Dreamr, I hate to say it but I'm looking at your situation from a different angle. The set was supposed to be serviced at your home. That's not their fault. You said they normally charge you for the new LE in advance and that they would return the $200 I think you said when you return the broken one. They need you to return the LE to get your money back.

In other words I wouldn't rely on the service center to take care of the LE which is your responsibility. I wouldn't let those people take it with them after what you've been through. It really sounds like most of your delay and issues are with the service center that Samsung gave you. I'd mention it to Samsung after your LE is fixed.

You are right about it being my fault that I let them take the set. I should have never let them. But the Service Center diagnosed the problem on November 1st. They were ready to order the part and said I could have it the set back in 3 to 5 days. Warrantech made me wait days before approving the repair, which from reading other posts is a known problem/solution and only after I called them numerous times even though they told me they would contact me.

The part didn't get to me until the 17th. Warrantech told me that they would ship it to the Service Center, which they didn't. I dropped off the part this morning, and the Service Center said they would be able to bring the set back this afternoon. Unfortunately, no one will be home until later this evening, so I have to wait until tomorrow. I really don't see how you can blame the Service Center considering how accomodating they have been when they really didn't have to be.

My biggest complaint is that I was sold on the extended warranty like it was the greatest thing ever. I'm sure this would have been much easier if they had a contract with a local Service Center, but unfortunately they don't. If I knew that, I might have looked else where for a warranty. I'm just trying to let people know my experience so that they can make an informative decision for themselves.

hi, newbie, here , just looking for some advice, i just purchased a samsung hl-r5678 off of plasmabay. now without doing proper research first, the moron i am, i realized i have to use vga input for 1080p. i have ps3 and im wondering what you guys recommend how to connect hdmi to vga, is there an adapter of some sort,and if its even worth it, cause i heard you can barley tell the diff between 1080i and 1080p. also another question i see you guys have been fine tuning your tv or calibrating it to make the image better, how would i go about doing this? is there a special way to get to hidden menu's or something? any advice would be well appreciated. thanks.

one more question, i read that this tv has dnie before i got it, but when i press the button this screen pops up saying its just a demo , what is the deal with this? this tv just has the demo version of dnie.. wat a joke.

hi, newbie, here , just looking for some advice, i just purchased a samsung hl-r5678 off of plasmabay. now without doing proper research first, the moron i am, i realized i have to use vga input for 1080p. i have ps3 and im wondering what you guys recommend how to connect hdmi to vga, is there an adapter of some sort,and if its even worth it, cause i heard you can barley tell the diff between 1080i and 1080p. also another question i see you guys have been fine tuning your tv or calibrating it to make the image better, how would i go about doing this? is there a special way to get to hidden menu's or something? any advice would be well appreciated. thanks.

I had to buy a VGA cable for my XBOX 360 as an accessory, so maybe Sony offers the same for their PS3. Check online to see if it's available. I got mine at CompUSA. I've never seen an HDMI to VGA adaptor, if there is such a thing.

Followup: I did find this link if all else fails. http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showthread.php?p=872116

As for your second post, the DNie is always on. The demo is just to show you the difference. You have to go into the service menu to turn it off. Ideally, you can have the set properly calibrated in which case the technician will turn it off because it won't need it then.

I've turned mine off recently and it does make a subtle difference, but either on or off it's always had outstanding picture quality. I'm very satisfied with my HL-R5688W.

Still another followup:
After spending some time with the DNie turned off, I find it looks much too soft and bland. I just turned it back on and the picture is much better, much more depth, more 'pop' for lack of a better term.

Oh, I'm sure if Eliab could come calibrate it, it would look even better, but without calibration it pretty much sucks turning DNie off. I have emailed Eliab, but Louisiana does not seem to be anywhere near his tours:(

I wonder if he'd be interested in Mardi Gras?:)

Vandu,
Thank you. I'll have to try those settings. I left the component and VGA cables plugged into the HLR. I just switch them at the rear of the 360. I'll give your settings a try and see if it looks better. I had my brightness at 35, but my contrast was at 70. I had it on warm 2.

Dreamr, I guess its a learning experience for everyone here at your expense. lol. Sorry. Maybe its a little of everyone's fault? I might have you mixed up with someone else. If I remember correctly you had the shadow issue and needed a new LE. The shadow is distracting but the set works and is watchable.

You called Warrantech and you then had to call Samsung to get the local service center. The service center needed to diagnose the set at your house, although everyone here knows what's wrong and call Warrantech and get it approved. They return when its approved and they have the new LE or in your case when you received the LE.

It sounds that simple but Warrantech didn't get the ball rolling right away and I would've stayed on them. These are all basic repairs and its not like anyone here is the first to experience these issues or that Warrantech isn't familiar with these problems.

The other delays seem to be when the service center closed early and was closed on certain days, plus they are too busy to call Warrantech and stay on them. I guess I was saying that the set could've been repaired sooner and I think most of the delay, the way I read it was with the service center, especially for not knowing they are not to take the set with them. Not to read too much into it but it almost sounds like they didn't get on the phone with Warrantech the second the set was in their shop either.

Bah, so I'm having the shadow problem too - and I call Warrantech and then about 2 horus later I get a call from my local service center on the other side of town. No problem, they're going to order a new LE and then install it the week of Dec 4th (or so they said based on the ETA of the part). Now this afternoon I get a call back saying there going to take my TV away for "further troubleshooting". Should I call them back and tell them no, they need to service it in my home?

Doormat, don't be uh, a doormat. lol. The answer is no, they are not to take the set. Period. You should call Warrentech directly and explain the size and model number of the set and see what sets are and are not supposed to be removed. If they have it wrong I'd call Samsung, although that's the issue. The service center is on its own if you have a problem. Warrantech is just paying the service center. Samsung isn't responsible since its out of warranty. Everyone could pass the buck fairly easily.

The catch is the service center is tied to Samsung since they are authorized and trained by Samsung. That should get you somewhere. Samsung will not suggest the set be removed and it says so in the warranty. Since this is an extended warranty the same conditions should apply. Its a matter of the service center not being properly trained to know how they are supposed to handle these sets.

You could ask them what sort of troubleshooting do they think they need to do? I would pin them on it since we all know it isn't necessary. I guess they could milk warrantech for another part that isn't necessary.

Look at it this way. Who is going to fix the set if its damaged, scratched or something. You know they won't admit to any damage so why take the chance? No, if they want to take the set, it shows they aren't properly trained to service the set. Geez this pisses me off. lol. I'm on my third set after two of them were damaged during shipping. Remember that was with all of the packaging.

Thanks bcvp - I made the appt for later next week and I'll call them on Monday to talk to them about not taking the set. I was leary when they told me they wanted to take the set - especially since they had someone different call me back (not the knowledgable tech I first talked with).

I am still waiting to hear from Samsung's ECR department to respond to my complaints about the shadow problem re-occuring and if they might be willing to replace my set. For some reason they keep misplacing the sales receipt I faxed to them 2 weeks ago, or so they say. In any event my expectations are pretty low given the customer experiences a lot of you have had with them.

Here's another idea that I was thinking of pursuing. I purchased a 4-year extended warranty from Magnolia (where I bought the set), and it's Magnolia that would handle any warranty claims during this period. If I could convince them that the shadow problem will re-occur over and over again (which it sounds like it will), at a cost of roughly $1200 plus labor each time they replace the LE, I wonder if they would be willing to do a swap since in the long run it could save them money. Think this might be worth a shot since it's unlikely Samsung will budge at all?

Doormat, you need to be pleasant and firm and not take any BS. You might want to have your warranty info in front of you where it says in home service. That should clear things up. I know it could be easy to go in circles here between the different parties. If they insist on taking the set you need to cancel it and call Samsung for another service center.

As a matter of fact after things go really wrong Samsung steps up and sends their regional engineer or something. It would be great to have them involved before there is a problem for once, if these ding dongs don't get it.

