Yup, that's just the picture I was getting. Fortunately the tech in my area has seen it before and is confident that the new light engine module will correct the problem. Scheduled for a replacement on Monday.

Hopefully that will work. I don't know if the dlp chip is on the light engine module, but if it isn't, I would have him check the dlp chip. The reflective side of the dlp chip was flawed or damaged and thats why my tv was displaying the frozen image across half the screen.

Aaronwt,

David Abrams did offer to install the glued in velux (cloth, I think). Do you see enough see the improvement to pronounced enough to justify this more permanent type installation?

Jim

Removable Velux/Foamcore-board panels. The Velux has a tape backing so you stick it on the Foamcore panels. The panels are cut to fit inside the TV and then the Velux is put on the Foamcore which is them put inside the tV. It is a noticeable improvement it the picture. The balck levels are better and you get a more 3D like picture. I don't see the reflections like I used to either. I just wish my VP30 would have arrived before Eliab had returned to install the panels.

Long time lurker, first time poster...

It's been 8 years since I bought a TV AVR setup.

After almost a year of following this forum and doing a two step without actually purchasing anything, I finally caved and bought

Samsung HLR5668 1080p
Samsung DVD-HD845
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV

to replace my Toshiba 36" CRT, Yamaha Receiver, and Panasonic A110 DVD player.

So my TV arrives tomorrow and I'm quite excited, yet apprehensive at the same time. I hear so many technical problems with the system, but I'm just hoping to be the silent majority (?) who have no problems at all.

I guess my biggest question is this, should I let my brand new TV sit off indoors for a few hours before I hook it up? I think I read that somewhere around here but can't seem to find the thread. I'm anxious to hook everything up, but I don't want to go and mess it up by being over eager.

I was planning on going Component from the STB and X360 to the Pioneer and HDMI from the DVD player to the Pioneer, then HDMI to the TV. I read on this forum about the potential HDCP repeater issues between cable boxes and my specific AVR model.

I also have the option of CableCard in the Bay Area, but can't seem to get a good feel as to their worth. Any thoughts?

Any pointers, tips would be helpful for my first venture into the world of HD. Of course I can't wait to try my X360 on it as well.

Long time lurker, first time poster...

It's been 8 years since I bought a TV AVR setup.

After almost a year of following this forum and doing a two step without actually purchasing anything, I finally caved and bought

Samsung HLR5668 1080p
Samsung DVD-HD845
Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV

to replace my Toshiba 36" CRT, Yamaha Receiver, and Panasonic A110 DVD player.

So my TV arrives tomorrow and I'm quite excited, yet apprehensive at the same time. I hear so many technical problems with the system, but I'm just hoping to be the silent majority (?) who have no problems at all.

I guess my biggest question is this, should I let my brand new TV sit off indoors for a few hours before I hook it up? I think I read that somewhere around here but can't seem to find the thread. I'm anxious to hook everything up, but I don't want to go and mess it up by being over eager.

I was planning on going Component from the STB and X360 to the Pioneer and HDMI from the DVD player to the Pioneer, then HDMI to the TV. I read on this forum about the potential HDCP repeater issues between cable boxes and my specific AVR model.

I also have the option of CableCard in the Bay Area, but can't seem to get a good feel as to their worth. Any thoughts?

Any pointers, tips would be helpful for my first venture into the world of HD. Of course I can't wait to try my X360 on it as well.

Welcome ... you do NOT need to let your new TV sit unused in when it arrives. There will not be a big enough indoor/outdoor temp differential in San Jose to create any problems.

I have Comcast in the Bay Area and I think that the Motorola 6412 HD DVR is much more useful than CableCard for only a couple of dollars a month more. I would go to the DVR first and you will not need to pay the $6.95/mo extra for the CableCard.

I am not sure the Samsung DVD-845 is going to give you your best picture on DVD's ... so keep an open mind on that component if you are still within a window where you can do a return.

Good luck.

Originally posted by aaronwt...
Removable Velux/Foamcore-board panels. The Velux has a tape backing so you stick it on the Foamcore panels. The panels are cut to fit inside the TV and then the Velux is put on the Foamcore which is them put inside the tV. It is a noticeable improvement it the picture. The balck levels are better and you get a more 3D like picture. I don't see the reflections like I used to either. I just wish my VP30 would have arrived before Eliab had returned to install the panels.

I had this done by Eliab a few weeks ago on my HLR-6178W. I agree that there is a noticeable difference in black level. I also used to see light leaking from the bottom of the bezel during very dark scenes before the foam core board/Velux treatment and after the the leaking light was gone. I believe my TV was Eliab's first 61" and he worked on it for 5-6 hours to get it perfect. If your looking to get every ounce of performance out of your HLR-XX78W I highly recommend this treatment.
Thanks,
-Mike

I had this done by Eliab a few weeks ago on my HLR-6178W. I agree that there is a noticeable difference in black level. I also used to see light leaking from the bottom of the bezel during very dark scenes before the foam core board/Velux treatment and after the the leaking light was gone. I believe my TV was Eliab's first 61" and he worked on it for 5-6 hours to get it perfect. If your looking to get every ounce of performance out of your HLR-XX78W I highly recommend this treatment.
Thanks,
-Mike

I have the 6168W. There is one thing that slightly bothers me about my TV and that is I can see the ‘texture’ of the screen, especially when bright white areas are being displayed. I sit with my eyes approximately 9’ away from the screen. I have very good vision, better than 20/20 the last time I had it checked, so maybe I’m more sensitive to it than most people, I don’t know. But, your conversation about these ‘panels’ has piqued my curiosity. If you don't mind my asking, what are these ‘panels’ you guys keep talking about? What do they do and could they be installed myself without a technician?

My 6768 started doing something similar to this after tunrning it off before completely on. I was able to revive it for about 30 min if I removed the lamp housing and reseated it. It only worked a few times after that before I got the messed up screen then all green then goodbye picture.

Make sure when you turn on the set to let it power up completely before you turn it off and back on. I don't know if this is a design flaw but these sets seem very picky for the price they are charging.

Just for the record, I have turned off my HL-R6168W during the “powering on” cycle several times, as well as turning it back on directly after turning if off (before it has powered down) and it has never caused me any problems (knock on wood). This experience, along with the fact that something this simple is to be expected to happen from the average person leads me to believe it is less likely that this caused any harm to the TV rather than something else. I’m more inclined to believe that the problems with the TV’s that those of you are having were caused by something other than turning your TV’s off during the powering cycle. But since you don’t know what caused the problems, you’re naturally grasping at any possible cause that seems to make sense.

Originally posted by Bridgeboy....

I have the 6168W. There is one thing that slightly bothers me about my TV and that is I can see the ‘texture’ of the screen, especially when bright white areas are being displayed. I sit with my eyes approximately 9’ away from the screen. I have very good vision, better than 20/20 the last time I had it checked, so maybe I’m more sensitive to it than most people, I don’t know. But, your conversation about these ‘panels’ has peaked my curiosity. If you don't mind my asking, what are these ‘panels’ you guys keep talking about? What do they do and could they be installed myself without a technician?

The panels are made from black foam core boards. You can usually find white ones in Art supply stores. I think you might need to special order the black foam core boards but they may be available locally. These are then cut to fit the inside sides of your TV as well as the bottom around the lense. Once you have the boards cut to fit perfectly you cover them in this material called Velux. Velux sucks up light and stops the internal reflections inside the cabinet which is grey from the factory.

As far as doing it yourself that would really depend on how handy you were. Apparently according to Eliab my set, the 78 series is very easy to do while he says that 68 series is very, very difficult due to the way the bezel attaches. He also had a heck of a time with the bottom of my inside cabinet as the tolerances are very close and if the Velux material is not put in perfectly you will get a black are in one of the corners of the screen. I would never have attempted this myself and I consider myself pretty handy. It took a great deal of patience and while I am handy I lack the patience needed to complete this type of project myself.
Good luck,
-Mike

I will try to post a before and after picture of the inside of my TV when I get home later this evening.

Just for the record, I have turned off my HL-R6168W during the “powering on” cycle several times, as well as turning it back on directly after turning if off (before it has powered down) and it has never caused me any problems (knock on wood). This experience, along with the fact that something this simple is to be expected to happen from the average person leads me to believe it is less likely that this caused any harm to the TV rather than something else. I’m more inclined to believe that the problems with the TV’s that those of you are having were caused by something other than turning your TV’s off during the powering cycle. But since you don’t know what caused the problems, you’re naturally grasping at any possible cause that seems to make sense.

Most likely it is a factory defect, but This reply from UCSB is what brought it to my attention.

First, cycling the power switch on these TV's is not a good idea. It is always a good idea to let the TV completely shutdown before turning it back on. You can try unplugging the TV for 5 minutes and then see if it is reset. If not, call 1-800-Samsung for support.

I think he has a point and respect his opinion. Cycling the power shouldn't be a problem but my set exhibited similar behavior after cycling the power when I first received the TV. It hesitated and I didn't think it was on so I restarted it(tunred off then on) and then it was fine.
One thing is for sure is that other people have had similar issues, maybe just coincidental who knows. Hopefully its just 1 or 2 that have the problem, just sucks that mine's one of em. :(

I have the 6168W. There is one thing that slightly bothers me about my TV and that is I can see the ‘texture’ of the screen, especially when bright white areas are being displayed. I sit with my eyes approximately 9’ away from the screen. I have very good vision, better than 20/20 the last time I had it checked, so maybe I’m more sensitive to it than most people, I don’t know. But, your conversation about these ‘panels’ has piqued my curiosity. If you don't mind my asking, what are these ‘panels’ you guys keep talking about? What do they do and could they be installed myself without a technician?

The "texture" is common on all DLP sets without the reflective screen. This effect has been discussed in this forum before. It's caused by the fresnel lens embedded in the screen, and bothers some of us more than others.

I don't want to discourage you from pursuing the panels to improve black levels, but it would be optimistic to expect these panels will have any effect on the "texture" you're seeing.

Most likely it is a factory defect, but This reply from UCSB is what brought it to my attention.



I think he has a point and respect his opinion. Cycling the power shouldn't be a problem but my set exhibited similar behavior after cycling the power when I first received the TV. It hesitated and I didn't think it was on so I restarted it(tunred off then on) and then it was fine.
One thing is for sure is that other people have had similar issues, maybe just coincidental who knows. Hopefully its just 1 or 2 that have the problem, just sucks that mine's one of em. :(

Right; all I’m saying is that while it is a good thought for a possible cause of the problem, it is really, really, really hard for me to believe that if Samsung feels it is important for the TV to completely finish its power up or off cycle, that they do not have some sort of safety feature built in to the system for when a person inevitably hits the power button while in the midst of the TV either powering up, or off, that the TV will continue to power up or off until it is at what Samsung believes to be a “safe level,” or whatever, before executing the new command initiated by the new button press. I just can’t believe that Samsung would allow something as simple as pressing the power button at an inopportune moment to interrupt a process that they feel is necessary for maintaining the integrity of the TV. To allow something like that to effect or damage the TV would be the definition of utter stupidity, and I don’t think the engineer’s at Samsung could be that stupid. :rolleyes:

I mean no offense to anyone who believes that may be the cause of their problems, I’m just saying that I don’t believe it. Its just too simple for Samsung to have safe guarded the system from that sort of thing.
:)

The panels are made from black foam core boards. You can usually find white ones in Art supply stores. I think you might need to special order the black foam core boards but they may be available locally. These are then cut to fit the inside sides of your TV as well as the bottom around the lense. Once you have the boards cut to fit perfectly you cover them in this material called Velux. Velux sucks up light and stops the internal reflections inside the cabinet which is grey from the factory.

As far as doing it yourself that would really depend on how handy you were. Apparently according to Eliab my set, the 78 series is very easy to do while he says that 68 series is very, very difficult due to the way the bezel attaches. He also had a heck of a time with the bottom of my inside cabinet as the tolerances are very close and if the Velux material is not put in perfectly you will get a black are in one of the corners of the screen. I would never have attempted this myself and I consider myself pretty handy. It took a great deal of patience and while I am handy I lack the patience needed to complete this type of project myself.
Good luck,
-Mike

I will try to post a before and after picture of the inside of my TV when I get home later this evening.


I understand now, thanks for the reply! :)

The "texture" is common on all DLP sets without the reflective screen. This effect has been discussed in this forum before. It's caused by the fresnel lens embedded in the screen, and bothers some of us more than others.

I don't want to discourage you from pursuing the panels to improve black levels, but it would be optimistic to expect these panels will have any effect on the "texture" you're seeing.

Right. After reading his explanation for what the panels are I now know that they won’t help the ‘texture’ effect I am seeing. I was hoping that the ‘panels’ they were talking about might have been some kind of panel that fit on the front of the screen or something. Oh well… :cool:

Aaronwt, I should have refreshed the point that I have a 68 series, which we now know is very awkward to take the foam core panels.

David has offered to install the non-foam panel cloth velux. This would have to be glued in (I think).

The foam core panels apparently are easily removable (for possible warranty issues)--the cloth may not be, yes? no? I don't know.

What you and others are saying is that it is worth it.

Jim

I have the HL-R6168W. I have been playing my new Xbox 360 with it and I am having a hard time controlling my aim while playing First Person Shooters (CODII and PDZ) and I believe my difficulty it may be, at least in part, attributable to a timing issue due to lag caused by extensive video processing time that I am not accustomed to.

I am using component inputs because the VGA input yields an unbearably bright picture with washed out, pale colors. Has anyone figured out how to reduce the lag (video processing time) for playing games with these TV’s by tweaking through the Service Menu? Maybe disabling certain processes that may otherwise be desirable for watching a movie or other High Definition programming, but that may not be needed for the computer generated digital input received from a video game?

This thread is so large it is difficult to find any answers to questions that may have already been addressed.

Thanks for any replies! :)MAKE SURE YOU LABEL THE INPUT GAME AS THIS CHANGES SOME SETTINGS TO REDUCE LAG.

I've had my 6168 for about 2 months. The following problem occurs occasionally:

In the morning when I turn on the TV, the audio comes on but the screen is blank. If I turn off then turn on again, the video will appear immediately.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone experienced this problem?

2. Did you find out why it happened?

3. How was it resolved?

Thanks.Are you using a Scientific Atlanta STB? 8300HD?

Plug and unplug HDMI cable. Should solve the problem. HDMI cables seem to loosen sometimes :-(

Thats good to know. However, that scenario was never mentioned to me during my phone conversations with TVA. It would have been nice if they would have offered to exchange the set and I would have taken that route had they offered it.They are aware of the current situation with it being in for repairs. The first time I called them I explained in detail what was happening and was told to call Samsung, so thats what I did. You would think Samsung would do returns/exchanges on sets that fail within the fisrt few months. Now that my TV is being disassembled/reassembled, it sort makes me feel like It's refurbished rather than new. Kind of stinks because I had also purchased the Dish 942 DVR and a Sony ES 3100 DVD player for use with this TV and with the football season nearing end I was hoping to view some HDTV over the holidays.

What kind of problems did you have with your 5668? Was it the main DMD board that went bad?

Yeah the entire digital board was replaced (board that has PC input, component inputs, and HDMI inputs) as I had red / blue artifacts on the screen when using component inputs.. First thing I did was call Samsung and they sent a tech over. The tech swapped out the board and fixed the initial problem, but the PC input was way out of wack regarding grayscale... I didn't feel like having a tech attempt to fix my set several times so I broke down and called TVA.... I explained to them my situation and just told them that they were my last hope for a fully working set and asked what they could do for me... The new set they sent out arrived just fine and the old set was picked up at the same time... Everything went smoothely....

I just finished buying a Samsung HLR-5688W 1080P DLP tv. I hooked up my xbox to the component input in the back of the tv using the Psyclone component cables that the sales rep at bestbuy suggested. But I am getting issues with lag on this television. I mean with the regular cables the lag was intense. Switching to component removed alot of the lag but it is still noticable. Should I turn off DNIe in the service menu??? My xbox is set to 480p yes;720p yes; and 1080i yes. Is anyone familiar with this television and if so what can I do to remove the lag. should I use some sort of av pack rather than straight up component cables? would VGA cables remove the lag?could the lag be from my tv having to upscale to 1080P? Is it the DNIe? I would really appreciate anyones help with this issue cause this lag is killing me playing Halo 2 on xbox live. The Picture looks freakin sweet though no doubt about that but the prettiness of the picture doesnt make me feel any better when a noob bitch slaps me playing online lol. Well the lag isnt that bad but it does hinder my gameplay.

My xbox360 is in the mail and have already thought about the lag time because my old xbox has that problem with s-video.

I've been using the tv as a computer monitor (and it looks great) by using a vga cable from my laptop. There is no lag with this input. However, if I go through s-video, the lag is there when I move the mouse side to side so I went to Compusa and picked up an xbox360 VGA cable. Now all I need is the XBOX:)

And the saga continues with my 6768. I called the repair shop that has had my set for over a week now. I asked if they had made any progress as to what the problem is. Here's the response "Ah, well, no he hasn't had a chance to work on it because it would not fit into the elevator" :eek: What !? "Yes all of our work is done upstairs and since your set is too big to fit in the elevator he's not going to be able to look at until he gets some equipment down there so he can diagnose the problem. OMG I am having nightmares about this. It's truly unbelievable, it really is. I keep thinking I'm being punked or something but the TV crew never shows up. I think I'm going to pay them a visit next week and try to talk to the tech face to face. I called Samsung, again, and will see what happens.

I just thought you all might get a laugh out of this. I can only picture somebody trying to get my 67" TV into an elevator. Maybe it will set a new Guinness record for biggest TV in an elevator or something.

It's simple. Component is analog so if you use it the digital source material has to be converted to analog. Then the source has to be converted back to digital. That's a no win situation.

Source Joe Kane.
I've tried bothe and component still looks better than HDMI to me.

My current setup is as follows:
From Directv HD receiver HDMI to HDMI 1 on tv, optical cable from optical output on tv to optical input on stereo receiver.

The whole reason I am messing with my setup is to try to reduce the lip sync problems I have while watching HD programs. Under the setup options for my directv receiver I can change 2 settings, one for dobly digtial to be on or off and other one for the digital output to be dolby digital or PCM. If I set it to PCM I get sound on all channels. If I set it to dolby digital I get sound only on non-HD channels, anything HD and there is no sound. Turning dolby digital on or off on the other setting doesn't make a difference I still only get sound on HD channels with PCM selected. I could easily just connect the Dtv receiver directly to my stereo but I was hoping if I run sound through the tv first it might help with the lip sync. On the setup menu of my 5688, I can't change the digital output from PCM to dolby digtial. Its ghosted and everything I try I can't get it unghosted. If I set it to dolby digital, will I get my HD in dolby digital. Is 5.1 sound even routed through a hdmi cable. If the 5.1 sound is routed through the HDMI cable, will my tv send it out the optical output.

I hope I didn't confuse anyone too much. I just want to get the best picture and sound from my tv and stereo. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

My xbox360 is in the mail and have already thought about the lag time because my old xbox has that problem with s-video.

I've been using the tv as a computer monitor (and it looks great) by using a vga cable from my laptop. There is no lag with this input. However, if I go through s-video, the lag is there when I move the mouse side to side so I went to Compusa and picked up an xbox360 VGA cable. Now all I need is the XBOX:)

You'll be glad to hear that there is no lag for Xbox 360 using the VGA cable. That's how I connected mine to the new 5688 we got on Wednesday. It looks ridiculous on the tv - and I mean ridiculous in the best way possible. It's really awesome to game on this thing. The in-car view on PGR3 is even cooler when it's that size.

I couldn't be happier with the tv. At first I was worried because everything looked really green and the color was way off. It turns out the red component plug somehow popped out of the back of the STB, so plugging it back in erased that problem. Now I've changed to DVI->HDMI connection for the STB. I'm not sure how much better it is, but it seems a little better to me. I have my DVD player hooked up through DVI->HDMI also. It's a Samsung upscaling DVD player. Does anyone know if it's better to have the DVD player upscale as high as it goes (1080i) and let the tv take over from there, or should I have the DVD player scale lower and let the tv do most of the upconverting?

My AVIA DVD still hasn't shown up in the mail, so I haven't done any picture tweaking. I'm pretty happy with it out of the box, though. I did change the color setting to Standard instead of Warm1 or Cool1 like some of the settings had as a preset. I don't know why I'd want whites to be anything other than white...?

My wife wants to do some rearranging now in our living room to better fit this huge tv in with everything else. To do that means I need to find a speaker stand for my center channel speaker. Mounting on the wall or ceiling won't be an option. Does anyone know of a relatively inexpensive stand I could use for my center channel speaker that would be tall enough? The problem is I need one that extends up higher than the tv itself (about 60"). I've only seen one that goes up as high as 58", and that was about $90 - most are 24"-48". Do you think this one would be okay for this purpose?

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=245-010

I sure like the price. I'm not sure how wide the tripod base is, though. It would probably keep me from being able to put the tv close enough to the wall. I may have to make something. I don't know what else to do.

I couldn't recommend this tv more highly, though. I was a little worried because it was such a big purchase, but it's turned out great. I only saw audio lag once, so I'm sure that was a source issue and not a tv issue. I haven't seen it otherwise, and no RBE either. Whew. I did order my cables too short from Monoprice, so I'm having to return those and get some longer ones.

Johnnyzcar, you seem to be able to get answers from Samsung easily. Someone there should know what the diagnosis and repair is before they even need to open it up. There aren't that many parts to it, so what is it that makes your problem different than anyone else's here? Two people had the DLP replaced even. The digital board, light engine, what else is there? I would get a straight answer first and then find out why that wasn't done at your house? I forget the story from the beginning but looking back I can't imagine you are the only one with this problem and strange repair? I would go there and check out the condition of the set. I would see what they determined is wrong and what part needs to be replaced? At least you'll know the condition at that time. If anything happens you'll know it happened after that date. Ridiculous.

DirtyDozen, that is a DJ or band speaker stand. It probably has about a 2' footprint? Why can't you just mount the speaker on the wall or on top of the set? I think someone else did that earlier in the thread. Someone might have a pic. I was considering going wireless for my future setup.

Johnnyzcar, you seem to be able to get answers from Samsung easily. Someone there should know what the diagnosis and repair is before they even need to open it up. There aren't that many parts to it, so what is it that makes your problem different than anyone else's here? Two people had the DLP replaced even. The digital board, light engine, what else is there? I would get a straight answer first and then find out why that wasn't done at your house? I forget the story from the beginning but looking back I can't imagine you are the only one with this problem and strange repair? I would go there and check out the condition of the set. I would see what they determined is wrong and what part needs to be replaced? At least you'll know the condition at that time. If anything happens you'll know it happened after that date. Ridiculous.

I called Samsung and told them about the shop trying to take the set in for repair and they seemed to think it wasn't a big deal. I called another Samsung repair shop and couldn't really get an answer out of him.The only answers I get from Samsung are the basic read from the list answers and I doubt that they are electronic wizards there in the CS dept. I have the sevice manual and I guarantee it needs at least new DMD board or just order a new light engine and be done w it . You are right there's not that much in there to monkey with. I think the bottom line is they don't know what they are doing and they mainly repair CRT sets. Just from my experience with PC repair and networking I beleive I could fix it if they would send the parts to me.

The bottom line is this thing should be replaced with a new one.
I'm hoping that somebody will come to their senses and figure this out.
I have to wait 14 days before the next level of negotiating, so I have a week or so left and at that point I'm hoping to have some answers.

I have wrote detailed letters and took detailed pics before the set left my house and I'm preparing for the long haul but it's getting comical. Actually if you read the Sammy warranty it says you are responsible for transportation to and from the repair facility. They are covering my pickup and delivery charges. Lucky me?

I thought it was figured out a hundred pages ago that Blu-Ray will work just fine on these tv's.

My current setup is as follows:
From Directv HD receiver HDMI to HDMI 1 on tv, optical cable from optical output on tv to optical input on stereo receiver.

The whole reason I am messing with my setup is to try to reduce the lip sync problems I have while watching HD programs. Under the setup options for my directv receiver I can change 2 settings, one for dobly digtial to be on or off and other one for the digital output to be dolby digital or PCM. If I set it to PCM I get sound on all channels. If I set it to dolby digital I get sound only on non-HD channels, anything HD and there is no sound. Turning dolby digital on or off on the other setting doesn't make a difference I still only get sound on HD channels with PCM selected. I could easily just connect the Dtv receiver directly to my stereo but I was hoping if I run sound through the tv first it might help with the lip sync. On the setup menu of my 5688, I can't change the digital output from PCM to dolby digtial. Its ghosted and everything I try I can't get it unghosted. If I set it to dolby digital, will I get my HD in dolby digital. Is 5.1 sound even routed through a hdmi cable. If the 5.1 sound is routed through the HDMI cable, will my tv send it out the optical output.

