My worst fears were realized. I decided to mail order the HLR6168W last week and just received it today. I try never to mail order TVs but this model isn't availably locally so I took a chance.
When I set up the TV, everything looked normal. I hooked up my 8300HD DVR via HDMI and was very happy with the picture I saw, especially in HD.
After about an hour, I stepped away to take care of some things, when I got back, the screen had a frozen image on it but the audio was still live with the program.
I turned the set off and on and now I never get a picture anymore.
The lamp in the back is showing light through the grate so it looks like that is ok.
I have changed all my connections to direct cable, DVD, etc, but I'm not getting any video no matter what button I press. I can hear the audio though.
The indicator light on the front isn't displaying any of the lights in the manual that it would show if there was a problem.
As you can imagine, I am very frustrated now.
Is there anything I can do? Is there a way to reset the TV back to factory conditions?
Anyone else with this problem?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks.

When I short cycled my 5668 several weeks ago (turned on and then off before reaching full illumination), the next morning when I tried turning it on I had the exact same effect: Blank screen but lamp light visible from the rear. I when through several on-off cycles over 20 minutes (waiting a couple of minutes between cycles) and eventually started right up. I am guessing that the short cycling the previous night had caused the DLP chip to hang.

FWIW, In my area last Sunday, TWC's NBC broadcast hung its video but continued to play audio. Other channels were fine so I am wondering if that was your initial problem. When you cut the tv off and then on, you might have triggered the same short cycle problem that I had.

My suggestion would be to leave it on for 15 minutes, then leave it off for 15, etc. until it clears itself. If you cut it off and on rapidly, you may be reintroducing the problem. As someone else suggested, unplugging for a period of time might also work.

Good luck. I know the feeling of dread. However, since I cleared mine, the problem has not repeated.

Does anyone know if Best Buy or Circuit City will be selling the 68 series tvs any time soon (or at all)? Not that it would be my choice to purchase there, but living in a small town limits my options right now. I need to see before I buy.

FWIW - Even though I already own a 5668, I was in BB for something, and wandered over to the TV section. I was told at that that they wouldn't be in this store until next January. He said that the '67s had only been in the store for a couple of weeks (ya right)

I noticed that the info button displays information about the channel you are watching on the over the air tuner. Some of the program content show a brief description of the show and there is a line a couple lines below with a more detailed description. Many times the more detailed description ends with "..." to show that there is more of a description. Is there anyway to expand the "..." to see the rest of the detail description of the program? I thought maybe a particular key on the remote might expand this description.

Press the INFO button twice.

When watching HiDef cable via HDMI, when I pressed Info, the resolution would say something like 1920x1080i (which is correct for the channel).The "Info" button is for inputs.

All inputs are converted to 1080p by your TV before they are displayed.

Cool, thanks, I've been looking for a good calibrationist in the H-bomb. Did you just get the $300 basic calibration package, or did you splurge for some of the extras they offer?

They didn't offer any extras actually, I could have spent more and had all the inputs calibrated, but I only use HDMI so that was the only one I had done. They spent about four hours doing it. They went deep into the sub-menu and adjusted every tiny little thing. Very impressed with the job they did. I can also switch over to "Dynamic" and it will pull the factory settings back up if I want a super bright image. The calibration was done on the "Standard" setting. I found it strange that on the new calibrated setting the contrast is set at "0", seems strange but the picture is incredible!

I had another question that I was thinking about the short time I had a working TV...

When watching HiDef cable via HDMI, when I pressed Info, the resolution would say something like 1920x1080i (which is correct for the channel).
When do I see 1080p? Am I already seeing it and that is just the native resolution of the channel?
I thought the TV would upscale everything to 1080p.
The only time the info button will show 1080P is when you input a 1920x1080P picture through the VGA input. The VGA input is the only one that can accept a 1080P input.

I can also switch over to "Dynamic" and it will pull the factory settings back up if I want a super bright image.
Thanks for the words. This sentence implies that their calibration dropped the brightness by some amount. Is that the case? My room is pretty bright during the day, and I don't know if I can stand any less luminescence.

They didn't offer any extras actually, I could have spent more and had all the inputs calibrated, but I only use HDMI so that was the only one I had done. They spent about four hours doing it. They went deep into the sub-menu and adjusted every tiny little thing. Very impressed with the job they did. I can also switch over to "Dynamic" and it will pull the factory settings back up if I want a super bright image. The calibration was done on the "Standard" setting. I found it strange that on the new calibrated setting the contrast is set at "0", seems strange but the picture is incredible!


I am glad you are happy I am thinking about having mine calibrated. It seems to me if the set is calibrated all user setting should be at default so we can adjust them up and down I thought the calibration was done only in the SM and not the user settings.

That is the part I like most, you can adjust the brightness and contrast to whatever you want. they give you a read out of where your TV was and where it is now. They give you the user settings so you can always go back to the "true color" calibrated settings. I watch everything on the calibrated settings except for sports.

If I remember correctly, I think the reason for having the contrast down to zero was to eliminate artifacts....

Jabes 41, I think only certain Worst Buys sell the 68's, those that have a Magnolia store inside. Call your Worst Buy and see where the closest one is. I went to Circuit Sucks yesterday and they still only have the 67's. Circuit Sucks doesn't carry Mitts or Tosh at all I was told and they don't carry any 1080p HDTVs and don't know when they might.

I just recently picked up a harmony 880. I absolutely love it, but one thing that is not good is the setup for the samsung hl7 tv's. The discrete codes to switch inputs works for some but not all. For example AV1 works, but AV2 and 3 do not. There are some others also.

Does anyone know what the discrete codes are for all the functions for these tv's and how to get them into the harmony config? The commands I use work just fine, but the entire setup for the tv in the remote is not complete which annoys me. (how someone could set it up and not make it correct just boggles my mind. If a key press doesn't work correctly it shouldn't be there until someone can get it working.)

I just recently picked up a harmony 880. I absolutely love it, but one thing that is not good is the setup for the samsung hl7 tv's. The discrete codes to switch inputs works for some but not all. For example AV1 works, but AV2 and 3 do not. There are some others also.

Does anyone know what the discrete codes are for all the functions for these tv's and how to get them into the harmony config? The commands I use work just fine, but the entire setup for the tv in the remote is not complete which annoys me. (how someone could set it up and not make it correct just boggles my mind. If a key press doesn't work correctly it shouldn't be there until someone can get it working.)
I have most codes, which do you need?

I have most codes, which do you need?

Can you send me all the codes? I'm looking to pick up a Harmony soon and would like a comprehensive list. ez1putt@hotmail.com Thanks!

I have most codes, which do you need?

I'll have to look and see which ones did and didn't work. Have you uploaded them to remotecentral? If so I can just go get them from there.

Hi,
I got my 6168 in the past few days from TVA.

I think it has updated firmware version over what others have reported. At the bottom of the service menu it has:

T_EXCAAUS0_8019
2005-08-16

Is this the correct place to look?

I have been fiddling to get the picture quality satisfactory. UCSB walked someone else through setting up - I followed much of that advice - Thanks.

Picture quality on SD was most improved by switching 6412 DVR 4:3 output to 480i.

I picked up a newer DVR from Comcast (Phase III) that I will try as well.

Peter

T_EXCAAUS0_8019
2005-08-16
Peter

That is a new firmware release. Original was 8012, 2005-06-22. Brings up the firmware upgrade issue. I would feel better about these sets, if Samsung would post the content of each firmware release and technical owners could apply the upgrade.

Press the INFO button twice.

Sorry I forgot to clarify that I hit the Info Button twice. It is on the 2nd push that the Description has more of a description but the description ends with "..." as if there is more of a description to show. Is there any way to expand the "..." description into the full text?

That is a new firmware release. Original was 8012, 2005-06-22. Brings up the firmware upgrade issue. I would feel better about these sets, if Samsung would post the content of each firmware release and technical owners could apply the upgrade.

I agree it would be nice to find out what Samsung updated in the firmware releases. Would a call into Samsung Tech support asking this question know what has been updated? Perhaps they might of changed something to improve picture quality. The Service port on the back of the DLP looks like it would accomodate a USB Flash drive. I am running the T_EXCAAUS0_8014, DATE: 2005-07-15 on my HLR-5078W. I know when I had a Mitsubishi DLP, they would Fedex a Firmware update on Compact Flash out to you to updated the firmware and then you returned the Compact Flash to them once you had updated the set.

So it looks like we have the below firmware versions so far on the 1080p's - not sure if the versions are common across the different Samsung 1080p DLP models:

T_EXCAAUS0_8012, DATE: 2005-06-22 - Reported on model(s): 5668, 5678
T_EXCAAUS0_8014, DATE: 2005-07-15 - Reported on model(s): 5078
T_EXCAAUS0_8015, DATE: 2005-07-16 - Reported on model(s): 6168, 5668
T_EXCAAUS0_8019, DATE: 2005-08-16 - Reported on model: 5078, 5678, 6178
T_EXCAAUS0_8019, DATE: 2005-08-19 - Reported on model(s): 6168


Note as reported in an earlier posting, you can find the version of firmware without going into the Service Menu by going into Setup -> Function Help -> Highlight On and press Info button. Version of firmware will be displayed.

Curcuit City in Knoxville has a 6168 on display. Not a great source feeding the TV it didn't look any better than the Hitachi 720p beside it.

I agree it would be nice to find out what Samsung updated in the firmware releases. Would a call into Samsung Tech support asking this question know what has been updated? Perhaps they might of changed something to improve picture quality. The Service port on the back of the DLP looks like it would accomodate a USB Flash drive. I am running the T_EXCAAUS0_8014, DATE: 2005-07-15 on my HLR-5078W. I know when I had a Mitsubishi DLP, they would Fedex a Firmware update on Compact Flash out to you to updated the firmware and then you returned the Compact Flash to them once you had updated the set.

So it looks like we have the below firmware versions so far on the 1080p's - not sure if the versions are common across the different Samsung 1080p DLP models:

T_EXCAAUS0_8012, DATE: 2005-06-22
T_EXCAAUS0_8014, DATE: 2005-07-15
T_EXCAAUS0_8019, DATE: 2005-08-19

Note as reported in an earlier posting, you can find the version of firmware without going into the Service Menu by going into Setup -> Function Help -> Highlight On and press Info button. Version of firmware will be displayed.

My 6168 set has T_EXCAAUS0_8015, DATE:2005-07-16

Melody and internal Mute:

Does the internal mute turn off Melody? I've got internal mute set to on as I have my 6178 connected to an external audio system. I have Melody set to on. When I turn the set on and off melody doesn't work. It's a minor issue but I would appreciate your experience.

Tweeter just swapped out my HLP 6163 for an HLR 6178 this morning!

My 6168 set has T_EXCAAUS0_8015, DATE:2005-07-16

Thanks just added it to the list.

Melody and internal Mute:

Does the internal mute turn off Melody? I've got internal mute set to on as I have my 6178 connected to an external audio system. I have Melody set to on. When I turn the set on and off melody doesn't work. It's a minor issue but I would appreciate your experience.

Tweeter just swapped out my HLP 6163 for an HLR 6178 this morning!

Wow how did you get an upgrade?

Note as reported in an earlier posting, you can find the version of firmware without going into the Service Menu by going into Setup -> Function Help -> Highlight On and press Info button. Version of firmware will be displayed.
If you want to check the firmware release (and many other items), you can just go to the diagnostic info screens. There are two ways to get to these screens. The best way is to issue a discrete IR command. Diagnostic screen #1 is code C0 in HEX and diagnostic screen #2 is C1. I have these programmed into my Pronto remote control. Another approach is to issue the following commands on your remote:

Diagnostic screen #1: MUTE-1-8-4-EXIT
Diagnostic screen #2: MUTE-1-8-5-EXIT
Diagnostic screen #3: MUTE-1-8-6-EXIT <<< May not work ... I will check.

Just tried the Setup -> Function Help -> Highlight On and press Info button ... cool, I had not realized that was there.

thank you for your replyy I suspect it was an "upgrade" from M$. Incidently I hooked up a usb 400G drive that had been formated by an nstu unint and it would work for uploading jpegs and coudld navigate thr drive (dvr 942) but, told me that down loading was not yet available if I coud down saves I wouldn't care I would jus hook it to the nstu transfer to my regular drive and make wmvs but alas another dead end. Let me know if you can find another work around, I woud really to save some of the Discover channels they were gorgeous.

What I did was buy a WinTV tuner card.I Then had to record from WinTV It has a numurous formats to save to.I Then use Win Video Converter to change it so i can burn it to DVD.I then use DVD Shrink to edit the recording,and if you have a DVD burner Shrink will burn it to disk.If you want to get hear more just send me private message.

If you want to check the firmware release (and many other items), you can just go to the diagnostic info screens. There are two ways to get to these screens. The best way is to issue a discrete IR command. Diagnostic screen #1 is code C0 in HEX and diagnostic screen #2 is C1. I have these programmed into my Pronto remote control. Another approach is to issue the following commands on your remote:

Diagnostic screen #1: MUTE-1-8-4-EXIT
Diagnostic screen #2: MUTE-1-8-5-EXIT
Diagnostic screen #3: MUTE-1-8-6-EXIT

Just tried the Setup -> Function Help -> Highlight On and press Info button ... cool, I had not realized that was there.

What's interesting is that on my 5078W I cannot get the Diagnostic screen #3: MUTE-1-8-6-EXIT. The Diag #1 and #2 modes work. What kind of details are on Diag #3 screen?

What's interesting is that on my 5078W I cannot get the Diagnostic screen #3: MUTE-1-8-6-EXIT. The Diag #1 and #2 modes work. What kind of details are on Diag #3 screen?
On second thought, the diagnostic screen #3 may be in error. I'll have to go back and retest ... my notes may have been in error.

"On/Off" problem:

I've had the 6168 for two months now and, on several ocassions, when I press the remote "on", the picture/sound appears but I, then cannot change channels and/or inputs. I find myself pushing the on/off button and/or the input selector...but nothing happens...until, several seconds later, the set seems to shut off then restart itself. Then, all proceeds correctly.

Any suggestions?

Well,
I had the technician in today (USACO, Los Angeles) to fix my smudge / oily / shimmering problem (6768). Didn't go too well. Now, the tech and USACO were very good, but we had bad luck; as the 2 screen don't come together, but in 2 pieces, a few things happened: the front screen replacement was scratched out of the box. We replaced the back screen but it's worse: I have a BUNCH of dots / dust particles /everywhere now. This is bad design; how are you supposed to mesh these in someones home where you can' avoid dust flying around ?
Also, the smudge ain't gone :-(
The Light Engine lense looks fine so...
Tech will come back with both parts again, and we'll try anew in a few days... :-(

Will let you know....

Best,
Dan

Does anyone know the difference between th 6168 1nd the 6178 besides the floating screen and bezel finish? Thanx

Does anyone know the difference between th 6168 1nd the 6178 besides the floating screen and bezel finish? Thanx
That is the only difference ... oh, yeah ... and the extra $300 or so for the 6178.

So it looks like we have the below firmware versions so far on the 1080p's - not sure if the versions are common across the different Samsung 1080p DLP models:

T_EXCAAUS0_8012, DATE: 2005-06-22 - Reported on model(s): 5668
T_EXCAAUS0_8014, DATE: 2005-07-15 - Reported on model(s): 5078
T_EXCAAUS0_8015, DATE: 2005-07-16 - Reported on model(s): 6168
T_EXCAAUS0_8019, DATE: 2005-08-19 - Reported on model(s): 6168



My 5668 has T_EXCAAUS0_8015 2005-07-16

Just to note...

SV

My 5678 has T_EXCAAUS0_8012, DATE: 2005-06-22

My 5668 has T_EXCAAUS0_8015 2005-07-16

Just to note...

SV

Thanks I have updated the original post.

My 5678 has T_EXCAAUS0_8012, DATE: 2005-06-22

Thanks I have updated the original post. It would appear different models share the same versions of firmware.

The internals of each set are the same. The only difference should be the screen size and the bulb wattage on the largest sets. You would think the firmware should work on any of the sets. i just wish that Samsung provided a way for the cutomer to upgrade to the latest firmware. I know there are some things that need to be changed with my firmware version, like the NR not staying on when you change it in the SM.

The internals of each set are the same. The only difference should be the screen size and the bulb wattage on the largest sets. You would think the firmware should work on any of the sets. i just wish that Samsung provided a way for the cutomer to upgrade to the latest firmware. I know there are some things that need to be changed with my firmware version, like the NR not staying on when you change it in the SM.

Being that Samsung placed a Software Service Port on the back of the DLP, I don't know why they would not offer a firmware upgrade option.

6178 first impressions

My trusty HLP 6163 was dragged out and replaced with a new HLR 6178 yesterday morning. The HLP worked great for a year until a noisy color wheel led to a series of 5 repair visits involving color wheels, light engines, and two digital boards. I called Tweeter customer support after the 5th failed repair and they offered me a new HLR 6178 or credit me for the same dollar amount towards a different brand. I took the new HLR.

I've been around these sets for three years now when my friend picked up a HLM 61" model. That unit was a bit of a science project and was constantly under repair until Samsung replaced it with a HLN. I held out for the HLP mainly because I wanted two digital ports. I have Comcast's Moto 6412 dual tuner and a Panasonic s97.

Having seen the last Samsung models I can say that there is progress between each generation. However, it is not earth shattering and I'm still more concerned about the quality of my feed than I am about some new feature.

The HLR is brighter and sharper than my HLP. This is most noticible on the INHD channels or with a high quality DVD's. I've got my cable box and DVD hooked up to the HDMI ports set to 1080i and my kid's Game Cube with the high def kit hooked in through component 1. Analog channels still look like crap, there is not much difference in the standard digital channels and yes I can notice the improvement on a true 1080i/720P feed. There are no lip synch issues and no lag with the game cube set to GAME mode.

I have read the entire thread and amazed by the hand wringing about not having true 1080P support. I'm still waiting for a variety of 1080i/720P programming and DVD's are still at 480P. Is there a source of 1080P material out there that I don't know about?

I've spent most of my efforts in getting a quality feed to my set through rewiring my cable drops, minimizing the splits and using high frequency RG6 cable. I feel that is way more important than the 720 vs 1080 improvement in the HLR. I will have the HLR calibrated but want to get more familiar with the set and wait until the field has more experience with these units.

If you like the set and have the cash, buy it. You can spend your life waiting for the next model with the latest marketing buzz. I loved my HLP and got to see the Red Sox win the world series on it. The HLR is a bit better but I imagine this board will be lit up with reviews on the HLS series in a couple of months.

More details to come, and thanks to Tweeter for taking care of me.

6178 first impressions

...snip...

I've spent most of my efforts in getting a quality feed to my set through rewiring my cable drops, minimizing the splits and using high frequency RG6 cable. I feel that is way more important than the 720 vs 1080 improvement in the HLR.


I think this point can not be overstressed. Take a too strong or too weak a cable signal, run the video wires too close to some power cables and you have a formula for poor picture quality.