Bob Lee, how many LEs have you gone through? Very few here, like three had more than one Le replaced. I'm guessing the replacement LEs they got were the old LEs and not the improved models where they upgraded the mirror clips that cause the shadow. I'm like most people here who had the shadow problem, got a LE and haven't seen it return, as I knock on wood. lol.

I don't understand getting a replacement set? Do you mean an upgrade? I think they are even less likely to offer that. Most people would prefer a Porche when they want to upgrade their VW. lol. A replacement set will just get you the same components. I don't think anyone here is surprised that they "lost" your receipt or that they are dragging their feet. I'd say keep at it but don't cross the line and get bent out of shape. I don't know how long ago you got your last LE but I'd like to think they got rid of the old inventory by now.

Most of the people here who have had complaints are outside metro areas and are in the zone where most people in their area don't have these sets yet or service centers that are familiar with them. The complaints are with the service centers that Samsung sends. Not everyone is as well trained as they should be and they expect us to understand and bear with them as they figure it out.

Most if not all of the components were designed for easy access and replacement and there are only a handful of components. There isn't too much to figure out or diagnose and the parts take just minutes to replace.

I don't know but I think most store extendeds are run by an extended company. The way store credit cards are run by credit card companies. If that's the case and I'm not sure if all or most are that way then Mag. wouldn't care and the extended wouldn't care either.

I had a Tweeter extended and it was through an extended company. Tweeter does have their own repair center but I could've gone through Sony it turns out. The idea with Tweeter is they aren't as busy as Sony or others and you can drop off your broken electronics at the store and pick them up their when they call.

Doormat, you need to be pleasant and firm and not take any BS. You might want to have your warranty info in front of you where it says in home service. That should clear things up. I know it could be easy to go in circles here between the different parties. If they insist on taking the set you need to cancel it and call Samsung for another service center.

As a matter of fact after things go really wrong Samsung steps up and sends their regional engineer or something. It would be great to have them involved before there is a problem for once, if these ding dongs don't get it.

Yea, the sad part is I think I lost my warranty paperwork. Or at least I havent been able to find it yet. Luckily the warranty company didnt ask for any info off it. I'll probably spend more time this weekend looking for it.

Once I find the "In Home" language I'll call back my local company about it.

Bah, so I'm having the shadow problem too - and I call Warrantech and then about 2 horus later I get a call from my local service center on the other side of town. No problem, they're going to order a new LE and then install it the week of Dec 4th (or so they said based on the ETA of the part). Now this afternoon I get a call back saying there going to take my TV away for "further troubleshooting". Should I call them back and tell them no, they need to service it in my home?

Just arrived at my brother-in-law's house for turkey day and he too has the same shadow problem down the left side of his screen. It is about 1/2" wide at the top and increases to 1 1/2" on the bottom.

He did the TA Powerbuy in Aug. of 2005.

Anyone determeine the best course of action yet?

RonB63, the previous page, 350 and this page have some current useful info on this. It depends on the extended he has and with whom. If he doesn't have an extended then there are specific steps to take, in order. You should find out what he has first and let us know but go through these recent posts first. He most likely has the same extended as was mentioned here.

Assuming he does, the steps to take are to call Warrantech who sends out a local service center if they have one. If not Samsung has a list.

Make an appointment and be clear that you know you need an LE. If they are trained they will know that you know what you are talking about. If they are not well trained they will want to check to be sure. They'll have to check regardless but it will give you an idea of how well trained they are.

No matter what don't let them take the set. They order the LE after they get it approved. There is a question as to if its out of your pocket or not, that is a prepay and get reimbursed. Also there might be a deposit on the old LE if they don't get it back.

The LE might take a few days to get delivered and it takes just minutes to install. Stay on top of everyone involved to be sure it goes smoothly. Any delay is from someone dropping the ball. I think its more likely the service center not getting the ball rolling right away after looking at your set or not being able to return as soon as the LE is in.

Bob Lee, how many LEs have you gone through? Very few here, like three had more than one Le replaced. I'm guessing the replacement LEs they got were the old LEs and not the improved models where they upgraded the mirror clips that cause the shadow. I'm like most people here who had the shadow problem, got a LE and haven't seen it return, as I knock on wood. lol.



bcvp, I haven't stayed on top of this thread within recent months, but my impression was that quite a number of folks were having recurring shadow problems. This is only the 2nd time for me during the last 12 months, but my TV viewing time is probably a tad lower than most folks having these problems, and each time the shadow problem occurred it was after 600-700 hrs. of usage. Your comment about the new LE's not having this problem anymore is encouraging...is there any way to tell (e.g. via part number) if a LE is the new and improved model?

I wasn't looking for a straight-up replacement with the same model, because as you suggest the problem will likely occur there as well. I was hoping there might be a chance to convince Samsung that this is a problem that will re-occur and that it would save everybody a bunch of time if they just upgrade me to one of the newer HLS models which don't appear to suffer from this problem. And I wouldn't be looking for a total freebie here either; I am more than willing to pay for the upgrade, but I am NOT willing to pay the full price for a brand new set.

I love my current set and have no issues outside of the shadow problem. However, I really don't have the time to deal with seeing the shadow problem every 6 months, hassling with Samsung to get a replacement, and then watching a relatively inexperienced tech come out and MAYBE replacing the LE correctly. After my last LE was replaced I notice some "noise" appearing at the top of my screen while viewing certain TV channels, which was due to the digital board (I think) not being properly aligned after the LE was replaced. I also employ the services of an ISF calibrator to fine tune my set, and I don't look forward to incurring the expense of a recalibration each time a LE is replaced.

Again, your statement about the new LE's no longer having this problem is encouraging, so maybe I should just chill, get the LE replaced and cross my fingers that the problem is over for good.

Many posters on the HLS site report this same side shadow/light tunnel collapse issue as reported by the HLR owners. So I'm not convinced the problem has been solved unless Samsung did something since the HLS's were introduced. And it seems all the replacements are reconditioned, so tho I would hope the problem is fixed, I doubt it.

Thanks guys - I will speak to my brother-in-law to find out about the warranty situation.

Bob Lee, I'm not saying I'm 100% right but from what I've read here and can recall there were maybe three people at the most who had more than two LEs, that is the original one and one replacement. Its a very small number and has always been. I think my guess as to why only three people were on their third LE was that they were some of the original people to report the issue. They had a problem and got an LE that was made the same way as their old one. Some thought it was due to heat but that didn't make sense since most parts aren't glued together. lol.

It does make sense that it is a mirror issue and it makes sense that it is the clips that hold the mirrors in place. Someone reported that when they were in contact with someone high up in Samsung. Id imagine the HLR and HLSs use the same mirrors, I mean why not, its a mirror. Some thought it was tape originally but that would block the light and you wouldn't see the picture behind the shadow and again you'd think they were smart enough not to use tape. lol.

My guess was that they have addressed the shadow issue after hundreds of service calls. The replacement LEs I'm sure are refurbs. and have the better clips. As long as your LE has the upgrade it should be all set. I think most people here have the upgrade since there hasn't been anyone with a repeat shadow issue for a long time, well besides you. lol. Sorry.

Samsung doesn't give any info about anything, like a new part number. Every time someone calls about the shadow its as though they never heard of it before. If they admit they have then a recall would probably have to be issued. Its only because of places like this site that we are on top of them and can smell the BS from over here. lol.

I guess if you had the shadow issue soon after you got your set with little usage and didn't get the upgraded LE at the time then it could make sense to get the shadow issue again. I think by now its fixed, as long as a service center doesn't have an LE from old inventory.

I'd give up with the set upgrade angle. I think you'd have to take a number. lol. I agree that we shouldn't have to be patient and understanding with Samsung when this is clearly a defect. I mean if this isn't a defect I don't know what is. The question is if this defect has been corrected or not and I'd say it has or everyone here would be on their fourth LE by now. lol.

