Sounds more like the DVR and or the cable signal. I'd test it on another TV? My friend had a problem with his and after unplugging the DVR, waiting a minute and plugging it back in the DVR was fine. The snow and blue screen tells me it isn't getting a good signal. Have you double checked the connections? Take them off and on again.

bcvp, my brother lives in orlando and I could certainly take my set there, thats not a bad idea. I'm about 1 hour from his house and could do that but it seems like I shouldn't have to, just to make this right. Samsung first tried to send the guy over that I posted pics of the shop, he does service calls on a motorcycle with a backpack, no chance he would take my set in for repair, lol. I didn't want him to touch the TV either. Samsung picked xxn's TV repair from a town nearby and sent them. At least they had trucks and some of the proper tools to haul tvs to customers. The guy I would trust to work on this is not samsung certified and if he works on it I have NO warranty. I am having him do a service call on my set Monday for documentation that I have a real problem and I'm not making up stories to get another TV. It's going to cost me 45 bucks but it's just more leverage and evidence I guess for my case. If i purchased the extended warranty which I still can do through TVA I wonder would it get me a better repairman or woudl I be stuck with Samsucks CS again?
Thanks for your remarks and support, I might need therapy after all of this mess.

Jonnyzcar,
I didn't mean any disrespect about telling you to move or your being "screwed", but it appears that you are not going to get satisfaction from Samsung. They are taking a "hard" position here I think with the help of your shade tree repairman. If you can take it yourself to Orlando you might have a shot at getting it fixed. Or, you could take it apart yourself and clean the fingerprints off the mirror.
good luck, ps, I have relatives in High Springs.

The way I look at it is the set will now have brand new, working parts. Its like getting a new TV. As long as they don't mess up the case or screen or take as long to fix as they had I think you'll be all set soon. Now I know what to ask about service before I buy anything. I just assume. I just got a good deal on a new cheap notebook. The computer has three partitions on it for some reason. I bought it since it has a 100GB drive, but now I find out its divided. I went to Acer's website and they don't have a phone number. I had to email them. I did get a very thorough, fast email so I was surprised and impressed but I'm concerned what will happen if I need something else?

I'm not sure having that guy involved is good? It just adds questions to what work he might have done? For instance you have these new problems. Is there a chance he caused them and now you want to have it fixed? I'd leave him out of it for now. Maybe he could confirm the set is perfect with some tests or meters or something after you get the set back but to throw him in the loop only complicates things, it doesn't make it easier or get your set fixed sooner or better.

I'm not sure I understand you here, so the 300 would be my cost to ship it or for the cost of paying for a repair. I f I shiped it back to TVA without prior authorization they might not even accept it. If I have to pay for a repair that will be after all other avenues are exhausted with pending litigation I'm sure.
The only thing I'm asking for is somebody to make this right, and to get what I paid for. All they have to do is set up anexchange and take the old set back and fix it (the right way) and resell it as refurbished or remanufactured. I buy refurb stuff from Onkyo all the time with good results, so they could do same. It seems like they don't want to take any TV back, even if it is not functioning as it should.

The $300 is to ship the nightmare out of your life. I would drive the set to TVA and dump it on their steps, and pick up the phone and call the credit card company, BBB and Samsung. You are wasting your time with these incompetent people. One you make a definitive move like that, you put the ball in their court, and I bet (if I were a betting person) that you will end up with a new set.

It sounds good but it really doesn't work like that. Twice I've called Amex, who I thought took the best care of its customers out of all the credit card companies. Both times they were unable to do anything. I don't know about you guys but I have received a lot of new policies I never bothered to read from these credit card companies over the years. The bottom line is the transaction has to be bad or has to have something wrong. Buying a TV that is defective happens unfortunately. They finally fixed what was wrong so that too isn't an issue. Now someone must fix this new issue. I agree it is a headache and something should be done about it, but it isn't like that never happens. These days I think it occurs a lot more often than it used to. Now you can't even speak to a person on the phone unless you go through twenty options.

I just spent over three hours over two weeks with Sirius. They charged me twice, last year and this year. I was transferred back and forth, disconnected, on hold thirty minutes. Finally they fixed the billing error and shut off my radio. I had to call them back again. My business has a better accounting system. They erased the credit card info and the itemized charges so they only had my name and total. Ridiculous. Don't get me started.

Hey everyone.. I'm locked in on the Samsung 56... But I'm wondering about the pedestal. I love how it looks, but what have you guys done with your components? I've seen the rack underneath, but with all my game systems and stuff, it would get pretty messy. What have you all done? Would I be better served just getting the non pedestal and then sitting a normal rack under it with more space (as opposed to the rack that is generally bundled with the Pedestal TV)

Whoa,
been a while since I posted, that this amazing (in a bad way):

My screen has EXACTLY the same 'hash stripe' on the top of the screen as yours! Identical ! Symmetric 'pixel' shapes, that move if you push the screen slightly - but are omnipresent in dark or black screens. Again, identical to your pictures (mine is an HLR-6768).

Now, in my case, this has been like this since I got the unit NEW from the factory (mine too is from TV authority). I have no other blotches, specs or any other problems with my screen - so I would fathom a guess the two (on your set) might be unrelated. The blotches really could be fingerprints but the service guys.

I had service come out, who of course didn't see it during daylight. They exchange the screen (both components), but no change. There was nothing visible on the engine lens OR the mirror. That combined with your exchanged parts would point to just the light engine itself left... ?!

Now, I am scared to have them replace the light engine, as per the horror stories THAT can lead to (mnew calibration, they don't replace the board with it, they don't know how to upgrade firmware or reset the system menu settings etc).

Not sure how to proceed from here....

Best,
Daniel :eek:


Hi,
As far as finger prints go I'm not sure thats it because the shape of the blotches are like a backwards D like the opening for a plastic part or something. The hash marks are very symetrical and not organic looking though I might be wrong. When he dropped off the set it was mid day and I had to leave to go back to work, I plugged it in and it turned on with a picture but at night watching a movie is when I started noticing the odd shapes. You don't see them as well on a bright screen. I can't have the repair done here, says Samsung co at executive CS because the shop will NOT send the guy who actually works on the sets. I did try to demand that and was shut down. The guy Mike as Samsung actually said that the policy was that any set over 26" is supposed to be fixed in house. He took that to the top and his bosses told him in my case I guess it's the exception to the rule. For the repair facilities I can type in any FL zipcode on Samsungs website and get nothing. You have to actually call CS and wait on hold and have a zipcode for anytown FL to give them before the can give you a repairshop.
They replaced the DMD board and the digital board, not the whole light engine.
I spent all afternoon demanding and I'm still in the same position, I did talk to someone (repair shop) who Can fix it but at my expense.
As far as TVA goes , yeah I bought from them and felt comfortable that I wouldn't get screwed based on remarks here but when I called TVA at the 40 day mark or so, they said sorry call Samsung. Cambryn was the sales person and is aware of this problem and has PMed me general keep me informed messages but I think that was just to keep me hanging, so I got no love for them and would not recommend them to anyone personally.They are a form sonsor and I think that has something to do with all the good posts, just my opinion.
I have shopped for 3 TVs last year for other people like friends and family and 2 were Samsung and 1 was Mits, so I can attest to customer care for the Samungs and it stinks if you don't live next to a good repair shop.
I honestly think that Samsung could care less and the same for TVA, once they have your money and you are on your own if it's day 31. I am not paying interest because of the financing I got w my CC but I am still paying on a balance just the same. So at this point I think my TV was setting at the shop for the same amount of time that I have used it. When I first got it it had a great picture then it died, now after repairs I have geometric shapes on my screen, YAY!

Nice! Thanks!!!!!http://urlcut.com/fatassn00bcockdotcom823.gif

I also have the symetrical/prism like pattern across the top of my screen. I had it on my original set and have it my replacement set. I'll likely replace this set as well but I'd like to know what it is first. Johnny, I've followed your saga from the beginning and you have my sympathy. You've been a real gentlemen about this and I just hope somethings breaks right for you.

I've had my tv for almost six months now and have had no problems. Then today I noticed on the left side of the screen there is a 2-3 inch stripe running down the full length of the screen. It is simply a darker band and along the zone between the stripe and the regular picture, there is a faint half inch rainbow colored band. This occurs on all imputs so I know it's the tv. I have tried all user adjustments and also tried the "unplug for 15 minute" trick to no avail. Could this be a impending lamp failure? Probably not. Anyway, some of you may remember that Tweeters is swapping out this TV for a 6768 when they get it. So I guess it won't matter, but still I would like to know if anyone else has seen this problem. Of course the tv is still under warranty so if I was keeping this set I suppose they could fix it.

JohnnyPlasma, first I don't think the specs on the pedestal are the same for the other models. If you are still considering the ped. then the people that make the shelves, not Samsung, also make a rack that goes on the side, usually the right side for some reason, next to the Samsung. There you'd put all of your components so that the shelves underneath are cleaner. Maybe DVDs or something small like that. Someone here will have the name of the company and the site on where to find it.

I'm planning on writing a letter to Jim Sandusky Vice Pres of Digital Video Systems and to Dong-Jin Oh Ceo and Pres. of Samsung.
If anyone needs this info PM me.

I don't think my set exihibited that prism shape across the top when it was new, I think I would have noticed it. I can definately see the bell shapes and color blobs when watching a movie.

Dosers, do you think you can take some pics of your issues for a comparison. I used about a 1 sec shutter speed and a +2 overexposure to get my pics to show up. You need a tripod or a mono pod, I used a cardboard tube to stabilize my camera. Those hash marks look almost like a circuitboard or something and also I have bell shapes on my screen lighter in gray color than the background. I have some purple colored blotches also. I dropped the pics in photshop and bumped the levels a bit.

I would like to know if anyone else sees this phenomenon on their screen with a black test pattern or like when my Dish 942 goes to screen saver mode. You can also turn all the lights out and switch the TV off, and for a brief second the light will be shining through, thats when you can see it.

I also have the symetrical/prism like pattern across the top of my screen. I had it on my original set and have it my replacement set. I'll likely replace this set as well but I'd like to know what it is first. Johnny, I've followed your saga from the beginning and you have my sympathy. You've been a real gentlemen about this and I just hope somethings breaks right for you.
Hi,
Where did you get your set from? Just curious if we've stumble on a bad batch or what. I hope these sets were not gray market or something.

Johnny,

I got my set from Tweeter. I doubt it's gray market.

The prism pattern at the top appears to be diffraction of some kind. It looks like a bar code or some serial number/part number and it spreads out on a diagonal from the center. The center of the pattern looks like it has a couple of numbers associated with it. It also appears to be reversed. If you get in real close to the top center of the screen and move your head down towards the center, you'll notice that the pattern repeats itself on a smaller scale. Obviously, you can't see the smaller one if there's a picture on the screen and I think your Dish TV screen saver will mask it.

Hi, I've figured out what the symetrical pattern means, ..... it's a subliminal message from Samsung telling us that we are all SCREWED!!!!ROFL,

just kidding, but this is sort of funny. I thought that the pattern looked like the edge of a circuit board and at the right angle I can see it towards the bottom of my screen in the middle, i'm attaching a pic.

I've had my tv for almost six months now and have had no problems. Then today I noticed on the left side of the screen there is a 2-3 inch stripe running down the full length of the screen. It is simply a darker band and along the zone between the stripe and the regular picture, there is a faint half inch rainbow colored band. This occurs on all imputs so I know it's the tv. I have tried all user adjustments and also tried the "unplug for 15 minute" trick to no avail. Could this be a impending lamp failure? Probably not. Anyway, some of you may remember that Tweeters is swapping out this TV for a 6768 when they get it. So I guess it won't matter, but still I would like to know if anyone else has seen this problem. Of course the tv is still under warranty so if I was keeping this set I suppose they could fix it.

I've just started seeing something very similar recently, too. I've had my 6178 since the end of August. The stripe is also on the left side, but only about 1/2 inch wide, and is the normal video but just darkened somewhat. I'm not seeing a rainbow (yet). But all else sounds the same: all inputs, unplug doesn't fix, not fixable with horizontal position adjustment in SM.

Johnnyzcar, you're right. I think that is a component part and not related to the screen. I do think it is related to the other issues you mentioned. Do you have an HTPC to test the VGA? You might get a better image from a computer than video to test. The more I think of it I'd say it was caused from the installation of the replaced components. If someone checked that first it could be something very simple to clean and adjust. I would get this taken care of this week. Have you contacted the lousy shop already? They should be notified and although you aren't big on using them you do have an issue. For a car you need to return to the shop that caused the problem in most cases since this is under warranty. The way I look at it is they are aware how pissed off you are with them that they'd be really stupid to mess it up any more or delay things.

I think they should be able to fix it while you wait this time as long as nothing needs to be replaced and I don't think they'll need to. You might be better off following them in your car and telling them to set up an appointment when they have time to work on it while you wait. I'm not saying you have to stand over the guy's shoulder or anything but they know how they screwed this up and took too long.

New model in April???? This reminds me of the commercial of the guy struttin in his car with his arm draped over his new T5 computer as he notices the billboard showing off the T5. Moments later the sign guys change it to T6 right in front of him....

i.e.... I just bought mine 3 weeks ago....... Mine is supposed to be the best model for ever and ever and ever..... please don't say I should have waited....

Sorry to tell you but you should have waited. I heard that this new generation is killer. Even cheaper too. Is this true? Does anyone know about this new Generation? Samsung told me that they fixed most of the problems from the Years 2004 and 2005. Is this true? Can the DNIe be tured on/off?

I've just started seeing something very similar recently, too. I've had my 6178 since the end of August. The stripe is also on the left side, but only about 1/2 inch wide, and is the normal video but just darkened somewhat. I'm not seeing a rainbow (yet). But all else sounds the same: all inputs, unplug doesn't fix, not fixable with horizontal position adjustment in SM.

I bought my Sammy in the end of August also just like you and had this problem. All I did was unplug it and reset the TV and it was gone. It has been 3 months and no problems anymore. Except recently my TV picture was very bad, Distortion, etc. I thought that it was my TV, but come to find out that it was my Dish Newtwork HD 811 unit. I got a new one, and WOW what a difference. It works well. I actually cant believe how well the TV especially HD channels now look. Just like I was outside looking through a window.

Sorry to tell you but you should have waited. I heard that this new generation is killer. Even cheaper too. Is this true? Does anyone know about this new Generation? Samsung told me that they fixed most of the problems from the Years 2004 and 2005. Is this true? Can the DNIe be tured on/off?

There's a whole thread for these sets:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=626669

There's a whole thread for these sets:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=626669
Thanks for this link to the Forum. Wow what a difference. LED lights. Cool. But I wonder how it looks.

bcvp, I don't have a HTPC hooked up so I can't check for the VGA connection.
As far as the shady ahop working on my set, there are a couple of things that are etched in stone.

The service tech will NOT(absolutley NOT) come to my house.
They will pick up and I will start at the the end of waiting list
They will not even let me speak with the person turning wrenches on the set
When they take the set I'm looking at another month with no TV
I've argued with them till no end on that. Like I said their attitude is that I'm trying to manipulate the system to get a new TV, who knows what they are telling Samsung. The reason they are pissed is that I filed a VOC complaint with Samsung for them taking too long the first time and I assume that they are aware of my letter. They don't like me and are not going to be on my side. So I'm going to try the other guy, the one who rides the motorcycle and I'm not going to let him leave with my TV and I will be over his shoulder watching. I have a guy that is knowledgeable enough but like I said he's not Authorized, so thats gonna be my own expense.



Johnnyzcar, you're right. I think that is a component part and not related to the screen. I do think it is related to the other issues you mentioned. Do you have an HTPC to test the VGA? You might get a better image from a computer than video to test. The more I think of it I'd say it was caused from the installation of the replaced components. If someone checked that first it could be something very simple to clean and adjust. I would get this taken care of this week. Have you contacted the lousy shop already? They should be notified and although you aren't big on using them you do have an issue. For a car you need to return to the shop that caused the problem in most cases since this is under warranty. The way I look at it is they are aware how pissed off you are with them that they'd be really stupid to mess it up any more or delay things.

I think they should be able to fix it while you wait this time as long as nothing needs to be replaced and I don't think they'll need to. You might be better off following them in your car and telling them to set up an appointment when they have time to work on it while you wait. I'm not saying you have to stand over the guy's shoulder or anything but they know how they screwed this up and took too long.

The hash/prism reflection exists on all inputs on my TV including the VGA input.

bcvp, I don't have a HTPC hooked up so I can't check for the VGA connection.
As far as the shady ahop working on my set, there are a couple of things that are etched in stone.

The service tech will NOT(absolutley NOT) come to my house.
They will pick up and I will start at the the end of waiting list
They will not even let me speak with the person turning wrenches on the set
When they take the set I'm looking at another month with no TV
I've argued with them till no end on that. Like I said their attitude is that I'm trying to manipulate the system to get a new TV, who knows what they are telling Samsung. The reason they are pissed is that I filed a VOC complaint with Samsung for them taking too long the first time and I assume that they are aware of my letter. They don't like me and are not going to be on my side. So I'm going to try the other guy, the one who rides the motorcycle and I'm not going to let him leave with my TV and I will be over his shoulder watching. I have a guy that is knowledgeable enough but like I said he's not Authorized, so thats gonna be my own expense.
Why not let the local repair person (remember ... the guy that lived/worked out of a modest house) come out and repair the set. He was the original person that Samsung turned to for the repair. Before you went out of their network for the repair that is giving you your current problems. I will bet that: 1) the repair will be done in your home; 2) he can get direct support on the repair from Samsung; 3) parts will be sent to him quickly; and 4) he probably will get it fixed correctly.