I want to put some extra emphasis on the "too strong" a cable signal as this will cause intermittant drop out problems with HD that follows no real pattern that will drive you nutso :eek: trying to track down. In my cable system (don't know if this applies to all systems) the signal for the cable modem is 11 dbs higher than what should go to the HD DVR. Using the wrong splitter(one that did not drop the TV feed enough), the cable box was getting too strong a signal causing drop outs, freezes and tiling. It took almost 3 months to figure this out. Solution was to put a splitter in that would drop the line going to the HD DVR to the correct level. Live and learn.

On second thought, the diagnostic screen #3 may be in error. I'll have to go back and retest ... my notes may have been in error.

I think the 720 sets have three screens. The 1080 sets seem to have only two screens.

They didn't offer any extras actually, I could have spent more and had all the inputs calibrated, but I only use HDMI so that was the only one I had done. They spent about four hours doing it. They went deep into the sub-menu and adjusted every tiny little thing. Very impressed with the job they did. I can also switch over to "Dynamic" and it will pull the factory settings back up if I want a super bright image. The calibration was done on the "Standard" setting. I found it strange that on the new calibrated setting the contrast is set at "0", seems strange but the picture is incredible!

Sorry, I gave the wrong info;

The settings after they set all the colors is...

Contrast 80
Brightness 50
Sharpness 0
Color 50
Color tone warm 1

Has anybody other than me seen the Sammy hlr 7178? I'm curious what the others of you think about the different (from their other dlp's) screen they have on it. Am I the only one that finds this a step backward?

6178 first impressions

I have read the entire thread and amazed by the hand wringing about not having true 1080P support. I'm still waiting for a variety of 1080i/720P programming and DVD's are still at 480P. Is there a source of 1080P material out there that I don't know about?

More details to come, and thanks to Tweeter for taking care of me.

Panasonic now sells AG-HVX200 professional video camera for $6000 MSRP with 1080/24p, 1080/30p recording.

Given that many ppl see 720p as good as 1080i PQ, seems as though 1080p would give visually better PQ than 1080i, but waiting for others to comment on actually seeing PQ 1080p vs. 1080i difference.

I can only compare my 6168 to the old Toshiba 57HX81 set I had for 4 years. The 1080P set definitely shows more detail than my old set did. The Toshiba was also professionally calibrated once a year.
It's kind of creepy sometimes with all teh detail because you see all the blemishes, veins and pores on people that aren't covered up with makeup. And take a good HD feed and it's like they are going to jump out of the screen and grap you.

6178 first impressions

[...]

I have read the entire thread and amazed by the hand wringing about not having true 1080P support. I'm still waiting for a variety of 1080i/720P programming and DVD's are still at 480P. Is there a source of 1080P material out there that I don't know about?

[...]



Yes, a PC will give you super nice 1080p feed via VGA input. You can watch DVDs deinterlaced and upscaled to 1080p, rivaling the best standalone DVD players for a fraction of the cost. You can also watch many WMV HD movies in native 1080p resolution. They are very film like and certainly look a lot better than even the best DVDs you can get today.

hello everyone, i just registered.....i read a reply on here that someone had discrete codes for a harmony 880 remote, i am in need of hdmi1 and hdmi2....mostly hdmi2. Other than that i am loving my new hlr6178. Also one more question...if this thing up-converts everything to 1080p and my dvd player upscales to 1080i or 720p does it even matter what quality the source i am sending is, since it upconverts everything up to 1080p anyhow. Or would sending a better source produce a better image despite the upconversion. also i am having a ton of lip sync problems, i have a yamaha rxv2500 so i can set the delay and fix it, but when i go back to the tuner, with the delay still set it is ass backwards...ugh thanks in advance to anyone that can answer any of this.

I've got an old PIII Dell and the stock nvidia card that came it with. I stuck a HP DVD burner in it a few years ago. I did the test to run WMV HD and it said my system wasn't fast enough. Without buying a whole new computer, what video card and DVD player do you folks recommend to at least get good 1080p out to the TV?

Also, I finally got the AV system mounted into the new stand and here is a couple of pictures I said I would post. All I need now is to build some shelves above the TV to bridge the towers and then I have to make two speaker cloth wood frame inserts to cover the gaps between the tv and the towers. That way I should have plenty of air flow without having to install cooling fans and hopefully it will look "streamlined".

The speakers mounted in the towers might make a few cringe, but I have holes cut in the back to let the bass ports breath.

hello everyone, i just registered.....i read a reply on here that someone had discrete codes for a harmony 880 remote, i am in need of hdmi1 and hdmi2....mostly hdmi2. Other than that i am loving my new hlr6178. Also one more question...if this thing up-converts everything to 1080p and my dvd player upscales to 1080i or 720p does it even matter what quality the source i am sending is, since it upconverts everything up to 1080p anyhow. Or would sending a better source produce a better image despite the upconversion. also i am having a ton of lip sync problems, i have a yamaha rxv2500 so i can set the delay and fix it, but when i go back to the tuner, with the delay still set it is ass backwards...ugh thanks in advance to anyone that can answer any of this.

HDMI 2:

Correct code is HEX E9.

Here is your Pronto code for HDMI2:

0000 006D 0000 0022 00AC 00AB 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0680

I've got an old PIII Dell and the stock nvidia card that came it with. I stuck a HP DVD burner in it a few years ago. I did the test to run WMV HD and it said my system wasn't fast enough. Without buying a whole new computer, what video card and DVD player do you folks recommend to at least get good 1080p out to the TV?

Also, I finally got the AV system mounted into the new stand and here is a couple of pictures I said I would post. All I need now is to build some shelves above the TV to bridge the towers and then I have to make two speaker cloth wood frame inserts to cover the gaps between the tv and the towers. That way I should have plenty of air flow without having to install cooling fans and hopefully it will look "streamlined".

The speakers mounted in the towers might make a few cringe, but I have holes cut in the back to let the bass ports breath.

I had the same question.

I think you could get away with a mid level ATI card but you really need a lot of system Ram (most of the memory on vid cards are for 3D) and at least a P4 3ghz.

I am using a P3-1 GHz, with an ATI 9600 that works fine for DVD playback (no add-ons like fdshow).

Thanks again, Bill. Well, I've now tried everything, including ensuring I have the latest firmware. Comcast confirmed my HD STB/DVR is the latest and greatest with the most up-to-date software/firmware. I'm a bit upset that I can't use this expensive DMI-HDMI cable, but more disappointed that even component cables don't entirely clear up the occassional pixelation/digitized effect I see with HD content. It never happened on my 42" CRT.


I've been away for a few days and I'm catching up. Wondering if setting the gamma to 0 in the SM would help clean up the picture?

Just a thought, though I could be way off.
/Jason

The occasional pixelation happens on every HD receiver I've used the last 4 years and on every display I've looked at. It's just easier to see on the 1080P sets since it shows much more detail than a CRT set can. I know I can easily see more detail with my 61" 1080P set than I could with my old 57" Toshiba RP CRT HD set.
And I think setting the Gamma to 0 does help the overall picture. But the best thing to improve the overal picture was getting a professional calibration.

Here is another update. After a few calls to Pilot Air who said they could not give out any contact info to their third party inspectors, one arrived today. I was pleased that the guy was a regular guy as I was expecting the worst. He took some pics and notes and said they would be in touch but didn't know how long it usually takes. No one from TVA has called me at all the way they were supposed to. I was going to call them after I see if I can get the 5678 for less with better service than them. I'm still not happy and think they should jump over backwards since I spent $4k on a set including the extended warranties.

I've got an old PIII Dell and the stock nvidia card that came it with. I stuck a HP DVD burner in it a few years ago. I did the test to run WMV HD and it said my system wasn't fast enough. Without buying a whole new computer, what video card and DVD player do you folks recommend to at least get good 1080p out to the TV?

Also, I finally got the AV system mounted into the new stand and here is a couple of pictures I said I would post. All I need now is to build some shelves above the TV to bridge the towers and then I have to make two speaker cloth wood frame inserts to cover the gaps between the tv and the towers. That way I should have plenty of air flow without having to install cooling fans and hopefully it will look "streamlined".

The speakers mounted in the towers might make a few cringe, but I have holes cut in the back to let the bass ports breath.

Thanks for the nice pictures. Which stand did you get?

An old PIII computer may be a little underpowered for 1080p; however, it's not easy to tell. With a more powerful P4 chip that you can get these days, an ATI 9600 or nVidia 5200 (both of which can be purchased as passively cooled) will allow you to display 1080p nicely. Keep in mind that displaying static images such as computer desktop or Web browser is fairly easy. If you want to play movies in 1080p, your graphics card has to move about 2 million pixels on the screen. This is where you need a more powerful card such as ATI 9600. If you would like to connect an ATSC or QAM tuner card for HD programming, you will need something quite a bit more powerful than ATI 9600, e.g., ATI X800 or nVidia 6600GT for smooth playback. This is my experience with WinXP MCE; it may be different for MythTV on Linux.

As for DVD player, any player will do. When you are watching DVD movies, the player spins at 1x, which is what every player on the market will do. You may want to pick your DVD player based on how quiet it is when spinning at 1x speed. The majority of computer DVD players can be very noisy at 1x. TEAC and Samsung players tend to be quieter although they are no match for DVD players in CE devices.

To all who have changed their Gamma to 0. I went in to my SM to change the gamma and was sucsessful, however at the top on the left margin I noticed it said Mode error, Res 1080i. I'm wondering if there is a problem somewhere or is that normal. I haven't noticed anything wrong, and i was able to change gamma and it held. I did notice that it went from gamma 1(graphic) to gamma 0 (movie). I think i like the tv in movie mode so does the gamma change only benefit if you normally watch in standard mode. After that I ran the diagnostic menus and the error status said no error so I think it's OK.
Thanks in advance

Just ordered a spare lamp for my HL-R5668W -- the price at samsungparts has now dropped to a more reasonable $199.94, which seems to be in line with prices for replacement lamps for older models.

^how long will a spare bulb last? I would hate to put my backup bulb in my DLP in 4 years and have the spare bulb not work. I'm sure this isn't an issue but I just wanted to bring it up.

Just ordered a spare lamp for my HL-R5668W -- the price at samsungparts has now dropped to a more reasonable $199.94, which seems to be in line with prices for replacement lamps for older models.
What part number did you order?

What part number did you order?
BP96-01073A

UCSB - Sorry if I posted this twice, I'm having some computer problems. I noticed earlier that you have codes for the Harmony remotes. I am having trouble programming mine to switch inputs correctly and think those codes will help. If you could e-mail them to me I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

dsmayron@hotmail

To all who have changed their Gamma to 0. I went in to my SM to change the gamma and was sucsessful, however at the top on the left margin I noticed it said Mode error, Res 1080i. I'm wondering if there is a problem somewhere or is that normal. I haven't noticed anything wrong, and i was able to change gamma and it held. I did notice that it went from gamma 1(graphic) to gamma 0 (movie). I think i like the tv in movie mode so does the gamma change only benefit if you normally watch in standard mode. After that I ran the diagnostic menus and the error status said no error so I think it's OK.
Thanks in advance

It shows that when you go into the SM under HDMI2. That is normal. If you go into the SM inHDMI1 it will show HDMI1 instead of Mode error. It's probably something else that needs to be corrected in the firmware.

BP96-01073A


The correct lamp for my HLR5668W is BP96-01036A ... my lamp sticker (on the side of my set) does match the lamp code that you ordered, but I was told that it was incorrect by Samsung's National Service Manger. I haven't tested by backup lamp yet, but a visual inspection I made confirmed that it looked right.

Call Samsung Service 1-800-Samsung and have them confirm the correct PN# for your Model/SN.

UCSB - Sorry if I posted this twice, I'm having some computer problems. I noticed earlier that you have codes for the Harmony remotes. I am having trouble programming mine to switch inputs correctly and think those codes will help. If you could e-mail them to me I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

dsmayron@hotmail

I sent the IR code to you.

BP96-01073A

I am reposting this because I made a mistake in my original post (I went back and corrected it, but this lamp code is very important).

The correct lamp for my HLR5668W is BP96-01036A ... my lamp sticker (on the side of my set) does match the lamp code that you ordered, but I was told that it was incorrect by Samsung's National Service Manger. I haven't tested my backup lamp yet, but a visual inspection I made confirmed that it looked right.

Call Samsung Service 1-800-Samsung and have them confirm the correct PN# for your Model/SN.

Aaronwt,
I am having my HLR5688 calibrated by Eliab next month. Can you tell me what differences you noticed? What did he change exactly..do you know? TIA

It shows that when you go into the SM under HDMI2. That is normal. If you go into the SM inHDMI1 it will show HDMI1 instead of Mode error. It's probably something else that needs to be corrected in the firmware.
Ah I see, so it's just buggy firmware. Maybe we'll get an update when they switch us all over to HDMI 1080P inputs. ;) Wishful thinking I suppose. I'm looking forward to UCSB's thoughts on the Gamma change and what advantages it gives within the different modes. I tried it at 1 and 0 and didn't notice a significant change however this was just my naked eye, no test patterns. Thanks for the info.

I am reposting this because I made a mistake in my original post (I went back and corrected it, but this lamp code is very important).

The correct lamp for my HLR5668W is BP96-01036A ... my lamp sticker (on the side of my set) does match the lamp code that you ordered, but I was told that it was incorrect by Samsung's National Service Manger. I haven't tested my backup lamp yet, but a visual inspection I made confirmed that it looked right.

Call Samsung Service 1-800-Samsung and have them confirm the correct PN# for your Model/SN.

Bill,
I have the 6168 and the lamp code on my sticker is also BP96-01073A, which may be incorrect. BP96-01036A appears to be for the light engine ($1,497).
http://www.hermanelectronics.com/ItemInfo.asp?Frecno=5127790

Aaronwt,
I am having my HLR5688 calibrated by Eliab next month. Can you tell me what differences you noticed? What did he change exactly..do you know? TIA

There was a big difference in shadow detail. OOTB the blacks were crushed. I've used Eliab for the last few years and he does an excellent job. Basically after calibration the picture is superb.

Does anyone know if Best Buy or Circuit City will be selling the 68 series tvs any time soon (or at all)? Not that it would be my choice to purchase there, but living in a small town limits my options right now. I need to see before I buy.

I purchased the HL-R6768 from CC about two weeks ago. The manager said they had roughly 50 in stock (Detroit area), but they were not displaying them in the stores, for whatever reason. The price, unbelieveably, was at the lowest level indicated by pricegrabber anywhere on the net (no shipping, but sales tax takes a bite).

Amazing.

I’ve had my 5668 for 2 months now and have had no problems. This is my excuse for not keeping up with the thread. I was wondering if TVA has had the drawing for a free TV to be given away to the power buyer and if so who won it?

Samsung came out yesterday and my brand new TV needs a digi board.
Ouch. It is tough looking at a brand new TV that doesn't work for a week.

I’ve had my 5668 for 2 months now and have had no problems. This is my excuse for not keeping up with the thread. I was wondering if TVA has had the drawing for a free TV to be given away to the power buyer and if so who won it?


I'm the same as you, ever since getting my 5688 1080p HDTV, I have hardly come back to read or post here & the TV has been working flawless. Physically though, the screen is loose along side the upper part that attaches to the chassis/frame, but only slightly.

I hope to get my set calibrated soon, just trying to decide which of the 2 local ISF Calibrators I should go with.

To you guys ordering replacement bulbs:

Is the bulb considered a user-serviceable part? When your bulb blows are you planning to replace it yourself or are you just keeping the part for safekeeping?

I'm new to these TV's so forgive me if I'm asking a stupid question here. I've had my HLR-6168 for about 30 days now FYI and am very happy with it.

-D

Yes, the bulb is behind 4 screws, a user can easily switch it out.

To you guys ordering replacement bulbs:

Is the bulb considered a user-serviceable part? When your bulb blows are you planning to replace it yourself or are you just keeping the part for safekeeping?

I'm new to these TV's so forgive me if I'm asking a stupid question here. I've had my HLR-6168 for about 30 days now FYI and am very happy with it.

-D

Why is everyone pre-ordering replacement bulbs? If these bulbs last anywhere near their lifetime, it could be cheaper to order them later on when the prices are likely to have fallen. Of course, its possible that one would have to miss a few days worth of TV watching if the bulb failed and one didn't have a replacement handy....

Damage, I went to Circuit Sucks to see what sets they have. They don't have any 68's at their store and none are online? How did you order yours if their computer doesn't show it being available for special order either? I told them someone I knew ordered one and I wanted to possibly order one too. They thought I was nuts. I guess I don't understand how you might be the only one to buy one there? What is the CC SKU number and price?

I have the HL-R 5678W and had the local Comcast install a CableCARD 2 months ago and everything worked fine. 3 weeks later, no channel below 200 worked: only hi-def. FOUR visits and four different technicians later, after they swapped 4 new CableCARDS and every wire under the sun, the problem remains. When you unplug the CableCARD, I get all the channels back, scrambled of course, courtesy of Comcast. I was just informed that Comcast switched to an all digital system 6 weeks ago. Hmmmm. They are now blaming my TV for not working. I'm blaming them for switching systems and forcing me to cough up $8 per month for an ugly cable box instead of $2 per month elegant CableCARD. Has anyone have any luck with CableCARD, Comcast, and this TV? I'm trying to explain to them that it's their fault (they even say that the pole outside my house has a problem with the signal, but can't tell me if someone has been out to fix it yet or not). I've never heard of upgrading the software of my BRAND NEW TV to make it compatible, and neither does Tweeter. Any help would do, starting with busting up the Comcast monopoly and introducing some competition in the marketplace so we can have a choice of providers and lousy service goes bankrupt (only in an ideal world...)

The circuit city in west Knoxville has a 6168 on display

I have the HL-R 5678W and had the local Comcast install a CableCARD 2 months ago and everything worked fine. 3 weeks later, no channel below 200 worked: only hi-def. FOUR visits and four different technicians later, after they swapped 4 new CableCARDS and every wire under the sun, the problem remains. When you unplug the CableCARD, I get all the channels back, scrambled of course, courtesy of Comcast. I was just informed that Comcast switched to an all digital system 6 weeks ago. Hmmmm. They are now blaming my TV for not working. I'm blaming them for switching systems and forcing me to cough up $8 per month for an ugly cable box instead of $2 per month elegant CableCARD. Has anyone have any luck with CableCARD, Comcast, and this TV? I'm trying to explain to them that it's their fault (they even say that the pole outside my house has a problem with the signal, but can't tell me if someone has been out to fix it yet or not). I've never heard of upgrading the software of my BRAND NEW TV to make it compatible, and neither does Tweeter. Any help would do, starting with busting up the Comcast monopoly and introducing some competition in the marketplace so we can have a choice of providers and lousy service goes bankrupt (only in an ideal world...)
I was planning on getting a CableCard from Comcast, but since they wanted to charge me an addition $6.95 (on top of my HD DVR and current digital service) I decided to wait. I get all of my HD stations without the CableCard on the normal tuner. There appears to no performance improvement over using my Comcast Motorola 6412 HD DVR via HDMI. My recommendation, is if the Motorola 6412 HD DVR is offered in your area use it instead of a CableCard. If you also connect a split signal to your ANT input, analog channels (if you have any left) will be clearer than the 6412. I haven't upgraded yet to the Motorola 6412 III (phase III, with HDMI - SATA), but you might want to try and get that unit.