I've had the noise on top too sometimes but I realized that it is from the broadcast since it isn't constant or on each channel. I think it might even be with the cable company if that's what you have. I agree about the pro calibration too. I know Samsung doesn't suggest or recommend a pro calibration and so you're on your own with that. You can't sue them for a pro calibration that they don't believe is necessary.

[QUOTE=vandu]moss312,
I don’t find the 1080P VGA image to be better or worse than the images with a 1080i component connection. I have contrast turned up all the way on VGA and brightness at 33, using Warm 1. I’m sure color and tint are not optimum but those adjustments are not available over VGA.
I can’t do a quick A/B comparison between VGA and component because I don’t have two HD DVD drives and two copies of the same HD DVD movie. I did do a quick A/B comparison between a DVD (Apollo 13) on a Samsung 950 DVD player and HD DVD with both VGA and component. Each time I switched to the HD DVD the picture was far superior to the DVD picture, whether it was VGA or component.

Just curious - do you keep the same settings of brightness and contrast when playing xbox 360 games?

jshore,
If I’m playing games on the DLP I usually use “dynamic” mode but most of my game playing is done on a 50” plasma. The DLP is very good but I can get more picture detail from the plasma. I’ve never had either set professionally calibrated, which could make a difference in my preference for gaming.

one more question, i read that this tv has dnie before i got it, but when i press the button this screen pops up saying its just a demo , what is the deal with this? this tv just has the demo version of dnie.. wat a joke.

Errrr, no. DNIe is always ON on your model. The only way to turn it off is to go into the service menu and turn off about 7 different processes.

The demo is just to show you what the picture would look like without it, but it's really a useless demo and does not accurately represent the differences between the picture with or without it.

Having just switched to componant imput I can say that the picture is twice as good. This applys to games but after watching KK I don't think I was even getting HD DVD via VGA. 1080i looks much better through my Samsung 61"1080p DPL.

Having just switched to componant imput I can say that the picture is twice as good. This applys to games but after watching KK I don't think I was even getting HD DVD via VGA. 1080i looks much better through my Samsung 61"1080p DPL.


I've really gone back and forth on the whole vga/component thing. Because once i played with the contrast/brightness, King Kong looked spectacular. Still waiting for a few other HD movies via my Blockbuster Online queue to make the final call.

Hmmm. I just got the second Bulb warning light exactly 20 days TO-THE-HOUR (coincidence?) since the first warning. I have to wonder if there's an automatic countdown after the first warning going on inside the tv. If it's still working 19 days from now, I might try resetting the lamp life hours in the service menu and see what happens:)

I've put an additional +300 hours on it since the first warning and the picture is just as bright as can be with no noticeable difference at all. If it's dimming gradually like I was told, I can't see it. Could it be a faulty sensor sending the warning? How DOES it detect a future bulb failure anyway?

Wouldn't you know I'm 6 days past the one year date of purchase, (11/20/05). Of course, I could argue that it took about 2 weeks to get here, plus we're supposed to get an additional 3 months warranty when we register it with them, which I did. The service manual says the bulb life is 10,000 hours. I'm at half that.

I guess I should be grateful I have had absolutely no other problems with it, such as the dreaded LE side-shadow that's spreading like the plague:)

St8kout, I think the LED lamp warning is a sort of timer. I don't know if everyone's LEDs go on at the same amount of time, but I'd think so, unless it has to do with the picture settings like Dynamic? I think that could shorten the lamp life? It brings up a good point that the LED gives you notice to get your set serviced if its under Samsung or extended warranty that includes a lamp replacement. I'd wait for the third LED to get the most out of it. lol. I would think its based on lamp hours and not days though?

I don't think one service call issue has anything to do with a new issue. I do think you should be covered with the three month extension though. I don't know what the fine print is with the lamp afa the limited warranty. If I had to guess its probably like a car, 10k hours or one year, whichever occurs first.

Resetting the lamp hours could void the Samsung and or extended warranty since its like an odometer. I wouldn't touch that. Going into the SM could void the warranty regardless for anyone new here btw.

That reminds me. In the service manual, there are some discrepancies between the default settings listed and my actual settings, no doubt due to software updates. The default Lamp Watt value is "132W", mine is "120W." Lamp Control is supposed to be "Dynamic," mine is set to "Always"(?). I even have some setting options in the GM1601 section that are not listed such as V-Sharpness and H-Sharpness, and 1080i Overscan (set to off). You would think they would include any updates with the service manual, considering I ordered it one year after buying the tv.

I'm pretty sure you're supposed to reset the 'Lamp Clear' back to zero for each new bulb, since under 'Remarks' for 'Lamp Clear' it says 'Initialize Lamp usage time.' That way you can keep an eye on your bulb 'mileage'. If it wasn't supposed to be reset, why is that an option? They could have just made it a non-resettable counter for the total 'ON' time of the tv.

bcvp,
The lamp output is constant in Samsung DLPs. The amount of light output to the screen is controlled by the mirrors and the iris. Dynamic mode does not increase the voltage to lamp and will not impact the lamps life. The lamp voltage is constant regardless of the mode selected.

Way to go Microsoft! :)

Yeah, I know this is not the Xbox 360 forum, but since so many people here have one...

My year old 360 just suffered the dreaded screen-freeze/3-flashing-red-lights hardware failure. I thought I was screwed since the manufacture date is Oct 19, 2005 (just past the one year warranty) but their tech support said it's still covered. A return box is on it's way and they will repair/replace it for free! :) :) :)

So a big thumbs up to Microsoft! ( I DO have to wonder if the PS3 release has anything to do with it.) :D

Followup: Just found out all 360's are warranted until March 07.

Just a (side) note on my shut-off problem with my HL-R6168. I'm awaiting a return call from Samsung tech to make a home appointment.

When I turned on the set this p.m., the set went off...no LED's lighting up except for the usual "standby" red light...after turning the set on a second time, it, again, shut down with no LEDs I.D.ing any problem ("standby" LED again)...but, the third time I turned on the set, it shut down and the LED for lamp and the Standby LED both started blinking many times...I did not think they would stop...

Maybe this is a sign of...something?...

Vandu, the lamps are guaranteed a year or 10k hours and the lamp hours people have reported here seem to vary a great deal. I thought there should be some explanation for that?

Ed Weinman, are you sure your set is off? I mean it happened to me once and someone here where the screen is black but the set is on. You turn it on with the remote but you are really turning it off. Just wanted to throw that out there too. lol.

Ed Weinman, I think you changed the lamp, did you have them check the lamp door sensor? It sounds like that now?

bcvp,

The set turns off...the fan immediately stops...when I turned the set back on, I didn't get a picture. What I did see appeared to be a dark screen followed by a slightly lighter black screen (I'm not sure of the order on that, however) but this only lasted a second. The third attempt to turn it on was an immediate shut-off but with the LEDs blinking (bulb and standby) as if it were the holiday season.

Yes, the lamp was changed (along with the ballast) on September 26th (the original lamp had only 1322 hours on it).

The set ran perfectly from 9/26 (and I must add, with a better picture than it had prior to the bulb service) until about two weeks ago when the trouble reared its ugly head.

I cannot anticipate when it will happen. It will go for a day...a few days...then, all of a sudden, it will happen...once, twice...Waiting a while after an occurance and turning the set on will result in the set's going on, normally, without problem.

I do see some sort of sudden, very, very fast what appears to be flash of light going horizontally toward the bottom of the screen. However, this does not occur when the set goes off. It occurs, as a think back over the time that I've had the set (08/05) from time to time. It is so fleeting (a blink and you'd miss it) that I've not really paid any attention to it until now.

(I've just had the set on for the last half hour and, again, it works fine!)