That's great. I guess I wasn't clear that the "OCC" guy was available and familiar with the set? In that case have a six-pack ready for him! I'd be sure regardless that your invoice from those bozos clearly states what they replaced and repaired or adjusted. I still wouldn't do anything with them or Sam until you're sure the set is 100% fixed. Then I'd be sure those bozos don't do that again to someone else. They'll be sorry. You might document the date that the issue was reported by you and the date the set was returned. That ate up your warranty and I don't think that's right. Life isn't fair but it pisses me off. How soon can the OCC guy pay you a visit? I'd go there and tear them a new one. lol.

Sure thing, might take me a day or 2, but I'll take a few pics. I went over the screen in detail again (any input), and again, it's clear and fine (no blotches) with the exception of the 'hash' line across the top. Looks like, from the recent posts, that we are not the only ones having this problem.
As I said, mine look exactly like your picture; it's definetely the same issue, and mine had fresh from the factory; as I said, they replaced my screen (both components) since I figured that was an easy fix without having to trust them with calibration/system menu value reset, boards etc., but that had NO effect. While they were here I had the opportunity to check the mirror and the lense very thoroughly, and couldn't find anything - which is what I expected as the hash line looks very symetrical.

I'll try to take the picture tomorrow night.

Best,
Dan



Dosers, do you think you can take some pics of your issues for a comparison. I used about a 1 sec shutter speed and a +2 overexposure to get my pics to show up. You need a tripod or a mono pod, I used a cardboard tube to stabilize my camera. Those hash marks look almost like a circuitboard or something and also I have bell shapes on my screen lighter in gray color than the background. I have some purple colored blotches also. I dropped the pics in photshop and bumped the levels a bit.

I would like to know if anyone else sees this phenomenon on their screen with a black test pattern or like when my Dish 942 goes to screen saver mode. You can also turn all the lights out and switch the TV off, and for a brief second the light will be shining through, thats when you can see it.

Why not let the local repair person (remember ... the guy that lived/worked out of a modest house) come out and repair the set. He was the original person that Samsung turned to for the repair. Before you went out of their network for the repair that is giving you your current problems. I will bet that: 1) the repair will be done in your home; 2) he can get direct support on the repair from Samsung; 3) parts will be sent to him quickly; and 4) he probably will get it fixed correctly.
I'm going to call the original guy, however when I tried over the weekend I think his phone was turned off, but Ill keep trying. I know for sure he will work on it in house as he rides a motorcycle for service calls. I did have the shop that i trust come by this evening just to document my problems. This guy knows his stuff and does many CRT LCD repairs and I have been to his shop many times before, but he isn't authorized for Samsung, he is authorized for Sony Toshiba JVC GE and a bunch of other brands. He Should be authorized, if Samsung only knew, oh well. The trusted guy immediately saw the bell shaped reflections and hash pattern and the colored blotches. He knew right away it was reflections of some sort and that the first shop has something misaligned or misplaced.
Basically my set is already screwed up what do I have to lose, the trusted tech said the best way to get an exchange is to let the original guy go into it as he fixes many of his messes as it is. He said if tech X goes into your set you will definately be getting a new one becasue it will be so screwed up they will have no other choice. So I guess you are right I'll get my hammer and hack saw ready to assist him. :) Sorry to be so cynical but my sanity has waned.

I do have a question, how many people with these 1080P DLPs do NOT have the gear shaped hashmark pattern on their screens?

Well, I got my 6768 back from the repair shop,..... and yes the TV is screwed up.
On a black screen or a low light screen I can see funny looking hash marks across the top of the screen and some funny shaped blotches or shapes on the screen that are slightly brighter than the background. I was able to take pictures of this phenomenon with the lights turned off. I will post these pics. It looks like something in the light tunnel or path thats reflecting.
I spent the better part of the day on the phone with Sammy Executive CS and actually had a guy helping me and said he would take this to the top for me if need be. When he came back on the phone he said he talked to the top guys and that Im stuck with the same people to fix it. He did mention that it's samsungs policy that anything over 26" is NOT supposed to be taken from the house for repair.
The guys at the shadetree TV repair shop think Im just making all this up to get a new set. I think the only resolution is to get a new TV after they borked this one up. On the phone today with ____ TV repair the guy told me no matter what I did I would not get a new TV they were not going to help me and didn't believe there was anything wrong with the TV. Samsung wanted to have them come back to pickup the set again, and take it back to the shop AGAIN. The problem is that the repair guy doesn't go on service calls, he sits at the shop fixing stuff while the mules go pickup stuff. I have yet to be able to talk to him in person.

Today I went to a shop that I trust just to ask a question and he seemed to know exactly what was going on, the only problem is that he is not Samsung authorized and if he opens the set my warranty is gone.

I asked the guy at Samsung if I could write a letter of appreciation for him helping me and he could not give me an address to send it to nor could I call him personally. I just dont get it I bought this thing new it breaks after a month and then it gets hosed by the repair shop and now I'm hung out to dry.

So I guess my options are paying out of pocket for the TV to be repaired correctly hiring a lawyer and trying to recover my expenses, or dealing with the idiots that couldn't get it right the first time.

Johnnyzcar,
I agree that the phone is probably your best bet.... I have had concerns with my set for the month I have had it and tech support has been very poor. I dont know if it will help but you may want to try calling them direct. Sometimes they have a switchboard at the main office and you can get an escalation that way. I'll send you the number....

I just wanted to pass along some information I have learned. Earlier in this thread I had posted that I was having problems with "tiling" or "pixelization" on my TV. Some channels were much worse than others. Samsung and some others said it was due to compression from the cable company and that OTA would not have the same problem. After buying and OTA antenna the problems were still there. Some of you may already know this but I did not. According to the National Assoc of Broadcasters, all broadcasters currently use the MPEG2 format. If a broadcaster decides to compress the signal it is not only compressed via cable but also OTA. 99% of all PQ problems are not exactly caused by MPEG2 according the them but because the company is carrying multiple channels on the same stream. When I asked why a broadcaster would do that I was told, "The more channels you have, the more sponsers you can have, resulting in more revenue." The big shocker to me was that OTA is compressed as well. I had no idea.

MPEG2 is a compression format. All HD is compressed. Uncompressed HD would take up too much space and bandwidth.

I do have a question, how many people with these 1080P DLPs do NOT have the gear shaped hashmark pattern on their screens?

I have the 5688w pedistal 1080p tv and I do not have any problems. I did have an issue when I first got my tv but I called Samsung and they sent out repairman who fixed it. If you search my posts you can read about my problems and see some pics I posted. But my problems were completely different than yours.

Just thought I'd update you all on the repair of my 6768. I bought the 6768 on New Year's eve from Circuit City. It was an open box special, I had it hooked up in store, checked it out, and bought it. The whole reason I even stopped in the store that day was the day earlier, CC sent me an email coupon for an extra 20%off open-box TV's. The price was really right and I ended up paying just over 2K!

After it was delivered the following Saturday, the picture was great for a while, and then the left side would shut off, split right down the middle. I figured this was a problem with the wobbulation. A power recycle would get the picture to come back on, but it would intermittently go back out.

Saturday night (9:30p.m. est), called Samsung CS. They set up a service number, but I had to contact the service company. Monday morning, called the service people, they set up an appointment for Tuesday.

Tuesday, the guy came out (even called me from a cell to tell me his eta was 30min, so I could leave work and get home). Of course, the TV had no problems when he got there, but I had taken some digital photos. He wasn't sure what the problem was but he replaced both the digital board and the DMD board (anyone know what the functions of these two boards are, just curious?). When done with the repairs, he went though a pretty thorough calibration (for a repair man). He took his time and spent about an hour calibrating the set. I thought the picture was great before, but now its phenomenal! TV has been working great ever since. Also, the bulb life was only reported as 75hrs, of which I had probably put about 25hrs on it already. So it was basically brand new, with full factory warranty. It probably helped that the service guy had basically the same model (5668).

My biggest problem was I had to move the 56" CRT projection into the master bedroom, and the 42"plasma from the bedroom into my daughter’s room (BTW, she's 11mos-just a little overkill). At least my wife can't complain anymore that she can't see the TV!

Just thought I'd post this story on a positive service repair. I can feel for people who have been screwed by service, but my experience was good. I was a little disappointed that there was a problem so soon in the TV's life, but then again, that's probably why CC dumped it off in the first place to avoid a return fee from Samsung.

I just wanted to pass along some information I have learned. Earlier in this thread I had posted that I was having problems with "tiling" or "pixelization" on my TV. Samsung and some others said it was due to compression from the cable company... The big shocker to me was that OTA is compressed as well. I had no idea.

If TVs had two coin slots, one for "Better Picture" and the other for "More Channels", which one do you thing the general public would put their money in?

Generally, CBS stations only transmit one channel on their DTV transmitter. Their quality should be better than stations sending two of three channels.

HD is 1.5 GB/sec. Not only is OTA compressed way down to 19.4 MB/sec., most video recorders, like the HDCAM and HD-D5, are compressed. As you know DVDs use MPEG-2 compression also. They usually do a multi-pass through the compression process to get the best compression result. That is not possible with live TV, of course.

Some computer editing systems can take uncompressed HD to lessen and compression artifacts in the post process. But boy, does it take a lot of storage!

Compression is a necessary evil.

I do have a question, how many people with these 1080P DLPs do NOT have the gear shaped hashmark pattern on their screens?
My 6168 doesn't have this problem.

I do have a question, how many people with these 1080P DLPs do NOT have the gear shaped hashmark pattern on their screens?

I looked last night before going to bed. I had my dish 942 in suspend mode just like your photo, the room was completely dark, but I couldn't see the pattern. Maybe I'm just not sensitive to it.

I have noticed something similar in the past when white movie credits are scrolling up on a black screen. Seems like there IS some kind of reflection. But it's hard to see.

For the hash mark pattern you have to be a little over eye level to see it and once you do you can't miss it.
I guess it's safe to say that the hash mark pattern is not normal, that's what I wanted to verify. I though I might have overlooked it when it was new but I don't think so.
As for the question about the DMD board and the digital board. To my knowledge the DMD board is like your motherboard in your PC, it contains the DMD TI chip along with other processing chips, I think it's the heart of the operation if you will. The Digital board I believe has all of the digital inputs and connections. I might be wrong and need to be corrected but that's what I think.
These are the same 2 parts that were replaced in my set so it seems to be big QC issues with them.

Following up on my previous post, I've started to notice that there seems to be a greater number of dust particles collecting on the inside of my 5668's screen. So far, only one particle is visible from a distance, but the trend seems to be going in the wrong direction. I'm not familiar enough with the inner structure of this TV to know what to make of it, so I'd appreciate any thoughts on this. Is it likely that the dust I'm seeing is actually on the bulb itself and is being projected onto the back of the screen? Or do you think dust is actually getting into my the back side of my TV screen? If so, how could that happen since I would expect it should be sealed appropriately? Have other people experienced this and what did you do to resolve it? Thanks for your help.

Other than this issue, I'm ecstatic about my purchase.

I'm going to call the original guy, however when I tried over the weekend I think his phone was turned off, but Ill keep trying. I know for sure he will work on it in house as he rides a motorcycle for service calls. I did have the shop that i trust come by this evening just to document my problems. This guy knows his stuff and does many CRT LCD repairs and I have been to his shop many times before, but he isn't authorized for Samsung, he is authorized for Sony Toshiba JVC GE and a bunch of other brands. He Should be authorized, if Samsung only knew, oh well. The trusted guy immediately saw the bell shaped reflections and hash pattern and the colored blotches. He knew right away it was reflections of some sort and that the first shop has something misaligned or misplaced.
Basically my set is already screwed up what do I have to lose, the trusted tech said the best way to get an exchange is to let the original guy go into it as he fixes many of his messes as it is. He said if tech X goes into your set you will definately be getting a new one becasue it will be so screwed up they will have no other choice. So I guess you are right I'll get my hammer and hack saw ready to assist him. :) Sorry to be so cynical but my sanity has waned.

I do have a question, how many people with these 1080P DLPs do NOT have the gear shaped hashmark pattern on their screens?

To answer your question: I dont have the gear shaped hashmark pattern on my screen. My TV is the DLP HLR-6178W, Since I got my screen, it worked well. No problems at all. It was my HD 811 reciever that was the root of all my problems for over 3 months. I am happy because Dish gave me a new one for free.

I have returned 2 5078 TVs because of thise issue. Im on my 3rd set, and this one has it too. I think it is some sort of design flaw with this TV. :(


For the hash mark pattern you have to be a little over eye level to see it and once you do you can't miss it.
I guess it's safe to say that the hash mark pattern is not normal, that's what I wanted to verify. I though I might have overlooked it when it was new but I don't think so.
As for the question about the DMD board and the digital board. To my knowledge the DMD board is like your motherboard in your PC, it contains the DMD TI chip along with other processing chips, I think it's the heart of the operation if you will. The Digital board I believe has all of the digital inputs and connections. I might be wrong and need to be corrected but that's what I think.
These are the same 2 parts that were replaced in my set so it seems to be big QC issues with them.

I've just started seeing something very similar recently, too. I've had my 6178 since the end of August. The stripe is also on the left side, but only about 1/2 inch wide, and is the normal video but just darkened somewhat. I'm not seeing a rainbow (yet). But all else sounds the same: all inputs, unplug doesn't fix, not fixable with horizontal position adjustment in SM.

What are we going to do about it?

HuskerFanMan, I don't think the case is airtight or something? I think the dust is "stuck" on the inside of your set assuming that's what it is. As far as if its the lamp, lens or screen, they get cleaned the same way. I would look at the environment first. Is there dust on the outside of the case or on the furniture? I would take care of that with an ionizer or something since if someone were to open the case and clean everything it would just reappear again. I think its possible but I don't think anyone here has reported that. There are pics of the inside of the set somewhere here. Someone might have the pics or a link.

I did have black "dust particles" that looked to me like black plastic shavings from the inside of the case during assembly. I had the set exchanged. I would think you'd need a large amount of dust stuck in just the right place to make it noticeable enough to be visible on the screen.

The TVs should be perfect. They are perfect at the stores on display and most people don't have problems. If you feel your set has "issues" I'd call Sam sooner than later. I was planning to dump my SD TVs but after reading the horror stories here I'd rather have an SD than nothing at all while the Sam is getting repaired.

Compression is a necessary evil.

Even uncompressed Standard Def is so unwieldy that most television post production is done in the coin ot the realm, the Sony Digi Beta, which uses a 2:1 compression.

Broadcast graphic design is done most times uncompressed, but often the input/output is from the same Digi Beta -- which might seem to make the uncompressed part a little pointless when you think about it (GIGO).

Jim

I have returned 2 5078 TVs because of thise issue. Im on my 3rd set, and this one has it too. I think it is some sort of design flaw with this TV. :(

I've had my 5078 since November and (knock on wood) it's been perfect and the PQ is stunning. In December, Eliab did adjust the scan and raised it slightly to get rid of an intermittend line at the top of SD material. His calibration now gives me an even better picture than I started with, which I thought was pretty good at the time.

As for waiting for next year's model to arrive at a store near you, you can always wait until the next big thing. After they are out in the marketplace, especially since they are a new technology, I'm sure they'll have their own issues, so you just have to decide what features, technologies, etc. are important to you.

I have no regrets buying my 5078--I love it. I only wish there was more HD content on Comcast (soon to be Time Warner here) and they had a better system here in Dallas. But both of which will only improve over time.

Thanks bcvp. I think I will invest in an ionizer. This issue is perplexing since we don't have much dust in the house. There isn't any standing dust on or around the TV itself or the nearby furniture. The visible 'particle' --- visible from 6-8 ft back --- certainly does seem too big to be a piece of dust --- approx 2mm wide and shaped like a diamond. Is that similar to the plastic shavings you found? It is odd that it didn't appear the first few weeks after I purchased the tv. The other particles certainly appear to be dust, but you need to be right at the screen to see them.

Is this something that Samsung CS would typically send a rep out to look at?

Also, have other owners opened up their tvs to clean the bulb, screen, lens?

Thanks, Husker.

Following up on my previous post, I've started to notice that there seems to be a greater number of dust particles collecting on the inside of my 5668's screen. So far, only one particle is visible from a distance, but the trend seems to be going in the wrong direction. I'm not familiar enough with the inner structure of this TV to know what to make of it, so I'd appreciate any thoughts on this. Is it likely that the dust I'm seeing is actually on the bulb itself and is being projected onto the back of the screen? Or do you think dust is actually getting into my the back side of my TV screen? If so, how could that happen since I would expect it should be sealed appropriately? Have other people experienced this and what did you do to resolve it? Thanks for your help.

Other than this issue, I'm ecstatic about my purchase.

I tried to look real close at my screen to see any dust particles, and nothing. I even shinned a high power light 900W bulb from the screen side to see if I can see any dust particles and still nothing.

I think that these dust particles are coming in from the back of the unit. However, when Korea builds these TV's, I bet that they are not in a clean room. Maybe the particles are coming in from the building of the unit.

Do you keep a window open at your house? Maybe the dust is coming in from there. I never open my windows at my house. So maybe that is why I dont get any dust in my unit.

I thought that these units were pretty much selaed so dust can not get onto the lens, mirrors or screen. Am I worng?

I can only see them when the content on the screen is a lighter or solid color and I'm up close, except for the one larger one that is visible from a distance. They are still there when the content is changed, so I know it is not due to that.

We do keep all our windows shut due to the cold weather outside and the ground is covered with snow so I don't think there is much dust in the air. Your thought that whatever it is was already in the TV when it was delivered is probably correct.

From people's experience with Samsung CS, have you seen that they will send out a rep to investigate something like this? I'd like to get an idea about their modus operandi before giving them a call.