I hope I didn't confuse anyone too much. I just want to get the best picture and sound from my tv and stereo. Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

This is a known issue with the HR10-250. When turning off Dolby Digital (Which most HD channels broadcast) you will get no sound. The problem, when you turn it on, it won't pass 5.1 over the HDMI, so you get no sound. If you are outputting sound over the digital output to a receiver, then you should be ok. But not over HDMI.

Jay

This is a known issue with the HR10-250. When turning off Dolby Digital (Which most HD channels broadcast) you will get no sound. The problem, when you turn it on, it won't pass 5.1 over the HDMI, so you get no sound. If you are outputting sound over the digital output to a receiver, then you should be ok. But not over HDMI.

Jay

Thats what I was thinking. Looks like I will have to go back to my old setup and run the optical cable straight to the stereo receiver and put up with the lip sync problems. But whats the point of the tv having an option for dolby digital on the digital output if the tv can't receive a 5.1 signal. Is there any way to send the tv a 5.1 signal through one of the other ports and out the digital optical output.

Johnnyzcar, I think they repaired it last week and just want to keep it as long as possible so they can enjoy it. Lol. Seriously though, this is B.S. You might need to go through hoops to get an answer but do that. If anything you can tell the shop you know what's wrong while they appear to be trying to figure it out. I wouldn't put up with this much more. I only have a 5678 and if I had your set time would be up already. I have a background in computers and cars and I have told people what I know needs to be done before they waste my time or money, and they are professionals. You can't be the first or only one with these issues so someone must know what's going on.

This seems to be the best place to ask this question:
Will I notice enough of a difference between samsung 720p 50" and the 1080p 50" to justify the price increase? I've read other places that a 50" set might not have enough screen area to make 1080p look much better than 720p. I would really appreciate some honest opinions on this.
fyi....I would consider a larger set, but the warden (Mrs. BBaker189) has expressed *mild* concerns over a tv any larger than the 50!!
Thanks in advance.

Bbaker189, Doesn't the warden know the bigger the better? Lol. There is no benefit to 720 now that 1080s are available. The only reason to go 720 is cost and that is silly. Better to save and get a 1080 then regret it later. The higher the resolution the better. With a 1080 you can tell some HD is 720, or worse, some HD is broadcast using SD cams. More and more shows are being shot or transferred to 1080.

The thing with size is the further away the larger the set you should consider. Also, here it seems people are sitting closer with their HD set then they did with their SD. In other words people really enjoy the larger, HD picture. The same is true as TV began as far as size. The Sammys all have the same components except the larger sizes have brighter bulbs. My friend has a 5078 and I have a 5678. Technically the 5078 is clearer since it is smaller but I really don't see a difference. Too large a set sitting too close is a problem but I can tell you my friend wishes he got the 5678. We both sit about 6' away.

DirtyDozen, that is a DJ or band speaker stand. It probably has about a 2' footprint? Why can't you just mount the speaker on the wall or on top of the set? I think someone else did that earlier in the thread. Someone might have a pic. I was considering going wireless for my future setup.

That's what I thought, that it would have a footprint too large for my needs. I'd love to mount it on top of the tv somehow, as long as it doesn't affect the tv at all. If someone has examples, ideas or pictures of how they did it I'd love to see them. It may come down to me having to make some kind of a stand that goes over the top of the tv, although I'm not really very handy that way. Plus, I'd like to get this done sooner rather than later. Anything a hardware store would have that might help?

I can't mount it on the wall, because directly behind where the tv is going to be there's some wall, then moulding, then window (or the blind in front of the window) - so it's not a flat surface. I suppose a ceiling mount might work, but we have a slanted/vaulted ceiling that's at an angle and the ceiling is probably 6' above the tv at that point.

I have a JBL S-Center II Studio Series 3-Way Center Channel Speaker that I bought a couple years ago. It's fairly heavy, too.

Edit: I just found this OmniMount at CircuitCity.com. Has anyone had any experience with one of these?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OmniMount-Center-Channel-Speaker-Shelf-CCH1B-/sem/rpsm/oid/108951/catOid/-12935/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Do you think it would work on a 5688? My biggest concern would be if it slipped somehow and the speaker fell, as it would almost certainly land on the glass pedestal and break it.

This seems to be the best place to ask this question:
Will I notice enough of a difference between samsung 720p 50" and the 1080p 50" to justify the price increase? I've read other places that a 50" set might not have enough screen area to make 1080p look much better than 720p. I would really appreciate some honest opinions on this.
fyi....I would consider a larger set, but the warden (Mrs. BBaker189) has expressed *mild* concerns over a tv any larger than the 50!!
Thanks in advance.

To me the difference is more than 1080p over 720p.
It was the next gen DLP engine, 10,000 contrast ratio, more inputs.

DirtyDozen, that seems to be the answer. Someone here made something like that so the speaker sat just behind the top of the set. I'd test it out. Worst thing that can happen is you return it. One of the reviews said you have to mount the legs in a vent hole in order to fit the Sammy. You could try and Google whatever they call that stand and see if there is another option.

I had the light engine replaced on my 6168 last week. Ever since the replacement, the picture has not been correct. The set is having problems with lots of "noise" in dark areas. When I mean noise, things look pixelated, unnatural, and display odd-looking colors. Many times this manifests itself on shaded parts of faces, walls, and clothing. This is the best way I can explain this. None of this was noticeable before the light engine was replaced. Now, it's noticeable on all inputs, inluding PC, DVD, and TV.

Will a calibration help this? Should you need to have your set re-calibrated after replacing the light engine? If not, should I request a new light engine? Could it have been installed incorrectly? I know, I have lots of questions, but this is frustrating.

Thanks

That's what I thought, that it would have a footprint too large for my needs. I'd love to mount it on top of the tv somehow, as long as it doesn't affect the tv at all. If someone has examples, ideas or pictures of how they did it I'd love to see them. It may come down to me having to make some kind of a stand that goes over the top of the tv, although I'm not really very handy that way. Plus, I'd like to get this done sooner rather than later. Anything a hardware store would have that might help?

I can't mount it on the wall, because directly behind where the tv is going to be there's some wall, then moulding, then window (or the blind in front of the window) - so it's not a flat surface. I suppose a ceiling mount might work, but we have a slanted/vaulted ceiling that's at an angle and the ceiling is probably 6' above the tv at that point.

I have a JBL S-Center II Studio Series 3-Way Center Channel Speaker that I bought a couple years ago. It's fairly heavy, too.

Edit: I just found this OmniMount at CircuitCity.com. Has anyone had any experience with one of these?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OmniMount-Center-Channel-Speaker-Shelf-CCH1B-/sem/rpsm/oid/108951/catOid/-12935/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Do you think it would work on a 5688? My biggest concern would be if it slipped somehow and the speaker fell, as it would almost certainly land on the glass pedestal and break it.


My center speaker is mounted on top of my 6168W with no special stand. You can secure it in place with some cheap Velcro if you are worried it will fall, however, the ledge on top of the set is sufficient to balance the speaker quite well (depending on the shape of your speaker). I will take a couple of pictures and post back shortly……

EDIT: I tried posting a couple of pictures, but every time I hit the "Insert Image" button it just opens up a window that says "Enter the text to be formatted" ??!?!?!?

I called Samsung and told them about the shop trying to take the set in for repair and they seemed to think it wasn't a big deal. I called another Samsung repair shop and couldn't really get an answer out of him.The only answers I get from Samsung are the basic read from the list answers and I doubt that they are electronic wizards there in the CS dept. I have the sevice manual and I guarantee it needs at least new DMD board or just order a new light engine and be done w it . You are right there's not that much in there to monkey with. I think the bottom line is they don't know what they are doing and they mainly repair CRT sets. Just from my experience with PC repair and networking I beleive I could fix it if they would send the parts to me.

The bottom line is this thing should be replaced with a new one.
I'm hoping that somebody will come to their senses and figure this out.
I have to wait 14 days before the next level of negotiating, so I have a week or so left and at that point I'm hoping to have some answers.

I have wrote detailed letters and took detailed pics before the set left my house and I'm preparing for the long haul but it's getting comical. Actually if you read the Sammy warranty it says you are responsible for transportation to and from the repair facility. They are covering my pickup and delivery charges. Lucky me?

You sir have got to be one of the most mature, even tempered people I have ever witnessed on an online forum. Are you by chance an U.S. Ambassador or other diplomat? LOL…..you probably could be if not; you may want to consider a career change. ;) After reading your unfortunate saga for a few days now I have determined that the average person would have gone postal by now and murdered everyone at TVA, Samsung, and the repair center. :eek:

LOL, in all seriousness though, you are being treated ridiculously; especially since everyone else who has had problems have not had to go through all this, myself included (not intended to make you feel worse). I had my digital board replaced in my home due to “colored pixilation” in dark areas through component inputs. It was the same problem that several other people had way early in this thread (around pages 50 to 100 I'm thinking) and they posted pictures of the Conan O’Brien show displaying the multicolored pixilation in dark areas of the screen. My issue has been solved with minimal inconvenience. I feel for you….. :(

I had the light engine replaced on my 6168 last week. Ever since the replacement, the picture has not been correct. The set is having problems with lots of "noise" in dark areas. When I mean noise, things look pixelated, unnatural, and display odd-looking colors. Many times this manifests itself on shaded parts of faces, walls, and clothing. This is the best way I can explain this. None of this was noticeable before the light engine was replaced. Now, it's noticeable on all inputs, inluding PC, DVD, and TV.

Will a calibration help this? Should you need to have your set re-calibrated after replacing the light engine? If not, should I request a new light engine? Could it have been installed incorrectly? I know, I have lots of questions, but this is frustrating.

Thanks

See my post directly above this one......it sounds like the same problem I and several others have had (It only occurred when using component inputs for me). The solution took a replacement of the digital board (a very easy onsite operation for a technician). Unfortunately this thread is so huge now it makes it difficult to find previous posts. But somewhere in I’d say around pages 50 to 100 of this thread there are pictures posted of this phenomenon happening in screen shots of the Conan O’Brien show.

Just FYI, there is a search option below the PM on the top right. I've found it helpful and have found posts from the beginning. You have to have a keyword or some recollection of the post.

DirtyDozen, that seems to be the answer. Someone here made something like that so the speaker sat just behind the top of the set. I'd test it out. Worst thing that can happen is you return it. One of the reviews said you have to mount the legs in a vent hole in order to fit the Sammy. You could try and Google whatever they call that stand and see if there is another option.

Thanks for the feedback. I went ahead and ordered it, so we'll see how it goes. Actually I got the platinum color instead of black:

http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/oid/121849/rpem/ccd/productDetailReview.do

I'm picking it up at the store later on, so I'll let you know how it goes in case anyone else is thinking about this kind of solution.

Just FYI, there is a search option below the PM on the top right. I've found it helpful and have found posts from the beginning. You have to have a keyword or some recollection of the post.

I just took bcvp's advice and searched this thread for the word "conan"

Check out "Clorox's" posts on page 52 of this thread for examples of the "colored pixelation" effects. There are more examples throughout this thread as well if you continue searching....

That's what I thought, that it would have a footprint too large for my needs. I'd love to mount it on top of the tv somehow, as long as it doesn't affect the tv at all. If someone has examples, ideas or pictures of how they did it I'd love to see them. It may come down to me having to make some kind of a stand that goes over the top of the tv, although I'm not really very handy that way. Plus, I'd like to get this done sooner rather than later. Anything a hardware store would have that might help?

I can't mount it on the wall, because directly behind where the tv is going to be there's some wall, then moulding, then window (or the blind in front of the window) - so it's not a flat surface. I suppose a ceiling mount might work, but we have a slanted/vaulted ceiling that's at an angle and the ceiling is probably 6' above the tv at that point.

I have a JBL S-Center II Studio Series 3-Way Center Channel Speaker that I bought a couple years ago. It's fairly heavy, too.

Edit: I just found this OmniMount at CircuitCity.com. Has anyone had any experience with one of these?

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/OmniMount-Center-Channel-Speaker-Shelf-CCH1B-/sem/rpsm/oid/108951/catOid/-12935/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

Do you think it would work on a 5688? My biggest concern would be if it slipped somehow and the speaker fell, as it would almost certainly land on the glass pedestal and break it.


I bought one of those and it works ok (not perfect) on my 5078. The back legs are too short. I contacted the company directly and asked them if they would consider making longer legs but they declined since they felt it would be a safety issue. The legs are about 2" too short and really should be adjustable by about another 6 inches. That said, I did get it to work for me.

My center speaker is 6" X 20" X 8" (HWD) and weighs about 15 pounds. In order to mount it I needed to let the Omni shelf extend over the front of the bezel by about 2". No problem since it does not block the picture in any way and the stand is actually very well made and quite attractive. The speaker sits on top of this and is all the way forward. The shelf itself is still tilted by about 5 degrees downward to the rear. The part of the panel that sits on top of the TV has velcro strips (supplied) to hold it in place.

To make this puppy work correctly I strongly suggest you buy some additional velcro to attach to the bottom of your speaker and the stand itself. I didn't and ended up with some serious dings in my wall when the speaker fell during a loud playback of a movie. Since I put the velcro on, no problems at all. Also, the legs MUST go on the frontmost position of the stand. It will be obvious once you get it. Also, since the stand is made out of metal, it would be very easy to attach some braces that would hold the speaker in place. The stand itself IMO is very securely attached to the TV via the back legs and velcro strips on the bezel. That should not be a concern.

Bottom line: Its actually a very clean install. It looks nice and by securing all parts including the speaker, I believe you'll have a stable center stand.

I had the light engine replaced on my 6168 last week. Ever since the replacement, the picture has not been correct. The set is having problems with lots of "noise" in dark areas. When I mean noise, things look pixelated, unnatural, and display odd-looking colors. Many times this manifests itself on shaded parts of faces, walls, and clothing. This is the best way I can explain this. None of this was noticeable before the light engine was replaced. Now, it's noticeable on all inputs, inluding PC, DVD, and TV.

Will a calibration help this? Should you need to have your set re-calibrated after replacing the light engine? If not, should I request a new light engine? Could it have been installed incorrectly? I know, I have lots of questions, but this is frustrating.

Thanks

I just adjusted the Index Delay from 60 to 56 and the picture problems ~seem~ to be taken care of. Is there anywhere online that discusses how to properly adjust Index Delay?

Thanks.

Index delay is best adjusted using a spectroradiometer or other calibration meter to make sure that the red that is displayed while you are adjusting it is ONLY red. But, you can probably do it pretty well by eye by just making sure you adjust it to make the red look as red as possible (not orange or magenta). Note where you see the change in each direction and set it to the middle (ie. at 60 it is noticeably orange, at 52 it is noticeably magenta so set it to 56).

I have finally made my HL-R5078 to output DD 5.1 sound from its optical out. Following is the way I had my setup:
Scientific Atlanta 8300HD --FireWire--> HL-R5078W --Toslink optical--> Yamaha Receiver

Once the cables were connected, I turned on the units and pressed the D-Net button on the TV's remote control. This brings up a side menu of the FireWire devices currently detected. I scrolled down to the SA 8300HD in this menu and selected it. At that point, the TV switches its AV input to the FireWire port.
I pressed Exit on the remote and started enjoying an HD movie shown in Showtime channel with full 5.1 Dolby Digital decoding done on my receiver.
I hope this setup works for other people as well.

Anyone else tried this out yet? I've got a few extra firewire cables sitting around -- I'd be happy to test/verify with my SA8300HD if anyone's interested.

I've missed the forum and this thread in particular ... I haven't been able to look in on things since about mid-September, as things were sort of turned upside down at work this last quarter. For all of you "old-timers" who were around when this thread was born, have I missed any earth-shattering discoveries or insights about these sets?

Still very much enjoying my 5078 whenever I can ... hopefully more now that work has settled down!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Calbert, I think the issues you might've missed are people having trouble getting their set fixed outside a metro area, TVA not doing enough to take back a set just after thirty daze and connecting a 360 with component and VGA. Those stand out to me. There was some talk on the usual lag and audio connections. You could probably find your last post and skim from there. I've done that a couple of times when I was away.

Anyone else tried this out yet? I've got a few extra firewire cables sitting around -- I'd be happy to test/verify with my SA8300HD if anyone's interested.

I've missed the forum and this thread in particular ... I haven't been able to look in on things since about mid-September, as things were sort of turned upside down at work this last quarter. For all of you "old-timers" who were around when this thread was born, have I missed any earth-shattering discoveries or insights about these sets?

Still very much enjoying my 5078 whenever I can ... hopefully more now that work has settled down!

Happy holidays, everyone!
I think the rub here will be HDCP. Anything that expects that will fail to work. We will have the same issue for VGA. Looks like MS is going to be supporting it in the next gen of HTPC op sys and also look more to HDMI as the connection of choice in the future sets.

Too bad SS did not put in a 1080p HDMI interface as we will probably need it in the not too distant future for best quality exchanges with protected content.

Chris

I was able to connect the Fire Wire from the 6412 HD STB DVR to my digital camcorder. The picture is crystal clear. I was surprised it would work. I was then able to make a DVD with my video editing system.

Hi, I just bought a 61 Samsung 1080p and Samsung 50" plasma to be delivered next week. I am a bit worried about this DNEI issue. I have heard that there is a "back door" way to shut off the dnei on both. Does anyone know how?

Hello all. Thanks in advance for the responses.

I have recently hooked up my 6168 and have an issue with the pic.

6168 set at 1080p 16:9
811 Dish HDTV Box set at 1080i
Video hooked up direct from box to TV via component cables
Sound TOS through HK receiver

While watching HDTV chanels, there are portions of the pic that have a "curvy zebra" type distortion in certain areas of the pic. These areas are mostly hair, grass, moving mouthes, etc. when not in close up. It is annoying and seems odd for this TV giving the great reviews.

Has anyone seen anything similar? I will try to post a pic if I can get it caught in still mode. Thanks again fo for the responses.

You sir have got to be one of the most mature, even tempered people I have ever witnessed on an online forum. Are you by chance an U.S. Ambassador or other diplomat? LOL…..you probably could be if not; you may want to consider a career change. ;) After reading your unfortunate saga for a few days now I have determined that the average person would have gone postal by now and murdered everyone at TVA, Samsung, and the repair center. :eek:

LOL, in all seriousness though, you are being treated ridiculously; especially since everyone else who has had problems have not had to go through all this, myself included (not intended to make you feel worse). I had my digital board replaced in my home due to “colored pixilation” in dark areas through component inputs. It was the same problem that several other people had way early in this thread (around pages 50 to 100 I'm thinking) and they posted pictures of the Conan O’Brien show displaying the multicolored pixilation in dark areas of the screen. My issue has been solved with minimal inconvenience. I feel for you….. :(
Hey thanks for the comments :)
The reason I haven't gone postal yet is because Samsung says I have to wait 14 business days from the time they took my set.
When that time comes somebodys gonna help me or get ready for war :mad:
There is no excuse for this type of run around, I know it and everybody here know's it.
Time to get the torches and pitchforks out/ Charge
I'm hoping you guys can pull for me and help me get things taken care of.
Hell im even trying to figure out a way to get a plasma so I'll have something to watch in the meantime, and when and if I ever get my 6768 back I'll use the plasma in the bedroom.
This has definately ruined my holiday, however there are other things more important.
My parents own my ex 65" Pioneer and it still has a great picture so when I visit I get to watch HDTV in style :)

Hello all. Thanks in advance for the responses.

I have recently hooked up my 6168 and have an issue with the pic.

6168 set at 1080p 16:9
811 Dish HDTV Box set at 1080i
Video hooked up direct from box to TV via component cables
Sound TOS through HK receiver

While watching HDTV chanels, there are portions of the pic that have a "curvy zebra" type distortion in certain areas of the pic. These areas are mostly hair, grass, moving mouthes, etc. when not in close up. It is annoying and seems odd for this TV giving the great reviews.

Has anyone seen anything similar? I will try to post a pic if I can get it caught in still mode. Thanks again fo for the responses.

Hi<
I have two 6000 Dish receivers, one is on my 6768 (using Component) and the other on a 32" LCD HDTV (using VGA), What channels (shows) are you watching to see this? I will see if I can see your problem or if it is a source problem when you tell me those channels.
This TV is OUTSTANDING, DNIe works great, every artifact that I see on the Samsung I also see on the LCD (so far)! Apparently some people are seeing these artifacts (or something) with DNIe on and not with it off, I do not see this!
Thanks
Don

I like DNIE on. I have tried it both ways and I have a hard time with the soft images with it set off. I guess when I bought the TV, DNIE was one of the features I was interested in. It sounded good anyways. I have read some right ups where they trash it but until I get my 5668 calibrated I am going to leave dnie on. I like it.

I'm not sure that my HL-R5078W is the source of my lip-synch problems. I think that the real problem is from the original broadcasts. I know that on ESPN-HD, I rarely, if ever have any problems. But FOX-HD is sporadic. Sometimes it's perfect, but others it's awful. Other stations vary, and the In HD channels are never a problem.
If I run the audio directly to my surround sound instead of through the TV first, there is a problem, but the difference is worse on the some channels ex-Fox HD).

Also, is it my STB (Motorola 3412), TV, or the broadcast that gives me a better picture on some HD channels that others? ex--football on FOX-HD and ESPN-HD looks better than CBS-HD.
Settings:
Motorola 3412, HDMI output 1080i, 4:3 override 480p.

I think this TV is awesome!

I also have a few questions for the experts.

What is 1:1 pixel mapping, and should I use it?

How do I enter the service menu?

How do I turn off DNIe?

Is there anything really important that I should know about my HL-R5078W?

Are there any other settings that I should change?

I used AVIA for calibration, and thought that it was pretty much useless. I watch my TV via the HDMI input, what good was a SD DVD over component?

Thanks to anyone who has some answers.

I'm not sure that my HL-R5078W is the source of my lip-synch problems. I think that the real problem is from the original broadcasts. I know that on ESPN-HD, I rarely, if ever have any problems. But FOX-HD is sporadic. Sometimes it's perfect, but others it's awful. Other stations vary, and the In HD channels are never a problem.
If I run the audio directly to my surround sound instead of through the TV first, there is a problem, but the difference is worse on the some channels ex-Fox HD).

Also, is it my STB (Motorola 3412), TV, or the broadcast that gives me a better picture on some HD channels that others? ex--football on FOX-HD and ESPN-HD looks better than CBS-HD.
Settings:
Motorola 3412, HDMI output 1080i, 4:3 override 480p.

I think this TV is awesome!

FOX and ESPN film all their NFL games with HD cameras. CBS only films the best matchup or most important game with HD cameras. I have NFL sunday ticket and all FOX and ESPN games look fantastic, but all of the CBS games expect for one or two games look like crap.

I'm talking the CBS HD games.

I'll get a bit of fuzziness at times, especially when they're changing cameras, not with a moving
picture from the same camera though. The picture is still great, but a step down from that of FOX and ESPN.
Are some games shot in 1080i and some in 720p? My STB output is 1080i, and the tv shows it as 1080p/30fps. Or is it 1080p 60fps, showing a frame twice, so that its 30 new images/s?

Or is it just that CBS is a step down? INHD is 1080i, and looks awesome. Also no audio/video synch problems on INHD.

Not all the cameras they use are HD. It is noticeable when they switch to an SD camera because the detail isn't there and it is fuzzy.

I unterstand that, but I'm talking about the overall quality when HD is on.
CBS seems to be not as good. It's easy to act spoiled with this TV.
2 months I was watching 480i on a 4:3 9yr old 32" CRT.

I think CBS shows more detail at 1080i than FOX, ABC, and ESPN at 720P. At least from the parts of games I have watched on CBS compared to what I have watched on the 720P stations.

Hi<
I have two 6000 Dish receivers, one is on my 6768 (using Component) and the other on a 32" LCD HDTV (using VGA), What channels (shows) are you watching to see this? I will see if I can see your problem or if it is a source problem when you tell me those channels.
This TV is OUTSTANDING, DNIe works great, every artifact that I see on the Samsung I also see on the LCD (so far)! Apparently some people are seeing these artifacts (or something) with DNIe on and not with it off, I do not see this!
Thanks
Don
I saw it on HD Discovery and ESPN HD. I paid more attention to it tonight. It is most visible where a bright color meets a dark and the lighter color has a texture like hair. The "zebra" striped area is not an out line of the hair, it is over the top and moves with it is a strange way...kind of psychedelic looking. :confused: I don't see it with non-HD channels but the pic is pretty poor overall anyway.

Tonight with the Incredibles, the pic was AWESOME in all ways. I know that it is hard to diagnose, but I haven' been able to catch it with a still shot yet. Giving the fact that the DVD input was perfect, it must have been the HD feed. I have little experience, but I unfortunately have the highest expectations for this set.