I am reposting this because I made a mistake in my original post (I went back and corrected it, but this lamp code is very important).

The correct lamp for my HLR5668W is BP96-01036A ... my lamp sticker (on the side of my set) does match the lamp code that you ordered, but I was told that it was incorrect by Samsung's National Service Manger. I haven't tested my backup lamp yet, but a visual inspection I made confirmed that it looked right.

Call Samsung Service 1-800-Samsung and have them confirm the correct PN# for your Model/SN.

After seeing your post, I did call Samsung and was told there's only one bulb for the 5668W and I have the right p/n. On the outside of the TV it lists BP96-01073A. Opening the lamp access panel, there's a p/n BP96-01074A on what looks like the lamp assembly, but that p/n is invalid at SamsungParts. Maybe this discrepancy is due to a difference between orderable p/n and FRU p/n? So I think I've got the right lamp ordered. As someone else has already posted, BP96-01036A does appear to be the light engine, not the lamp.

After seeing your post, I did call Samsung and was told there's only one bulb for the 5668W and I have the right p/n. On the outside of the TV it lists BP96-01073A. Opening the lamp access panel, there's a p/n BP96-01074A on what looks like the lamp assembly, but that p/n is invalid at SamsungParts. Maybe this discrepancy is due to a difference between orderable p/n and FRU p/n? So I think I've got the right lamp ordered. As someone else has already posted, BP96-01036A does appear to be the light engine, not the lamp.

Sorry ... I took the part number from some email coorespondence that I was having with Samsung's National Service Manager about some of the issues we have discussed in this thread. I just went and physically got my backup lamp and the label on the box does say ... BP96-01073A. Glad to hear the price is $199 now.

Has anybody figured out the connection between the TV Guide On Screen Listings and the tuner's Channel list?

On page 109 of Owner's Instructions is the following note:
• In order for the Guide to receive channel lineup & listings
successfully, “Auto Program” must be performed at least once,
prior to powering off your TV. The Guide displays the channels
that are programmed during “Auto Program”.

I did an Auto program right away when I go the TV and deleted the junk channels. I had no TV Guide data for almost a week, not even a list of channels. Then I let the TV tuner auto program again and left it OFF for 10 hours or so. Got listings for day one, but did not look any farther. I immediately deleted the stations I did not want from the TV tuner's channel list and the TV guide (all the analog stations). Next day, the listings were spotty (either No listing, No Title, or No Detailed Data). The following day no listings at all, but I still had the channels and the configuration (order in the listing, on/off, etc). I redid the auto program again yesterday evening and enabled the two PBS analog stations in the TV guide listing. Overnight I got listings for day 1, 2 and 8.

Is it the deleting the channel from the Tuner list OR from the TV Guide listings that breaks the TV Guide?

It would be pretty poor if you can't delete channels from the tuner's list without breaking the TV Guide.

Found the below posted on the Mitsubishi 1080p Thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=581433&page=16&pp=30 Why can't Samsung resolve the game lag problem? Could a future firmware update fix the lag on the Samsung? Mitsubishi seems to have figured out how to address lag.

I finally took my XBOX up to my local Tweeter's to do a comparison test tonight. I first hooked it up to the WD-62628. I setup the XBOX via the dashboard for a 16x9 screen and answered "yes" to 480p, 720p, 1080i. I then loaded Halo 2. First thing I noticed was in the upper left had corner of the tv it displayed 480p. the game came up and I played for about 20 minutes. I didn't notice any lag issues at all. It was very smooth and fluid. Also it took up the entire tv. No black borders others have noted while playing games. Next I tried Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Same results this time it showed 720p in the upper left corner while the game loaded. No problems and the game looked better than Halo 2. Lastly I plugged in MX Unleashed. TV indicated 1080i and awesome gameplay. I played this one for about 20 minutes also. The picture was awesome. Much much better than the 480p and 720p games. I did not see any problems what so ever with all three games. I was very pleased!

Next we plugged the XBOX into the Samsung HL-R6178W. I just went straight to MX Unleashed and first thing I noticed was there was no indication of what the Resolution was. The salesman had to go through a menu to make sure it was 1080i. Within seconds of the game starting up I noticed a significant lag! Just trying to click through the menu of the game was noticeable. Once the game started it was more evident. There were many tricks (back flips, table tops etc.) I couldn't even do because you have to do a thumbstick movement at a certain point of a jump and I just couldn't do it. I tried for about 5 minutes and got frustrated and turned it off. I didn't even try the other games.

All in all the Mits. 62628 performed without a flaw and I was very pleased. You are now looking at the proud owner of a 62" Mitsubishi 1080p DLP!!! :D While I was at it I threw in a custom stand they had a Denon 1920 DVD player and a HDMI cable. Everything is scheduled to be delivered this saturday morning! I can't wait.

Jeffloby, there are a few Circuit Sucks locations in the area. I don't know which one is considered West Knoxville? Would you have a street or even better a phone number? Thanks.

Need advice on upcoming DLP purchase. Seems that lip synch and some other issues have come up with the Samsung 1080p DLP sets. I'm debating between the Toshiba, Mits, and Samsung DLP sets (around 56"). What would you guys recommend? Would Sammy's recent problems make you think twice about the other alternatives? Thanks.

Hello all present and future Samsung 1080P DLP owners. I just wanted to say thanks for all the info the site and this thread has provided. I just got my Dish 942 activated and all I can say is I'm grinnin ear to ear. Wow what a beautiful picture. I changed the gamma in the SM and tweaked it a bit in movie mode. If you are not bothered by the RBE you will love these sets.

Ordered my 6168 on Aug 23. Confirmed order on Sept 28, was told delivery scheduled for Qct 5. Received tracking # Sep 29. SEKO web site said Dispatched Sep 29, In transit Sep 30. SEKO sub contractor, in Knoxville TN called Qct 4, scheduled delivery for Oct 5, noon - 5pm. Arrived 7:30 pm (50miles west of Knoxville and not an easy place to find.

I couldn't be happier with the whole process or the SD picture from the D* TIVO via s-video. I don't have access to network HD over the air or Comcast HD on the Cumberland Plateau. I use DirctTV and I wouldn't touch their advertised HD package ($11/ mo + $599 for HD-DVR with very little programing to offer in the near future).

I wasn't expecting HD when I ordered the set, but I wanted a large TV (had 17 year old 32" Sony) that would do the job when D* provided local HD. I had to commit for two years but Comcast HD is no were in site and Dish didn't offer TIVO.

Better yet. I called D*. Got the HD-DVR for $249 with MIR, 3mo free HD package, +$5/mo credit for 6mo, + 6 mo HBO for $2/ mo. I also got an immediate exemption for ABC and FOX HD from New York and D* put in a request for CBS and NBC exemptions. Service to be installed today and I hope It's as good as I've been led to expect from other post on these formes.

BCVP, It is the Peters Road location off of Cedar Bluff I-40 Exit

Damage, I went to Circuit Sucks to see what sets they have. They don't have any 68's at their store and none are online? How did you order yours if their computer doesn't show it being available for special order either? I told them someone I knew ordered one and I wanted to possibly order one too. They thought I was nuts. I guess I don't understand how you might be the only one to buy one there? What is the CC SKU number and price?

Jeff indicated the Knoxville CC had them as well, so I'm not the only one. As for their manager thinking you're nuts - hey it's Circuit City - ya gets what ya get :eek:

I think I remember something about not posting $$ figures on this thread, and I don't want to break the rules... Someone please tell me if this is a mistake and I'll remove these figures - I paid under x.xk. Then add 6% sales tax, plus .xk for the 4 year warranty, free delivery. I've spoken to them since the purchase and they have gone up approx. 150 since I bought it.

When I went in to get it, they plugged the model in their computer (HL-R6768W), and "bam" there they were. When he told me the price I said "sold" and the rest is history - true story. :D

The only numbers posted should be MSRP. These forums are not a place for swapping "best deals". The owners and sponsors of the site sell the equipment we are talking about. If this is a place to simply find the best deal then there is little reason for them to sponsor the site.

Damage and Jeffloby thanks, I think that might be higher than Tweeter or the other stores they own? Thanks for the info. Now I can tell them at CC that they're nuts, I feel better. As for price I paid $3,500 at the TVA PB for the 5678. No tax of 5%, no delivery charge and $500 warranty. My friend paid $3,100 at Tweeter for the 5078 during their Private Sale. I think people here should list prices for better competition. I still think I got the best set and price but I still want to check to be sure.

The place I purchased from suggested I use a voltage regulator.
Of course they were trying to sell me one, what are everyone thoughts on them? Are they necessary for a DLP?

I'll get the model number if I have time but APC has a strip with the cable connection for $30 and they said it had AVR when I called them. My friend has it along with a APC UPS non-puresine I think model BR-800 for around $120? He got his at CompUSA. Staples doesn't have it.

Well Pilot just called, no one from TVA at all, and said my new set was in Boston today and they could deliver it tomorrow. I'm thrilled. I asked if the box was in perfect condition and the rep I've been dealing with hadn't seen it. I explained how the packaging on the old set was all broken and he asked if I could put the old set in the new box and I said no since I need the good box for the new set in case there is something wrong. He asked me to "tape" the box and I tried to explain how that could be difficult. He didn't realize the size of the box. I said I'd try but to tell the driver the situation so they know about handling it. I'm impressed with them although they are the ones that damaged the first one that got me in this situation. TVA dropped the ball as far as I'm concerned and would only recommend them if someone was shopping on price alone, like me. I'm just crossing my fingers that the new set is in mint condition.

The reason I reported this is so that others might watch out for it as well. I definitely do have a bright area on the left side of my screen. I have no doubt about that. The area in the middle is the part I'm uncertain about. This problem was not present when I first purchased the set and only developed recently. I'm really trying not to be critical and this is the first time I posted concerning problems with the 6168 in almost two months of having the set.

omegads posted a legit issue. I had my 6768 for a week before I noticed the same exact issue. At first I noticed a line across the top portion of the screen, about 2" from the top of the screen, approximately 1.5"wide, and running across the length of most of the TV. It looks almost like burn in although I know it's not. Like a previous poster, I first noticed it in a dark scene. I cannot notice it at all in scenes with color. More recently I noticed the left side of the screen (similar area to where the black bar would be on a 4:3 picture) was lighter than the rest of the picture, once again during a dark scene. With the band across the top, I froze the picture and could see that the lighter area was actually reddish in color instead of the normal gray to black that it should've been.

A Samsung tech came out and replaced the component with the lens as well as the other component with all of the inputs and it did not fix the issue. He took digital pictures and said he would head back to discuss it with other techs. They were supposed to get back to me on 10/3 but didn't and when I called, they said they'd get back to me on 10/10 but didn't. Making my 3rd call to them.

I just received my 6768W last week and have just gotten around to watching some DVDs on it. I have a Samsung HD850 pushing a 1080i signal over HDMI. The first movie I tried was the Matrix. The green hue of that movie makes digital noise and "clay face" a big problem so I wanted to assess that immediately. It is certainly there. I was able to reduce some of the "clay face" effect by running through the Avia calibrations. However, I still get very splotchy, noisy colors in shadows and dark areas like Neo's coat or solid gray walls. I had this same issue a couple years ago with my HLM507W and was able to fix it by performing the recommended tweaks in the service menu. Has anyone posted information on service menu tweaks yet? I cannot find any through the searches.

Much thanks.
What picture setting do you have set in the TV? If it's on Standard, change it to Movie. It makes a huge difference and has eliminated most if not all of the blockiness I've seen in shadows and dark areas with my DVD's.

Has anyone found a good combination of picture (brightness/contrast) settings for both the Oppo and the Samsung (with the Samsung in Movie mode)? I just got the Oppo, and it seems like settings need to be changed on BOTH the Oppo and Samsung to improve shadow detail while trying to minimize macro-blocking. It seems like there can also be trouble with weird artifacts that I presume are related to blacker-than-black, if things are set properly.

Thanks.

Now Panasonic says Blu-Ray will be shipping in March. Toshiba had said the other day that they would delay the shipping of HD-DVD to the spring. It was supposed to ship fall/winter and they said they already have thirty-five DVD movie releases ready. Not having content was one of the reasons both camps have delayed the releases. Now I would really not buy a new DVD player for the Sammy, knowing a HD DVD player is just around the corner.

Now Panasonic says Blu-Ray will be shipping in March. Toshiba had said the other day that they would delay the shipping of HD-DVD to the spring. It was supposed to ship fall/winter and they said they already have thirty-five DVD movie releases ready. Not having content was one of the reasons both camps have delayed the releases. Now I would really not buy a new DVD player for the Sammy, knowing a HD DVD player is just around the corner.


I'm confused (what else is new). Panasonic is saying that Sony's Blue-Ray will be shipping in March?? or maybe Panasonic's version of a blue ray player??

Jeff indicated the Knoxville CC had them as well, so I'm not the only one. As for their manager thinking you're nuts - hey it's Circuit City - ya gets what ya get :eek:

I think I remember something about not posting $$ figures on this thread, and I don't want to break the rules... Someone please tell me if this is a mistake and I'll remove these figures - I paid under 3.8k. Then add 6% sales tax, plus .6k for the 4 year warranty, free delivery. I've spoken to them since the purchase and they have gone up approx. 150 since I bought it.

When I went in to get it, they plugged the model in their computer (HL-R6768W), and "bam" there they were. When he told me the price I said "sold" and the rest is history - true story. :D

I purchased my 6768 on Sunday from Circuit City for around the same as your price. When I asked the salesman just to verify the set was 1080p he told me "We don't carry any 1080p models, but Best Buy does" :D

So far in my limited game time, I haven't noticed any lag that affects me. I need to try it out with some other games like Madden etc..

I've only had it for one day, but definitely loving it :cool:

JimP, I know, I never knew Panasonic was involved, news to me too. Things are starting to move at a faster rate though and I still say the first one shipping wins. Toshiba was ready and decided to hold off for some ridiculous reason.

I think that was a mistake but I can see their point if I understand them correctly. It seems that they know there aren't any movies to use on a $1k DVD player and although the number of HDTV set sales is increasing it is still a small percentage. In other words, few own a HDTV and there is nothing to use a HD DVD player for so what is the rush? The rush for me is to produce HD video and distribute on a HD DVD player.

Put on an HD football game, and you will smile like you have never smiled before!

I am having the same problem. I called Samsung support and talked with level 2. They told me that the OTA TV Guide information comes from local analog PBS station. So if you delete the analog PBS station from the channels list you will not be able to populate the TV Guide info.

He also said that not all analog PBS channels provide the information. So it may not work at all in some locations. Apparently many local PBS channels headend is digital. So the info can get lost at the local affiliate. The TV Guide protocal apparently assumes analog all the way.

I will try this tonight and see what happens..

It is annoying that the TV Guide thing won't work. After a week this is one of my 2 complaints on my Samsung 6168 DLP. The other is the very short list of supported equipment via the g-link


Has anybody figured out the connection between the TV Guide On Screen Listings and the tuner's Channel list?

On page 109 of Owner's Instructions is the following note:
? In order for the Guide to receive channel lineup & listings
successfully, ?Auto Program? must be performed at least once,
prior to powering off your TV. The Guide displays the channels
that are programmed during ?Auto Program?.

I did an Auto program right away when I go the TV and deleted the junk channels. I had no TV Guide data for almost a week, not even a list of channels. Then I let the TV tuner auto program again and left it OFF for 10 hours or so. Got listings for day one, but did not look any farther. I immediately deleted the stations I did not want from the TV tuner's channel list and the TV guide (all the analog stations). Next day, the listings were spotty (either No listing, No Title, or No Detailed Data). The following day no listings at all, but I still had the channels and the configuration (order in the listing, on/off, etc). I redid the auto program again yesterday evening and enabled the two PBS analog stations in the TV guide listing. Overnight I got listings for day 1, 2 and 8.

Is it the deleting the channel from the Tuner list OR from the TV Guide listings that breaks the TV Guide?

It would be pretty poor if you can't delete channels from the tuner's list without breaking the TV Guide.

Maybe this has already been addressed... 2 of my sources seem to "sit" a bit low on the screen. Hopefully someone can walk me through this?

1) Via my off-air antenna: the local HD channels look spectacular, however...as an example, watching football yesterday the Fox ticker/logo seems chopped off at the bottom. Is this common? It's better on some chnnels, worse on others

2) Via my standard DirecTV receiver, most of the analog channels frame a bit low on the set, exposing about 1/8" to 1/4" of lighter digital noise/blurring across the top of the screen, including a very thin white bar. It's worse on some channels, better on others.

HELP: Basically what I'm wishing is that the whole image could be shifted up by a solid half inch at the minimum. Is this an overscan/source issue that I just need to live with? Will I be able to shift the screen via the service menu? Will my install of HD tivo via HDMI, help this issue? Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

You see this symptom only in HD signal or SD signal? Have you call to Samsung Service already? What they said? Thanks.

Thanks for the nice pictures. Which stand did you get?

An old PIII computer may be a little underpowered for 1080p; however, it's not easy to tell. With a more powerful P4 chip that you can get these days, an ATI 9600 or nVidia 5200 (both of which can be purchased as passively cooled) will allow you to display 1080p nicely. Keep in mind that displaying static images such as computer desktop or Web browser is fairly easy. If you want to play movies in 1080p, your graphics card has to move about 2 million pixels on the screen. This is where you need a more powerful card such as ATI 9600. If you would like to connect an ATSC or QAM tuner card for HD programming, you will need something quite a bit more powerful than ATI 9600, e.g., ATI X800 or nVidia 6600GT for smooth playback. This is my experience with WinXP MCE; it may be different for MythTV on Linux.

As for DVD player, any player will do. When you are watching DVD movies, the player spins at 1x, which is what every player on the market will do. You may want to pick your DVD player based on how quiet it is when spinning at 1x speed. The majority of computer DVD players can be very noisy at 1x. TEAC and Samsung players tend to be quieter although they are no match for DVD players in CE devices.
Thanks, I got the Plateau CR-2V - 64" from Dynamic Home theater

You see this symptom only in HD signal or SD signal? Have you call to Samsung Service already? What they said? Thanks.

There is a way to slew the picture. Tells you how in the manual.

Well it gets better. After Pilot had sent a third party inspector to see the damage caused in shipping to my 5678 set and packaging the other day. I received today my replacement set. The shipping paperwork had the wrong model number but they shipped the right set. How could they do that? To make it worse the box was in worse condition than mine. The box was all smashed up and I only could see two sides of the box since it was still in the truck. I called Pilot and told them I refused it and wanted another set. They said no problem. Pilot has good customer service but their handlers are awful. I asked how could no one notice the box damaged when it arrived in Boston? They said it wasn't marked damaged. How ridiculous is this that they can't deliver a $3,500 set without damaging the packaging?