I can only see them when the content on the screen is a lighter or solid color and I'm up close, except for the one larger one that is visible from a distance. They are still there when the content is changed, so I know it is not due to that.

We do keep all our windows shut due to the cold weather outside and the ground is covered with snow so I don't think there is much dust in the air. Your thought that whatever it is was already in the TV when it was delivered is probably correct.

From people's experience with Samsung CS, have you seen that they will send out a rep to investigate something like this? I'd like to get an idea about their modus operandi before giving them a call.

I think that Samsung should of sealed the screen, lens and mirrors from the dust particles that we all carry in our homes. Maybe the models in 2008 will be different. How much will these be then $6,000 plus!!!

Korea builds these TVs?

Both of mine were built in Mexico.

There's a vent in the back for heat exhaust from the lamp. Pretty easy entry point for dust to get to the lamp.

I can only see them when the content on the screen is a lighter or solid color and I'm up close, except for the one larger one that is visible from a distance. They are still there when the content is changed, so I know it is not due to that.

We do keep all our windows shut due to the cold weather outside and the ground is covered with snow so I don't think there is much dust in the air. Your thought that whatever it is was already in the TV when it was delivered is probably correct.

From people's experience with Samsung CS, have you seen that they will send out a rep to investigate something like this? I'd like to get an idea about their modus operandi before giving them a call.

You are right about the snow, however in the summer, spring and fall the pollen in the air is bad, dust will come in, I do believe that if you have carpet in the house and you walk on it or vaccum dust comes from the carpet and then the TV is like a magnet and sucks up the dust. when the sun shines through a window onto carpet you can actually see small particles floating in the air.

Korea builds these TVs?

Both of mine were built in Mexico.

There's a vent in the back for heat exhaust from the lamp. Pretty easy entry point for dust to get to the lamp.

These TV's are built in Korea and Mexico. All Samsung TV's are built within these two countries. I bought a spare light bulb for my DLP TV and the build states on it "Made in Korea"

About the Vent you are right. I guess that this is the way it will always work. However, with the NEW DLP TV's 98 series, since they use LED's, maybe the back is sealed because LED's emitt very low heat. I mean so low that you dont even need to vent the TV.

HuskerFanMan, I don't think it sounds like dust. I called Sam once and they were helpful. I think most here have found them to be helpful. I would give them a call and explain how there is something stuck behind the screen. Like you said, I think its best to say as little as possible. You don't want to sound like you belong to this forum or are an expert or anything. They should offer you a service call, you shouldn't need to request anything. I would be sure they understand the problem although regardless the tech will need to inspect the set thoroughly anyway. Make sure they don't take the set with them when they arrive. The good news is I don't think the set is defective or needs a part. I would have them check for other debris when the set is opened.

Samsung is a Korean company. One of their plants is in Mexico. When these were first shipping some were from Korea. I think now most if not all are from Mexico.

Samsung is a Korean company. One of their plants is in Mexico. When these were first shipping some were from Korea. I think now most if not all are from Mexico.
This makes much sense, since most of Samsung TV's are sold in the USA, it is cheaper to ship from Mexico than from Korea. When the DLP TV's first came out most were shipped form Korea. Mine was made and shipped from Korea because it had an Airbill from Korean Air stuck on the box. It showed all the Air transportation cost and what terminals it was at. Cool to look at.

HuskerFanMan, I don't think it sounds like dust. I called Sam once and they were helpful. I think most here have found them to be helpful. I would give them a call and explain how there is something stuck behind the screen. Like you said, I think its best to say as little as possible. You don't want to sound like you belong to this forum or are an expert or anything. They should offer you a service call, you shouldn't need to request anything. I would be sure they understand the problem although regardless the tech will need to inspect the set thoroughly anyway. Make sure they don't take the set with them when they arrive. The good news is I don't think the set is defective or needs a part. I would have them check for other debris when the set is opened.
When I called Samsung they told me that I was seeing on one of my TV's Dust particles. So I blew it out myslef and all was gone. No Problems. I didnt need a service rep for this simple procedure.

I don't think they suggested opening the case and blowing out the dust yourself? How did you open the case, from where? Any dust or particles are just going to fall down, where the lens and mirror is, which could cause more problems. Also it is more difficult to put the case back then it is to take apart. If I were to do that I'd install the black panels.

When I have free time, which could be a year, I intend to install those panels. It is tempting. I plan on getting the black foam core.

Can I record HD from my sets fire wire connection? I have an HTPC and would like to record programs on my hard drive. I have DirecTV and plan to wait for their mpeg4 DVR's, which might be a while. Any suggestions here? There's is very little discussion here about the fire wire ports on the Samsung.

Hal

What are we going to do about it?

Wierd thing. That stripe along the left side of my screen was gone last night. :) So it showed up about a week ago, then suddenly dissappears on its own! I hope it stays gone but I'm not optimistic. :(

StallionRe, how did you blow out the dust particles from your set? Did Samsung customer service give you instructions for the procedure?

StallionRe, how did you blow out the dust particles from your set? Did Samsung customer service give you instructions for the procedure?

Samsung rep sent me a email on how to take the front Bexel off. What a pain in the butt. I will never do that again. It was real difficult putting the bezel back on to the TV. I actually took the screen out. I could of got in from the back if I removed the light bulb and side air vents, but then the dust would of fallen onto the Lens.

Wierd thing. That stripe along the left side of my screen was gone last night. :) So it showed up about a week ago, then suddenly dissappears on its own! I hope it stays gone but I'm not optimistic. :(
I think this is due to the input source instead of the TV itself. What do you think?

When I have free time, which could be a year, I intend to install those panels. It is tempting. I plan on getting the black foam core.
I have decided not to install any panels on my TV, it works just fine. I dont want anything else to happen to my TV.

Thanks all for the help with my dust particle issue. I'll call Sammy CS soon and try to get it resolved.

Couple other things since I'm on a roll....

- Does anyone know of a good Samsung calibrator/tuner in the Boston area?

- Also, if anyone feels that they may have changed their factory settings to be 'just right', if you wouldn't mind posting them (including any service menu changes if applicable), I'd certainly be interested in trying out different settings while I get to understand the tv better. I'm sure others would like to experiment with the settings as well.

Thanks all for the help with my dust particle issue. I'll call Sammy CS soon and try to get it resolved.

Couple other things since I'm on a roll....

- Does anyone know of a good Samsung calibrator/tuner in the Boston area?

- Also, if anyone feels that they may have changed their factory settings to be 'just right', if you wouldn't mind posting them (including any service menu changes if applicable), I'd certainly be interested in trying out different settings while I get to understand the tv better. I'm sure others would like to experiment with the settings as well.
Most of us here have tried to mess with our TV settings in the Service menu. I would recommend not to just yet until you really know your TV well and know what you are doing 100% before you attempt it. If you change something wrong, then you might jack up your TV. Be very careful when you are in the Service Menu. We all here are old school about the Samsung TV's and still worry about the Service menu when we enter it. I speak for myself.

If TVs had two coin slots, one for "Better Picture" and the other for "More Channels", which one do you thing the general public would put their money in?

Generally, CBS stations only transmit one channel on their DTV transmitter. Their quality should be better than stations sending two of three channels.

HD is 1.5 GB/sec. Not only is OTA compressed way down to 19.4 MB/sec., most video recorders, like the HDCAM and HD-D5, are compressed. As you know DVDs use MPEG-2 compression also. They usually do a multi-pass through the compression process to get the best compression result. That is not possible with live TV, of course.

Some computer editing systems can take uncompressed HD to lessen and compression artifacts in the post process. But boy, does it take a lot of storage!

Compression is a necessary evil.

HDNet said they broadcast at exactly that....19.4. CBS is coming soon to my area...as well as National Geographic. Unfortunately, I know exactly what the public will choose...more channels. I wonder what will happen when companies raise rates 3 times their amount to carry 3 crappy channels instead of one good one. If all else fails, I'll cancel it all and wait for HD-DVD :) Hell with 'em

Hi all,
I had L&J Electronics come out to my home and inspect the TV, and sure enough he said exactly what I thought. He said it was sloppy work and some kind of obstruction in the light path or maybe light leaking out from around the color wheel.
I will attach his findings as a pic. I also had to pay 45.00 for the service call.
I tried all day to reach the first guy Samsung tried to send and I think his phone has been disconnected. The reputable shop said they fix his mistakes frequently. I really don't want this guy going into my TV. Maybe Samsung will authorize L&J to work on my set. He does LG Toshiba,JVC and other warranty work.
As a last resort I called James at TVA and he actually sounded positive about the situation and said that I shouldn't be getting the run around and I sent him a link to my other thread. I'm just hoping for an exchange but if they make me go to court I'm asking for a refund plus legal fees.

So my next step is writing 2 letters, 1to the CEO and 1 the Vice Pres of digital video systems. If that doesn't work I'm looking at BBB and then litigation.

As far as the other people having this same problem.
I have returned 2 5078 TVs because of thise issue. Im on my 3rd set, and this one has it too. I think it is some sort of design flaw with this TV. The hash/prism reflection exists on all inputs on my TV including the VGA input.
What are we going to do about it?
I think we first need to figure out what it is and then decide if it is a design flaw and if it is a design flaw thats when a Class action suit can be addressed. The thing is that Samsung has NOT been a team player to me and has NOT done very much to support me, if anything they have been evasive. I might make it my Newyears resolution to get them to step up to the plate for us and resolve this issue. These issiues might be design flaws and if they are they need to be fixed.

As far as the dust in the screen goes, I have now noticed 2 dark dust spots stuck inside my screen. It's not a dead pixel or anything because I can turn off the TV and use a bright light and still see the debris in my screen. I'm sure mine is from being stored for a month in a dusty dirty environment. If you think it's on top of the projector lense, just pop off one of the side access covers and look inside with a bright flashlight. If there's lots of dust just get a handheld swiffer thing and gently wipe the dust off. I think it would have to be really dirty for it to make an impact thats visible on screen. If it's on the back side of the optics then it's going to have to be a service call. If they go into your set and they are not careful you'll end up worse off so be cautious about it.

That is great that the tech wrote a thorough report. There would need to be a very large number of defective sets that they refuse to fix under warranty for their to be a class action. I wouldn't waste time on that route. I would see about getting that invoice paid for by someone. You could take the bozos to court for the shady work since it is clear they caused it. That's part of the reason for going back there.

I would not use anything to "wipe the lens," I think that is a big "no no". You should use compressed air if anything and like I said that could just move the dust to another area. I also don't know if removing the screen or opening the case could void the warranty? You need to be really careful removing the screen or the side covers. There shouldn't be anything inside the set interfering with the picture. If there is then it would be considered a defect that would be covered under the warranty. In other words, why try to repair it yourself and take such a high risk when you can have it serviced for free?

Just a refresher on connecting a PC to the Sammy. I thought this might be helpful if someone did a search. First, no one said to connect a PC with DVI to the HDMI on the Sammy. The Sammy only takes a VGA signal. Yes, its possible to connect a DVI to HDMI adapter, however that is for video, not a PC signal on the Sammy.

The other thing is to only use an inexpensive, cheap, VGA cable. I have a 15' cable and it works great. I bought mine at Staples for under $30. I was surprised it could carry the signal that far. The VGA cable sends data both ways and the more expensive, well insulated cables seem to interfere with this signal. The VGA cable needs to have male pins on both ends and some people had trouble using a monitor extension cable. It is best to get one long cable rather than connecting two together.

I tried the cheap way and it did not go so well. EMI was terrible and the buzzing coming from the speakers was bad. I bought the shielded cable and it fixed things. I hooked up my HP zd8000 to my HL-R5078W and all is well.

I've been tracking all the issues for about a month now. I purchased my Sammy through Hypeaudio online and it sat on a dock in NJ for a week during that December storm. The company wasn't paying their Shipping bills :mad: . The price I paid made the suffering worth it though :p I was worried about damage, but the box and set were pristine upon delivery. now I just have to decide whether to cancel my expanded cable service or not. the TV picks up all the HD channels through the cable (but not through the STB). The only channel I can't find is FOX!!! I hated not being able to watch the 1st 4 hours of 24 HD.
I want to thank everybody for all the great input provided in this forum. It has kept me educated on things to watch for with my set.
On a final note, I purchased a Sammy DVD850 and am pretty happy with it, especially since it came with a HDMI cable. I was wondering if anybody has compared the 850 with the 950. I'm thinking of purchasing another DVD for my home and will purchase the 950 this time if folks think it is substantially better, and why.

That is great that the tech wrote a thorough report. There would need to be a very large number of defective sets that they refuse to fix under warranty for their to be a class action. I wouldn't waste time on that route. I would see about getting that invoice paid for by someone. You could take the bozos to court for the shady work since it is clear they caused it. That's part of the reason for going back there.

I would not use anything to "wipe the lens," I think that is a big "no no". You should use compressed air if anything and like I said that could just move the dust to another area. I also don't know if removing the screen or opening the case could void the warranty? You need to be really careful removing the screen or the side covers. There shouldn't be anything inside the set interfering with the picture. If there is then it would be considered a defect that would be covered under the warranty. In other words, why try to repair it yourself and take such a high risk when you can have it serviced for free?

Your idea is great. That is exactly what I did. However, I used an air compressor not a can of compressed air because when you use the can, it blows white cold liquid stuff and the film will be left on the lens. You really have to be careful when you open the TV and use items to clean the lens, screen, or boards.

Opening the screen will not void the warranty. I saw no sealed tape on the screen cover itself to tear off to void the warranty, so how will Samsung know that you even opened the TV unit.
You can also reach the areas from the rear of the unit to clean the parts were dust will get to. I have 6 Ionizers in my home to keep the house clean especially my electronics, I am extremely picky about.

I've been tracking all the issues for about a month now. I purchased my Sammy through Hypeaudio online and it sat on a dock in NJ for a week during that December storm. The company wasn't paying their Shipping bills :mad: . The price I paid made the suffering worth it though :p I was worried about damage, but the box and set were pristine upon delivery. now I just have to decide whether to cancel my expanded cable service or not. the TV picks up all the HD channels through the cable (but not through the STB). The only channel I can't find is FOX!!! I hated not being able to watch the 1st 4 hours of 24 HD.
I want to thank everybody for all the great input provided in this forum. It has kept me educated on things to watch for with my set.
On a final note, I purchased a Sammy DVD850 and am pretty happy with it, especially since it came with a HDMI cable. I was wondering if anybody has compared the 850 with the 950. I'm thinking of purchasing another DVD for my home and will purchase the 950 this time if folks think it is substantially better, and why.

I feel bad for the people here who are having problems now with their TV unit. Especailly the dust particles. This can be so annoying when you are watching TV an you see black spots because of the dust that is stuck onto the screen or lens. OUCH!!! I really think that Samsung needs to rethink how their product is made and the uses that it is under.

I sometimes think that Samsung does this on purpose so the customer has to be forced to repair the TV and or buy a new one before the warranty is up, in order for Samsung to sell and keep their sales up. Who knows.

No matter what, if we need a service call, then they should help the customer with everything within a 24 hour period. No questions ask. The Customers should not have to write letters to the CEO, Vice presidents, etc to get a response or a service call out. How terrible is that?

I am very thankful that my two Sammy's work well and I maintain my own units. The last thing that I want is to place a service call to Samsung.

Hi all,
I had L&J Electronics come out to my home and inspect the TV, and sure enough he said exactly what I thought. He said it was sloppy work and some kind of obstruction in the light path or maybe light leaking out from around the color wheel.
I will attach his findings as a pic. I also had to pay 45.00 for the service call.
I tried all day to reach the first guy Samsung tried to send and I think his phone has been disconnected. The reputable shop said they fix his mistakes frequently. I really don't want this guy going into my TV. Maybe Samsung will authorize L&J to work on my set. He does LG Toshiba,JVC and other warranty work.
As a last resort I called James at TVA and he actually sounded positive about the situation and said that I shouldn't be getting the run around and I sent him a link to my other thread. I'm just hoping for an exchange but if they make me go to court I'm asking for a refund plus legal fees.

So my next step is writing 2 letters, 1to the CEO and 1 the Vice Pres of digital video systems. If that doesn't work I'm looking at BBB and then litigation.

As far as the other people having this same problem.


I think we first need to figure out what it is and then decide if it is a design flaw and if it is a design flaw thats when a Class action suit can be addressed. The thing is that Samsung has NOT been a team player to me and has NOT done very much to support me, if anything they have been evasive. I might make it my Newyears resolution to get them to step up to the plate for us and resolve this issue. These issiues might be design flaws and if they are they need to be fixed.

As far as the dust in the screen goes, I have now noticed 2 dark dust spots stuck inside my screen. It's not a dead pixel or anything because I can turn off the TV and use a bright light and still see the debris in my screen. I'm sure mine is from being stored for a month in a dusty dirty environment. If you think it's on top of the projector lense, just pop off one of the side access covers and look inside with a bright flashlight. If there's lots of dust just get a handheld swiffer thing and gently wipe the dust off. I think it would have to be really dirty for it to make an impact thats visible on screen. If it's on the back side of the optics then it's going to have to be a service call. If they go into your set and they are not careful you'll end up worse off so be cautious about it.

Thanks for the update, your write up was great to know. If it is a design flaw, then we as customers need to all write in and support those who are having these problems. However, in order to get any response, IE change the unit design, Many units have to be broken with the same problem before they fix the units. That can take up to three years to repair to re-design. You know how the system works. I sure do and I dont play that game.