I have looked at the DNIe demo, but have not found the controls in the menu. I haven't looked either. I read here that the demo is severely skewed and does not represent the true DNIe function. I will check it out.

Thanks for the input.

Are you watch your local CBS station in HD to watch the game? If yes, then you need to see if that particular game is being filmed in HD by CBS. The local CBS station may be broadcasting in HD, but if the game is not filmed in HD, it will still look like crap. CBS broadcasts 6-7 AFC games for each Sunday. Of those games they only film 1 or 2 in HD, which will look great. All their other games are filmed with SD cameras. FOX broadcasts the NFC games and they film 6 of 7 games in HD. So if your watching the local Fox station in HD, all of their games will look great. ESPN for the Sunday night and ABC for Monday night are always filmed in HD. If you don't believe me, just watch ESPN's NFL Primetime in HD each Sunday afternoon before the night game and pay attention to each games highlights and who was broadcasting it, CBS or FOX. Every Fox game will be fantastic and each CBS game but 1 or 2 will look like crap. You can also watch Sportscenter as well after the night game. Either way I'm screwed because I don't get my local stations in HD, only ESPN. So each sunday I watch them on Sunday ticket with them looking like crap. The only game I see in HD is the Sunday night game. But I do get the highlights in HD if I watch NFL primetime on ESPN or Sportscenter.

This is CBS schedule for next week. Only two games in HDTV.
Sat., Dec. 24th
NFL
The NFL Today 12-1 p.m.
Buffalo @ Cincinnati 1-4 p.m.
Pittsburgh @ Cleveland 1-4 p.m.
Tennessee @ Miami 1-4 p.m.
San Diego @ Kansas City* 1-4 p.m.
Jacksonville @ Houston 1-4 p.m.
Oakland @ Denver* 4:15-7 p.m.
Indianapolis @ Seattle* 4:15-7 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 25th
* -- HDTV
NFL ON CBS season games will be shown in HDTV with the highest definition television format -- 1080i lines of picture resolution -- along with 5.1 channel digital surround sound. The unified productions for both the standard definition and HD telecasts will feature the same announcers, camera angles and graphics
Here is what Fox is doing
FOX Sports' 2005 NFL broadcast schedule once again boasts an unmatched offering of high definition programming. Starting with two preseason broadcasts in August, six games each week during the regular season and complete coverage throughout the NFL postseason for the second straight year, FOX Sports will present 107 games in 720p high definition this season, representing more than 90% of all games covered. The 720p (progressive) high definition format, which takes 60 razor sharp, complete pictures per second, is the gold standard in producing spectacular moving images. FOX Sports remains the only NFL broadcaster to produce as many as six NFL regular season games in HD each Sunday

I will not watch a game unless it is in HD. No point in watching sports in SD.

What a massive and informative thread! I got my 6178 4 days ago and sadly it's having problems. Starting yesterday, after about 10 minutes of on-time the image diasappears but audio remains. Approx 15 seconds later the image (usually) returns. Changing channels works but still no video. Haven't gotten a chance to replicate this with the DVD input. The source was analog cable straight into the back of the set (coax). No diagnostic lights any time this has happened. I spoke with Crutchfield and opted to have the set replaced. Great customer service but still a bummer.

Ren

I would also give a slight edge to CBS in picture quality. KCBS here has the one HD channel in their DTV transmitter so they give all the bits to the one HD signal. Not true for KNBC and KABC or FOX.

As we know, ABC, FOX and ESPN are 720p while everyone else is 1080i.

Has anyone in the Chicago area had their set calibrated? If so, by whom?

Renfield, that doesn't make any sense? Have you tried other sources and inputs and cables? That has happened to my friend's 5078 a few times and each time it was a loose component cable or the cable box. He had the cable box replaced and switched to HDMI. He hasn't had a problem since afaik. It happened to me twice and I knew it was the cable box. Keep us posted. Make sure you don't pay for shipping. That would be ridiculous.

I saw it on HD Discovery and ESPN HD. I paid more attention to it tonight. It is most visible where a bright color meets a dark and the lighter color has a texture like hair. The "zebra" striped area is not an out line of the hair, it is over the top and moves with it is a strange way...kind of psychedelic looking. :confused: I don't see it with non-HD channels but the pic is pretty poor overall anyway.

I have looked at the DNIe demo, but have not found the controls in the menu. I haven't looked either. I read here that the demo is severely skewed and does not represent the true DNIe function. I will check it out.

Thanks for the input.

I do not see this problem you see, maybe someone else has seen this? I do not see it, Discovery HD has a lot of jagged edges on programs they run (I see it on both of my sets! Not to good of a HD channel, but the VOOM stations are great!!).

It seems (people correct me if I am wrong) that when I choose MOVIE mode it is almost (I said almost) like turning DNIe off in the service menu. Good for some poor movies or poor HD content.

Hope this Helps
Don

Has anyone in the Chicago area had their set calibrated? If so, by whom?

Not yet, but Eliab (Avical) is planning a trip to Chicago near the end of January, and I hope to get it done then.

bcvp - I checked the cables and they're all good. There's no cable box in the loop, straight from the wall to the TV so it's a pretty clean signal path. It just did it again this evening and it stayed dark for 15+ minutes. I noticed that it wasn't 100% dark, almost like the very faintest changes in brightness on the screen. Upon switching the input from cable to DVD the image came back. No timers enabled so I'm puzzled.

The set is getting swapped out at no charge whatsoever, but it's still disappointing.

Ren

I do not see this problem you see, maybe someone else has seen this? I do not see it, Discovery HD has a lot of jagged edges on programs they run (I see it on both of my sets! Not to good of a HD channel, but the VOOM stations are great!!).

It seems (people correct me if I am wrong) that when I choose MOVIE mode it is almost (I said almost) like turning DNIe off in the service menu. Good for some poor movies or poor HD content.

Hope this Helps
Don

It is on some programs and not others. It must be the feed from the station. I was watching "get out" on HD this morning and the pic was again fawless. Then I turn it to DISC and the problem appears again. This time the distortion was covering a checkered fence. It it really evident where there is a ton of material to process...ie. hair strands...

About 3 months ago I posted a problem I was having with my 6768. About 2" from the top of the screen, there is a 1.5" stripe running left to right across the TV. I froze the image and up close could see that it is red in color. I didn't even notice it at first and it's only noticable if the room is pretty much completely dark and the scene on the TV is dark. In addition, there is a 10" wide band running top to bottom on the left side of the screen that is lighter than the rest of the screen. It is not reddish in color line the left to right stripe, but just not as dark as the rest of the image. This is noticeable under the same conditions as the first issue. Samsung could not fix the problem so agreed to replace the TV. They replaced the two "drawers" that pull out from the back of the TV that house the light engine, lens, and circuitry that everything plugs into with no improvement of the issues. I received a new TV last night and unbelievably, it has the same exact issues. I find it very unlikely that this is a coincidence (two TV's 3 months apart with the same exact issues) and believe there is an inherent problem with this model or possibly an issue in the manufacturing process. The issues are present regardless of the source (i.e. DVD, HDMI STB, Component STB, Cable, Video Game). Has anyone else experienced these issues, especially if you have a 6768? This thread has gotten huge so sorry if this has been discussed previously. Thanks.

The 5688 Captain Kirk model has light-up controls on the pedestal which duplicate a few of the remote's functions but mostly just look cool. At least I think they do.

Mine don't light up when I touch the pedestal as they are supposed to. Samsung support was unable to help on the phone and the 'Authorized' repair shop they've given me has been completely unresponsive.

Anyone had this problem or can suggest any solutions?

Thanks!

I had the light engine replaced on my 6168 last week. Ever since the replacement, the picture has not been correct. The set is having problems with lots of "noise" in dark areas. When I mean noise, things look pixelated, unnatural, and display odd-looking colors. Many times this manifests itself on shaded parts of faces, walls, and clothing. This is the best way I can explain this. None of this was noticeable before the light engine was replaced. Now, it's noticeable on all inputs, inluding PC, DVD, and TV.

Will a calibration help this? Should you need to have your set re-calibrated after replacing the light engine? If not, should I request a new light engine? Could it have been installed incorrectly? I know, I have lots of questions, but this is frustrating.

Thanks
What setting is the picture on? You'll notice a lot of what you're describing if the picture setting is on standard. If you haven't tried already, change it to movie and see if the image improves.

About 3 months ago I posted a problem I was having with my 6768. About 2" from the top of the screen, there is a 1.5" stripe running left to right across the TV. I froze the image and up close could see that it is red in color. I didn't even notice it at first and it's only noticable if the room is pretty much completely dark and the scene on the TV is dark. In addition, there is a 10" wide band running top to bottom on the left side of the screen that is lighter than the rest of the screen. It is not reddish in color line the left to right stripe, but just not as dark as the rest of the image. This is noticeable under the same conditions as the first issue. Samsung could not fix the problem so agreed to replace the TV. They replaced the two "drawers" that pull out from the back of the TV that house the light engine, lens, and circuitry that everything plugs into with no improvement of the issues. I received a new TV last night and unbelievably, it has the same exact issues. I find it very unlikely that this is a coincidence (two TV's 3 months apart with the same exact issues) and believe there is an inherent problem with this model or possibly an issue in the manufacturing process. The issues are present regardless of the source (i.e. DVD, HDMI STB, Component STB, Cable, Video Game). Has anyone else experienced these issues, especially if you have a 6768? This thread has gotten huge so sorry if this has been discussed previously. Thanks.
I was just wondering if you have any stereo equipment or a subwoofer within 5 feet of the TV. I know everyone says that DLPs are not effected by magnetic things, but it does say in the manual to keep vacuums and things like that away from the TV and a few people have mentioned problems occuring after excesssive subwoofer noise. Or maybe your wires are crossing and causing problems. Just some thoughts, I'm not an engineer.

I was just wondering if you have any stereo equipment or a subwoofer within 5 feet of the TV. I know everyone says that DLPs are not effected by magnetic things, but it does say in the manual to keep vacuums and things like that away from the TV and a few people have mentioned problems occuring after excesssive subwoofer noise. Or maybe your wires are crossing and causing problems. Just some thoughts, I'm not an engineer.

I do have a subwoofer a few feet from the TV stand. I'll power it off and disconnect it to see if there's any difference. All the cabling is organized so I should be okay there. Thanks for the suggestion.

I had the light engine replaced on my 6168 last week. Ever since the replacement, the picture has not been correct. The set is having problems with lots of "noise" in dark areas. When I mean noise, things look pixelated, unnatural, and display odd-looking colors. Many times this manifests itself on shaded parts of faces, walls, and clothing. This is the best way I can explain this. None of this was noticeable before the light engine was replaced. Now, it's noticeable on all inputs, inluding PC, DVD, and TV.

Will a calibration help this? Should you need to have your set re-calibrated after replacing the light engine? If not, should I request a new light engine? Could it have been installed incorrectly? I know, I have lots of questions, but this is frustrating.

Thanks

The way it was explained to me by the tech, the light engine makes up the bulk of the internals. That's also consistent with what I saw while he had it apart. It's likely that the service menu settings and changes are stored on that module. Change the light engine and your calibration effectively goes bye-bye.

I went from a calibrated set to a set with the LE replaced and it's clearly a step backwards. I'm going to tweak the settings on my own and refer to the calibrated settings which I recorded. That and hope for the best. If not, I'm faced with another $400 hit for another calibration. :(

I don't think it can be magnetic interference but I would look and find out what circuit the set is connected to? Things like the refrigerator, microwave, vacuum could cause a problem, but only when they are on. The other thing is don't bunch the electrical wires together with the video and audio.

As bcvp notes, routing of cables is more likely the problem. There's nothing in the set to be affected by something like a subwoofer unless the sub were massive and litterally sitting right next to the electronics.

With most HT installs, you probably find folks just bunching up cables. AC running right next to and parallel to signal cables for signficant distances. Try to keep these seperated as much as possible. When they need to cross, do so at right angles.

This is my first time posting in the samsung thread, almost all of my posts have been in the SXRD thread. Ok here we go, I received my third replacement SXRD yesterday and i am officially fed up, I want to like the SXRD so much! but it looks like three strikes and your out! Each set was worse than the original set's, major color uniformity issue, green, purple, and blue hues all over the place, and shows up on the active image. Ok, i had to let that out!


This brings me to why i am posting here, I spoke with Kevin Miller yesterday evening, for all who do not know who he is, he is a ISF technician, he recommended that i go with the samsung, which brings me here, i was originally waiting for the 6168 to come out, and when it finally came out, i found out about the SXRD, i have never owned a samsung product and have always owned sony products, so i decided to hold off for the SXRD, which in turn ends up being a big mistake. Can some of the current owners of the 6168 put up some pictures of there set after calibration, i would greatly appreciate it. I would also like to know what the difference between the 6168 and 6178 are, from the looks of it, i think it is just the look of the tv, being that the 6178 has the shiny bezel, not sure if there is a difference in the screen itself, can someone tell me if i am correct.

Thanks a bunch. :)

Eliab calibrated my 5078 last week and installed the black panels inside the set.

Here are my observations:

1. The pre calibration readings were averaged about 9200K, and post about 6600 K. The screen colors are noticably warmer. CSI-NY is no longer blue in hue. Older Technicolor movies are wonderfully rich. I can't wait to watch CSI-Miami!

2. The blotchy blacks that were everywhere in dark scenes are gone. Black is black like it's supposed to be.

3. I had an intermittent white line at the top of the SD pictures. Eliab properly centered the image and adjusted the overscan. The problem is gone.

4. Detail focus on things like the blades of grass on a HD football game are vastly improved.

5. When a movie or TV program would end and go to black to run the credits, the set would lock up for a second or two while the processing caught up. After the calibration which included turning off the DNIe, this minor annoyance is gone. Whether or not this was due to the DNIe overhead, I don't know but it's no longer a problem.

6. I was left with settings for standard viewing, B&W movie viewing, and future BluRay or HD-DVD viewing.

Previous to the calibration, I thought the picture was amazing. Now it's significantly better. It truly is stunning.

Which of his actions were the most significant? You would have to ask him. All I can say is that to my eye, the total package was definately worth it.

Thanks Eliab!

I was able to connect the Fire Wire from the 6412 HD STB DVR to my digital camcorder. The picture is crystal clear. I was surprised it would work. I was then able to make a DVD with my video editing system.
So you were able to copy your DVR content onto your camcorder and then hook your camera to your PC to burn a DVD? To bad we can't bypass the camera and go straight to the PC.

HELP!!!!

I have no idea what I have done. I was wathing a movie on my HL-R6768W. When it was over, instead of using my TV remote to change inputs, I decided to hit "video source" on my cable remote. The TV went to "Cable 3". I hit it a few more times but it didn't do anything, so I grabbed my TV remote and hit the menu to change inputs. When the input selection came up everything was greyed out except for the "TV" input which only gives me black and white static. I called Samung and the guy told me to unplug everything (cables, power cord) and wait ten minutes and hook everything back up. I did, but same problem. I did it again, but this time the DVD screen came up. When I went to the input menu, everything is still greyed out including my HDMI2 port where my DVD is connected, but I have a picture. I called Samsung back and they told me I will need a service call and will set one up. I know I won't see anyone until after Christmas and I need this thing up and operational before then. Has this happened to anyone else? Anybody heard of something like this? Thank you very very much for any help anyone can provide.

A Christmas day with the in-laws and no TV is a fate no man should have to suffer.....

HELP!!!!

I have no idea what I have done. I was wathing a movie on my HL-R6768W. When it was over, instead of using my TV remote to change inputs, I decided to hit "video source" on my cable remote. The TV went to "Cable 3". I hit it a few more times but it didn't do anything, so I grabbed my TV remote and hit the menu to change inputs. When the input selection came up everything was greyed out except for the "TV" input which only gives me black and white static. I called Samung and the guy told me to unplug everything (cables, power cord) and wait ten minutes and hook everything back up. I did, but same problem. I did it again, but this time the DVD screen came up. When I went to the input menu, everything is still greyed out including my HDMI2 port where my DVD is connected, but I have a picture. I called Samsung back and they told me I will need a service call and will set one up. I know I won't see anyone until after Christmas and I need this thing up and operational before then. Has this happened to anyone else? Anybody heard of something like this? Thank you very very much for any help anyone can provide.

A Christmas day with the in-laws and no TV is a fate no man should have to suffer.....
Make sure that your components on the other inputs are powered up. Then try menu again. If that doesn't work, try the source button on the Samsung remote. If you can, why not send a discrete IR command for HDMI1. If that fails, try video source again on the other remote to see if it will move you back to an active input. I have issues all 256 valid Samsung IR codes and have not locked up my TV ... so there is something a little unusual about the command that you sent to the TV.

I don't think it can be magnetic interference but I would look and find out what circuit the set is connected to? Things like the refrigerator, microwave, vacuum could cause a problem, but only when they are on. The other thing is don't bunch the electrical wires together with the video and audio.

Although the magnetic field from a subwoofer will not affect the picture in the traditional way it would a CRT, a big magnet in a subwoofer can spead a mangetic field up to approx 24 inches, Its a good idea to keep all Large woofers as far away from audio and video components as practical.

And just to echo the power cords, absolutely. power cords emit interference, which can be measured up to 18 inches. Keep them away from all audio/video cables and connections. Definetly the best cheap tweak you can ever do !

Bigpickn, that is really strange, almost impossible. Are you sure everything in your post is correct and nothing is missing? I assume you were watching cable and not the DVD? Regardless, I think it makes sense to start over like they suggested. Just install the cable box and get that to work. If that works move on to the next component, one at a time. I wonder if the connections weren't installed correctly to begin with? I don't see how pressing a button on a remote can disconnect everything? Let us know what happens.

Hey Bigpickin my 6768 to a great big fat dump on me about 3 weeks ago. I have been without TV ever since. I hope your service call experience will be better than mine.
They took it in for service and the last time I checked the guy had not even looked at it because he could not fit it into his elevator. Quite comical I know, but I will get this taken care of, I assure you.

Maybe we got a bad batch, who knows. If you want my serial number just PM me.

Good luck.

Bigpickin - It's possible that the remote "crashed" and is scrambling the codes to the TV (garbage in, garbage out). I've had this type of problem on an old CRT set.
Page 15 of the owner's manual for RESET on the remote: If your remote control is not functioning properly, take out the batteries and press the reset button for about 2~3 seconds. Re-insert the batteries and try using the remote control again.

Do the reset procedure for remote first, then the TV (turn off, wait until the lamp cools, then unplug) to be sure that you got everything.

Update: After I unhooked everything and waited ten minutes, I turned the TV back on. When it came up, it was no longer on "cable 3" but went to HDMI2. I checked the input menu but everything is still grayed out except the input for TV, and that is just static. I tried to go back to HDMI2, but it wouldn't let me. I unplugged everything, waited another ten minutes, and powered up. Again it came up HDMI2. I checked the input menu again and everything is still grayed out. I put a dvd in because that is the component I have hooked up to it and it plays fine. I left the room for two seconds, enough time for my ten month old daughter to crawl over and stand up to hit the power button, when I powered back up, it went right back to the movie. I then decided to try to connect my cable box to the HDMI2 port.....and it worked! It is stll grayed out, and the input menu is toast, but at least I have sights and sounds. I'll be curious if anyone calls me back tomorrow on the message I left the service place that Samsung directed me to. To sum up, I've got a blown engine, bullet holes in my wings, but I'm still flying.....

Thank you all for your help and advice. If I can just stay airborne until the in-laws leave I should be o.k....

Bigpickn, so the inputs got fried just by pushing a button on a remote? Now it looks like a coincidence. I would check the cables. I assume they are new and in great condition. They are tight and not loose. I would take the cables off the DVD player that you know works and connect the cable box with them. I would also connect the DVD player with the cable box cables. In other words, now that you disconnected everything I would switch it all around. Right now it seems only HDMI2 works but that doesn't make any sense to me.

I would be sure you've tried everything before they stop by that's all. Especially since they probably won't until after Christmas and maybe even later since they could be busy with people that have fried ports. What a hassle.

Bigpickn, so the inputs got fried just by pushing a button on a remote? Now it looks like a coincidence. I would check the cables. I assume they are new and in great condition. They are tight and not loose. I would take the cables off the DVD player that you know works and connect the cable box with them. I would also connect the DVD player with the cable box cables. In other words, now that you disconnected everything I would switch it all around. Right now it seems only HDMI2 works but that doesn't make any sense to me.

I would be sure you've tried everything before they stop by that's all. Especially since they probably won't until after Christmas and maybe even later since they could be busy with people that have fried ports. What a hassle.


It's really strange. When you bring up the menu, hit inputs, go to source list, everything is grayed out except TV. The HDMI2 is grayed out, but the cable box is playing through it just fine. No other inputs work. I have tried about everything in the book. I'm amazed that the cable is playing, because the TV is telling me it's not.

Hitting the source button on the remote takes me to TV and that's it. It won't go anywhere else

How can I see the resolution being output by my DLP? ie. while playing a DVD or watching a HD channel on Comcast, when I press "info" on the samsung remote it states : resolution 1920 X 1080i @ 60Hz . Why wouldn't it state 1080p ? How do I know this tv is "upconverting" the lower signals to 1080p ?

Thanks, Plutocracy

I bought one of those and it works ok (not perfect) on my 5078. The back legs are too short. I contacted the company directly and asked them if they would consider making longer legs but they declined since they felt it would be a safety issue. The legs are about 2" too short and really should be adjustable by about another 6 inches. That said, I did get it to work for me.

My center speaker is 6" X 20" X 8" (HWD) and weighs about 15 pounds. In order to mount it I needed to let the Omni shelf extend over the front of the bezel by about 2". No problem since it does not block the picture in any way and the stand is actually very well made and quite attractive. The speaker sits on top of this and is all the way forward. The shelf itself is still tilted by about 5 degrees downward to the rear. The part of the panel that sits on top of the TV has velcro strips (supplied) to hold it in place.

To make this puppy work correctly I strongly suggest you buy some additional velcro to attach to the bottom of your speaker and the stand itself. I didn't and ended up with some serious dings in my wall when the speaker fell during a loud playback of a movie. Since I put the velcro on, no problems at all. Also, the legs MUST go on the frontmost position of the stand. It will be obvious once you get it. Also, since the stand is made out of metal, it would be very easy to attach some braces that would hold the speaker in place. The stand itself IMO is very securely attached to the TV via the back legs and velcro strips on the bezel. That should not be a concern.

Bottom line: Its actually a very clean install. It looks nice and by securing all parts including the speaker, I believe you'll have a stable center stand.

Thanks for the info. I did go ahead and try out this stand, and I'm happy to say it worked really well. I'm disappointed that the leg casings are made of plastic, because I split one when tightening it around the metal extender. But it seems to be holding up okay, and it definitely puts the speaker where I wanted it. I hope that it stays, because I'd hate for the center speaker to fall onto the glass foot of the pedestal. So far, so good.

I ended up picking up some OmniMount stands for the left and right channel speakers, as well.

How can I see the resolution being output by my DLP? ie. while playing a DVD or watching a HD channel on Comcast, when I press "info" on the samsung remote it states : resolution 1920 X 1080i @ 60Hz . Why wouldn't it state 1080p ? How do I know this tv is "upconverting" the lower signals to 1080p ?

Thanks, Plutocracy

Because everything on the TV is displayed at 1080p. That is the native, and only, resolution the set displays.

I do have a subwoofer a few feet from the TV stand. I'll power it off and disconnect it to see if there's any difference.

Flipper,
I have totally lost the picture on my HLR5688 twice now and I strongly suspect it is reacting to my sub somehow. Even though my sub is about 4 to 5 feet away the picture has gone kaputz suspiciously right after sub tweaking (loud) both times. It started with a flicker then it did a kaleidoscope lke thing and then BAM! No picture. Samsung has replaced the digital board (first time -fixed) and the DMD( second time -fixed) but the PQ has suffered ever since the first repair. They are deciding whether or not to replace this set (AGAIN!). This set , when it works, is gorgeous, but it's not reliable . If I had it to do over again, I would purchase something else.

Flipper,
I have totally lost the picture on my HLR5688 twice now and I strongly suspect it is reacting to my sub somehow. Even though my sub is about 4 to 5 feet away the picture has gone kaputz suspiciously right after sub tweaking (loud) both times. It started with a flicker then it did a kaleidoscope lke thing and then BAM! No picture. Samsung has replaced the digital board (first time -fixed) and the DMD( second time -fixed) but the PQ has suffered ever since the first repair. They are deciding whether or not to replace this set (AGAIN!). This set , when it works, is gorgeous, but it's not reliable . If I had it to do over again, I would purchase something else.

That makes it sound like a power problem…..like your overloading the circuit. When the sub hits a powerful low note it draws more power from the circuit and then that’s when you have your problem…….