Now I called TVA again but since I seemed to have spoken with two reps I had to call them both. One was my sales rep and the other took my order. Pilot thought they would realize the refusal and should send another, if in stock but suggested to call them and give them a heads up so they can get it rolling again.

I purchased samsung hln 61 2 years ago and have extended warranty. everything is working fine but wondering if I should have Curcuit City come out and review system, tweak or ask them to replace anythin- fan noise is sometimes high. would like to know if this makes sense, if there is any new firmware or adjustments, replacements they will do via the extended warranty. bulb currently is fine with no real problems- picture is great!!
any suggestions apprecaited!

Got my 6168 yesterday and hooked my Zenith 520 Directtv HD satellite box up to it using the optical out routed to my Sunfire Ultimate receiver for the sound. I'm using DVI to HDMI for the video and I'm getting a problem with lip sync.
Is this a problem with Direct Tv, Samsung or my Sunfire?

I am having the same problem. I called Samsung support and talked with level 2. They told me that the OTA TV Guide information comes from local analog PBS station. So if you delete the analog PBS station from the channels list you will not be able to populate the TV Guide info.

He also said that not all analog PBS channels provide the information. So it may not work at all in some locations. Apparently many local PBS channels headend is digital. So the info can get lost at the local affiliate. The TV Guide protocal apparently assumes analog all the way.

I will try this tonight and see what happens..

It is annoying that the TV Guide thing won't work. After a week this is one of my 2 complaints on my Samsung 6168 DLP. The other is the very short list of supported equipment via the g-link


OK... turned the local PBS analog channel back on this afternoon. After a few hours I now have the list of all selected DT channels and some schedules. So it looks like this is the key to getting OTA TV guide working....

You must include the local analog PBS channel.

WOOHOO! Down to only one complaint.

rtclac, I would first see if anyone here has that model and had problems with it or have any info? I would call Sammy and see what they say and then depending on what the extended warranty says, see if they will do a sort of maintenance service of some kind? I'm not sure if the fan has to actually be broken for them to fix it on an extended warranty that isn't from Sammy? Most coverage has a lot of fine print that has loop holes so only the major things get fixed. I guess its better than nothing though since these sets are so expensive. [Now that I think of it, Google your model number and see what it says for issues.]

I'm ready to buy but first I have a question. My TV's location is against the west wall of my huge living room. There are several very large picture windows on the north and east walls. I rarely get direct sunlight on the TV but the room is filled with a *lot* of ambient light. I have only been able to view the 6168 in person. This was at my local Magnolia store where it was in a room without any direct lighting, just the ambient from the rest of the store. I even asked if they could turn on the overhead lights and was informed that they didn't have any bulbs in them. :eek: Because of this I don't really have a good feeling how well the 6168 would deal with the light in my living room.

I just heard a rumor that the 7178 has a different screen than the 6168 and 6768 and is much more reflective. I'd prefer the size of the 7178 but I'm afraid that there will be so much reflection off the screen that it will be very distracting. I need opinions from the experts. Should I just get the 6768 or will I be OK with the 7178 despite the ambient light conditions?

Thanks all for your responses.

I'm ready to buy but first I have a question. My TV's location is against the west wall of my huge living room. There are several very large picture windows on the north and east walls. I rarely get direct sunlight on the TV but the room is filled with a *lot* of ambient light. I have only been able to view the 6168 in person. This was at my local Magnolia store where it was in a room without any direct lighting, just the ambient from the rest of the store. I even asked if they could turn on the overhead lights and was informed that they didn't have any bulbs in them. :eek: Because of this I don't really have a good feeling how well the 6168 would deal with the light in my living room.

I just heard a rumor that the 7178 has a different screen than the 6168 and 6768 and is much more reflective. I'd prefer the size of the 7178 but I'm afraid that there will be so much reflection off the screen that it will be very distracting. I need opinions from the experts. Should I just get the 6768 or will I be OK with the 7178 despite the ambient light conditions?

Thanks all for your responses.

It's not a 'rumor': the 7178 has a 'plate glass' type screen, similar to the Qualia; I've seen it. But whether or not this is a problem for your situation, I obviously cannot answer. However I would caution you to see the 7178 before buying it.

Got my 6168 yesterday and hooked my Zenith 520 Directtv HD satellite box up to it using the optical out routed to my Sunfire Ultimate receiver for the sound. I'm using DVI to HDMI for the video and I'm getting a problem with lip sync.
Is this a problem with Direct Tv, Samsung or my Sunfire?

None of the above. It is a problem with your hookup. Spliting audio and video into two separate paths is like two cars transversing a city. One car (video) goes through town, with lower speed limits and control lights. The other car (audio) uses the bypass. Why would you expect both cars to get to the other side of the city at the same time?

Do a google for Felston if your SunFire doesn't have it's own audio delay adjustment.

I would check the return policy at Worst Buy Mag. I think you can return a set at TVA as long as you buy another. People here might have more info. My friend has a 5078 directly in front of a window with a very thin curtain and the set is always brighter, even with all of the lights on. The only way to know is to test it but I would at least be sure of the model you want before returning too many sets. Worst Buy I think has a restocking fee?

Because of this I don't really have a good feeling how well the 6168 would deal with the light in my living room.
To be honest, I'm a little unhappy with how my 5668 performs in the daytime. I, too, have a lot of ambient light in my viewing room. Like you, no direct sunlight, just lots of light in general. HD content is OK, usually, since it tends to be much brighter and richer in color, but SD is pretty tough to watch sometimes.

I saw a friend's comparable LCD and thought it was way better than my DLP until I realized he had his in a long, dark room with no windows. The two sets were close in quality, it's just their environments were so much different. The difference is... well... night and day. :)

I've approached my wife about bricking over all seven windows, but that was met with resistance. :D I'm now considering professional calibration to see if that will help, but since calibration usually decreases brightness, I may hold off.

My advice to you is to buy from somewhere with a good return policy, and no restocking fee. There's no way to know for sure how it'll look in the daytime without actually having it in your house.

Hope this helps.

.................AND if you adjust brightness and contrast in a dim room, it'll be too dark in a bright room.

Of course the reverse to this is adjusting in a bright room, then when night comes, black levels and contrast are off.

Not that familiar with Samsungs, but on some other sets you have an option called picture modes where you can have a mode set up brighter than another. That way, you can toggle to the picture mode appropriate for current room lighting.

Got my 6168 yesterday and hooked my Zenith 520 Directtv HD satellite box up to it using the optical out routed to my Sunfire Ultimate receiver for the sound. I'm using DVI to HDMI for the video and I'm getting a problem with lip sync.
Is this a problem with Direct Tv, Samsung or my Sunfire?

I have mine hooked up the same way except I am using a Comcast DVR box. I do not have any problems. I would try two things. Reset the sat box to factory defaults, and also cold boot the sat box {remove power cord and wait 60 seconds }

I'm ready to buy but first I have a question. My TV's location is against the west wall of my huge living room. There are several very large picture windows on the north and east walls. I rarely get direct sunlight on the TV but the room is filled with a *lot* of ambient light. I have only been able to view the 6168 in person. This was at my local Magnolia store where it was in a room without any direct lighting, just the ambient from the rest of the store. I even asked if they could turn on the overhead lights and was informed that they didn't have any bulbs in them. :eek: Because of this I don't really have a good feeling how well the 6168 would deal with the light in my living room.

I just heard a rumor that the 7178 has a different screen than the 6168 and 6768 and is much more reflective. I'd prefer the size of the 7178 but I'm afraid that there will be so much reflection off the screen that it will be very distracting. I need opinions from the experts. Should I just get the 6768 or will I be OK with the 7178 despite the ambient light conditions?

Thanks all for your responses.

An update. I just talked to a couple of people at Samsung. The first was a sales guy. He told me there was no such thing as a HL-R6768W and that the HL-R7178W had been out since March... He got real confused when I pointed out the 6768 on Samsung's web site. The second guy was a 2nd tier tech guy. He was *much* more knowledgable. I told him about my high ambient light environment and my concerns about the 7178. He confirmed that the 7178 has a high(er) reflection glass screen than the 6768 and, believe it or not, recommended I go with the cheaper 6768!

Just for grins, I called my local CC and asked if they carried the 6768 even though it is not on their website. They do and they are significantly cheaper than Magnolia. I would prefer to buy from Magnolia because of the excellent service they have provided me in the past but for that much $$$ I may have to make an exception. Now I get to see if Magnolia will price match CC...

Check out their differences in extended warranties too. That could make a $$$ difference. CC was $100 more than TVA.

Found the below posted on the Mitsubishi 1080p Thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=581433&page=16&pp=30 Why can't Samsung resolve the game lag problem? Could a future firmware update fix the lag on the Samsung? Mitsubishi seems to have figured out how to address lag.

It is highly unlikely that Samsung will be able to resolve their audio-video synch problems via firmware update. It is now well understood that Samsung DLP sets suffer more from lip synch (video lag) problems than rear projection sets from other manufacturers (Sony LCD, Mitsubishi DLP). This is especially problematic for gamers. The excessive video lag is most likely a design flaw with Samsung's video processing technology that has plagued their DLP sets from day one. Samsung is fully aware of this issue; however, they have been unable to address it so far.

Please note that xx68 and xx78 Samsung 1080p sets have a VGA input, and that there is no lag if you connect your 1080p source (e.g., a PC video card) via VGA. When you connect a video source using HDMI or component inputs, Samsung does deinterlacing, upscaling, and some other video processing that unfortunately cannot be turned off. Apparently, Samsung still hasn't figured out how to improve the speed of internal video processing to minimize the unavoidable lag relative to audio. If you send a 1080p signal over VGA, then Samsung will display it without any additional video processing. Unfortunately, this does not help you much if you are an avid gamer, and you would like to connect your XBox or PS2 game console. If so, you should probably look elsewhere for your 1080p set.

New Mitsubishi sets apparently have less of a problem with lip synch or video lag issues for gaming. However, Mitsubishi 1080p sets (with the exception of 927 series) do not have VGA input, cannot accept 1080p signal over any input, and are not suitable for HTPC hook-up (this may not matter to you). You must spend well over $1000 more to get a 927 set (Diamond series) of comparable screen size if you want VGA. This is a major oversight on the part of Mitsubishi. Once you get a 927 set, the first thing you need to do is remove the so-called "anti glare" screen because it does absolutely nothing but create glare that is totally unacceptable if you have no control over lighting in your room. You also realize that you are paying for substandard built-in PVR that is simply no match for HTPC or standalone PVRs.

Check out their differences in extended warranties too. That could make a $$$ difference. CC was $100 more than TVA.
Score!

Magnolia price-matched CC and I went ahead and took Magnolia's 4 year extended warranty for $400 which includes replacement bulbs (no mention that it is limited to a single bulb like CC).

I delayed delivery until a week from Tuesday to make sure the renovations are done in my entertainment area. Until then I get to bite my fingernails waiting...

Score!

Magnolia price-matched CC and I went ahead and took Magnolia's 4 year extended warranty for $400 which includes replacement bulbs (no mention that it is limited to a single bulb like CC).

I delayed delivery until a week from Tuesday to make sure the renovations are done in my entertainment area. Until then I get to bite my fingernails waiting...

Congrats! Now you won't be able to sleep well for the next week anticipating your new toy.

From 10/1-11/30 Samsung is offering a free HD up-converting DVD player (DVD-HD755) and a free "The Who" DVD box set when you purchase any 1080p DLP. This is a Samsung rebate so it doesn't matter who you purchased your set from but so far I've only seen the rebate form on Abt's & Crutchfield's websites.

From 10/1-11/30 Samsung is offering a free HD up-converting DVD player (DVD-HD755) and a free "The Who" DVD box set when you purchase any 1080p DLP. This is a Samsung rebate so it doesn't matter who you purchased your set from but so far I've only seen the rebate form on Abt's & Crutchfield's websites.
J&R has copies of the Samsung rebate forms at: http://www.jr.com/JRRebates.process?RestartFlow=t&IW_Action=DisplaySingleManufacturer&Manufacturer_Name=SAMSUNG

BTW, thank you very much! I got a great deal on a 6768 today and you topped it off by making me aware I'm eligible for a free DVD player too. :D

[QUOTE=gregc5985]I'm ready to buy but first I have a question. My TV's location is against the west wall of my huge living room. There are several very large picture windows on the north and east walls. I rarely get direct sunlight on the TV but the room is filled with a *lot* of ambient light. I have only been able to view the 6168 in person. This was at my local Magnolia store where it was in a room without any direct lighting, just the ambient from the rest of the store. I even asked if they could turn on the overhead lights and was informed that they didn't have any bulbs in them. :eek: Because of this I don't really have a good feeling how well the 6168 would deal with the light in my living room.

I have a 6168 on the west wall in a large room with large windows on the East, south and west walls. My standard mode picture is certainly watchable during the day without glare. Can't you return the set if you art satisfied.

I have a 6168 on the west wall in a large room with large windows on the East, south and west walls. My standard mode picture is certainly watchable during the day without glare.
Thanks. This sounds really promising.

Can't you return the set if you art satisfied.
I have 30 days to return for a full refund but I would really feel uncomfortable utilizing it. Something along the lines of a failure on my part to properly research before buying. I guess I'm just strange that way...

Thanks. This sounds really promising.


I have 30 days to return for a full refund but I would really feel uncomfortable utilizing it. Something along the lines of a failure on my part to properly research before buying. I guess I'm just strange that way...

If they can't show the set in worst case conditions then it's their problem. I suspect they take advantage of people. A good return policy is a must for any thing I buy and it keeps me coming back.

[QUOTE=gregc5985]I'm ready to buy but first I have a question. My TV's location is against the west wall of my huge living room. There are several very large picture windows on the north and east walls. I rarely get direct sunlight on the TV but the room is filled with a *lot* of ambient light. I have only been able to view the 6168 in person. This was at my local Magnolia store where it was in a room without any direct lighting, just the ambient from the rest of the store. I even asked if they could turn on the overhead lights and was informed that they didn't have any bulbs in them. :eek: Because of this I don't really have a good feeling how well the 6168 would deal with the light in my living room.

I have a 6168 on the west wall in a large room with large windows on the East, south and west walls. My standard mode picture is certainly watchable during the day without glare. Can't you return the set if you art satisfied.

My 6178 is about 40' away from windows on the opposite wall. We find no issues with reflections or wash out. I would suggest that you don't place your seating directly in line between the set and windows.

Comcast + Cable Cards can still be a sticky issue.
Looks like experience varies widely in different markets.
Ordered my Cable Card several weeks ago but it took 3 tech visits and several calls to get it all working.
Monthly Price? Free if you also have STB/DVR (in Chicago suburban area).
Install Fee? $ 29.00 plus dealing with both smart and less-informed techs.
Reason for Use? Simplicty in one remote, one-button surfing and watching. Much easier for the rest of the family. Also much prefer the built-in TVGUIDE (which is somewhat customizable) rather than the Comcast STB version where you cannot hide unwanted channels.
Pic Quality? Slight improvement over STB, since no additional artifacts are introduced from the recording/replay process the DVR must use.
Getting it to work? Very confusing for Comcast staff.
Tech # 1 installed the card, did the channel search, and noted that the TV was able to find the proper channel lineup (about 200 channels in our area). Tech called in authorization request to dispatcher, then left.
Result? Subscription channels never authorized. Could only see analog and some digital and HD, but encrypted were still blocked.
Tech # 2; sent to trouble shoot; didn't bring a spare card; left clueless what to do;
Tech # 3; the smart one; immediately went through a troubleshooting checklist; checked filters on distribution box, checked signal strength; was able to increase signal st about 30% to bring within digital standards; placed several calls to head end dispatchers.. (I learned they're a rugged unruly bunch); found some account data set up incorrectly; demanded a fresh "authorization hit" be sent.. was told he had to wait for several hundred "hits" ahead of him.. so we tuffed it out for about 45 min waiting for the signal to arrive. VIOLA! CableCard Status screen changed. Parameter: Conditional Access Entitlement Management changed from "disconnected" to "subscribed". All authorized channels were enabled.
Yikes. What a Journey.
Now heaven help me if power drops. Then the custom TV guide settings disappear and need to be rebuilt. I'll be shopping for a UPS soon.

I purchased the HL-R6768 from CC about two weeks ago. The manager said they had roughly 50 in stock (Detroit area), but they were not displaying them in the stores, for whatever reason. The price, unbelieveably, was at the lowest level indicated by pricegrabber anywhere on the net (no shipping, but sales tax takes a bite).

Amazing.

Picked up my 6168 from BB/Magnolia in Chicago suburbs in late august. They price matched cheaper web offers, but of course tried hard to fluff up the deal with expensive cables. Inexpensive cables seem to be working just fine.
All display problems that I've observed I would blame on original signal.
Since I can get absolutely AWESOME images on some HD content (like the INHD channel sports, nature and travel shows in our area), full 1080i with no pixleation, and rather crappy images on other HD content, I would blame the occasional low image qual not on the TV but on the various alterations and compressions being used in the signal delivery pipeline. As a non-techy, I'd be inclined to say its all about bandwidth, bandwidth, bandwidth.. and the various ways broadcasters try to get away with less.

Anyone had a chance to see and compare mitzi's new 62" 1080 dlp? ps...what's a PVR?

Dear Friends and Fellow AVS'ers:

I think I owe a 'good-bye' to all you Samsung 1080p owners, for I have followed this thread religiously since its origin, learning a great deal (and I have had a great hd introductory hd experience with a hlp6163). Finally, though, I decided (today) to get a Mits 73" 1080p dlp, rather than the Sammy 7178. I think the two are very comparable, and the most decisive factor was the glass screen on the 7178 (spent this morning at Mag HiFi in Emeryville looking once more at both the Sammy 71" and Mits 73", which were on display there). I should add, though, that the PQ on the Sammy was excellent, so if you have a room without much external light coming in, you should really consider it. My feeling is that it is very comparable to the Qualia (the two have very similar screens).

PS I should also add that one should not be bashful in making a 'proposal' to your favorite B&M. My salesman at Magnolia has been terrific, willing to accept very creative arrangements.

I'm a new owner of the 5668. First DLP set, first HD set. All in all, considering the sources I have, I'm very impressed with the PQ. I have had an issue with getting HD channels over my cable service, though. Right now, they provide the local affialiates in HD format as well as SD. The problem I'm having is that they send the HD signals over channels 91, 92, 93, 94. When I set the TV to auto-program, these channels get skipped. The TV detects digital channels higher in the channel line-up, but no HD channels. I spoke with my provider's customer support and they indicated that some HD tuners can't handle the signals that high up in the channel line up. Specifically, they say that the Sony and Mits tuners work, and everything else won't. They are chaning their service to move the HD signals to lower channels which should fix the problem. Is there any validity to the HD tuner sensitivity for lower channels?