Gmz, I'm glad you were able to get your VGA cable to work. I don't know what brand or price you paid for your cable but an inexpensive or cheap VGA cable is less than $3 per foot. The cheaper the more likely they are to work. I didn't want to confuse people. All cables have shielding and none should have EMI or cause speakers to buzz? I think that was most likely caused by something else or maybe a broken or defective cable? No one has had a problem with these cables but several people have had trouble with the more expensive ones.

Gmz, I'm glad you were able to get your VGA cable to work. I don't know what brand or price you paid for your cable but an inexpensive or cheap VGA cable is less than $3 per foot. The cheaper the more likely they are to work. I didn't want to confuse people. All cables have shielding and none should have EMI or cause speakers to buzz? I think that was most likely caused by something else or maybe a broken or defective cable? No one has had a problem with these cables but several people have had trouble with the more expensive ones.

I only Use the Monster Gas Injected Gold Tipped, Triple Shielded Cables, :) They are over $400.00 for 10 feet, :eek: but they work EXTREMELY WELL. I have noticed that they work better than the cheap ones. I guess that it is my set up at my house Vs. what other people's Set up. I tried every cable in the market and found that the Medium to High end Monster cables are the very best with an HD SAT Receiver, and the New Samsung DLP, Sony's LCD, Etc TV's.
These cables are not noticable on the lower end TV's and Receiver's.
Like I said it depends on one's own set up and how you set it up. :D

That's funny, because my $6 Monoprice HDMI cable works just as well as the $100+ stuff that Best Buy tries to jam down your throat.

Don't buy hype.

That's funny, because my $6 Monoprice HDMI cable works just as well as the $100+ stuff that Best Buy tries to jam down your throat.

Don't buy hype.

I hear you. I tried all the cables on the market and hooked them all up to my Oscilliscope and sure enough the higher end cables are better, they tested to have less noise, almost zero noise on the Monster ones, and faster throughput.
I am a computer geek so I know all about this stuff. :p
But if yours work, great you just saved a lot of money. :)

It depends on your hook up and what you have connected to your system. My system cost over $50,000 so of course I need the best cables. I am a geek like that Hee-Hee. :D

Buyer beware. There is no difference with digital cables. They either work or don't. Firewire, USB, DVI, HDMI. Yes, buying a more or much more expensive cable could be better quality but all cables including telephone must meet the minimum specs. Tweeter sells $120 3' HDMI Monster cables. I bought my 3' HDMI cable at RAM for under $20.

Analog of course is different, like VGA and component. Even those cheap ones work great on the set. If you do have an EMI or interference issue I'd look at the source rather than the cable since that shouldn't be an issue these days.

I have the hpr5052 Samsung plasma TV and am returning it because the faces look clay like. Are the non plasma versions the same, or are they different pictures? I have to know before I give samsung anohter 3k.

Buyer beware. There is no difference with digital cables. They either work or don't. Firewire, USB, DVI, HDMI. Yes, buying a more or much more expensive cable could be better quality but all cables including telephone must meet the minimum specs. Tweeter sells $120 3' HDMI Monster cables. I bought my 3' HDMI cable at RAM for under $20.

Analog of course is different, like VGA and component. Even those cheap ones work great on the set. If you do have an EMI or interference issue I'd look at the source rather than the cable since that shouldn't be an issue these days.

CORRECT AND RIGHT ON. :D You have stated: "Yes, buying a more or much more expensive cable could be better quality." This is exactly what I feel and know about. I can see the difference on my Oscilliscope and Modules. However, our eyes can not pick up that high end quality beyond a certain point, so I agree with you when you say "BUYER BEWARE" and that I am. Knowing that I have a life time warranty on my cables and that I get better quality makes me sleep better at night. It is only sub-conscious. :) Also my Fianacee/Wife totally sees the difference and you know the woman's eye. How Keen it is. :eek:

I have the hpr5052 Samsung plasma TV and am returning it because the faces look clay like. Are the non plasma versions the same, or are they different pictures? I have to know before I give samsung anohter 3k.
I dont really like the Samsung Plasma's, I stick with the LCD's by Sony (Higher End models) or the Samsung DLP's 78 series. :)

However, Plasma's do look good, are you sure it is not the input signal? Or maybe you got a bad Plasma. Because all Plasma's look good depending on the signal source. :D

The clay face is found watching SD on an HDTV. I'm not familiar with that model. I would say the thing to get these days is a 1080p set with HDMI. There are more and more out there. Plasma is not 1080. The picture is nice but you get the screen door effect, same as LCD. For the $3k price range I'd look at the models in this forum like the '78s. You'd need to choose the best plasma, LCD and DLP for your needs and then compare those, otherwise you are comparing apples and oranges. The 50"+ LCDs are not as good as these models either.

First decide on the model you want and then look at the settings. The clay face is more of a setting issue than quality.

Addressing the clayface issue you are having with the Samsung Plasma.
It’s caused by the combination of SD/compressed signal and DNie on the Plasma.I personally know someone with the 5052 and if you use movie mode and put the sharpness at near zero and brightness around 40 and contrast at 50 or less you can minimize the effect. You can also go into the service menu the same way as you do for these DLP sets and there you can make adjustments at your own risk to deal with the clayface issues. If you choose to get it calibrated by a knowledgeable tech I think the clayface could be done away with. There’s not a way to turn off DNie per se, but there are ways to deal with it. I have seen the 5052 with HD content and it looks great, no clayface at all. So it’s definitely a signal quality issue. I saw the same issue(clayface) on my Sony 32 Wega crt. It was from the Dishnetwork compression.

Has anyone in the Boston area had their set professionally calibrated? If so, what model do you own, who did you use, would you recommend them to others, and what is the approximate cost? Thanks.

Also, an FYI for those who own an Oppo DVD --- I traded e-mails with their tech support and they are currently beta testing a firmware update to increase the audio delay to 120ms.

I'm in the Boston area and I think there are about three others here? I don't think they had theirs calibrated yet. I have a 5678 and my friend has a 5078. I was really trying to hold off until I get my hands on a HD-DVD. I'd imagine that would have the best picture available and that other sources or inputs would just fall into place from there. I will be using mine for video editing so calibrating is critical but I'm not HD yet. The picture seems perfect to me afa white balance and what not. I have used my PC/HTPC on it and that signal looks great too. I know people see a huge difference after calibration but I'm trying to time it so that I don't need to do it twice.

I'm in the Boston area and I think there are about three others here? I don't think they had theirs calibrated yet. I have a 5678 and my friend has a 5078. I was really trying to hold off until I get my hands on a HD-DVD. I'd imagine that would have the best picture available and that other sources or inputs would just fall into place from there. I will be using mine for video editing so calibrating is critical but I'm not HD yet. The picture seems perfect to me afa white balance and what not. I have used my PC/HTPC on it and that signal looks great too. I know people see a huge difference after calibration but I'm trying to time it so that I don't need to do it twice.
I will tell you something, when you burn in the 78 series DLP's, the TV looks better and better all the time, I mean for the PQ. I was going to get my TV calibrated, but when I burned the light bulb in about 100+ hours, wow the pic looks better now. Even more so when I hooked up an HD Sony DVD player and my new HD SAT Receiver, the TV PQ looked even better. Therefore, no need to calibrated. I also am using 100% pure gas injected Monster cabling for everything. :)
Keep in mind that everytime, you change the light bulb or make Service menu settings, change the Board, etc, you will need to recalibrate the unit again. I have heard this from 5 different calibrations. I will not spend $400-$600 to do this. No way. Don't need it with the new Samsung DLP TV's if you get a good one.

I hear you. I tried all the cables on the market and hooked them all up to my Oscilliscope and sure enough the higher end cables are better, they tested to have less noise, almost zero noise on the Monster ones, and faster throughput.
I am a computer geek so I know all about this stuff. :p

Great. Please explain the "faster throughput." Are your electrons traveling faster than than speed of light? Or does cheaper cable slow down the electrons??? Or are you talking about transient response?

Haven't came across this so I thought I would ask. I was wondering on the Samsung HLR6178 sets if it shows somewhere a way to determine the amount of usage hours on the light bulb in the set?

HuskerFanMan,

I had my 6168 calibrated by Gregg Loewen from Lion Audio Video Consultants (http://www.lionav.com). He did an excellent job, didn't leave until I was 100% satisfied. BTW - He also lined the interior of my set with Velux and the picture is spectacular!

Does anyone know where to get the cheapest Velux? I was thinking of black foamcore since I thought it would be more secure, would fit better and maybe more durable? What do people use to keep the Velux or foamcore in place? I was planning on using gaffer's tape?

I will tell you something, when you burn in the 78 series DLP's, the TV looks better and better all the time, I mean for the PQ. I was going to get my TV calibrated, but when I burned the light bulb in about 100+ hours, wow the pic looks better now. Even more so when I hooked up an HD Sony DVD player and my new HD SAT Receiver, the TV PQ looked even better. Therefore, no need to calibrated. I also am using 100% pure gas injected Monster cabling for everything. :)
Keep in mind that everytime, you change the light bulb or make Service menu settings, change the Board, etc, you will need to recalibrate the unit again. I have heard this from 5 different calibrations. I will not spend $400-$600 to do this. No way. Don't need it with the new Samsung DLP TV's if you get a good one.

Do you get a cut from Monster for every overpriced video cable they sell via the Forum? ;)

Sets don't magically calibrate themselves after some amount of breakin. In fact, you're not supposed to calibrate before the 100 hr mark. I can assure you the color is still off and it's your eye/mind just getting used to the picture.

Calibration is always a personal decision weighing cost for return. Having gone from a calibrated set back to a non-calibrated set, I appreciate the service and understand it much better than I did before.

Haven't came across this so I thought I would ask. I was wondering on the Samsung HLR6178 sets if it shows somewhere a way to determine the amount of usage hours on the light bulb in the set?
The service menu has the bulb hours.

Does anyone know where to get the cheapest Velux? I was thinking of black foamcore since I thought it would be more secure, would fit better and maybe more durable? What do people use to keep the Velux or foamcore in place? I was planning on using gaffer's tape?

Check the yellow pages for theatrical supply stores.

If you go with the foamcore, take note of the posts about light potentially being blocked if you're not very careful with the install.

Sets don't magically calibrate themselves after some amount of breakin.
Yes. In a DLP RP, the only thing that changes over time is the bulb. It gets darker.

Where is the Service Menu located? The only menus that appear on my TV are Input, Picture, Sound, Channel, Setup, TV Listings. I've checked all these but nothing says anything about bulb hours.

If you go with the foamcore, take note of the posts about light potentially being blocked if you're not very careful with the install.

On a 68 series set the volume of the box that is the set is almost precisely identical to the volume of the light that is the projection. Almost any decrease in the internal volume of the box will encroach on the projected light and therefore block out part of your screen.

Installing foamcore of any serious thickness encroaches on the projected light as Eliab discovered on the installation of panels in Aaronwt's set. David Abrams installed cloth in my set, but even that was tricky.

As I have noted previously, the improvements in black saturation with the velux installation are pretty amazing, so much so that Samsung should make this part of the set design.

I was really considering using flat black spray paint. I thought if there was a way to cover the lens well and spray at least the top and sides of the case that I should see a difference and not have to be concerned with the fabric or foamcore falling down and hitting the back of the screen or lens. I wonder if that would void the warranty?

Sorta OT, but since the Brand name crept into the topic I have to point this out and nod my head in approval that we have reviewers who are not afraid to speak the truth:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=633182

Good point. You'd think people that attend CES or similar shows are educated enough to realize the smoke and mirrors. I was at a small video show where they demoed a product that hasn't been released yet. I asked a few questions and the product froze. They couldn't get it to work the rest of the show. I remember when Apple had their first computers and they were hooked up to other computers under the table or something like that, I can't remember. The presentations are always good but I always go right for the specs and fine print.

I thought if there was a way to cover the lens well and spray at least the top and sides of the case

You're also going to have to cover the mirror perfectly.

I wonder if that would void the warranty?

I hemmed and hawed about that with just the cloth. Spray paint??

j.

Great. Please explain the "faster throughput." Are your electrons traveling faster than than speed of light? Or does cheaper cable slow down the electrons??? Or are you talking about transient response?
I was talking about the Faster throughput in the transient response. In the millisecond range. I dont get a cut from Monster at all. I have nothing to do Monster besides using their products. I do support them in this way.

You're also going to have to cover the mirror perfectly.



I hemmed and hawed about that with just the cloth. Spray paint??

j.

Technically, under the Magnusson-Moss Act, the warranty can't be voided by such an addition if an issue arises later that has nothing to do with your "upgrade".

In practice, however, they can stonewall you and force you to legal means for relief.

Been there, done that, still got the crummy t-shirt. :D

Do you get a cut from Monster for every overpriced video cable they sell via the Forum? ;)

Sets don't magically calibrate themselves after some amount of breakin. In fact, you're not supposed to calibrate before the 100 hr mark. I can assure you the color is still off and it's your eye/mind just getting used to the picture.

Calibration is always a personal decision weighing cost for return. Having gone from a calibrated set back to a non-calibrated set, I appreciate the service and understand it much better than I did before.

No cut, Never. :D I just support good products that is all. Just like when a car mechanic is good, friends tell friends, that is all. I wanted to help the people out who are on this forum for the first time to decide on some cables. ;)
Like I said before, it is all about your set up and nothing else. Different strokes for different folks. :)

Great. Please explain the "faster throughput." Are your electrons traveling faster than than speed of light? Or does cheaper cable slow down the electrons??? Or are you talking about transient response?

If cheaper cable has more resistance it will slow the electrons. The Velocity of Propagation is different for different cables. Some might be 75% of the speed of light and some might be 85% of the speed of light.

Where is the Service Menu located? The only menus that appear on my TV are Input, Picture, Sound, Channel, Setup, TV Listings. I've checked all these but nothing says anything about bulb hours.
I believe that the bulb hours are better 3,000-6,000 hours. saw this on this forum some pages back. I even heard from my specialist that the bulb can last up to 8,000 hours. Who really knows? When it goes out, it goes out.

Does is actaully get darker over time, or it just burns out? I am hearing different stories.

No cut, Never. :D I just support good products that is all. Just like when a car mechanic is good, friends tell friends, that is all. I wanted to help the people out who are on this forum for the first time to decide on some cables. ;)
Like I said before, it is all about your set up and nothing else. Different strokes for different folks. :)

In "bang for the buck" catagory, I would steer first-timers to a calibration loooong before a $400 set of cables. I'm a bit surprised you have the opposite priority, but as noted, it's your money to spend.

To answer your later question, all bulbs of this type lose intensity over time before eventually burning out altogether.

If cheaper cable has more resistance it will slow the electrons. The Velocity of Propagation is different for different cables. Some might be 75% of the speed of light and some might be 85% of the speed of light.

Right you are. I believe that better cables make for better PQ. Especially if the Velocity of Propagation is higher towards the speed of light.

Now a days, the TV's are getter better and faster response times and therefore needs better cables. I believe that signals can be lost or slowed to a crawl when thermal noise is high due by the cable quality. This has been proved many times before.

In "bang for the buck" catagory, I would steer first-timers to a calibration loooong before a $400 set of cables. I'm a bit surprised you have the opposite priority, but as noted, it's your money to spend.

To answer your later question, all bulbs of this type lose intensity over time before eventually burning out altogether.
I am a foolish spender and totally getting better now on what I buy and how much it cost. But spending is so fun. That is my hobby and boy is it fun!!! :) :D

Thanks for the info on the bulbs. I think that it will take me 5-7 years to burn my out.

I was talking about the Faster throughput in the transient response. In the millisecond range.
What was the reading? How much faster? Were you sending square waves through the cable or sine or triangular waves. At what level? What frequency? Audio or video? What was the cable length. Did you measure the impedance, resistance or capacitance differences?

Many have tried to get some meaningful measurements to show any difference in cables. I'd like to see your actual numbers.

If cheaper cable has more resistance it will slow the electrons. The Velocity of Propagation is different for different cables. Some might be 75% of the speed of light and some might be 85% of the speed of light.
He said he was talking about transient response, not Velocity of Propagation, he says. I hope to see more info on what and how this was measured.

What was the reading? How much faster? Were you sending square waves through the cable or sine or triangular waves. At what level? What frequency? Audio or video? What was the cable length. Did you measure the impedance, resistance or capacitance differences?

Many have tried to get some meaningful measurements to show any difference in cables. I'd like to see your actual numbers.
I need to go through my notes. I used my Spectrum analyzer, Oscilliscope and generators to test my cables. I had them printed out, but dont rememver where I put them. When I get sometime I will submit them. I am traveling on the road for the next 3 months so it will be after that.

The cable lengths was better 3 feet to 25 feet. I am using most 8-10 feet Monster cables only. I am also using pure digital cables for my audio. HDMI and DVI to my Video. DVI has both audio and video. HDMI only has video. All Monster though.

What was the reading? How much faster? Were you sending square waves through the cable or sine or triangular waves. At what level? What frequency? Audio or video? What was the cable length. Did you measure the impedance, resistance or capacitance differences?

Many have tried to get some meaningful measurements to show any difference in cables. I'd like to see your actual numbers.

My measurements might not be so meaningful if others have tried and didnt get them. Who knows maybe mine are off. Either way, on my system the Monster cables look so much better. Especailly for the digital side of it. :)

If cheaper cable has more resistance it will slow the electrons. The Velocity of Propagation is different for different cables. Some might be 75% of the speed of light and some might be 85% of the speed of light.
Not just restance. "Velocity of Propagation is approximately the reciprocal of the square root of the dielectric constant. Changing plastics around wire, or foaming them to contain more air, will affect Velocity of Propagation. this has a significant effect on high frequency attenuation."

http://bwcecom.belden.com/college/prodfaq/faqpvcty.htm

My measurements might not be so meaningful if others have tried and didnt get them. Who knows maybe mine are off. Either way, on my system the Monster cables look so much better. Especailly for the digital side of it. :)
Sigh. I was hoping for some facts, not just opinions.