Maybe you can hook some of your components (like the sub) on another separate circuit in your house? (Maybe run an extension chord) If you can’t, then you might need a power line conditioner to guarantee clean power to your system (if my hunch is right and it is a power problem in your case).

Bigpickn, I'm just still hoping there's a way to get it to work soon. What if you have the TV off, unplug the TV. Unplug all the inputs, audio, video, PC, sub woofer. Wait a couple of minutes and plug in and turn the TV on without anything connected. Wait a minute and see if something shows on the screen. Turn off the TV, keep it plugged in and connect one input. Turn on the TV and see what happens. I would try HDMI1 since you know HDMI2 works. If that works go to the next input. Again, one at a time and test the TV. Then turn off the TV for the next input.

I was able to reset the inputs and the TV doing something similar but I never had a problem. I hope if you get it to work you let us know how you did it.

Wingnut4772, what do the LEDs show? I mean is the TV off or is it on but the picture is off? How do you get the picture back? Power on the remote or just wait or something for it to return? It can't be a subwoofer. Have you noticed any other components connected not working that are connected to the same power supply? I'd say it is electrical. I assume you have made sure the power supply is tight in the back and no one pushed the TV against the wall or something?

Got my cablecard just installed and i have to say the quality is much much better. HD looks fantastic and regular SD looks pretty good.

Only issue is, NO TV GUIDE?!

Ive read up on the issue and im just hoping within 48hrs itll populate itself... Its only been around 20 hrs so far.

Got my cablecard just installed and i have to say the quality is much much better. HD looks fantastic and regular SD looks pretty good.

Only issue is, NO TV GUIDE?!

Ive read up on the issue and im just hoping within 48hrs itll populate itself... Its only been around 20 hrs so far.

If the TV Guide doesn't populate - and I am guessing it will not, the following proceedure may get it to work. Go into the setup for the TV Guide and set the zip code to 00000 and tell the set you don't have anything attached. Wait a day. Then go back in and reset the zip code to your area and finish up the information that TV Guide wants. Then wait again. Hopefully that will get things working again.

Thanks for the info. I did go ahead and try out this stand, and I'm happy to say it worked really well. I'm disappointed that the leg casings are made of plastic, because I split one when tightening it around the metal extender. But it seems to be holding up okay, and it definitely puts the speaker where I wanted it. I hope that it stays, because I'd hate for the center speaker to fall onto the glass foot of the pedestal. So far, so good.

I ended up picking up some OmniMount stands for the left and right channel speakers, as well.

I ended up ordering one as well. That's funny that you say the legs are plastic though because it even advertises "all steel construction" on Circuit City's web page:

"All-steel construction: It's also perfect for holding your DVD player, satellite receiver, cable box, A/V receiver, video game console, VCR/DVR, or HDTV receiver with its sturdy design that can hold up to 30 lbs."

Yehaa!! Just received my Sammy 5668 from TVA yesterday and I have to say, it's living up to my expectations very well - so far!

One little bug I need a little assistance with - from both HDMI and component inputs, when the source goes to 4:3 mode (or anything less than 16:9), the two edge borders (L&R) seem to bow inward just a little. Anyone know what attribute in the service menu helps facilitate this adjustment?

There is also some over scan (at least I think it's over scan) on both sides that cause the two ends to have a lighter thin vertical stripe. I'm not sure if those issues are related, but would enjoy hearing comments on both potential fixes.

The DVD full width and HD 16:9 screens seem to be flawless in this regard, but I don't have the source material or equipment to do a full blown diagnostic and calibration - and you can't see the "edges" on the screen anyway. ;-)

I have a Comcast 6412 III HD-DVR as the source, HDMI is primary connection to set.

Thanks in advance!

Flipper,
I have totally lost the picture on my HLR5688 twice now and I strongly suspect it is reacting to my sub somehow. Even though my sub is about 4 to 5 feet away the picture has gone kaputz suspiciously right after sub tweaking (loud) both times. It started with a flicker then it did a kaleidoscope lke thing and then BAM! No picture. Samsung has replaced the digital board (first time -fixed) and the DMD( second time -fixed) but the PQ has suffered ever since the first repair. They are deciding whether or not to replace this set (AGAIN!). This set , when it works, is gorgeous, but it's not reliable . If I had it to do over again, I would purchase something else.
I have a 5688 and I huge sub right next to the tv. The sub is actually turned up to much and shakes everything in the house, (really pisses the wife off). I don't have any problems at all with my tv. I doubt its the sub. I did have trouble when I first got my tv, but a Samsung tech came out and replaced 3 boards. I posted about it in post #7760 in this thread. I also included a pic of the most common problem my tv was having. I will also post another pic. In the pics, on the left you can see how close my sub is to the tv.

[...]

One little bug I need a little assistance with - from both HDMI and component inputs, when the source goes to 4:3 mode (or anything less than 16:9), the two edge borders (L&R) seem to bow inward just a little. Anyone know what attribute in the service menu helps facilitate this adjustment?

There is also some over scan (at least I think it's over scan) on both sides that cause the two ends to have a lighter thin vertical stripe. I'm not sure if those issues are related, but would enjoy hearing comments on both potential fixes.

[...]



The inward bow is slight and cannot be adjusted. Also, thin white vertical side lines on 4:3 SD material cannot be removed. Every set has these two annoyances. You may have to learn to live with them. If these are all the problems you have encountered, consider yourself very fortunate.

The inward bow is slight and cannot be adjusted. Also, thin white vertical side lines on 4:3 SD material cannot be removed. Every set has these two annoyances. You may have to learn to live with them. If these are all the problems you have encountered, consider yourself very fortunate.

This is exactly why I have not plopped down $4K on a new TV Set. Unacceptable quality. Will stick with my cruddy Toshiba for awhile :)

Yehaa!! Just received my Sammy 5668 from TVA yesterday and I have to say, it's living up to my expectations very well - so far!

One little bug I need a little assistance with - from both HDMI and component inputs, when the source goes to 4:3 mode (or anything less than 16:9), the two edge borders (L&R) seem to bow inward just a little. Anyone know what attribute in the service menu helps facilitate this adjustment?

There is also some over scan (at least I think it's over scan) on both sides that cause the two ends to have a lighter thin vertical stripe. I'm not sure if those issues are related, but would enjoy hearing comments on both potential fixes.

The DVD full width and HD 16:9 screens seem to be flawless in this regard, but I don't have the source material or equipment to do a full blown diagnostic and calibration - and you can't see the "edges" on the screen anyway. ;-)

I have a Comcast 6412 III HD-DVR as the source, HDMI is primary connection to set.

Thanks in advance!
With the 6412 III, you can set the 480 override to a mode that will eliminate the white lines on the sides of 4:3 material. Try some of the other options 480i, 480p, etc. and see what works best in your setup. The white lines should not be a problem with the TV, but rather the source component.

This is exactly why I have not plopped down $4K on a new TV Set. Unacceptable quality. Will stick with my cruddy Toshiba for awhile :)

For the most part, if it ain't HD, I don't watch it. And for the small amount of time I do end up watching CNN or something (Analog on Comcast), I am ok with the quality. You are missing out on a whole bunch of excellent TV watching by basing your decision on SD TV. Clearly, if you only watch SD you don't even need a $4k HDTV!

With the 6412 III, you can set the 480 override to a mode that will eliminate the white lines on the sides of 4:3 material. Try some of the other options 480i, 480p, etc. and see what works best in your setup. The white lines should not be a problem with the TV, but rather the source component.

Humm...Anyone wanna point out how to get into the service menu to set those options? The Comcast DVR unit's dumbed-down interface for "box setup" only sets 4 unrelated options.

For the most part, if it ain't HD, I don't watch it. And for the small amount of time I do end up watching CNN or something (Analog on Comcast), I am ok with the quality. You are missing out on a whole bunch of excellent TV watching by basing your decision on SD TV. Clearly, if you only watch SD you don't even need a $4k HDTV!

I am watching HD, on my 56x81. Just converging all the times stinks :) However, with lag issues and pincushioning, etc, come on, this is a lot of money, they can do better.

I ended up ordering one as well. That's funny that you say the legs are plastic though because it even advertises "all steel construction" on Circuit City's web page:

"All-steel construction: It's also perfect for holding your DVD player, satellite receiver, cable box, A/V receiver, video game console, VCR/DVR, or HDTV receiver with its sturdy design that can hold up to 30 lbs."

That is pretty funny. It's certainly ALMOST all-steel construction. I think those leg housings are the only things that aren't steel. I wish they were.

Has anyone tried sending a 1080p siganl to the VGA from a scaler? I have all of the equipment, but do not have any idea which settings I would need to change and if it would work. :confused:

I ended up ordering one as well. That's funny that you say the legs are plastic though because it even advertises "all steel construction" on Circuit City's web page:

"All-steel construction: It's also perfect for holding your DVD player, satellite receiver, cable box, A/V receiver, video game console, VCR/DVR, or HDTV receiver with its sturdy design that can hold up to 30 lbs."

Wonder what happened. The legs on mine are all steel. I'd ask for new legs. Perhaps I got all steel because the unit as it came from the factory was missing the legs entirely! I called them direct and within a few days I had a complete set of all steel legs.

Humm...Anyone wanna point out how to get into the service menu to set those options? The Comcast DVR unit's dumbed-down interface for "box setup" only sets 4 unrelated options.

Standing next to the 6412 with your TV on, push the power button on the 6412 box to turn OFF the 6412, then quickly press the menu button on the 6412 box. The configuration menu should appear. NOTE: you have to use the actual buttons on the DVR box, not your remote. For a full description of the fields available, check the 6412 manual, which is available online.

Some while ago there were problems that arose if one turned off the Comcast stb, so I (and many others, I think) started leaving it 'on' all the time. I've actually forgotten what the 'problems' were, but I wonder if they still exist. I.e., is it OK now to turn the 6412 'off' when not in use?

Some while ago there were problems that arose if one turned off the Comcast stb, so I (and many others, I think) started leaving it 'on' all the time. I've actually forgotten what the 'problems' were, but I wonder if they still exist. I.e., is it OK now to turn the 6412 'off' when not in use?
Yes. My macros turn it off unless I am on that input and I have not had any problems.

Whew , I have just finished reading all 263 pages of this thread (took me 4+ months) now im off to see if I can improve my pic quality on my hlr5078w.

Does anyone have any good pics of the 71" in action -- went to see it at Fry's and couldn't even really see it well with all the reflections off the glossy screen ---- Saw the 67" and it looked MUCH better than the Mitsu.... Any other suggestions for the Best 70"+ TV out there?? :)

Mgreen200, you might start with Tuneup on Sat. mornings on INHD, if you have that channel. It didn't make a difference for me but I did made a couple of minor adjustments just for fun.

Thanks but I have already set my DvR to record it.

Does anyone have any good pics of the 71" in action -- went to see it at Fry's and couldn't even really see it well with all the reflections off the glossy screen ---- Saw the 67" and it looked MUCH better than the Mitsu.... Any other suggestions for the Best 70"+ TV out there?? :)

Be aware that it is VERY difficult to get a correct impression of PQ in a store. I've had a Sammy (hlp6163), which I thought was very good, and have now had a Mits 73" 1080p for about a month or two. I find the PQ of the Mits to be extremely good (esp after I had it ISF'ed). I was prepared to go for the Sammy 7178 (because of my good experience with the hlp), but was turned off when I saw the glary screen it has. I'm quite happy with the Mits, and probably would have been with a 67" Sammy, but I wanted the larger size.

So I wouldn't write off the Mits from your impressions in one store. Before making my final decision, I thought the Sammy looked better than the Mits in one place (a Magnolia HiFi), and that the Mits looked better in another (also a Mag HiFi!). And I didn't like the Qualia in either of them because of the glary screen.

Has anyone tried sending a 1080p siganl to the VGA from a scaler? I have all of the equipment, but do not have any idea which settings I would need to change and if it would work. :confused:

I tried it with the Iscan HD+ and couldn't get it to work and I tried it the other day with the VP30 and didn't get it to worlk. I don't know what specific settings need to be changed to make it work. I just know 1080P from the PC looks great with WMV-HD clips.

That makes it sound like a power problem…..like your overloading the circuit. When the sub hits a powerful low note it draws more power from the circuit and then that’s when you have your problem…….

They are already on different circuits. The sub is on a 20 amp dedicated and the HLR is just on a 15 amp house circuit and on a Monster HTS 2500.
I posted pics earlier in this thread of what the pic looked like but HERE (http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1464935) they are again.

They are already on different circuits. The sub is on a 20 amp dedicated and the HLR is just on a 15 amp house circuit and on a Monster HTS 2500.
I posted pics earlier in this thread of what the pic looked like but HERE (http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?folder_id=1464935) they are again.


I guess two suggestions, if they haven't already been posted.

1. Have you tried the TV with the Sub turned off?

2. If it clears it up then, since the sub is non-directional, try placing it farther away from the TV.

3. Turn the damn thing down! :) If it is shaking the house, I can only imagine what it is doing to the mirrors. I don't think that the actuators on the DMD are that strong. If you must have that jiggle, get some butt kickers under your chairs and sofa.

i can get either model 5678w or 5668w ... Which one is better in your opinions? i know mostly its only a bezel difference but the 78w is a little more expensive. I have read so many issues with lag and video games my head is spinning some say not noticeable some say big problem. I plan on bringing a ps2 to tweeter today and testing it out in person before i splash down 4000 .... Thanks for all the inof..

Well I broke down and purchased a HL-R6768W.
Everything is fantastic except for the non-HD channels, they aren't clear at all.
I'm using a HDMI cable and a Comcast HD DVR box.

Does anyone have any idea as to what I can adjust to make to picture watchable?
Thanks

Well I broke down and purchased a HL-R6768W.
Everything is fantastic except for the non-HD channels, they aren't clear at all.
I'm using a HDMI cable and a Comcast HD DVR box.

Does anyone have any idea as to what I can adjust to make to picture watchable?
Thanks

Analog is always hit or miss. Comcast is slowly rolling out all digital to their customer, so a solution is around the corner. In the meantime, try to get the Phase III 6412. IME, it offers better PQ on analog than the older box.

Some while ago there were problems that arose if one turned off the Comcast stb, so I (and many others, I think) started leaving it 'on' all the time. I've actually forgotten what the 'problems' were, but I wonder if they still exist. I.e., is it OK now to turn the 6412 'off' when not in use?
I leave mine on because of two problems - when I turned everything on (with a Harmony 'activity' macro) the 6412 would be muted, and the box would turn itself off sometimes when it reached the end of a show it was recording.

Analog is always hit or miss. Comcast is slowly rolling out all digital to their customer, so a solution is around the corner. In the meantime, try to get the Phase III 6412. IME, it offers better PQ on analog than the older box.

If you do have a Phase III STB I have found that setting the 4:3 Override to 480i seems to me to give the best picture. This lets the Samsung do the deinterlacing and scaling rather than the STB. Try the different settings for 4:3 Override and see what you like best.

Well I broke down and purchased a HL-R6768W.
Everything is fantastic except for the non-HD channels, they aren't clear at all.
I'm using a HDMI cable and a Comcast HD DVR box.

Does anyone have any idea as to what I can adjust to make to picture watchable?
Thanks
With the DVR ON and the TV ON, press the POWER button on the DVR box (not remote), then press the MENU button on the DVR box (not remote) quickly. This will take you to your setup screen. Try various options for 480i override (480i, 480p, etc.) and see which on looks best on your favorite channel.

It there is a digital channel that you can use instead of an analog channel, switch to digital.

Finally, SD was designed to be viewed from 3x the TV's diagonal ... so it will look much clearer if you back-up a little while watching it. With a 67" set ... you may need to position yourself in your backyard. :D :D

Hello All. Long time lurker here who has been doing much reading and learning from all of you. For this I say THANKS!

OK, so I bought the HLR6168W. It's fabulous and I love it. It does however have a quirky challenge that I have not yet seen discussed here. My subwoofer makes the top bezel "BUZZ" when it hits more significant sound effects. It's really pretty loud too! Kind of annoying. I can press the top/center of the bezel with my hand and make it stop.

Anybody else pondering this?

i can get either model 5678w or 5668w ... Which one is better in your opinions? i know mostly its only a bezel difference but the 78w is a little more expensive. I have read so many issues with lag and video games my head is spinning some say not noticeable some say big problem. I plan on bringing a ps2 to tweeter today and testing it out in person before i splash down 4000 .... Thanks for all the inof..
When I was trying to decide in Aug, I was advised by both TVA and Samsung Customer service that the electronics of both sets were exactly the same. The only differences were the bezel design. Since the '68 was cheaper and I was worried about reflections, I decided to go with the 5668. I am glad I did since bezel reflections show up as a complaint in a variety of forums. I must admit, with the set off, the '78 series does look classier, IMHO.

Hello All. Long time lurker here who has been doing much reading and learning from all of you. For this I say THANKS!

OK, so I bought the HLR6168W. It's fabulous and I love it. It does however have a quirky challenge that I have not yet seen discussed here. My subwoofer makes the top bezel "BUZZ" when it hits more significant sound effects. It's really pretty loud too! Kind of annoying. I can press the top/center of the bezel with my hand and make it stop.

Anybody else pondering this?
Can you shove some folded paper under the lip to stop the vibration? It may just be the bezel vibrating against the screen because of a small gap etc.

Can you shove some folded paper under the lip to stop the vibration? It may just be the bezel vibrating against the screen because of a small gap etc.

I'll be taking a hard look at it over the weekend, although I'm very weary about messing with my new "baby" :) That's a pretty non-intrusive solution though that might work. I'll also be looking for loose screws accross the top of the set.

Thanks!

I'll be taking a hard look at it over the weekend, although I'm very weary about messing with my new "baby" :) That's a pretty non-intrusive solution though that might work. I'll also be looking for loose screws accross the top of the set.

Thanks!
Be careful, several owners have reported that the screen is poorly attached to the top bezel in the general area of your problem. It has the ability to be pushed in and will exhibit some give.

Well I broke down and purchased a HL-R6768W.
Everything is fantastic except for the non-HD channels, they aren't clear at all.
I'm using a HDMI cable and a Comcast HD DVR box.

Does anyone have any idea as to what I can adjust to make to picture watchable?
Thanks

My 6768 looked great on all the channels, but I decided to have it proffesionally calibrated anyway. I was afraid I was just wasting my money until they showed up. It was a two guy team that spent three hours with the TV. When they left I was blown away with how good it looked.....you may want to consider that. Just make sure they are certified....

I'm far behind many of you, but I finally turned off DNIe using Eliab's instructions (reposted on post #7606 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6669581&&#post6669581) of this thread).

I am completely impressed with the results of this procedure. Two settings in particular have a significant effect upon picture quality: SNI_PROC_BWS, as has been mentioned by several others, and SNI_PROC_DEP.

The BWS setting has a huge effect upon shadow detail. When on, it really crushes lower shadow detail into black, resulting in an overprocessed and unnecessarily dark picture. I was shocked to see how much shadow detail was revealed when I toggled it OFF -- doing so put a big smile on my face. The BWS setting was definitely the culprit behind my nagging doubts about crushed blacks on my 5078.

The DEP setting, when ON, applies heavy edge enhancement. For those of you familiar with Adobe PhotoShop, it's analagous to the effects of using Unsharp Masking to increase edge contrast in a photo -- if you have a light grey circle on a dark grey background, the light grey pixels at the very outer edge of the circle are made lighter, and the dark grey pixels just outside of the circle are made darker. When properly used, the technique can increased the perceived sharpness of a soft image, since the edges appear to be better defined -- but when improperly used, it can easily create strong "halos" or double-borders that can be quite distracting.

Some here have liked the effects of the DEP setting, others have not. I'm a purist when it comes to things like this, so given the choice I'll turn choose the unaltered image. The benefits of having it OFF, for me at least, became more obvious when looking at contrast-heavy edges during movement, as opposed to a still image. To my eye, a good HD signal looks a hell of a lot smoother and more natural.

I'm still debating where I want to leave the GAMMA setting. I currently have it at 0, and chose that setting because at 2, colors appeared to have a slight amount of unnatural oversaturation. This was most noticeable in the greens on my set, but that bias might just be due to inaccurate color decoding or white balance that would need professional calibration to correct.

Just thought I'd share ...

Hello All

Santa came early. I just received by Samsung HLR5078W on Wednesday. So far it's pretty damn good. The quality of the pic without HD is amazing. Comcast is coming on Tues so I have to wait til then. Oh well I've waited this long....

Any tips for a new bee?

I have a Marantz SR 7500, Samsung DVD Player, Powered Subwoofer, Cambridge Sound works Speakers (need to upgrade).

Louie

Mgreen200, you might start with Tuneup on Sat. mornings on INHD, if you have that channel. It didn't make a difference for me but I did made a couple of minor adjustments just for fun.

Thanks for that info BVCP - I have been looking for this program for a while without luck! Did you adjust anything in the SM with this "tune up" program or just user menus?

I've been experiementing w/ an Xbox 360 and VGA to try to get a good input response and picture quality. Here are some observations. Please feel free to correct and/or provide more details where I am missing some:

* VGA definately provides better input response over Component.

* DNIe is disabled on VGA. Going into the Service Menu the DNIe settings are at default. Toggling any of them has no effect on the image.

* The GAMMA for VGA is set to 4 - VIDEO as default. I found that setting it to 0 or 1 provides a richer picture and allows the contrast and brightness settings to be more reasonable, rather than the 90/10.

* The image is much softer than component, most likely due to the lack of edge enhancement. Is there a way to tighten this up?

* You can see the "higher" black level by switching between component and VGA with the sources off. The VGA screen is much brighter from the start. Is there a way to adjust this?

* I believe playing Xbox 360 games (such as Quake IV) over component actually has a much worse frame rate than say a LCD projector (which is my other display). I guess this makes sense, if the unit takes a certain amount of time to process the image (enough to be noticable), then it will eventually have to drop some frames to keep up.

I'm going to try to pick up a Toshiba 56MX195 so I can compare then side by side at home.

I have had the 5078W for almost 3 months now and after coupling it with the Oppo Digital DVD player (1111 firmware) through the DVI port Idecided to go through with the DVE calibration DVD.
Everything is fine in the calibration process, but I have a few questions I am hoping more experienced users may answer:
1. when I am setting up the contrast setting using PLUGE with grey scale pattern, I keep increasing the contrast and dont see any blooming (maybe I am not supposed to see). I also dont see any distortion in the size and shape of the grey scale log bars. Where should I stop increasing?
2. when I look through the green filter at the SMPTE color bars I am supposed to make sure that the intensity of cyan and yellow bars the same. I get close but never perfect with the single color slider available in the picture menu. Further more the rightmost 3 bars that are supposed to look like black come brighter/more saturated, giving me the impression that "green is leaking through those channels". Any advice?
3. when I play with the individual color sliders in the My Color menu I dont see any significant impact to the overall color quality? What is this supposed to be used for?
4. also on the individual color settings, the tv brings up a sample before/after image that covers the entire screen. But this seems counter intuitive since I dont see the source image (DVD calibration pattern for example). Is there a way to disable this image? Can we petition to Samsung to change this with a firmware update?
Thanks for patiently reading my questions. Any or all answers are appreciated.
--selim
:)

Well im a little upset. I went down to tweeter to test out my 6178W tv before I bought it for video game lag. I had with me a ps2 and componenet cables. Brought a couple diff games. First game i tested was God Of War, It was in progressive scan mode, with 16:9 set. The game had no lag whatsoever perfect. I was happy and thought some of you lag guys' complaints were crazy. Next i decided to try a 480p native game Marvel vs Capcom 2. Well here is where i saw horrendous lag. The game was so laggy it made it unplayable. That turned me off to the game immediately. After two months of deciding what to get i now have to start from scratch and read some more owner threads AHHHHHhhhh. Anyways im seriously considering a Sony 60XBR1. As the pic was just as good as the samsung and there was no lag whatsoever with marvel vs capcom 2 through component. My question to you owners is if I did get the samsung and used vga ps2 connector to the vga port on the SAmmy. Would this eliminate the lag altogether?


thanks

I see several open box Samsungs (HLR6768) adverstised for a several less then best prices Ive found. WIth that savings I could get an extra warranty too.

Are there issues to be worried about with open box units?.

Im told they get returned for several reasons, e.g., rainbows effect, size etc. And the store checks them out when them come back they say.

Seems like a good way to go especially since they will have the full factory warranty still.

Any opinions?

I see several open box Samsungs (HLR6768) adverstised for a several less then best prices Ive found. WIth that savings I could get an extra warranty too.

Are there issues to be worried about with open box units?.

Im told they get returned for several reasons, e.g., rainbows effect, size etc. And the store checks them out when them come back they say.

Seems like a good way to go especially since they will have the full factory warranty still.

Any opinions?

The "store checkout" amounts to them plugging it into the wall and seeing if it has a picture. That's about it.

