I sent an email to Samsung Support re: this.

I'm looking for feedback from other owners as to their observations.
My DNIe works great. First turn off the DNIe demo, then go to the menu setup under picture, scroll down to DNIe and switch it to on, Now if you cant do this, I think maybe your set is not working right. Wait for what Samsung has to say. Anyone else having problems with there DNIe? :)

Wonderful reply. This westa6969 character who is clearly a very disturbed, immature individual and is now stalking me with private messages. Anyone else getting bugged by this disturbed person? Or Maybe he's just in love with me.
You must have a fan amoung you. Be honored, Hee-hee JK. :eek: :D

I only have an option for DNIe demo. There is no option for just DNIe. Maybe they changed the firmware already. I have version 1.0 I believe.

Quite a record indeed. StallionRe alone has contributed between 5% and 7% of the total posts in this thread alone. 276 posts in only 9 days. That is impressive.
I am not trying to break record, no such thing here, I am just trying to help everyone on this thread with my help and observations. I dont work for anyone who makes or sells TV's, so there is nothing in it for me. I am just a consumer like all of you. I hope that my input is helping you. If you see it harming you all, I will no longer be on this thread. You decide. :D

You're prolly right.

I was going by an earlier post from Watzkej;
"I have a question though. In the DNIe menu, at the far right near the bottom is an item "DNIe" which is default set to off. I happened to have Discovery HD on which was showing a flyby of green mountains. I set that to "ON" and the image looked much sharper and nicer. At first I thought this was a service menu way to turn on the DNIe demo but the whole screen looked nicer. However, when I power off the set then power it back on and enter the service menu, the gamma is still set at 0 but the DNIe setting is back to OFF. Is DNIe really turned off for some reason by default?"

It sounds as though when he toggled the DNIe "on" in the service menu the entire screen was affected positively, not the split screen when the demo button is pushed.

I'm also curious as to how/why they make the demo picture better (IMHO) than the default? Wouldn't it make more sense to do the opposite?
On my 78 TV I ca set the DNIe to either on or off for each input. Also on PIP I can set this too. Others Cant? Why is this? s my TV special, I dont think so. Is anyone else having a problem with that?

For people that have connected PC's up to the VGA port at the 1920x1080 resolution, is the quality of the picture usable and a resolution that you would want your PC to be set to or do you have to fall back to a lower resolution i.e. 1280x1024 for it to be usable?

The PQ via VGA at 1920x1080 is very crisp. The only change I made was to increase the font size in display settings and IE.

SammiK just ignore his statements and he will quit...neither of you are in the right...Man this forum was a great place to get info on all the new technologies coming out...Great for info on tweaks...I think once I get my unit...I will say good-bye to the forum...All this bashing is senseless...and it seems to be the same people doing it over and over again...Who cares what a person has for a TV or DVD player or whatever, if they are happy with it then let them be happy...its too bad as this is a fun hobby...this forum is going to the dogs. :mad:
Why cant we all get along, We are all losing sight of what this forum means and stands for. If this keeps up I am out of here for good. This is suppose to be for the TV's, etc and not personal attacks. Lets take it outside then. :mad: :eek:

On my 78 TV I ca set the DNIe to either on or off for each input. Also on PIP I can set this too. Others Cant? Why is this? s my TV special, I dont think so. Is anyone else having a problem with that?

I'm not near my set, but are you sure you are not referring to digital noise reduction?

Questions:
1. Do I need to get this set calibrated?! Here is why I am asking. Many of the dark scenes are hard-to-see. In fact, many scenes that I used to be able to clearly see are now dark. It is hard to differentiate from different shades of dark. I am watching in Movie mode with the following customization: Brightness is 48 and Contrast is 95--these were set to combat the darkness problems.
Thanks for a well written, clear and consise review of your new set. Congratulations.

In answer to question 1, I would suggest lowering the contrast. By having the contrast set high, darks tend to become darker and light colored scenes tend to become lighter. Contrast (white level) and brightness (black level) interact with each other. Try the Digital Video Eseentials DVD calibration disk. It provides a lot of useful explanations on this topic. Hope this helps.

Why cant we all get along, We are all losing sight of what this forum means and stands for. If this keeps up I am out of here for good. This is suppose to be for the TV's, etc and not personal attacks. Lets take it outside then. :mad: :eek:

Stallion Re, I think the forum would work better if you just restrained your comments until you had something substantive to say, rather than just rambling. (No offense intended, just a suggestion.)

You are right in so many ways. Speaking for myself, on the one hand I believe I've contributed in a mostly positive way by sharing knowledge helping people by answering their questions. On the other hand, I realize that I have been a participant in the negativity that has erupted throughout this forum during the past several weeks by trying hard to defend Samsung and DLP TVs against the onslaught of negative comments by a certain handful of individuals who seem to have made it their mission to invade any possible thread with their anti-Samsung and anti-DLP negativity and insults. So many threads have been (and still are) turned to crap recently (the Sony SXRD thread is one recent example outside of this one), usually by the same few people, and these forums aren't anywhere near as enjoyable as they used to be. I have seen the error of my ways and I do not want to be seen as one of the handful of people that are spoiling things for the majority. So, I am no longer going to continue to do battle with the resident negativists like gazelle, artwood, sammik, reincarnate, and so on (who rarely provide any actual constructive help or advice help to people - though they are capable of being positive and helping people if they really wanted to). I am not conceding defeat but I shall shift my mode of operation to ignoring their negativity, criticisms, accusations and insults and leave it to others to see them for what they are and apply the appropriate weighting to their comments and treat them with the contempt they deserve. Perhaps instead of trying to fight these people we should just ignore them and hopefully they'll just go away.

Good job Akastp, ;) I believe what you have said completely. I feel the same way as you do. Some people in this word like to distrupt other good people that are trying to make a difference, IE the devil comes in. You have decided like me and others not to let the Devil people in. Good Choice, Lets focus on the TV's at hand and not negative comments like these. I am here to learn and not to waste time reading all these posts which are bad. I would say at least 40% of them are negative. I will not be a part of this. I am a mature, smart, hard working person that wants to help people and myself about their TV's, DVD Players, AVR's, Etc. That is my input all positive. :)

Anyone have an opinion about weather the 5678 is better looking then the 5668, is it worth $400?

Thanks
Chuck
I totally think that the 78 series looks so much better than the 68, however this is my personal feeling. It depends on your set up at home and what you like. The 68 would not look good in my house because of my entertainment center and my other products. The 78 is perfect because it is a one looking design. It is the "Classical Look" It looks like one hugh TV and it is easy to clean. On the 68 series the dust will sit on top of your speaker area and it will look awful in my opinion. The 68 also to me, looks like the V is sitting on top of them, like two different units. Then when you add the TV stand, the 68 series looks like it is in so many pieces. I like one solid piece as much as possible. That is my take on this.

Hey wmwrose - thanks for reply. How is your aspect ratio set? Mine is set to widescreen 16:9 and sidebar 4:3. One thing I am not to thrilled about is that the local ABC, CBS, NBC stations are broadcasting in 720 HD so I get sidebars. Was hoping for better quality on locals. Also, are you using HDMI and able to get sound out of your Sammy?

Thanks!

My aspect ratio is set the same as yours. The local stations often have sidebars depending on the programming. If you are watching a network evening "studio-produced" show, it should be widescreen and HD. (most are). But when I watch the network news for example or daytime programs, they are not HD and have sidebars.

I am using HDMI and I get sound just fine from my internal speakers (as well as my AVR). Are you not getting sound from yours? I saw somewhere that if you have the SARA software on your 8300 (as opposed to the Pioneer software that comes with most Time Warner boxes like mine), you can choose to output 5.1, but it will send that to all outputs including HDMI to the Sammy. If you do this, the Sammy's internal speakers won't work and you'd have to use your AVR full-time. (I think I got that right :o )

Bill

My aspect ratio is set the same as yours. The local stations often have sidebars depending on the programming. If you are watching a network evening "studio-produced" show, it should be widescreen and HD. (most are). But when I watch the network news for example or daytime programs, they are not HD and have sidebars.

I am using HDMI and I get sound just fine from my internal speakers (as well as my AVR). Are you not getting sound from yours? I saw somewhere that if you have the SARA software on your 8300 (as opposed to the Pioneer software that comes with most Time Warner boxes like mine), you can choose to output 5.1, but it will send that to all outputs including HDMI to the Sammy. If you do this, the Sammy's internal speakers won't work and you'd have to use your AVR full-time. (I think I got that right :o )

Bill
My 8300 has the lastest Passport sw on it, with no sound via HDMI :(

On my 78 TV I ca set the DNIe to either on or off for each input. Also on PIP I can set this too. Others Cant? Why is this? s my TV special, I dont think so. Is anyone else having a problem with that?

How are you setting this? On my 78 the only setting for DNIe is the Demo. And if you toggle the demo on/off, it appears that DNIe is not enabled. Very strange. I did see a setting for it in Service menu and will check again in AM to see if it is defaulted to On.

I am not trying to break record, no such thing here, I am just trying to help everyone on this thread with my help and observations. I dont work for anyone who makes or sells TV's, so there is nothing in it for me. I am just a consumer like all of you. I hope that my input is helping you. If you see it harming you all, I will no longer be on this thread. You decide. :D

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Your comments have been very helpful in fact, and I was just reiterating that it was impressive the number of posts we have had on these sets so far. Between the original samsung hlr thread, the powerbuy and this thread, I don't think I've seen more posts and information devoted to a single product here on AVSForum.

By the way, in case anyone is looking for good DVDs to test on their systems, I believe BestBuy is selling all Superbit titles for only $9.99

That is only the demo mode. DNIe is always on with the new sets, unless there is a way to turn it off in the service menu.

I went into Service menu. 2nd item on list is DNIe with a boatload of settings. On last column, toward bottom, DNIe was set to Off. I change to On. Then, powered up set and ran DNIe demo. Looked the same to me, as if it was not on. Demo showed better picture still. I don't get it. :confused:

My 8300 has the lastest Passport sw on it, with no sound via HDMI :(

Sorry... I meant Passport not Pioneer. Not sure why you're not getting sound... try posting a question about this in this thread... (not sure how to add the actual link :o )

Time Warner Cable - SA 8000HD & 8300HD w/ Passport software

OK, Can someone try this test for me. It woiuld help me to determine if I have a problem with my tv....

Step 1: Put in DVD such as DVE and pull up a Pluge test.
Step 2: Set TV to movie mode - HDMI
Step 3: Set your brighness so you can see the blacker than black bar(s)
Step 4: Switch inputs to a different input and back (for me it's HDMI - 2)

Does it look the same as before? For me, the settings are still there however, the picture is noticable darker.

Step 5: Switch the Picture mode to Custom and Back to Movie.

For me the picture returns back to how it looked with I calibrated it but goes all dark if I switch inputs or turn off the TV and turn it back on. IT's DRIVING ME BATTY:)

If anyone could help me out that would be great. Thanks in advance. BTW - I am using a Denon 2910, but it does the same thing on my 942 so I think it probably just something happening on any input (maybe just digital inputs).

Setup: 6168, Comcast Motorola 6412 PVR connected via component and HDMI to HDMI 2 on the Samsung..

When the cable guy came by to set up the PVR, he connected it via component. Earlier this morning, I hooked up an HDMI cable with an HDMI->DVI adapter, and it worked fine (though I didn't do A/B tests to see whether I liked it better than component).

This evening, I unplugged the cable box so I could change where it sits in our TV stand. When I plugged the HDMI cable back in, the TV said "Mode not supported". I fiddled with the setup menu settings (16:9, output res, etc.), and nothing helped. I hooked it back up through component and it worked fine, but it's puzzling that HDMI suddenly stopped working.

I did notice once that when I touched the HDMI cable (after I started having the problem and was reseating the cables to see if that helped), a little bit of static jumped out. Is the HDMI cable "live" when connected to the TV? I wouldn't have expected that.

I sure hope I didn't burn out the HDMI input on the TV! I should probably try swapping the DVD player with the 6412's HDMI input to see if that input is now broken...but now I'm scared to touch the damn cables :)

Anyway, has anyone else had a similar problem? Is there anything else I could try to get the TV to recognize the 6412 via HDMI?

Why do you think he referred to it as POS?

I have seen this smoothing affect only on the faces when I compared a 720P Mits to a 1080p Samsung. Both with component feeds in Sound Advice store. The mits handled the blemishes better during this comparison. I am strongly trying to get one of my friends to buy the 1080p Samsung so I can see if this holds up at home. :D


Guess you could always visit me on the east coast of Florida I have the set.

My testing of the 850's big brother the 950 is not going well ... both the OPPO OPDV971V and Sony DVP-NS975V are doing well in my testing. You would be a lot happier with the OPPO or Sony. I'll be putting my results together later this week. PM me if you need to make a purchasing decision before then.
Thanks UCSB, I have the Sony-NS975V and that confirms that I have a good DVD Player all HD too with HDMI outputs. I am glad that your test should two players to be good for the Samsung TV. :)
I am very happy with my Sony DVD player. It works very well, even better than I thought.

Anyone have an opinion about weather the 5678 is better looking then the 5668, is it worth $400?

Thanks
Chuck
I feel that the 78 is better as far as design, But the internal make-up is the same. I have the 78 and love the one case design, It looks real rich and it gives it that "Classical Look". The 78 looks awesome on my Samsung TV Stand. I like TV's that are solid, where the speakers are built into it. Come to think of it, It doesnt even look like there are speakers there. It actually looks like a base of the TV. I am staring at it now and I am real impressed with this model. People are even asking where are the speakers since you cant see them.
Good Luck with your decision. I hope that I helped you out.

Can someone point me to the spot on samsung's website that says not to use their tv's if you're a gamer? I've heard a couple of people mention it and have never been able to find it.

I am a gamer and have been trying daily to tell myself that the 5668 will be fine but a the recent instore testing from a Halo 2 clan member has got my nerves all rattled. Specifically reports that the lag was the same as the 720p model and that my gamer friend has that and swears that there is no lag. Hard to not take someone who's in a gaming clan seriously and just blame it on him not selecting the right resolution or something!

Setup: 6168, Comcast Motorola 6412 PVR connected via component and HDMI to HDMI 2 on the Samsung..


...I sure hope I didn't burn out the HDMI input on the TV! I should probably try swapping the DVD player with the 6412's HDMI input to see if that input is now broken...but now I'm scared to touch the damn cables :)

Anyway, has anyone else had a similar problem? Is there anything else I could try to get the TV to recognize the 6412 via HDMI?

Seems like there was someone else with a dead HDMI connection/card on the TV side but I thought it was DOA rather than failing after use. Good luck and hope it gets resolved quickly.

I thought we already determined that the 67, 68 and 78 do not have a DNIe On/Off setting. They do however a totally uselss DNIe Demo Mode which you can turn on (defaults to off) and results in a split screen Demo mode when turned on. This is shown in the manual. Now, back to the non-existent DNIe on/off...as it would make no sense for Samsung to market how marvellous DNIe is and leave it permanently off we can only deduce that is permanently on otherwise whats the point of having it?

Please check the setting again, does it not read DNIe Demo? And when you turn it on you get the split screen Demo mode yes? Better still, how about a photo?
It is not the demo that I am talking about it is the actual DNIe, that I can turn on/off in my menu set up. You cant do this with your tv? I can mine. I have all the inputs DNIe on. I cant switch this DNIe to on or off and set it to different imputs. I am serious about this.
How you can determine that the 67, 68, 78 do not have a DNIe On/Off seeting, then why does mine turn on and off when I change the setting. Samsung even told me on the phone today that it works like this.
Does your set not work right?

That is only the demo mode. DNIe is always on with the new sets, unless there is a way to turn it off in the service menu.
My TV came with the DNIe turned off and I had to turn it on. It stays on now. On my set, I scroll down to DNIe and hit select, then I go up or down to either turn it on or off. That is how my set works. Maybe you guys have a different logic board or something.

I thought we already determined that the 67, 68 and 78 do not have a DNIe On/Off setting. They do however a totally uselss DNIe Demo Mode which you can turn on (defaults to off) and results in a split screen Demo mode when turned on. This is shown in the manual. Now, back to the non-existent DNIe on/off...as it would make no sense for Samsung to market how marvellous DNIe is and leave it permanently off we can only deduce that is permanently on otherwise whats the point of having it?

Please check the setting again, does it not read DNIe Demo? And when you turn it on you get the split screen Demo mode yes? Better still, how about a photo?
The demo that you are talking about, we all have that on these models, That is exactly what my demo looks like, what you described. I am talking about the actual DNIe control in the Picture menu option. That is changable on my set. Sorry if you dont have this on yours.
I do see the Demo DNIe, that gives me a split screen of what DNIe does for the picture. Then I close the demo. That is usless to me a demo, it is confusing to new owners too. :mad:

Setup: 6168, Comcast Motorola 6412 PVR connected via component and HDMI to HDMI 2 on the Samsung..

When the cable guy came by to set up the PVR, he connected it via component. Earlier this morning, I hooked up an HDMI cable with an HDMI->DVI adapter, and it worked fine (though I didn't do A/B tests to see whether I liked it better than component).

This evening, I unplugged the cable box so I could change where it sits in our TV stand. When I plugged the HDMI cable back in, the TV said "Mode not supported". I fiddled with the setup menu settings (16:9, output res, etc.), and nothing helped. I hooked it back up through component and it worked fine, but it's puzzling that HDMI suddenly stopped working.

I did notice once that when I touched the HDMI cable (after I started having the problem and was reseating the cables to see if that helped), a little bit of static jumped out. Is the HDMI cable "live" when connected to the TV? I wouldn't have expected that.

I sure hope I didn't burn out the HDMI input on the TV! I should probably try swapping the DVD player with the 6412's HDMI input to see if that input is now broken...but now I'm scared to touch the damn cables :)

Anyway, has anyone else had a similar problem? Is there anything else I could try to get the TV to recognize the 6412 via HDMI?

It is a good practice to turn components off when you are installing cables.

I'm not near my set, but are you sure you are not referring to digital noise reduction?

No I am not referring to the DNR, which is also changable too. I am talking about the DNIe. Am I the only one that has this on my TV? Please someone help me here.

It says on the forth line down in the picture setting menu:
DNIe on
off

So, I highlight ON and select it (ok) and then exit the menu.