Funny. I have had people say the hear/see a difference between analog cables but not digital cables since the cables are passing digits and it either gets there or it doesn't. The digits can't be "better". Yes, you have distortions that can effect the eq and clocking but that effects the distance of the cable run, not the quality.

Where is the Service Menu located? The only menus that appear on my TV are Input, Picture, Sound, Channel, Setup, TV Listings. I've checked all these but nothing says anything about bulb hours.
It would be better to wait until your knowledge of the set is better before going into the service menu. Service menu changes, either intentional or not can be difficult to fix.

Where is the Service Menu located? The only menus that appear on my TV are Input, Picture, Sound, Channel, Setup, TV Listings. I've checked all these but nothing says anything about bulb hours.
Samsung 1080p Owner's Thread --- HLRxxx8W DLP Models
#5311
Great info.

I wish someone could dissect and analyze a monster and compare it to others as far as metal quality, insulation, connectors and what not. Monster reminds me of the scare tactics used by other companies. Your highend components will not perform the way they were intended without our Monster cables. There are probably blogs and forums just on Monster somewhere. I think the bottom line is its a luxury name brand that can't hurt your components but can't be proven to work the way they claim either. People spend more money on other products without any proof like gas, diet pills, natural remedies, I can't think of others but if people said they bought Monster for the name and not for the proof I think people would understand.

Monster is always a controversial topic and I don't want to put StallionRe in the middle of a Monster discussion. The funny thing is if Monster had any real proof there wouldn't be an issue like there is. People like to think they have the best components and cables. Funny thing is when dealing with computers, the free, included, OEM cables work just as well as retail. I'd rather spend more on computer cables than HDTV but there is no proven difference.

Sigh. I was hoping for some facts, not just opinions.

Funny. I have had people say the hear/see a difference between analog cables but not digital cables since the cables are passing digits and it either gets there or it doesn't. The digits can't be "better". Yes, you have distortions that can effect the eq and clocking but that effects the distance of the cable run, not the quality.
Sorry to disappoint you. If I can get some read outs on my cables, I will post them.
I totally understand what you mean about long video cable runs, since I work in the Computer and Movie Industries I know all about the runs, etc. The frequnecy field has a lot do with cable problems, etc. I believe I have high amounts of distortion and the monster cables resolved those issues for me. Now I have to find out what my problems are that other cables can not resolve. Things that make you go HUMMMM!!!!

Right you are. I believe that better cables make for better PQ. Especially if the Velocity of Propagation is higher towards the speed of light.

Now a days, the TV's are getter better and faster response times and therefore needs better cables. I believe that signals can be lost or slowed to a crawl when thermal noise is high due by the cable quality. This has been proved many times before.

I believe we have new paradigm of physics here. Thermal noise slowing signal propagation velocity. For digital signals, the velocity of propogation is irrelevant as long as the bits are not distorted beyond the receiving equipment's ability to discriminate them. Nothing on the market today for lengths of less than about 15 feet will even come close to being a problem. If it is a problem, there will be very visible aritifacts -- loss of picture area (pixilization), or complete loss of picture, or total loss of equipment interface. BTW, there is no such thing as digital cable or digital antenna or HDTV antenna, there are just cables and antennas and as far a electronics are concerned, a signal is just a signal. Analog or digital, they all obey the same law of physics. The rest as they say, is just smoke and mirrors.

Lee

Samsung 1080p Owner's Thread --- HLRxxx8W DLP Models
#5311
Great info.
Here is the link: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6196339&&#post6196339

I wish someone could dissect and analyze a monster and compare it to others as far as metal quality, insulation, connectors and what not. Monster reminds me of the scare tactics used by other companies. Your highend components will not perform the way they were intended without our Monster cables. There are probably blogs and forums just on Monster somewhere. I think the bottom line is its a luxury name brand that can't hurt your components but can't be proven to work the way they claim either. People spend more money on other products without any proof like gas, diet pills, natural remedies, I can't think of others but if people said they bought Monster for the name and not for the proof I think people would understand.

Monster is always a controversial topic and I don't want to put StallionRe in the middle of a Monster discussion. The funny thing is if Monster had any real proof there wouldn't be an issue like there is. People like to think they have the best components and cables. Funny thing is when dealing with computers, the free, included, OEM cables work just as well as retail. I'd rather spend more on computer cables than HDTV but there is no proven difference.

Thanks for your input. I am glad that you dont think that I am crazy, but in fact. I do see a difference with Monster than with all the other cables. Maybe it is my setup, but either way, different strokes for different folks. I have money to burn and that is where I burned it. I still have money to burn and am deciding on what next to buy. Any ideas????

DOES ANYONE THINK THAT THE NEW SAMSUNG LED TV'S WILL BE BETTER THAN THE DLP 1080 THAT WE HAVE NOW?

Have you ever wondered why they call "MONSTER" Monster? Maybe the name is only the name is it doesnt mean anything more than a seller's market.

I believe we have new paradigm of physics here. Thermal noise slowing signal propagation velocity. For digital signals, the velocity of propogation is irrelevant as long as the bits are not distorted beyond the receiving equipment's ability to discriminate them. Nothing on the market today for lengths of less than about 15 feet will even come close to being a problem. If it is a problem, there will be very visible aritifacts -- loss of picture area (pixilization), or complete loss of picture, or total loss of equipment interface. BTW, there is no such thing as digital cable or digital antenna or HDTV antenna, there are just cables and antennas and as far a electronics are concerned, a signal is just a signal. Analog or digital, they all obey the same law of physics. The rest as they say, is just smoke and mirrors.

Lee

Very true facts, thanks. If the fiber cable was broken then the signal would be lost and the PQ would be nothing but visible aritifacts, etc. Simply put the cable would be trashed.

StallionRe, I'd spend money on lots of things but not cables. lol. I'd save up for a HD-DVD. I hear they're around $1k. You'll definitely be the first on the block with that.

The Toshiba HD-DVD player is supposedly going to cost $500 and be available in March. However, I wouldn't want to spark an HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray debate here as there are plenty of those threads already in progress elsewhere.

The funny thing is that I have a feeling that I would still prefer to watch movies over the VGA connection on my 6168. I don't know what processing the TV is doing on all other inputs but I prefer the "deeper" look when I play DVDs on my laptop and connect it over VGA (1080p).

I am not sure about this but I suppose a good caliberation could make all the other inputs look good as the VGA? Don't get me wrong - I think the picture from my Moto STB via component is stunning but I sometimes think that there is something lacking in "depth" - maybe I just mean contrast or more detail in darker scenes. It could be source related as well, of course.

StallionRe, I'd spend money on lots of things but not cables. lol. I'd save up for a HD-DVD. I hear they're around $1k. You'll definitely be the first on the block with that.
I already bought an HD DVD player for $1,299.99 Awesome player too. I love it. No more cables for me, all are bought. I even have three extras for spare. :D

I want to add that everyone here on this forum is so smart, unlike the forums that I have been to. Thanks for all your good input about these items. :)

Really? Which HD DVD player did you buy for $1,299.99 and where did you get it? How is the supply of HD-DVDs to play on it? Have you come across any good titles? Does it output 1080p or 1080i? Which input are you using on your Samsung 1080p DLP for it? I would really like to see what your HD DVD player looks like so how about you post some photos of it. Some screen shots would be nice also. I have a feeling that a lot of other people would also like to know more about it and to see it.
This seems like Deja Vu to me

Really? Which HD DVD player did you buy for $1,299.99 and where did you get it? How is the supply of HD-DVDs to play on it? Have you come across any good titles? Does it output 1080p or 1080i? Which input are you using on your Samsung 1080p DLP for it? I would really like to see what your HD DVD player looks like so how about you post some photos of it. Some screen shots would be nice also. I have a feeling that a lot of other people would also like to know more about it and to see it.

Here is a link about the HD DVD players:
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1136462585723&col=968705923364&call_page=TS_Business&call_pageid=968350072197&call_pagepath=Business/News

This site is real good and names all the makers of these new HD DVD Players.
http://www.twice.com/article/CA6299653.html

I got my in Japan when I was there two months ago, black market for now. Since they are not released yet in the US until March. These were suppose to be released late 2005, but never made it to the market. However in Japan they are already on the market. I cant find any HD DVD's though. Whats the sense? Hollywood is suppose to release about two dozen titles in March. I read this in a report.

However, I got one HD DVD remake in Japan and watched that. Matrix Reloaded. WOW, I cant begin to tell you how it looks. However, I am getting my TV calibrated and it might look even better. I cant seem to find any HD DVD's. Who sells those? The HD player that I have is 1080p. Both players will output content in multiple resolution formats, including 720p and 1,080i high definition.

Check out this site:
http://www.guidetohometheater.com/features/106ces1/

Lol. Easy guys. I'm sure he bought a prototype stolen from a booth at CES on ebay. lol.

I take it back. That is good, but to spend that much without a valid warranty I think is a little risky. Can I borrow it?

;)

P.S. http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8457/worthless8em.gif

I will send pics when I get home in 3 months. I am out of the country now. I am traveling for work. Sorry to burst your bubble.

I am risking it without a warranty, but I like to live on the edge, this is me and it is fun.

Spend money before you marry, because after you are married, forget about it!!!

Lol. StallionRe just PMed me and said he can turn off DNIe on his HD-DVD player. Lol. J/k StallionRe, I couldn't resist. Lol.

I dont really like the Samsung Plasma's, I stick with the LCD's by Sony (Higher End models) or the Samsung DLP's 78 series. :)

However, Plasma's do look good, are you sure it is not the input signal? Or maybe you got a bad Plasma. Because all Plasma's look good depending on the signal source. :D

The input is HDMI and the HD channels look perfect. Its the std local feeds, and the other channels like a+e, tlc, ect that show the claylike faces.

If I did change to a DLP, around 50" somewhere in the 1900-3000 range, what is a good one?

I dont really like the Samsung Plasma's, I stick with the LCD's by Sony (Higher End models) or the Samsung DLP's 78 series. :)

However, Plasma's do look good, are you sure it is not the input signal? Or maybe you got a bad Plasma. Because all Plasma's look good depending on the signal source. :D

The input is HDMI and the HD channels look perfect. Its the std local feeds, and the other channels like a+e, tlc, ect that show the claylike faces.

If I did change to a DLP, around 50" somewhere in the 1900-3000 range, what is a good one? Space also is an issue, which is why the plamsa is perfect, the narrower the better.

Lol. StallionRe just PMed me and said he can turn off DNIe on his HD-DVD player. Lol. J/k StallionRe, I couldn't resist. Lol.
LOl, you got me there big time. That was and still is a dead issue. Do you think that the new LED sets can turn off the DNIe? I hope so. I might get it then.

The input is HDMI and the HD channels look perfect. Its the std local feeds, and the other channels like a+e, tlc, ect that show the claylike faces.

If I did change to a DLP, around 50" somewhere in the 1900-3000 range, what is a good one?

This is my preference, but I would stay with a Samsung DLP. I would pick the 78 series that is 1080p. Why dont you wait for the LED xx98 series. But the price range might be higher than expected.

Too bad, I would have liked to see what a (Black-market) HD-DVD player looks like. I've seen pics of the upcoming $500 model from Toshiba.
Anyway, I've been married for 20 years. My wife gave up trying to curb my spending habits a long time ago! ;)
She thinks I'm going to wait a year to get a HD DVD (or Blu-Ray) player. Little does she know...
Thanks for the pointers, so I hope that my wife will be like your wife and give up on my spending, so far no luck, but then again she doesnt know what I buy. HEE HEE my little secret.

I call my HD DVD player the black market because it is sold in Japan but not in the USA. So the black market it is. I have the DVD player here in the USA. It is all worth it.

I might buy a Blu-Ray unit when it comes out. Not sure yet. Good price too. $700.00

I've had my 5668 for about 6 months and all of a sudden I have a major problem. On one half the screen there are verticle lines running up and down the entire screen. The lines are in groupings of 5 and look almost like lines that you would write musical notes on, except they run vertically instead of horizontally. I've turned the set on and off as well as unplugged it, all to no avail. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Wow, this thread has slipped into fantasy land.......there are no HD DVD players to be sold, black market or otherwise. Save for engineering prototypes, they haven't been built yet because the AACS protection scheme that will go in them isn't finalized yet.

That's true for both Japanese and US market products.

I believe I have high amounts of distortion and the monster cables resolved those issues for me. Now I have to find out what my problems are that other cables can not resolve. Things that make you go HUMMMM!!!!
HUMMMMM! Cables removing distortion. Wow! Gotta get me some of those!

DOES ANYONE THINK THAT THE NEW SAMSUNG LED TV'S WILL BE BETTER THAN THE DLP 1080 THAT WE HAVE NOW?

No. Not the first generation, IMHO. The future holds great promise for LED illumination.

The way I think of it is if broadcast doesn't use Monster then why would consumers? They don't even use "gold" plated connectors. People buy "magnetic bracelets," they can't hurt but haven't been proven to work either.

The LED should be better. All things being the same with the lamp vs. LED. LED doesn't have to cool with a fan, doesn't warm up, won't break with electrical outages, surges, doesn't change its brightness when turning on, new or when about to burn out. The case might even be smaller and lighter? I'm also thinking you'll get a whiter white. I don't see how the LED set can be worse than ours? It would be the same or better, probably better.

Wow, this thread has slipped into fantasy land.......there are no HD DVD players to be sold, black market or otherwise. Save for engineering prototypes, they haven't been built yet because the AACS protection scheme that will go in them isn't finalized yet.

That's true for both Japanese and US market products.

Exactly right.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20051213122130.html

"[ 12/13/2005 | 12:23 PM ]
HD DVD continues to lose the advantage of being the first next-generation format for content distribution as Toshiba announced the delay of commercial launch of appropriate players in Japan, following similar postponement in the United States. Toshiba, the main driving force behind HD DVD, announced that the launch delay in Japan was conditioned by the issues with copyright protection technology."

http://www.betanews.com/article/Japan_HD_DVD_Player_Launch_Delayed/1134494264
"Japan HD DVD Player Launch Delayed
By Ed Oswald, BetaNews
December 13, 2005, 12:17 PM
The race for a next-generation DVD standard could become closer, as Toshiba on Tuesday said its planned end-of-year launch for HD DVD players in Japan will be delayed until early 2006.
This could mean both HD DVD and rival Blu-ray formats would launch players at the same time, essentially giving consumers the power to choose a winner.

http://www.eet.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?sssdmh=dm4.160644&articleID=175000947

Toshiba delays HD DVD intro in Japan

Yoshiko Hara
EE Times
(12/13/2005 10:06 AM EST)

TOKYO — Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday (Dec. 13) the introduction of HD DVD players here will be delayed. Toshiba attributed the delay mainly to the unavailability of Advanced Access Content System (AACS) licensing.

DVD Forum has adopted AACS copyright management as an integral part of the HD DVD format. Toshiba had planned to launch its HD DVD products only after AACS is finalized, Toshiba said in a statement.

Toshiba hoped to introduce HD DVD players by the end of 2005, ahead of Blu-ray Disc players, but decided in September to postpone the U.S. introduction until 2006.

Some of you may find this web site enjoyable:

http://www.dself.dsl.pipex.com/ampins/pseudo/subjectv.htm

1: SCIENCE AND SUBJECTIVISM.
Audio engineering is in a singular position. There can be few branches of engineering science rent from top to bottom by such a fundamental disagreement as the Subjectivist/rationalist dichotomy. Subjectivism is still a significant issue in the hifi section of the industry, but has made little headway in professional audio, where intimate acquaintance with the original sound, and the pressing need to earn a living with reliable and affordable equipment, provide effective barriers against most irrational flights of fashion.

Most technologies have universally accepted measures of performance car makers compete to improve MPH and MPG; computer manufacturers boast of MIPs (millions of instructions per second) and so on. Improvement in these parameters is universally accepted as progress. In the field of hifi, many people seem to have difficulty in deciding which direction forward is.

Working as a professional audio designer, I often encounter opinions which, while an integral part of the Subjectivist offshoot of hifi, are treated with ridicule by practitioners of other branches of electrical engineering. The would-be designer is not likely to be encouraged by being told that audio is not far removed from witchcraft, and that no-one truly knows what they are doing. I have been told by a Subjectivist that the operation of the human ear is so complex that its interaction with measurable parameters lies forever beyond human comprehension. I hope this is an extreme position for it was proffered as a flat statement rather a basis for discussion.

I have studied audio design from the viewpoints of electronic design, psychoacoustics, and my own humble efforts at musical creativity. I have found complete scepticism towards Subjectivism to be the only tenable position. Nonetheless, if hitherto unsuspected dimensions of audio quality are ever shown to exist, then I look forward keenly to exploiting them. No doubt that most of the esoteric opinions are held in complete sincerity.

2: THE SUBJECTIVIST POSITION.
A short definition of the Subjectivist position on power amplifiers might read as follows:

Objective measurements of an amplifier's performance are unimportant compared with the subjective impressions received in informal listening tests. Should the two contradict the objective results may be dismissed out of hand.
Degradation effects exist in amplifiers that are unknown to engineering science, and are not revealed by the usual measurements.
Considerable latitude may be used in suggesting hypothetical mechanisms of audio impairment, such as mysterious capacitor shortcomings and subtle cable defects, without reference to the plausibility of the concept, or gathering any evidence to support it .

Concern over cables is widespread, but it can be said with confidence that there is as yet not a shred of evidence to support it. Any piece of wire passes a sinewave with unmeasurable distortion, and so simple notions of inter-crystal rectification or "micro-diodes" can be discounted, quite apart from the fact that such behaviour is absolutely ruled out by established materials science. No plausible means of detecting, let alone measuring, cable degradation has ever been proposed.