That being said, the open box thing comes down to savings vs. what you are willing to endure. If it looks good in the store, it's probably just a return for the size issue and sometimes just buyer remorse. I have a 5688 that is open box and was DOA when I brought it home. Samsung stood behind the warranty without question and I saved almost $4k off the MSRP. In this case, a no brainer. I checked it to see that it has no signs of damage or abuse, but other than that I simply said "I'll take it".

Also having a calibrated set(an HL-R6168) and this uncalibrated HL-R5688 in the same house makes it soooo easy to see the PQ benefits of having a calibration done. I can literally compare side-by-side. IMO, it's silly to spend this kind of money and not get it calibrated. You're missing out otherwise. I didn't fully understand this until I had both to compare.

I got a 71 inch Sammy 1080p display for Christmas and would like to turn off the DNIe processing. I have read the instructions posted earlier on this thread. I have one dumb question. I have not tried to enter the service menu yet for fear of not being able to figure out how to get out of it. I do not see any posts that tell you how that is done. If someone would share that information then I will give turning of the DNIe a shot. Thanks in advance for your help.

I got a 71 inch Sammy 1080p display for Christmas and would like to turn off the DNIe processing. I have read the instructions posted earlier on this thread. I have one dumb question. I have not tried to enter the service menu yet for fear of not being able to figure out how to get out of it. I do not see any posts that tell you how that is done. If someone would share that information then I will give turning of the DNIe a shot. Thanks in advance for your help.

After entering the Service Menu and making the necessary changes, you can turn off the TV.. Wait a bit, then turn it back on.

I think you could also program some codes into a remote to do this, but I haven't tried this yet.

Am I the only one who thinks Dnie really enhances the overall 3d effect and makes DVD's look better??

Well, each person has their own opinions. I'm glad I have the option on my set to turn Dnie on and off without any trouble. I've never had a reason to turn it off yet.

When watching HD Football games on CBS, I do notice the wide angles of the football field are not entirely accurate and curved. Is this due to the TV or the actual HD camera's used in the game?? I have an HLR5087W.

Am I the only one who thinks Dnie really enhances the overall 3d effect and makes DVD's look better??


:D :D Yes! :) :)

When watching HD Football games on CBS, I do notice the wide angles of the football field are not entirely accurate and curved. Is this due to the TV or the actual HD camera's used in the game?? I have an HLR5087W.

Wide angle lenses can distort the image. A bending of the image at the sides is usual. Called barrel distortion. The stadium beauty shot will use a wide angle lens.

Am I the only one who thinks Dnie really enhances the overall 3d effect and makes DVD's look better??

Probably not, but think about this. DNIe (and sharpness/edge enhancement in general) sharpen soft edges. For example, something that is supposed to be out of focus. It sharpens the edges, making it look more in focus.

So, a shot with an in focus foreground and out of focus background will definitely look more "3D" as the background will be sharpened up and made to look more in focus. Of course that is not at all what was intended, cinematographers and directors choose lenses, camera angles, etc. with what should be in and out of focus in mind. You are taking that control away somewhat and saying you want everything to look in focus.

If you want to see the unaltered image as closely as possible, turn off DNIe. If you want to impose your own artistic preferences, leave it on. It is your right, your choice. No right or wrong, perhaps, but definitely accurate vs. inaccurate.

I've found HD programming to vary widely in PQ. Some programs need more enhancement, some less. It's very difficult to make a global adjustment to optimize all programs. Some compromises will have to be made.

Right now my detail circuit is off and Discovery looks great. However, a film I watched last night looked soft, IMHO. It would be nice to have a range rather than just on or off.

The enhancement circuit in the Samsung is a bit harsh and seems to be more of a peaking circuit rather than an enhancer circuit, IMHO. The picture looks more natural with it off.

Hello,

This is my first post on the site. I am wanting to buy Samsung HL-R5688W, can you guys give me some opinions about this TV. I will have Comcast Digital Cable and Philips DVP642 DVD player hooked up on it. Do I need any special cables in order to get the best performance out of this TV? Also, if anybody has this TV, where did you guys buy it from? I'm looking to buy it from Abe's of Maine for $2,718 shipped.

When this TV arrives I plan on buying Onkyo HT-S780 speakers to come along with it.

Hi All,

This is a great forum, very helpful. I am a videographer, and picture quality is a major thing with me. I see things most people don't when it comes to the picture. A fact that I think drove the guys at my local Home Theater place a little nuts. I received my new 5078 last Friday and was very nervous. Will it look as good as everyone says??? How will regular cable look??? Will I see pixelation in the picture????

It was a lot of money to spend, and if I didn't like it I don't think my wife would be very understanding...

I love the picture!!! Even regular cable looks good on this set. Everything looks good on this set. Then I saw it. RBE! I have never seen it before. Never on the floor model and never on any other DLPs. I wasn't even looking for it when I was looking at sets.

Does anyone have any ideas why this is all of the sudden a problem. I am very bummed. I really love this set, but the RBE is driving me a little nuts.

Thanks in advance for any help with this matter.

Hi All,

This is a great forum, very helpful. I am a videographer, and picture quality is a major thing with me. I see things most people don't when it comes to the picture. A fact that I think drove the guys at my local Home Theater place a little nuts. I received my new 5078 last Friday and was very nervous. Will it look as good as everyone says??? How will regular cable look??? Will I see pixelation in the picture????

It was a lot of money to spend, and if I didn't like it I don't think my wife would be very understanding...

I love the picture!!! Even regular cable looks good on this set. Everything looks good on this set. Then I saw it. RBE! I have never seen it before. Never on the floor model and never on any other DLPs. I wasn't even looking for it when I was looking at sets.

Does anyone have any ideas why this is all of the sudden a problem. I am very bummed. I really love this set, but the RBE is driving me a little nuts.

Thanks in advance for any help with this matter.
One possible explanation: when new owners first get a new HDTV they are often very intensely viewing the image looking for flaws or good aspects of the image. This tends to cause them to dart their eyes from one area of the screen to another. Eventually this rapid eye movement will cause eye fatigue, headaches, or your first RBE experience. Relax and just watch the TV and see if that reduces the effect. Other factors include watching the TV in a dark room, looking away from the TV frequently (in a conversation, etc.), and black and white high contast material (Sin City etc.). The good news is that the effect will probably fade and disappear.

I know we (this thread) established long ago that these units will not pass Dolby Digital from the HDMI to the Optical output, but I want to confirm that TV will not play any sound when receiving DD via HDMI. Here is the scenario, I have a DVR with HDMI out, I connected it first to HDMI1 input of the TV and got no sound through the TV speakers. When I turned off Dolby Digital in the DVR, I got sound through the TV, but no Dolby Digital from the DVR optical output to my AMP. I do not want have to use the surround amp to watch every show, but I do want Dolby Digital when I use my amp, so I switched to HDMI2/DVI input and hooked up stereo, but I still got no sound. Does this agree with other people's experience? Is there a place to set that the TV should use the DVI Stereo inputs even if there is an HDMI connector? I guess I do not see the point of having a connector designed to transmit Dolby Digital on the TV if it can't/won't do anything with it!

I got a HD DVR and was expecting to be able use it like a second tuner for PIP (in addition to recording HD shows). I already knew that Digital channels cannot be viewed in the PIP window, but external sources could. First I connected the DVR via HDMI, but could not select it as a source for PIP. Then I saw in the manual that HDMI was not included in the PIP Settings Chart even though it not explicitly state that HDMI was not supported. Since my DVD player on Component 1 could be used, I hooked up the DVR to Component 2, but Component 2 was not listed as a PIP source. I then swapped my DVR and DVD, now Component 1 was not available! What is going on here? Why does the TV care whether the external source is a DVD on Component video or a DVR on Component video? Is it the resolution that is the problem? Then why doesn't the manual say that HD sources are not supported for PIP, and why Not!? They are essentially shown PIP with the TV Guide!?

Hello,

This is my first post on the site. I am wanting to buy Samsung HL-R5688W, can you guys give me some opinions about this TV. I will have Comcast Digital Cable and Philips DVP642 DVD player hooked up on it. Do I need any special cables in order to get the best performance out of this TV? Also, if anybody has this TV, where did you guys buy it from? I'm looking to buy it from Abe's of Maine for $2,718 shipped.

When this TV arrives I plan on buying Onkyo HT-S780 speakers to come along with it.

I have this tv and absolutely love it. I use hdmi cable from my directv hd receiver to the tv and use component from the dvd to the tv. I also have the HT-S780. I do get lip sync problems sometimes when I watch HD programs. As stated in this forum before its because it takes longer for the tv to process the video than the stereo to process the audio. I recommend getting a receiver with an audio delay. The ONK HT-S780 does not have an audio delay function. As for the price, thats about $750 cheaper than I paid for mine 4 months ago and I bought mine over the internet, but my price included a 3 year extended warrenty and a 2 year bulb warrenty.

I know we (this thread) established long ago that these units will not pass Dolby Digital from the HDMI to the Optical output, but I want to confirm that TV will not play any sound when receiving DD via HDMI. Here is the scenario, I have a DVR with HDMI out, I connected it first to HDMI1 input of the TV and got no sound through the TV speakers. When I turned off Dolby Digital in the DVR, I got sound through the TV, but no Dolby Digital from the DVR optical output to my AMP. I do not want have to use the surround amp to watch every show, but I do want Dolby Digital when I use my amp, so I switched to HDMI2/DVI input and hooked up stereo, but I still got no sound. Does this agree with other people's experience? Is there a place to set that the TV should use the DVI Stereo inputs even if there is an HDMI connector? I guess I do not see the point of having a connector designed to transmit Dolby Digital on the TV if it can't/won't do anything with it!

I had this exact same problem. I found out the problem is not the tv but the directv HD receiver. It will not pass 5.1 over the hdmi, only digital optical output.

I got a HD DVR and was expecting to be able use it like a second tuner for PIP (in addition to recording HD shows). I already knew that Digital channels cannot be viewed in the PIP window, but external sources could. First I connected the DVR via HDMI, but could not select it as a source for PIP. Then I saw in the manual that HDMI was not included in the PIP Settings Chart even though it not explicitly state that HDMI was not supported. Since my DVD player on Component 1 could be used, I hooked up the DVR to Component 2, but Component 2 was not listed as a PIP source. I then swapped my DVR and DVD, now Component 1 was not available! What is going on here? Why does the TV care whether the external source is a DVD on Component video or a DVR on Component video? Is it the resolution that is the problem? Then why doesn't the manual say that HD sources are not supported for PIP, and why Not!? They are essentially shown PIP with the TV Guide!?

With my tv (5688w) I use directv hd receiver and cannot use pip. I think the reason is the dtv receiver is the tuner and will only output the one channel you are tuned to. If you had regulat cable and routed it straight to the tv, the tv would act as the tuner and you can tune the tv to one channel and display another because it is receiving and processing the channels not a separate source like the dtv reciever.
If I am wrong someone please correct me.

PIP works really well for me on my 5688, but I'm using a CableCard.

I know we (this thread) established long ago that these units will not pass Dolby Digital from the HDMI to the Optical output, but I want to confirm that TV will not play any sound when receiving DD via HDMI. Here is the scenario, I have a DVR with HDMI out, I connected it first to HDMI1 input of the TV and got no sound through the TV speakers. When I turned off Dolby Digital in the DVR, I got sound through the TV, but no Dolby Digital from the DVR optical output to my AMP. I do not want have to use the surround amp to watch every show, but I do want Dolby Digital when I use my amp, so I switched to HDMI2/DVI input and hooked up stereo, but I still got no sound. Does this agree with other people's experience? Is there a place to set that the TV should use the DVI Stereo inputs even if there is an HDMI connector? I guess I do not see the point of having a connector designed to transmit Dolby Digital on the TV if it can't/won't do anything with it!

I have a Sony HDMI DVD player and a HiDef DVR connected to the 2 HDMI inputs.
Both pass audio to the TV and full Dolby Digital to my receiver at the same time.

I have a Sony HDMI DVD player and a HiDef DVR connected to the 2 HDMI inputs.
Both pass audio to the TV and full Dolby Digital to my receiver at the same time.

Do you have the DHG-HDD DVR? Just to confirm, you have the DVR configured to output Dolby Digital, you have it connected to the TV via HDMI, and you DO get sound through the TV? Any configuration required in the TV?

PIP works really well for me on my 5688, but I'm using a CableCard.

I do not have a cablecard or cable, but I was pretty sure the TV Tuner was still used. In any case what sort of "channel" do use as the source for the PIP (Analog TV, Analog Cable, etc)? The manual states that a digital picture cannot be used as the subpicture, I assumed it meant from the built in tuner.

Hi All,

This is a great forum, very helpful. I am a videographer, and picture quality is a major thing with me. I see things most people don't when it comes to the picture. A fact that I think drove the guys at my local Home Theater place a little nuts. I received my new 5078 last Friday and was very nervous. Will it look as good as everyone says??? How will regular cable look??? Will I see pixelation in the picture????

It was a lot of money to spend, and if I didn't like it I don't think my wife would be very understanding...

I love the picture!!! Even regular cable looks good on this set. Everything looks good on this set. Then I saw it. RBE! I have never seen it before. Never on the floor model and never on any other DLPs. I wasn't even looking for it when I was looking at sets.

Does anyone have any ideas why this is all of the sudden a problem. I am very bummed. I really love this set, but the RBE is driving me a little nuts.

Thanks in advance for any help with this matter.

I have the 5688 and it took me about a month until I saw RBE. I was talking and moving my head and there they were. Well, I love the TV so I decided I had to figure a way to minimize them. A few things: Keep the Contrast setting in a dark room to at most, 60. Keep some light behind the TV when it's dark. I really can't see them in the daytime, even tho I have a higher contast setting then. And I see them mostly on heavily processed programming, those needing lots of upconverting, including DVDs. On live HD shows, I see none. Also, don't dart your eyes all over the place on the screen, when looking away from the TV, shut your eyes momentarily, and don't blink very rapidly when looking around the screen. Yes, I know this sounds like a pain, but I hardly see them anymore, and I love the TV so much, it is worth it to me.

With my tv (5688w) I use directv hd receiver and cannot use pip. I think the reason is the dtv receiver is the tuner and will only output the one channel you are tuned to. If you had regulat cable and routed it straight to the tv, the tv would act as the tuner and you can tune the tv to one channel and display another because it is receiving and processing the channels not a separate source like the dtv reciever.
If I am wrong someone please correct me.

That is my point, the built in (TV) digital tuner cannot tune in two channels, but the TV can display an external source in PIP. So I thought I could use the DVR as the external source then change the channel in the DVR tuner. For some reason even though it will display a DVD through a Component input, it would not let me select the DVR on Component input.

Do you have the DHG-HDD DVR? Just to confirm, you have the DVR configured to output Dolby Digital, you have it connected to the TV via HDMI, and you DO get sound through the TV? Any configuration required in the TV?

I have a Scientific Atlantic 8300HD, and I think the audio is set to HDMI. I haven't listened to much Dolby Digital material but I have definetly pumped the Holiday Music channel to the receiver. My cable box has both optical and coax digital outs, I don't know if that makes a difference, I think i'm using coax.

I know that the DVD HDMI works with both.

If I watch a documentary, like King Kong diaries or a kid's movie, I listen through the TV via HDMI.
If I watch a big action movie, I turn the volume off on the TV and listen to the DD5.1 mix on the receiver.

I've owned my Samsung HLR5668W since July, and I absolutely love it ... except for one minor issue:

My HLR5668W is connected to my home theater PC (HTPC) via VGA cable to take advantage of its 1080p capability. I run an application that records HDTV programs for me. My HLR5668W is usually powered-down while the HTPC is recording.

Here's the problem: When I power-up the Samsung to use my HTPC for other applications -- while the HTPC running and recording -- the TV's screen is always blank, and I get a "no signal" message displayed on the TV.

I've done a lot of troubleshooting over the past six months and have concluded that this problem is related to the VGA interface. According to Microsoft, "[default] VGA drivers supply the basic video functionality. However, VGA drivers do not support the power management functionality."

On my HTPC, I notice that my Samsung HLR5668W is installed as a "default" VGA monitor. I'm trying to find a VGA driver that is specific to the Samsung HLR series; i.e., a driver that will enable Windows MCE to recognize my HLR5668W as a computer monitor. Any suggestions on where I should look? Or should I abandon VGA and use HDMI?

Hi All,

This is a great forum, very helpful. I am a videographer, and picture quality is a major thing with me. I see things most people don't when it comes to the picture. A fact that I think drove the guys at my local Home Theater place a little nuts. I received my new 5078 last Friday and was very nervous. Will it look as good as everyone says??? How will regular cable look??? Will I see pixelation in the picture????

It was a lot of money to spend, and if I didn't like it I don't think my wife would be very understanding...

I love the picture!!! Even regular cable looks good on this set. Everything looks good on this set. Then I saw it. RBE! I have never seen it before. Never on the floor model and never on any other DLPs. I wasn't even looking for it when I was looking at sets.

Does anyone have any ideas why this is all of the sudden a problem. I am very bummed. I really love this set, but the RBE is driving me a little nuts.

Thanks in advance for any help with this matter.

I agree with what others have posted on this matter. I saw none at the local BB, CC, etc. But when my 5078 arrived I saw them immediately. From my experience, it's like other vision issues, that your eyes "learn" what to ignore, and I have to say that I now rarely see them. And everyone that I've had over and has seen the magnificent picture on this set hasn't seen them at all.

So, don't worry about them and take the advice previously given and they will all but disappear.

I have this tv and absolutely love it. I use hdmi cable from my directv hd receiver to the tv and use component from the dvd to the tv. I also have the HT-S780. I do get lip sync problems sometimes when I watch HD programs. As stated in this forum before its because it takes longer for the tv to process the video than the stereo to process the audio. I recommend getting a receiver with an audio delay. The ONK HT-S780 does not have an audio delay function. As for the price, thats about $750 cheaper than I paid for mine 4 months ago and I bought mine over the internet, but my price included a 3 year extended warrenty and a 2 year bulb warrenty.

One caveat about using an amps delay. I have Sony Surround Sound headphones that I use when I want to watch a program late at night without disturbing my wife. The headphones decode the signal from an optical monitor output on the amp. Problem is, the monitor output is not delayed so lip sync problems occur. My amp only delays the signal going to the speakers.

Just set the PC to never put the monitor in power save mode. When the Samsung is connected to the PC with proper VGA cable it gets the info from the TV for the specific settings and timings. I have no problem with mine since I have the proper VGA cable. I just make sure the monitor is set to be on all the time in the display properties and it works perfectly. I'm using WinXP pro and MCE dual boot right now, but I mainly use it to watch WMV-HD 1080P material and to occasionally browse the internet or play a game.

I've owned my Samsung HLR5668W since July, and I absolutely love it ... except for one minor issue:

My HLR5668W is connected to my home theater PC (HTPC) via VGA cable to take advantage of its 1080p capability. I run an application that records HDTV programs for me. My HLR5668W is usually powered-down while the HTPC is recording.

Here's the problem: When I power-up the Samsung to use my HTPC for other applications -- while the HTPC running and recording -- the TV's screen is always blank, and I get a "no signal" message displayed on the TV.

I've done a lot of troubleshooting over the past six months and have concluded that this problem is related to the VGA interface. According to Microsoft, "[default] VGA drivers supply the basic video functionality. However, VGA drivers do not support the power management functionality."

On my HTPC, I notice that my Samsung HLR5668W is installed as a "default" VGA monitor. I'm trying to find a VGA driver that is specific to the Samsung HLR series; i.e., a driver that will enable Windows MCE to recognize my HLR5668W as a computer monitor. Any suggestions on where I should look? Or should I abandon VGA and use HDMI?

Hi All,

I love the picture!!! Even regular cable looks good on this set. Everything looks good on this set. Then I saw it. RBE! I have never seen it before. Never on the floor model and never on any other DLPs. I wasn't even looking for it when I was looking at sets.

Does anyone have any ideas why this is all of the sudden a problem. I am very bummed. I really love this set, but the RBE is driving me a little nuts.

Thanks in advance for any help with this matter.

I had the exact same experience as you did. Never saw RBE until I had the set in my home (for a few days I wondered what I had got myself into). Relax and simply watch the set. The rainbows are extremely likely to go away (at least you will only see them on occasion). Yes, I do see them once in a while, but not enough to bother me. The brain is a wonderful thing and most of the time it does a great job of "fixing" our vision. Give it a few days and see what happens! :D

To all that might be interested :(
My Sammy 6768 was picked up for service and the 8th of Dec. and they have yet to even touch the TV to determine the problem. I believe it needs at least a DMD board replaced. The shop is a 2 story building and the last time I checked in they were trying to fit it in the freight elevator to get it upstairs. It's just turned to comedy I guess because the nice lady keeps telling me the tech is going to have to painstakingly take his tools down there so he can figure out what’s wrong. I have yet to complain to them but I know they are just stalling, because they only need to either order a new light engine or a DMD board and just replace it. Last week I called Sammy and was told I can do a VOC(voice out complaint or something) after 14 business days and not receiving the TV back. Today was that day and I called and they had me fax them my Invoice from TVauthority and that they would be calling me soon. My set is being stored downstairs at this shop and I have no idea what kind of environment it is. Sammy CS is pretty good thus far however I asked about a replacement and they said they must deem the set non repairable before replacing. I doubt it will ever be the same.

This really sucks somebody give me a hug :) or a baseball bat to the temple :o to put me out of my misery.

I have this tv and absolutely love it. I use hdmi cable from my directv hd receiver to the tv and use component from the dvd to the tv. I also have the HT-S780. I do get lip sync problems sometimes when I watch HD programs. As stated in this forum before its because it takes longer for the tv to process the video than the stereo to process the audio. I recommend getting a receiver with an audio delay. The ONK HT-S780 does not have an audio delay function. As for the price, thats about $750 cheaper than I paid for mine 4 months ago and I bought mine over the internet, but my price included a 3 year extended warrenty and a 2 year bulb warrenty.

thank you for your nice and long response. is the lip syncing problem a big one or just a minor flaw? I do not have the bear hearing and wear hearing aid so I don't think that would be big of an issue with the ONK HT-S780, but are there any other HTiB for under $500 that would have audio delay function?

As for the price, when I configure mine from Abe's of Maine it comes out to $3,292.02 with 3 year extended warranty ($399.00) and 2 year bulb replacement warranty ($199.00) so compared to your purchase 4 months ago it is about $200 cheaper now.

However, can anyone tell me do I really need the 3 year extended warranty and 2 year bulb replacement warranty? Has anyone had any problems with their TVs yet? I know it is good to stay on safe side and get it, and some of you probably might say I'd be crazy not to get it if I'm spending that much on a TV set, but do you guys have any other opinions?

Thank you in advance

I recieved my January/feb issue of Perfect Vision today with a review of the HLR 5668.

The 67" Samsung was my first choice, but after reading the article I dont know. He found several problems with the TV that also seem to have been echoed in this forum too. I was even going to borrow a pickup to buy one today, but maybe this review came today and was meant to be read first.

PV raived about the Sony SXRD (previous issue) and loved the Toshiba DLP (also review in the Jan/Feb issue) rating Toshiba a close 2nd in PQ but qualifying that by saying most people would not notice the small plus up on Sony PQ. I actually liked the Toshiba DLP picture better too.........when viewed in the showroom ..........but the Samsung 67" size fit perfectly for me so I choose it at the time. But now that I read this review, Im not sure if I should keep looking at the Samsung.

What do you think?

To all that might be interested :(
My Sammy 6768 was picked up for service and the 8th of Dec. and they have yet to even touch the TV to determine the problem. I believe it needs at least a DMD board replaced. The shop is a 2 story building and the last time I checked in they were trying to fit it in the freight elevator to get it upstairs. It's just turned to comedy I guess because the nice lady keeps telling me the tech is going to have to painstakingly take his tools down there so he can figure out what’s wrong. I have yet to complain to them but I know they are just stalling, because they only need to either order a new light engine or a DMD board and just replace it. Last week I called Sammy and was told I can do a VOC(voice out complaint or something) after 14 business days and not receiving the TV back. Today was that day and I called and they had me fax them my Invoice from TVauthority and that they would be calling me soon. My set is being stored downstairs at this shop and I have no idea what kind of environment it is. Sammy CS is pretty good thus far however I asked about a replacement and they said they must deem the set non repairable before replacing. I doubt it will ever be the same.

This really sucks somebody give me a hug :) or a baseball bat to the temple :o to put me out of my misery.

I've watched your posts with interest, hoping Samsung would take care of you. I've come to the conclusion they are sticking it to you because you're being "nice". It's time to take the gloves off and start demanding things. First of all, call them back and ask for a replacement set. After the "front line" rep gives you the standard "no" response, ask for their supervisor. Repeat this process (ask for the supervisor's supervisor....ect) as many times as it takes until you get someone that is authorized to give you a new set. Once you get high enough up the food chain, it is a better use of their time to just replace your set than to have you "wasting" management / executive time. TVA is also dropping the ball in my opinion on your ordeal. They should stand behind (or in front of you) to get this resolved. At this point, screw TVA....go after Samsung management.