In Comcast Chicago, without cable card the Sammy is able to tune analog channels 2 to 96, and can find all digital and HD channels between 100 and 800. That's how Comcast has chosen to allocate channels here. However, please note that without STB or cable card, the channels tuned by the TV may not represent "published" channel numbers for that broadcaster. Here in Chicago, it appears Comcast re-provisions channel allocation and bandwidth on a daily basis, so without STB or Cable Card, channels will likely "move".
The data messages received by the STB or Cable Card do the channel # translations on the fly. For example, w/o cable card, ABC digital would be found on channel 117-5 and CBS digital would be found on 108-3. These allocations change frequently. However, with CableCard or STB, instructions are received to convert to the published channel numbers of 187 and 189 (which match the printed listings).
In my experience, the Samsung was able to tune all channels offered (detecting them in on-screen channel listing) but would of course display the content of only the non-encrypted ones.

Quick question for the owners of the 68/78 series - if you have a dvd player connected to the HDMI input on the tv and wanted to connect a surround receiver to it, will the optical output of the tv send the digital signal thru the tv to the receiver?

Just to add a tidbit not mentioned in this thread... as noted elsewhere, a 5.1 source going INTO the TV (via HDMI or optical) will be passed through (optical out) as 2-channel only.
So the 5.1 source should be connected directly to the audio system for full surround effect.

However, if you use the TV with a direct-cable or OTA hookup, then any 5.1 channel that the TV decodes (such as HBO HD channel) WILL be sent out as 5.1 through the optical out.

Can somebody please tell me how to navigate around in the service menu.
I press "mute 184 and exit" and then get a Diagnostic 1 screen.
How do I get to the other screens to adjust values etc.

Dear Friends and Fellow AVS'ers:

I think I owe a 'good-bye' to all you Samsung 1080p owners, for I have followed this thread religiously since its origin, learning a great deal (and I have had a great hd introductory hd experience with a hlp6163). Finally, though, I decided (today) to get a Mits 73" 1080p dlp, rather than the Sammy 7178. I think the two are very comparable, and the most decisive factor was the glass screen on the 7178 (spent this morning at Mag HiFi in Emeryville looking once more at both the Sammy 71" and Mits 73", which were on display there). I should add, though, that the PQ on the Sammy was excellent, so if you have a room without much external light coming in, you should really consider it. My feeling is that it is very comparable to the Qualia (the two have very similar screens).

PS I should also add that one should not be bashful in making a 'proposal' to your favorite B&M. My salesman at Magnolia has been terrific, willing to accept very creative arrangements.

Bill ... good luck with the Mitsu. But, do come back and tell us how it all works out. Especially, your final views on the screen size and your final viewing distance. Also, let us know what you finally do for a DVD player. Good luck, remember for the truly addicted the process starts over at CES in January.

I know this isn't part of this thread but I hoped people here would know where to go. I'm looking to get the Pioneer Elite plasmas or maybe the next models down. My understanding is you can only buy them from a small list of online suppliers to get the warranty? It's for business but I don't want to pay business prices. I know I need more than one of the same model. I know Electrograph and Tweeter says they have some commercial discount if you buy a certain number. Thanks and sorry to waste people's time here.

Dear Friends,

I really really want to get the HL-R5668W model. Unfortunately i do not have the budget! My budget is $3000.00.. So what is the best "2nd option" i have for that budget? Suggestions, please.

Thanks

The Toshiba 1080P DLP sets are less expensive than the Samsungs. What about those?

Dear Friends,

I really really want to get the HL-R5668W model. Unfortunately i do not have the budget! My budget is $3000.00.. So what is the best "2nd option" i have for that budget? Suggestions, please.

Thanks

Wait a couple of months, the price will probably go down after the first of the year.

With more of these things getting out there, what have people found to be the best combination of picture settings for their Samsung and Oppo? (it seems like there is a fine balance between getting good shadow detail and avoiding macroblocking).

Has anyone fooled around with the color weakness or color detail controls?

In Comcast Chicago, without cable card the Sammy is able to tune analog channels 2 to 96, and can find all digital and HD channels between 100 and 800. That's how Comcast has chosen to allocate channels here. However, please note that without STB or cable card, the channels tuned by the TV may not represent "published" channel numbers for that broadcaster. Here in Chicago, it appears Comcast re-provisions channel allocation and bandwidth on a daily basis, so without STB or Cable Card, channels will likely "move".

I've found the same thing with Comcast here in CT. My question is, why do channel allocations change on a daily or other periodic basis? Is there a technical reason?

I'm trying to get the TV Guide to work on a 6168, and I'm hooked up to an SA 8300 HD PVR.

My cable company already provides a TV listing guide that incorporates the PVR for easy recording features, but in reading the TV Guide info that came with the TV, I can see several things I'd like to try.

Is it possible to set-up the TV Guide rather than using the cable company's listings?

I've fiddled a bit, but can't get access to TV Guide while connected via HDMI. Should I assume I can only try the TV Guide if I connect via a regular coax connection, or OTA which I don't have?

Thanks

I'm trying to get the TV Guide to work on a 6168, and I'm hooked up to an SA 8300 HD PVR.

My cable company already provides a TV listing guide that incorporates the PVR for easy recording features, but in reading the TV Guide info that came with the TV, I can see several things I'd like to try.

Is it possible to set-up the TV Guide rather than using the cable company's listings?

I've fiddled a bit, but can't get access to TV Guide while connected via HDMI. Should I assume I can only try the TV Guide if I connect via a regular coax connection, or OTA which I don't have?

Thanks

Dude, you lucky if you get the picture to work on one of these cranks :D

Can somebody please tell me how to navigate around in the service menu.
I press "mute 184 and exit" and then get a Diagnostic 1 screen.
How do I get to the other screens to adjust values etc.

Mess with the service menu at your own risk. To navigate use the arrow keys to move up and down through the items on the left. When you get to the one you want to look at press the enter key. This will move you to the next level screen. The next level works similarly. The menu key backs you out of things.

OOPS! The service menu screen is brought up with: Set on: Power-Mute-1-8-2-Power Set off: Mute-1-8-2-Power - wait for 15-20 seconds and the Service Menu screen will come up.

I'm trying to get the TV Guide to work on a 6168, and I'm hooked up to an SA 8300 HD PVR.

My cable company already provides a TV listing guide that incorporates the PVR for easy recording features, but in reading the TV Guide info that came with the TV, I can see several things I'd like to try.

Is it possible to set-up the TV Guide rather than using the cable company's listings?

I've fiddled a bit, but can't get access to TV Guide while connected via HDMI. Should I assume I can only try the TV Guide if I connect via a regular coax connection, or OTA which I don't have?

Thanks
Lexx (BTW luv that show), as far as I've been able to determine,
you need no extra equipment if you have outdoor antenna for OTA broadcasts. However, if you only have cable or dish, the built-in TV guide requires at least two things to work with cable:
1a) you need a direct coax connection so that the TV can tune itself to the "Data channel" (usually a PBS station which sends the listings), plus..
1b) you need a cable card to perform channel # mapping, because the electonic channel the cable company sends the transmission on may be diff than the "published" channel for that station; the TV Guide only knows the published channel numbers
OR
2) hook up the infrared transmitter so that the TV can change the channel on your cable box (STB); the TVGuide software will tune the STB to the correct station for downloading the daily schedules.

When using direct coax, please note also that in order for a station to appear in the TVGuide listing, it must ALSO be set up in the TVs known stations listing (the green channels list button on my remote) by using channel scan /memorize function.

Need advice on upcoming DLP purchase. Seems that lip synch and some other issues have come up with the Samsung 1080p DLP sets. I'm debating between the Toshiba, Mits, and Samsung DLP sets (around 56"). What would you guys recommend? Would Sammy's recent problems make you think twice about the other alternatives? Thanks.

You can probably toss in the new Sony SXRD sets into the mix because they also offer 1080p resolution at similar prices. Also, HP will soon release their first DLP sets that will apparently accept external 1080p signals over HDMI. No other manufacturer currently has this capability.

I own Samsung 6168 set, and I am exceptionally pleased with it. However, I am clearly in the minority when it comes to viewing needs: I watch TV only via the built-in tuner (I refuse to get a set-top box), and the only external device I have connected to the TV is my MCE-based home theater PC. I use HTPC to watch DVDs, MPEG-2 home movies, WMV HD movies, and digital pictures. I also use it as music server and to record TV.

My living room has lots of light that I cannot control during daytime viewing. I have floor to ceiling windows directly behind my couch. Therefore, all TVs with the so-called "anti-glare" screens will not work well in my house. There is simply too much glare that interferes with the picture.

For my needs, Samsung 1080p is by far the best TV. I've concluded that picture quality is the best when you feed high quality 1080p signal directly via VGA input. There are no issues with audio-video synch in this set-up. When you watch WMV HD movies at 1080p, the picture quality is very film like, something that I haven't seen with even the best 1080i HD programming. As for DVD movies, there are several posts on this forum indicating that ISF calibrators felt that HTPC provided the best DVD picture of all DVD players they calibrated. Given that a decent video card, MPEG-2 decoder, and DVD drive will cost you 6 times less than a Denon 3910 or Pioneer 59 DVD player, this has to be a real bargain provided that you already have a fairly new PC.

I haven't seen Toshiba or HP 1080p TVs. However, it is clear from Mitsubishi and Sony owner threads that neither brand can display 1080p signal over VGA properly. With Mitsubishi, you need to get the most expensive Diamond series (xx927) if you want VGA input. This set comes with the dreadful "anti-glare" screen even for 62-inch diagonal. Unfortunately, it does not appear possible to display 1080p signal extending over the entire screen with 1:1 mapping. Sony is even worse in this respect and also has the glare enhancing screen. Both Mitsubishi and Sony are more expensive that Samsung.

When watching 1080i HD TV programming or DVD movies at 1080i via HDMI inputs, I believe that you will find all sets to be similar in picture quality. If this is all that matters to you, then you may want to chose your set based on other parameters as well, including production quality issues, reliability, service quality, fan noise, etc. 1080p picture quality really is stunning and worth the extra money over 720p (IMO). For any meaningful definitive comparison, each set would have to be properly calibrated and fed the highest quality signal. This is something that cannot be accomplished by casual visits to the stores.

If you want to experience something special, e.g., 1080p signal fed directly (without deinterlacing, upscaling, and other video processing) via VGA, then only Samsung will do for now. It remains to be seen how well the new HP and Toshiba DLP sets will handle this task.

I had SethS come by on Sat to calibrate my 5668. He did a very thorough job and it took about 3 hours or so.

We had a bit of an issue at first because the SS HD950 cannot pass BTB and it crushes the last 3-4% of the blacks. Lucky my old Sony S7000 passes BTB and its what I use for movies now anyway. The SS is destined for EBay I think.

I was pleased to see that he really just tweaked the settings and I did not have anything drastic to do. All of my colors were off a bit. My gray was a little cool. He also set Gamma to 0 and did some small adjustments to the sharpness, brightness and color settings in the SM.

Now my Standard performs like Movie Mode but with the brightness and color up a bit. I will use this as my daytime setting. We have Movie now with its brightness and color reduced for dark room viewing.

He also gave me some tips on setting color and brightness. Basically turning the settings all the way up so you see all the info and then turning it all the way down so you loose all the detail. Then you know what to look for so you turn the color or brightness up until the details starts to show. Then a few clicks around that setting for personal preference. Does a pretty good job.

The trick is to find a source frame(s) that will give you the details you need. He uses Lost In Space for brightness and 5th Element for color at the user level fine adjustment.

It is highly unlikely that Samsung will be able to resolve their audio-video synch problems via firmware update. It is now well understood that Samsung DLP sets suffer more from lip synch (video lag) problems than rear projection sets from other manufacturers (Sony LCD, Mitsubishi DLP). This is especially problematic for gamers. The excessive video lag is most likely a design flaw with Samsung's video processing technology that has plagued their DLP sets from day one. Samsung is fully aware of this issue; however, they have been unable to address it so far.

Please note that xx68 and xx78 Samsung 1080p sets have a VGA input, and that there is no lag if you connect your 1080p source (e.g., a PC video card) via VGA. When you connect a video source using HDMI or component inputs, Samsung does deinterlacing, upscaling, and some other video processing that unfortunately cannot be turned off. Apparently, Samsung still hasn't figured out how to improve the speed of internal video processing to minimize the unavoidable lag relative to audio. If you send a 1080p signal over VGA, then Samsung will display it without any additional video processing. Unfortunately, this does not help you much if you are an avid gamer, and you would like to connect your XBox or PS2 game console. If so, you should probably look elsewhere for your 1080p set.

New Mitsubishi sets apparently have less of a problem with lip synch or video lag issues for gaming. However, Mitsubishi 1080p sets (with the exception of 927 series) do not have VGA input, cannot accept 1080p signal over any input, and are not suitable for HTPC hook-up (this may not matter to you). You must spend well over $1000 more to get a 927 set (Diamond series) of comparable screen size if you want VGA. This is a major oversight on the part of Mitsubishi. Once you get a 927 set, the first thing you need to do is remove the so-called "anti glare" screen because it does absolutely nothing but create glare that is totally unacceptable if you have no control over lighting in your room. You also realize that you are paying for substandard built-in PVR that is simply no match for HTPC or standalone PVRs.

Has anyone tried using an HTPC with a video capture card to scale an XBOX or other game console to 1080p? Is this possible? Does it look better? Does it improve or aggravate the lag problem? How does it compare to the GAME setting?

I also am curious if people are experiencing overscan with VGA connections.

I'm ordering one tomorrow (yay!), so even if the answer is that this is not possible or does not help in the lag department, if you've done some tinkering and had good results, I would be very grateful to hear about it!

You can probably toss in the new Sony SXRD sets into the mix because they also offer 1080p resolution at similar prices. Also, HP will soon release their first DLP sets that will apparently accept external 1080p signals over HDMI. No other manufacturer currently has this capability.

I own Samsung 6168 set, and I am exceptionally pleased with it. However, I am clearly in the minority when it comes to viewing needs: I watch TV only via the built-in tuner (I refuse to get a set-top box), and the only external device I have connected to the TV is my MCE-based home theater PC. I use HTPC to watch DVDs, MPEG-2 home movies, WMV HD movies, and digital pictures. I also use it as music server and to record TV.

My living room has lots of light that I cannot control during daytime viewing. I have floor to ceiling windows directly behind my couch. Therefore, all TVs with the so-called "anti-glare" screens will not work well in my house. There is simply too much glare that interferes with the picture.

For my needs, Samsung 1080p is by far the best TV. I've concluded that picture quality is the best when you feed high quality 1080p signal directly via VGA input. There are no issues with audio-video synch in this set-up. When you watch WMV HD movies at 1080p, the picture quality is very film like, something that I haven't seen with even the best 1080i HD programming. As for DVD movies, there are several posts on this forum indicating that ISF calibrators felt that HTPC provided the best DVD picture of all DVD players they calibrated. Given that a decent video card, MPEG-2 decoder, and DVD drive will cost you 6 times less than a Denon 3910 or Pioneer 59 DVD player, this has to be a real bargain provided that you already have a fairly new PC.

I haven't seen Toshiba or HP 1080p TVs. However, it is clear from Mitsubishi and Sony owner threads that neither brand can display 1080p signal over VGA properly. With Mitsubishi, you need to get the most expensive Diamond series (xx927) if you want VGA input. This set comes with the dreadful "anti-glare" screen even for 62-inch diagonal. Unfortunately, it does not appear possible to display 1080p signal extending over the entire screen with 1:1 mapping. Sony is even worse in this respect and also has the glare enhancing screen. Both Mitsubishi and Sony are more expensive that Samsung.

When watching 1080i HD TV programming or DVD movies at 1080i via HDMI inputs, I believe that you will find all sets to be similar in picture quality. If this is all that matters to you, then you may want to chose your set based on other parameters as well, including production quality issues, reliability, service quality, fan noise, etc. 1080p picture quality really is stunning and worth the extra money over 720p (IMO). For any meaningful definitive comparison, each set would have to be properly calibrated and fed the highest quality signal. This is something that cannot be accomplished by casual visits to the stores.

If you want to experience something special, e.g., 1080p signal fed directly (without deinterlacing, upscaling, and other video processing) via VGA, then only Samsung will do for now. It remains to be seen how well the new HP and Toshiba DLP sets will handle this task.

A very excellent report, but I am just a regular guy that would like to hook the computer up . I was set on the 6168 but got put off by all the bad reviews in this forum, especially lip sync.

I have no idea what a home theater concists of, my total budget is $4000, but I could rebuild my pc if required.

Now looking at the HP line. I want one that will display 1080p from the new HD DVD drives.

Could you explain just what a "MCE-based home theater PC" consists of. Can this be made from an ordinary PC?

What video card is in it?

What type of DVD player is in it. Is it special?

WMV HD movies, where do you get them and what is the resolution? I assume you need a decoder for them.

Who provides the "MPEG-2" and why do you need it.

You obviously have a lot of background in Home Theater, so could you explain more for us normal people!

Rayme,

New HP DLP sets will apparently accept 1080p input over HDMI, which no one else in the rear projection TV business delivers today. It does not really matter what your source is. It could be a PC or external video scaler. As for HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, it's probably best to wait until they actually ship. At this point, we would be speculating. Nevertheless, HD-DVD will go up to 1080i, and it will not support 1080p. I will not comment on Blu-Ray since that topic is a can of worms.

An MCE-based home theater PC is a PC that is running Windows XP Professional Media Center Edition OS. Yes, this OS can be deployed on ordinary PC (you can purchase OS media from Newegg) or you can buy a Media Center PC with this OS installed from a variety of manufacturers. Any recent CPU will do, e.g., 2.6 GHz or better (you may also be successful with slower CPU).

My video card is nVidia 6600GT (MSI version for $190). An ATI x800 or x850 will also work just fine. If you don't want to watch HD TV programming on your PC via QAM (cable based) or ATSC (over the air) capable tuner card, then you can use a much cheaper and passively cooled card (e.g., ATI 9600 for $60).

Any $25 DVD-ROM will do just fine. It will spin at 1x speed anyway when playing DVDs. I use Samsung.

Learn more about WMV HD movies at:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/content_provider/film/HDVideo.aspx

Before you purchase any DVDs with WMV HD content, you may want to download some clips first to see how you like it. If you use Windows OS, you will not need any decoder for WMV HD format. They are supported natively via Windows Media Player.

Many software vendors provide MPEG-2 decoders. I use PureVideo decoder from nVidia (Bronze version for $20) because it works really well with my nVidia based graphics card. You can also get them from InterVideo, WinDVD, etc. You need MPEG-2 decoder because Windows does not provide support for this format. If you want to watch DVDs or watch and record TV shows (they are encoded in MPEG-2), you will need a decoder.

It is SUCH a shame about Samsung and the lip-sync issue. THe VGA works PERFECTLY at 1080p and looks amazing for MCE etc.

To not let people use 5.1 external and play games without lag in 2005 is crazy. A $2500 62" Toshiba 1080p has no lag. Why can't Samsung speed things up!

[...]
Could you explain just what a "MCE-based home theater PC" consists of. Can this be made from an ordinary PC?
[...]


Just to make sure I didn't give you a wrong impression, you don't even need WinXP MCE OS if you just want to connect your PC to Samsung 1080p set over VGA. Your regular WinXP OS will do just fine. The key difference is that you will not have the nice 10-ft user interface and handy remote control that make MCE very easy to use from across the room.