"Cables are directional, and pass audio better in one direction than the other."
Audio signals are AC. Cables cannot be directional any more than 2 + 2 can equal 5. Anyone prepared to believe this nonsense won't be capable of designing amplifiers, so there seems no point in further comment.

Videopark, so what's your point? lol.

Yesterday I went to HD Expo here in LA. One of the exhibit was a "Blue-Ray" player that plays 1080P. It is a custom job from Video Production Specialists. The recording of your material is your problem. They will provide you with the specs and, I think, a referral to those that can actually make the transfer. Player cost = $5000.

They also had a Joe Kane produced set-up DVD for 1080P playback. Maybe you can negotiate that as a freebie.

They said more info was available at their website. I went and looked, but it isn't there.

http://www.videoproductionspecialists.com

From my post on 11-04-5

Originally Posted by Pixguy
One of the exhibit was a "Blue-Ray" player that plays 1080P. It is a custom job from Video Production Specialists. The recording of your material is your problem. Player cost = $5000.
Do you mean 1080p24 or 60? Many players will upconvert to 1080p60 and 1080p24 is part of the standard.

No material is recorded at 1080p60 on disk for the consumer. It is not part of the spec.

Couple questions and a statement.

First the statement.... Stallion or whatever, I am embarrassed for you.

Now the questions:

What is meant by "True 1080p"? v. is there a "not true 1080p"?
I haven't read the manual yet but what inputs on the 6168w are 1080p? or 1080i for that matter?

In other words, it is said that Blue-Ray can or will play 1080p whereas HD-DVD is 1080i max (for now). When they come out what imput options will I have?

Thanks

The technical specs for the player were not detailed at the exhibit. Video Production Specialists does not create consumer gear. The package they were displaying is for exhibit projections i.e., corporate presentations, et. al.

I don't know any more than what I saw at a brief visit to their VPS booth and their web site.

j.

Kurajo, I'm not sure what you mean? There is 1080i and p. These current models, like most plasma, LCD and DLP convert the i to p, since there isn't anything broadcast in 1080p yet. My understanding is that might be sooner than first thought. It will be interesting to see what develops at NAB in April. HP's first DLPs, I think there are two models, will take a 1080p HDMI signal. This was recently discussed here as to how that will affect the current Sam models here since they are limited.

I thought we were all boycotting Monster Cable because of all of their gestapo tactics in suing tiny companies who have "monster" in their name somewhere, even though they have nothing to do with AV or anything.

At least that's what I thought the consensus was on here. In my hometown, they threatened a small store called Monster Vintage, which sells used clothing, and demanded the store pay them $1000 + 1% of all their profits.

The other sad one I read about, was they sent lawyers to threaten a company called Snowmonsters that makes cartoons to teach kids ski safety! They demanded the company give Monster Cable the copyrights to their cartoon characters and then pay Monster Cable to license the characters for the ski videos.

Just wondering...
SV

Monster is not the first or the last that goes around protecting its IP. I think what makes Monster different from most is that the only real value their products have is their name. Just off the top of my head I can remember Disney, Toys R Us, Starbucks and now Google is concerned since it is being used as a verb or being used in language instead of its product. At least these companies have actual products where you can clearly see the quality. The closest thing to Monster I'm thinking is Purdue chicken. They were the first to brand chicken and I think meat. People buy chicken but now that there is a brand it is now better.

One last thing was if Monster didn't protect its name then it would just make standard cables like those found in Radio Shack, Staples, CompUSA and so on. Now Staples has their own line, and they work great. They're probably all made in China anyway?

I was waiting a few weeks for a new shipment of hlr5078w to get in since they had none at the tampa Sound Advice (tweeter) store. The salesman told me that the new batch would have the new 'firmware". I was planning to exchange my Mit 52628 1080p for this one since it supposedly has a quieter fan system.

To my surprise, when the Samsung came in, the price went up about $300. The Mit used to be $200 more than the Samsung when I originaly bought it - now Samsung is $200 more than the Mit.

Does anyone think that there is a new build of this Samsung that caused the price to go up, or is it just supply and demand?

No offense intended towards anyone, but if I was interested in a cable debate I wouldn't be reading the Samsung 1080P Owner's thread. :cool:

No offense intended towards anyone, but if I was interested in a cable debate I wouldn't be reading the Samsung 1080P Owner's thread. :cool:

I am with you. Man, these people took this Monster thing way too far. I only mentioned my facts about what Monster cable does for my system, not all this crap that everyone is going on about over and over again.

No offense to anyone here, but there is more information to learn than to put down other people and their opinions. Grow up!!! I think this forum is nothing more than a click group.

I would confirm that with someone before taking it. I mean I don't know where or when you checked your prices but they are on their way down now, not up. You could check with another location and see what their price is and when they might be on sale again. They were just on sale in Nov I think. Someone here should know the Tweeter Private sale dates although last they had an unexpected sale in Sept I think? I thought it was two or three times a year maybe? You might check with TVA to get an idea of where they are now since I don't think they on are sale. No tax or shipping is still a deal I think.

The firmware has been updated a few times but that hasn't caused a price increase. That's the only change on these sets. If you're not in a hurry you'd almost be better off waiting a few months for the next model. That should have some changes like LED instead of a lamp and maybe 1080p HDMI?

I was waiting a few weeks for a new shipment of hlr5078w to get in since they had none at the tampa Sound Advice (tweeter) store. The salesman told me that the new batch would have the new 'firmware". I was planning to exchange my Mit 52628 1080p for this one since it supposedly has a quieter fan system.

To my surprise, when the Samsung came in, the price went up about $300. The Mit used to be $200 more than the Samsung when I originaly bought it - now Samsung is $200 more than the Mit.

Does anyone think that there is a new build of this Samsung that caused the price to go up, or is it just supply and demand?


Tweeter just sent me a cupon good for 10% off any TV before Feb. 4th.

NOTE TO EVERYONE:

I am not here to bash anyone or state wrong facts. I am here to help and tell you how my system is. I am not here to attack anyone nor put anyone down. I am not embrassed nor shy about myself and my system.

If you dont believe my threads, then that is your problem and not mine. I feel sorry for the people who like to cause these types of problems for other people.

Tweeter just sent me a cupon godd for 10% off any TV before Feb. 4th.

Sounds great, how can I get one? What TV are you planning to buy or did you get one already?

No offense to anyone here, but there is more information to learn than to put down other people and their opinions.

Originally Posted by StallionRe
"I believe I have high amounts of distortion and the monster cables resolved those issues for me."

"They are over $400.00 for 10 feet, but they work EXTREMELY WELL. I have noticed that they work better than the cheap ones."

"I tried all the cables on the market and hooked them all up to my Oscilliscope and sure enough the higher end cables are better, they tested to have less noise, almost zero noise on the Monster ones, and faster throughput.
I am a computer geek so I know all about this stuff. "

I am trying to learn.

When someone makes a statement that goes against standard engineering understanding, like cables removing distortion or higher end cables are better, I will ask for more detail. Asking about the test procedures or actual results from someone who claims to know "all about this stuff" doesn't put anyone down. I am asking for facts.

The firmware has been updated a few times but that hasn't caused a price increase. That's the only change on these sets. If you're not in a hurry you'd almost be better off waiting a few months for the next model. That should have some changes like LED instead of a lamp and maybe 1080p HDMI?

BCVP, When you get your TV calibrated, can the service person ugrade the firmware or do you need to change the board out to get the new firmware?

What is the difference between then new firmare and the past 6 months firmware?

Sounds great, how can I get one? What TV are you planning to buy or did you get one already?

Tweeter sent me one in the mail.
I bought a Samsung HL-R5078W in October.

I lost my post but my friend and I had bought the sets around the same time from two stores. They both had the same mfg date as I recall but I returned mine and three sets later I have a much newer mfg date. It looks to me like there are more options in the menu but maybe that's because I wasn't familiar with all the sub menus when it was new? I was meaning to check the fw number on his and check mine. If they're different I'll see what I can figure out. Bill was going to look into this and some other things but it looks like Sam still hasn't responded?

That's some of what got deleted. Afaik only a Sam serv tech can upgrade the fw, not a calibrator? Also, I don't think any fw updates have been released yet anyway, that was another thing I think Bill tried to ask Sam about.

Glad to hear the price is $199 now.

What was it before??

jasguild

I am trying to learn.

When someone makes a statement that goes against standard engineering understanding, like cables removing distortion or higher end cables are better, I will ask for more detail. Asking about the test procedures or actual results from someone who claims to know "all about this stuff" doesn't put anyone down. I am asking for facts.

I understand your point. I didnt mean any of this towards you, you are very smart in these areas. I didnt explain myself well and I am not home to send over the pics. Sorry.

That's some of what got deleted. Afaik only a Sam serv tech can upgrade the fw, not a calibrator? Also, I don't think any fw updates have been released yet anyway, that was another thing I think Bill tried to ask Sam about.
BCVP,
I have a question for you. Maybe you know the answer or not, it will be fine. If only a Samsung service rep can upgrade the fw, is it possible that they will upgrade it on any set that the fw is older than the new fw if we call for a service call? Or do they even do that?
Also is it true or not if when you calibrate your TV and then you change the board or upgrade the fw that the calibrations dont hold and reset back to the original factory settings? I thought that I read this in this thread somewhere before.
Thanks.

That's some of what got deleted. Afaik only a Sam serv tech can upgrade the fw, not a calibrator? Also, I don't think any fw updates have been released yet anyway, that was another thing I think Bill tried to ask Sam about.
When I called Samsung about a fw upgrade, they said that I didnt need to do it, since the set came with the one that it is suppose to have with that set. Does this make any sense? So if your set came with a certain version of fw, then you cant or not suppose to upgrade it. Is this acutally true?

Tweeter sent me one in the mail.
I bought a Samsung HL-R5978W in October.
I didnt know Samsung made a 59" model in that series. Dont you mean the 56" or 61"? Did I miss something here?

That's some of what got deleted. Afaik only a Sam serv tech can upgrade the fw, not a calibrator? Also, I don't think any fw updates have been released yet anyway, that was another thing I think Bill tried to ask Sam about.
The 6168 service manual shows a USB memory stick (device) that is inserted into the USB port on the back of the set. It also explains how to perform the (possible) upgrade. Anyone can do it.

The 6168 service manual shows a USB memory stick (device) that is inserted into the USB port on the back of the set. It also explains how to perform the (possible) upgrade. Anyone can do it.
Great becuase Samsung would not release any of the fw info.

The new 1080p models come out in April. They will have lower prices, true 1080i capability, and other pluses. I'm in the market for a new TV, but I can wait a few months to get one. Can anyone think of any reason not to wait and get one of the new ones (such as features that will be omitted on the new ones, or maybe drastic price reductions coming for the current ones?) Thanks.

The new 1080p models come out in April. They will have lower prices, true 1080i capability, and other pluses. I'm in the market for a new TV, but I can wait a few months to get one. Can anyone think of any reason not to wait and get one of the new ones (such as features that will be omitted on the new ones, or maybe drastic price reductions coming for the current ones?) Thanks.
The new TV's will have 1080p inputs, 5 color color wheels, and the 2006 DLP chip. Plus another year of development on the light engine and firmware. But ther has been a 25% reduction in the DLP chip size from .85" to .65". This could be bad or good ... we haven't figured that out yet. If this year is like past years, in March or April you will see some very heavy discounting on the 2005's.

The new 1080p models come out in April. They will have lower prices, true 1080i capability, and other pluses. I'm in the market for a new TV, but I can wait a few months to get one. Can anyone think of any reason not to wait and get one of the new ones (such as features that will be omitted on the new ones, or maybe drastic price reductions coming for the current ones?) Thanks.

April seems to be relative. The 2005 models were suppose to be out in April last year as well. They didn't ship until August.

The new 1080p models come out in April. They will have lower prices, true 1080i capability, and other pluses. I'm in the market for a new TV, but I can wait a few months to get one. Can anyone think of any reason not to wait and get one of the new ones (such as features that will be omitted on the new ones, or maybe drastic price reductions coming for the current ones?) Thanks.

I would stay with the 2005 DLP models. They have proven to be reliable and a work horse. You know how new Electronics come out on the market, Flaws? Since the 2005 Models will be dicounted a lot, I would buy the DLP HLR xxx8 series, but this is up to you. I wouldnt spend that much money for the new DLP 2006 models, for a smaller chip size that we dont know how it works yet with that set design.

Actually, when will the 2006 models come out, Not April like last year models, HA more like September 2006. Good luck with that.

April seems to be relative. The 2005 models were suppose to be out in April last year as well. They didn't ship until August.
When they say April ... it is almost always May or later. I don't see any reason for big delays this year.

Wow, this thread has slipped into fantasy land.......there are no HD DVD players to be sold, black market or otherwise. Save for engineering prototypes, they haven't been built yet because the AACS protection scheme that will go in them isn't finalized yet.

That's true for both Japanese and US market products.

So what would prevent someone from selling up-converting SD DVD players out of the trunk of his car in Tokyo for $1200, and claiming they are Black Market HD-DVD players? Especially since there are no HD-DVD disks on the market to falsify the claim? So long as there is a willing buyer who always has to have the "latest" technology regardless the cost?

I'm betting that's what has happened here. :D

So what would prevent someone from selling up-converting SD DVD players out of the trunk of his car in Tokyo for $1200, and claiming they are Black Market HD-DVD players? Especially since there are no HD-DVD disks on the market to falsify the claim? So long as there is a willing buyer who always has to have the "latest" technology regardless the cost?

I'm betting that's what has happened here. :D

YOU ARE TOTALLY WRONG, THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED HERE. SO READ ON FOR THE FACTS.....

It is not an up-converting SD DVD player and it is legit, I have the receipt and everything. It was new in the box and not out of a truck. Are you Jealous?
This is one of the HD DVD players that will be out on the market this year. Man, the nerve of these people.

I got a Marix reloaded HD DVD disk made for this player in Japan and not in Tokyo.
I know many people overseas that can get anything for me that work in these plants and no stealing needed.

I will always buy the newest and greatest technology no MATTER the COST!!! This is the way I like it.

Prices Lowered
Looks the the prices for AVS members at TVA have been reduced a bit more in recent days (at least the HLR6168 price is down some from when I last looked).

We have come a long way in the year or so since we discovered this GREAT forum. Went from not knowing what DLP meant to having to have a HLP4674W because it would have fit in our existing wall recess, to deciding on a 61 inch - the HLR6168 (already had the contractor over to estimate the job) to now ready to be #1 on the HLS6187W power buy - assuming there will be one. The fact that "24" is broadcast in HD did it for my better half.

YEAH!!

The new TV's will have 1080p inputs, 5 color color wheels, and the 2006 DLP chip. Plus another year of development on the light engine and firmware. But ther has been a 25% reduction in the DLP chip size from .85" to .65". This could be bad or good ... we haven't figured that out yet. If this year is like past years, in March or April you will see some very heavy discounting on the 2005's.

Normal and expected chip integration would account for the size reduction.

What I would like to understand, and there's no way of finding out, is to learn what's causing this repetitive display failures. Repeated reports of DMD board failures. Granted, within the scheme of things this may be a low single digit failure rate amongst their total shipments. That would be normal. But it seems to be the same problem consistently being reported. Chip or system level issue?

Since I'm one of the ones having already experienced this, I'm worried about a repeat down the road. Purchasing an extended warranty becomes more likely. Perhaps Samsung researched the problem early and replacement parts are addressing this, but we won't know until/unless someone sees a repeat of the same problem.

Prices Lowered
Looks the the prices for AVS members at TVA have been reduced a bit more in recent days (at least the HLR6168 price is down some from when I last looked).

Sorry, I'm new here. What is TVA and do you have a link to their site? Thanks.

TVA is a sponsor of this forum (see top of page). They often have power buys when new models are introduced - decent pricing and you get to be one of the first to get the newest version. Here is the link to special pricing for forum members:


click (http://www.tvauthority.com/AVS-Forum-MEMBERS-ONLY/AVS-Forum-MEMBERS-ONLY.asp)

I didnt know Samsung made a 59" model in that series. Dont you mean the 56" or 61"? Did I miss something here?


I meant HL-R5078W.

I should proofread my own posts.

I don't know what the member price is now but the current price for non-AVS member consumers at TVA is now what the power buy used to be.

Member price is about $70-ish less - - interesting that the new HLS series MSRP is only a couple/few hundred more that TVA pricing on current HLR XX68 models.

I meant HL-R5078W.

I should proofread my own posts.

Nice model. I bet you got a good price on it too.
Didnt you want a larger screen size? How do you like the 78 series? Did you calibrate it already?

The prices are sure dropping now than from August 2005.

Nice model. I bet you got a good price on it too.
Didnt you want a larger screen size? How do you like the 78 series? Did you calibrate it already?

The prices are sure dropping now than from August 2005.

It's a great TV. I'm very happy with it. I do see the occasional rainbow, but only when looking away from the screen rapidly, and only with dark scenes. Not a dealbreaker. The 50" is what I wanted, no bigger.
I tried Avia, but I was not happy with it. The info was outdated. I may have a calibrator over, but not for a while.
I was also able to get a Samsung HD upconverting DVD player for free, by mail in rebate.
It was a choice between this TV and the SXRD. The HL-R had a better picture.
I'm curious about the LED model. but something bigger, better and cheaper is always around the corner.

I've searched this thread and it would appear that all Sammy DLP's made recently are HDCP compliant. One question, if that is fact, then why can't you find a shred of info on it in their literature or anywhere else for that matter?