When I check it, it is still on. Cool. Big difference from the DNIe being on and off. WOW, I like on better.

Stallion Re, I think the forum would work better if you just restrained your comments until you had something substantive to say, rather than just rambling. (No offense intended, just a suggestion.)
This makes no sense at all, when everyone here is fighting. Rambling, I dont think so. So then it is ok to be negative and put other people down.
NO OFFENSE TAKEN.

How are you setting this? On my 78 the only setting for DNIe is the Demo. And if you toggle the demo on/off, it appears that DNIe is not enabled. Very strange. I did see a setting for it in Service menu and will check again in AM to see if it is defaulted to On.
I am setting my DNIe through the menu of the picture setting that I have. It is in the second book that you get with your TV. Go to Picture setting, then scroll down to DNIe and hit the right arrow on the remote and it will highlight for you, a box will appear and it will say on or off. Highlight what you want and then hit ok and then exit the menu. This is how I did it.
It is like setting the DNR, same way.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Your comments have been very helpful in fact, and I was just reiterating that it was impressive the number of posts we have had on these sets so far. Between the original samsung hlr thread, the powerbuy and this thread, I don't think I've seen more posts and information devoted to a single product here on AVSForum.

By the way, in case anyone is looking for good DVDs to test on their systems, I believe BestBuy is selling all Superbit titles for only $9.99
That is ok, you didnt attack me and I want to thank you for this :) ...... Other people are attacking people and I dont think that it is right. We are here to help people get their TV's set up and to decide what make, model and brand to buy of TV. This is the purpose of these forums. Dont forget also to have a little fun, but when it becomes personal, that is not right. We cant and should not go there.

I didnt know that there was another forum for this type and model of TV 78. I am one three forums only and this one I post the most, because it is the most active and helpful that I have found so far.
I am new to these forums, well since 2002, I am on a computer forum too where I build computers for people.

For people that have connected PC's up to the VGA port at the 1920x1080 resolution, is the quality of the picture usable and a resolution that you would want your PC to be set to or do you have to fall back to a lower resolution i.e. 1280x1024 for it to be usable?

The VGA connection is very clear and I didn't need to lower the resolution from 1920x1080. I had slight underscan at first, but I am able to get 1:1 pixel mapping by using the sizing adjustments in wide PC mode from the TV. PC games are incredible on such a big screen.

Maybe Samsung have changed DNIe (Demo) mode. Could you take a look at page 59 (or thereabouts) of your manual that shows how to use DNIe Demonstration mode. Look closely at the screenshots of the DNIe Demo setting. The fourth item in the Picture menu is DNIe Demo. Is that not the same as your TV?

Do you have a digital camera that you could use to take a photo of your Picture menu?
Ok, I am at page 59. Mine is like this, but I can change that to either on or off. You guys are saying that you cant change it. But in the book it states that you can. I changed mine.

Strange because in another area on my TV It states DNIe also.

I think that they labeled this wrong in the book. Because my tv has DNIe also. Let me do some more research of this, this is a bit confusing. Maybe on my end.

Take a pic of the menu and post it!

I went into Service menu. 2nd item on list is DNIe with a boatload of settings. On last column, toward bottom, DNIe was set to Off. I change to On. Then, powered up set and ran DNIe demo. Looked the same to me, as if it was not on. Demo showed better picture still. I don't get it. :confused:

I've also played with that setting and there is a slight difference in picture quality when you toggle it on and off while you're in the Service Menu ("off" is better for me -- less edge enhancement). However, it doesn't seem like the setting gets used properly when you exit the Service Menu and go back to regular operation. It acts like it's still off when it should be on. I've noticed the opposite problem with saving the "1080i overscan" setting, too -- it seems to become "on" even when it should be "off".

I just had the 5668 ISF calibrated by Avical. Eliab and Dave were here for about 3 hours and patiently worked on the Samsung. The guys were great fun, kind of like a calibration and a floor show, yet completely professional. I heartily recommend a calibration for your Samsung, and if you can get these guys, they’re the best!

The calibration definitely improved the picture in all ways. The contrast, color, and detail are amazing. Overscan is minimal (less than 5%) and Geometry is dead on. No fine detail problems or muddy faces on this set. And the best thing is that the settings are stored as the Samsung “Standard”, and require only a change in the color temp for a more accurate B&W material. Yes, they idiot-proofed it for me (it’s as if they knew me).

It is simply the best TV picture that I have ever seen. We watched parts of THE 5TH ELEMENT dvd and I saw subtle colors and other details that I hadn’t noticed before. Now I understand what people mean by a 3D-ish image. Later I watched the arena scene on STAR WARS: AOTC. Amazing!

Eliab and Dave said some very nice things about the 5668. They said that I could share them with you, but I think that it might start a flame war with this incendiary crowd. So I’ve decided that the comments will be used privately as bragging rights only.

So long. I’m going to watch my TV.

I think that they labeled this wrong in the book. Because my tv has DNIe also. Let me do some more research of this, this is a bit confusing. Maybe on my end.


Yes, please post a pic of your Picture menu. I can envision a lot of exchanges with TVA if this is true :/

The VGA connection is very clear and I didn't need to lower the resolution from 1920x1080. I had slight underscan at first, but I am able to get 1:1 pixel mapping by using the sizing adjustments in wide PC mode from the TV. PC games are incredible on such a big screen.

I'm in the process of building a new HTPC to go with my HL-R5668W. My HTPC's graphics card provides both VGA and DVI outputs. I want to use the HTPC:

1. As a PVR to record and playback programs
2. As a PC to surf the 'net, play PC games, etc.
3. As a DVD player to watch DVDs on my TV

For optimum results, should I connect the HTPC to the Samsung via VGA? Or should I connect via DVI with an adpater to the Samsung's HDMI input? Or do I need both connections -- the VGA for computer stuff and the DVI/HDMI for DVD playback?

I keep reading so much about the audio lag problem. Is this a niche problem, or do a majority of users have this? (My 5668 will be delivered in a week, but I am wondering if I should cancel) It seems to me that if everybody was having audio sync issues these TV would be returned in hordes.

If I have a simple DVD, TV, AVR set up, what are the odds I'm going to have this problem?

I'm in the process of building a new HTPC to go with my HL-R5668W. My HTPC's graphics card provides both VGA and DVI outputs. I want to use the HTPC:

1. As a PVR to record and playback programs
2. As a PC to surf the 'net, play PC games, etc.
3. As a DVD player to watch DVDs on my TV

For optimum results, should I connect the HTPC to the Samsung via VGA? Or should I connect via DVI with an adpater to the Samsung's HDMI input? Or do I need both connections -- the VGA for computer stuff and the DVI/HDMI for DVD playback?

I found VGA superior to DVI->HDMI for all HTPC related fun.

I keep reading so much about the audio lag problem. Is this a niche problem, or do a majority of users have this? (My 5668 will be delivered in a week, but I am wondering if I should cancel) It seems to me that if everybody was having audio sync issues these TV would be returned in hordes.

If I have a simple DVD, TV, AVR set up, what are the odds I'm going to have this problem?
Everybody as a lag on any of the external inputs (its about 100 ms or 1/10 of a second) if you are sending your sound to an AVR directly. If you have a delay setting on your avr or have a seperate delay device, you can eliminate it. Most don't notice it or use the delay to remove it. For twitch based games the delays won't work, but that is another story.

BTW this seems to be prevelant on all the DLP's and 1080 devices to date (ie the Sony Qualia). There is no delay if you use the internal tuners or cablecards and then send your audio to the avr via the tv or use a supported sound input (pcm) via hdmi for example (but then you loose DD 5.1)

I keep reading so much about the audio lag problem. Is this a niche problem, or do a majority of users have this? (My 5668 will be delivered in a week, but I am wondering if I should cancel) It seems to me that if everybody was having audio sync issues these TV would be returned in hordes.

If I have a simple DVD, TV, AVR set up, what are the odds I'm going to have this problem?

After reading this thread, and from my own experience with the TV, the odds are good that there will be around a 100ms lag, which you can correct with your AVR (if it has a delay setting) or a delay unit.

In general, I didn't notice much lag initially, but did start to notice it here and there. It didn't bother me that much, but I went ahead and set my receiver to a 100ms delay last night, and haven't noticed it since then. If it continues to be really noticeable, I'll post again.

:D I have had lots of help from the members of this forum in making my first HDTV purchase. Thanks. Here are some thoughts, a picture, and a question in regards to my new 6168w.

(Attached is a picture of my new system)

Here is my configuration:
TV: Sasmung 6168
DVD: Samsung 850
Insight Digital Cable over Cable Card w/ HD Pack
Windows Media Center( Pentium 4 / 2GB RAM / Audigy 2 Pro / ATI All-In-Wonder 2006)
Onkyo TX-SR500 A/V Receiver
B&W 602 S3 Front R/L speakers
B&W LCR600 S3 center channel speaker
B&W LM1 Surround speakers
HSU VTF-2 Sub

1. TV Guide worked after two days
2. Picture is 100% gorgeous. I think the fact that I am using a Cable Card helps a lot (just an educated guess).
3. NO lip-synch issues with any of the TV channels. This is due to the lack of the set-top-box. Cable-card is great and highly recommended.
4. Slight lip-synch with the DVD player (1080i via HDMI). However, this has not really been noticeable unless you are really looking for it.
5. HTPC outputting 1080p via VGA (1920x1080). Looks great! I think I have it set to one-to-one pixel mapping. Lots of overscan with one-to-one mapping. In fact, I cannot see the WinXP task bar (unless I double the height of it). I can barely see the left row of desktop icons. I cannot see the upper right corner X and Maximize window buttons (if the window is maximized). Most of my PC use is Media Center or games... Hence this is not a big problem for me.
6. I am playing games in high resoultions... Slight lag is noticed in some games. I had to adjust my timing (especially with MVP baseball-hitting and pitching). In fact, I am not as good of a player as I used to be due to timing. This is nothing that as upset me too much. I can adjust!
7. DVD's look GREAT! I am really impressed at how the Samsung 850 upconverts and the TV does a wonderful job. Almost HD-quality!
8. Standard-def tv channels are also good. Much better than any other 60ish tv set that I have seen before.
9. I am not sure on if watching DVD's on my HTPC is better than the 850 yet. The HTPC handles dark scenes much better (see question #2 below). However, the 850 seems a little sharper.

Questions:
1. Do I need to get this set calibrated?! Here is why I am asking. Many of the dark scenes are hard-to-see. In fact, many scenes that I used to be able to clearly see are now dark. It is hard to differentiate from different shades of dark. I am watching in Movie mode with the following customization: Brightness is 48 and Contrast is 95--these were set to combat the darkness problems.

2. This question is almost the same as #1. The Samsung 850 produces even darker screens than the regular TV channels. I played some dark scenes from LOTR on the Samsung DVD player, then played them on the HTPC. The HTPC scenes were MUCH better in terms of the dark scenes! Is this a problem with this DVD player?

Thanks again for everyone's help and advice in my purchase.

(Attached is a picture of my new system)
Cool set up, I like the red wall. Isnt this hard on your eyes.
Your TV looks cool. I have the saem stand. :D

Yes, please post a pic of your Picture menu. I can envision a lot of exchanges with TVA if this is true :/
I will take a picture tonight of it and upload it to you. I need to make sure that my digital camera works, since I was having a problem with it last week.

I dont want to cause a problem for TVA and Samsung. But this should be fun. Maybe my TV works different than most. I dont know why though, but I am not having any of the problems that most people are posting here. IE lip, sync issue, Lag times, etc.

It is a good practice to turn components off when you are installing cables.

I believe both the TV and the PVR were off when I initially re-plugged-in the HDMI cable (but not when I was reseating it after experiencing the error).

I'll fiddle with them tonight and see if it looks like the TV port or the cable box port (or the HDMI cable itself) that's the problem. Hopefully it's the cable box port :)

with a cable card, do you get HD channels in DD5.1 when outputting from the optical connection to the AVR? Basically, i am trying to decide between STB or CC

I keep reading so much about the audio lag problem. Is this a niche problem, or do a majority of users have this? (My 5668 will be delivered in a week, but I am wondering if I should cancel) It seems to me that if everybody was having audio sync issues these TV would be returned in hordes.

If I have a simple DVD, TV, AVR set up, what are the odds I'm going to have this problem?
Just buy the Felston 540 in advance, as I did. Two day delivery. Then, no headaches with lipsynch. Actually it is the video that lags behind the audio. It can't be helped since HDTVs take more time to process the video signal than your reciever takes to process the audio.

Just buy the Felston 540 in advance, as I did. Two day delivery. Then, no headaches with lipsynch. Actually it is the video that lags behind the audio. It can't be helped since HDTVs take more time to process the video signal than your reciever takes to process the audio.
I might not see mine at all, or maybe I dont have lag at all. My video and audio totally sync up.

I have a question for you, When they say Generation 6 in the brochure for the 68, 78 and 88 models, does this mean that Samsung is using the HD4+ chip?

Maybe Samsung have changed DNIe (Demo) mode. Could you take a look at page 59 (or thereabouts) of your manual that shows how to use DNIe Demonstration mode. Look closely at the screenshots of the DNIe Demo setting. The fourth item in the Picture menu is DNIe Demo. Is that not the same as your TV?

Do you have a digital camera that you could use to take a photo of your Picture menu?


Could this difference possibly be due to the fact that Stallion has the 78 series and others the 68 series?

I have no clue...

I will take a picture tonight of it and upload it to you. I need to make sure that my digital camera works, since I was having a problem with it last week.

I dont want to cause a problem for TVA and Samsung. But this should be fun. Maybe my TV works different than most. I dont know why though, but I am not having any of the problems that most people are posting here. IE lip, sync issue, Lag times, etc.

Anxious also to see the picture of your menu. From what you describe, it sounds like it looks like mine and everyone elses. It is a little confusing, but I believe you are the only one on this forum to state that it is not a "demo" on/off, but the actual activation of DNIe.

Also, I contacted Samsung support and the tech-support individual I spoke with confirmed that DNIe is on all the time for all of the x8 series sets, and that the demo is just that - a demo. He said "to his knowledge" there was no way to disable it.

Bill

I have a question for you, When they say Generation 6 in the brochure for the 68, 78 and 88 models, does this mean that Samsung is using the HD4+ chip?
From what I understand, Texas Instruments is no longer numbering their DLP chips. However, the 1080p wobulation chip is next in line after the HD3+.

Another suggestion, start with the TV off, then push mute-1-8-2-Power.

Note it takes a few seconds after the picture to come on for the menu to appear.

hope this helps


Thanks guys, I finally got in :)

tvc: Yes, you are supposed to get 5.1 out of the optical output when using a cable card (that assumes that the show is broadcast in 5.1).

I am leaning toward a cable card rather than a cable box for this reason. I realize that this makes ordering special event channels a little more difficult and you would need a seperate DVR if you want to record anything, but it may be worth it.

Could this difference possibly be due to the fact that Stallion has the 78 series and others the 68 series?

I have no clue...
Samsung told me that is one of the differeces between the 68 and 78, why is this I ask? They said that not only the case is different, but the settings are just a little different maybe like the DNIe. They were unsure too and put me on hold for 20 minutes so I hung up. I will totally have to check my unit now. I also dont need any calibration he stated. Because of the DNIe on/off feature, I still dont know what all this means, but soon to find out.

From what I understand, Texas Instruments is no longer numbering their DLP chips. However, the 1080p wobulation chip is next in line after the HD3+.
Ok, thanks this explains why the highest chip that I can see from TI is HD3+ So no more numbers just names now, this makes sense, but it was eaiser to keep track if it was numbered.

Samsung told me that is one of the differeces between the 68 and 78, why is this I ask? They said that not only the case is different, but the settings are just a little different maybe like the DNIe. They were ususre too and put me on hold for 20 minutes so I hung up. I will totally have to check my unit now. I also dont need any calibration he stated. Because of the DNIe on/off feature, I still dont know what all this means, but soon to find out.

I also have the 6178, and I don't have the on-off opton :confused:

Anxious also to see the picture of your menu. From what you describe, it sounds like it looks like mine and everyone elses. It is a little confusing, but I believe you are the only one on this forum to state that it is not a "demo" on/off, but the actual activation of DNIe.

Also, I contacted Samsung support and the tech-support individual I spoke with confirmed that DNIe is on all the time for all of the x8 series sets, and that the demo is just that - a demo. He said "to his knowledge" there was no way to disable it.

Bill
This may be right. On mine I cant diasble the DNIe Demo, this has to stay on demo all the time, but on mine I set the DNIe to on for a better picture. Before I say anymore and make myself look real stupid, let me triple check my TV on this setting. I am at work and will do it later tonight when I get home. Bare with me. Thanks.

Samsung told me that is one of the differeces between the 68 and 78, why is this I ask? They said that not only the case is different, but the settings are just a little different maybe like the DNIe. They were ususre too and put me on hold for 20 minutes so I hung up. I will totally have to check my unit now. I also dont need any calibration he stated. Because of the DNIe on/off feature, I still dont know what all this means, but soon to find out.

With the shipments that TVA is receiving, we need some sort of confirmation on this issue soon. I'm expecting a confirmation call this week and it would suck to find out after the fact that I need to fork out the extra dough for the 78 to be able to play my games and not have video lag in general. Not to mention my preference for the 68's appearance.

Turning off DNIe like Stallion might be able to rectify many of the issues and if all the statements from samsung and TVA about the models being the same aren't true, the buyers deserve to know.

Perhaps one of the posters closely tracking things could make up a spreadsheet of who's got what problems and whether their problems are with the 68s or the 78s. Maybe westa can grep his files for a quick accounting of the situation.

I also have the 6178, and I don't have the on-off opton :confused:
OK, listening to all of you at this thread makes me think now, that I am wrong. My TV cant be the only one that can change. I am not that special. Let me look into this more and I will post tonight. I hope that I am either wrong or right to set the record clear, But I swore that I had that option.

If we dont have that option, then why the hell even put a DNIe demo on this TV, what a waste. They could of put the feature on/off for the DNIe instead of the demo. Wouldnt you agree? :D

This may be right. On mine I cant diasble the DNIe Demo, this has to stay on demo all the time, but on mine I set the DNIe to on for a better picture. Before I say anymore and make myself look real stupid, let me triple check my TV on this setting. I am at work and will do it later tonight when I get home. Bare with me. Thanks.