There was a problem about three weeks after the bulb replacement where I turned on the set, heard a loud "flickering" noise along with the picture "flickering" in time with the noise. It happened twice within a three minute period and then seemed to correct itself. (It never happened prior or since the event.)

Ed Weinman, I'm not recommending it but, lol. you might open the lamp door when the set is on and working fine and see what happens and what the picture looks like. You might ask your boss to help with that. lol. I have my 5678 about a foot from the wall so I can walk in back for switching cables or service calls. It might be a pain to do but that might get you some answers, or eliminate it. I'm stumped. lol.

Cables are my worst nightmare! I have very short runs to try and avoid the mess that I had in the past. Yet, things are so cramped behind the set (the rear of which is about 5-6" from the wall) that, in order to get back there, I need to unhook several of those cables besides moving the set itself.

I don't trust myself to open the lamp door. I hope that Samsung repair has some answers re: this (and I pray that they do NOT want to remove the set for "further investigation").

I did write down the light door sensor and DMD that were mentioned above so that I could ask the technician about them.

Doormat, don't be uh, a doormat. lol. The answer is no, they are not to take the set. Period. You should call Warrentech directly and explain the size and model number of the set and see what sets are and are not supposed to be removed. If they have it wrong I'd call Samsung, although that's the issue. The service center is on its own if you have a problem. Warrantech is just paying the service center. Samsung isn't responsible since its out of warranty. Everyone could pass the buck fairly easily.

I called the company (Video Audio Specialist, Las Vegas, NV) and they said "well thats the way we do business, if you have a problem you can contact Samsung or Warrantech". So in other words, go f- myself. Warrantech is closed right now so I'll have to call back tomorrow morning. I want to see if I can get reassigned to another local repair company who will do it right.

Bastards. All of them. I feel like I need to do something about them flaunting Samsung's procedures but I guess there is probably nothing I can do. Bastards.

Ed, I hear ya. lol. I think its worth trying when you get a chance. You'll know if you get the same issues or not. If you do, you're all set, get it replaced. If its different you just about eliminated every part. It seems to be the power supply. I don't see what the DMD has anything to do with it?

The problem I see is how the issue is very intermittent and might not show up when the tech. arrives and like you said they might want to take it so they can see if it shows up again in a couple of weeks. lol. This is so ridiculous.

I think its worth spending some time behind it instead of in front. lol.

I was going to add at some point if you're sure its not an electrical problem or something? If the power changed up and down you might get something like that. I had a sort of brown out/power on/off outage once and it did something similar to yours. That was just one time though. Geez this is annoying.

Doormat, don't give up until you've gone in circles three times. lol. Get everyone's name and extension for starters. See if they can call the service center directly, get the service center's name too but only after you went around in a circle once since you might not need to get their name.

If you call Samsung find out what the procedure is after you give them your serial number. See if they have something on their site or somewhere, where the service center can read it for themselves, since again they probably won't take your word for it. Get Samsung's name and number.

If you call Samsung and don't get a straight answer bring up the T-card, training or lack of. That will grab their attention. lol. Speak with a supervisor. Don't take any BS since you know you're right.

bcvp,

I moved the Samsung to a new location in the same room in 07/06.

Before the move, the set was plugged into a Belkin UPS (model Enterprise Series 1100VA).

The set is still plugged into the UPS but on a different location in the room.

It's odd that my problems only started after the move. Previously, the set was in its origional location from 08/05 until aprox. 07/06 with no shut-off problems.

All my equipment moved as well and I've had no problems with them (DVD player, Surround procceser, amplifier, iSCAN processer).

Yea one of the things I might do when I call samsung is bring up the issue of whether or not they're an authorized service center, and if they are why are they doing business against what samsungs rules are. Its just a bitch to have to go in circles, especially when I really dont have the time this week (I'm at a conference, its in town but I spend from 7A to 5P in classes and meetings).

For now I'm going to watch Dune in HD-DVD on my TV. Better get my HD fix now since there is a good chance I wont see it again for 2-3 weeks.

I just recently got a HL-R6178W, and have a question.

I bought the TV on Labor day at the local Tweeter. It was a floor model, and a very good deal.

I have had a couple problems with it, but Tweeter had had excellent service and has replaced the LE already, which seemed to remove the biggest problem I had (which was a odd flicker to the screen at times. Almost like the lamp was getting dim, then bright, then dim...repeatedly.)

After the service, though, I am starting to notice a lot of "Crawling Moss" or dynamic false contouring. Is this something that is normal with this HDTV that I just never noticed before, or is this something I should have the service guy come back out and take a look at, or is it something I can fix with a setting somewhere?

I am running through a HDMI cable to the HD-STB for my HD Digital Cable, but I also notice it on my XBOX 360 (Running though VGA cable), and PS2 (running via Component cables).

I notice the DFC on both SD and HD programming.

Thanks a bunch for any help.

Hey all, I have a question: Will the 5688w accept 5.1 audio through the HDMI and will that 5.1 pass through and out the digital audio out on the TV?

Not being able to pass through digital is one reason some of us have trouble with lag. The Oppo people have all but eliminated it with their firmware upgrades, but I still have trouble with a good number of discs.

Oppo will be selling a new version of their player which will have a fully featured HDMI port on it that can send out multi-channel audio...but what will the Sammy's do with it?

Thanks!

Alamias,
The DFC you are describing is not at all normal. It sounds like its time to call Tweeter again.

Spassvogel42,
The TV will only pass 2 channel stereo through its digital out. Sorry.

Spassvogel42,
The TV will only pass 2 channel stereo through its digital out. Sorry.

I have the 61" model and am almost positive the digital out will pass the 5.1 stream if there is one.
My question would be, why wouldn't it? It is just the bitstream, it doesn't care if the signal is 2 ch or 5.1 ch.

Doug,
I also have the 61”. This was heavily discussed, when the HLRs first came out and the lag issue was being discussed. If I remember correctly it may be possible to get 5.1 to pass through a cable card. It will not pass through HDMI. HDMI is a two way connection. The HDMI source will see the TV as PCM (2 channel stereo) and will not send the 5.1 signal.

Alamias,
The DFC you are describing is not at all normal. It sounds like its time to call Tweeter again.

Thanks, I was afraid that was the answer, but also relieved as the DFC is really bad, and I would have hated to think that that was normal.

Just a quick note to Samsung owners on the fence about calibration. Eliab completed a calibration of my HLR-5688 last night and the difference is amazing. With the DNIE gone, colors and black levels adjusted the picture is stunning. If he is touring your area I highly recommend him. I see from some previous posts I am not alone.

Doug,
I also have the 61”. This was heavily discussed, when the HLRs first came out and the lag issue was being discussed. If I remember correctly it may be possible to get 5.1 to pass through a cable card. It will not pass through HDMI. HDMI is a two way connection. The HDMI source will see the TV as PCM (2 channel stereo) and will not send the 5.1 signal.

Yes, I can verify that this is true. I have an HLR-6168 with a cable card. It does pass through 5.1 through the optical output.

jpe

Hi Everyone - I'm having a problem with both of my component inputs on the HL-R5078W and was wondering if anyone could offer any troubleshooting tips. I don't have one of the newer DVD players that allows for an HDMI output into the TV, so I want to go with the next best thing which I gather is component. I purchased one of the Y, Pb, Pr cables from Monoprice and hooked my DVD player up to the TV. I also hooked up a digital coax cable for audio to the receiver. Once I turn on the DVD player, and change the source on the TV to Component 1 and Audio on the receiver to the DVD input, I get the DVD sound out of the speakers, but no picture on the screen. I figured that the screen may be blocked so I looked in the DVD player manual (Toshiba SD-3980) and changed the video output type. When I change it, I get video in black and white on the Composite output. If I switch it back to Component, back to getting a blank black screen. I tested this out with 2 DVD players, and am at a loss as to what is causing this to happen. I've also tested 2 different cables, and called support for both Samsung and Toshiba without any resolution.