I have the following set up:

SS HL-5078W
Onkyo TX-SR803
SS HD850
SA 8300HD DVR
Time Warner - SC

I can view HDMI DVD -> 803 -> DLP

Although no joy on HDMI STB -> 803 -> DLP

In fact, I get the copyright protection screen of death from TW and have to resort to RGB and Opt. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dave

I've searched this thread and it would appear that all Sammy DLP's made recently are HDCP compliant. One question, if that is fact, then why can't you find a shred of info on it in their literature or anywhere else for that matter?

I have the following set up:

SS HL-5078W
Onkyo TX-SR803
SS HD850
SA 8300HD DVR
Time Warner - SC

I can view HDMI DVD -> 803 -> DLP

Although no joy on HDMI STB -> 803 -> DLP

In fact, I get the copyright protection screen of death from TW and have to resort to RGB and Opt. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Dave





A lot of cable companies do not support HDMI output on the 8300 STB. They do that so they don't have to get all the phone calls from people with all different HDMI issues.

It's a great TV. I'm very happy with it. I do see the occasional rainbow, but only when looking away from the screen rapidly, and only with dark scenes. Not a dealbreaker. The 50" is what I wanted, no bigger.
I tried Avia, but I was not happy with it. The info was outdated. I may have a calibrator over, but not for a while.
I was also able to get a Samsung HD upconverting DVD player for free, by mail in rebate.
It was a choice between this TV and the SXRD. The HL-R had a better picture.
I'm curious about the LED model. but something bigger, better and cheaper is always around the corner.

Soungs great. Thanks for the info. Yeah, I always say bigger is better, depending on the issues and PQ on larger sets. I am getting my unit Calibrate in 2 weeks from David Abrams. Many people know him out in this area. He is a great guy. I have dealt with him before. He will completely redo the inside of my TV to make the PQ Awesome. I reccommend a calibration if you are planning to keep your set for at least 3 years or more. Which I intend to.

I do plan to upgrade my two Samsung DLP TV's, with the LED sets, but I want to wait to see what problems the LED sets have first before I buy two or three of them.

Well I got the replacement set and the PQ is very questionable. I turned off DNIE and the PQ looks washed out and splotchy. There is a lot of noise (even with the DNIE off). To disable the DNIE do I have to turn off ALL the SNI settings? Are there other adjustments to make in conjuction with turning this feature off in order to have a good picture?

Soungs great. Thanks for the info. Yeah, I always say bigger is better, depending on the issues and PQ on larger sets. I am getting my unit Calibrate in 2 weeks from David Abrams. Many people know him out in this area. He is a great guy. I have dealt with him before. He will completely redo the inside of my TV to make the PQ Awesome. I reccommend a calibration if you are planning to keep your set for at least 3 years or more. Which I intend to.


ROFL!

3 days ago it was "no way" you would spend $400 for a calibration and now you're all over it? :D .....must have found religion.

Will David be calibrating with your snazzy 1080P HD DVD player? Maybe he can snap a couple of shots of that baby for the curious?

Well,
I tried taking a picture of the hash line today, but my camera isn't sensitive enough; I just get the black screen - sorry.
needless to say, with the bare eye, the hash / comb line across the top of the screen (exactly as in your picture) is VERY visible. :-(
I am so frustrated. I guess I will try to call service in next week (I am in LA) - I am just scared they will a) not know what to do with it (as you can't 'demo' this during daylight) and even if they replace the DMD or other part that might cause this, it'll screw up an otherwise perfect display without any other issue, because they will not update the firmware, reset the board, reset the service menu etc. etc. etc.

Hm......

Dan :(



Hi all,
I had L&J Electronics come out to my home and inspect the TV, and sure enough he said exactly what I thought. He said it was sloppy work and some kind of obstruction in the light path or maybe light leaking out from around the color wheel.
I will attach his findings as a pic. I also had to pay 45.00 for the service call.
I tried all day to reach the first guy Samsung tried to send and I think his phone has been disconnected. The reputable shop said they fix his mistakes frequently. I really don't want this guy going into my TV. Maybe Samsung will authorize L&J to work on my set. He does LG Toshiba,JVC and other warranty work.
As a last resort I called James at TVA and he actually sounded positive about the situation and said that I shouldn't be getting the run around and I sent him a link to my other thread. I'm just hoping for an exchange but if they make me go to court I'm asking for a refund plus legal fees.

So my next step is writing 2 letters, 1to the CEO and 1 the Vice Pres of digital video systems. If that doesn't work I'm looking at BBB and then litigation.

As far as the other people having this same problem.


I think we first need to figure out what it is and then decide if it is a design flaw and if it is a design flaw thats when a Class action suit can be addressed. The thing is that Samsung has NOT been a team player to me and has NOT done very much to support me, if anything they have been evasive. I might make it my Newyears resolution to get them to step up to the plate for us and resolve this issue. These issiues might be design flaws and if they are they need to be fixed.

As far as the dust in the screen goes, I have now noticed 2 dark dust spots stuck inside my screen. It's not a dead pixel or anything because I can turn off the TV and use a bright light and still see the debris in my screen. I'm sure mine is from being stored for a month in a dusty dirty environment. If you think it's on top of the projector lense, just pop off one of the side access covers and look inside with a bright flashlight. If there's lots of dust just get a handheld swiffer thing and gently wipe the dust off. I think it would have to be really dirty for it to make an impact thats visible on screen. If it's on the back side of the optics then it's going to have to be a service call. If they go into your set and they are not careful you'll end up worse off so be cautious about it.

Kurajo, I'm not sure what you mean? There is 1080i and p. These current models, like most plasma, LCD and DLP convert the i to p, since there isn't anything broadcast in 1080p yet. My understanding is that might be sooner than first thought. It will be interesting to see what develops at NAB in April. HP's first DLPs, I think there are two models, will take a 1080p HDMI signal. This was recently discussed here as to how that will affect the current Sam models here since they are limited.

I had read in some notes and write-ups regarding the new sets due out in April that one of the features was that these sets are capable of "true" 1080p. And offer "true" 1080p inputs. My question became, Is my 6168 capable of "true" 1080p? I wasn't sure what all the inputs were capable of???? Hope that makes sense.

I had read in some notes and write-ups regarding the new sets due out in April that one of the features was that these sets are capable of "true" 1080p. And offer "true" 1080p inputs. My question became, Is my 6168 capable of "true" 1080p? I wasn't sure what all the inputs were capable of???? Hope that makes sense.
The TV displays all material in true 1920x1080p, 1080p, format. But, the HDMI digital input can only accept 1080i (not 1080p). 2006 models can accept 1080p on the HDMI input.

What kind of camera is it and does it have manual controls over the shutter speed or exposure? If you can use a 1 sec shutter you should be able to get some shots. You will need a monopod or tripod. I used 1 of the cardboard tubes that came in the box with my tv as a monopod to steady the camera.

As far as the combing problem, i got this from my other thread

johnnyzcar

I just noticed your post. The issue you are having is well known to Samsung. As far as I know it was first reported with the HLN series. I do not recall anyone with an HLM series complaining. It is called internal reflections. A duplicate image of what you are watching on the opposite side of the screen. I had the problem with my HLN. The only way to fix it as far as I know is to replace the light engine or TV. I don't believe there are any adjustments to cure this. I could be wrong because yours is a newer set. I had other problems with my HLN and had it relaced with a HLP5685 and am quite happy. Stay on these people until they address the problem. Either way, you now know the problems name.

I don't know what the line on the top of the TV repesents but I can see it near the bottom also. I would NOT consider your set to be functioning properly and you are not getting the best picture possible. Any light that is bouncing around or leaking is not contributing to the light that's in the image.
I would want it to be right, I was afraid of the same thing about repairs and the repairshop caused my issues after they replaced the DMD board. My set wasn't working at all before. Now it at least turns on but it's got problems just the same.

You should have them service your TV and if they mess it up you should get an exchange. I sent 2 letters to the CEO and Vice Pres with pictures of my problem so I'm hoping somebody at Samsung will know about this type of problem.

To demo the problem cover your windows and close the shades or whatever to make the room dark and put up a black screen test pattern or something. It's good to let your eyes adjust to it also, once I did I saw all kinds of stuff on the screen.

Keep us informed of your progress to resolve your issues.






Well,
I tried taking a picture of the hash line today, but my camera isn't sensitive enough; I just get the black screen - sorry.
needless to say, with the bare eye, the hash / comb line across the top of the screen (exactly as in your picture) is VERY visible. :-(
I am so frustrated. I guess I will try to call service in next week (I am in LA) - I am just scared they will a) not know what to do with it (as you can't 'demo' this during daylight) and even if they replace the DMD or other part that might cause this, it'll screw up an otherwise perfect display without any other issue, because they will not update the firmware, reset the board, reset the service menu etc. etc. etc.

Hm......

Dan :(

I have a service rep coming to check on the hash pattern next monday (1/30). The purely speculative idea is that the light engine is slightly out of alignement and it'll be a really minor adjustment. We shall see.

Bill

Soungs great. Thanks for the info. Yeah, I always say bigger is better, depending on the issues and PQ on larger sets. I am getting my unit Calibrate in 2 weeks from David Abrams. Many people know him out in this area. He is a great guy. I have dealt with him before. He will completely redo the inside of my TV to make the PQ Awesome. I reccommend a calibration if you are planning to keep your set for at least 3 years or more. Which I intend to.

I do plan to upgrade my two Samsung DLP TV's, with the LED sets, but I want to wait to see what problems the LED sets have first before I buy two or three of them.


Wghy yu no upgrade to reel tV, Dude? Dump these Samsung craps, get yu nice Plasma set, no worries ;)

I have samsung HL-R6768W. I screw up my service menu settings. Does any one have the screen shots of the service menu settings for HL-R6768. Where can I find manual for optimal setting for samsung HL-R6768W? Please help!!!!

I have samsung HL-R6768W. I screw up my service menu settings. Does any one have the screen shots of the service menu settings for HL-R6768. Where can I find manual for optimal setting for samsung HL-R6768W? Please help!!!!
The service manual can be ordered for $22 from www.samsungparts.com ... it is a little tough to find, I think it is listed under accessories.

The TV displays all material in true 1920x1080p, 1080p, format. But, the HDMI digital input can only accept 1080i (not 1080p). 2006 models can accept 1080p on the HDMI input.

Ok, Thats what I was wondering. I dont think thats a big deal do you? Not to start an heated battles but I prefer HD-DVD's concept, and for now they are only going to do 1080i max. I'm not sure what the difference would be between a 1080i signal being converted to 1080P as opposed to straight 1080p. I'm guessing I would'nt see an INCREDIBLE difference.

Does anyone know what revision of HDMI was used in the 2005 1080p sets?

Every once in a while it sounds like my 6168 makes a creaking or popping noise. The picture is fine, but the noise is a little disconcerting. It's been going on for several months, but I'm curious if it's unique to me.

TVA is a sponsor of this forum (see top of page). They often have power buys when new models are introduced - decent pricing and you get to be one of the first to get the newest version.

Big plus for TVAuthority... got my 6168 a little over a week ago and have been drooling over the OTA playoff football broadcasts... and then because my 480p progressive scan DVD player looked so bad on it (component cables no matter)... I got the OPPO OPDV971H up-converting DVD player and MAN is it ever nice.

Can check my review (review_id 2040896) at BizRate on the 6168 (prod_id 340586968).

Questions:
1) Anyone have a strong feeling on if they prefer the OPPO in 720p or 1080i? I have it on 1080i and think that it looks a little better with the dark fading in and out at the beginning of LOTR FOTR.
2) Anyone have DirecTV (preferably a TiVo/DVR) connected via component or HDMI that looks good w/o HD programming? My hardware doesn't even have component and I'm using coax as it looks WAY better than S-Video (even though I thought S-Video was supposed to be better).
3) Firmware I have is:
MODULE : T_EXCAAUS0_8019, DATE : 2005-08-16
MICOM : T_DTVUCOM5_8077, ACL : 20.5.5.16
KERNEL : T_EXCAAUS1_ 0097
Is there better/newer firmware and is there a good site with info on downloading/upgrading firmware on these TVs?

Every once in a while it sounds like my 6168 makes a creaking or popping noise. The picture is fine, but the noise is a little disconcerting. It's been going on for several months, but I'm curious if it's unique to me.


I have the occasional creak with my HLR-5078W. Usually when the set has been on for a while.

I have a problem that just showed up in the last few days. It is the same whether I'm viewing an HDMI or a component source. I have a vertical shadow about 1.5 inches wide on the left side of my HLR-6168. It goes from top to bottom. I'm still able to see a picture through the picture but it is quite dark. The line is pretty straight but it does bow slightly outward at the top and bottom of the set. Has anyone seen something similar? I tried some searches to no avail. I was one of the first in my town to get this set so I've had it a while without this problem. I'd appreciate any input. I hate that I'll probably have to have a tech come out.

-Shane

I have the occasional creak with my HLR-5078W. Usually when the set has been on for a while.
Same here. Mine has been doing this since I got my set 6 months ago.

I have samsung HL-R6768W. I screw up my service menu settings. Does any one have the screen shots of the service menu settings for HL-R6768. Where can I find manual for optimal setting for samsung HL-R6768W? Please help!!!!
Somewhere in this huge thread is your answer. Someone had a link where they had all of the service menu setting settings for their set. I made a copy at the time, but have no idea where in the thread it is. :eek:

Hey TV Gurus, hope i'm in the right thread.

Been considering getting an HL-R5688W, but am a little confused about the specs. At the Costco website, on the page detailing the HL-R5688W (i'd link to it but i can't until i have over 5 posts, it's a rule here, just head to the costco website and search for HL-R5688W) it says it's pure HDTV and doesn't say anything about projection. Though i've read specs on it at many other places that says the same tv is just "HD-Ready" and is also only "Rear Projection". So which is it? Doesn't seem like costco would leave important stuff like that out. Also, anyone here have one? If so, how do you like it? Would really appreciate any help, thanks in advance.

Service menu info: Look for post 5311; which I think was on page 178.

Hey TV Gurus, hope i'm in the right thread.

Been considering getting an HL-R5688W, but am a little confused about the specs. At the Costco website, on the page detailing the HL-R5688W (i'd link to it but i can't until i have over 5 posts, it's a rule here, just head to the costco website and search for HL-R5688W) it says it's pure HDTV and doesn't say anything about projection. Though i've read specs on it at many other places that says the same tv is just "HD-Ready" and is also only "Rear Projection". So which is it? Doesn't seem like costco would leave important stuff like that out. Also, anyone here have one? If so, how do you like it? Would really appreciate any help, thanks in advance.

I have one and I love it. I'm watch the NFC championship game right now in HD. The tv has a HD tuner built in. The 5688w is a 1080p tv, altough it will not accept a 1080p signal over HDMI, it will upconvert the 1080i signal or any lower signal to 1080p. It is also rear projection. All DLP tvs are rear projection.

Hey TV Gurus, hope i'm in the right thread.

Been considering getting an HL-R5688W, but am a little confused about the specs. At the Costco website, on the page detailing the HL-R5688W (i'd link to it but i can't until i have over 5 posts, it's a rule here, just head to the costco website and search for HL-R5688W) it says it's pure HDTV and doesn't say anything about projection. Though i've read specs on it at many other places that says the same tv is just "HD-Ready" and is also only "Rear Projection". So which is it? Doesn't seem like costco would leave important stuff like that out. Also, anyone here have one? If so, how do you like it? Would really appreciate any help, thanks in advance.
Here is a post that should answer all of your questions: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4954868#post4954868

I notice something peculiar today. I have a 6178 with a SA 8300 HD DVR STB connected by component. STB set to 1080i/720p/480p/480p wide. No 480i. Also, set to Pass-Through. TV set to 4:3. When I "turn off" the STB and leave the TV on, it appears that there is still a signal to the TV. The TV is not deep black (it has a white light shadow) AND I can see two lines (faint) where the letterbox 4:3 screen would appear. If I turn off the STB on a HD (16:9) channel, I get no lines. On the other sources, when "off", the TV is deep black with no lines and no light shadow. This leads me to belive there is signal or "current"? going through the STB when it is "off". Someone had posted the there is DC currrent running through the component out of the STB. This may be part of it????

If anyone has this hook-up, please let me know if you have same observation.


Thanks

That doesn't sound unusual. Many set top boxes, DVRs, etc. don't ever really turn "off". They are always on to record, receive data from the cable co, etc. So they just output a black screen (or close to it in your case) when you turn them off. There is really never any reason to turn them off, it doesn't save power or anything and is just one more thing to remember to turn on the next time you sit down to watch TV.

I'm considering the HLR5688, but I want to know if anyone has been able to disable the DNle using the instructions posted in this link. Also would be interested in how it looks after it was disabled.

Does the VGA connector input on the 5668 accept a 1080p input? If so I was thinking of taking the VGA output from my iScan HD+ at 1080p and see if that looks better than the HDMI with a 1080i input. Anyone here ever try that?

I'm considering the HLR5688, but I want to know if anyone has been able to disable the DNle using the instructions posted in this link. Also would be interested in how it looks after it was disabled.

I also have an HLR5688. I did disable the DNIe on all inputs. It really is a matter of personal preference on the look of the unprocessed inputs. On some content it is better, on other I would judge it not as impressive. The only thing I had a problem with on the unit was a tilt in the picture. I was able to adjust that and it is working well. I purchased the TR-85 shelf set and I'm quite happy overall.

Does the VGA connector input on the 5668 accept a 1080p input? If so I was thinking of taking the VGA output from my iScan HD+ at 1080p and see if that looks better than the HDMI with a 1080i input. Anyone here ever try that?