If you go to http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200506/20050621103649296_BP68-00513A-00Eng.pdf

and go down to page 54. does your picture menu look like that? Or is it different?

With the shipments that TVA is receiving, we need some sort of confirmation on this issue soon. I'm expecting a confirmation call this week and it would suck to find out after the fact that I need to fork out the extra dough for the 78 to be able to play my games and not have video lag in general. Not to mention my preference for the 68's appearance.

Turning off DNIe like Stallion might be able to rectify many of the issues and if all the statements from samsung and TVA about the models being the same aren't true, the buyers deserve to know.

Perhaps one of the posters closely tracking things could make up a spreadsheet of who's got what problems and whether their problems are with the 68s or the 78s. Maybe westa can grep his files for a quick accounting of the situation.
That is a great Idea. Westa6969 should do this for us. Awesome. I am starting to think that maybe all these models are made differently, well almost. What if I got another type of board in my TV. I will see later. Maybe my TV is not working properly. I really dont know.

If you go to http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200506/20050621103649296_BP68-00513A-00Eng.pdf

and go down to page 54. does your picture menu look like that? Or is it different?
I went to page 54 and it looks like this, but I dont think that it says Demo at all. It just says DNIe, but dont quote me, please, let me check first ok. I dont want to look more stupid if I am wrong about this. :eek:

Mike Alletto....please check your pm's.

I had problems with HDMI inputs on my 6168 (red blotches). Samsung said that the digital board needs replacement and it is in back order. Got the TV replaced by TVA on friday and the new TV works great!
Also, had to reinstall windows on my PC again and I did not install ATI catalyst drivers and the VGA ouptut 1080 resolution setting works like a charm. I used to have problems with ATI catalyst before that I could not get adjust the overscan/underscan correctly. It will go into 'Not supported mode' pretty often. Now, it is all great.

I went to page 54 and it looks like this, but I dont think that it says Demo at all. It just says DNIe, but dont quote me, please, let me check first ok. I dont want to look more stupid if I am wrong about this. :eek:

Did you by chance go into the service menu and change anything dealing with DNie?

I believe both the TV and the PVR were off when I initially re-plugged-in the HDMI cable (but not when I was reseating it after experiencing the error).

I'll fiddle with them tonight and see if it looks like the TV port or the cable box port (or the HDMI cable itself) that's the problem. Hopefully it's the cable box port :)

Make sure to turn the cable box on first or it will fail the copy protection handshake with the TV for the HDMI port.

TI's DLP chip family.

One mirror to control one pixel projected on the screen.
HD1 (720p) Never used by Samsung.
HD2 (720p)
HD2+(720p)

Wobulated: One mirror controls two pixels projected on the screen.
HD3 (720p)
xHD3 (1080p) Never used by Samsung.

In this forum the chips used in the HLR sets are referred to as:
HD4 (720p)
xHD4 (1080p)
They are improved versions of the first wobulated chips (HD3 & xHD3).

For more information about the HLR sets read the first message here:

Samsung 2005 DLP HDTV Discussion --- HLRxxxxW Models (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=493443&page=1&pp=30)

Referring to HD4+ chips just adds confusion for people who are new to DLP TV.

I need an opinion..................

I found a really cool TV stand for a 61” TV, but it is 27” high. Is this too tall? I know you’re suppose to be eye level with the TV, so I don’t know how this will affect it.

I need an opinion..................

I found a really cool TV stand for a 61” TV, but it is 27” high. Is this too tall? I know you’re suppose to be eye level with the TV, so I don’t know how this will affect it.

How far away from the set will you be seated?

Do you have an online link to this stand? I might be interested.

Lee

I need an opinion..................

I found a really cool TV stand for a 61” TV, but it is 27” high. Is this too tall? I know you’re suppose to be eye level with the TV, so I don’t know how this will affect it.

My brother has a 6178 and his stand height is 26". At normal seating heights, this is too high. He had to tilt his set downward.

My set is on a stand 16", and it seems just right. The Sammy stands are 17".

My brother has a 6178 and his stand height is 26". At normal seating heights, this is too high. He had to tilt his set downward.

My set is on a stand 16", and it seems just right. The Sammy stands are 17".


How did your brother tilt it?

Also, for the stand in question, if you go to http://www.bakerroad.com and click on 'Traditional' then at the top there's a drop down box that says catalog. If you select 'Home Theatre' and go to the second to last page, it's at the top (5135-60).

The 78 models (5078 and 6178) that I've seen in the store do NOT have a DNIe On/Off mode, just a DNIe Demo mode.

I'm sure we'll find Stallion's is the same.

I just had the 5668 ISF calibrated by Avical. Eliab and Dave were here for about 3 hours and patiently worked on the Samsung. The guys were great fun, kind of like a calibration and a floor show, yet completely professional. I heartily recommend a calibration for your Samsung, and if you can get these guys, they’re the best!

Dave calibrated my HLN too, he does great work. If I can ever afford a 1080p upgrade, the first thing I would do is have him professionally calibrate it. The truth is that there is no substitute for an expert calibration with the proper equipment. It amazes me that so few posters here seem to have taken this important step.

Perhaps one of the posters closely tracking things could make up a spreadsheet of who's got what problems and whether their problems are with the 68s or the 78s. Maybe westa can grep his files for a quick accounting of the situation.
A few weeks ago I sent an email and I posted on the PB thread recommending that TVA post some type of status report as we were seeing too many shipping and DOA's at the time (or at least it seemed that way at the time) - this was not meant as a criticism but a recommend customer service to PB participants. As TVA is the source and can track details from Point A- Z they are the logical source for the PB anyways. Considering they should easily surpass 250 sets it would be nice to see these numbers because even if 5 people reported issues those five are what we see and many people get their sets and we don't hear anything. As it stands right now I don't even know where I stand in the Que for my 6768 that I ordered 7/3 and so I cannot very well report on others - only TVA truly has all the numbers and tracking of service/delivery. I'm pretty certain they must be using some type of point of sale software with built in tracking and Post Sale Support/Services for that 5 Star Program - they would have the numbers - it would be great to see those now or even later sort of a vote of confidence in their own PB for the future plus their testimonials.

Unfortunately, I have no such numbers or way of tracking like I do in my Office - I use a database for my inventory and spreadsheets but it would not be representative without TVA's participation and it would be quite rare for them to feed that to a customer. However, I believe it would show great confidence to the PB customers for us to see the facts rather than Snipers that pop in/out making false unsubstantiated claims and I do not have to mention names or insult they is what they is! I wish I could but TVA is the holder of the data and getting a spattering of numbers simply could not be representative since we have such a broad base of viewers here. I've already taken the heat and perhaps dished out that more than I should've out of frustration - I'll tread carefully now since the pot needs no more stirring and I'm not finding this whole experience very pleasant here any longer. My primary interest is in collecting reviews like UCSB and many new owners this week taking delivery and I'll update those. I'd asked the Forum to set up a posting area exclusive for Reviews without the chatter and they stated they used to and members didn't use it? I guess not if the reviews get bumped out of view with no interraction. Last time I spoke with them they were considering it so casual viewers could check out any set without all the 50 other components within each thread. Just try doing this on the Qualia thread - it's insane. That's the only reason I collected those 50+ reviews - plus I wanted to remind myself why I committed to this TV from firsthand members that had made their investment already while I wait for mine.

My feeling is TVA has had a successful PB here and it would serve us all well to see numbers that relate to QC issues for future reference as when we see a few people having problems it feels like it applies to the entire Shipment may be bad and what are the numbers of 5 star replacement and cause or DOA's, or damaged shipments from the entire PB process. I'll try and keep the new reviews up-to-date not to replicate the Owners Forum but to assist those that want to see the meat without the potatoes - which takes away about 80% of the existing chatter. :D

There is no HD3+ and there is no HD4+. Guessing is only going to lead to confusion. htwaits has provided the correct information.
Thanks, Now I am on the right track.

Make sure to turn the cable box on first or it will fail the copy protection handshake with the TV for the HDMI port.

Ah, not sure I tried that--I was mostly power-cycling the box with the TV on. I did also try turning the TV off, but not sure if I tried it while the cable box was on. I'll try later tonight--thanks for the slim ray of hope :)

EDIT: I just realized this may not be relevant, since the cable box's port is really DVI, not HDMI, so probably doesn't do the copy-protection handshake anyway?

I need an opinion..................

I found a really cool TV stand for a 61” TV, but it is 27” high. Is this too tall? I know you’re suppose to be eye level with the TV, so I don’t know how this will affect it.

my 6168 sits on a 31" stand and I don't have a problem with it. I sit 9' away from it. I may later add a slight tilt to it to see if it does anything, but I am currently happy with it now. I prefer the movie theater look of looking up at a slight angle.

I haven't tried component but I do not believe it would make much difference.

I can see every individual strand of hair from a good source like Discovery HD
over HDMI to my 6168.

The only RP in the same league today as the 1080p DLP is the Qualia 06 and
my Sammy 6168 has better blacks and much higher CR making it "better"
for film based DVDs.


better to who? you are quoting a post that cautions about posting opinions rather than facts with your opinion that your tv is better...

My porsche is better than your ferrai too....

Ah, not sure I tried that--I was mostly power-cycling the box with the TV on. I did also try turning the TV off, but not sure if I tried it while the cable box was on. I'll try later tonight--thanks for the slim ray of hope :)

EDIT: I just realized this may not be relevant, since the cable box's port is really DVI, not HDMI, so probably doesn't do the copy-protection handshake anyway?

The DVI port on the cable box, if it is copy protected, uses the same copy protection (HDCP) as HDMI as I understand it.

my 6168 sits on a 31" stand and I don't have a problem with it. I sit 9' away from it. I may later add a slight tilt to it to see if it does anything, but I am currently happy with it now. I prefer the movie theater look of looking up at a slight angle.

can you take a picture of your setup, from your couch ?

Anyone have a chance to jugde if the cable card PQ is any better/less than using HDMI?

Just received my 5688. When hooking up a set-top box, such as the SA8300, by HDMI, is it really necessary to also hook up the RCA type AV cables and the coaxial cable as the manual suggests? Am I reading this right?

Hi to all, new to this forum and new to the posting process. Yet, I have been reading this forum for the last few weeks while trying to decide on my TV purchase.

I have just received confirmation on my 5678 delivery. Decided to purchase though an e-retailer as apposed to the big boxes. Thanks for everyones who posted there positive experiences. I was able to save some money and improve my delivery date.

Now to my question. Would the group recommend a Cable card hook-up or a DVR box (Motorola 6412). I realize the box adds a DVR capability, but will I sacrifice picture quality.

Did you by chance go into the service menu and change anything dealing with DNie?
When I first got my TV, when I turned it on the service menu popped up. I was playing with that, Hopefully I didnt mess my unit up. That was strange that my TV turned on like that. Myabe I did something with the DNIe setting that make it turn on and no demo mode on the screen. Could this be possible? I am not sure yet. HAs anyone gone into their service menu and played with this setting? I would like to know.

Hi to all, new to this forum and new to the posting process. Yet, I have been reading this forum for the last few weeks while trying to decide on my TV purchase.

I have just received confirmation on my 5678 delivery. Decided to purchase though an e-retailer as apposed to the big boxes. Thanks for everyones who posted there positive experiences. I was able to save some money and improve my delivery date.

Now to my question. Would the group recommend a Cable card hook-up or a DVR box (Motorola 6412). I realize the box adds a DVR capability, but will I sacrifice picture quality.
I have Dish Newtork and my TV does not suffer a bad picture due to my HD reciever 821. :) I guess because it is a HD receiver and this is like having the Cable card. I am not experience with the cable card. :D

Just received my 5688. When hooking up a set-top box, such as the SA8300, by HDMI, is it really necessary to also hook up the RCA type AV cables and the coaxial cable as the manual suggests? Am I reading this right?
No you dont need to. HDMI is audio and video through one cable. I only am using the HDMI cable. However if your set-up box is DVI, then and the TV is HDMI, then you need Audio cables too for the DVI cable to send audio to the TV. Mine is hooked up like this too for one of my set-up boxes. Hopes this helps.

Hi to all, new to this forum and new to the posting process. Yet, I have been reading this forum for the last few weeks while trying to decide on my TV purchase.

I have just received confirmation on my 5678 delivery. Decided to purchase though an e-retailer as apposed to the big boxes. Thanks for everyones who posted there positive experiences. I was able to save some money and improve my delivery date.

Now to my question. Would the group recommend a Cable card hook-up or a DVR box (Motorola 6412). I realize the box adds a DVR capability, but will I sacrifice picture quality.

Welcome to the forum Dorkster :)

I am currently using DirecTV HD Tivo, and my local cable Moxi (a fancy DVR).

I have no experience with CableCards, so I'm kinda talking out my butt here, but I don't believe the PQ would change significantly using the DVR. Of course this might depend on the quality of the DVR, but theoretically, the signal is 100% digital, so there should be no difference.

As an example, I can't see any difference in live TV vs. recorded on either of my DVR's.

I wouldn't sacrifice the benefits of a DVR for what small PQ improvements might be made using a CableCard.

TI's DLP chip family.

One mirror to control one pixel projected on the screen.
HD1 (720p) Never used by Samsung.
HD2 (720p)
HD2+(720p)

Wobulated: One mirror controls two pixels projected on the screen.
HD3 (720p)
xHD3 (1080p) Never used by Samsung.

In this forum the chips used in the HLR sets are referred to as:
HD4 (720p)
xHD4 (1080p)
They are improved versions of the first wobulated chips (HD3 & xHD3).

For more information about the HLR sets read the first message here:

Samsung 2005 DLP HDTV Discussion --- HLRxxxxW Models (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=493443&page=1&pp=30)

Referring to HD4+ chips just adds confusion for people who are new to DLP TV.

Thanks for the information as I am new to this forum. Going to buy a 1080p in the fall. I had a Mitsubishi 50 inch I got when I retired in 1991( it recently craped out).

Trying to decide if I should buy 6168 or the WD62627.
What are the differences?

Since you have posted over 9000 replys I wonder just why you do it?

Is it due to work related or for just fun?

Or are you in the display industry keeping track of peoples problems?

Thanks

Question for anyone who can answer this?
What is calibration? and does this need to be done on the 78 series when you buy it? Please explain. Thanks.

I am not 100% sure that this is appropo but I had to mention it....

I was just at Brandsmart (Not my favorite place)
But I found they had a private sale going on and the hlr5668w was on sale
(Prices removed by Noz to appease those that do not want pricing posted)

Even the sales mgr at BB couldnt believe it... I had to go there for the DirecTv HD tivo since B-mart doesnt carry them.

I pulled the trigger it arrives Wednesday!

P.s. I believe the sale is today and tomorrow.

Since you have posted over 9000 replys I wonder just why you do it?
Think how many messages I've read in the past three years. :o

There is no mystery. I came here to get information about the new technology in big screen RPTV. Once I learned a little bit I started passing it on to others. One thing led to another and ...


Is it due to work related or for just fun?
I retired in 1990 so it must be just for fun -- most of the time.

Or are you in the display industry keeping track of peoples problems?
Ha! :rolleyes:

I am not 100% sure that this is appropo but I had to mention it....

If you read the forum rules posted at the top of this forums thread list you will know.

Rear Projection Units (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=63)

Check out the "Special Posting Rules for This Area".

Am I the only person here seeing red flags and hearing alarm bells? :eek:

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and let other people mess their sets up first by changing things in the service menu, thank you very much.

Question for anyone who can answer this?
What is calibration? and does this need to be done on the 78 series when you buy it? Please explain. Thanks.
It seems to me that you are very enthusiastic and energetic. You also seem to post information that at times is confused. :)

The 68 and 78 series Samsungs are identical so calibration is the same for both of them.

Professional ISF calibration will improve PQ. Only you can determine if the cost is worth it to you.

Here are some links to "calibration" posts that will get you started.

HLR 1080p sets:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6034385&&#post6034385

HLP 720p sets:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=542709&page=1&pp=30

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=548133

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and let other people mess their sets up first by changing things in the service menu, thank you very much.

Thank goodness for the Reset menu :)

Thank goodness for the Reset menu :)
There is no reset for the SM. Record everything before you make changes.

Hi all,
I will need to house my set in a cabinet. I while back I spoke to Sammy customer service and was told that they recommend one keep 4 inches of open space on either side of the set. Do you believe this is true with the 1080p sets? I hate to have to rebuild my cabinet or reduce the size of the unit.

There is no reset for the SM. Record everything before you make changes.

I would like to add to this comment ... the average owner should probably not be in the service menu. If you are an extremely careful person that has the patience to document everything before you touch anything ... than maybe. There is no reset function. If you make a change, it is changed. If you don't record your starting point and make changes you may be impacting a number of other parameters. In addition, there is a strong possiblity that your set may have unique settings ... so if you mess it up you will not be able to just ask another forum member for the answer. Some settings need to be changed is a certain order and using a process. If you are unaware of the correct procedure, you will degrade the performance of your TV. You will need to hire a professional to recalibrate your TV if you are unhappy or unsure about how it is performing.

There is no reset for the SM. Record everything before you make changes.

Boy Howdy!!!!

I learned this the HARD way on a 1st gen Mits 65" HDTV about 6 years ago. :eek:

If you aren't certain what you're doing---don't.

Do you believe this is true with the 1080p sets?
Heat kills. Why would Samsung lie to you. They are being conservative because most people will blame them if the set fails due to poor circulation. :)

You may be able to stay within tolerances with another setup. You need a cool air supply getting to the input vent on the lower left as you look at the set from the rear. You also need an escape for hot air that is ejected from the lower right side. Avoid trapped air in an enclosure.

I would like to add to this comment ...
Absolutely!

Hi all,
I will need to house my set in a cabinet. I while back I spoke to Sammy customer service and was told that they recommend one keep 4 inches of open space on either side of the set. Do you believe this is true with the 1080p sets? I hate to have to rebuild my cabinet or reduce the size of the unit.

I would say the 4" rule is just a safe bet by Samsung. It's all about airflow. Can you ventilate your cabinet with a quiet exhaust fan? I did this once with a cabinet that housed my components, with very good results.

What does bypass mean in the 8300HD menu mean?

I would like to add to this comment ...