If you connect your PC via VGA to Samsung, you will still be able to watch DVDs via Windows Media Player (and add-on MPEG-2 decoder) just fine. The quality will be the same. Just make sure you use the latest nVidia or ATI driver designed for your video card. Also, use a VGA cable that came with your computer monitor or a cheap, old VGA cable (stay away from expensive VGA cables that you can get online). This is needed for your card to get correct EDID information from Samsung (e.g., recognize the display and what modes it supports). Then you will be able to send the correct 1920x1080 resolution and timings to Samsung to get that beautiful picture. With new nVidia and ATI drivers, PowerStrip software is no longer needed.

It is SUCH a shame about Samsung and the lip-sync issue. THe VGA works PERFECTLY at 1080p and looks amazing for MCE etc.

To not let people use 5.1 external and play games without lag in 2005 is crazy. A $2500 62" Toshiba 1080p has no lag. Why can't Samsung speed things up!

Has anyone ever called Samsung Tech Support to complain about the Game lag?

I've had my 5668 for a few months now. One thing I'm really starting to notice and that is really annoying me are these purple blocks that are appearing on the screen over areas that are very dark or shadowed. It happens all the time when watching Lost (ABC HD) and I definitely noticed it a few times last night while watching Desperate House Wives. There was even one scene that was so dark, I could only see half of one of the character's face.

Has anyone else experienced this purple blocking??? If so, what did you do to correct it? I'm planning on having my TV calibrated early next year when they come back to my area, but I don't want to have to put up with this until then. I've got my Gamma set to 0 and I'm watching in Movie mode. Haven't tried the other modes, but I'm hoping maybe someone has some sort of trick to help me out.

Thanks!

Here is another WMVHD link with the HD samples. If you scroll to the bottom it will tell you if your computer can handle it and I think it lists the requirements somewhere there to get 1080p so you'll know what to buy if you need to.
http://www.wmvhd.com/

If your computer can handle it then I would rent T2 special edition I think its called. It has a WMVHD version built in and is the first "HD DVD." It is awesome.

Has anyone ever called Samsung Tech Support to complain about the Game lag?

Yes, several times, and have concluded that there is no fix for the video lag. i swear i have talked to 4 different tier two techs and have had four different answers on this topic. Friday I had a service tech out to look a my 6168 for this issue based on one SS tech telling me that the video lag could be fixed. i waited for almost a month before i saw anyone. They changed the digital board, and light engine, which did help a shadow detail problem i was having. Still the video lag was there on Xbox...i was disappointed, but i pretty much expeceted as much. there was about a half second or less of lag, and a little more if it wasn't set in game mode on the display. So... after all of the changes from fridays visit from service i called SS tech support and go yet different person, and different answer. this guy told they there is no fix for the lag, and that it had something to do with all of the processing...(i think we all know that much at this point) i asked him about potential firmware upgrades and he seemed to think that wouldn't happen either. Further more, he felt that there would still be a problem even with the XBOX 360 connected via vga, because even though it will output 720p there would still be processing done to upconvert to 1080p. still... i think i am going to hold out for the 360 and give it a try. i mean a half a second lag isn't that much...albeit too much for a FPS game. but maybe, just maybe the processing with the 360 will be just that much less that i could lose that half a second.

Actaully - I have. The CSR's some do not know, others do and state it is a part of all sets.

The issue is this: Why is the VGA NO LAG but the others have lag? THe quality of my laptop via VGA is stunning. This is why I sent it back - lag from everyting else (6168) was too much for that much money.

I am thinking of the toshiba now - no lag, no worries, VGA. Still waiting to hear people get the 1080p VGA to work ...

I hope someone can help me here, i am about to rip out my hair! :D

I just recently started having a problem with my TV that I can't quite figure out. I seem to be getting some blue streaks that screw up the picture on the screen.

Here is a shot of it running over HDMI2 from my STB to my TV: http://www.pcper.com/ryan/hdmi2.jpg

At first I thought it was an issue with the new HDMI cable I got from RAM Electronics, but upon jiggling it around, removing it and reseating it, nothing really changed. Then I happened to switch over to DTV cable input and saw the same thing occurring on the menu's overlay!

http://www.pcper.com/ryan/dtv.jpg

Keep in mind that there is nothing plugged into the cable jack on the back of the TV either.

Finally, looking at Component 1 input, to which there was no input being streamed, I saw the same thing:

http://www.pcper.com/ryan/comp1.jpg

Oh please someone help me in my time of need! Is this TV as good as dead? The problem is obviously not the cable right? Note that I did not see it over HDMI1 to which my DVD player is attached. Any significance?

Thank you for any assistance!

There's lots of Pronto remote discrete stuff out there for the HLRs, but not an easy-to-find list of OFA discretes, so here's what I came up with on my HL-R5668W. Apologies if this has been posted here before.

OFA TV code 0060

001 Power on
006 DVD mode on remote
007 VCR mode on remote
008 TV mode on remote
010 STB mode on remote
011 CABLE mode on remote
019 S-Video 3 input
022 16:9 aspect ratio
032 Dynamic picture mode
058 Mute toggle
059 Volume -
061 Component 2 input
064 D-Net menu
067 HDMI 1 input
070 Turns something off, not sure what
072 DNIE Demo toggle
073 VGA input
076 AV3 input
080 S-Video 2 input
081 HDMI 2 input
083 AV2 input
085 Standard picture mode
167 Still toggle
173 Diagnostic Status Screen I (tons of info!)
177 Diagnostic Status Screen II (even more info!)
179 GEMStar Factory Test (scary, turning off TV stops it)
183 Power toggle
185 DVI input?
186 Volume +
187 Sleep timer off
188 AV1 input
190 Component 1 input
192 S-Video 1 input
204 16:9 aspect ratio
211 4:3 aspect ratio
213 PIP toggle
220 AnyNet
223 TV speaker on?
225 TV speaker on?
238 Movie picture mode
242 Standard picture mode
247 Menu
250 Info
253 Off


Hope this helps someone...

Just to make sure I didn't give you a wrong impression, you don't even need WinXP MCE OS if you just want to connect your PC to Samsung 1080p set over VGA. Your regular WinXP OS will do just fine. The key difference is that you will not have the nice 10-ft user interface and handy remote control that make MCE very easy to use from across the room.

If you connect your PC via VGA to Samsung, you will still be able to watch DVDs via Windows Media Player (and add-on MPEG-2 decoder) just fine. The quality will be the same. Just make sure you use the latest nVidia or ATI driver designed for your video card. Also, use a VGA cable that came with your computer monitor or a cheap, old VGA cable (stay away from expensive VGA cables that you can get online). This is needed for your card to get correct EDID information from Samsung (e.g., recognize the display and what modes it supports). Then you will be able to send the correct 1920x1080 resolution and timings to Samsung to get that beautiful picture. With new nVidia and ATI drivers, PowerStrip software is no longer needed.


Thanks for the two reports. I am sure it will help a lot of people,

Ray

I had something similar but on a larger scale and the picture finally just died the next day. HERE IS MY POST (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6244588&highlight=flickering#post6244588) complete with a link to pics for you. Call service . They replaced my digital board and so far it seems ok.
Just out of curiosity, do you have a sub near the tv? It may be my imagination but when I first started noticing the flickering...it seemed that it was 'in time' with some of the louder, bass heavy scenes on my Incredibles DVD...after that it was just constant. Hope that helps.

I had something similar but on a larger scale and the picture finally just died the next day. HERE IS MY POST (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6244588&highlight=flickering#post6244588) complete with a link to pics for you. Call service . They replaced my digital board and so far it seems ok.
Just out of curiosity, do you have a sub near the tv? It may be my imagination but when I first started noticing the flickering...it seemed that it was 'in time' with some of the louder, bass heavy scenes on my Incredibles DVD...after that it was just constant. Hope that helps.
Thanks for hte info, but no the sub is pretty far from the TV and the distortion I saw today was courtesy of Price is Right! Not the most bass-based show! :D

Folks,

I was very fortunate to have Eliab calibrate my 5678 on Saturday. He is quite the pro (and an overall Dude)! Not only did he tweek all the settings to bring everything in line with SMPTE standards, he performed a ring focus adjustment, and a few other tweeks to make what I thought was an awesome picture, STUNNING!

The biggest thing though (get ready to get pissed) is that he figured out how to disable DNIe. All I can say is that I am PISSED that somebody at Samsung decided to make DNIe ALWAYS ON for this series, and removed our ability to control the setting (which as I understand is available on previous models)! This person should be FIRED immediately!!

You should be PISSED too! We should start a petition and DEMAND that Samsung give us back control of a setting that literally makes your picture SUCK big time! You cannot change this with your remote, but suffice it to say, with the correct remote and settings, you can definitely disable DNIe. The drag is that you have to do it each time you turn on the set. It is not a permanent fix, just a workaround. But, the upside is that the result of having DNIe OFF is a MUCH IMPROVED picture. Shadow detail is back and black crush is reduced. It actually is quite amazing what the difference is. It really sucks that our sets are stuck with this handicapped feature. Get MAD folks, we need to take action to get this fixed. What they did is VERY wrong :mad:

Also, if you have the opportunity to have Eliab calibrate your set, I would highly recommend that you do. He will be doing a lot less tours next year. He really is quite an artist :)

bigray327, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I was just starting to update my One For All remote to work with my setup and was trying to figure out the codes I needed. You have saved me lots of work! :D

Folks,

I was very fortunate to have Eliab calibrate my 5678 on Saturday. He is quite the pro (and an overall Dude)! Not only did he tweek all the settings to bring everything in line with SMPTE standards, he performed a ring focus adjustment, and a few other tweeks to make what I thought was an awesome picture, STUNNING!

The biggest thing though (get ready to get pissed) is that he figured out how to disable DNIe. All I can say is that I am PISSED that somebody at Samsung decided to make DNIe ALWAYS ON for this series, and removed our ability to control the setting (which as I understand is available on previous models)! This person should be FIRED immediately!!

You should be PISSED too! We should start a petition and DEMAND that Samsung give us back control of a setting that literally makes your picture SUCK big time! You cannot change this with your remote, but suffice it to say, with the correct remote and settings, you can definitely disable DNIe. The drag is that you have to do it each time you turn on the set. It is not a permanent fix, just a workaround. But, the upside is that the result of having DNIe OFF is a MUCH IMPROVED picture. Shadow detail is back and black crush is reduced. It actually is quite amazing what the difference is. It really sucks that our sets are stuck with this handicapped feature. Get MAD folks, we need to take action to get this fixed. What they did is VERY wrong :mad:

Also, if you have the opportunity to have Eliab calibrate your set, I would highly recommend that you do. He will be doing a lot less tours next year. He really is quite an artist :)

How much of a difference did the Ring Focus Adjustment make?

How much of a difference did the Ring Focus Adjustment make?
When viewing the test pattern, you could definitely see the difference. However, in normal viewing I don't think I can really notice it too much.

...........The drag is that you have to do it each time you turn on the set. It is not a permanent fix, just a workaround. But, the upside is that the result of having DNIe OFF is a MUCH IMPROVED picture.

Yes, I see from another site you need a pronto remote with special codes for this. Were you left with instructions on how to turn off the DNIe?

Thanks

Yes, I see from another site you need a pronto remote with special codes for this. Were you left with instructions on how to turn off the DNIe?

Thanks
Acutally, any learning remote will do. But, you need someone who knows the steps to disable, then program into learning remote. I got a $19.99 learning remote from Radio Shack that does the trick. I cannot get into detail on how to do this, you would have to contact Eliab at info@avical.com

Yes, I see from another site you need a pronto remote with special codes for this. Were you left with instructions on how to turn off the DNIe?

Thanks

Lexx ... please post link to site with Pronto codes, I'll take a look at them try to determine what is going on.

Yes, several times, and have concluded that there is no fix for the video lag. i swear i have talked to 4 different tier two techs and have had four different answers on this topic. Friday I had a service tech out to look a my 6168 for this issue based on one SS tech telling me that the video lag could be fixed. i waited for almost a month before i saw anyone. They changed the digital board, and light engine, which did help a shadow detail problem i was having. Still the video lag was there on Xbox...i was disappointed, but i pretty much expeceted as much. there was about a half second or less of lag, and a little more if it wasn't set in game mode on the display. So... after all of the changes from fridays visit from service i called SS tech support and go yet different person, and different answer. this guy told they there is no fix for the lag, and that it had something to do with all of the processing...(i think we all know that much at this point) i asked him about potential firmware upgrades and he seemed to think that wouldn't happen either. Further more, he felt that there would still be a problem even with the XBOX 360 connected via vga, because even though it will output 720p there would still be processing done to upconvert to 1080p. still... i think i am going to hold out for the 360 and give it a try. i mean a half a second lag isn't that much...albeit too much for a FPS game. but maybe, just maybe the processing with the 360 will be just that much less that i could lose that half a second.

Does anyone think that we may get back some of the video processing delay by getting a firmware update that will allow us to turn off DNie? IMHO they must have meant to have that as a feature, but must have had some firmware problem getting it to work (they even dedicated a button to it!). I really hope that some Samsung engineer is working on a way for us to disable that.

jpe

Does anyone think that we may get back some of the video processing delay by getting a firmware update that will allow us to turn off DNie? IMHO they must have meant to have that as a feature, but must have had some firmware problem getting it to work (they even dedicated a button to it!). I really hope that some Samsung engineer is working on a way for us to disable that.

jpe
That would be great. However, it is my understanding that a firmware update would require replacement of the digital board. If someone knows otherwise, please correct me.

Thanks!

Lexx,
I would like to reiterate the sentiment of Bill (UCSB) above....Please throw up a web reference for the IR codes/macro to disable DNIE.

GeoMetro,
was the dynamic Iris disabled?

Lexx ... please post link to site with Pronto codes, I'll take a look at them try to determine what is going on.

UCSB

Unfortunately I don't know of a site with these codes.

I just came across a similar discussion about tuning off DNIE to that posted by GeoMetro here.

I asked for codes in that forum too, but was told the info was not availabe "YET"

Sorry. No codes.

GeoMetro,
was the dynamic Iris disabled?
Not sure, where is the setting for that?

No idea.

GeoMetro ... just to make sure I understand what you are saying, a command macro was entered into your $20 radio shack learning remote that issues multiple commands to the TV. These commands turn off DNIe without going into the service menu. Right? Was the macro programmed just using the Samsung remote control?

On the Avical website for the Samsung 1080P DLP calibration package, it just lists
"Neutralization of DNIe circuitry (requires learning remote)."
It doesn't say how this is accomplished.

GeoMetro ... just to make sure I understand what you are saying, a command macro was entered into your $20 radio shack learning remote that issues multiple commands to the TV. These commands turn off DNIe without going into the service menu. Right? Was the macro programmed just using the Samsung remote control?
Hey UCSB. Not exactly. You must go into the Service Menu and make the adjustments. The issue is there is a specific sequence of steps, and the result must be saved (aging) when exiting.

That would be great. However, it is my understanding that a firmware update would require replacement of the digital board. If someone knows otherwise, please correct me.

Thanks!


There is a firmware update port on the back of the 1080p Samsung DLP. Many people currently have different versions of firmware depending on the build date. There is a previous post on the different version that are out there. The bottom if page 201 shows the various versions reported.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=559872&page=201&pp=30

Hey UCSB. Not exactly. You must go into the Service Menu and make the adjustments. The issue is there is a specific sequence of steps, and the result must be saved (aging) when exiting.

Hi Geo,
Unless there is a different way to access the service menu, I cannot imagine activating the service menu through a macro every time I turn the TV on so that I can deactivate DNIE. It takes about 15-20 seconds for the service menu to load, making an IR based macro highly unreliable.
Is there a possiblity that this fuctionality is made possible in the service menu, and requires a macro or unique code not available on the original remote control?

Isn't there usually more than one way to access the service menu on most TVs?

Hi guys

I'm brand new to these forums and a brand new owner of an HL-R6178. I'm having some serious lip-sync issues when playing certain DVD's and was wondering if anyone could help me out with comments or advice.

The problem although source related, seems to lie with the TV and not the two DVD players I've tried(H/K DVD 25 and Panasonic S77). The worst offender is "Alexander". I was unable to fully resolve the lip sync issues in this title using the S77's delay function. This delay may be varying thoughout the movie or may be greater than the S77's 100 msec maximum setting. I've tried both video players including both hdmi and component on the S77. The video delay seems to be equal for both players while utilizing component outs at 480p and seems worse when utilizing hdmi on the S77(1080i). In addition "Alexander" works just fine on the Samsung plasma we have in the living room.

A full description of the situation can be found on the eCoustics forum in the Home Video/Rear Projection section.

I apologize for the length of that thread, but was trying to provide as much information as I could. Also I'd provide a link, but I haven't made the required 5 posts so am not able to post URL's yet.

thanks

-Fishy

I use the video delay feature on my Denon 3805 and have not had any problems. I have it set between 100ms and 130ms depending on what source I'm using on the receiver. The video runs through my iscanHD+ or straight into the 6168.

The lip-sync issue is a well know problem with Samsung DLP sets. They appear to be more susceptible to this problem than rear projection TVs (including DLPs) from other manufacturers. This problem is especially annoying because the degree of lip-sync lag can vary throughout the movie. In addition, this problem has practically rendered Samsung DLP TVs useless for first person gaming.

There are three things that you can do to minimize or perhaps solve your problem:

1) Purchase a receiver that has audio delay functionality built in or purchase an external dedicated audio delay device such as Felston. This solution is a compromise at best because the degree of lip-sync lag can vary during the same movie. If you are a perfectionist, this problem may drive you nuts.

2) Connect your computer to VGA input and use DVD-ROM drive in your computer to play movies. No lag in this case plus you get a super nice picture.

3) Replace Samsung with 1080p Sony SXRD, Mitsubishi DLP, or Toshiba DLP (but check them out first to make sure that you will be happy with the way they handle Alexander the movie).

For the time being, there is absolutely nothing that you can do to your Samsung DLP TV to make this problem go away. It's a design/engineering flaw with the last three generations of Samsung DLP sets. It may be related to poorly implemented internal video processing that takes too much time to complete. Samsung has been fully aware of this flaw; however, they are unable to fix it.

Hi guys

I'm brand new to these forums and a brand new owner of an HL-R6178. I'm having some serious lip-sync issues when playing certain DVD's and was wondering if anyone could help me out with comments or advice.

The problem although source related, seems to lie with the TV and not the two DVD players I've tried(H/K DVD 25 and Panasonic S77). The worst offender is "Alexander". I was unable to fully resolve the lip sync issues in this title using the S77's delay function. This delay may be varying thoughout the movie or may be greater than the S77's 100 msec maximum setting. I've tried both video players including both hdmi and component on the S77. The video delay seems to be equal for both players while utilizing component outs at 480p and seems worse when utilizing hdmi on the S77(1080i). In addition "Alexander" works just fine on the Samsung plasma we have in the living room.

A full description of the situation can be found on the eCoustics forum in the Home Video/Rear Projection section.

