;)

this is off topic for this thread, but does anyone know where I can buy banana/spade speaker wire combo? I went to Bettercables (the cables I want) but they don't do a combo. Thanks in advance.

A little bit off-topic--does anyone have recommendations for a decent but inexpensive UPS?

A little bit off-topic--does anyone have recommendations for a decent but inexpensive UPS?

A few years ago I bought a 1400VA UPS off ebay for like $150 used but with new batteries. Is it overkill? You bet cha. But it will power my big ole 61" Toshiba tube type HDTV RP set along with my amp and any STB for about a hour. At times the power has gone off and I didn't know it till the UPS started beeping. Powering all the STBs in standby mode, I'm sure it'll last for days. Last year, after 3 years with the original batteries, I finally had to change 'em. For about $50 to $60 dollars I changed 2 sets (I have two UPS' the same size). The other one I use on my puter & router & networking crap. You don't need anything fancy, just something that has a few watts reserve and a few 120 outlets. BTW most good UPS' of this size are also line conditioners, mine is.

If you're diligent about turning your stuff off when a outage occurs, you can get by easily with something in the 400 to 600 VA range. BTW VA is power (watts) only using peak volts instead of RMS volts. So multiply the VA stated by .707 and you'll get watts as we're accustomed to seeing it. The 1400VA UPS's I have are very close to 1000watts normal.

Way Way WAY off topic

Like a thunderbolt ripping through my body, I’ve just come to realize I have entered the final stages of Geekdom. Obviously new to the forum, with only a few posts, I realized I began to understand the technobabble….I mean jargon pretty easily. While I’ve been an audiophile for more years than some of you have been alive. And I am the guy that everybody comes to for miles around to fix their computer (get rid of Windows 69 and upgrade to Unix). I was resistant to accept the moniker of Nerd. Hell, I hunt and fish and drive fast cars; how can I be a geek? However, that doesn’t excuse the fact that I sit in front of monitors for more hours in a day than I do any of those other things. I belong to many and diverse forums, this being the most recent. I’ve finally gotten to the stage where I’d rather read about it than do it.

I really need this new 6168 on order from TVA, just so I can marry my two loves. TV and puties. Dam that's sad, ain’t it??? I really enjoy the Cup races on Sundays, Shi…shoot, I guess that makes me a redneck geek.

BTW, I commend most on this forum. At least you folks can speel gud! Unlike some of the “other” forums I go to.

~Rant off, Flamesuit on! :)

A little bit off-topic--does anyone have recommendations for a decent but inexpensive UPS?
What's "inexpensive?" I just bought an APC Smart-UPS SUA750 brand new from iUnitek for what I consider a very good price (won't post price here, because that's frowned on). It's rated for 450 watts max, and the TV and DVR I have connected to it draw 270 watts max, so there's a comfortable amount of headroom. If there's a power outage, however, I'll turn the TV off immediately. I only wanted the UPS to give the fan time to cool the bulb down. With just the DVR running, the UPS has enough power to run the DVR for almost 2 hours (with the TV on, it's more like 15 minutes, if I remember correctly).

What's "inexpensive?" I just bought an APC Smart-UPS SUA750 brand new from iUnitek for what I consider a very good price (won't post price here, because that's frowned on).

Any thoughts on the Belkins, which are quite a bit cheaper? I assume you get what you pay for, but I'm curious what the real difference is.

Any thoughts on the Belkins, which are quite a bit cheaper? I assume you get what you pay for, but I'm curious what the real difference is.
I didn't do much comparison shopping for the UPS. The things that grabbed me immediately about the APC Smart-UPS were: (a) APC is a respected name in the UPS arena; and (b) the Smart-UPS models output a pure sine wave, not the stepped sine wave commonly output by "consumer-grade" UPSs. (OK, I'm not an expert, I just read the whole "surge suppressor and clean power" thread, but I read enough to make me feel good about going with the Smart-UPS, so please don't burst my bubble!)

the Smart-UPS models output a pure sine wave

I don't think I'd be too concerned about that. The first thing that all your home theatre stuff does is rectify and regulate all the voltages to a much smaller DC value.

It really doesn't pay anymore to be brand loyal. Even the most trusted names put out crap from time to time. Usually turns out to be some Jr Excutive's bright idea. The only way you'll be truly happy is to do your own homework and choose the UPS at the best price range and customer satisfaction you can find.

The very first thing you need to determine is exactly what your expectation are. Do you want to run your TV & stuff for hours on end during a blackout or do you just want to have enough time to methodically shut down your stuff in an orderly maner such that the outage doesn't damage your stuff. I don't know for sure and I'm not sure anybodly else knows for certain how long the bulb cooling fan need to run in order to properly cool the bulb down. I'd guess a max 10 to 15 minutes with the bulb in the off condition.