Has anyone else run into similar issues?

Did I buy the right cable?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023502&p_id=2769&seq=1&format=2&style=

Should I have bought the 5-RCA Component instead of the 3-RCA? I figured I don't need the extra 2-RCA's since I would prefer sound through a digital output into my receiver.

Please help!

Hi Everyone - I'm having a problem with both of my component inputs on the HL-R5078W and was wondering if anyone could offer any troubleshooting tips. I don't have one of the newer DVD players that allows for an HDMI output into the TV, so I want to go with the next best thing which I gather is component. I purchased one of the Y, Pb, Pr cables from Monoprice and hooked my DVD player up to the TV. I also hooked up a digital coax cable for audio to the receiver. Once I turn on the DVD player, and change the source on the TV to Component 1 and Audio on the receiver to the DVD input, I get the DVD sound out of the speakers, but no picture on the screen. I figured that the screen may be blocked so I looked in the DVD player manual (Toshiba SD-3980) and changed the video output type. When I change it, I get video in black and white on the Composite output. If I switch it back to Component, back to getting a blank black screen. I tested this out with 2 DVD players, and am at a loss as to what is causing this to happen. I've also tested 2 different cables, and called support for both Samsung and Toshiba without any resolution.

Has anyone else run into similar issues?

Did I buy the right cable?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10235&cs_id=1023502&p_id=2769&seq=1&format=2&style=

Should I have bought the 5-RCA Component instead of the 3-RCA? I figured I don't need the extra 2-RCA's since I would prefer sound through a digital output into my receiver.

Please help!

Let's take this a step at a time. I assume that when you said "change the output" that you switched a cable from the DVD player to the display in order to hook up composite.

Regardless, going back to component, make sure all the cables are in their correct inputs and outputs, and make sure that they are plugged in all the way. Also make sure that you've selected the right source on the TV. Those are obvious and I'm sure you've checked that.

I'm not familiar with the DVD player but set it to interlaced output first. At first, you may need to go back to composite in order to see the menu. You should also test out the S-Video output to see what you get as well. Going back to component, try toggling the interlaced and progressive modes.

You don't indicate that there is an error message on the display screen when on Component 1. If there is a fault, you should get "Check Cable" or "Weak Signal". Since you're not, the display thinks everything is fine coming from the DVD player.

Do you have this problem with two of the same DVD players or two different players? Is there another component source you can test, such as a cable box or satellite receiver?

Regardless, going back to component, make sure all the cables are in their correct inputs and outputs, ... You might want to double check this point. Do not assume that the order of the ports (R,G-Y,B) is the same on both the dvd player and the TV. I've been burned by this before.

I'm thinking the component cables are not plugged in correctly.

As careful as I was reconnecting my dvd player that I unplugged to vacuum behind it, I managed to reverse the blue and green connectors. My player runs through my Harman Kardon receiver and then into the tv. When I tried to play a dvd, my receiver started clicking wildly and nothing appeared on the tv.

Sometimes it's the little thingshttp://candlepowerforums.com/vb/images/icons/crazy.gif

One other thing. Notice on the back of the tv that Samsung labels their inputs with the 2nd input above the 1st. This applies to HDMI, component, and composite inputs. 'Component 2' is ABOVE 'Component 1,' not below it. So I'm guessing you might have it plugged into 'Component 2' which is why you're not seeing anything on 'Component 1.'

Will_Morr: By saying "change the output" I mean on the DVD player, there is a menu that lets you choose either Composite or Component. When it is on Component, I see the "Weak Signal" screen, in order to get it back to the black and white screen (Composite), I need to go through the steps of changing the video type without seeing the menu on the screen. The DVD player manual refers to this as the video being "blocked".

I have also turned on and off Progressive. I should have indicated that I am getting the "Check Cable" or "Weak Signal" messages when on Component. I have this problem with 2 different DVD players. One is the Toshiba, which is the one I desire to use.

st8kout: I'm not sure what you mean by saying the 2nd input is above the 1st? If I am to look at the manual for this model, it shows the back panel that I have:

Page 23:

http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=SS&CttFileID=436152&CDCttType=UM&ModelType=N&ModelName=HL-R5078W&VPath=UM/200506/20050621103649296_BP68-00513A-00Eng.pdf

My Component 1 is left and vertical, and Component 2 is right and vertical. Y is Green, Pb is Blue, and Pr is Red. They are in that order from top to bottom on the TV, and left to right on my dvd player:

Page 12:

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/tacpassets-images/models/SD-3980/docs/SD-3980_om_e.pdf

I'm beginning to think there is something wrong with the TV's inputs :-\

Ok, mine are horizontal. I took it for granted your HL-R was the same as mine.

On a side note, my Samsung does not care whether or not the signal is interlaced or progressive coming from the DVD player. In fact, I don't see a difference at all on the screen either way when I change the setting on the player.

Trying your dvd player on another tv would be a quick way of telling if the tvs at fault.

Will_Morr: By saying "change the output" I mean on the DVD player, there is a menu that lets you choose either Composite or Component. When it is on Component, I see the "Weak Signal" screen, in order to get it back to the black and white screen (Composite), I need to go through the steps of changing the video type without seeing the menu on the screen. The DVD player manual refers to this as the video being "blocked".

I have also turned on and off Progressive. I should have indicated that I am getting the "Check Cable" or "Weak Signal" messages when on Component. I have this problem with 2 different DVD players. One is the Toshiba, which is the one I desire to use.


So you're saying that the HLR is set to Component 1 (or 2) and then you switch to "composite" in the DVD Setup menu to get the black & white screen? On the Component 1 HLR input? I think that means the Y component cable is active under that configuration. I assume that the only connections you have to the DVD player are the three component cables and the digital audio coax cable, correct?

I looked at the DVD player manual briefly. I suggest you try setting the player to interlaced and connecting a single cable from DVD player composite output to the HLR's composite input. Unplug all the component cables. See what you get and then try S-Video. If those two setups work, unplug the S-Video output and reconnect the component cables and try the component setup again on both of the HLR's component inputs. You should be able to toggle between the HLR's composite and component inputs to see where you are in the Tosh's Setup menu.

So you're saying that the HLR is set to Component 1 (or 2) and then you switch to "composite" in the DVD Setup menu to get the black & white screen? On the Component 1 HLR input? I think that means the Y component cable is active under that configuration. I assume that the only connections you have to the DVD player are the three component cables and the digital audio coax cable, correct?

I looked at the DVD player manual briefly. I suggest you try setting the player to interlaced and connecting a single cable from DVD player composite output to the HLR's composite input. Unplug all the component cables. See what you get and then try S-Video. If those two setups work, unplug the S-Video output and reconnect the component cables and try the component setup again on both of the HLR's component inputs. You should be able to toggle between the HLR's composite and component inputs to see where you are in the Tosh's Setup menu.

The first paragraph is all correct! OK, I will try your suggestion tonight, I'm beginning to lose patience with it though! Thanks very much.

Wow, after all that it was the cable! So I hooked it up with RCA video (just the yellow cable), got a picture on AV1. Then hooked it up via Component 1 and noticed that the Green Y cable ended as a Red Pr cable on the other end. Damn Monoprice! At least they were much cheaper than going with Monster! Thanks for everyone's help, sorry for the stupid posts, I should have realized it was the cable! I even did test with a 2nd Monoprice cable that seems to also be bad, it doesn't work at all! Maybe that one is reversed on both ends, who knows! I will give them the heads up so no one else has to deal with this BS.

Thanks for the replies...I use the 5688W with a CableCard, and I can get 5.1 from any channel that has it. (now that Comcast has switched to digital, I get 5.1 on some of the SD channels as well).

I was hoping that it could pass through 5.1 from the HDMI. If they'd allowed these things to pass through the DD signal nobody would have any trouble with lag at all. Ah well.