There are some changes in the Service Menu that make the display not function properly and then you would not be able to see the Service Menu to change it back.
Commonly known as the point of no return. :D

Initial Review - my 6168w has arrived! :)

In keeping with the standard, I can now make my initial review of the HL-R6168W. (though at this stage, I may not be writing anything new!? :)) I have had my set up-n-running for the last few days; having "seriously upgraded" from a basic GE 33" CRT - about 6 years old.

My setup... along with the 6168...

-Dish Network- an old STB - no HD channels (yet)
(svideo & RCA to the HTPC; nothing fancy)

-HTPC/DVR- AMD 2.4 gHz, 512MB, nVideo 128MB GeForce MX4000, WinXP, BeyondTV 3.X.X, PVR-150 MPEG-2 encoder
(VGA out to the TV, RCA over to the AVR, using the DTS Nero surround field)

-AVR- Panasonic SA-XR-70 (6.1)
(with one HDMI input/output; at the moment, not being used. I did briefly use it; more below)

-DVD Player- JVC XV-55N (a couple years old)
(component video direct to the AVR, then component over to the 6168; Toslink digital audio to the AVR)

-It appears I am sitting further away than most have reported, as I am sitting on my couch, a whopping 17-feet away from the 6168. (my wife even wishes she could move further back)

As I mentioned over in the PB Thread, I was able to pickup my unit on Friday, rather than wait until today/Monday for the delivery. (It was a breeze to load, transport and unload the unit at home. No shipping damage was noted on the box)

Having read this thread for the past couple of months (and I do mean every post!) I was fairly well briefed on what to expect.

I wanted to first setup my 6168, via my Sound & Vision "Home Theater Tune-Up" DVD. So, working under the Custom picture setting, I went thru the various calibrations. In the end, nothing too dramatic by way of changes?!!? (In fact, on some of the contrast & color tests, I would change from one end of the spectrum to the other, and I never did see some of the "blooming" with the vertical blocks - does that make sense?) I take it there is not a true DLP calibration DVD on the market. (??)

I then focused on the HTPC video resolution and with very little tweaking, I have one outstanding view! Boy, this thing really shines! The colors are sharp, the icons are vivid and I can read everything on the desktop with ease! I only see a very slight overscan of the desktop. (say, 99.0% perfectly shown to 1:1 mapping)

Here is something interesting to report: initially, right out of the box, my video-card, along with the 6168w are reporting a smoking "1920x1200 @ 60mHz" resolution! (better than '1080') I actually left it this way for the first few hours of HTPC/DVR viewing. However, I did drop it down to the native "1920x1080" to be safe. (honestly, even running at '1200', I do not see any real difference in the PQ, compared to the native '1080') I feel the VGA connection gives me a better PQ, than using the DVI-HDMI connections. (e.g. PC's DVI to HDMI on the AVR --> AVR/HDMI over to TV's HDMI #2)

Next up, the DVD. I watched various segments of Star Wars: Phantom Menace -- just incredible! I found the underwater screens to be 3D and showing the shadow details on those large fish/creatures that I have never noticed before! (my young kids were also glued to the TV) By Saturday night, we all watched the "Superbit" edition of Spiderman, and as expected, the images, the details, were everywhere! (e.g. the fire segment, when Spiderman and Green Goblin were fighting; very nice, to say the least!)

Zero lip-sync issues were noted... none! And I EVEN WAS LOOKING FOR IT! (after having read the many posts on this)

SD contest is "good" - but only at best. Most times, it is actually pretty bad. I see small, horizontal lines in fast moving content and even the same vertical line (noted on different SD channels), right down the center of the display. (yet none of this is found when watching DVDs; nor from the HTPC, when watching an WMV file, etc. etc.) So, I know this must be caused from the source only being SD and getting scaled to fit the large screen -"garbage in... garbage out".
To enjoy a better viewing experience, my new focus is to bring all the HD content I can into the home. I also think I may need to upgrade my HTPC/DVR's video-card. So, any suggestions with HD providers, STBs, video-cards, etc. would be appreciated! (only if money grew on trees, I would like to seriously consider the DVDO iScan HD+)

The small placard on the back of my 6168 reads it was mfg. in: July 2005.
(and from Mexico)

Later this week, I hope to review playing a little (PC) Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory; along with OTA HD broadcasts and plain old VHS tapes.

Though not the highest quality, but rather quick-n-dirty, I have also attached a couple photos for review.

Well, this is my report! (long winded) Thanks to all for providing your posts - keep'em coming!

Question for anyone who can answer this?
What is calibration? and does this need to be done on the 78 series when you buy it? Please explain. Thanks.
Calibration is making adjustments to the color, contrast, and brightness. To acheive optimal performance an ISF trained professional is highly recommended. Costs about $300-$400. I had Dave Abrams (SoCal) calibrate my DLP and the results were quite impressive.

Basically, an ISF trained professional will be able to use specialized equipment to ensure that the picture you see is the same as what the director intended. Without the equipment it is difficult to calibrate because the human eye adjusts (actually the brain) to the picture.

Initial Review - my 6168w has arrived! :)

...

I feel the VGA connection gives me a better PQ, than using the DVI-HDMI connections. (e.g. PC's DVI to HDMI on the AVR --> AVR/HDMI over to TV's HDMI #2)

...


Nice review and great looking setup! I am wondering if you saw the same lower quality desktop display when you hooked up via DVI->HDMI? A few other HTPC users have noticed that at 1920x1080i via DVI->HDMI that the computer display looks as if the TV is having trouble de-interlacing or missing some scan lines. Video playback looks fine but anything computer oriented is fairly difficult to read.

my 6168 sits on a 31" stand and I don't have a problem with it. I sit 9' away from it. I may later add a slight tilt to it to see if it does anything, but I am currently happy with it now. I prefer the movie theater look of looking up at a slight angle.

As NorthJersy has also requested, I would like to see a picture also. Anyone else with a tall stand please supply a picture if you can.

I am also considering a taller stand than most because of 2 reasons:

1. I have a "bigfoot" center speaker - 26" wide and 12" tall. Most shorter stands don't have a shelf that can accommodate the speaker.

2. I have bifocals. :(

KDossett... Excellent review...getting antsy for my set to be delivered.

I didn't have black straps on my box. The straps were white.

I'm in the process of building a new HTPC to go with my HL-R5668W. My HTPC's graphics card provides both VGA and DVI outputs. I want to use the HTPC:

1. As a PVR to record and playback programs
2. As a PC to surf the 'net, play PC games, etc.
3. As a DVD player to watch DVDs on my TV

For optimum results, should I connect the HTPC to the Samsung via VGA? Or should I connect via DVI with an adpater to the Samsung's HDMI input? Or do I need both connections -- the VGA for computer stuff and the DVI/HDMI for DVD playback?

I would leave it as VGA for all your PC connections. Keep in mind that the highest input for HDMI/DVI is 1080i, compared to 1080p for VGA.

I would leave it as VGA for all your PC connections. Keep in mind that the highest input for HDMI/DVI is 1080i, compared to 1080p for VGA.

I'd recommend that he compare the two and go with the one that yields the best picture quality. ;)

I didn't have black straps on my box. The straps were white.

That may be nothing. Could you tell if the staples had been removed (assuming it had staples)? I'm just wondering if maybe the box had been opened by whoever you bought it from or perhaps Samsung themselves. Maybe the DEA! They're comming to take you AWAY!!!! :)

This is my first post but I have been reading this and other forums for about a month trying to figure out which HDTV to get. I've also been visiting all the local HDTV retailers in the area and have found I like the Samsungs the best for PQ. I've been waiting to see a Sammy 1080p for a long time so I could decide between the 5067 and the 5668. I know I can get a much better price on the 5067 but would be willing to pay more if I could see a significant difference in PQ. Well I finally laid my eyes on a couple of 1080p Sammy DLPs at Tweeter in raleigh. All I can say is WOOOOOOOOOOW! I've probably looked at 100 TVs in the past month and can unequivically state that these are the best looking TVs I have ever seen! The signal I was watching was 1080i by DirecTV through component inputs and it was spectacular. Tweeter had 2 set up and both were next to Mitsubisi 720 DLPs and the difference was clear. The Samsungs had more detail than the Mitsubishis. The bigger difference was in the depth of color and contrast ratio. Not only were the colors better but the Blacks were blacker and the whites were whiter at the same time. I was quite impressed. Tweeter only carries the 78 series but I'm looking for a 68 series since I feel I get more bang for the buck that way. I sit about 10 feet away from the screen so I'm thinking about getting a 5668. Does that seem like the right size for a 10' viewing distance.

My only concern (and I know this is beating a dead horse) is the lag/sync issue. I have a Denon 3805 so I can take care of delaying the sound to match the video - no problem. My issue will be with video games that require fast response times such as first person shooters. I understand and can accept the fact that there is lag through the component inputs. I am trying to determine if there is any lag through the VGA input. I plan on using my PC for gaming and may also get an Xbox 360 which I understand will have a VGA output. I have seen this question asked before on these boards but noone has been able to give a concrete answer to the following question: Is there lag with the VGA input? I know there are no console games out there yet to test with but if someone could please try this with a PC it would allow me to make a decision. If there is no lag on the VGA input I'm ready to buy this week. If there is maybe I'll wait and see what the new 1080p Tosibas look like. I think its very possible that some of the signal processing for the other inputs may not be present on the VGA input therefore making it faster.

Anyway sorry to end this discussing a potential problem. The main point I wanted to make is that these sets have the best picture I have ever seen... including plasma.

This is my first post but I have been reading this and other forums for about a month trying to figure out which HDTV to get. I've also been visiting all the local HDTV retailers in the area and have found I like the Samsungs the best for PQ. I've been waiting to see a Sammy 1080p for a long time so I could decide between the 5067 and the 5668. I know I can get a much better price on the 5067 but would be willing to pay more if I could see a significant difference in PQ. Well I finally laid my eyes on a couple of 1080p Sammy DLPs at Tweeter in raleigh. All I can say is WOOOOOOOOOOW! I've probably looked at 100 TVs in the past month and can unequivically state that these are the best looking TVs I have ever seen! The signal I was watching was 1080i by DirecTV through component inputs and it was spectacular. Tweeter had 2 set up and both were next to Mitsubisi 720 DLPs and the difference was clear. The Samsungs had more detail than the Mitsubishis. The bigger difference was in the depth of color and contrast ratio. Not only were the colors better but the Blacks were blacker and the whites were whiter at the same time. I was quite impressed. Tweeter only carries the 78 series but I'm looking for a 68 series since I feel I get more bang for the buck that way. I sit about 10 feet away from the screen so I'm thinking about getting a 5668. Does that seem like the right size for a 10' viewing distance.

My only concern (and I know this is beating a dead horse) is the lag/sync issue. I have a Denon 3805 so I can take care of delaying the sound to match the video - no problem. My issue will be with video games that require fast response times such as first person shooters. I understand and can accept the fact that there is lag through the component inputs. I am trying to determine if there is any lag through the VGA input. I plan on using my PC for gaming and may also get an Xbox 360 which I understand will have a VGA output. I have seen this question asked before on these boards but noone has been able to give a concrete answer to the following question: Is there lag with the VGA input? I know there are no console games out there yet to test with but if someone could please try this with a PC it would allow me to make a decision. If there is no lag on the VGA input I'm ready to buy this week. If there is maybe I'll wait and see what the new 1080p Tosibas look like. I think its very possible that some of the signal processing for the other inputs may not be present on the VGA input therefore making it faster.

Anyway sorry to end this discussing a potential problem. The main point I wanted to make is that these sets have the best picture I have ever seen... including plasma.

This a wag on my part, but if your console can output 1080p throught the VGA connection, the TV wouldn't have to do much processing. Therefore I'd guess there wouldn't be much or no lag at all.

This a wag on my part, but if your console can output 1080p throught the VGA connection, the TV wouldn't have to do much processing. Therefore I'd guess there wouldn't be much or no lag at all.

I played Half Life2 without any perceptible lag. Keystrokes and mouse movements are instantaneous. As for console gaming through the VGA, this may be an issue. This connection is designed solely for connecting to a PC and is optimized for such. The timings on a console may not be compatible with the TV. I know this first hand b/c I have tried using the X2VGA adaptor on the XBox and the message I get is 'mode not supported.' Unlike a PC (you may be able to modify your signal timings depending on which GPU you're operating), the game consoles can not be adjusted. Xbox360 might be playable on the Sammy 1080p's, and I hope they do, but one can't really be sure.

I played Half Life2 without any perceptible lag. Keystrokes and mouse movements are instantaneous. As for console gaming through the VGA, this may be an issue. This connection is designed solely for connecting to a PC and is optimized for such. The timings on a console may not be compatible with the TV. I know this first hand b/c I have tried using the X2VGA adaptor on the XBox and the message I get is 'mode not supported.' Unlike a PC (you may be able to modify your signal timings depending on which GPU you're operating), the game consoles can not be adjusted. Xbox360 might be playable on the Sammy 1080p's, and I hope they do, but one can't really be sure.

I assumed (there's that word again) that a game console would have a VGA output specifically for connecting to a computer monitor. While the HLRxxxxW TVs may have specific VGA input requirements. The VGA input on the TV would prolly support quite a few resolutions. At least the HTPC people are reporting quite a few anyway.

I'm most likely talking out of school here. Literally, the last game console I owned was Pong. And it blew up my TV! However, my kids had 'em and I'm not ignorant of the technology. Perhaps not the cutting edge stuff out now.

The HTPC folks are reporting that a VGA cable contain the wires to transfer the timing signals back to the VGA card. Apparently, the high quality cables forgo the wires for the timing signal cause they increase the wire size for video signals and there isn't room for the other wires. This may be your problem.

I already have a HTPC that I build specifically for the 6168 that should be arriving soon. I'll have some firsthand information about the VGA connection then.

I played Half Life2 without any perceptible lag. Keystrokes and mouse movements are instantaneous. As for console gaming through the VGA, this may be an issue. This connection is designed solely for connecting to a PC and is optimized for such. The timings on a console may not be compatible with the TV. I know this first hand b/c I have tried using the X2VGA adaptor on the XBox and the message I get is 'mode not supported.' Unlike a PC (you may be able to modify your signal timings depending on which GPU you're operating), the game consoles can not be adjusted. Xbox360 might be playable on the Sammy 1080p's, and I hope they do, but one can't really be sure.

evant30,
Thank you very much for your quick response. I looked back over some of your previous posts and noticed that you sensed very little delay with your xbox as well. Since it appears to be well established that there is lag from the current Xbox maybe your tolerance for lag is greater than some. Perhaps a better way to ask the question is this: Can you tell a difference as far as lag goes between playing PC games versus Xbox? Thank you for your input.

I haven't seen any posts regarding my problem with calibrating black levels consistantly. Can I assume that no one is having these problems? If so, I will just give up and call samsung.

Here is what I am talking about.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6033364&&#post6033364

Video game lag from a PC/Xbox/PS2 on a 1080p tv is one of my biggest concerns. I'm dying to know since I plan on playing lots of PC games, PS2 and soon to be PS3 games on a new DLP tv.

Please someone out there with one now, try a video game on it that has a meter bar such as a golf game or the kicking in Madden.

I tried that. The DVI connection is started via the remote only. It's not in the setup menu. The Oppo DVD player shows an image via composite connection, but I get the Mode Not Supported message via the DVI connection (on all the resolutions).

I have exactly that problem with the Oppo with my HLN 5065WX; I get the Mode Not Supported message when the Oppo is connected via the DVI....

I just wanted to chime in on the lag issue from what I have seen on my set.

By doing some extremely unscientific testing in GTA San Andreas, I have concluded that there is a very minor lag from my PS2, but it was not noticeable until I actually tested for it. I have a feeling I would be able to notice the same lag on any other set that needs to process the video by implementing my unscientific testing process.

My unscientific testing consisted of hitting the button to fire one round from an automatic and seeing how far I could move my hand from the controller on the floor to a predetermined location a few feet from the controller on the floor (moving my hand as fast as possible). By determining how far short my hand was from reaching the control location (the location I could reach between pressing the button and the firing of the shot using my CRT) with the new set, I could determine roughly how much lag I was experiencing. I tested this with my old 25" CRT set connected via composite video and then with my new sammy set via component video in both regular mode as well as GAME mode.

Let me preface this by saying that there is inherent lag in the PS2 from when you hit the button to when the gun fires in San Andreas. As a result, the gun does not fire immediately even if you are playing on an old CRT using composite video cables. This was actually helpful for my testing purposes.

With my old CRT, I was able to get about 3.5' away from the controller when the round was finally fired. For the new set, I was literally a few inches (3-4) short in terms of distance. The point is, I was moving my hand as fast as possible both times to see what sort of differential in time/distance it took to move my hand to the location after pressing the controller when using my new set vs. the old set.

If I was able to get my hand 4 inches away from the target on the floor when playing with the new Samsung set, and I estimate that the time it took me to move my hand from controller to said point was unquestionably less than half a second, then that would be somewhere in the ballpark of a 50ms delay. And that would be a liberal estimate for the amount of delay. In reality, I think it is less than 50ms.

Another even less scientific test was just eyeballing steering response on a motorcycle. For this, I just looked to see how quickly the bike responded to sharp left/right movement. Interestingly enough, I felt like there was more delay perceptable here, mostly because there is not an inherent delay in the game when steering in GTA the same way there is one when shooting. As a result, any delay was immediately noticeable, albeit slight.

My conclusion was that there was a lag, but that lag was extremely small, and it unquestionably will make no difference in my ability to wreak havoc in Los Santos, San Fierro, and Las Venturas. I had no trouble steering under actual driving conditions, and my ability to pick off passersby was not impeded.

Now, just to comment on the GAME mode.

First of all, GAME mode makes my display look like crap when playing San Andreas. I'm not sure if that's an issue specific to my set, but it definitely makes it look absolutely horrible. Also, it made no discernable difference in delay when shooting a gun, and only appeared to maybe offer a marginal improvement when steering. Given its effect on display quality, I will not be using GAME mode.

I really don't see lag being an issue for me on this set given the tests that I did, and I really can't see how the minor lag experienced will keep me from doing well in the games I play. Not only do I think that I won't have to compensate for delay, but I don't think I'd notice delay at all if I hadn't specifically tested for it.

I forgot to mention that I have not yet done any Clorox-esque unscientific testing for audio lag with DVDs or with my dvr. I will report back when I get around to doing so.