What’s amazing is that on the 6178, they are using diamond shaped overlapping pixels that make it virtually impossible to see up close. I don’t have an extremely large living room and will be sitting about 8 feet away, so I was worried about getting a 61 inch, but I think it will be really good with the new 6178 model. Even up close it looked good and didn’t notice pixels.

Could you please come back to this point ? I dont really understand that. Cant you see up-close or does it look good up-close ? If the pixels are overlapping doesnt it make the picture look fuzzier ?


I would really like to see the Sammy 7178 right next to a Mits 73727, to see how they stack up in comparison, before making a final decision.

What would be even better would be to see both the new Sammy 71" and Mits 73" next the the 73" Mits CRT RPs. How the new DLPs compare to this set and to the now defunct 64" Philips is what i will base my decision upon.

For those of you looking for a UPS try refurbups.com. They sell refurbished units with new batteries for really good prices. Thats where I got one and I've had no problems with it at all.

This might be some what off discussion but I want to say that I just got my new 46' samsung DLP yesterday. I was very concerned about reading all the post on how gaming lags on this tv and lip sync issues. Let me say... I put in Halo 2 because everyone was saying that was bad with lag. NONE, I had 0 controller lag. When i pressed the button the action went on to the screen no lag. I then put in ESPN MLB 2k5 and did the aiming for pitches and what not... NO LAG.

I have my cheap o' 5.1 surround sound hooked up and again NO lip sync. The picture is fantastic on this set. I have yet to collaborate it with digital video essentials, but I will be picking this up tonight.

A little back story, I have returned 4 tv's in the past month. First was the samsung 30' 'slim fit' HDTV, the picture had bad blue color bleed on every corner, and when I played espn mlb 2k5 on it an hour glass shape was there. Even when watching 4:3 the box was NOT straight. I took it back.

Then was the Polaroid 32' LCD HDTV. This picture was ok, but was to much smearing while playing games. I returned it.

I then went with the Westinghouse 32' TV which claimed it had an 8ms. Well, the picture was pretty good. But ghosting and smearing were too much. Ghosting was even more than the Polaroid. So needless to say, it went back.

Then I decided to shell out more money to get a decent tv, I went with the 32' Samsung LCD. I brought it home and the picture sucked. The smearing was also bad but not much ghosting at all. I didn't feel comfortable with spending that much on something that smeared during games. I took it back.

Best Buy gave me an EVEN exchange for that tv and the new 46' DLP samsung HDTV I got. I said sure I'll take it. I'm 100% glade I did, FANTASTIC set, looks great both picture wise and cosmetic wise.

Sorry for all this text. Thanks for reading.

xmrbigx--glad you like your new tv! I think, though, that most people concerned with lip sync/gaming issues are talking about the 1080p sets, and since you have a 46", I'm guessing it's one of the 720p sets (4667 or 4677). Good to hear that those are less problematic, as on the offchance I'm not happy with my 6168 I might consider trying to back down to the 5677.

^plus it sounds like he is trying 720p games and not PS2 games that normally show lag.

This is one reason why I might hold off on a DLP tv and wait for 1080p sets to come down in price, more HD material to be available (nature shows and PBS are dull) and for the PS3 to come out.

Only 154 days to CES 2006.

Only 154 days to CES 2006.

... and then another 150 days or so until the TV's displayed are shipped.

... and then another 150 days or so until the TV's displayed are shipped.

The 1080p "wobulated" DLPs will be a hard act to follow :-)

The 1080p "wobulated" DLPs will be a hard act to follow :-)

i would think quite the contrary, non-wobulated, 3-chip designs...that would be the pinnacle of dlp viewing...and the pinnacle of price too i imagine :)

i would think quite the contrary, non-wobulated, 3-chip designs...that would be the pinnacle of dlp viewing...and the pinnacle of price too i imagine :)

Sure, but don't expect them at 2006 CES.

hey all - couple of (hopefully) quick questions.

1. is the main diff between the 67 & 68 series the 1080p pic? the rest of the feature-set looks pretty close.

2. what is the current dlp chip in these sets called? hd something-or-other? aren't they supposedly the 4th gen now?

thx!

hey all - couple of (hopefully) quick questions.

1. is the main diff between the 67 & 68 series the 1080p pic? the rest of the feature-set looks pretty close.

2. what is the current dlp chip in these sets called? hd something-or-other? aren't they supposedly the 4th gen now?

thx!

POST #1 in this thread has all of the spec's for these sets.

hyimted--look through Post #1 in this thread, which will answer a lot of your questions.

1. is the main diff between the 67 & 68 series the 1080p pic? the rest of the feature-set looks pretty close.

The 68 series has a much higher quoted contrast ratio (meaning deeper blacks). Impressions from new owners and people viewing the sets in-store has so far tended to confirm this, though opinions have ranged from "slightly better than previous Samsung DLPs" to "nearly as good as a plasma".