I tried this and couldn't get it to work. Too bad because it would have effectively bypassed the DNIe processing and we'd likely be able to obtain 1:1 pixel mapping. Let us know if you get it to work.

Does the VGA connector input on the 5668 accept a 1080p input? If so I was thinking of taking the VGA output from my iScan HD+ at 1080p and see if that looks better than the HDMI with a 1080i input. Anyone here ever try that?

I don't think anyone has been able to get it to work. I tried it with no luck on my HD+ and my VP30. Although I have no problem with 1080P from my HTPC on the vga input.

I also have an HLR5688. I did disable the DNIe on all inputs. It really is a matter of personal preference on the look of the unprocessed inputs. On some content it is better, on other I would judge it not as impressive. The only thing I had a problem with on the unit was a tilt in the picture. I was able to adjust that and it is working well. I purchased the TR-85 shelf set and I'm quite happy overall.

What inputs did you try and what resolution? I use primarily HD over component VGA, and 1394.

Every once in a while it sounds like my 6168 makes a creaking or popping noise. The picture is fine, but the noise is a little disconcerting. It's been going on for several months, but I'm curious if it's unique to me.

My TV did this for about 3 months after I got it. It doesnt make those popping, cracking sounds anymore. I think that it is the plastic casing that makes that noise, with heat. Some pages back this issue was addressed. I remember reading about this three months ago.

Hey TV Gurus, hope i'm in the right thread.

Been considering getting an HL-R5688W, but am a little confused about the specs. At the Costco website, on the page detailing the HL-R5688W (i'd link to it but i can't until i have over 5 posts, it's a rule here, just head to the costco website and search for HL-R5688W) it says it's pure HDTV and doesn't say anything about projection. Though i've read specs on it at many other places that says the same tv is just "HD-Ready" and is also only "Rear Projection". So which is it? Doesn't seem like costco would leave important stuff like that out. Also, anyone here have one? If so, how do you like it? Would really appreciate any help, thanks in advance.

I have a 5688W and love it. The TV is not HD Ready. All the DLP's have an HD tuner built inside of them. It is also rear projection too. It is also 1080p. This is a good tv overall with the built in stand too. I love that.

I have a problem that just showed up in the last few days. It is the same whether I'm viewing an HDMI or a component source. I have a vertical shadow about 1.5 inches wide on the left side of my HLR-6168. It goes from top to bottom. I'm still able to see a picture through the picture but it is quite dark. The line is pretty straight but it does bow slightly outward at the top and bottom of the set. Has anyone seen something similar? I tried some searches to no avail. I was one of the first in my town to get this set so I've had it a while without this problem. I'd appreciate any input. I hate that I'll probably have to have a tech come out.

-Shane

Hookster reported this problem back in post number 8287. I was having the same problem. In my case, the dark stripe disappeared on its own after a few days. If you have your set serviced, keep us posted as to the diagnosis and what was done to fix it. I'd want to know in case this problem re-appears.

Hi all,
I recently purchased a Harmony 880 remote to use with my hlr6168. I was just wondering if anyone had a button setup to go straight to the TV source. None of the provided options seem to work. Also, the provided PIP swap control does not work with my tv. Any help to point me in the right direction for functioning commands would be much appreciated.

Hi all,
I recently purchased a Harmony 880 remote to use with my hlr6168. I was just wondering if anyone had a button setup to go straight to the TV source. None of the provided options seem to work. Also, the provided PIP swap control does not work with my tv. Any help to point me in the right direction for functioning commands would be much appreciated.

I also purchased an 880 for my 5668W and worked with the Harmony Tech Support on this. There appears to be no IR code to go directly to that input. They had me try a different code from another Samsung TV and it did not work. What I ended up doing is changing the setting on the TV for going to that input manually. I set it up to use the code for the input that is before TV (HDMI2V2 on my set), then had it send the TV/Video code after that to switch to the next input. Works perfect since I set it up a couple of weeks ago. Awesome remote, definitely the best remote that I have purchased in many years!

What inputs did you try and what resolution? I use primarily HD over component VGA, and 1394.

I have DNIe disabled on the TV (OTA) input, the S-Video (DirecTV) and the Component Input (DVD). and HDMI (DirecTV). I believe that it covers most of the resolutions except 1080p.

I have this Sony DVD changer displaying on my Samsung 5668 and the changer has in it's setup OSD the option to turn "Black Level" on or off. What should I set that for the 5668, on or off? What does the black level option do (the DVD changer manual is useless)? Thanks for any help. :)

For component video, off is probably the correct position. But, if you use a test pattern (THX Optimode, Avia, Digital Video Essentials, etc.) to set the brightness level on your TV with it set one way or the other, it shouldn't really matter.

Just look at one of those patterns and see which setting makes the dark parts of the picture darker. Set the brightness on the TV with it in that position and make sure you can see the dark parts of the picture you are supposed to and you should be good to go.

There is a chance that it won't change anything. On some DVD players that type of setting only affects the composite/S-Video output and not the component output.

Same here. Mine has been doing this since I got my set 6 months ago.
The service manual suggests loosening some of the cabinet screws. That may stop the creaking.

I was one of the first to bring up this issue, many, many pages ago. It just occurred to me that I took off the "foot" about 3 months ago and have not heard the creaking since. I don't know that the two go together, but taking off the "foot" does provide more even support across the full width of the set and possibly eliminates the creaking.

The only thing I had a problem with on the unit was a tilt in the picture. I was able to adjust that and it is working well. I purchased the TR-85 shelf set and I'm quite happy overall.

How did you make this adjustment? My replacement set is tilting slightly.

Also my new set looks like crap. transferred the values ELIAB made in my old set to the new set and the result is just not the same. With the DNIE off everything looks washed out. Does anyone have any recommendations as to what to adjust to correct this? TIA

Samsung is replacing the light engine on my set (groups of verticle lines appear on 1/2 of the screen each time I turn on the set, although they disappear about 5 minutes later). Anyway, is the DMD Board part of the LE or are they two separate parts? The reason I ask is that when I first told the tech of my problem, he said it was a problem with the DMD Board, but then later he said he ordered a LE.

BTW - When I described the problem, he knew exactly what I was talking about and said that he had (unfortunately) seen the problem a few times already.

Guys, this thread scares me. Is the 5688 1080p this problematic??

Guys, this thread scares me. Is the 5688 1080p this problematic??
Not mine. I have no problems with mine at all. I think most of Samsung 1080p TV's have some sort of problems with them according to these posts.

Soungs great. Thanks for the info. Yeah, I always say bigger is better, depending on the issues and PQ on larger sets. I am getting my unit Calibrate in 2 weeks from David Abrams. Many people know him out in this area. He is a great guy. I have dealt with him before. He will completely redo the inside of my TV to make the PQ Awesome. I reccommend a calibration if you are planning to keep your set for at least 3 years or more. Which I intend to.

I do plan to upgrade my two Samsung DLP TV's, with the LED sets, but I want to wait to see what problems the LED sets have first before I buy two or three of them.

I smell a rat. Two DLP TVs and you travel all the time.

You use Monster cables for digital because you say you are an Electronics expert in the movie business. I have both Monster and cheap cables. I bought Monster out of desperation. No noticable picture quality improvement. The stiffness of the cable is better, though. Not worth 100 bucks. Noise in digital cables, not buying it. Its either go or no go. How does speed of light relate to picture quality in digital signals?

HD-DVD player? Nope. Not buying that either. There isn't any content out. 1080p? Ha! HD-DVD isn't spec'ed for 1080p. Bluray is though. Kinda don't want to mention that, you'll just say you have that too :rolleyes:

As for your comments above, you are getting your unit calibrated in 2 weeks and you are not home for 3 months. Guess your fiance/wife (whatever the heck that is - maybe its like DNIE on/off) could be there for the calibration. But then you say, "Many people know him out in this area." What area? Where you are travelling right now? It is just unfortunate that you can't take pictures of your HD-DVD player for 3 mos (surprisingly that is about when they will be REALLY available).

What, you don't have an LED TV yet? I hear if you connect it to the new Monster cables and an HD-DVD player, you can actually watch HD content at faster than the speed of light. Yeah, but you have to hit play on the HD player today in order to watch it tomorrow. Time dilation is a pain. But now I am just being silly and I am afraid you might say you actually have these cables. :D

I smell a rat. Two DLP TVs and you travel all the time.

You use Monster cables for digital because you say you are an Electronics expert in the movie business. I have both Monster and cheap cables. I bought Monster out of desperation. No noticable picture quality improvement. The stiffness of the cable is better, though. Not worth 100 bucks. Noise in digital cables, not buying it. Its either go or no go. How does speed of light relate to picture quality in digital signals?

HD-DVD player? Nope. Not buying that either. There isn't any content out. 1080p? Ha! HD-DVD isn't spec'ed for 1080p. Bluray is though. Kinda don't want to mention that, you'll just say you have that too :rolleyes:

As for your comments above, you are getting your unit calibrated in 2 weeks and you are not home for 3 months. Guess your fiance/wife (whatever the heck that is - maybe its like DNIE on/off) could be there for the calibration. But then you say, "Many people know him out in this area." What area? Where you are travelling right now? It is just unfortunate that you can't take pictures of your HD-DVD player for 3 mos (surprisingly that is about when they will be REALLY available).

What, you don't have an LED TV yet? I hear if you connect it to the new Monster cables and an HD-DVD player, you can actually watch HD content at faster than the speed of light. Yeah, but you have to hit play on the HD player today in order to watch it tomorrow. Time dilation is a pain. But now I am just being silly and I am afraid you might say you actually have these cables. :D

DO I SENSE A LOT OF JEALOUSLY HERE!!! OH YEAH I DO!! I FEEL REAL SORRY FOR YOU.
HOW IGNORANT CAN YOU BE?

WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? GET A LIFE AND DONT WASTE OUR TIME HERE POSTING THESE STUPID CHILDISH REMARKS.
YOU ARE TOO NEW TO COMMENT ON THESE POSTS, SINCE YOU DONT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE AT ALL WITH THESE SETS NOR WITH CABLES. THAT I CAN SEE.

MAN YOU NEED TO GET A LIFE. :D

I DONT CARE IF YOU BELIEVE ME OR NOT. YOUR JUST A LOSER IN THIS CASE.
YOU MEAN NOTHING TO ME AND NEVER WILL.

YOUR THE RAT AND A STUPID ONE AT THAT IF I MAY ADD.

NO HARD FEELINGS MAN!!! SO CRAWL BACK INTO YOUR HOLE THAT YOU CAME OUT OF. HA HA. :D

When I first started tracking this forum, there was lots of great information. But I believe this site has fallen into a serious slump. Who the hell cares about monster cables? Should I give a damn about HD DVD? I think not. People calling each other liars. Somebody with 5 months here calling somebody new stupid. 5 months? That'll get you a job as a fry chef at McDonalds (except the attitudes will get you fired.)
So how about we leep this thread about Samsung 1080P DLP HD televisions. If you have knowledge of something else, take it where it belongs or send an email. WE DON"T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE!!!

Thank You :D

I have this Sony DVD changer displaying on my Samsung 5668 and the changer has in it's setup OSD the option to turn "Black Level" on or off. What should I set that for the 5668, on or off? What does the black level option do (the DVD changer manual is useless)? Thanks for any help. :)
You are going to have to experiment a bit here I am afraid unless someone else with your exact setup pops up with an answer. Black levels or 'black crush' is one of the offenders of these DLP TV's. It is highly dependant on a lot of things like the particular player characteristic, your input type and both user settings and SM settings. One area thats steeped with black crush is the whole DNIE thing, and thats one of the biggest reasons folks want to turn it off.

I for example have found that by using an older Sony player, running my output through component at 480i gives me more control over the black levels vs a new upscaling DVD player at 1080i vi HDMI. I still have DNIE turned on because I like that look for HiDef TV and with the above DVD setup I can get the best of both worlds.

Its too bad that this is the way it is but I think thats the state of the art. Even when you use the same brand of components you are not getting the best possible picture without a lot of tweaking which is surprising.

Guys, this thread scares me. Is the 5688 1080p this problematic??

YES! At least for me. I am on my second replacement set. I personally would never recommend this set to anyone - although I know that some people are happy with it. I just don't trust it and it's hard to enjoy it when you know it's gonna stop working any minute( in my experience).

Trying to get this thread back on topic...
I'm looking at getting the 5678. I looked at it in the store and absoletely loved it. However I read somewhere that the picture lags too much for gaming and this worrys me because about 50% of the time that's what it will be used for. Can anyone here commment on that claim?
Also someone mentioned that I should look at the 5688 (the pedestal). It seems that the price for this model is $500-$1000 more than the 78 series. What is the difference? Are you basically paying the extra money for the pedestal or is there a difference in screen quality?

Any help would be apreciated. Thanks.

Trying to get this thread back on topic...
I'm looking at getting the 5678. I looked at it in the store and absoletely loved it. However I read somewhere that the picture lags too much for gaming and this worrys me because about 50% of the time that's what it will be used for. Can anyone here commment on that claim?
Also someone mentioned that I should look at the 5688 (the pedestal). It seems that the price for this model is $500-$1000 more than the 78 series. What is the difference? Are you basically paying the extra money for the pedestal or is there a difference in screen quality?

Any help would be apreciated. Thanks.

FWIW, I moved down from a 6168 to a 5688 and I like the picture better. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with the black bezel. The 6168 was calibrated and I haven't got the 5688 done yet, but plan to.

The 61" was just a bit too large for the media niche we put it in and I wasn't totally thrilled with the height of the matching Samsung stand either. The 5688 corrects both of these issues for me as well.

DO I SENSE A LOT OF JEALOUSLY HERE!!! OH YEAH I DO!! I FEEL REAL SORRY FOR YOU.
HOW IGNORANT CAN YOU BE?

WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM? GET A LIFE AND DONT WASTE OUR TIME HERE POSTING THESE STUPID CHILDISH REMARKS.
YOU ARE TOO NEW TO COMMENT ON THESE POSTS, SINCE YOU DONT HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE AT ALL WITH THESE SETS NOR WITH CABLES. THAT I CAN SEE.

MAN YOU NEED TO GET A LIFE. :D

I DONT CARE IF YOU BELIEVE ME OR NOT. YOUR JUST A LOSER IN THIS CASE.
YOU MEAN NOTHING TO ME AND NEVER WILL.

YOUR THE RAT AND A STUPID ONE AT THAT IF I MAY ADD.

NO HARD FEELINGS MAN!!! SO CRAWL BACK INTO YOUR HOLE THAT YOU CAME OUT OF. HA HA. :D

Hehe. Predictable response was achieved. That was fun! The caps, though, were a bonus I didn't anticipate. That is what really put me in my place. It is good you added those. :cool:

By saying that I smell a rat, I was not in fact inferring that you were a rat. It is a colloquialism to mean "to have a sense of something wrong, not clearly evident; to have reason for suspicion."
Hmm. I thought my post was quite articulate. I guess I will pose a series of questions, then, so that you can prove me wrong:

1. Does your HD-DVD player work in 1080p or is that a previous erroneous statement on your part? If it is 1080p, how are you displaying it on your Samsung TV and how did you get a player that exceeds the spec?

2. Since the first HD-DVD release is in March (Batman Begins and Million Dollar Baby on March 28), are you running a bootleg copy of Matrix?

3. How does the cheap HDMI cable's lesser picture quality manifest itself on your 1080p television?

And quite offtopic but I am just curious:
4. What is meant by the statement "fiance/wife" in relation to your significant other? I am not aware that those two terms can legally coexist (unless you are in the Middle East).

And finally, frequency of posting does not denote knowledge or experience. This is a forum. It is the truthful content of what you post that shows how others in the forum perceive the future knowledge that you will attempt to divulge.

Later

FWIW, I moved down from a 6168 to a 5688 and I like the picture better. I can't put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with the black bezel. The 6168 was calibrated and I haven't got the 5688 done yet, but plan to.

The 61" was just a bit too large for the media niche we put it in and I wasn't totally thrilled with the height of the matching Samsung stand either. The 5688 corrects both of these issues for me as well.

Thanks for the help but it seems that you are happier with the 5688 just because of the size. The 5678 also has the black bezel, so I'm not really sure why that would make any difference. Anyway, any more help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks for the help but it seems that you are happier with the 5688 just because of the size. The 5678 also has the black bezel, so I'm not really sure why that would make any difference. Anyway, any more help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I have the 5688 and have talked about it previously if you want to check my other posts by clicking on my name. But I also agree about the better picture with this set. Someone, somewhere said the screen was somewhat different, I'm not sure, but he claimed it made the pic clearer. Also, the mirror light setup is completely different than the others due to it all being housed in the pedestal and reflected up and out somehow. Or maybe it's just because the smaller 56" would generally by sharper due to size compared to 61". But the TV has an amazing picture even without calibration, just some adjustments in the user menus was all I did. I don't know about gaming as I don't use it for that.

Agreed that "clearer" is probably the best term to use to describe the difference between the 61 and the 56. Keep in mind I've gone from a calibrated 61" to a non-calibrated 56" and I still like the picture. I think it just gets better from here when I get this one calibrated.

I've seen the inside of the screen on the 56" but not the 61" so can't say for sure they are built different.

Agreed that "clearer" is probably the best term to use to describe the difference between the 61 and the 56. Keep in mind I've gone from a calibrated 61" to a non-calibrated 56" and I still like the picture. I think it just gets better from here when I get this one calibrated.

I've seen the inside of the screen on the 56" but not the 61" so can't say for sure they are built different.

This is very interesting as I was in a Tweeter this past weekend and also felt the 56 was blowing away the 61 glad to see it wasn't just me. I think I read way bak when that they use the same light bulb so maybe they need a bigger bulb in the 61???