I apologize for the length of that thread, but was trying to provide as much information as I could. Also I'd provide a link, but I haven't made the required 5 posts so am not able to post URL's yet.

thanks

-Fishy

This seems like a great solution for minimizing the lip sync issues: http://www.felston.com/dd540/index.htm

I understand there is no lag if you connect via VGA at 1080p... but what if you connect via VGA at another resolution, e.g., 720p or 1080i. Has any tried this and can report back?

Many thanks...

Thanks for the quick answers guys. I've spent the last 4 days agonizing over this problem and trying to learn as much as I could over the web.

Yeah I found it nearly impossible to get the lip sync right in "Alexander" via the S77. I think I must've tried different settings 30 or 40 times before the movie ended. I finally just gave up and watched the thing.

I've heard of people using the time delay on a receiver to set up a global setting, but unfortuantely mine won't do that and the delay seems to vary from title to title and maybe even during the movie. This means having to set things up differently for every movie(not good). It also is much, much worse via hdmi(not to mention severe false contours or macroblocking? in "Aviator"). It may be the genesis chip just doesn't like my set.

I was looking at the 1080p Mitsu sets, but noticed that they have only a 6 segment color wheel and no PC input. I value that feature with future blu-ray technology looming. From what I've read the 1080i should upconvert fine and since blu-ray will only support a maximum of 25 fps in 1080p(60 fps @ 1080i) that may not be such a big deal. It also looks as though the proposed HD-DVD standard will be limited to 1080i only. However this lip sync thing has me scared and having the least amount of video processing going on in the TV seems like a very good idea.

I looked at that DD540, but figured at that price I might as well go with a Sony 975, but then I read about the time delay only working with PCM out. I really don't know what that means. Does that mean my receiver which can decode DTS or Dolby Digital will be useless, i.e. make time delay adjustments with the 975 impossible? I guess I could use my analog inputs but that seems kinda dumb. Apparently this TV and the Genesis chip don't get along and the 975 is the only DVD player I can find not using that processing, yet still offering a time delay feature.

I dunno. Sound Advice has a Mitsu 1080p set(62627 I think) and I guess they have a 60 day return policy (thought it was 30 at first). That means I have about a month left to make a decision. However, when this Sammy is working right it is simply amazing and I'm worried I'll be taking a step back with regards to PQ going the Mitsu route. Has anyone actually owned both of these sets?

Sorry about the long-winded response, but I've been searching high and low for knowledgeable answers to my questions. You guys are great.

thanks

-Fishy

[note] Oh I tried going the PC route with my aiw x800xt, but aparently ATI's DVD decoder suxxorz. The picture looked awful.

One other problem too. My picture isn't centered , but I was told on the eCoustics forum that this can be adjusted, just not by me. :)

Oh one other question.

Apparently the Mitsu 62627 supports PC input via HDMI, but from what I understand 1080p is not an option with today's hdmi boards. Does anyone know what widescreen PC formats are supported by this model? I guess 1920x1080p isn't an option, but I do a bit of PC gaming and was looking forward to maybe some NFS:Most Wanted on a 61" screen. 1280x720 would be nice.

I also understand that Mitsubishi may be a higher quality product compared to Samsung. Any truth in that? Our 1 year old Samsung plasma has already been fixed once(bad relay) and is now exhibiting some weird blue lines on faces. A tech is coming out Wed(day after tomorrow) to take a look at this and my HL-R6178. Apparently theres nothing he can do about the DLP, but I was wondering about the plasma. Could these blue lines(look like veins) which we are seeing on SD cable broadcasts be a form of macroblocking or maybe some sort of dithering artifact?

Sound Advice has treated us well in the past. A new generation plasma replacement might be nice. :P

-Fishy

Sorry if I posted this already, but I couldn't find my post.

Does anyone know...if I have a cablecard installed, do I need to put the little IR wand in front of the TV's IR sensor in order for it to "do its thing" and find the TV listings? Or will it find them without that thing hooked up (unlike when I still had the cable box)

Spass

Can anyone recommend an AVR with adequate adjustable delays on each input in the $600 range. If not $600 whats the most that a 60 yr old ear needs to spend to get delays and what is a good model?

.............AVR with adequate adjustable delays on each input in the $600 range....................

This Yamaha (http://www.dealtime.com/xPO-RX_V1500) is probably available at discounted prices as the new models are just being introduced. It has an audio delay feature of 0-240 ms. I'd think that would be ample. I'm not suggesting you buy from this particular group, it's just an example of the price range.

This link from Yamaha (http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/product/av/pdfs/moreinfo/rxv1500.pdf) talks about the feature. I'm not positive if it applies to individual inputs. That question may require a phone call to someone.

PS. Just reading the brochure myself here, and I see at the botton of page 2 of this link they say the 5 digital optical inputs are "(fixed and assignable)", so that may mean individual input adjustment for any required lip sync issue.

The lip-sync issue is a well know problem with Samsung DLP sets.
For the time being, there is absolutely nothing that you can do to your Samsung DLP TV to make this problem go away. It's a design/engineering flaw with the last three generations of Samsung DLP sets. It may be related to poorly implemented internal video processing that takes too much time to complete. Samsung has been fully aware of this flaw; however, they are unable to fix it.

This is not a Samsung problem, Samsung might be one of the worse offenders for slow video but it exists in the other microdisplay sets also and should only have a real affect on gamers.

The DVD forums are full of discusion of verying audio delay caused by the DVD players with all types of TVs.

All the new AVRs have audio delay settings this would not have been done if Samsung was the only set with sync problems. I will concede that at this time the Samsung may not be the best set for gamers, I played Halo 2 and did not notice a delay that bothered me but I am really bad with the xbox controller so that means very little. I am going to get a receiver with the delay as I do find the delay anoying when sending audio to the AVR.

Can anyone recommend an AVR with adequate adjustable delays on each input in the $600 range. If not $600 whats the most that a 60 yr old ear needs to spend to get delays and what is a good model?

I have been trying to decide which one to buy for my 53 yr old ears. Denon and Harman Kardon offer delay by input and have moels in you price range.

I just had the pleasure of a visit from Eliab this past Sunday to calibrate my new 6768. Having suffered with technical installers for years who have the interpersonal skills of early primates, It was a joy to spend time with Eliab as he did his magic on my new DLP set. He was extremely personable and answered all my somewhat stupid questions with detailed and understandable answers. I won't bore you with the details of the visit as GeoMetro has done a great job of detailing the 4 plus hours that Eliab spent, but I want to underscore the results of his visit, which resulted in absolutely amazing picture quality. My wife will not leave the room and wants me to go out and buy a stack of new DVD's for her enjoyment. This is the same woman that has been glaring at this monstrous TV and asking me if I had completely lost my senses. If you want to enjoy almost perfect picture quality and the finest true color imaging possible today, then e-mail Eliab and let him work his magic for you.

@Eliab...fantastic results...Thank you. Don't forget to get the Phillips Senseo. Dinner is on me the next time you are in the Raleigh area...Regards...Jeff

I dunno. Sound Advice has a Mitsu 1080p set(62627 I think) and I guess they have a 60 day return policy (thought it was 30 at first). That means I have about a month left to make a decision. However, when this Sammy is working right it is simply amazing and I'm worried I'll be taking a step back with regards to PQ going the Mitsu route. Has anyone actually owned both of these sets?
I currently have the Samsung HLR6168 sitting in my family room. For a number of reasons, the video delay issue being one, I decided to exchange it for the Mits 62628. The delivery guys are stopping by tomorrow morning to make the exchange. I can let you know the difference once the Mits arrives.

I have been trying to decide which one to buy for my 53 yr old ears. Denon and Harman Kardon offer delay by input and have moels in you price range.I have the HK AVR 635. It has very good delay capability for each input, but there isn't enough of it -- only 80ms. I have the Felston DD540 Dual-Source Digital Audio Delay (http://www.felston.com/dd540/) unit and recommend it instead of replacing a satisfactory AVR just to get audio delay.

There are several Felston owners in this forum.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wingnut4772
Aaronwt,
I am having my HLR5688 calibrated by Eliab next month. Can you tell me what differences you noticed? What did he change exactly..do you know? TIA


Quote:
Originally posted by Aaronwt
There was a big difference in shadow detail. OOTB the blacks were crushed. I've used Eliab for the last few years and he does an excellent job. Basically after calibration the picture is superb.


Thanks for your answer . I will let you know what the differences are and try to capture the settings. My new digital board seems to be holding up also. No flickering yet.

I have the HK AVR 635. It has very good delay capability for each input, but there isn't enough of it -- only 80ms. I have the Felston DD540 Dual-Source Digital Audio Delay (http://www.felston.com/dd540/) unit and recommend it instead of replacing a satisfactory AVR just to get audio delay.

There are several Felston owners in this forum.
I am also a Felston owner. It is a great unit. My Denon does not have audio delay so it was cheaper to get Felston than buy new unit. And, good thing, as I have a 143ms delay for my Oppo :eek:

...And, good thing, as I have a 143ms delay for my Oppo :eek:Is your Oppo an upgraded version. The last I heard folks were waiting for a firmware mod to increase the delay available.

I have the HK AVR 635. It has very good delay capability for each input, but there isn't enough of it -- only 80ms. I have the Felston DD540 Dual-Source Digital Audio Delay (http://www.felston.com/dd540/) unit and recommend it instead of replacing a satisfactory AVR just to get audio delay.

There are several Felston owners in this forum.

Will the Felston handle more than one device? My Sony AVR is getting kind of long in the tooth so I don't mind replacing it.

Will the Felston handle more than one device? My Sony AVR is getting kind of long in the tooth so I don't mind replacing it.It has two inputs and one output. It can remember 6 different delays for each input.

Is your Oppo an upgraded version. The last I heard folks were waiting for a firmware mod to increase the delay available.
Mine has the earlier fw on it, and supports up to 50ms. There has been discussions with Oppo about raising to 100ms in a future release - but I don't see it in the release that came out last week: http://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h_support.html

Even so, in my case 100ms would not be enough with my current Denon.

Even so, in my case 100ms would not be enough with my current Denon.Right. I'm using something betwee 115ms and 125ms depending on the source.

Does anyone know how the Ring Focus adjustment is made as previously cited by aaronwt?

Thanks

Jim

It has two inputs and one output. It can remember 6 different delays for each input.

The Felston DD540 has 2 inputs and 2 outputs.

I've had my 6168 a week now and I have noticed some blotches in the dark spots on the screen.
The best way to describe it is that the darker portions of the picture looks like a solarized photo would look.
I haven't had the tv calibrated yet. Will calibration solve this problem?
I see it once in a while on HD content, but its more prevalent on SD content.
Any suggestions?

I currently have the Samsung HLR6168 sitting in my family room. For a number of reasons, the video delay issue being one, I decided to exchange it for the Mits 62628. The delivery guys are stopping by tomorrow morning to make the exchange. I can let you know the difference once the Mits arrives.

That'd be great.

Today while arranging for pickup of my 6178 for return I noticed that the 6178 floor model was slightly "behind" other 720p sets. Whenever the store's HD feed switched frames the 6178 would "blink" slightly after the image had changed on other sets. I don't think it was enough delay to create any noticeable lip sync lag if there was any audio, but it definitely was there. I imagine this delay of course would worsen when the TV was under a heavier processing load say while watching certain DVD's. I hope this is the case and that the Mitsu 1080p sets have faster video processing for "problem" material because there was also a noticeable delay on the 62628.

I also took a look at Sony's 60" SXRD and there may have been a slight delay there as well, but was barely noticeable. The colors were off on that set(too much green), but I think the picture was actually a bit sharper and less noisy than the Mits 62628 two TV's down. I really can't deal with the Sony's aesthetics however, or I might consider it as a replacement.

I'm really starting to get bummed out now. Wish I didn't have to return my Sammy, but although I consider the PQ of the 6178 the superior of three I can't really deal with the video lag. If it was consistent that would be one thing, but some of my DVD's play just fine while others have serious lip sync issues. Even if I aquire a Felston I'd still be fiddling with things prior to enjoying each movie. Even my salesman admitted this was a problem that couldn't be fully addresed with my particular TV.

Thats simply not acceptable when paying this much for a set.

thanks for the help

-Fishy

I have the HK AVR 635. It has very good delay capability for each input, but there isn't enough of it -- only 80ms. I have the Felston DD540 Dual-Source Digital Audio Delay (http://www.felston.com/dd540/) unit and recommend it instead of replacing a satisfactory AVR just to get audio delay.

There are several Felston owners in this forum.

I thought I had read that the delay on the Harman Kardon was greater than 80ms, but I could be wrong I read a lot of different things the felston has only two inputs and would take care of DVD and STB but not the xbox. I have a 6 year old sony so maybe the right AVR would be the best bet.

I've had my 6168 a week now and I have noticed some blotches in the dark spots on the screen.
The best way to describe it is that the darker portions of the picture looks like a solarized photo would look.
I haven't had the tv calibrated yet. Will calibration solve this problem?
I see it once in a while on HD content, but its more prevalent on SD content.
Any suggestions?

I noticed the same thing on my 6178 in certain dark scenes in "The Aviator" DVD and while watching "Rome" on HBO HD. From what I've read this is referred to as "False Contouring", or you guessed it, "Solarization". The problem also worsened a great deal when using a different DVD player(S77) with the Genesis chip. This chip is known to have "Macroblocking" issues with some displays. I'm not sure if this is the same problem as macroblocking, but I think they may be related. When viewing the color calibration screen in DVE via the S77 I noticed pixelation around the edges of the squares which wasn't present when calibrating things with my older, non-upconverting, h/k DVD 25. My guess is that this is the macroblocking everyone is talking about.

I have no idea if this is a problem that can be lessened for cable/satellite broadcasts, but it seems things change quite a bit depending on the player used for watching DVD's.

Hope that was some help.

-Fishy

That'd be great.

Today while arranging for pickup of my 6178 for return I noticed that the 6178 floor model was slightly "behind" other 720p sets. Whenever the store's HD feed switched frames the 6178 would "blink" slightly after the image had changed on other sets. I don't think it was enough delay to create any noticeable lip sync lag if there was any audio, but it definitely was there. I imagine this delay of course would worsen when the TV was under a heavier processing load say while watching certain DVD's. I hope this is the case and that the Mitsu 1080p sets have faster video processing for "problem" material because there was also a noticeable delay on the 62628.

I also took a look at Sony's 60" SXRD and there may have been a slight delay there as well, but was barely noticeable. The colors were off on that set(too much green), but I think the picture was actually a bit sharper and less noisy than the Mits 62628 two TV's down. I really can't deal with the Sony's aesthetics however, or I might consider it as a replacement.

I'm really starting to get bummed out now. Wish I didn't have to return my Sammy, but although I consider the PQ of the 6178 the superior of three I can't really deal with the video lag. If it was consistent that would be one thing, but some of my DVD's play just fine while others have serious lip sync issues. Even if I aquire a Felston I'd still be fiddling with things prior to enjoying each movie. Even my salesman admitted this was a problem that couldn't be fully addresed with my particular TV.

Thats simply not acceptable when paying this much for a set.

thanks for the help

-Fishy

Fishy,

Don't give up... You're almost there. I have heard various people say there is no lag when you hook up a PC via VGA. You mentioned having tried using your PC and were not impressed with the picture quality, but I suspect you just need to have someone help you set up your PC properly.

Your video card is a very good one (I used to have that model, and use it now for my HTPC) and a PC does a dramatically better job playing DVDs on these HDTVs because it can feed them a signal in their native resolution. If you are getting bad image quality, you PC is not configured properly yet. if I were you, I would look for recommendations of someone in your area who could help you set it up. I am still waiting for my 1080p, but the improvement in picture quality on my friend's Samsung 720p was extraordinary.

Do others agree? Disagree?

Best of Luck...

I thought I had read that the delay on the Harman Kardon was greater than 80ms...The "635" user manual doesn't give any delay information. When I used the delay option it topped out at 80ms on all my inputs. If you find out something different let me know.

Fishy,

Don't give up... You're almost there. I have heard various people say there is no lag when you hook up a PC via VGA. You mentioned having tried using your PC and were not impressed with the picture quality, but I suspect you just need to have someone help you set up your PC properly.

Your video card is a very good one (I used to have that model, and use it now for my HTPC) and a PC does a dramatically better job playing DVDs on these HDTVs because it can feed them a signal in their native resolution. If you are getting bad image quality, you PC is not configured properly yet. if I were you, I would look for recommendations of someone in your area who could help you set it up. I am still waiting for my 1080p, but the improvement in picture quality on my friend's Samsung 720p was extraordinary.

Do others agree? Disagree?

Best of Luck...

So it looks like the verdict is in:

Only Samsung 1080p DLP sets (68 and 78 series) can display properly native external 1080p signal via VGA input with perfect 1:1 pixel mapping. In the case of Samsung, this can be accomplished very easily with no need for tweaks, PowerStrip software, etc. The latest nVidia and ATI drivers will detect the TV properly and allow you to send 1920x1080 at 60Hz, which is 1080p. They also have handy automatic overscan correction for those who need it. It just works.

Based on numerous posts on Mitsubishi 1080p DLP, Toshiba 1080p DLP, and Sony 1080p SXRD forums, these three brands cannot accept 1080p over VGA, and certainly cannot accept 1080p over HDMI. Trying to connect a PC over VGA has brought nothing but misery to new owners. It just does not work no matter what one tries. It is safe to say that these sets are not meant to be used with computers. Manufacturers assertions to the contrary really amount to false advertising.

Sony 1080p SXRD appears to be the worst of all. Attempting to connect a PC via VGA is apparently an excercise in frustration. It does not work at all at most resolutions. Toshiba actually states in the manual that VGA input is limited to 768 lines of horizontal resolution. Mitsubishi can project an image; however, there is apparently no way to fill the screen, and there is no hope of getting 1:1 pixel mapping, which means that TV always has to scale the picture.

Folks are also trying to connect PCs to HDMI inputs by using DVI->HDMI cables or HDMI adapters for DVI cables. Some are reporting good results (Mac G5 on Mitsubishi); however, the majority of these attempts also result in failure. Even when succeeding in projecting a PC desktop, the image can shift when switching to full screen mode to play videos. Moreover, given that HDMI inputs are currently limited to 1080i, one must artificially interlace the native 1080p PC output to get TVs to even recognize the signal. Of course, it's possible to connect at lower resolutions, e.g., 720p.

So, if HTPC matters to you and you like a razor sharp 1080p picture, stick to Samsung 68 and 78 series for now. The situation may change after HP releases their much awaited DLP sets that support 1080p over HDMI.

So it looks like the verdict is in:

Only Samsung 1080p DLP sets (68 and 78 series) can display properly native external 1080p signal via VGA input with perfect 1:1 pixel mapping. In the case of Samsung, this can be accomplished very easily with no need for tweaks, PowerStrip software, etc. The latest nVidia and ATI drivers will detect the TV properly and allow you to send 1920x1080 at 60Hz, which is 1080p. They also have handy automatic overscan correction for those who need it. It just works.