You'll need to understand that most likely the call center reps are not Samsung employees. They probably outsource this "service". You'll probably have to speak to several call center managers - each time I would ask for a contact at Samsung US corporate office. The call center reports to "someone" at Samsung corporate headquarters if they are indeed outsourced as I expect. Samsung pays the call center to handle these calls...they do not want to deal with you. Be persistant!!!

You played "nice", now it's time to take things into your own hands. Your goal should be a replacement set...no sense hoping for cash - won't happen.

I'd also run down to the "shadetree mechanic" that has done nothing with your set to date. Take a few more pics and try to get them to someone at Samsung (not the call center).

I recieved my January/feb issue of Perfect Vision today with a review of the HLR 5668.

The 67" Samsung was my first choice, but after reading the article I dont know. He found several problems with the TV that also seem to have been echoed in this forum too. I was even going to borrow a pickup to buy one today, but maybe this review came today and was meant to be read first.

PV raived about the Sony SXRD (previous issue) and loved the Toshiba DLP (also review in the Jan/Feb issue) rating Toshiba a close 2nd in PQ but qualifying that by saying most people would not notice the small plus up on Sony PQ. I actually liked the Toshiba DLP picture better too.........when viewed in the showroom ..........but the Samsung 67" size fit perfectly for me so I choose it at the time. But now that I read this review, Im not sure if I should keep looking at the Samsung.

What do you think?
Can you summarize the specific issues that were raised in the article, both good and bad? Many of us have owned our sets long enough to comment, but have not seen the article yet.

I recieved my January/feb issue of Perfect Vision today with a review of the HLR 5668.

The 67" Samsung was my first choice, but after reading the article I dont know. He found several problems with the TV that also seem to have been echoed in this forum too. I was even going to borrow a pickup to buy one today, but maybe this review came today and was meant to be read first.

PV raived about the Sony SXRD (previous issue) and loved the Toshiba DLP (also review in the Jan/Feb issue) rating Toshiba a close 2nd in PQ but qualifying that by saying most people would not notice the small plus up on Sony PQ. I actually liked the Toshiba DLP picture better too.........when viewed in the showroom ..........but the Samsung 67" size fit perfectly for me so I choose it at the time. But now that I read this review, Im not sure if I should keep looking at the Samsung.

What do you think?

I've had my 6768 for several months now. I followed this thread forever before I bought my set. I looked at every other brand I could find on the show room floors.

One thing is for sure. You cannot judge the picture quality at the showroom. Once I had it set up in my living room the picture was fantastic. I did have a problem with the saturated blacks, but was able adjust them to my satisfaction. Most of the posters here are "perfectionists" Issues raised are minor in my opinion. Lip sync for example can be solved with delay, but you might have the same problem with the Sony. To DNIe or not to DNIe, as if we really cared about the film directors artistic photography. I like the crisp picture DNIe provides. I've tried it both ways and I still wind up turning it back on. Just me I guess.

Right now it seems the latest greatest is the Sony SRXD. In several months the raves will be about the 2nd gen Samsung 1080p sets! You can drive yourself crazy waiting for something better to come along. Overall, I love the picture on my 6768. Bare in mind that quality of the source material is the biggest factor in picture quality. Once you see the quality of a good 1080i production without undue compression you will agree. Even with SD material.

Bite the bullet you won't be sorry. Unless you live in central Florida!

I've watched your posts with interest, hoping Samsung would take care of you. I've come to the conclusion they are sticking it to you because you're being "nice". It's time to take the gloves off and start demanding things. First of all, call them back and ask for a replacement set. After the "front line" rep gives you the standard "no" response, ask for their supervisor. Repeat this process (ask for the supervisor's supervisor....ect) as many times as it takes until you get someone that is authorized to give you a new set. Once you get high enough up the food chain, it is a better use of their time to just replace your set than to have you "wasting" management / executive time. TVA is also dropping the ball in my opinion on your ordeal. They should stand behind (or in front of you) to get this resolved. At this point, screw TVA....go after Samsung management.

You'll need to understand that most likely the call center reps are not Samsung employees. They probably outsource this "service". You'll probably have to speak to several call center managers - each time I would ask for a contact at Samsung US corporate office. The call center reports to "someone" at Samsung corporate headquarters if they are indeed outsourced as I expect. Samsung pays the call center to handle these calls...they do not want to deal with you. Be persistant!!!

You played "nice", now it's time to take things into your own hands. Your goal should be a replacement set...no sense hoping for cash - won't happen.

I'd also run down to the "shadetree mechanic" that has done nothing with your set to date. Take a few more pics and try to get them to someone at Samsung (not the call center).
Good info there, thanks for the advice.
I am under the impression that this is not an outsourced customer service dept. I'm not sure on that but I asked where they were located and the rep told me NJ. I will verify that the next time I speak with them. I know others have had their sets replaced so I am hopeful. I have typed a 2 page letter and have an address to send it to and will also be faxing it. I will send it certified and maybe that will get somebody's attention. I wonder what would keep them from just throwing it out.
As far as calling customer service and asking for the managers, you have to wait at least 15 to 20 min on hold before the first rep and then hold again and again. I don't have that much time to get the run around. I am trying, and I'm supposed to get a call in a day or so. I'm not defending Samsung but apparently not that many shops around here do in house service work. The shop that has my set apparently does all of the local Sears repair work. Honestly I don't think they know what they are doing and they're stalling and putting me off. I am faxing and mailing my letter tomorrow. I already have a VOC complaint with them. If the rep you speak to is fairly bright and ambitious you can get some results but the reps that are just waiting till closing time will read off the list in front of them.

If this could reach the higher powers at Samsung corporate I think it would get immediate results, how I get it there is another question.

Thanks again for the input.

I have a Kill-A-Watt electric energy usage meter and used it to measure the power usage on my HLR5668W. It uses 22 watts when it is off in standby and about 215 watts when it is operating. For those that have the Motorola 6412 III DVR, it seems to draw about 45 watts continuously whether it is on or off. That means that I am paying a little under $7 to power it for a month. The TV is costing me about $12 or $13 total.

Can you summarize the specific issues that were raised in the article, both good and bad? Many of us have owned our sets long enough to comment, but have not seen the article yet.

Ill try. Most these reviews are very much written between the lines so as not to overtly offend their advertisers but this review seems to put the issue out there which makes me think even worse of the TV.......but here goes. Ill try to quote the passages. Like to hear what you think:

"Only one the HDMI nput has an associated analog audio input, so you are limited to a single DVI source with a DVI-HDMI converts cable. I conder this configurat an unfortuante overisghe becuase many source components today still use DVI"

"The sets remote is not backlit, nor is it very user friendly. ............ 7 button pushes needed to change contrast."

"DNIE hot button.....puts in demo mode........is worthless for the end user."

"To my surprise and dismay, I discovered this Samsung does not provide a TINT control for any of these inputs. This ommission is quite unusual for a 2005 top tier HDTV.

"HDMI input has some problems with color. Connecting the HDMI input to a Samusng DVI DVD, I say a ditinctive green pallor when directly compred to the players componet-0video output using the same content. THe same thing happend with a number of discs...."

"I experiemented with COLOR WEAKNESS (in leu of TINT)....Unfortunately.....this one is global, affecting every source."

".............fell short with inferior content, causing faces to mtake aon a waxy look and developing an over all sotness. In addition, the level of video mosquito noies and other artifcats was excessive. SD materia is often the Achilles heel of 1080p; it appers that Samsungs upconversion is not yet fully up to the task?"

"Black crush was slight greater, buring more dark shadow detail no matter how I adjusted the sets Brightness control."

"DNIe kidsk in and expands the dynamic range, resulting in black crush. In general, I reate the sets images to be very good in HD, but they sill arent as accurate and pleaseing as they could be."

"scheduled digital recordings via Fire Wire are not possible........a glaring ommission in a TV claiming to have have two way fire wire since the FW is the only way to send HD singals from the display to a recorder."

The Samsung does not have a PID (program identifier) filter. Therefor cant record HD on carriers that have two complete HD channels in the HD bandwidth.



Summary
Pros: TV guide on screen with cable card
Cons:
Not tint control for HDMI, componet or Cable Card/OTA tunign
Contrast expansion and etail enhancement not defetable
No PID fiter for digital cable recording via fire wire.

Summary

Cons:
Not tint control for HDMI, componet or Cable Card/OTA tunign
Contrast expansion and etail enhancement not defetable
No PID fiter for digital cable recording via fire wire.It used to be standard practice to do an ISF calibration as part of a PV review. Based on your notes it sounds like that may not have been done. I've noticed that leaving out the calibration is more and more common in PV reviews.

If my memory is correct the "tint control" is not relevant for the HDMI input. If I'm correct the reviewer may not completely understand the product that he is reviewing.

He is correct that the DNIe button is useless. Based on this thread, he is not correct that the effects of DNIe can't be defeated in the service menu.

thank you for your nice and long response. is the lip syncing problem a big one or just a minor flaw? I do not have the bear hearing and wear hearing aid so I don't think that would be big of an issue with the ONK HT-S780, but are there any other HTiB for under $500 that would have audio delay function?

As for the price, when I configure mine from Abe's of Maine it comes out to $3,292.02 with 3 year extended warranty ($399.00) and 2 year bulb replacement warranty ($199.00) so compared to your purchase 4 months ago it is about $200 cheaper now.

However, can anyone tell me do I really need the 3 year extended warranty and 2 year bulb replacement warranty? Has anyone had any problems with their TVs yet? I know it is good to stay on safe side and get it, and some of you probably might say I'd be crazy not to get it if I'm spending that much on a TV set, but do you guys have any other opinions?

Thank you in advance

The price you listed for the warrenty is about $50 more than I got the two of mine. As for the reason for having it, take a look at some of my first posts. I attached some pics of the problems I had right away with mine, but Samsung took care of them. But if it happens again after the one year Samsung warrenty is up, I will be gald I bought it.

For the lip sync problems that will have to be a personel choice because you stated you have a hearing ear. I only get it on HD programing and it can kinda get annoying if the watch it for a while. I know Best Buy sales yamaha's. They told me they all have audio delay (some up to 160ms, higher end models have more delay). As for yamaha's coming as a HTIB, I don't know if they would be same receiver model number. You would have to research that. I know Circuit City sales Harman Kardon and they too have audio delay, but I don't know if they are HTIB. As for prices, it varies alot. You could always look at their websites. If you buy Harman Kardon, I would suggest looking at ebay and buying from Harman Kardon's ebay store. You can get a descent model alot cheaper than Circuit city.

I have a Kill-A-Watt electric energy usage meter and used it to measure the power usage on my HLR5668W. It uses 22 watts when it is off in standby and about 215 watts when it is operating. For those that have the Motorola 6412 III DVR, it seems to draw about 45 watts continuously whether it is on or off. That means that I am paying a little under $7 to power it for a month. The TV is costing me about $12 or $13 total.

Just for reference...

The 215 watts, what lamp setting is that in? Movie? Standard? etc.

What are you paying per KW Hour?

Just curious, not an attack.

Ill try. Most these reviews are very much written between the lines so as not to overtly offend their advertisers but this review seems to put the issue out there which makes me think even worse of the TV.......but here goes. Ill try to quote the passages. Like to hear what you think:

"Only one the HDMI nput has an associated analog audio input, so you are limited to a single DVI source with a DVI-HDMI converts cable. I conder this configurat an unfortuante overisghe becuase many source components today still use DVI"

This is silly IMO . I have 2 DVI's STB and DVD. I always listen to my DVD on my stereo.

"The sets remote is not backlit, nor is it very user friendly. ............ 7 button pushes needed to change contrast."

Remote would be nice if its backlit but I personally find it easy to use.

"DNIE hot button.....puts in demo mode........is worthless for the end user."

Not a big deal for me.

"To my surprise and dismay, I discovered this Samsung does not provide a TINT control for any of these inputs. This ommission is quite unusual for a 2005 top tier HDTV.

This remark I find ridiculous. Someone correct me if Im wrong, but all digital high def displays do not allow a tint adjustment. You can however adjust color tone ie Warm , Cool, Normal etc.

"HDMI input has some problems with color. Connecting the HDMI input to a Samusng DVI DVD, I say a ditinctive green pallor when directly compred to the players componet-0video output using the same content. THe same thing happend with a number of discs...."

This I also find ridiculous as many professional calibrators do say Samsung comes very close to accuracy, more so than other top brands. One note I love Samsung TV's , but I am not a fan of their DVD players

"I experiemented with COLOR WEAKNESS (in leu of TINT)....Unfortunately.....this one is global, affecting every source."

This is a gimmick control , many TV's add them on , I never have a need to use it.

".............fell short with inferior content, causing faces to mtake aon a waxy look and developing an over all sotness. In addition, the level of video mosquito noies and other artifcats was excessive. SD materia is often the Achilles heel of 1080p; it appers that Samsungs upconversion is not yet fully up to the task?"

If you take a crappy analog 4:3 signal and stretch it over a 67 inch display and then view it after watching some breath taking HDTV , yes you will go yuck !
SD material is best viewed in its original aspect ratio 4:3....I rarely watch sd material , maybe the news etc, its tough to go back to SD once your treated to HD

"Black crush was slight greater, buring more dark shadow detail no matter how I adjusted the sets Brightness control."

"DNIe kidsk in and expands the dynamic range, resulting in black crush. In general, I reate the sets images to be very good in HD, but they sill arent as accurate and pleaseing as they could be."

I do have some minor black crush, but I rate the overall picture quality on my display very high !

"scheduled digital recordings via Fire Wire are not possible........a glaring ommission in a TV claiming to have have two way fire wire since the FW is the only way to send HD singals from the display to a recorder."

Scheduling a digital recording over Fire Wire , huh ? A bit of an extreme task I believe most users would never do.

The Samsung does not have a PID (program identifier) filter. Therefor cant record HD on carriers that have two complete HD channels in the HD bandwidth.

Again I do not have any idea where this individual is going with this. I use a Motorola DVR . Recording HD IMO is strange in a "display review"

Summary
Pros: TV guide on screen with cable card
Cons:
Not tint control for HDMI, componet or Cable Card/OTA tunign
Contrast expansion and etail enhancement not defetable
No PID fiter for digital cable recording via fire wire.


In summary I have not read this review so maybe some of these comments are taken out of context. But at face value IMO many issues brought up here are either minor or non existent in real world use.

I have had the TV since September and Im still in love .

I hope that helps in your ultimate decision. Best of Luck !

I agree with the reviewer's comment about the green tint. I have an OPPO connected via DVI and some movies look terrible - The Jacket and Million Dollar Baby are a couple of recent examples. Generally anything shot in dull gloomy conditions looks green or greenish-brown compared with HD movies on cable. Of course it could be the DVD player too...

I agree with the reviewer's comment about the green tint. I have an OPPO connected via DVI and some movies look terrible - The Jacket and Million Dollar Baby are a couple of recent examples. Generally anything shot in dull gloomy conditions looks green or greenish-brown compared with HD movies on cable. Of course it could be the DVD player too...It can also be calibration.

so the green tint issue just cant be corrected somehow?
that seems to be an issue to consider before purchasing.

I've watched your posts with interest, hoping Samsung would take care of you. I've come to the conclusion they are sticking it to you because you're being "nice". It's time to take the gloves off and start demanding things. First of all, call them back and ask for a replacement set. After the "front line" rep gives you the standard "no" response, ask for their supervisor. Repeat this process (ask for the supervisor's supervisor....ect) as many times as it takes until you get someone that is authorized to give you a new set. Once you get high enough up the food chain, it is a better use of their time to just replace your set than to have you "wasting" management / executive time. TVA is also dropping the ball in my opinion on your ordeal. They should stand behind (or in front of you) to get this resolved. At this point, screw TVA....go after Samsung management.

You'll need to understand that most likely the call center reps are not Samsung employees. They probably outsource this "service". You'll probably have to speak to several call center managers - each time I would ask for a contact at Samsung US corporate office. The call center reports to "someone" at Samsung corporate headquarters if they are indeed outsourced as I expect. Samsung pays the call center to handle these calls...they do not want to deal with you. Be persistant!!!

You played "nice", now it's time to take things into your own hands. Your goal should be a replacement set...no sense hoping for cash - won't happen.

I'd also run down to the "shadetree mechanic" that has done nothing with your set to date. Take a few more pics and try to get them to someone at Samsung (not the call center).

Ok I'm asking for some advice on my ongoing mishap with my broken 6768.
Today I mailed and faxed a 2 page letter of complaint to Samsung here in the US. The only address I had was the one in Mount Arlington NJ. I am not sure if that is just an outsourced call center. Does anybody know of a different address I can send the letter to that might get someones attention? I mailed the letter certified so at least someone will have to sign for it. I guess that will be the start of my evidence trail. I have a plan B ready of this doesn't pan out. The CS rep told me I would hear from them in a few days on my VOC complaint and that was Tuesday so maybe by Friday I will hear something. If not I'm gonna be really POed. I would like to lay in to the repair shop but I don't see what good that will do at this point. I'm gonna try this the nice way until my patience runs out. Like I said I have plan B and will play that card when the time comes.

Thanks in advance :(

I agree with the reviewer's comment about the green tint. I have an OPPO connected via DVI and some movies look terrible - The Jacket and Million Dollar Baby are a couple of recent examples. Generally anything shot in dull gloomy conditions looks green or greenish-brown compared with HD movies on cable. Of course it could be the DVD player too...

I have an Oppo 971, a 6768 calibrated by David Abrams, and I do color correction for network television as part of my job.

I have seen no "green tint" issues. When David Abrams calibrated my set, we did an A/B comparison between a DVD (Monsters, Inc) and its DVR version aired on ABC. The two pictures were virtually indistinguishable.

Judging color balance of a television based upon is a particular movie is highly problematic. A color timing style is the fashion on many, if not most, movies. Witness "The Aviator". As for "Million Dollar Baby, an otherwise perfect color print had a little greenish tint in a scene with the priest in the church. I attributed that to the natural light of the stain glassed windows.

:D And after paying the big bucks for my set and all the frou frou and accoutrements, my set is perfect. No set ever made has ever been made better or produced a better picture. I am more popular than ever. A swarm of supermodels attend my every need. Balladeers write songs about me and I now have an dazzling bright smile! :D

Happy New Year to All!
Jim

Hi,

I've got a HLR6168 and have been trying to setup my PC via VGA and DVI --> HDMI to it and I'm seeing two major problems

A bit about the setup..
HLR6168 w / FW 8012 dated 2005-06-22
HTPC: 6800GT + ZP4.51 + NVidia Decoders (latest) + NVidia Driverss


1) When using a DVI--> HDMI converter cable and trying to reach 1080i on the HDMI interface, the screen looks like crap with lots of broken fonts; and the text is almost unreadable. Dropping back to 720p - things look good. This is disappointing so I'm going to try another DVI --> HDMI converter. I'm not the only person to report this issue. Check out what it looks like below. So feeding a 1080i signal via a DVI --> HDMI converter cable is not viable from what 's happening here.

2) After getting ticked off at #1, I decided to try to go via VGA since it can do 1080p thinking this would be easy - WRONG. I've tried multiple cables and other things with this and the bottom line w/ the VGA input on my HLR6168 / FW is that I *THINK* Samsung installed the incorrect tuning parms for the VGA input creating the infamous "black crush" problem where with a PC color range is 0 (black)-255 (white) and w/ Hollywood the range is 16 (black)-235 (white).

When viewing movies, ALL of fthe colors are "washed out" and where the background should be to dead BLACK in the winddows setup, it is actually a blueish haze. The ONLY way to tone it down (w/o entering the service menu) is to set brightness = 0 and contrast = 70-90 but even then the settings are not acceptable for movie watching. The fonts look fine at 1080p in this VGA setup.

I know others have seen these but does anyone have it working great (no wash out haze) for their VGA input? I 'd be VERY interested in knowing your FW version and the SM settings for VGA/PC input... if you do.

Any thougths on how to fix this short of calling Samsung? I'm sure Eliab or some other calibrator could fix this but folks OOB this isn't even close to correct for that VGA input.

Thanks, Vincent

Hi,

I've got a HLR6168 and have been trying to setup my PC via VGA and DVI --> HDMI to it and I'm seeing two major problems

A bit about the setup..
HLR6168 w / FW 8012 dated 2005-06-22
HTPC: 6800GT + ZP4.51 + NVidia Decoders (latest) + NVidia Driverss


1) When using a DVI--> HDMI converter cable and trying to reach 1080i on the HDMI interface, the screen looks like crap with lots of broken fonts; and the text is almost unreadable. Dropping back to 720p - things look good. This is disappointing so I'm going to try another DVI --> HDMI converter. I'm not the only person to report this issue. Check out what it looks like below. So feeding a 1080i signal via a DVI --> HDMI converter cable is not viable from what 's happening here.

2) After getting ticked off at #1, I decided to try to go via VGA since it can do 1080p thinking this would be easy - WRONG. I've tried multiple cables and other things with this and the bottom line w/ the VGA input on my HLR6168 / FW is that I *THINK* Samsung installed the incorrect tuning parms for the VGA input creating the infamous "black crush" problem where with a PC color range is 0 (black)-255 (white) and w/ Hollywood the range is 16 (black)-235 (white).

When viewing movies, ALL of fthe colors are "washed out" and where the background should be to dead BLACK in the winddows setup, it is actually a blueish haze. The ONLY way to tone it down (w/o entering the service menu) is to set brightness = 0 and contrast = 70-90 but even then the settings are not acceptable for movie watching. The fonts look fine at 1080p in this VGA setup.

I know others have seen these but does anyone have it working great (no wash out haze) for their VGA input? I 'd be VERY interested in knowing your FW version and the SM settings for VGA/PC input... if you do.

Any thougths on how to fix this short of calling Samsung? I'm sure Eliab or some other calibrator could fix this but folks OOB this isn't even close to correct for that VGA input.

Thanks, Vincent

I've mentioned the PC DVI->HDMI a few times... I get the same results as you. The user manual states that the HDMI inputs do not support PC so I guess in this case they are correct. VGA on my 6168 with the same FW looks great to me but I would bet I'm not as discriminating as you.

Hi All,

Does this thread contain a FAQ or Set Up for Dummies? I think there are alot of use newbies that have some standard question that must likely have been asked and answered.

My issues include setting up PIP, cables from Cable Box (HDMI or Monster Cables), etc.

I would love to have an expert come to my house and config my entire unit from Receiver, DVD Player, TV, etc. I had Best Buy and Comcast set things up but my take is they do the simple attach and basic set up of system and don't optimize.

After a week, even with basic set up I am very happy with my system and sound but want to ensure that I optimize my investment.

Thanks!!

Louie

Any website sale cheap optical and HDMI cables?

Thanks

Just a heads up for gamers.I went from a 55 inch to 60 inch grand wega and then to a samsung 6168.I didn't like the SDE or maybe it was SSE on the grand wegas and the black/gray didn't seem right.
The samsung seemed great at first but then started seeing the rainbows on dark movies especially.I don't notice it much on games.I could maybe live with the rainbows but it also gives me noticeable lag on my games and that is unacceptable. So traded it in on sxrd 60.

So a heads up this set seems to be not a good choice for gaming guys.And also think the set gives me headaches but that might be imagination.I am obviously able to see the rainbows on the set so much for it being sixth gen and all that hype.

After reading this forum last few days, I was getting ready to buy a 6168W so I went to Tweeter last night to look at the display and compare it against SXRD. The colors on the Sammy were amazing. However I saw something that disturbed me.

In some scenes that gradually transition from dark to bright, I could distinctly see different bands of the dark colors (blacks, browns, greys) - not a smooth gradient. When I told the Sales rep, he used the remote to turn off DNIe and Noise Reduction(?) and said it would be better. Well I could not see that same scene again, but I was wondering if this is a known artifact of this DLP set and if turning off DNIe really helps.

NOOB ? about Calibration.

If I have my Samsung DLP calibrated, I assume that all settings that were adjusted can be saved and withstand even a power outage, correct? I would hate to get the set adjusted just to lose my settings from power outage or something. Also, do they have to calibrate each input that I use?

Thanks and sorry for the lack of knowledge on this subject.

VegasJay

I've mentioned the PC DVI->HDMI a few times... I get the same results as you. The user manual states that the HDMI inputs do not support PC so I guess in this case they are correct. VGA on my 6168 with the same FW looks great to me but I would bet I'm not as discriminating as you.