Clorox, how about a game with a meter? I can't remember if San Andreas as any games within it that have this feature. I think the best test for lag is a game like Hot Shots Golf or Madden 2005 or 2006.

evant30,
Thank you very much for your quick response. I looked back over some of your previous posts and noticed that you sensed very little delay with your xbox as well. Since it appears to be well established that there is lag from the current Xbox maybe your tolerance for lag is greater than some. Perhaps a better way to ask the question is this: Can you tell a difference as far as lag goes between playing PC games versus Xbox? Thank you for your input.

The short answer is yes. There is a noticeable lag when I play Burnout 3 on the Xbox, ie. crashing into traffic, walls. I don't get that perception when I play a FPS on the PC or when I'm typing this message. Of course video lag is very subjective between two different people and I may or may not have more tolerance to it than others. If PC gaming is a primary concern for you, then listen to what others might have to say. Unfortunately, there haven't been much feedback yet regarding gaming on the HTPC. I hope this helps.

Clorox, how about a game with a meter? I can't remember if San Andreas as any games within it that have this feature. I think the best test for lag is a game like Hot Shots Golf or Madden 2005 or 2006.

I just checked. There is no question that delay is more pronounced with the kick meter in ncaa football. On my crt, I was able to nail the full bar consistently. With regular mode through component, there is definitely a noticeable delay, to the point where you cannot make kicks without compensating. The same is slightly true for GAME mode, but here there is definitely a lot less lag. However, I still need to make a small adjustment for the kick because of the lag in GAME mode. After making an adjustment on my own, I had no trouble making good, solid kicks.

Also, GAME mode in NCAA football did not make the game look like crap as it did in San Andreas. I have no clue why this is the case, but there definitely was less of a degradation in quality when switching to GAME for NCAA

This isn't a bummer for me. I don't really play football much, and when I do, I avoid kicking at all costs because I suck at it in general. However, I could see this coming in handy when having friends over if you get my drift.

No. The Mode Not Supported message is a TV-related issue. I called Samsung and they are aware of the problem. They're going to give me a call back tomorrow. The tier 2 technician I spoke to said he got an email from his boss regarding Mode Not Supported messages occuring for no logical reason. There might be a firmware upgrade, but I'll know more tomorrow. For now, it does not seem to be the Oppo product.
Bluefrost, my '03 HLN 5065Wx shows the not supported mode message with the oppo as well. Have you resolved that issue? I was going to return the oppo and stay with my panasonic RP 82....

Some people have claimed that the PQ from CableCard is better than via the cable box. However, with CableCard you don't get the guide, VOD, PPV or a DVR.

Comcast told me there would not be any additional charge for the CableCard if I use it on the same TV as my Comcast DVR.

Initial Review - my 6168w has arrived! :)

In keeping with the standard, I can now make my initial review of the HL-R6168W. (though at this stage, I may not be writing anything new!? :)) I have had my set up-n-running for the last few days; having "seriously upgraded" from a basic GE 33" CRT - about 6 years old.

My setup... along with the 6168...

-Dish Network- an old STB - no HD channels (yet)
(svideo & RCA to the HTPC; nothing fancy)

-HTPC/DVR- AMD 2.4 gHz, 512MB, nVideo 128MB GeForce MX4000, WinXP, BeyondTV 3.X.X, PVR-150 MPEG-2 encoder
(VGA out to the TV, RCA over to the AVR, using the DTS Nero surround field)

-AVR- Panasonic SA-XR-70 (6.1)
(with one HDMI input/output; at the moment, not being used. I did briefly use it; more below)

-DVD Player- JVC XV-55N (a couple years old)
(component video direct to the AVR, then component over to the 6168; Toslink digital audio to the AVR)

-It appears I am sitting further away than most have reported, as I am sitting on my couch, a whopping 17-feet away from the 6168. (my wife even wishes she could move further back)

As I mentioned over in the PB Thread, I was able to pickup my unit on Friday, rather than wait until today/Monday for the delivery. (It was a breeze to load, transport and unload the unit at home. No shipping damage was noted on the box)

Having read this thread for the past couple of months (and I do mean every post!) I was fairly well briefed on what to expect.

I wanted to first setup my 6168, via my Sound & Vision "Home Theater Tune-Up" DVD. So, working under the Custom picture setting, I went thru the various calibrations. In the end, nothing too dramatic by way of changes?!!? (In fact, on some of the contrast & color tests, I would change from one end of the spectrum to the other, and I never did see some of the "blooming" with the vertical blocks - does that make sense?) I take it there is not a true DLP calibration DVD on the market. (??)

I then focused on the HTPC video resolution and with very little tweaking, I have one outstanding view! Boy, this thing really shines! The colors are sharp, the icons are vivid and I can read everything on the desktop with ease! I only see a very slight overscan of the desktop. (say, 99.0% perfectly shown to 1:1 mapping)

Here is something interesting to report: initially, right out of the box, my video-card, along with the 6168w are reporting a smoking "1920x1200 @ 60mHz" resolution! (better than '1080') I actually left it this way for the first few hours of HTPC/DVR viewing. However, I did drop it down to the native "1920x1080" to be safe. (honestly, even running at '1200', I do not see any real difference in the PQ, compared to the native '1080') I feel the VGA connection gives me a better PQ, than using the DVI-HDMI connections. (e.g. PC's DVI to HDMI on the AVR --> AVR/HDMI over to TV's HDMI #2)

Next up, the DVD. I watched various segments of Star Wars: Phantom Menace -- just incredible! I found the underwater screens to be 3D and showing the shadow details on those large fish/creatures that I have never noticed before! (my young kids were also glued to the TV) By Saturday night, we all watched the "Superbit" edition of Spiderman, and as expected, the images, the details, were everywhere! (e.g. the fire segment, when Spiderman and Green Goblin were fighting; very nice, to say the least!)

Zero lip-sync issues were noted... none! And I EVEN WAS LOOKING FOR IT! (after having read the many posts on this)

SD contest is "good" - but only at best. Most times, it is actually pretty bad. I see small, horizontal lines in fast moving content and even the same vertical line (noted on different SD channels), right down the center of the display. (yet none of this is found when watching DVDs; nor from the HTPC, when watching an WMV file, etc. etc.) So, I know this must be caused from the source only being SD and getting scaled to fit the large screen -"garbage in... garbage out".
To enjoy a better viewing experience, my new focus is to bring all the HD content I can into the home. I also think I may need to upgrade my HTPC/DVR's video-card. So, any suggestions with HD providers, STBs, video-cards, etc. would be appreciated! (only if money grew on trees, I would like to seriously consider the DVDO iScan HD+)

The small placard on the back of my 6168 reads it was mfg. in: July 2005.
(and from Mexico)

Later this week, I hope to review playing a little (PC) Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory; along with OTA HD broadcasts and plain old VHS tapes.

Though not the highest quality, but rather quick-n-dirty, I have also attached a couple photos for review.

Well, this is my report! (long winded) Thanks to all for providing your posts - keep'em coming!

Just wondering, were there any overscans or underscans at 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 resolution?

I finally saw a 5668 today at a Best Buy (or "Magnolia" or whatever).

It had an extreme problem - in the dark or black areas of the picture, which was a HD feed from Discovery HD, there were all these little blue and red spots.

Looking at the other TVs around it connected to the same feed showed none of this problem - all the others were "snow-free".

I'm sure you'll all say that the TV was obviously being fed an inferior signal or wasn't set up properly or some other excuse, but it was very simple to see that every other TV, even the Samsung 6167 720p TV just down the row, didn't show this problem with the same feed.

Has anyone else seen these blue and red spots? I think I remember seeing some earlier messages about it. If so, did you send your set back or did you figure out what the problem was?

My wife actually liked the looks of the Sony LCD HDTVs they had, and I had to agree - the picture quality was very good. Much better than any of the Samsungs, which either had shiny-reflective glass screens or a sort of dark picture, even with DNIe turned on.

What's up with that? I would be pretty wary of ordering any Samsung xx68 or xx78 now.

Thanks,
Dennis

You may have confused Samsung with Mitsubishi because Samsung DLP sets do not have shiny-reflective glass screens (at all) whereas some Mitsubishi sets do.

No, I have not seen the problem you are describing even though I've spent many hours watching Discovery HD feed and comparing TVs. To my eyes, 1080p sets are visibly superior. Folks at Magnolia tend to be fairly knowledgeable. Perhaps, you can ask them for explanation? At Magnolia in San Ramon, CA, they have two 1080p sets on display. They are clearly the most admired sets in the showroom by visitors and sales personnel alike.

Some impressions and issues from my fourth evening with the set. I'll start with the bad stuff and end with the good :)

Setup:
Samsung HLR6168
Yamaha HTR-5840 receiver
Motorola 6412 DVR (Comcast), component video to TV (HDMI is still borked, haven't figured out why), optical audio out to receiver
Toshiba RD-XS52 upconverting DVD recorder, HDMI video to TV (muted), optical audio out to receiver

(1) When looking at a paused scene from my 6412 (connected via component), I noticed tiny colored flashes at random places on the screen, as if individual pixels were misfiring. The rate was fairly rapid when I first noticed it, but it seemed to come and go--I could see it some other times when I paused, sometimes not. Brief tests with my DVD (connected via HDMI) didn't appear to show the same issue. Is this kind of problem likely to be a component cable issue, or more likely a hardware problem with the cable box or TV?

(2) I spent some time concentrating on faces. In several different HD movies I watched from the 6412, I did feel there was a little bit of a smoothing/"clay face" effect--not enough to bug me, but just enough to be noticeable. Reducing contrast seemed to alleviate this somewhat.

I looked at various stills of faces up close. I think it's likely the smoothing is due to plain old compression artifacting (as I've seen on SD DVDs and other MPEG-encoded material), but it's possible that there's something about the way the TV deals with areas of nearly-but-not-exactly-flat color. Regardless of the cause, the effect was that areas with colors with similar hues/values tended to show up as the same color. At the same time, areas with high variances in value--e.g. pockmarked or wrinkled parts of faces, insects, etc.--looked great; very dimensional and contrasty.

I think this may be why there is some discrepancy between people who say they feel the TV smooths faces and other people who say they can see every pore. Areas of faces that are smoother may get smoothed a little too much, whereas areas that have lots of detail are displayed with a lot of nice contrast. So they may both be right :) I'd be interested in whether other owners agree with my assessment.

Not having watched other HDTVs for long periods of time, and not having seen other kinds of HD feeds, I don't know whether I would feel the same way about them. My guess is that part of the reason why it may be more noticeable with the 6168 is that detailed/high-variance areas look so good that the smoothing of similar-valued areas is more obvious by comparison, whereas in lower-resolution sets your eye sees less detail overall, so slightly smoothed faces don't look jarring.

As evidence for this, I switched to the Fellowship of the Ring DVD and watched faces in several scenes, and felt they looked fine--again, probably because DVD is lower resolution, so the smoothness of the faces looked fine against the rest of the image.

All that said, it's hard to know whether to blame this on the TV, or on source compression, or both, until HD DVDs come out with less-compressed material than what comes over the wire.

(3) On the other end of the spectrum, I do feel that there's some loss of detail in very dark areas, even though I set the brightness "properly" according to DVE. I'm assuming calibration can take care of this, though again it may be a source compression issue.

(4) Otherwise, I'm still very happy with the PQ; in particular, I continue to be very pleasantly surprised by how good DVDs look. (Do yourself a favor and get "Microcosmos"--it looks amazing.) Setting gamma to 0 made a huge difference--I can't imagine why they ship these sets with gamma set to 2; it really screws up dark areas.

(5) I haven't noticed any lip sync issues at all with any source material since I set my AVR to a 100ms delay.

(6) Is it just me, or is the host of that Insectia show on Discovery HD someone you really don't want HD closeups of? With the nose hair and the bizarre piratey wink and the really bad teeth.

The short answer is yes. There is a noticeable lag when I play Burnout 3 on the Xbox, ie. crashing into traffic, walls. I don't get that perception when I play a FPS on the PC or when I'm typing this message. Of course video lag is very subjective between two different people and I may or may not have more tolerance to it than others. If PC gaming is a primary concern for you, then listen to what others might have to say. Unfortunately, there haven't been much feedback yet regarding gaming on the HTPC. I hope this helps.

Thank you, that is exactly what I needed to know. As long as I can get delay free gaming on one input that will work for me (especiallay a 1080p input :) I think I'm going to order a 5668 this week. Sweet!

Maybe theres no lag because there is no scaling or deinterlacing because you're inputing the exact signal it's displaying. I also wonder if some of the other image processing is not going on through the VGA input. Thoughts?

If anyone else has played computer games via the VGA input I'd love to hear about your experiences as well.

I have my home computer hooked up via VGA. I am outputting 1920x1080p. The only game I play is MVP baseball. I have the resolution of that game set to something like 720p. There is a slight lag. Not enough to make the game unplayable.... but enough to effect my level of play. I am not as accurate in pitching as I used to be and I find it very difficult to catch up to hard throwing fastballs. I have made a couple of adjustments in the way I play and tweaked some game settings to help me accomodate for this and I am almost back to the level I was playing it before.

Now, I'm sure there are games out their that are not so dependant on timing as baseball pitching and hitting and they would nto be effected as much. Also, if I have not played this game before I got my 6168 and was not used to it before, I would probably not even notice the lag.

This is my first post but I have been reading this and other forums for about a month trying to figure out which HDTV to get. I've also been visiting all the local HDTV retailers in the area and have found I like the Samsungs the best for PQ. I've been waiting to see a Sammy 1080p for a long time so I could decide between the 5067 and the 5668. I know I can get a much better price on the 5067 but would be willing to pay more if I could see a significant difference in PQ. Well I finally laid my eyes on a couple of 1080p Sammy DLPs at Tweeter in raleigh. All I can say is WOOOOOOOOOOW! I've probably looked at 100 TVs in the past month and can unequivically state that these are the best looking TVs I have ever seen! The signal I was watching was 1080i by DirecTV through component inputs and it was spectacular. Tweeter had 2 set up and both were next to Mitsubisi 720 DLPs and the difference was clear. The Samsungs had more detail than the Mitsubishis. The bigger difference was in the depth of color and contrast ratio. Not only were the colors better but the Blacks were blacker and the whites were whiter at the same time. I was quite impressed. Tweeter only carries the 78 series but I'm looking for a 68 series since I feel I get more bang for the buck that way. I sit about 10 feet away from the screen so I'm thinking about getting a 5668. Does that seem like the right size for a 10' viewing distance.

My only concern (and I know this is beating a dead horse) is the lag/sync issue. I have a Denon 3805 so I can take care of delaying the sound to match the video - no problem. My issue will be with video games that require fast response times such as first person shooters. I understand and can accept the fact that there is lag through the component inputs. I am trying to determine if there is any lag through the VGA input. I plan on using my PC for gaming and may also get an Xbox 360 which I understand will have a VGA output. I have seen this question asked before on these boards but noone has been able to give a concrete answer to the following question: Is there lag with the VGA input? I know there are no console games out there yet to test with but if someone could please try this with a PC it would allow me to make a decision. If there is no lag on the VGA input I'm ready to buy this week. If there is maybe I'll wait and see what the new 1080p Tosibas look like. I think its very possible that some of the signal processing for the other inputs may not be present on the VGA input therefore making it faster.

Anyway sorry to end this discussing a potential problem. The main point I wanted to make is that these sets have the best picture I have ever seen... including plasma.

I know there are few devices that output video over firewire (perhaps an HD camcorder), but is there anyway someone can confirm that firewire will accept 1080p?

This was the supposed delivery method at CES for high quality video.... also be interesting to see if there are lag issues over 1394.

Thanks

i called the tech department of samsung usa this morning. i talked to one of the techs about the xbox lag. i ordered a HL R6168W and i do play a lot of H2 so of course i was worried about it after reading all of the posts. he told me that the HLR series resoved the lag issue and that the HLP series was the problem child. He also said that there would be no lag with the vga connection as well...for the 360. further more the tech said that he owned the HLR6168, and has not experienced the lag that i have been reading about. he said that he plays xbox all of the time...who knows? i am assuming you guys are using the comconent inputs from your xbox. right? this is the input that he said to use...

I have my home computer hooked up via VGA. I am outputting 1920x1080p. The only game I play is MVP baseball. I have the resolution of that game set to something like 720p. There is a slight lag. Not enough to make the game unplayable.... but enough to effect my level of play. I am not as accurate in pitching as I used to be and I find it very difficult to catch up to hard throwing fastballs. I have made a couple of adjustments in the way I play and tweaked some game settings to help me accomodate for this and I am almost back to the level I was playing it before.

Now, I'm sure there are games out their that are not so dependant on timing as baseball pitching and hitting and they would nto be effected as much. Also, if I have not played this game before I got my 6168 and was not used to it before, I would probably not even notice the lag.

Thanks for the input. It seems as though its tough to get consensus on these issues. We now have 2 votes. One says we don't have lag on the VGA input and one says we do. Does it matter that the game is set to 720p? Would it help if the the game was also set to 1080p?

Thank you, that is exactly what I needed to know. As long as I can get delay free gaming on one input that will work for me (especiallay a 1080p input :) I think I'm going to order a 5668 this week. Sweet!

Maybe theres no lag because there is no scaling or deinterlacing because you're inputing the exact signal it's displaying. I also wonder if some of the other image processing is not going on through the VGA input. Thoughts?

If anyone else has played computer games via the VGA input I'd love to hear about your experiences as well.

I have played multiplayer Half-Life mods on my 6168W hooked up via VGA. I didn't notice any lag, the only issues I have are getting the mouse sensitivity adjusted to the high res and I found myself getting a bit motion sick. (which will go away as I play more)

Equipment
TV: HL-R5688W
DVD Player: Samsung DVD-HD941 with Faroudja DCDi Technology set to 1080i
Set Top Box: SA8300HD
Felston DD540 Audio Delay
A/V Receiver: RX-8020V
Cable Provider: Cablevision

Received the 5688 from TV Authority on 8/15. Arrived in perfect condition.

Lip-Synch Issues: Based on helpful discussion in this forum on Lip-Synch, I preordered and installed the Felston 540. Using the echo test, I found the best audio delay is at 103 ms.

Standard Definition Programming Upconversion: In 4X3 mode, better than expected. When stretched to 16X9 fixed or panorama, I notice poorer quality.