2. what is the current dlp chip in these sets called? hd something-or-other? aren't they supposedly the 4th gen now?

TI isn't officially naming them the same way as they used to. Unofficially, we've been referring to them as xHD4 in the 1080p sets, HD4 in the latest 720p sets.

The 1080p "wobulated" DLPs will be a hard act to follow :-)

they said the same thing about 720p

they said the same thing about 720p

its not just the increase in resolution ( which is really cool too ) - its
the better blacks and much higher CR, that greatly improves the
overall PQ.

Looking forward to finding out :-)

its not just the increase in resolution ( which is really cool too ) - its
the better blacks and much higher CR, that greatly improves the
overall PQ.

Looking forward to finding out :-)

Not to repeat, but they said the same thing about 1000:1 contrast ratio. Don't forget that there will always be something better next summer.

here is my system upgrading update....

HL-R6768W Samsung DLP - still on pre-order
Denon AVR-3805 - up and running
Denon DVD - 3910 - Received today - thanks to this forum I knew to check for the firmware upgrade. Turns out my unit was built in November 04 and needed it. They are sending a cd in the mail.
1 Pair Axiom QS8 Surrounds in Mansfield Beech (Black Grille) finish
1 Axiom EP500 Powered Subwoofer in Mansfield Beech (Black Grille) finish
Bettercables Blue Truth front and center speaker cables.

I haven't decided on upgrading my front and center speakers yet. I'm running Polk RT115's up front and have a Martin Logan center that is probably seven years old. I think I'm going to hold off and see how everything sounds before taking that leap. Anyway, justed wanted to say thanks to the forum for all the great advice.

One more question if I may...

Digital Coax or Toslink? I plan on running a HDMI cable from my satelite box direct to the TV and a HDMI cable from my DVD player direct to the tv. I was then going to run either a toslink or coax from the dvd to the avr and the same with the satelite box. If this is wrong someone let me know....thanks

Not to repeat, but they said the same thing about 1000:1 contrast ratio. Don't forget that there will always be something better next summer.

I hope you are right. If they can make a similiar level of improvement I will
be upgarding again :-)

One more question if I may...

Digital Coax or Toslink? I plan on running a HDMI cable from my satelite box direct to the TV and a HDMI cable from my DVD player direct to the tv. I was then going to run either a toslink or coax from the dvd to the avr and the same with the satelite box. If this is wrong someone let me know....thanks

That's exactly right. I use a Toslink cable for the digital audio from the the STB and the DVD to the AVR, but I understand that coax gives equivalent results.

I hope you are right. If they can make a similiar level of improvement I will
be upgarding again :-)

I've heard that people who have last years model can get a cheap upgrade to this years version (720p) from who they got it. That true?

Also, I was measuring again tonight and I will be sitting 8 to 11 feet from my DLP. Would a 46" or 50" be better?

I've heard that people who have last years model can get a cheap upgrade to this years version (720p) from who they got it. That true?

Also, I was measuring again tonight and I will be sitting 8 to 11 feet from my DLP. Would a 46" or 50" be better?

I sit 9 feet away from my 61 in. and am thinking of moving up another foot
due to the all calculators saying that's the way to resolve all the detail.

But, in my opinion, the set looks great from 9 feet. I would go with at least
50in.

I have no knowledge of the upgrade program you mentioned.

I rather go with bigger than what would be the right size. But I don't want to be too close so that SD channels look bad or where it gets grainy.

Only problem that getting a 50" brings up, is if I should go with the 720p right now or wait to compare the 1080p model? I've only seen the 1080p Sony and I didn't notice that much of a difference, if any. I got the extra $1000 or so for the better PQ but is it worth it.

I've heard that people who have last years model can get a cheap upgrade to this years version (720p) from who they got it. That true?

Also, I was measuring again tonight and I will be sitting 8 to 11 feet from my DLP. Would a 46" or 50" be better?

50" will be better. There has never been a Samsung upgrade program on DLP (except if your TV was unrepairable in warranty or had 3 serious repair visits and it was still broken).

I rather go with bigger than what would be the right size. But I don't want to be too close so that SD channels look bad or where it gets grainy.

Only problem that getting a 50" brings up, is if I should go with the 720p right now or wait to compare the 1080p model? I've only seen the 1080p Sony and I didn't notice that much of a difference, if any. I got the extra $1000 or so for the better PQ but is it worth it.

Go with the 1080p, if you are comfortable with the price. If not, 720p is a nice set also.

Where do you hear this stuff?
Seems unlikely unless someone got a bad TV that needed to be replaced as the new sets became available or perhaps through prior agreement with a store.


Thats what happened.

Go with the 1080p, if you are comfortable with the price. If not, 720p is a nice set also.

Then maybe I should just wait and see the 1080p before I buy something. Its just hard with the NFL season coming and primetime tv shows.