Thanks again...

SV

OK, so now it turns out that the components on the TV are also shotty, on and off. WHen I remove the component cables from the back, I can also still switch to component1 and component2. I called Samsung and they are going to send someone out. This is the 2nd time they've had to replace a part in this TV. Has anyone had experience with when they swap out a TV? Do you generally get a refurb? Do they ever upgrade you to LCD or Plasma?

Hi everybody,

First I owe it to this forum and particularly this thread for the choice of TV I bought. I bought the HL-R6178 about a year ago and am still saying, “What a great picture”. It was a good decision. now that I am at a 1 year with this tv a few things are starting to show up and I wanted to get a little help and see if anybody else is seeing the same thing.

1) The lip sync is still annoying. When I first got the tv, I searched these forums for answers and the only thing I could find was that I needed to buy a different receiver that could slow down the voice. So I was “forced” to buy a Pioneer Elite VSX74. I slowed the sound down the maximum and it was still off just a bit so I spent the past year living with it. A couple weeks ago I decided that now that more people have this TV and it has some use maybe somebody or Samsung has fixed the problem. So I searched this forum and didn’t really find anything new. I called Samsung anyways and explained the tv was a great tv and but I should not have to live with a lip syncing problem. They agreed and dispatched a TV repair guy. He showed up yesterday and decided it was good enough, he could not really see a problem or that it was minor. He did see it very clearly on some channels And so concluded that the problem was probably the signal. I disagreed with him that there was problem on all channels but some more distinct than others and said there was a problem. We didn’t agree or get along after that. As he was leaving he said he would look into the DLP tv’s and see what he could learn because he didn’t have much knowledge on them and then get back to me. I don’t have a lot of faith. The lip sync is bearable but for a tv of this quality I expect it to be better, and not have to rely on more equipment to slow the voice down further. I believe the processor undersized should be upgraded by Samsung. I will live with it until it gets figured out.

2) While I was reading through this forum looking for answers about the lip sync I found a number of you start to mention a dark shadow on the left side of the screen. Curious I checked my screen and did not have the shadow when I called Samsung about the Lip sync issue. WHEW! So last night I go to watch tv and I see the shadow. CRAP! I know the repair guy didn’t do anything because his plan was just to pick the tv up and take it back to his shop. It is just a coincidence. This morning I called Samsung, Told them the repair guy they sent out would not work for me do they have another. I also said that coincidently a shadow has just showed up on my screen that is about 1” at the bottom. I told them it looks like the Light Engine is starting to fail (Thank you all for the info and pre-diagnosis) She said hang on… couple minutes later she came back and said she had found a repair shop that would come out to my house and repair the Lip Sync and the failing Light Engine. That was easy. I have the repair shop coming next week.

So now that I am hyper alert to anything on the screen a few things have been happening for a while I just ignored them or used work arounds. Anybody else have any of these?
1) When I turn the receiver, then tv on sometimes the color on the screen is purple. If I switch the receiver to another input or power cycle then back to the DVR it corrects the Color problem. I use the HDMI cable to connect the Reciever to the TV.
2) When My son and I play games using his Gamecube during the game the screen will just go black for about 2 seconds then back on. Only does it once or twice during a 2 hour gaming session. Use the Component plugs.
3) If we turn the tv off manually by pushing the big button on the front it can be difficult to get the tv to turn back on next time pushing the big button on the front. I always use the remotes but the little ones and my wife tend to push to turn it off and on. When I use the remote to turn off no big deal but using the button sometimes takes some work to get it to turn back on.

The repair guy said I should not turn the tv off then back on with out waiting 10 minutes for the bulb to cool down. I never heard this is that true?

I am not sure if these things are the TV, the receiver or the Tivo or some combination of them all I just was curious if anybody else also had the problem. Again I really like this tv but now that I am hyper looking some of the quirks are starting to bug me and I want to know if it is just me or do others also see some of these things.

Hi all Happy Holidys.Been awhile since I posted,but keep up on the readings.Had my 5688 calibrated a few weeks ago by David Abrams.He was worth the price for just showing up with all his knowledge.To me the set being calibrated was a bonus lol.
The TV has 6841 lamp hours and still going strong.I've had the TV since end Aug. 2005. Never thought a calibration could improve the picture,but it did. Got rid alot of the clay faces I was seeing. Alot of people I know bought 2006 plasmas and LCDs and they still dont compare to this display.
David was very professional and knowledgeable. I recommend if you have the funds get a calibration.
Want to say thanks to bvcp and others for keeping this forum alive.

Hi All,

I own a HLS-6188w. I've just finished programming my universal remote (its the one that came with my Marantz sr7400 receiver). It "learned" all the functions I routinely use on the HLS-6188w remote.

However, one problem I've run into is that there is no direct button to go to the DVD HDMI1 source, or STB HDMI2 source, etc. There is a source button the HLS-6188w remote, but it just cycles through each input. I programmed that into the universal remote, but it's still a pain IMO, because you have to click DVD on the A/V receiver, and then keep click ing the "SOURCE" button on the until it gets tot he DVD source. Its these little things that make teaching my SO how to watch DVD's a pain in the you know what!

If anyone has found a solution to this, please let me know. Preferably the solution will not include goign out and spending $200 on a new remote. I'd really like to continue using the one I have now.

Thanks!

-Bill

Doug,
I also have the 61”. This was heavily discussed, when the HLRs first came out and the lag issue was being discussed. If I remember correctly it may be possible to get 5.1 to pass through a cable card. It will not pass through HDMI. HDMI is a two way connection. The HDMI source will see the TV as PCM (2 channel stereo) and will not send the 5.1 signal.

Yes, I don't have a HDMI reciever.
I got the 5.1 via optical out.
Sorry for the confusion.

Hi All,

I own a HLS-6188w. I've just finished programming my universal remote (its the one that came with my Marantz sr7400 receiver). It "learned" all the functions I routinely use on the HLS-6188w remote.

However, one problem I've run into is that there is no direct button to go to the DVD HDMI1 source, or STB HDMI2 source, etc. There is a source button the HLS-6188w remote, but it just cycles through each input. I programmed that into the universal remote, but it's still a pain IMO, because you have to click DVD on the A/V receiver, and then keep click ing the "SOURCE" button on the until it gets tot he DVD source. Its these little things that make teaching my SO how to watch DVD's a pain in the you know what!

If anyone has found a solution to this, please let me know. Preferably the solution will not include goign out and spending $200 on a new remote. I'd really like to continue using the one I have now.

Thanks!

-Bill

There's no way around it that I know of except to get an A/V receiver that accepts all your different inputs (HDMI, Component, etc) and use it for switching sources. That's the most obvious solution, plugging everything into your A/V receiver and having only one cable (HDMI) running to the tv.

They didn't have HDMI switching at the time when I bought my Harman Kardon so I just live with it. I have not checked recently but I'm sure there are plenty that do now. Plus, most new A/V amps have adequate audio delay to eliminate Samsungs lip-synch problems. My HK has only 80ms delay, but the only time I notice it anymore is when they're showing a drummer in a band. Otherwise, it doesn't bother me.

Hi all Happy Holidys.Been awhile since I posted,but keep up on the readings.Had my 5688 calibrated a few weeks ago by David Abrams.He was worth the price for just showing up with all his knowledge.To me the set being calibrated was a bonus lol.
The TV has 6841 lamp hours and still going strong.I've had the TV since end Aug. 2005. Never thought a calibration could improve the picture,but it did. Got rid alot of the clay faces I was seeing. Alot of people I know bought 2006 plasmas and LCDs and they still dont compare to this display.
David was very professional and knowledgeable. I recommend if you have the funds get a calibration.
Want to say thanks to bvcp and others for keeping this forum alive.