DVD: Using the Samsung DVD-HD941 with Faroudja chiip, I see no evidence whatsoever of macroblocking. Watched The Motorcycle Diaries upconverted to 1080i for over two hours in Movie Mode. I forgot I was home and for a while thought I was in a movie theater. My wife felt the same way. No clay or silk faces. Very sharp picture, clear details and can see every hair. The language is in Spanish with English subtitles. The subtitles were sharp and very easy to read. Dark scenes, however, did not have as much degree of differentiation in blacks as I would like. But I have not had time yet to tweak the settings or calibrate with Digital Video Essentials. Overall impression: Picture using DVD upconversion is as good as watching an HD broadcast.

Picture Quality: Outstanding! Colors are realistic. Movie mode is great for such. No pixelation problems. No rainbows, though I never noticed them on 720p Samsung DLPs. No apprent overscan or underscan. CNN's ticker is right where it should be. Have not tried PC on VGA yet.

Screen Graininess Issue: I was always bothered by the graininess of the lenticular screens on previous 720p models when viewed in stores. It was especially noticeable in very light colored scenes, such as sky or white walls. The screen had a course sandy look to it. HOWEVER, I must say that on this TV, I really have to look for the graininess and when I do find it, it is very fine and not distracting at all. Vey pleased since had been my major reservation about buying a DLP-RP.

SA8300HD: Initially HDMI did not work. TV message said No Signal or Weak Sginal. Hooked up component cables and they worked perfectly. Went to sleep. This morning I unplugged the 8300, attached the HDMI Cable, plugged it back in, booted up again and VOILA HDMI works. I think Stallion Re had a similar problem. I have digital video out from the 8300 to the AV Receiver. Dolby Digital worked in component but not in HDMI. However, I was able to fix this by going to "More Settings."

Only remaining problem is this and perhaps someone else has solved it: Initially when viewing channels on the 8300 with the TV set to 16X9, the SD picture was 4X3 and the HD channels were 16X9. This looked good. However, as a perfect example of what not to do, try to fix something that isn't broken, I went into the "More settings menu on the 8300 and switched picture format from "Fixed" to "Auto DVI/HDMI." Thereafter, even the SD pictures were stetched to 16X9 format. Swithcing back to the "Fixed" picture format mode on the 8300 did not help get me back to 4X3. Now I have to change the display mode manually on the TV everytime I go from HD to SD and back. It was nice originally when the switch from 16X9 to 4X3 was automatic.

Overall Impression of the Captain Kirk Model: The picture quality of this 1080p Samsung is much better than expected based on personal viewing in stores and posts by other members. No regrets at this time.

Last night on David Letterman was the worst case of clay face/smoothing I have ever seen. I have no way to compare the image on another set so I cannot tell if it was the source or the TV.

Dave had on a real wierd suit that had a lot of striped texture to it. If Dave moved the entire suit became a gray blob as well as his face becoming a tan blotch. When he stopped moving you picked up his facial details and also you got the texture of the suit.

Anybody else see this? This program was not a hd feed but a digital SD picture.

Dave had on a real wierd suit that had a lot of striped texture to it. If Dave moved the entire suit became a gray blob as well as his face becoming a tan blotch. When he stopped moving you picked up his facial details and also you got the texture of the suit.

Anybody else see this? This program was not a hd feed but a digital SD picture.

That's most likely a compression issue. I've noticed on both cable and satellite that SD feeds are often heavily overcompressed. This is unlikely to be a TV problem.

DVD: Using the Samsung DVD-HD941 ... Dark scenes, however, did not have as much degree of differentiation in blacks as I would like.

Thanks for a very nice review. I believe the 941 doesn't pass the 'blacker than black' test, so this may be part of the reason for your above observation.

Equipment
[list]TV: HL-R5688W
DVD Player: Samsung DVD-HD941 with Faroudja DCDi Technology set to 1080i
Set Top Box: SA8300HD
Felston DD540 Audio Delay
A/V Receiver: RX-8020V
Cable Provider: Cablevision


Great review, thanks!

Nice review and great looking setup! I am wondering if you saw the same lower quality desktop display when you hooked up via DVI->HDMI? A few other HTPC users have noticed that at 1920x1080i via DVI->HDMI that the computer display looks as if the TV is having trouble de-interlacing or missing some scan lines. Video playback looks fine but anything computer oriented is fairly difficult to read.

"Goob", thank you.

Initially, when I did use the HTPC/DVI --> TV/HDMI connection, I thought my desktop display was (still is) very good! (heck, even the Wife was impressed. :) )

Only when I started to watch any SD shows (either already recorded on the DVR; or live broadcast) is where I thought it could be better. So, for grins, I switched over to the 6168's VGA input, and I do see slightly better PQ. (granted, SD is only so-so to begen with.)

As to my reasoning why, I figured the low-budget video-card in my HTPC/DVR might be doing a better job at rendering, plus the VGA input is 1080p; versus 1080i for the HDMI. Thanks again.

Wondering still if the PQ is better with a cable card or HDMI? Also, my power on/off chime stopped...is this normal?

"Goob", thank you.

Initially, when I did use the HTPC/DVI --> TV/HDMI connection, I thought my desktop display was (still is) very good! (heck, even the Wife was impressed. :) )

Only when I started to watch any SD shows (either already recorded on the DVR; or live broadcast) is where I thought it could be better. So, for grins, I switched over to the 6168's VGA input, and I do see slightly better PQ. (granted, SD is only so-so to begen with.)

As to my reasoning why, I figured the low-budget video-card in my HTPC/DVR might be doing a better job at rendering, plus the VGA input is 1080p; versus 1080i for the HDMI. Thanks again.

So you don't notice any "skipped" scanlines when using DVI->HDMI? They are quite evident on text characters. I am only referring to computer display, tv/dvd playback is quite nice via HDMI. What brand of DVI->HDMI cable are you using?

Got ahold of tech support regarding the issue of DNIe appearing to be set to "off" as the default, with no way of turning it on.

The tech said they are aware of this, and the Korean engineers are working on a solution/answer.

I suggest everyone call 1-800-SAMSUNG and put a little pressure on them to get this resolved.

Thanks for the review. Do you have cable, even if only at the basic level? If so, you could hook it up to your TV and maybe get some HD programming from your local channels.

You know... I actually have both basic satellite and basic cable!
(Currently, I only use the cable-feed for the computer/cable-modem.) But tomorrow, I plan on testing the cable and seeing if there are any local HD channels in the lineup.

Good tip, thanks.

Also, my power on/off chime stopped...is this normal?

Mine only did this the first time. I haven't heard it since. I'm assuming its because I set internal speakers to mute, but the option is still available to be turn on or off in the menus even with speakers set to mute.

Got ahold of tech support regarding the issue of DNIe appearing to be set to "off" as the default, with no way of turning it on.

The tech said they are aware of this, and the Korean engineers are working on a solution/answer.

What if they do get a solution (firmware upgrade)? How would a home user apply a firmware upgrade to these tv's?

Mine only did this the first time. I haven't heard it since. I'm assuming its because I set internal speakers to mute, but the option is still available to be turn on or off in the menus even with speakers set to mute.



What if they do get a solution (firmware upgrade)? How would a home user apply a firmware upgrade to these tv's?

Most likely Samsung would have to send a tech out to do the update.

[QUOTE=MikeAlletto
What if they do get a solution (firmware upgrade)? How would a home user apply a firmware upgrade to these tv's?[/QUOTE]

My guess is a service call.

Just wondering, were there any overscans or underscans at 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 resolution?

Hello Sgt -

With either resolution, I only have a very little overscan; almost perfect. (and no underscan) Down the road, I still may use PowerStrip to really dial-in the setting.

Question for all of you calibration knowledgable folks...

I recorded and then viewed the HD Net test patterns this morning and noticed something on the last of the 3 patterns where it shows overscan and resolution. The voice-over says... "If you can see #3 on the top and bottom and #4 on the sides, you're within the acceptable range for overscan." I only see #10 on the sides and #8 on the bottom and #4 on the top.

So... do I have an unacceptable overscan of the image on my 6168? If so, is this something I (as a reasonably intelligent but inexperienced newbie) could correct myself in the service menu? Has anyone else with a 6168 checked this out with the HD Net test patterns? (They broadcast them every Tuesday at 7am CST).

Any help or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Bill

Got ahold of tech support regarding the issue of DNIe appearing to be set to "off" as the default, with no way of turning it on.

The tech said they are aware of this, and the Korean engineers are working on a solution/answer.
The best choice for HLM, HLN, and HLP owners has always been to turn DNIe off. If Samsung's fix is to provide ON/OFF options that would be great. It it's to just turn it on then based on it's history I would opt to leave the set unfixed.

In the past Samsung has always replaced the digital board to upgrade a defective firmware version. Now they may be able to load new firmware versions with a service call. Unless I misunderstood him, SethS has that capability and is training tech reps to use it.

Where is DNIe set to Off by default? Isn't the problem that DNIe is always on with no way to turn it off? And that there is a DNIe Demo on/off setting but no DNIe on/off setting?

It's set to off in the SM. When changed to on it won't stick.

My understanding is the older models had the default to on, with no way to turn it off.

The DNIe demo shows what the picture should look like, but you can't make it stay that way.

I finally received my 6168 yesterday!! I built the stand, unboxed the TV, and waited for my brother to come over to help me put it on the stand. I then looked around and realized that Samsung did NOT place a power cord in the box!! I could have died. I had waited SOOOO long for this TV and then to finally get it and not be able to turn it on!!! I called Samsung and they are sending me one, and they also verified that I should be able to get one from Radio Shack which I did. Thank God. HD looks awesome. DVD's look very good. SD looks like crap. About the only thing I wish the remote had was a button to switch back and forth from 16:9 to 4:3. Now I have to go through all 3000 posts again to pick up proper setup tips. Thanks Guys!!

My understanding is the older models had the default to on, with no way to turn it off.
The older models, HLM, HLN, and HLP, all had an option for DNIe to be turned ON/OFF in the User Menu for Picture. It was always right next to the most useless option (DNIe Demo) in the Universe. :rolleyes:

I finally received my 6168 yesterday!! I built the stand, unboxed the TV, and waited for my brother to come over to help me put it on the stand. I then looked around and realized that Samsung did NOT place a power cord in the box!! I could have died. I had waited SOOOO long for this TV and then to finally get it and not be able to turn it on!!! I called Samsung and they are sending me one, and they also verified that I should be able to get one from Radio Shack which I did. Thank God. HD looks awesome. DVD's look very good. SD looks like crap. About the only thing I wish the remote had was a button to switch back and forth from 16:9 to 4:3. Now I have to go through all 3000 posts again to pick up proper setup tips. Thanks Guys!!

The remote does have a button labeled "P. Size" hidden under the sliding lid for selecting 16:3 and 4:3.

Question for all of you calibration knowledgable folks...

I recorded and then viewed the HD Net test patterns this morning and noticed something on the last of the 3 patterns where it shows overscan and resolution. The voice-over says... "If you can see #3 on the top and bottom and #4 on the sides, you're within the acceptable range for overscan." I only see #10 on the sides and #8 on the bottom and #4 on the top.

So... do I have an unacceptable overscan of the image on my 6168? If so, is this something I (as a reasonably intelligent but inexperienced newbie) could correct myself in the service menu? Has anyone else with a 6168 checked this out with the HD Net test patterns? (They broadcast them every Tuesday at 7am CST).

Any help or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Bill
Can't answer your question directly but I have a service person coming to look at my severe overscan on inputs tomorrow. If I get any insight to how this will be resolved then I will post back here.

Would be nice if it also had a "P. Mode" button like previous models had. I would be more likely to change the picture mode than the aspect.

Also a SWAP button for PIP and a few other buttons. I might have to break down and buy a universal remote.

Can't answer your question directly but I have a service person coming to look at my severe overscan on inputs tomorrow. If I get any insight to how this will be resolved then I will post back here.

Chris, thanks! Looking forward to hearing back. Bill

great review! can you please post some pics of your setup!

Equipment
TV: HL-R5688W
DVD Player: Samsung DVD-HD941 with Faroudja DCDi Technology set to 1080i
Set Top Box: SA8300HD
Felston DD540 Audio Delay
A/V Receiver: RX-8020V
Cable Provider: Cablevision

...
Overall Impression of the Captain Kirk Model: The picture quality of this 1080p Samsung is much better than expected based on personal viewing in stores and posts by other members. No regrets at this time.

The older models, HLM, HLN, and HLP, all had an option for DNIe to be turned ON/OFF in the User Menu for Picture.

Interesting, thanks for the info. Makes you wonder why they changed it for the new models :confused:

It was always right next to the most useless option (DNIe Demo) in the Universe. :rolleyes:

LOL, my thoughts exactly!!! I wonder how much we paid for that option, and what the hell are we supposed to do with it?

The older models, HLM, HLN, and HLP, all had an option for DNIe to be turned ON/OFF in the User Menu for Picture. It was always right next to the most useless option (DNIe Demo) in the Universe. :rolleyes:

Hmm, maybe StallionRe has an older model and doesn't realize it?

Anyway, where the heck is StallionRe, did we scare him away?

Maybe he was finally completely overcome by the gas leaking out of his cables, and is now relaxed in his chair staring at the DNIe Demo menu.

Maybe he was finally completely overcome by the gas leaking out of his cables, and is now relaxed in his chair staring at the DNIe Demo menu.

ROFLMAO :)

He's still here...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6041576&&#post6041576
Hopefully he'll give us an update on the DNIe soon.

You guys don't seriously think his TV is different than everyone else's do you ;)

Looks like Westa6969's personal ...(Owner/Observer Samsung 50 - 1080P Reviews & No Chatter) thread isn't getting any hits...seems like he's the only one posting on it...I would of thought the bashers would have a field day with it!

I just wanted to chime in on the lag issue from what I have seen on my set...If I was able to get my hand 4 inches away from the target on the floor when playing with the new Samsung set, and I estimate that the time it took me to move my hand from controller to said point was unquestionably less than half a second, then that would be somewhere in the ballpark of a 50ms delay. And that would be a liberal estimate for the amount of delay. In reality, I think it is less than 50ms.
.

Since when does .050 seconds equal 1 half second?

50ms =.05sec, and 500ms=.5 or 1 half second, which is 9 times longer.

If your reaction time is less than 50ms, I would hate to be challenged by you to a game of "Hot Hands." :D

I'm not quite sure what to make of westa's thread. He's obviously lonely over there and has started talking to himself (first sign of madness?).

They wouldn't dare! ;) :D :D :D

The remote does have a button labeled "P. Size" hidden under the sliding lid for selecting 16:3 and 4:3.


Thanks!! Guess I should read the instruction book rather than just jumping into things.

I finally saw a 5668 today at a Best Buy (or "Magnolia" or whatever).

It had an extreme problem - in the dark or black areas of the picture, which was a HD feed from Discovery HD, there were all these little blue and red spots.

Looking at the other TVs around it connected to the same feed showed none of this problem - all the others were "snow-free".

I'm sure you'll all say that the TV was obviously being fed an inferior signal or wasn't set up properly or some other excuse, but it was very simple to see that every other TV, even the Samsung 6167 720p TV just down the row, didn't show this problem with the same feed.

Has anyone else seen these blue and red spots? I think I remember seeing some earlier messages about it. If so, did you send your set back or did you figure out what the problem was?

My wife actually liked the looks of the Sony LCD HDTVs they had, and I had to agree - the picture quality was very good. Much better than any of the Samsungs, which either had shiny-reflective glass screens or a sort of dark picture, even with DNIe turned on.

What's up with that? I would be pretty wary of ordering any Samsung xx68 or xx78 now.

Thanks,
Dennis
Are you confused? Samsung does not have any shinny screens. They are all matte finish looking, anti-glare screens. The bexel on the 78 series is shinny and the on the 68 it is flat black. I think that you got your TV's crossed with another make or brand. Samsung TV's ROCK!! You cant compare a DLP TV to an LCD, they work differently. That is like comparing a Plasma to a DLP. DLP has no gases like Plasma. Samsung is one of the very best TV's DLP style at 1080p on the market.

I finally saw a 5668 today at a Best Buy (or "Magnolia" or whatever).

It had an extreme problem - in the dark or black areas of the picture, which was a HD feed from Discovery HD, there were all these little blue and red spots.

Looking at the other TVs around it connected to the same feed showed none of this problem - all the others were "snow-free".

I'm sure you'll all say that the TV was obviously being fed an inferior signal or wasn't set up properly or some other excuse, but it was very simple to see that every other TV, even the Samsung 6167 720p TV just down the row, didn't show this problem with the same feed.

Has anyone else seen these blue and red spots? I think I remember seeing some earlier messages about it. If so, did you send your set back or did you figure out what the problem was?

My wife actually liked the looks of the Sony LCD HDTVs they had, and I had to agree - the picture quality was very good. Much better than any of the Samsungs, which either had shiny-reflective glass screens or a sort of dark picture, even with DNIe turned on.

What's up with that? I would be pretty wary of ordering any Samsung xx68 or xx78 now.

Thanks,
Dennis
Maybe that TV had a problem with the feed and not all the Samsung TV's have the problem. I was at Fry's today and the Samsung;s looked very good along woth the Sony's, but the RCA, JVC, Panasonic, and Mit's didnt look good at all. Possibly the feed???

The demo on/off works exactly like it should. Just to clear up the confusion from yesterday. Only the 88 series had an option to turn it on/off and demo on/off. I cant believe that they didnt put it in all the other models.

The demo on/off works exactly like it should. Just to clear up the confusion from yesterday. Only the 88 series had an option to turn it on/off and demo on/off. I cant believe that they didnt put it in all the other models.

To the contrary; the demo on/off works the opposite of how it should, and that's the confusion.

To the contrary; the demo on/off works the opposite of how it should, and that's the confusion.

Another way to describe it is, the improved picture you see on the demo, is not the picture you get when the demo is off.

StallionRE, where are you? Any progress on the DNIe On/Off thing?
Yeah, I am sorry but I am not on all day like I was before. IE too many post. Ok, I have found to be wrong on my part. I was thinking about the 88 series, which I have in the den. I thought that the 78 and 88 were the same, but clearly is not. The 68 and 78 series works exactly as you say.