Actually, I'm not the only person seeing this on the VGA input...I did some more reading last night and there are lots of reports of this behavior, especially w/ the xbox. Everything when being displayed on the VGA input has a bluish haze/tint to it - it is really unwatchable / awful - even if your turn down the brightness --> 0.

There is no comparison between the VGA input which should take the 1080p computer feed fine and HDMI feed coming from the same computer or from my Panny DVD player. The issue w/ the DVI --> HDMI cable from the same computer is that it works GREAT in 720p but looks awful in 1080i - broken fonts as I attached earlier and the picture is bad too. I've tried at least 3 versions of Nvidia drivers.. all similar results.

Hooking the same VGA feed to an LCD display gets me a much more "normal" picture w/o the blueish haze / washed out colors...so I know it is now the Sammy's VGA feed w/ the problem.

I think w/ the right "tweaks" to the VGA inputs it would give us a super picture at 1080p but that's going to require SM expertise.

I cannot believe more people are not complaining about this... anyone trying to connect an HTPC via VGA should be seeing this unless it is something in my FW version.

Thanks, Vincent

After reading this forum last few days, I was getting ready to buy a 6168W so I went to Tweeter last night to look at the display and compare it against SXRD. The colors on the Sammy were amazing. However I saw something that disturbed me.

In some scenes that gradually transition from dark to bright, I could distinctly see different bands of the dark colors (blacks, browns, greys) - not a smooth gradient. When I told the Sales rep, he used the remote to turn off DNIe and Noise Reduction(?) and said it would be better. Well I could not see that same scene again, but I was wondering if this is a known artifact of this DLP set and if turning off DNIe really helps.

I was also thinking of the SAmsung but I think the problem you describe is a generic Samsung problem on DLPl sets. The Jan/Feb issue of Perfect Vision did a review on HLR it and had a similar complaint. The review also had about a dozen other issues with the Samsung. They did not like it!. You can read the review online at:http://www.avguide.com/AVG_monthly/index.jsp.

In the same issue they reviewed Toshiba (like very well) and the prior issue they reviewed the Sony SXRD, their reference RPTV now.

Also, on the waiting front......Texas instruments now has a full 2Million mirror DLP engine that I would expect to see in DLPs in 2006 (they currenly fake 1/2 the pixels by wobulation or smoothimage....or really just titing the mirror to get 2 for 1. There is constroversy that that technique cause eye fatique and certainly some strange artifacts. Futher, the CES is iin a few days and you will be better prepared after seeing all the announcemtns of what will be available in 2006 to decide to wait or not. Id wait before getting the Samsung myself

Any website sale cheap optical and HDMI cables?

Thanks

I've used monoprice.com to get a number of cables (HDMI-HDMI, HDMI-DVI, digital optical audio, etc.), and they have all worked perfectly. And they have the best prices of any place I've seen.

Actually, I'm not the only person seeing this on the VGA input...I did some more reading last night and there are lots of reports of this behavior, especially w/ the xbox. Everything when being displayed on the VGA input has a bluish haze/tint to it - it is really unwatchable / awful - even if your turn down the brightness --> 0.

There is no comparison between the VGA input which should take the 1080p computer feed fine and HDMI feed coming from the same computer or from my Panny DVD player. The issue w/ the DVI --> HDMI cable from the same computer is that it works GREAT in 720p but looks awful in 1080i - broken fonts as I attached earlier and the picture is bad too. I've tried at least 3 versions of Nvidia drivers.. all similar results.

Hooking the same VGA feed to an LCD display gets me a much more "normal" picture w/o the blueish haze / washed out colors...so I know it is now the Sammy's VGA feed w/ the problem.

I think w/ the right "tweaks" to the VGA inputs it would give us a super picture at 1080p but that's going to require SM expertise.

I cannot believe more people are not complaining about this... anyone trying to connect an HTPC via VGA should be seeing this unless it is something in my FW version.

Thanks, Vincent

Interesting... I had a 5668W serviced once where the digital board was replaced.... After the replaced digital board I noticed that the PC input had the same blue haze that you speak of... To make a long story short, I had the set replaced and I am no longer experiencing the blue tinted screen..

" HDMI grayscale errors and an unrelated slight case of the “screaming greens” are about the only nits I could pick, but all-in-all, this set comes across technically as a polished product with very few design stones left unturned—very rare these days." Perfect Vision review of Hitachi

"Color primaries were very accurate except for green, which was oversaturated (x=.265 , y=.613)." Perfect Vision on Panny Plasma

"the quality of HD it supposedly has. I put in "Men In Black II" and a have greenish artifacts in the black areas of the movies, i.e. their suits they are wearing" From High Def Forum Panny DVD player into Mits DLP

"An HDMI input (dual HDMI inputs on HD-61FH96 and HD-70FH96) with HDCP (High Definition ... The DILA however had a strong greenish tint to its blacks. .."
From Digital Home Canada.

"I recently purchased a DVI to HDMI cable from pacific cable. I have a Dish 811 receiver with DVI out and a Toshiba TV that has an HDMI input. When I set the output on the 811 to 480i I can get a picture on the TV, but it's very grainy and has greenish color all over" "from SatelliteGuys US"

"-HDMI shows slightly more detail, slightly sharper edges and text etc., has a greenish haze to many scenes and really brings back the macroblocking...any little flaw seems enhanced and grabs attention" Bladerunner1959 on AVS Forum talking about his Sony SXRD Dec 28, 2005.

Hmmmmmmmmmm. Sounds like we got some Mean Digital Green. :rolleyes:

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have already done a quick calibration and that has helped with the RBE. I hoping with a few more tweeks and maybe a lot of alcohol, everything will look better.

Thanks again,

Dave

Well Eliab was at my house yesterday to calibrate my 5668. He was great. Very patient, explaining everything he was doing and what it meant. He was very professional and friendly.

I am not as technical as many of you and I had not done any calibration myself even though I own DVE. I thought the picture was pretty good, but thought it could be "fine tuned". I wanted to get every ounce of performance possible from this set, same as I would from a high performance automobile.

I would have written sooner but I have been re-watching DVD's that I had viewed previously. The difference is dramatic. The color now "pops" and detail is much improved. Seems to be more color shades (hues) displayed than before & dark (low light) scenes are much more detailed. Have not seen any trace of the "clay faces" that I used to get under certain lower light level scenes.

Thank you Eliab. I whole heartedly recommend his services. Now back to the TV.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have already done a quick calibration and that has helped with the RBE. I hoping with a few more tweeks and maybe a lot of alcohol, everything will look better.

Thanks again,

Dave

I noticed RBE for the first time last night. I've had the set for 2 months. It was while watching a DVD, The Great Raid. The RBE only happened when I looked away from the screen quickly, never while watching the screen. I could easily see it with DVD @ 480p when I tried, but I have to try really hard and can't really see it with anything else. I also had some eye fatigue last night. Does this make sense? What calibrations have you done? I used AVIA and thought it was terrible and outdated. I will soon have a HD upconverting DVD player, will this help?
Does killing off DNIe help?
Any thoughts?

Hi,

I've got a HLR6168 and have been trying to setup my PC via VGA and DVI --> HDMI to it and I'm seeing two major problems

A bit about the setup..
HLR6168 w / FW 8012 dated 2005-06-22
HTPC: 6800GT + ZP4.51 + NVidia Decoders (latest) + NVidia Driverss


1) When using a DVI--> HDMI converter cable and trying to reach 1080i on the HDMI interface, the screen looks like crap with lots of broken fonts; and the text is almost unreadable. Dropping back to 720p - things look good. This is disappointing so I'm going to try another DVI --> HDMI converter. I'm not the only person to report this issue. Check out what it looks like below. So feeding a 1080i signal via a DVI --> HDMI converter cable is not viable from what 's happening here.

2) After getting ticked off at #1, I decided to try to go via VGA since it can do 1080p thinking this would be easy - WRONG. I've tried multiple cables and other things with this and the bottom line w/ the VGA input on my HLR6168 / FW is that I *THINK* Samsung installed the incorrect tuning parms for the VGA input creating the infamous "black crush" problem where with a PC color range is 0 (black)-255 (white) and w/ Hollywood the range is 16 (black)-235 (white).

When viewing movies, ALL of fthe colors are "washed out" and where the background should be to dead BLACK in the winddows setup, it is actually a blueish haze. The ONLY way to tone it down (w/o entering the service menu) is to set brightness = 0 and contrast = 70-90 but even then the settings are not acceptable for movie watching. The fonts look fine at 1080p in this VGA setup.

I know others have seen these but does anyone have it working great (no wash out haze) for their VGA input? I 'd be VERY interested in knowing your FW version and the SM settings for VGA/PC input... if you do.

Any thougths on how to fix this short of calling Samsung? I'm sure Eliab or some other calibrator could fix this but folks OOB this isn't even close to correct for that VGA input.

Thanks, Vincent

My HTPC has a GeForce 6600 graphics card, and I use a cheap (eBay) VGA cable to connect my HTPC to my Samsung HL-R5668W. I've recorded hundreds of hours of high-def programs on my HTPC, and they all playback beautifully on my 5668. I haven't seen any hint of wash-out, haze, or blue tint.

Couple of things for you to check:

1. Make sure you use a VGA cable with all 15 pins connected at each end. Use a multimeter to check pin-to-pin continuity.

2. Use the native VGA socket that's an integral part of your graphics card. Do not use the DVI-to-VGA convertor included with some graphics cards.

Good luck!

Actually, I'm not the only person seeing this on the VGA input...I did some more reading last night and there are lots of reports of this behavior, especially w/ the xbox. Everything when being displayed on the VGA input has a bluish haze/tint to it - it is really unwatchable / awful - even if your turn down the brightness --> 0.

There is no comparison between the VGA input which should take the 1080p computer feed fine and HDMI feed coming from the same computer or from my Panny DVD player. The issue w/ the DVI --> HDMI cable from the same computer is that it works GREAT in 720p but looks awful in 1080i - broken fonts as I attached earlier and the picture is bad too. I've tried at least 3 versions of Nvidia drivers.. all similar results.

Hooking the same VGA feed to an LCD display gets me a much more "normal" picture w/o the blueish haze / washed out colors...so I know it is now the Sammy's VGA feed w/ the problem.

I think w/ the right "tweaks" to the VGA inputs it would give us a super picture at 1080p but that's going to require SM expertise.

I cannot believe more people are not complaining about this... anyone trying to connect an HTPC via VGA should be seeing this unless it is something in my FW version.

Thanks, Vincent

No problem here over the VGA. I have a picture or two from a 1080P source over the VGA at 1080P on my website. I see no signs of what you are talking about. But I've also had the set calibrated by Eliab and the settings seem to translate over to the VGA input. Not sure exactly except it produces and excellent picture ove rthe VGA input, especially with the Xbox 360 although it is limited to 720P with the Xbox 360 over the vga.

No problem here over the VGA. I have a picture or two from a 1080P source over the VGA at 1080P on my website. I see no signs of what you are talking about. But I've also had the set calibrated by Eliab and the settings seem to translate over to the VGA input. Not sure exactly except it produces and excellent picture ove rthe VGA input, especially with the Xbox 360 although it is limited to 720P with the Xbox 360 over the vga.

Yes, it seems that some people are seeing this and some are not. I've seen it mentioned on several other HTPC and XBOX newsgroups. However, I think I found a Samsung based solution today from perusing some older AVS "tweaking discussions" I've posted a link to the solution someone else posted which tamed the washed out color on the VGA input - the screen immediately darkened correctly and the picture changed to something MUCH closer to perfection... in fact is VERY good, darn good!

However, the standard cautions apply about playing in the the SM for ANYTHING. You can MESS UP YOUR SET quickly as others have learned the hard way....and the values can vary from firmware to firmware version. Take photos of ALL of YOUR screens, on ALL inputs, before you attempt anything. Also, while I'm familiar with the SM (3rd Samsung DLP), I didn't see the "reset" he mentioned, so be extra careful. I've got the HLR 6178 Service Manual on its way so I can see if it lists what that function does as it is not listed in my older manuals.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6178683&&#post6178683

I still do not have the DVI --> HDMI "broken fonts" at 1080I figured out. I may give Samsung a call tomorrow but someone mentioned here that attaching a PC via HDMI is "not supported". I have a feeling it is tied to some small video timings somehow as that's what it sort of looks like from my earlier posting.

Thanks, Vincent

Ill try. Most these reviews are very much written between the lines so as not to overtly offend their advertisers but this review seems to put the issue out there which makes me think even worse of the TV.......but here goes. Ill try to quote the passages. Like to hear what you think:

"Only one the HDMI nput has an associated analog audio input, so you are limited to a single DVI source with a DVI-HDMI converts cable. I conder this configurat an unfortuante overisghe becuase many source components today still use DVI"

"The sets remote is not backlit, nor is it very user friendly. ............ 7 button pushes needed to change contrast."

"DNIE hot button.....puts in demo mode........is worthless for the end user."

"To my surprise and dismay, I discovered this Samsung does not provide a TINT control for any of these inputs. This ommission is quite unusual for a 2005 top tier HDTV.

"HDMI input has some problems with color. Connecting the HDMI input to a Samusng DVI DVD, I say a ditinctive green pallor when directly compred to the players componet-0video output using the same content. THe same thing happend with a number of discs...."

"I experiemented with COLOR WEAKNESS (in leu of TINT)....Unfortunately.....this one is global, affecting every source."

".............fell short with inferior content, causing faces to mtake aon a waxy look and developing an over all sotness. In addition, the level of video mosquito noies and other artifcats was excessive. SD materia is often the Achilles heel of 1080p; it appers that Samsungs upconversion is not yet fully up to the task?"

"Black crush was slight greater, buring more dark shadow detail no matter how I adjusted the sets Brightness control."

"DNIe kidsk in and expands the dynamic range, resulting in black crush. In general, I reate the sets images to be very good in HD, but they sill arent as accurate and pleaseing as they could be."

"scheduled digital recordings via Fire Wire are not possible........a glaring ommission in a TV claiming to have have two way fire wire since the FW is the only way to send HD singals from the display to a recorder."

The Samsung does not have a PID (program identifier) filter. Therefor cant record HD on carriers that have two complete HD channels in the HD bandwidth.



Summary
Pros: TV guide on screen with cable card
Cons:
Not tint control for HDMI, componet or Cable Card/OTA tunign
Contrast expansion and etail enhancement not defetable
No PID fiter for digital cable recording via fire wire.

I don’t think I would be overly concerned about most of these issues. Here are some of my thoughts after owning my TV for several months now.

Quote >> "Only one the HDMI nput has an associated analog audio input, so you are limited to a single DVI source with a DVI-HDMI converts cable. I conder this configurat an unfortuante overisghe becuase many source components today still use DVI"

This seems like a non-issue to me. Virtually all new components are going to HDMI. If you do have some two DVI based components, you will probably be routing the audio through your receiver. This is only an issue if you want to use your TV’s internal speakers.

Quote>>"The sets remote is not backlit, nor is it very user friendly. ............ 7 button pushes needed to change contrast."

This seems like another couple of non-issues. First, you should not be changing your contrast very often and the procedure is easy. Second, the remote is basic, but a better question is after paying this much for TV why would you go with the TV’s remote? Do yourself a favor and get a nice remote.

Quote>>"DNIE hot button.....puts in demo mode........is worthless for the end user."

I agree. But, the problem is not the useless remote button, it is the fact that there is not more control over the image processing. Which is a valid issue.

Quote>>"To my surprise and dismay, I discovered this Samsung does not provide a TINT control for any of these inputs. This ommission is quite unusual for a 2005 top tier HDTV.

Tint is grayed out. Color weakness controls seems to be the approach Samsung is taking to adjust color, but there has been very little experimentation with this feature. For what it is worth, many of your source components (such as DVD players) have their own picture control and often include tint.

Quote >>"HDMI input has some problems with color. Connecting the HDMI input to a Samusng DVI DVD, I say a ditinctive green pallor when directly compred to the players componet-0video output using the same content. THe same thing happend with a number of discs...."

I noticed this problem with the Samsung DVD player when I was testing it and it was a factor in my recommendation not to recommend that player. But, I have not seen this problem with the other players that I reviewed and recommended.

Quote>>"I experiemented with COLOR WEAKNESS (in leu of TINT)....Unfortunately.....this one is global, affecting every source."

Color weakness seems interesting to me. I have not spent very much time with it because my color seems to be great. At some point in the future I hope to pickup a monitor calibration tool that will allow me to use color weakness. But, at any rate, this does not seem to be a problem or issue on this set.

Quote>>".............fell short with inferior content, causing faces to mtake aon a waxy look and developing an over all sotness. In addition, the level of video mosquito noies and other artifcats was excessive. SD materia is often the Achilles heel of 1080p; it appers that Samsungs upconversion is not yet fully up to the task?"

SD seems OK to me. It is better than my Samsung 720p set.

Quote>>"Black crush was slight greater, buring more dark shadow detail no matter how I adjusted the sets Brightness control."

I am not seeing this with my properly setup DVD player. If the reviewer based their opinions on the Samsung DVD player, which does not pass BTB and crushes (obliterates blacks) blacks, than I can understand where this comment came from.

"DNIe kidsk in and expands the dynamic range, resulting in black crush. In general, I reate the sets images to be very good in HD, but they sill arent as accurate and pleaseing as they could be."

HD looks pretty good to me. I would like to reserve final judgment in this area until HD DVD is available. I don’t completely trust the quality of the HD signals we are getting from cable/sat for making fine judgments about TV performance. My guess is the TV is performing much better than we realize and that the majority of problems we are seeing are in the broadcasts.

Quote>>"scheduled digital recordings via Fire Wire are not possible........a glaring ommission in a TV claiming to have have two way fire wire since the FW is the only way to send HD singals from the display to a recorder."

Not an issue for me. I’ve driven the TV via firewire and it worked correctly. I really wonder what percentage of owners will use this feature and the next one below … a very small percentage (.1% ???). Just record the show on your HD DVR and send to your tape system via firewire from the DVR … seems like a smarter, easier approach.

Quote>>The Samsung does not have a PID (program identifier) filter. Therefor cant record HD on carriers that have two complete HD channels in the HD bandwidth.

Not an issue for me.

Quote >> Summary
Pros: TV guide on screen with cable card
Cons:
Not tint control for HDMI, componet or Cable Card/OTA tunign
Contrast expansion and etail enhancement not defetable
No PID fiter for digital cable recording via fire wire.

I guess to summarize. Of these issues, the lack of control over image enhancement (DNIe) is the one issue that continues to cause owners the most problems. Funny that the reviewer did not mention the video lag issue with an external receiver’s audio. That seems like the biggest issue for most owners. As always, trust your own impressions and trade-offs.

Just for reference...

The 215 watts, what lamp setting is that in? Movie? Standard? etc.

What are you paying per KW Hour?

Just curious, not an attack.

The 215 was using standard picture mode. The TV is rated at 230 watts in the Samsung specs (perhaps that is in dynamic mode). I based my $ calculations on 21 cents a KW hour. Most of you will be paying less.

I don’t think I would be overly concerned about most of these issues. Here are some of my thoughts after owning my TV for several months now.

Quote >> "Only one the HDMI nput has an associated analog audio input, so you are limited to a single DVI source with a DVI-HDMI converts cable. I conder this configurat an unfortuante overisghe becuase many source components today still use DVI"

This seems like a non-issue to me. Virtually all new components are going to HDMI. If you do have some two DVI based components, you will probably be routing the audio through your receiver. This is only an issue if you want to use your TV’s internal speakers.

Quote>>"The sets remote is not backlit, nor is it very user friendly. ............ 7 button pushes needed to change contrast."

This seems like another couple of non-issues. First, you should not be changing your contrast very often and the procedure is easy. Second, the remote is basic, but a better question is after paying this much for TV why would you go with the TV’s remote? Do yourself a favor and get a nice remote.

Quote>>"DNIE hot button.....puts in demo mode........is worthless for the end user."

I agree. But, the problem is not the useless remote button, it is the fact that there is not more control over the image processing. Which is a valid issue.

Quote>>"To my surprise and dismay, I discovered this Samsung does not provide a TINT control for any of these inputs. This ommission is quite unusual for a 2005 top tier HDTV.

Tint is grayed out. Color weakness controls seems to be the approach Samsung is taking to adjust color, but there has been very little experimentation with this feature. For what it is worth, many of your source components (such as DVD players) have their own picture control and often include tint.

Quote >>"HDMI input has some problems with color. Connecting the HDMI input to a Samusng DVI DVD, I say a ditinctive green pallor when directly compred to the players componet-0video output using the same content. THe same thing happend with a number of discs...."

I noticed this problem with the Samsung DVD player when I was testing it and it was a factor in my recommendation not to recommend that player. But, I have not seen this problem with the other players that I reviewed and recommended.

Quote>>"I experiemented with COLOR WEAKNESS (in leu of TINT)....Unfortunately.....this one is global, affecting every source."

Color weakness seems interesting to me. I have not spent very much time with it because my color seems to be great. At some point in the future I hope to pickup a monitor calibration tool that will allow me to use color weakness. But, at any rate, this does not seem to be a problem or issue on this set.

Quote>>".............fell short with inferior content, causing faces to mtake aon a waxy look and developing an over all sotness. In addition, the level of video mosquito noies and other artifcats was excessive. SD materia is often the Achilles heel of 1080p; it appers that Samsungs upconversion is not yet fully up to the task?"

SD seems OK to me. It is better than my Samsung 720p set.

Quote>>"Black crush was slight greater, buring more dark shadow detail no matter how I adjusted the sets Brightness control."

I am not seeing this with my properly setup DVD player. If the reviewer based their opinions on the Samsung DVD player, which does not pass BTB and crushes (obliterates blacks) blacks, than I can understand where this comment came from.

"DNIe kidsk in and expands the dynamic range, resulting in black crush. In general, I reate the sets images to be very good in HD, but they sill arent as accurate and pleaseing as they could be."

HD looks pretty good to me. I would like to reserve final judgment in this area until HD DVD is available. I don’t completely trust the quality of the HD signals we are getting from cable/sat for making fine judgments about TV performance. My guess is the TV is performing much better than we realize and that the majority of problems we are seeing are in the broadcasts.

Quote>>"scheduled digital recordings via Fire Wire are not possible........a glaring ommission in a TV claiming to have have two way fire wire since the FW is the only way to send HD singals from the display to a recorder."

Not an issue for me. I’ve driven the TV via firewire and it worked correctly. I really wonder what percentage of owners will use this feature and the next one below … a very small percentage (.1% ???). Just record the show on your HD DVR and send to your tape system via firewire from the DVR … seems like a smarter, easier approach.

Quote>>The Samsung does not have a PID (program identifier) filter. Therefor cant record HD on carriers that have two complete HD channels in the HD bandwidth.

Not an issue for me.

Quote >> Summary
Pros: TV guide on screen with cable card
Cons:
Not tint control for HDMI, componet or Cable Card/OTA tunign
Contrast expansion and etail enhancement not defetable
No PID fiter for digital cable recording via fire wire.

I guess to summarize. Of these issues, the lack of control over image enhancement (DNIe) is the one issue that continues to cause owners the most problems. Funny that the reviewer did not mention the video lag issue with an external receiver’s audio. That seems like the biggest issue for most owners. As always, trust your own impressions and trade-offs.

OK. Thanks. Its just that I have read in this forum several problems with the TV and PV review doesnt help at all give me more confidence. I can but help think they usually sugar coat those reviews and this one just was one stab after another. EVen CNET review was not that compelling.

I just want the TV to work without a lot of futzin around. At the moment im leaning back towards the SXRD 60". It seems to have less chatter about big issues and the reviews are universally glowing.

Hi All,

I have a HL-R5678W and a Denon AVR 3806. I like to hook my TV audio to the reciever which cable should I hook it up with HDMI, optical cable..etc?

THanks

Flipper,
I have totally lost the picture on my HLR5688 twice now and I strongly suspect it is reacting to my sub somehow. Even though my sub is about 4 to 5 feet away the picture has gone kaputz suspiciously right after sub tweaking (loud) both times. It started with a flicker then it did a kaleidoscope lke thing and then BAM! No picture. Samsung has replaced the digital board (first time -fixed) and the DMD( second time -fixed) but the PQ has suffered ever since the first repair. They are deciding whether or not to replace this set (AGAIN!). This set , when it works, is gorgeous, but it's not reliable . If I had it to do over again, I would purchase something else.

I powered off and disconnected my subwoofer and still have the issue. Other posts have mentioned about the cabling as far as keeping the power cables separate from the rest. The cabling is pretty organized but I will check it and move things around to see if there's any difference.

Hi All,

I have a HL-R5678W and a Denon AVR 3806. I like to hook my TV audio to the reciever which cable should I hook it up with HDMI, optical cable..etc?

THanks
You should use an optical cable.