Based on numerous posts on Mitsubishi 1080p DLP, Toshiba 1080p DLP, and Sony 1080p SXRD forums, these three brands cannot accept 1080p over VGA, and certainly cannot accept 1080p over HDMI. Trying to connect a PC over VGA has brought nothing but misery to new owners. It just does not work no matter what one tries. It is safe to say that these sets are not meant to be used with computers. Manufacturers assertions to the contrary really amount to false advertising.

Sony 1080p SXRD appears to be the worst of all. Attempting to connect a PC via VGA is apparently an excercise in frustration. It does not work at all at most resolutions. Toshiba actually states in the manual that VGA input is limited to 768 lines of horizontal resolution. Mitsubishi can project an image; however, there is apparently no way to fill the screen, and there is no hope of getting 1:1 pixel mapping, which means that TV always has to scale the picture.

Folks are also trying to connect PCs to HDMI inputs by using DVI->HDMI cables or HDMI adapters for DVI cables. Some are reporting good results (Mac G5 on Mitsubishi); however, the majority of these attempts also result in failure. Even when succeeding in projecting a PC desktop, the image can shift when switching to full screen mode to play videos. Moreover, given that HDMI inputs are currently limited to 1080i, one must artificially interlace the native 1080p PC output to get TVs to even recognize the signal. Of course, it's possible to connect at lower resolutions, e.g., 720p.

So, if HTPC matters to you and you like a razor sharp 1080p picture, stick to Samsung 68 and 78 series for now. The situation may change after HP releases their much awaited DLP sets that support 1080p over HDMI.

So there's hope?

How do you set up 1:1 pixel mapping on the PC input? I think I read somewhere in this enormous thread that you have to set something up and that slight overscan would result.

I may have one other problem using my computer as a DVD player and that, believe it or not is audio lag. I tried playing a couple games on the 6178 and noticed an echo when both my computer speakers and my HT were running. In other words there was audio lag in my onboard sound chip(nVidia) when running the spdif out to my receiver. I have no idea how to fix this. I have an old SB Audigy Platinum card, but I don't think it does 5.1 out. I have an Extigy(USB/5.1 only) I used to use before I got my h/k receiver(ghetto home theater, lol). I could try that I guess.

Lemme fire this thing up again and see if I can figure out this 1:1 pixel mapping thing. Maybe my vga cable is garbage. I did notice a bit of ghosting on the icons in the corners of the screen, but I think I was just sitting too close.

Lol, my salesman is gonna hate me if I keep cancelling and uncancelling this set.

:)

-Fishy

Woohoo!

It actually works. I don't know if I did the pixel mapping thing right, but I reset the screensize, then maxed it out , and then hit the auto adjustment and by golly, I now have perfect lip sync in "Alexander", at least over my computer speakers. I still have to figure out the audio lag when connected to my h/k AVR 525. I sure hope it isn't the receiver itself. I don't really want to drop another $1000 on a new Harmon Kardon. I'll try hooking it up with my motherboard's analog outs and see if that helps.

The other problem is the noisy picture. Its not that bad, but things still look better with the h/k DVD 25(480p). Could it be my vga cable? I picked it up from Newegg for very cheap. Its fine for gaming, but may be not up to snuff for HT. If so, any recommendations? I'd be willing to spend a good deal on a high end cable if it would make a difference.

Hmmm.... maybe its my actual power supply. I have a APC XS 1500 UPS I haven't hooked up yet. I'll give that a try.

Thanks guys. You all rock!

-Fishy

The first step is to download and install the most recent Catalyst drivers for your card from ATI. These drivers include an application called Catalyst Control Center (CCC), which has a wizard for figuring out the correct resolution needed by TVs, correcting overscan, etc. In order to use the CCC, you will also need to install Microsoft's .NET framework, which you can get from Microsoft's Windows Update website. Your PC should end up sending a 1920x1080, non-interlaced signal at 60hz, and you'll know you're on the right track when your Windows desktop looks clean and clear.

You need a decent DVD decoder and DVD player software. You might try TheaterTek, which is a DVD player that comes with a DVD decoder and has a free try-before-you-buy demo. Eventually, when you are feeling more adventurous, TheaterTek will work with a free program called Ffdshow that can do some impressive sharpening, scaling, etc.

The sound problem is harder to diagnose. There should be a setting in the DVD player software called SPDIF only. Try that and see if you still hear sound out of your PC speakers (hopefully not) and whether you notice any lag in the sound coming thru your receiver.

Anyway, this is probably verging on off topic, and it makes sense to try the HTPC forum for further advice. Good luck...

I tried analog connections and it worked fine so I guess its not my receiver. I'll download CCC and the check out the HTPC forums. Going to disable the analog out on my motherboard and see if that helps the audio lag.

Thanks a bunch for the help.

-Fishy

For those of you who've viewed 1080p input from VGA, I have 2 questions:

1. Can the set still display graphics on top of the video you're sending, such as the TV guide menu etc? In other words, can is display characters or lines which are sent from the TV's firmware?

2. Have you verified that the TV isn't down-sampling your video in the horizontal direction? In other words, suppose you input 1920x1080, but the set samples every 2 adjacent pixels and averages them, displaying really only 960x1080? The only way to know this is to have very thin vertical lines, or by perhaps creating an image file in MS Paint, etc with odd and even numbered pixels having different colors.

Why would it downsample? The native resolution is 1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz. If you send it over VGA at the native resolution then there should be no resampling at all.

As far as your first question, unless there would be cross talk on the inputs, the answer is no. If you hit a wrong button on the remote, like the channel up button, then an error message is displayed.

I am the owner of a Samsung 6768 which I am very happy with; however, I have noticed at times varying picture quality with respect to HD broadcasts that are supposedly in 1080i. Is this normal? For example, some programs on INHD look stunning, but others don't, and the quality varies quite a bit. For example, "PGA Golf" looks great, but Warren Miller's "Snowriders" looks worse than Monday Night Football which we know is 720P. In fact, some of the 720P seems to look better than the 1080i. I have comcast cable and I have verified that my box is set to receive 1080i. Can some of you experts on this board explain this? Thanks.

jmakarechian

Welcome to the world of hi def, where everthing you see isn't.

Samsung 1080p DLP sets (68, 78 and 88 series) can display properly native external 1080p signal via VGA input with perfect 1:1 pixel mapping.

For those of you who've viewed 1080p input from VGA, I have 2 questions:

1. Can the set still display graphics on top of the video you're sending, such as the TV guide menu etc? In other words, can is display characters or lines which are sent from the TV's firmware?

2. Have you verified that the TV isn't down-sampling your video in the horizontal direction? In other words, suppose you input 1920x1080, but the set samples every 2 adjacent pixels and averages them, displaying really only 960x1080? The only way to know this is to have very thin vertical lines, or by perhaps creating an image file in MS Paint, etc with odd and even numbered pixels having different colors.

1. When you play a video on HTPC (e.g., live or recorded TV, home video, DVD movie), you can display characters or lines from TV's firmware. For example, if you hit the Menu button on TV's remote, you will get the menu overlay, and you will be able to adjust the picture. I hope this is what you meant.

2. No, I have not conducted the test you suggested. Given that these TVs are capable of displaying 1920x1080 as their native resolution, it would seem bizarre for the TV to downsample the 1920x1080 input signal. How exactly would you average adjacent pixels? On my PC input, TV reports the following resolution: 1920x1080 at 60Hz. If you create that image in MS Paint, I would be glad to test your hypothesis.

Hi guys

I'm brand new to these forums and a brand new owner of an HL-R6178. I'm having some serious lip-sync issues when playing certain DVD's and was wondering if anyone could help me out with comments or advice.

The problem although source related, seems to lie with the TV and not the two DVD players I've tried(H/K DVD 25 and Panasonic S77). The worst offender is "Alexander". I was unable to fully resolve the lip sync issues in this title using the S77's delay function. This delay may be varying thoughout the movie or may be greater than the S77's 100 msec maximum setting. I've tried both video players including both hdmi and component on the S77. The video delay seems to be equal for both players while utilizing component outs at 480p and seems worse when utilizing hdmi on the S77(1080i). In addition "Alexander" works just fine on the Samsung plasma we have in the living room.

A full description of the situation can be found on the eCoustics forum in the Home Video/Rear Projection section.

I apologize for the length of that thread, but was trying to provide as much information as I could. Also I'd provide a link, but I haven't made the required 5 posts so am not able to post URL's yet.

thanks

-Fishy
I had the same experience with my SS HD950 via HDMI. I have sinced stopped using it and switched over to another player which is outputting 480i over component. Very small lip sync there and its consistant with this disk. I think there is very significant problems with these TV's via HDMI in regard to lip sync that does not occur with component connections.

I have other disks that experience the same problem (try the first few chapters of Pirates of the Carribean and Spanglish for example)

Pumbaa 56, the sets are really 960 like you said but that is during the processing I guess so the end result that you see is 1080. The sets divide the picture between left and right, so the left side fills first and then the right. There is no association with the pixels like you suggest.

I lost track of the thread for a couple of weeks so I apologize if this has already been posted, but since I found it very useful I will post it anyway. The discrete codes (in HEX) for the picture modes are:

Standard Picture Mode: 04
Dynamic Picture Mode: 42
Movie Picture Mode: 84

I have tried them on my Harmony 880 and they all work.

Rehan

Samsung 1080p DLP sets (68, 78 and 88 series) can display properly native external 1080p signal via VGA input with perfect 1:1 pixel mapping.
1:1 pixel mapping only applies for discrete digital pixels from the source as well as discrete pixels on the display..

That is, the digital signal was already converted to analog in the video card. Thus any 1:1 mapping was lost. However the PQ can still look very good!

I lost track of the thread for a couple of weeks so I apologize if this has already been posted, but since I found it very useful I will post it anyway. The discrete codes (in HEX) for the picture modes are:

Standard Picture Mode: 04
Dynamic Picture Mode: 42
Movie Picture Mode: 84

I have tried them on my Harmony 880 and they all work.

Rehan

How do you program the HEX codes into the Harmony remotes?

New owner of 6168...first post/new avs member...please be gentle...

1st Question...
Is there a way to remove the TV antenna input in the source list? Hitting the source button and having to cycle past the weak signal/no signal screen seems annoying.

2nd Question...
When I first turn on the television for the first 3 to 5 minutes, there is a fair amount of "interference" with intermittent fuzziness to the screen and an overload of green hue. It then resolves to normal color without any residual effect. It is present on both my hd cable feed as well as via my dvd feed, so I don't think it is source related. I was wondering if anyone has a similar issue or suggestions on how to prevent this.

Overall, I love the set...the image quality and contrast are amazing. I have it set up in my family room and it is competing with a sliding glass door with a lot of glare and performing beautifully.

Thanks for your help.

How do you program the HEX codes into the Harmony remotes?

I emailed them to Harmony Customer Service and they programmed them in for me. They should have the codes now. My username for Harmony site is also "ryzvy" so if you want you can ask them to copy them in from my account.

DOes HArmony have the discrete code for HDMI2 now?

The only thing I'm not happy with, after having the 6178 for six weeks is the inky darknest and lack of shadow depth (if that makes sense) on certain shows. Last night I watched Lost and Invasion and both shows were really dark. The face shadows are the worst. When I walk out on my porch where I have a high def LCD by the pool that picture looks entirely different, ie. brighter. But when I switched over to the Astro's game that picture on the Sammy was stunning....really bright and crisp. Anyone notice that? I've tried all the pic modes...maybe it's time to call in a calibrator?

DOes HArmony have the discrete code for HDMI2 now?

Yes, they do. The HEX code is E9 and the Pronto code (in case that works for you) is:
0000 006D 0000 0022 00AC 00AB 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015
0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016
0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015
0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0041
0015 0016 0015 0041 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0016 0015 0680

I didn't realize it was not posted here or I would have posted it earlier.

Rehan

I am the owner of a Samsung 6768 which I am very happy with; however, I have noticed at times varying picture quality with respect to HD broadcasts that are supposedly in 1080i. Is this normal? For example, some programs on INHD look stunning, but others don't, and the quality varies quite a bit. For example, "PGA Golf" looks great, but Warren Miller's "Snowriders" looks worse than Monday Night Football which we know is 720P. In fact, some of the 720P seems to look better than the 1080i. I have comcast cable and I have verified that my box is set to receive 1080i. Can some of you experts on this board explain this? Thanks.

The short answer is source material. Everybody has their own idea about what they should broadcast and how. Once you have everything running the way you want, when you get something less than optimal, assume it is the source first.

Guys don't stone me, but I've owned the Samsung 5688 1080p since late Aug, but after reading Sound & Visions latest issue (Nov) on the new HP 1080p DLP set, I am seriously thinking of maybe trading in my Samsung for the HP.

The reviews on it were excellent, with the only negative being RBE.
Pros: deep, rich blacks
Accurate, well-saturated color
excellent resolution w/ Hi-Def
Extensive Settings menu
Accepts 1080p input via HDMI
Front panel access for connections

Cons: RBE (Rainbow Effects)

According to the review, this set was rated behind only the Sony Quila006 in the 1080p RPTV.

Hmm....I wonder if TVA would do take back or do a trade in, of my 5688 for the new HP1080p?

Guys don't stone me, but I've owned the Samsung 5688 1080p since late Aug, but after reading Sound & Visions latest issue (Nov) on the new HP 1080p DLP set, I am seriously thinking of maybe trading in my Samsung for the HP.

The reviews on it were excellent, with the only negative being RBE.
Pros: deep, rich blacks
Accurate, well-saturated color
excellent resolution w/ Hi-Def
Extensive Settings menu
Accepts 1080p input via HDMI
Front panel access for connections

Cons: RBE (Rainbow Effects)

According to the review, this set was rated behind only the Sony Quila006 in the 1080p RPTV.


Yes, everyone should rush out and buy whatever a magazine rates as best. Have you seen this set? Have you seen this set with the same quality feeds that you have on your samsung? Do you believe it's better?

:rolleyes:

Yes, everyone should rush out and buy whatever a magazine rates as best. Have you seen this set? Have you seen this set with the same quality feeds that you have on your samsung? Do you believe it's better?

:rolleyes:

Becareful rolling your eyes to hard & long, they may get stuck. :)

No I haven't, but SOUND & VISION is a respected Mag. Also the fact that the blacks are detailed & rich, based on the review, intrigues me, plus the 1080p via HDMI is key, I think.

Wen I purchased the HDTV, I did so with the idea of not getting another one for a long time. I lvoe my Samsung 5688, but the fact it can't accept 1080p input via HDMI, concerns me now & for the future. Knowing another set can input 1080p & got a great review, has me thinking, that's all.

Becareful rolling your eyes to hard & long, they may get stuck. :)

No I haven't, but SOUND & VISION is a respected Mag. Also the fact that the blacks are detailed & rich, based on the review, intrigues me, plus the 1080p via HDMI is key, I think.

Wen I purchased the HDTV, I did so with the idea of not getting another one for a long time. I lvoe my Samsung 5688, but the fact it can't accept 1080p input via HDMI, concerns me now & for the future. Knowing another set can input 1080p & got a great review, has me thinking, that's all.
Yes, there have been great reviews of both the Sony LCOS 1080p and now the HP DLP 1080P. It is frustrating that no professional reviews have come out on the Sam 1080P (my apologies if I have missed them) and I have started to question whether I made the right decision. However, when that happends, I just go into my living room and kick back and watch a nice broadcast of HD football or a HD verision of prime-time network tv and remind myself that the 5668 has a flat out stunning picture. No/minimal buyer's remorse here. My $.02

i won't feel remorse until Eliab tells me that the HP is the best TV he has ever calibrated. Out of the 1080p sets he has calibrated, he stills prefers the Samsung.

I still love my Sammy 6168 but I'd have to say my attempt to build an HTPC is a bust. I was chasing this goal of great "1:1 WMVHD" 1920:1080p DVD playback, so I bought all this "stuff". What I get is an okay computer monitor (from a distance - looks like SD) but really fuzzy DVD playback. The old 480i DVD player is light years better. I've tried tweaking everything from new drivers to diffferent refresh rates and resolutions - but to no avail. The only thing that looks good is the fishbowl screensaver. But I'm getting bored watching it for hours on end ... Anyway, here's the setup:

Biostar Motherboard with AMD 2600+ Sempron
512MB PC2700 DRAM
Gigabyte Nvida GEFORCE 6200T with PureVideo (this was supposed to be the key)
D-Link G510 Wireless card (so I can do Internet browsing from the couch)
Microsoft RF Optical Mouse and Keyboard (ditto)
Aspire X-QPACK case and power supply
High Quality VGA cable

Looks like about $700 bucks down the drain to me. Anybody have any thoughts?

oneballeddie,
It looks like you are going to need at least 512megs more (if I read that right).
I would hook it to a standard monitor and see if it looks good there. If it looks crappy on that, you are doing something else wrong.
There are a lot of little settings that need to be checked like H/W and color acceleration, etc.

I still don't have my 6168 repaired yet (going on 2 weeks) but it is nice to see some nice words on the set lately.

While this is better served in the HTPC forum, what software player are you using for DVD? Are you using Overlay or VMR? With your VGA cable, are you able to set the display to get 1920 x 1080? - some of the more expensive ones, will actually limit you on this.

The HTPC should by all practical means, blow the doors off your 480i DVD player.

The cheaper the VGA the better. Try the one that was included free with your monitor. Free ones work great at least to test. I don't know about the video card but it is probably that. What is the highest resolution you can get with the card? It has to be 60hz so check the manual or their site and see what it can do. People here have said you can get 1080 on some video cards but not necessarily video. That is you should see the desktop in 1080 but maybe not play a DVD in 1080 or full screen. I would look at the card again and see. The computer I think is good except maybe the memory. I don't know how much that affects the display though?

Yes it's 512MB not 512KB of DRAM as I mistakenly wrote (until corrected above). Yes the VGA cable supports 1920x1080. Yes DVD looks equally bad on standard FP monitor (max 1280x1024). The player is built into MCE - whatever it uses for overlay.

Not sure how main memory would improve picture quality. 6200 PCI-Express card has 256MB. Can the DVD drive itself affect this? It does have trouble getting through the entire movie - picture sticks/freezes after about 3 minutes.

I've attached a couple of photos of the HDTV comparing the DVD output to the HTPC so you can get an idea of the problem. Not the best quality but I think you can see what's going on.

Thanks for the help!

Edit: Oops - attachments were too big

I don't use MCE, but from what I've read in the HTPC area, most are using someother DVD program. I am not sure if it is TheatreTech or Zoom. Also with MCE, I think you will need a MacroVision filter, like AnyDVD to get past the 480i restriction.

Another source for MCE information you might want to check is http://thegreenbutton.com/

I know when I connected my system with WinXP, a 6600 GT card and 2GB of memory, and Athlon64 3000+, the picture was excellent. I'm putting together a system with a small shuttle case and a 6800 card with a Athlon64 3500+, and a Mystique DD encoder card(to encode multichannel audio from WMVHD discs so I don't need to use analog outs). I'm hoping I will get similar results to the system I tried.

Please explain your wireless setup...I want to do the same thing