To the contrary; the demo on/off works the opposite of how it should, and that's the confusion.
I wish that it woould work the way it is suppose too, but insted it is backwards, that is the confusion. This confuses all of us. Why did they install the Demo mode and not install the DNIe on/off. I would of desgined this TV better.

Got ahold of tech support regarding the issue of DNIe appearing to be set to "off" as the default, with no way of turning it on.

The tech said they are aware of this, and the Korean engineers are working on a solution/answer.

I suggest everyone call 1-800-SAMSUNG and put a little pressure on them to get this resolved.
I will call them now, becuase this is not right. They should have made this feature turn on/off.

FYI to all:

I just got off the phone with Samsung. They said that DNIe is ALWAYS ON!!! You cant turn it off. The demo just shows you what it looks like on/off, that is all.

Been gone for over a week and man is the Pis__ng contests flying! I am still over 5 pages behind. Update on my new TV. Will be delivered tomorrow (replaced by TVA for Red smears on the HDMI card). Will report back and give my highly professional opinion with my 20/17 vision and keen eye for BS! Gotta love some of the fights and bickering!

Anyone seen a Samsung HLR XXX8 TV lately???? Like to hear about it.

Now I'm really confused. So I looked at the online manual for the HLR5688 (1080p) model on the Samsung web site and on page #59 titled "Viewing the DNIe Demonstration" there is only a DNIe Demo setting, and no DNIe setting, just like for 67, 68 and 78 models.
Samsung told me on the phone right now, that the floor stand model 88 series, you have an option to turn on/off the DNIe and also to see the demo. Dont be confused. I have tried this on the model 88 series at Fry's this morning.
Call Samsung. It is true on the 88 Model's they installed this option. I dont know why.

Now I'm really confused. So I looked at the online manual for the HLR5688 (1080p) model on the Samsung web site and on page #59 titled "Viewing the DNIe Demonstration" there is only a DNIe Demo setting, and no DNIe setting, just like for 67, 68 and 78 models.
AkaStp, On the screen under the Picture Menu, it will say DNIe demo, like all the other models, but when you scroll over to hightlight it, it says, on, off, demo on/off. Three settings not two like the 67 and 78 series. This is how I wish that the 68 and 78 models worked like this.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I finally received my 5688 1080p set today around 3:30pm ET & I must say it's awesome.

I've have just been playing with the settings & features a bit. Just got done using the Program scan feature to scan for channels.

I am picking up a few local Ch's in HD, but the PQ varies from Ch to Ch.

I need settings to use for the best PQ, any 5688 owners have suggestions? I wonder if the settings can be used for all 3 Samsung 1080p models?

I will soon be hooking up the following to my 5688 to complete my HTS setup....

1) Onkyo TXNR1000 AVR
2) Samsung 950 1080i DVD
3) XBOX using HD component cables
4) 5.1 surround sound speakers & subwoofer
5) Sony 5.1 surround sound wireless headphones

Color settings for best PQ would be greatly appreciated guys.

Thanks in advance.

Emileg congrats on receiving your 5688 yesterday dude, maybe we can share settings/adjustments to help each other acheive best PQ possible.

Hmm, maybe StallionRe has an older model and doesn't realize it?
No I just got both my models 78 and 88 series last week. I know my models after doing a 6 month research on it. Thanks anyway.

I'm not quite sure what to make of westa's thread. He's obviously lonely over there and has started talking to himself (first sign of madness?).
Thanks for the smart ass remarks. It's purpose is not to generate "HITS" or Discussion it's there to offer an all-in-one place to see Owner's/Observers Feedback without having to read the side talk-some folks just want to see the reviews and may not want to observe 50 pages on sync/lag. look, I followed the JVC PB in March the postings of the Q006 and it became impossible to get to the reviews and a tremendous waste of time and energy and I planned this based upon those Owners threads - just try and go over the to Q006 owners thread and try and pick through it to get to the reviews and the JVC PB was 90%+ discussion that had nothing to do with the TV performance.

I spent the past month collecting and organizing them as a means to be helpful to other members especially novices that may not understand the detailed debate within the thread. How you can criticize an effort to help fellow members or the smart ass nature without provocation I simply don't understand degrading an effort to help others on this forum. None of the posts are my own - they are from you folks and not everyone here wants to read the 90% garbage side chatter that repeats itself over and over. I'm not trying to generate feedback I want them to view and decide for themselves and then if they want the side stuff they can view the 100+pages on the owners forum or the two other threads. Of course Gazelle and others aren't coming in they cannot be seen - the reviews push them to the bottom of the page and that is intentionally done by design. Most folks may never get to the bottom to view their input and it's worked! My self talk is to BUMP the post back because if you don't bump it it goes to the cellar and short of a Moderator Censor it will remain that way despite the cheap shots.

I've had a number of people thank me for presenting them in this manner and the Forum itself has under consideration establishing a reviews area separate from the discussion as an additional service. Hits? There are over 800 views and that was the only purpose was to provide viewing without 5 pages that follow each review as some people have more important things in life than this forum.

Are you so bored that you had to attack someone for trying to help other members? Pretty petty that you can do it from the comfort of your PC as I guarantee you'd think twice were we face to face! It'll be left there and I regret you can not understand it's purpose - just read through this thread and see how much chatter redundant garbage is in between to get to a REVIEW.

Enjoy your sarcasm! :cool:

You called Samsung, got through to someone, asked the question, got the answer, and posted back here in just ONE minute?

So where is the 88? In your den or at Frys?

You say don't be confused? Yesterday you claimed that your 68 or 78 had a DNIe on/off, then you say today its just got a demo mode, that DNIe works backwards, that the 88 in your den has DNIe on/off (which contradicts the manual), then you say the 88 you tried was in Frys. How could anyone not be confused by all of this?
You must be confused and not understand what I mean.
I have both models in my house the 78 and 88. To set the record straight the 88 series has the DNIe on/off option that you can change this feature. I also went to Fry's to confirm this and I am right. Now on the 78 series you can not change the DNIe on/off option only the Demo on or off. I called Samsung and they also say the same. So forget my post from yesterday.

Is this clear enough?

FYI to all:

I just got off the phone with Samsung. They said that DNIe is ALWAYS ON!!! You cant turn it off. The demo just shows you what it looks like on/off, that is all.

Who do you trust; the minimum wage guy on the phone, or your own eyes?

When I finally spoke with a level-2 tech, he assured me the engineers in Korea are working on this. They're not sure what the problem is, but it's quite possible DNIe is always off.

Thanks for the smart ass remarks. It's purpose is not to generate "HITS" or Discussion it's there to offer an all-in-one place to see Owner's/Observers Feedback without having to read the side talk-some folks just want to see the reviews and may not want to observe 50 pages on sync/lag.

I spent the past month collecting and organizing them as a means to be helpful to other members especially novices that may not understand the detailed debate within the thread. How you can criticize an effort to help fellow members or the smart ass nature without provocation I simply don't understand degrading an effort to help others on this forum. None of the posts are my own - they are from you folks and not everyone here wants to read the 90% garbage side chatter that repeats itself over and over. I'm not trying to generate feedback I want them to view and decide for themselves and then if they want the side stuff they can view the 100+pages on the owners forum or the two other threads. Of course Gazelle and others aren't coming in they cannot be seen - the reviews push them to the bottom of the page and that is intentionally done by design. Most folks may never get to the bottom to view their input and it's worked!

I've had a number of people thank me for presenting them in this manner and the Forum itself has under consideration establishing a reviews area separate from the discussion as an additional service. Hits? There are over 800 views and that was the only purpose was to provide viewing without 5 pages that follow each review as some people have more important things in life than this forum.

Are you so bored that you had to attack someone for trying to help other members? Pretty petty that you can do it from the comfort of your PC as I guarantee you'd think twice were we face to face! It'll be left there and I regret you can not understand it's purpose - just read through this thread and see how much chatter redundant garbage is in between to get to a REVIEW. Enjoy your sarcasm! :cool:
Westa6969, I honor what you are doing and stand for. I am not like these other people to hurt you. They try to attack me too and I will not play the game. I think that people like to stir up other people to get a reaction being negative towards someone else. This ofrum is not to attack one's character but to help each other on this forum for their TV issue.

Funny, being on this forum made me think more about my TV and how it works, Versus people trying to help me out. I find my own mistakes and post them. Some still dont understand how other Models work before putting down someone else. Samsung has very good customer service and solved my problems in one Minute, despite what others may think. Thanks Samsung for your Wonderful help, your the best.

Who do you trust; the minimum wage guy on the phone, or your own eyes?

When I finally spoke with a level-2 tech, he assured me the engineers in Korea are working on this. They're not sure what the problem is, but it's quite possible DNIe is always off.

I talked to a tech, I forgot to get his career history, sorry. They said that the DNIe is always on, I called twice. On my set it looks on to me. You sure can see the difference. Maybe mine works. Not all Samsungs might work the same and properly and we can see with all these post, that everyone is having different problems with there sets.

The engineers are not even sure what to say even to you, working on what? Or finding out the DNIe is on or off, they dont even know. So who Knows anything???

Is it on or is it off? That is the question. Mine looks on. But who careas about that anyway, make your own custom setting.

Thats good to hear. Could you check the DNIe setting in the Picture menu and let us know what its settings are? Hopefully you can help straighten out the recent confusion. ;)

That's one of the things I played around with.

I was able to go in & turn it on or off.

Who do you trust; the minimum wage guy on the phone, or your own eyes?

When I finally spoke with a level-2 tech, he assured me the engineers in Korea are working on this. They're not sure what the problem is, but it's quite possible DNIe is always off.
I dont trust anyone on a phone. A guy can make $450,000 a year and still give you wrong information. It is not about how much a person makes that determines his knownledge and professionlism.

That's one of the things I played around with.

I was able to go in & turn it on or off.
See I am not the only one that can change this. Are you sure that it can be changed? I am getting drilled for this.

Samsung told me on the phone right now, that the floor stand model 88 series, you have an option to turn on/off the DNIe and also to see the demo. Dont be confused. I have tried this on the model 88 series at Fry's this morning.
Call Samsung. It is true on the 88 Model's they installed this option. I dont know why.
Stallion: Where is the DNE on/off control on the Captain Kirk model? Thanks, Emile

If you are referring me...Sorry, I'm an engineer (software) of 25+ years and so tend to relentlessly try and gain a good understanding of a problem and how to reproduce and fix it, sometimes like a dog with a bone! I didn't mean to attack or get personal though a little sarcastic perhaps (I forget how sarcasm doesn't always go over well in places like this).
No not you, you are a good guy, you are smart too. No ofense. I mean certain others. I dont want this to become like what we had with Westa6969 and others. Let's squash this now.

Stallion: Where is the DNE on/off control on the Captain Kirk model? Thanks, Emile
It is in the menu under the Picture setting. About half way down you will see DNIe. Do you see it?

What is DLNe?? I'm new to the forum.

Yes, I think so. Although it is not a deal-breaker for my hoped-for purchase of a HLR5078, I would prefer to be able to have control over whether DNIe is on or off. But that did not appear to be the case until your post that implied maybe it was possible in a newer build than I saw in the stores. There was glimmer of hope there for a while. Alas, that does not seem to be the case. I really hope that Samsung will reconsider DNIe and provide us with the ability to turn it on or off rather than always on and the next-to-uselss demo mode.

Most of these post now become about the DNIe setting. I think that if Samsung had built this right, the way we all know how it should work, then maybe we all would not be so confused about this setting.
I bet the next genration models of Samsung's will have a clearer understanding of this setting and how to use it.

The Demo is useless for sure, what a waste. :mad:

I hope that I am not posting too many post again, But I had to say that I really like being on here with all of you despite our misunderstanding at times, I know that it can be fustrating for all of us to get along, when we are lost about a setting or confused about a problem.

My Observations about the Samsung TV's.
I think that instead of placing a DNIe Demo, Samsung should of installed one or two more HDMI inputs and maybe a DVI input. I also wish that Samsung would of added one or more component inputs. Two is just not enough. Would everyone agree here?

You mean just like lots of posts have been about lack 5.1 audio or 1080p over HDMI, lip synch and game delay. ;)
It sure would be nice if the designers would have thought of this stuff. :D
ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!! :)

What is DLNe?? I'm new to the forum.
People are careless when they type on the Internet. :)

It's DNIe, and it's Samsung's proprietary edge enhancement feature.

Most people who have owned the previous Samsung models, HLM, HLN, and HLP, have turned DNIe off because it detracts from good picture quality. I don't remember ever reading about an ISF calibrator who thought it best to leave DNIe on.

It seems that the new HLR models, with the possible exception of the pedestal model, don't give you a choice. It seems that Samsung wants DNIe to be on all the time.

If you have ever played the rummer game, where a message is whispered from one ear to another ear around a circle, you know how confused it sometimes gets here a AVS. :rolleyes:

What is DLNe?? I'm new to the forum.
Did you mean DNIe, not DLNe??
Please see the Post above, this explains it well.

I had problems with HDMI inputs on my 6168 (red blotches). Samsung said that the digital board needs replacement and it is in back order. Got the TV replaced by TVA on friday and the new TV works great!
Also, had to reinstall windows on my PC again and I did not install ATI catalyst drivers and the VGA ouptut 1080 resolution setting works like a charm. I used to have problems with ATI catalyst before that I could not get adjust the overscan/underscan correctly. It will go into 'Not supported mode' pretty often. Now, it is all great.

Ekans,

This is encouraging. My replacement set arrives tomorrow and I will hopefully be able to use HDMI. I haven't been in a hurry this time since Component cables have a great picture. Will post on the powerbuy sight the idiotic answer the shipping company gave me for why they throw the TV off the donkey instead of using a lift gate.

According to Samsung, DNIe has got six (IIRC) enhancements (motion, contrast, detail, color, etc) . Here is a presentation for your viewing enjoyment...
http://product.samsung.com/dnie
VERY GOOD Video clip. Thanks. I like it a lot. :) :D

After seeing this video, I would always have the DNIe to set to ON.

Now for the Big question. Is the DNIe on the these models are set to ON or OFF?

Samsung told me ON, but is this wrong, Does anyone really know?
Please help. Thanks.

As NorthJersy has also requested, I would like to see a picture also. Anyone else with a tall stand please supply a picture if you can.

I am also considering a taller stand than most because of 2 reasons:

1. I have a "bigfoot" center speaker - 26" wide and 12" tall. Most shorter stands don't have a shelf that can accommodate the speaker.

2. I have bifocals. :(

I posted a picture of my setup with 5668 (search on my posts) and the height is 30". I have no issues from about 10-12' and like where it is at. Very easy from a recliner. Will be posting another series once the new set arrives tomorrow.

Are you confused? Samsung does not have any shinny screens. They are all matte finish looking, anti-glare screens. The bexel on the 78 series is shinny and the on the 68 it is flat black. I think that you got your TV's crossed with another make or brand. Samsung TV's ROCK!! You cant compare a DLP TV to an LCD, they work differently. That is like comparing a Plasma to a DLP. DLP has no gases like Plasma. Samsung is one of the very best TV's DLP style at 1080p on the market.

I could be confused about the shiny screens. If that's the case, my bad.

However, the 5068 I saw had blue and red "snow" all through the dark areas of the picture, while the 20 TVs around it just had a clear image with no snow.

Reading through the thread here, there was in fact another user that saw the same effect and posted pictures of it.

Maybe there was a problem in one of the production runs of this set.

Also, why can't I compare LCD to DLP because they work differently? That's a load of crap. If one looks better than the other, one doesn't need very many brain cells to know that this is called a "comparison".

If anyone out there knows where I could go to look at a good setup of any TVs in the 1080p xx68 or xx78 line in the Phoenix area, please let me know. I don't want to write off Samsung with one bad set, but the ones I've seen so far have not impressed me very much.

Thanks,
Dennis

I purchased a HLR6178W from a Sound Advice store on July 29th when they called and said it was available. They missed the delivery and said they oversold the units and I would have to wait for the next Samsung delivery on August 17th. The store manager called me yesterday and said they would not get a shipment until August 26th. He said Samsung cannot meet demand. Is everybody experiencing these problems???

Anyone know if UCSB has posted a review of his new HLR56x8 yet? I don't remember seeing it.

Are you kidding me???!!! He can't get a word in edgewise! Are we getting anywhere on how many TVs StallionRe has or do we need another inventory.

Stallion, if someone asks a question and you don't know the answer, you don't need to tell them that. If we all did this, it would have taken me 10 days instead of four to get throught the posts I missed in a 7 day period. GEEZ!

Ok, let me be clear on my previous post.

I went into PICTURE & there is an DNIE Demo feature which is basically just that, a Demo.
By deafualt it is set to "OFF" but you can set it to "ON", when I set it to "ON" all it does is split the the screen down the middle into 2 halves, it shows 3 small text displays, the left side is DNIE ON, the right side is DNIE OFF, & in the top middle it says DNIE Demo.

It appears & disappears about every 5 secs, as long as it is set to "ON", so in my conclusion this is simple a Demo feature. Just weird as to why they did this? My guess would have to be there might be an firmware upgrade to turn this feature on down the road.

Judging from the PQ with the DEMO turned "ON" the Image & PQ definitely improves with DNIE "ON"!

I posted a picture of my setup with 5668 (search on my posts) and the height is 30". I have no issues from about 10-12' and like where it is at. Very easy from a recliner. Will be posting another series once the new set arrives tomorrow.

Thanks FLApilot. I will be (hopefully soon) sitting about 8' with a 50" TV. I wish I had 20/17 vision. :D

Let's hear from more owners!

UCSB - How is the DVD Shootout going?

Anyone know if UCSB has posted a review of his new HLR56x8 yet? I don't remember seeing it.

No ... I haven't. I got side-tracked into testing all of the open issues and DVD players. Hope to wrap up my first three DVD players here in the next day or so. In a nut shell, this is an awesome TV. I won't be posting anything until at least Friday on the TV because I am working with Samsung on some HDMI tweaks and want to see how that goes first.

I purchased a HLR6178W from a Sound Advice store on July 29th when they called and said it was available. They missed the delivery and said they oversold the units and I would have to wait for the next Samsung delivery on August 17th. The store manager called me yesterday and said they would not get a shipment until August 26th. He said Samsung cannot meet demand. Is everybody experiencing these problems???No I have one coming from TVA as we speak :) and a lot cheaper :D

I could be confused about the shiny screens. If that's the case, my bad.