I would love to get mine calibrated, but Eliab/Abrams don't have any tours in my neck of the woods (Louisiana), and he can't even recommend anyone in this area:(

Hey Eliab, ever thought about coming to New Orleans for Mardi Gras (hint, hint)?;)

Hi All,

I own a HLS-6188w. I've just finished programming my universal remote (its the one that came with my Marantz sr7400 receiver). It "learned" all the functions I routinely use on the HLS-6188w remote.

However, one problem I've run into is that there is no direct button to go to the DVD HDMI1 source, or STB HDMI2 source, etc. There is a source button the HLS-6188w remote, but it just cycles through each input. I programmed that into the universal remote, but it's still a pain IMO, because you have to click DVD on the A/V receiver, and then keep click ing the "SOURCE" button on the until it gets tot he DVD source. Its these little things that make teaching my SO how to watch DVD's a pain in the you know what!

If anyone has found a solution to this, please let me know. Preferably the solution will not include goign out and spending $200 on a new remote. I'd really like to continue using the one I have now.

Thanks!

-Bill

You might check on the HL-S forum here at AVS... but if it's like last year's HL-R, it probably has discrete input codes that can be programmed into high-end remote controls (such as RTI and numerous others). If your remote doesn't support that, but if you know someone who has such a device, then (s)he could insert the codes into their remote, and you could learn yours from that. Many such codes are available at www.remotecentral.com. If this looks promising, I'd be happy to post the HL-R hexadecimal codes here.

Samsung also supports fairly complete discrete controls on the RS-232 input... but that would involve either additional equipment... or some software on a PC that you might already have nearby. Just a thought.

There's no way around it that I know of except to get an A/V receiver that accepts all your different inputs (HDMI, Component, etc) and use it for switching sources. That's the most obvious solution, plugging everything into your A/V receiver and having only one cable (HDMI) running to the tv.

They didn't have HDMI switching at the time when I bought my Harman Kardon so I just live with it. I have not checked recently but I'm sure there are plenty that do now. Plus, most new A/V amps have adequate audio delay to eliminate Samsungs lip-synch problems. My HK has only 80ms delay, but the only time I notice it anymore is when they're showing a drummer in a band. Otherwise, it doesn't bother me.

Its funny.. I purchased my Marantz specifically for that reason because it has component switching. I knew hdmi would be the next big thing,but there weren't any decent receivers at the time that performed HDMI switching. Fast forward 2 years and I'm behind the curve again. Just about all my components use HDMI now. So wrather than upgrade to an HDMI-switching capable receiver (i acutally love this marantz), I'm trying to find a work-around for this annoying remote issue.

I did just find the discrete IR codes for these functions but they're contained in a .ccf file. I imported the .ccf file to this remote control software for Marantz's more advanced lineup of remotes. But unfortuantely I can not plug in my existing remote (RC1400) into my PC to download these codes. Maybe I"ll just go pick up an advanced harmony, download the codes, "learn" them on my existing remote, and then return the Harmony :)

Hi everybody,

First I owe it to this forum and particularly this thread for the choice of TV I bought. I bought the HL-R6178 about a year ago and am still saying, “What a great picture”. It was a good decision. now that I am at a 1 year with this tv a few things are starting to show up and I wanted to get a little help and see if anybody else is seeing the same thing.

1) The lip sync is still annoying. When I first got the tv, I searched these forums for answers and the only thing I could find was that I needed to buy a different receiver that could slow down the voice. So I was “forced” to buy a Pioneer Elite VSX74. I slowed the sound down the maximum and it was still off just a bit so I spent the past year living with it. A couple weeks ago I decided that now that more people have this TV and it has some use maybe somebody or Samsung has fixed the problem. So I searched this forum and didn’t really find anything new. I called Samsung anyways and explained the tv was a great tv and but I should not have to live with a lip syncing problem. They agreed and dispatched a TV repair guy. He showed up yesterday and decided it was good enough, he could not really see a problem or that it was minor. He did see it very clearly on some channels And so concluded that the problem was probably the signal. I disagreed with him that there was problem on all channels but some more distinct than others and said there was a problem. We didn’t agree or get along after that. As he was leaving he said he would look into the DLP tv’s and see what he could learn because he didn’t have much knowledge on them and then get back to me. I don’t have a lot of faith. The lip sync is bearable but for a tv of this quality I expect it to be better, and not have to rely on more equipment to slow the voice down further. I believe the processor undersized should be upgraded by Samsung. I will live with it until it gets figured out.

2) While I was reading through this forum looking for answers about the lip sync I found a number of you start to mention a dark shadow on the left side of the screen. Curious I checked my screen and did not have the shadow when I called Samsung about the Lip sync issue. WHEW! So last night I go to watch tv and I see the shadow. CRAP! I know the repair guy didn’t do anything because his plan was just to pick the tv up and take it back to his shop. It is just a coincidence. This morning I called Samsung, Told them the repair guy they sent out would not work for me do they have another. I also said that coincidently a shadow has just showed up on my screen that is about 1” at the bottom. I told them it looks like the Light Engine is starting to fail (Thank you all for the info and pre-diagnosis) She said hang on… couple minutes later she came back and said she had found a repair shop that would come out to my house and repair the Lip Sync and the failing Light Engine. That was easy. I have the repair shop coming next week.

So now that I am hyper alert to anything on the screen a few things have been happening for a while I just ignored them or used work arounds. Anybody else have any of these?
1) When I turn the receiver, then tv on sometimes the color on the screen is purple. If I switch the receiver to another input or power cycle then back to the DVR it corrects the Color problem. I use the HDMI cable to connect the Reciever to the TV.
2) When My son and I play games using his Gamecube during the game the screen will just go black for about 2 seconds then back on. Only does it once or twice during a 2 hour gaming session. Use the Component plugs.
3) If we turn the tv off manually by pushing the big button on the front it can be difficult to get the tv to turn back on next time pushing the big button on the front. I always use the remotes but the little ones and my wife tend to push to turn it off and on. When I use the remote to turn off no big deal but using the button sometimes takes some work to get it to turn back on.

The repair guy said I should not turn the tv off then back on with out waiting 10 minutes for the bulb to cool down. I never heard this is that true?

I am not sure if these things are the TV, the receiver or the Tivo or some combination of them all I just was curious if anybody else also had the problem. Again I really like this tv but now that I am hyper looking some of the quirks are starting to bug me and I want to know if it is just me or do others also see some of these things.

1. I don't know of anyone that has had the lip-sync issue solved by samsung. I had horrible lip-sync with my OPPO DVD player, but the player itself had an internal 100ms delay that pretty much fixed the problem. I've since gotten a new player and I don't have an issue with lip sync, but I'm guessing some people are more sensitive to it than others.

2. Unrepaired, the shadow will get worse. If you're lucky, the repair guy will bring a LE with him. In any event, your factory warranty (if applicable) is for "in home" service. When I had my LE replaced, the guy brought the LE with him and was gone in 1/2 hour with a repair "well done".

3. The advice on power cycling the lamp is correct. Don't do it unnecessarily.

4. The remaining issue may be one with the input board. Many have also had this replaced as well.

Hi All,

I own a HLS-6188w. I've just finished programming my universal remote (its the one that came with my Marantz sr7400 receiver). It "learned" all the functions I routinely use on the HLS-6188w remote.

However, one problem I've run into is that there is no direct button to go to the DVD HDMI1 source, or STB HDMI2 source, etc. There is a source button the HLS-6188w remote, but it just cycles through each input. I programmed that into the universal remote, but it's still a pain IMO, because you have to click DVD on the A/V receiver, and then keep click ing the "SOURCE" button on the until it gets tot he DVD source. Its these little things that make teaching my SO how to watch DVD's a pain in the you know what!

If anyone has found a solution to this, please let me know. Preferably the solution will not include goign out and spending $200 on a new remote. I'd really like to continue using the one I have now.