Does any one knows, how many times you need to fix your TV during warranty period, to be able to get money back?
Samsung already fixed my 6768 2 times they replaced digital board and some thing else and now I’m placing 3d ticket for next problem: Front panel LED Indicators Power button and Remote control sensor stops responding.
Thanks in advance for info.

After reading from some others here that there is no video lag over the VGA input, I decided to pick up a component to VGA adapter (VD-Z3) for my Xbox.
http://www.vdigi.com/index.php?option=content&task=blogcategory&id=67&Itemid=28
My initial impressions are very favorable. I see no loss in picture quality and I was easily able to size the picture to the screen. The advantage of this unit over some of the other component to VGA adapters is its excellent picture quality and it works with any component output device. If I ever pick up one of the newer game consoles it should work with any of those as well. I’m not a big “gamer” but my racing score improved immediately after installing the unit. I assume this was because I wasn’t over steering due to video lag.
If you are playing video games on your HLR I recommend trying out one of these VGA adapters.
VDigi Electronics is located in Hong Kong and delivery was less than two weeks.

The X2VGA+ is another component to VGA adapter but it hasn’t been available for the past month because a newer version is coming out in January. It also only works with the Xbox. http://www.x2vga.com/

The top of the line component to VGA converter appears to be the KD-CTCA3 from Key Digital. I thought the cost was a little prohibitive. http://www.keydigital.com/ProductDetail.aspx?categorycode=500&itemno=KDCTCA3&productname=Video%20and%20Control%20Adapters

isn't it just easier to get the xbox 360 vga cable? Also the Samsung won't take a 1080i signal over the vga input.

isn't it just easier to get the xbox 360 vga cable? Also the Samsung won't take a 1080i signal over the vga input.

This is for anyone that does not have an Xbox 360.
I'm feeding the VD-Z3 a 1080i signal from the Xbox and it looks great. I haven't tried 720P or 480P because 1080i over VGA looks as good as it did over component.

Edit: This is a correction to my last post regarding the VD-Z3 component to VGA converter. I was incorrect, when I said I was feeding the unit 1080i. My nephew had switched the Xbox output to 480P without my realizing it. When I tried 720P and 1080i inputs to the VD-Z3 I got the message on the screen “Signal not supported”. The VD-Z3 owners manual states that 1080i and 720P are supported but I haven’t been able to get them to work.

So your're saying your set is accepting 1080i over the vga? My set won't accept 1080i but it will accept 1080P over the vga. My set also won't accept 540P over the HDMI input. I haven't tried 540P over the vga though, From looking at the specs of the VD-Z3 that is what must be going over the vga input when it transcodes the 1080i signal to vga.

Just purchased a Sammy 6178 from Magnolia. Looking for help in purchasing a compatible DVD and Surround Sound system. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have already done a quick calibration and that has helped with the RBE. I hoping with a few more tweeks and maybe a lot of alcohol, everything will look better.

Thanks again,

Dave


Can you share more details?

Just purchased a Sammy 6178 from Magnolia. Looking for help in purchasing a compatible DVD and Surround Sound system. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

For DVD players, you might want to review POST #4 in this thread. Also, add the Sony NS3100ES to the list of players reviewed in POST #4.

So your're saying your set is accepting 1080i over the vga? My set won't accept 1080i but it will accept 1080P over the vga. My set also won't accept 540P over the HDMI input. I haven't tried 540P over the vga though, From looking at the specs of the VD-Z3 that is what must be going over the vga input when it transcodes the 1080i signal to vga.
Have you been able to send 1080p from VP30 to VGA?

Have you been able to send 1080p from VP30 to VGA?

No. I had the same results as I did with the HD+.

Wish_i_had_hdtv, sorry I just checked in after being away. The tests only applied to the user menu, not the SM, but like others have found I guess adjusting the SM will make a difference.

Johnnyzcar, I'd say time's up. I would Google Samsung and see what pops up. These daze there is probably a blog or something with some inside info. I would also nicely "check the status" of your repair. If they say they haven't started, get a date. If they started and are working on it find out when it should be ready. If they are waiting for a part find out which part. Now you need to get really specific info from them to pass along to Samsung. You are definitely going in circles since as far as Samsung knows they have qualified people working on it right now. You know that might not be the case and you need to explain that. The letter and fax is good but I see it as more of a complaint than getting your set fixed right away. If someone at Samsung contacts you I'd say that is a step in the right direction, but I would jump in and get the answers. The other thing is your warranty is expiring that much sooner. I'd go to the repair shop in person and get an answer.

Just purchased a Sammy 6178 from Magnolia. Looking for help in purchasing a compatible DVD and Surround Sound system. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

I would get a surround sound system that has an audio delay option. You will probably have lip sync issues when you watch HD and the audio delay will help correct the problem.

Johnnyzcar, I'd say time's up. I would Google Samsung and see what pops up. These daze there is probably a blog or something with some inside info. I would also nicely "check the status" of your repair. If they say they haven't started, get a date. If they started and are working on it find out when it should be ready. If they are waiting for a part find out which part. Now you need to get really specific info from them to pass along to Samsung. You are definitely going in circles since as far as Samsung knows they have qualified people working on it right now. You know that might not be the case and you need to explain that. The letter and fax is good but I see it as more of a complaint than getting your set fixed right away. If someone at Samsung contacts you I'd say that is a step in the right direction, but I would jump in and get the answers. The other thing is your warranty is expiring that much sooner. I'd go to the repair shop in person and get an answer.

I have been busy these last few weeks and couldn't dedicate much time for the stay on hold and then ask for a manager run around, but come Tuesday The Game is afoot. I am going to the repair shop with my service manual and will talk directly with the tech and get some staight answers. My patience has run thin and I have tried being nice and that doesn't seem to be working. The squeeky wheel gets the oil so Squeek Squeek here I come.

Any website sale cheap optical and HDMI cables?

Thanks
One of this forum's advertisers is Monoprice.com. I sincerely doubt you can find a better price than what they have and their shipping/customer service is great.

I bought two 3' HDMI cables from RAM. I'd compare prices and S/H from a few of them. Someone here found one at Radio Shack for about the same price.

This is a correction to my last post regarding the VD-Z3 component to VGA converter. I was incorrect, when I said I was feeding the unit 1080i. My nephew had switched the Xbox output to 480P without my realizing it. When I tried 720P and 1080i inputs to the VD-Z3 I got the message on the screen “Signal not supported”. The VD-Z3 owners manual states that 1080i and 720P are supported but I haven’t been able to get them to work.

I am very happy to report that I successfully connected my PC to my Samsung HLR6168W via the VGA port and am running it at 1920X1080P.

I got a 6 foot VGA/Super VGA replacement monitor cable at Radio Shack for $19.99. It is item # 26-276.

My PC video card is an NVIDIA 6800GT-OC. I have the latest drivers installed. Going into the display property settings I went to AVANCED==> 6800GT====>SCREEN RESOLUTIONS AND REFRESH RATES======>ADVANCED TIMING

Once there I selected MODE AND TIMING =====> CUSTOM VALUES and selected in the drop down box:

861B (1920X1080 @59.94) - P

The tv accepted this resolution. Note: Initially as I played around with the various resolutions it would not accept it - it said MODE NOT SUPPORTED and reverted back to the initial setting (1024x768). I had to restart a couple times in safe mode wih VGA mode. After a couple of attempts it worked and still is.

In the PC's Display Properties I also set it to EXTRA LARGE FONTS in APPEARANCE and used a custom 150% larger than standard (144 dpi) dpi setting for the font sizes in ADVANCED.

Finally I used the TV's menu to go to PC Wide picture mode and made a slight adjustment to the screen size until it totally fills my screen with no black borders at all. I have ZERO overscan.

I am playing Battlefield 2 in all its glory at 1920X1080p with NO noticeable lag or freezes in frame rate. To do that I went to the shortcut for launching the game, copied it to my desktop and renamed it BF2 HDTV. I right clicked on it and altered the shortcut's properties Target Location to read as follows:

"C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\BF2.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1920 +szy 1080

The above mod is for the "regular" BF2 game. For the BF2 Special Forces add-on pack the launch shortcut properties need to read exactly as:

"C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\BF2.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1+szx 1920 +szy 1080 +modPath mods/xpack +ignoreAsserts 1

The intro video plays at this awesome resolution. In the game DO NOT change the video resolution setting in the video options menu - even though it may read different it will actually launch and play at the full 1920X1080p. You can change the lighting, texture settigns etc. just don't alter the resolution. I confirmed it is playing at these resolutiions by using the TV "info" selection and it shows 1920X1080 @ 60 Hz.

I'll take a few screen pics with my digital camera tomorrow.

The last thing I have to do is get rid of my Audigy 2Zs PC soundcard and replace it with a Turtle Beach Montego DDL - Dolby Digital Live sound card. Either that or I'll wait one month and get BlueGear's XPlosion soundcard which will have BOTH real time dolby digital encoding output AND real time DTS encoding output. These cards output any sound source in 5.1 Dolby Digital (or also tyhe option of DTS in the case of the XPlosion) in real time. Like most A/V recievers, my Yamaha RXV1300 receiver does not recognize the coaxiaL 5.1 sound output of the soundcard because the ame is not dolby digital. This is even though I have the soundcard connected to the A/V receiver with a coaxial cable. The receiver recognizes the outgoing signal only as a 2 channel stereo signal and I use Pro Logic II for the moment. With the Montego or the Xplosion the A/V receiver will have receive the "native full 5.1 dolby digital sound (or DTS) sound field.

I have NO plans to buy an Xbox 360. Why would I want to when there are much better PC games that one can use a keyboard and mouse with? I use a wired keyboard and a Logitech G7 cordless mouse.

The only negative is the wife is now complaining I am hogging up the TV for the gaming.

Thank you for the tip!

Hello everyone this is my first post so be nice. :)

My HLR5668w was delivered today and so far I'm a happy camper. I do see a bit of pincushion when viewing 4:3 however it's not a big deal to me. DVD's and OTA HD look so much better than my old 720p Samsung DLP. So now I want to try using my video scaler (DVDO iScan HD+) and output via the VGA connector to the 5668 at 1080p if possible. Thing is I will need a long 20 foot or so vga cable to get from my computer to the scaler. Do I need to purchase a vga monitor cable or do I require a special VGA cable? Thanks for any help.

I tried it with the Iscan HD+ and couldn't get it to work and I tried it the other day with the VP30 and didn't get it to worlk. I don't know what specific settings need to be changed to make it work. I just know 1080P from the PC looks great with WMV-HD clips.

I have my 5668 working well with a cheap scaler (AV Tool ImagePro HD). I input the scaler from my satellite box (set to 720p output)via s-video and output from the scaler via component video to the 5668. My HDTV reports th display as being 1080 at 60hz and looks great. I have a DVDO iScan HD+ on order and plan to use it to output 1080p via VGA.

I have my 5668 working well with a cheap scaler (AV Tool ImagePro HD). I input the scaler from my satellite box (set to 720p output)via s-video and output from the scaler via component video to the 5668. My HDTV reports th display as being 1080 at 60hz and looks great. I have a DVDO iScan HD+ on order and plan to use it to output 1080p via VGA.

I have not heard any reports that you can use the DVDO into the VGA input on the TV. I have one and tried it and couldn't get it to work. Several others have as well. If you try and figure it out, let us all know.

Thanks for the link on monoprice on cables purchase. I have a question on the optical cables there so many selection (6FT Optical Toslink 5.0mm CableMini to Mini M/M OD:5.0mm, Molded Type - 6ft [M3], Toslink to Toslink M/M OD:5.0mm, Assembly Type, Metallic Body - 6ft, and Mini to Mini M/M OD:5.0mm, Assembly Type, Metallic Body - 6ft (M3).

So which type should I purchase for my HL-R5678W, price don't really matter for my purchase but don't want to pay extra for no performance difference.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10229&style=

Thanks

I am very happy to report that I successfully connected my PC to my Samsung HLR6168W via the VGA port and am running it at 1920X1080P.

I got a 6 foot VGA/Super VGA replacement monitor cable at Radio Shack for $19.99. It is item # 26-276.

My PC video card is an NVIDIA 6800GT-OC. I have the latest drivers installed. Going into the display property settings I went to AVANCED==> 6800GT====>SCREEN RESOLUTIONS AND REFRESH RATES======>ADVANCED TIMING

Once there I selected MODE AND TIMING =====> CUSTOM VALUES and selected in the drop down box:

861B (1920X1080 @59.94) - P

The tv accepted this resolution. Note: Initially as I played around with the various resolutions it would not accept it - it said MODE NOT SUPPORTED and reverted back to the initial setting (1024x768). I had to restart a couple times in safe mode wih VGA mode. After a couple of attempts it worked and still is.

In the PC's Display Properties I also set it to EXTRA LARGE FONTS in APPEARANCE and used a custom 150% larger than standard (144 dpi) dpi setting for the font sizes in ADVANCED.

Finally I used the TV's menu to go to PC Wide picture mode and made a slight adjustment to the screen size until it totally fills my screen with no black borders at all. I have ZERO overscan.

I am playing Battlefield 2 in all its glory at 1920X1080p with NO noticeable lag or freezes in frame rate. To do that I went to the shortcut for launching the game, copied it to my desktop and renamed it BF2 HDTV. I right clicked on it and altered the shortcut's properties Target Location to read as follows:

"C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\BF2.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1920 +szy 1080

The intro video plays at this awesome resolution. In the game DO NOT change the video resolution setting in the video menu - even though it may read different it will actually launch and play at the full 1920X1080p. I confirmed it is playing at these resolutiions by using the TV "info" selection and it shows 1920X1080 @ 60 Hz.

I'll take a few screen pics with my digital camera tomorrow.

The last thing I have to do is get rid of my Audigy 2Zs PC soundcard and replace it with a Turtle Beach Montego DDL - Dolby Digital Live sound card. Either that or I'll wait one month and get BlueGrear's XPlosion soundcard which will have BOTH real time dolby digital encoding output AND real time DTS encoding output. These cards output any sound source in 5.1 Dolby Digital (or also tyhe option of DTS in the case of the XPlosion) in real time. Like most A/V recievers, my Yamaha RXV1300 receiver does not recognize the coaxiaL 5.1 sound output of the soundcard because the ame is not dolby digital. This is even though I have the soundcard connected to the A/V receiver with a coaxial cable. The receiver recognizes the outgoing signal only as a 2 channel stereo signal and I use Pro Logic II for the moment. With the Montego or the Xplosion the A/V receiver will have receive the "native full 5.1 dolby digital sound (or DTS) sound field.

I have NO plans to buy an Xbox 360. Why would I want to when there are much better PC games that one can use a keyboard and mouse with? I use a wired keyboard and a Logitech G7 cordless mouse.

The only negative is the wife is now complaining I am hogging up the TV for the gaming.

Keep in mind that if you use the Samsung controls to eliminate overscan you are no longer getting 1:1 pixel mapping... Maximize the screen size on the TV and watch everything get CONSIDERABLY sharper... It is best to have overscan adjusted on the PC end of things..

Keep in mind that if you use the Samsung controls to eliminate overscan you are no longer getting 1:1 pixel mapping... Maximize the screen size on the TV and watch everything get CONSIDERABLY sharper... It is best to have overscan adjusted on the PC end of things..


I am new to the HTPC thing. How do I adjust overscan on the PC side?

For those of you with 1080P sets that are in areas where you are getting good over-the-air HD reception and you also have a separate HD tuner, how does your set's tuner stack up against the separate tuner, in terms of getting in HD stations?

I will be getting a set soon, and don't plan on using cable or satelite, just OTA and DVD's.

Any comments will be appreciated.....Thanks!

For those of you with 1080P sets that are in areas where you are getting good over-the-air HD reception and you also have a separate HD tuner, how does your set's tuner stack up against the separate tuner, in terms of getting in HD stations?

I will be getting a set soon, and don't plan on using cable or satelite, just OTA and DVD's.

Any comments will be appreciated.....Thanks!
I can see OTA with the D* receiver and the internal tuner in the Samsung set. I don't see any difference. I do prefer OTA compared to the D* satellite picture.

For those of you with 1080P sets that are in areas where you are getting good over-the-air HD reception and you also have a separate HD tuner, how does your set's tuner stack up against the separate tuner, in terms of getting in HD stations?

I have a Sony DHG-HDD HD DVR hooked up to the TV via Component. I feel that the TV's tuner is slightly better. The colors seem a little better, there are few less jaggies and other digital artifacts. The problem with a large screen high def TV, is that it makes the crappy job of encoding done for a lot of the programs that much more obvious. There is much more to digital video/broadcasts than resolution.

I did not get much response from a earlier post about viewing an external DVR source in the subpicture (PIP). I can view a DVD coming in through component input as a subpic while viewing a Digital Channel from the TV Tuner, but I cannot select the DVR input as a source?! The only thing the manual mentions is that a Digital picture cannot be used as the subpic. I interpreted that to mean a digital channel from the TV tuner. Is a DVD progressive input different than the DVR in some way other than possibly resolution?

Has any body else been able to do something like this?

I am very happy to report that I successfully connected my PC to my Samsung HLR6168W via the VGA port and am running it at 1920X1080P.

I got a 6 foot VGA/Super VGA replacement monitor cable at Radio Shack for $19.99. It is item # 26-276.

My PC video card is an NVIDIA 6800GT-OC. I have the latest drivers installed. Going into the display property settings I went to AVANCED==> 6800GT====>SCREEN RESOLUTIONS AND REFRESH RATES======>ADVANCED TIMING

Once there I selected MODE AND TIMING =====> CUSTOM VALUES and selected in the drop down box:

861B (1920X1080 @59.94) - P

The tv accepted this resolution. Note: Initially as I played around with the various resolutions it would not accept it - it said MODE NOT SUPPORTED and reverted back to the initial setting (1024x768). I had to restart a couple times in safe mode wih VGA mode. After a couple of attempts it worked and still is.

In the PC's Display Properties I also set it to EXTRA LARGE FONTS in APPEARANCE and used a custom 150% larger than standard (144 dpi) dpi setting for the font sizes in ADVANCED.

Finally I used the TV's menu to go to PC Wide picture mode and made a slight adjustment to the screen size until it totally fills my screen with no black borders at all. I have ZERO overscan.

I am playing Battlefield 2 in all its glory at 1920X1080p with NO noticeable lag or freezes in frame rate. To do that I went to the shortcut for launching the game, copied it to my desktop and renamed it BF2 HDTV. I right clicked on it and altered the shortcut's properties Target Location to read as follows:

"C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 2\BF2.exe" +menu 1 +fullscreen 1 +szx 1920 +szy 1080

The intro video plays at this awesome resolution. In the game DO NOT change the video resolution setting in the video menu - even though it may read different it will actually launch and play at the full 1920X1080p. I confirmed it is playing at these resolutiions by using the TV "info" selection and it shows 1920X1080 @ 60 Hz.

I'll take a few screen pics with my digital camera tomorrow.

The last thing I have to do is get rid of my Audigy 2Zs PC soundcard and replace it with a Turtle Beach Montego DDL - Dolby Digital Live sound card. Either that or I'll wait one month and get BlueGrear's XPlosion soundcard which will have BOTH real time dolby digital encoding output AND real time DTS encoding output. These cards output any sound source in 5.1 Dolby Digital (or also tyhe option of DTS in the case of the XPlosion) in real time. Like most A/V recievers, my Yamaha RXV1300 receiver does not recognize the coaxiaL 5.1 sound output of the soundcard because the ame is not dolby digital. This is even though I have the soundcard connected to the A/V receiver with a coaxial cable. The receiver recognizes the outgoing signal only as a 2 channel stereo signal and I use Pro Logic II for the moment. With the Montego or the Xplosion the A/V receiver will have receive the "native full 5.1 dolby digital sound (or DTS) sound field.

I have NO plans to buy an Xbox 360. Why would I want to when there are much better PC games that one can use a keyboard and mouse with? I use a wired keyboard and a Logitech G7 cordless mouse.

The only negative is the wife is now complaining I am hogging up the TV for the gaming.

Can you provide me with your PC specs?
I want to build a HTPC for my HLR6168 but I'm afraid that my rig will be underpowered for 1920 x 1080 gaming.

Thanks,
Zak

I was wondering if the Samsung automatically up-scaled an input say from a VCR to 1080i or does it just display it at the VCR resolution?

Also I was wondering if anyone here is using the DVDO iScan HD+ scaler and if so how is that working out for you? Seems to me this may be an ideal solution for solving the multiple input mess since it acts as an automatic switch for all the inputs. It also has a built in lip-sync correction for all inputs which is adjustable up to +/- 180ms (no need for the Felston) and of course it will scale any input resolution up to 1080p.

For those of you with 1080P sets that are in areas where you are getting good over-the-air HD reception and you also have a separate HD tuner, how does your set's tuner stack up against the separate tuner, in terms of getting in HD stations?

I will be getting a set soon, and don't plan on using cable or satelite, just OTA and DVD's.

Any comments will be appreciated.....Thanks!

I have an HD TiVo with an internal OTA tuner as well as the Samsung 5668. The internal tuner in the Samsung is definitely better than the HD TiVo, not in PQ, but in its ability to lock in a picture. The PQ is identical (I believe, but am not certain, that since an OTA picture is a digital picture, you either get the picture or you don't and the OTA picture will look more or less identical regardless of the tuner).

In contrast, the OTA picture is much better than the PQ from DirecTV's network feeds. This is primarily due to the fact that D* is compressing its signal, while the OTA feed to the Samsung internal tuner is not compressed.

The bottom line is that you'll do great with the Samsung internal tuner, assuming, of course, you have a good antenna and are able to lock in the OTA feeds.

I agree. I have an HD-Tivo, an RCA dtc-100 and a Panasonic TU-HDS20. The Samsung's internal tuner is far better than any of the others for weak signals and signals with multipath problems.

Can anyone answer these questions?

I have noticed differences in PQ between different broadcasts on my HL-R5078W.

It seems that 720p broadcasts, for the most part, look better than 1080i. (althought INHD looks great at 1080i)

FOX & ESPN (720p) look better than CBS (1080i).

My Motorola 3412 DVR is set to 1080i output, this looks better than when it is set to 720p.

When I watch a 1080i broadcast, I see it in 1080p. Is this 1080p/30 or 1080p/60 (each frame showed twice

Does 720p get scaled & show at 60 fps?

Which format shows the most "information"?

THANKS!!!

The HL-R5078W displays all signals at 1920*1080P. It will scale/de-interlace all inputs to this resolution... it is the ONLY resolution it CAN display....

Don

Can you provide me with your PC specs?
I want to build a HTPC for my HLR6168 but I'm afraid that my rig will be underpowered for 1920 x 1080 gaming.

Thanks,
Zak


Video Card = BFG NVIDIA 6800GT OC - AGP
CPU = Pentium 4 3.0 Ghz
Motherboard = ASUS P4P800 Deluxe
RAM = 1 GB PC3200



If I was building today I'd get:

MOBO = Asus P5N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI

CPU = Intel Pentium® 4 640 Processor Prescott 3.2GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775, 2MB Cache Retail

RAM = Corsair VS2GBKIT667D2 2GB Kit DDR2-667 PC2-5300

VIDEO CARD = BFG GeForce 7800 GT OC PCI Express 256MB DDR3 Video Card w/HDTV-Out, Dual-DVI & VIVO

SOUND CARD = BlueGears BGI-HDAXR-D HDA X-RAIDER 7.1 DTS Connect Retail

MOUSE = Logitech G7 Laser Cordless

The HL-R5078W displays all signals at 1920*1080P. It will scale/de-interlace all inputs to this resolution... it is the ONLY resolution it CAN display....

Don

I understand that part, but 1080p/60 shows twice the information of 1080i/60.
How does this set display 1080i? De-interlaced and shown at 30fps? Each de-interlaced frame shown twice to make 60fps?
The 720p is shown at 60fps, correct?
Are all formats shown at 60fps or 30fps?

I understand that part, but 1080p/60 shows twice the information of 1080i/60.
How does this set display 1080i? De-interlaced and shown at 30fps? Each de-interlaced frame shown twice to make 60fps?
The 720p is shown at 60fps, correct?
Are all formats shown at 60fps or 30fps?


Don't confuse FPS with refresh rate. Actually there are mny standards for FPS supported by the HDTV standard 24,29.97,30, and 60. All broadcast material is at 30 full frames per second (obviously you have to deinterlace 60 half frames per second to get 30 fps full frame). Samsungs have the capability to do 1080P at 60 full frames per second. The only source for this material is from computers and game boxes. Blu-ray may have this capability, but it would double the amount of storage required so I would suspect that it would really be 30FPS with two modes, 1080i 60 half frames and 1080P 60 where each full frame is repeated twice.

The refresh rate on the Samsung is determined by the color wheel speed. It spins at 10000 rpm which means thet the screen is being refreshed 166 times a second. I take no responsiblity for any inaccuracies in the above.