However, the 5068 I saw had blue and red "snow" all through the dark areas of the picture, while the 20 TVs around it just had a clear image with no snow.

Reading through the thread here, there was in fact another user that saw the same effect and posted pictures of it.

Maybe there was a problem in one of the production runs of this set.

Also, why can't I compare LCD to DLP because they work differently? That's a load of crap. If one looks better than the other, one doesn't need very many brain cells to know that this is called a "comparison".

If anyone out there knows where I could go to look at a good setup of any TVs in the 1080p xx68 or xx78 line in the Phoenix area, please let me know. I don't want to write off Samsung with one bad set, but the ones I've seen so far have not impressed me very much.

Thanks,
Dennis


Dennis: I completely agree with you reg. your point about comparison. If you like the LCD RPTV better, go for it. However, I would urge you to go find a place which has one of these 1080P puppies setup half-decent and you will find that it blows away any and all competition. Heck - even the HLR 5667 is a great set, IMHO.

It could be that the TV you saw has the red-spot problem that some folks on this forum have mentioned (but they all had the issue with their HDMI inputs only). Most stores I have seen connect their TVs with Component - so can't say for sure if thats the issue here or not.

In any case, the best advice I can give you is: go check out the Sammy in a good setting and then make a judgement.

Goodluck.

^well how are they setting up the 1080p sets wrong? and how do you set them up right?

Also most salesmen say that the majority of people can't tell the difference between component and hdmi connections. I kinda agree

It's been a month since USCB started this new Samsung 1080p Thread for Owner's of HLRxxx8W DLP Models, and I have been searching it for reactions from new owners that will help me confirm my tentative decision that (a) the HLR-5078 is the set I want, and (b) that this is as good a time as any to jump into HDTV. Unfortunately, all of the sub-threads and posts seem for my purposes too micro-focused on particular technical questions.

ISO: A few first-hand macro-evaluations of this model would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance,
Jack 123

I was trying to figure out which models, if any, have DNIe on/off control and which don't. Maybe this isn't important to you. I'm not sure we've reached a solid conclusion yet but I can drop the subject so as not to further incovenience you or anyone else. Looking forward to reading your review of your new TV.

AkaStp,

You have been in this thread from the beginning..nothing pointed at you at all...I too am patiently waiting on words from UCSB. I am pretty sure that the 88 series is the only one we haven't definitively (until now) found the DNIE answer to. As folks chime in, we re-address each issue with pages of posts which by the very nature of forums is going to happen. It was just comical to have been away so little and yet be so far behind, and while I have learned a couple of new revelations, it took a lot of reading. And I just added to that!

I greatly appreciate your input. You are a in ahandful of folks I listen to as an expert. Thanks and keep it up...Set the hook next time though!

I got my Samsung 5678 from Tweeter and set it up yesterday. All digital TV and HDTV (Time Warner Cable) in this 1080p HDTV is a definite improvement over the previous 720p models from Samsung.

HDTV artifacts are few and rare and are definitely source related. I have owned 5 HDTVs from different manufacturers since 1999, yet I just cannot stop watching the stunning picture quality (at factory default settings) of the 5678. This is the best HDTV one can buy and enjoy. :)

Well, tonight is my second night with my 5668.

I tried PC hookup this evening. I am having serious underscan - vc is ATI 9600. I can find how to change the position the input on the screen, but I can't find how to change the width and height of the input to get rid of the underscan. Any ideas? I might not be using the latest drivers from ATI.

I also noticed I seem to have one of those flaky remotes, I think I remember reading in other Samsung threads about this. The symptom is the info appearing at apparently random times. I turned the remote away from the TV, and it goes away. Even though the remote is laying on the table, any room movement seems to trigger the info button. It is not a real problem since I will be getting another remote, probably a harmony.

Here are my results with DNIe for my 5668:

Using the standard picture mode (with factory default settings, HDNET and InHD1, and using the Still picture feature of the remote, it appears to me that the DNIe is on. Using the demo, the only difference I see with the "demo on" side of the demo is that it is slightly brighter than when the demo mode is off. The "demo off" side of the demo mode is less detailed/sharp than when the demo is off. Repeating the process in dynamic picture mode, the "demo on" side was very close to what the picture looked like with the demo turned off in dynamic mode. So it appears to me, all the "demo on" side is doing is putting the set in dynamic picture mode.

I could be confused about the shiny screens. If that's the case, my bad.

However, the 5068 I saw had blue and red "snow" all through the dark areas of the picture, while the 20 TVs around it just had a clear image with no snow.
Maybe the model you saw was a HLR5078 or a HLR5668, but it couldn't have been a HLR5068 because there isn't one.

You seem to be in a hurry. :)

Reading through the thread here, there was in fact another user that saw the same effect and posted pictures of it.

Maybe there was a problem in one of the production runs of this set.
That's very possible. If so, you should know that Samsung has a history of doing their best to fix customer problems. I've seen several Samsung 1080p sets and one Mitsubishi 1080p DLP set, and haven't seen what you saw.

I expect that there is a defective part some where in the TV or the distribution system. At a store in our area they have the 70" Sony XBR set on a defective component connection. It's been like that for a year. The set is the most expensive one that they sell, but there is no red getting through to it. It looks like hell.

Also, why can't I compare LCD to DLP because they work differently?
If someone suggested that then I disagree with them. Sony sells a lot of LCD RPTV sets that make their owners happy.

The new A10 is one that a lot of people have been waiting for.

In a higher price range Sony will have their SXRD (LCoS) sets on the market this fall. They are also being waited on with high expectations.

If anyone out there knows where I could go to look at a good setup of any TVs in the 1080p xx68 or xx78 line in the Phoenix area, please let me know.
I know a great mexican restaurant in Phoenix but I don't know which higher end video chains have stores there. Maybe you could find something in the yellow pages.

I don't want to write off Samsung with one bad set, but the ones I've seen so far have not impressed me very much.
If you're not impressed don't buy. On the other hand rushing it might not work for you no matter which set you buy.

You should enjoy the search as much as the the buy. Well, almost. :rolleyes:

Good luck.

P.S.

Check out this thread for another kind of showroom trap.

Bad Source! Bad Source! Bad Source! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=570436)

I could be confused about the shiny screens. If that's the case, my bad.

However, the 5068 I saw had blue and red "snow" all through the dark areas of the picture, while the 20 TVs around it just had a clear image with no snow.

Reading through the thread here, there was in fact another user that saw the same effect and posted pictures of it.

Maybe there was a problem in one of the production runs of this set.

Also, why can't I compare LCD to DLP because they work differently? That's a load of crap. If one looks better than the other, one doesn't need very many brain cells to know that this is called a "comparison".

If anyone out there knows where I could go to look at a good setup of any TVs in the 1080p xx68 or xx78 line in the Phoenix area, please let me know. I don't want to write off Samsung with one bad set, but the ones I've seen so far have not impressed me very much.

Thanks,
Dennis


Some places in Phoenix I have been to and observed the 68 series, 78 series, and Sony Qualia include Showcase Home Entertainment and Ultimate Electronics.

The rest of the stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry's don't have them yet or have bad setups.

Since when does .050 seconds equal 1 half second?

50ms =.05sec, and 500ms=.5 or 1 half second, which is 9 times longer.

If your reaction time is less than 50ms, I would hate to be challenged by you to a game of "Hot Hands." :D

Okay, maybe you didn't get it, so I will explain it more clearly. Based on the fact that 4 inches is equal to roughly one tenth of the total distance covered by my hand, and that it took me .5 seconds to cover the full distance, 0.5 * .1 = .05, which is 50ms. The idea here is that there is inherent lag when firing a gun in GTA. Thus, the difference in distance my hand was able to travel using the new set vs. the total distance my hand traveled using a CRT gives an indication of delay. By translating the distance differential into time, I approximated what sort of lag there was.

As I said before, totally unscientific, but it certainly uncovered the existence of delay.

Been gone for over a week and man is the Pis__ng contests flying! I am still over 5 pages behind. Update on my new TV. Will be delivered tomorrow (replaced by TVA for Red smears on the HDMI card). Will report back and give my highly professional opinion with my 20/17 vision and keen eye for BS! Gotta love some of the fights and bickering!

Anyone seen a Samsung HLR XXX8 TV lately???? Like to hear about it.

FLApilot, good news for both of us, I'm getting my replacement tomorrow as well. I've got better than 20/20 as well, so we're in good shape.

FLApilot, good news for both of us, I'm getting my replacement tomorrow as well. I've got better than 20/20 as well, so we're in good shape.

RACE YA! :D :D :D

FYI to all:

I just got off the phone with Samsung. They said that DNIe is ALWAYS ON!!! You cant turn it off. The demo just shows you what it looks like on/off, that is all.

I believe I stated the exact same thing about 10 pages back after I too spoke with Samsung tech support. Oh well.

A guy can make $450,000 a year and still give you wrong information.

Is your company hiring?

Well, there are some (perhaps many) owners that would disagree as they feel that the resulting picture looks rather over-processed and artificial with DNIe as opposed to more natural looking without DNIe. Plus, DNIe may be a contributer to game lag and lip synch problems. There's no such thing as a free lunch, all that enhancement processing must surely takes some non-trivial amount of time. Obviously to satisfy both camps it would be smart for Samsung to have DNIe be user selectable like on previous models.
You and the many other owners might be right to disagree with me. I can respect and understand that. I say this because I dont use my TV other than watch HD TV through DISH and watching 1080p DVD's, you are right, if you play games and such then yes, I would see that the DNIe might not work properry for the lip sync and delay issues that you all face here. I never see any of that because I dont use my set for all that. I did try 15 games from my PS2 and saw no lag time, lip sync or anything, mine worked perfectly. Half life 2 work excellently. Maybe my set is calibrated well. I have no problems with anything on this set.

Are you kidding me???!!! He can't get a word in edgewise! Are we getting anywhere on how many TVs StallionRe has or do we need another inventory.

Stallion, if someone asks a question and you don't know the answer, you don't need to tell them that. If we all did this, it would have taken me 10 days instead of four to get throught the posts I missed in a 7 day period. GEEZ!
we all can count no need for an inventory, geez louise. I think that people are learning form me here unlike others. This is not a race or how many post you can post to win a trophy. Dont think that you are not getting anywhere becuase I post great post. Some will disagree with your comments.

You are too new to judge.
Thanks.

I believe I stated the exact same thing about 10 pages back after I too spoke with Samsung tech support. Oh well.
And I explained it 10 pages forward from you. :p People might of missed yours, so they could see mine. :D

Is your company hiring?
No, sorry they are not.

Some places in Phoenix I have been to and observed the 68 series, 78 series, and Sony Qualia include Showcase Home Entertainment and Ultimate Electronics.

The rest of the stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry's don't have them yet or have bad setups.

Ok - I will check them out. Thank you for the pointers.

Dennis

Received my 5668 on Friday along with SS 950 Dvd, stand (Samsung) and HDTV box from Adelphia. Initial comments:

1. After all this talk about camels and donkeys, you'd think I'd be smart enough NOT to just put the thing in the house on the freshly chem-dried and very light carpet. Never mind that my wife suggested it. When I had her help pick it up, we moved the box and . . . I had my first out of body experience. Lesson here -- unpack it in the garage!

2. After hooking everything up, I tuned to an HDTV channel and fired her up . . . And had my second out of body experience. Very nice! In fact, my wife even forgot her angst from earlier in the day. Had some friends over for a BBQ and one pointed out that I still had some packing tape and styrofoam on the set. I told him that I had left it that way in case I needed to return it. His "you've got to be kidding me, dumb ass look" reminded me of a similar one from my wife earlier (see para 1).

3. I've never had an HDTV before, so I don't have anything to compare this one to. I bought the 68 series because of its state of the art, had higher contrast than the 67 and I had read so much good about it on this forum. Stuck with 56 because of the brightness and size of the room. I haven't noticed any signficant lip synch issues with the TV's own speakers. I haven't got it all figured out in terms of audio out, etc but I'm confident that this is a keeper.

More later.

<snip>
Check out this thread for another kind of showroom trap.

Bad Source! Bad Source! Bad Source! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=570436)

So you corroborated my finding at Campbell Fry's! Somehow that makes me feel good. :eek:

So you corroborated my finding at Campbell Fry's! Somehow that makes me feel good. :eek:
Anything that works. :)

I know there are few devices that output video over firewire (perhaps an HD camcorder), but is there anyway someone can confirm that firewire will accept 1080p?

This was the supposed delivery method at CES for high quality video.... also be interesting to see if there are lag issues over 1394.

Thanks

Your question was the #3 question (quoted below) on UCSB's "What we DON’T KNOW so far" List on page 1 of this thread.

"3. What capabilities does the 1394 port have to support 1080p? Specifically, if the internal tuner can support broadcast 1080p/24, can this be output via the 1394 port? Could a 1080p signal be input via the 1394 port?"

I have not seen an answer to this question yet. Probably because there aren't many 1080p firewire devices out right now to test this. The prosumer Sony HDV cams are 1080i and JVC HD cams are 1080i/720p. The only 1080p/24 HD cams, like Lucas used for filming Ep. II and III, cost over $75,000. However, Panasonic will soon be releasing HVX200, a 1080p camera for $5995 msrp.

Or maybe there is a way to output 1080p video over firewire from a computer video editing program?

Also to answer your last question, there was no audio lag when playing back recorded video from my HDV camera over firewire, as the video was in sync with audio from the camera's speaker. But there was video lag when watching a live feed from the camera's Record mode. You could wave at the camera and it would take a second to see it on the screen.

Hi jkaiser,

You can find how to change pcture size and position at PC Mode in owners manual
(page 132~134)
It is easily explained.

Bye~~

Stallion Re has indicated that on his 5688, under the DNIe Demo Menu (accessed from Menu -> Picture -> DNIe Demo) there are four choices, not two: Demo On, Demo Off, DNIe On, DNIe off.

Sorry, but my 5688 lists only two options for the Demo: On and Off. Once the demo is on the screen, the left side of the screen reads DNIe On and the right sdie reads DNIe Off. I played with the various up,down, right, and left buttons on the remote, but in no way was I able to highlight and choose DNIe On or DNIe Off. Thus, I too have to conclude that DNIe is always on. I will not go into the service menu without expert advice.

My model was manufactured in July 2005. I am not doubting what Stallion found. I merely was unable to verify Stallion's claim on my set alone.

Since I am sometimes unable to find a container of milk right in front of me in the refrigerator, Stallion, could you please post a picture of the menu with the four options. Thanks.

great review! can you please post some pics of your setup!
Thanks everyone for your kind words about my review. I will post a picture as soon as I get my wiring firmed up and CLEANED UP.

It looks like some people have a June and July built HLRxxx8W. Is the firmware version on these two sets the same or has Samsung been installing newer firmware versions in their later manufactured models to correct things?

Stallion was confused because he not only owns Samsungs entire new lineup, but also last years lineup :D

No, his tv does not have special powers.

Stallion Re has indicated that on his 5688, under the DNIe Demo Menu (accessed from Menu -> Picture -> DNIe Demo) there are four choices, not two: Demo On, Demo Off, DNIe On, DNIe off.

Sorry, but my 5688 lists only two options for the Demo: On and Off. Once the demo is on the screen, the left side of the screen reads DNIe On and the right sdie reads DNIe Off. I played with the various up,down, right, and left buttons on the remote, but in no way was I able to highlight and choose DNIe On or DNIe Off. Thus, I too have to conclude that DNIe is always on. I will not go into the service menu without expert advice.

My model was manufactured in July 2005. I am not doubting what Stallion found. I merely was unable to verify Stallion's claim on my set alone.

Since I am sometimes unable to find a container of milk right in front of me in the refrigerator, Stallion, could you please post a picture of the menu with the four options. Thanks.

I have a 5668 and am trying to calibrate it with the HDNet Test Pattern. Contrast is not an issue as it appears that no adjustment has a significant effect on contrast. As for brightness, however, in "Standard" mode, no matter what I do I am not able to get the number "10" to appear (which is what needs to happen in order to calibrate brightness). I am able to see the number when in "Movie" mode, just not in Standard mode. Has anyone else tried calibrating with this test pattern? Anyone have any thoughts?

I'm in a quandary here guys.

My family room is 16 x 28. Viewing distance is 15 feet on average. It's not a very bright room so I don't belive I'll have problems with reflections.

I can't decide which set is best for my room. I'm leaning toward the 7178 but can't decide if the extra $1200 over the 6768 is worth the price!

Also, after checking the spec sheet on brightness is see the 71 is 500 cd/m and the 67 is 550 cd/m. I looked at a Sony Quaila and noted that it was very bright, I wonder how the 71 will compare to the Sony?

Since no one has seen either model I think I'll wait until they are on the street and hope to still have time to get in on the power buy.

Any thoughts?

Hal..

I have a 5668 and am trying to calibrate it with the HDNet Test Pattern. Contrast is not an issue as it appears that no adjustment has a significant effect on contrast. As for brightness, however, in "Standard" mode, no matter what I do I am not able to get the number "10" to appear (which is what needs to happen in order to calibrate brightness). I am able to see the number when in "Movie" mode, just not in Standard mode. Has anyone else tried calibrating with this test pattern? Anyone have any thoughts?


I used the HDNet test pattern a couple weeks ago. In movie mode I was able to set it up so I could see both the zero and the 10 at the same time over both component and HDMI. I have since gone into the service menu and changed gamma to zero. I can no longer see the 10 in the test pattern and assumed it had something to do with changing gamma from 2 to zero. I hope to confirm this later today. I haven’t tried it in standard mode but I will.

I'm in a quandary here guys.

My family room is 16 x 28. Viewing distance is 15 feet on average. It's not a very bright room so I don't belive I'll have problems with reflections.

I can't decide which set is best for my room. I'm leaning toward the 7178 but can't decide if the extra $1200 over the 6768 is worth the price!

Any thoughts?

Hal..

Halco ... my $.02

With your viewing distance, I would recommend the 7178 to give a more immersive feel. That said, the extra $1200 is quite a premium. I decided to jump from a 56" to a 61" because the extra real estate was too attractive for the $300 price difference.

Is rearranging your family room an option? ... or should that can of worms have remained closed? I'll be putting my set on the opposite wall as I don't care to have everyone that comes to my door viewing my new addition.

Betcha I didn't help a bit ...
Nice to see another Galveston Co. resident among us.