There are discrete input codes. I don't know what they are, but my Harmony 880 will pick the input it desires directly.

EDIT: sorry already answered

Oldno7, this seems to be the newest issue. The vertical stripe/shadow on the left side was common, however the shadow or stripe is normally much wider, like duct tape at the widest part and then gets narrower as though you tore off a piece of duct tape from the roll. That issue doesn't go away and a LE fixes it.

This new issue seems to have a much narrower stripe or shadow, like Scotch tape, which also gets smaller like tearing it from the roll. This does seem to disappear without a service call and some have reported that is reappears. No one has determined the cause, that is what part is causing the shadow and in this case what makes it move? Since its in the light path a LE would fix it.


Thanks bvcp for the detail info on the nature of the shadow. One is opaque the other is transparent. My LE was recently replaced (It had failed completely) and now after several hundred hours on the new LE the dreaded transparent 1/2" shadow has appreared. I hate to have another LE replacement since David Abrams calibrated the set several weeks ago!!! There must be a way to correct this without replacing the whole LE. I'm still in warranty, but I hate repairs. Although the last repair was very satisfactory. While the tech was there replacing the LE I asked what he knew about the shadow problem others have reported here. He said he has fixed them before by either bending or re-gluing the dmd clips or something like that. I'm not sure I want him back to try that fix! This has to be the biggest problem Samsung has with this set. If it doesn't grow beyond the present 1/2" I might be inclined to live with it. Any suggestions?

Thanks bvcp for the detail info on the nature of the shadow. One is opaque the other is transparent. My LE was recently replaced (It had failed completely) and now after several hundred hours on the new LE the dreaded transparent 1/2" shadow has appreared. I hate to have another LE replacement since David Abrams calibrated the set several weeks ago!!! There must be a way to correct this without replacing the whole LE. I'm still in warranty, but I hate repairs. Although the last repair was very satisfactory. While the tech was there replacing the LE I asked what he knew about the shadow problem others have reported here. He said he has fixed them before by either bending or re-gluing the dmd clips or something like that. I'm not sure I want him back to try that fix! This has to be the biggest problem Samsung has with this set. If it doesn't grow beyond the present 1/2" I might be inclined to live with it. Any suggestions?

I'd be inclined to let him try and fix it but that's just me. :D One thing you may want to consider is to wait until David has another tour scheduled in your area. Do the fix or replace the LE then. I'm pretty sure David would only charge you a recalibration fee which is quite a bit less than a first time calibration.

Halco, I'd only have "someone" "fix" the set when it is completely out of any warranty, period and if that was the case I'd feel better fixing it myself. lol. The service centers are not authorized to fix anything, only replace. I don't think the service center wants that liability and they wouldn't back a tech who did that.

I think you should get a new LE and a recalibration. It does suck though. lol. It is so ridiculous. I think Jameskollar is right about the fees from what I've heard here. The LE issue is probably the only reason not to get a calibration which is ridiculous.

Yep, you are right. If it were out of warranty I would fix it myself. I have two years left on my extended warranty from Tweeter. So, I could let it ride for a while. I would guess that this problem could be fixed easily by a good tech without replacing the LE. As for their service center repairmen, they only do replacements under warranty. However, the tech said he usually does a more involved repair if out of warranty.

I had the shadow problem on my 6168. I called Samsung service and they took my info and the called the repair facility while I was on the phone. We scheduled a service call under warranty for 1.5 days later. It was 13 months since I had the set but since I registered my set with Samsung, they extended the warranty three months.

The service tech, Paul, took a look at the picture and then went out to the truck to get a new light engine. Took him about 5 minutes to replace it. He then called up some test patterns to check index and other settings and was done in about 30 minutes total.

The set works fine now. Samsung was on the ball and the service guy knew what he was doing.

I own a Samsung HLR5688W (supports 1080p). Bought the xbox hd dvd addon with MS VGA connectors, and I also updated my 360. However, using components, the TV will not accept the 1080p setting (weak or no signal); using VGA, the picture quality is at best equal to about the 480p at the 1920 x 1080 setting (other settings using the VGA are also poor).

Some say use cheaper vga cables, other say use more expensive cables.

Any thoughts.

Linuspatent, you're right, the set only accepts 1080P via VGA. You're also right about checking the cables but people here have similar results with the "right" cable. Some say the color and what not is better on component? You might hit Info to be sure you're getting 1080P on VGA?

linuspatent,
You didn’t mention calibrating the VGA input. I found that setting contrast at 100 and brightness at about 33 was not perfect but it gave me the best picture with VGA.

vandu,
I did manually calibrate the VGA input - no real difference. Cheap VGA cables cost around $10 and the more expensive one costs around $59. I wonder if I should just wait unit MS comes out with the HDMI connectors.

I own a Samsung HLR5688W (supports 1080p). Bought the xbox hd dvd addon with MS VGA connectors, and I also updated my 360. However, using components, the TV will not accept the 1080p setting (weak or no signal); using VGA, the picture quality is at best equal to about the 480p at the 1920 x 1080 setting (other settings using the VGA are also poor).

Some say use cheaper vga cables, other say use more expensive cables.

Any thoughts.

As far as the VGA cable goes, there is only one that fits the xbox, so you don't have too much of a choice about the quality of it.

linuspatent,
HDMI may work for movies but you will experience lag in games. The VGA input is the only input that bypasses the HLR video processing. VGA lag is minor compared to component or HDMI.

I bought a Sammy 6168 through the AVS Power Buy / TVAuthority.

A month back, I purchased a Tosh HD-DVD and found that the HDMI on the Sammy is NOT compatable with newer HDMI devices. Even tried a Sony 75. No luck. Both dvd players work on the 42 plasma upstairs - a newer HP.

Called TVAuthority, lot of help these guys were. You pay a PREMIUM for supposedly great customer service, and they couldn't even give me the correct number to call for Samsung. Nor did they even offer to help me.

And of course, I find out about the manufacturing defect - and yes, if it doesn't work, it's a defect - a week after the warranty expires. Granted, I paid by Amex so I get the additional warranty, but this is a defect and Samsung only agreed to "extend my warranty" after I threatened to call the State office of Consumer Affairs.

Sammy finally refered it out to Paul's TV in the valley (Los Angeles). The guy came out, looked at the Tosh hdmi error, plugged in his own dvd (which gave snow) and commented "Wow, never seen this before".

Paul's was supposed to call me last Tuesday - a week ago - with an update. No call. I called Sammy again (my 5th call about this), they said the lady from Paul's was supposed to call me back that day. NO CALL YET. NO UPDATE YET.

I am sick and tired of having a house full of broken technology - like the Audio Authority 1154 that didn't work. They finally replaced it with a replacement that also did NOT work. I bought a Zektor. The damn thing won't program. And I did rtfm thank you.

I could blather on about how much crap I've bought that ticks me off. But I won't bore you.

Has anyone else had an HDMI issue with their Sammy 1080p set, or am I one of those poor unfortunate geeks who gets stuck with crap all the time?

Thanks
Dave

I bought a Sammy 6168 through the AVS Power Buy / TVAuthority.

A month back, I purchased a Tosh HD-DVD and found that the HDMI on the Sammy is NOT compatable with newer HDMI devices. Even tried a Sony 75. No luck. Both dvd players work on the 42 plasma upstairs - a newer HP.

Called TVAuthority, lot of help these guys were. You pay a PREMIUM for supposedly great customer service, and they couldn't even give me the correct number to call for Samsung. Nor did they even offer to help me.

And of course, I find out about the manufacturing defect - and yes, if it doesn't work, it's a defect - a week after the warranty expires. Granted, I paid by Amex so I get the additional warranty, but this is a defect and Samsung only agreed to "extend my warranty" after I threatened to call the State office of Consumer Affairs.

Sammy finally refered it out to Paul's TV in the valley (Los Angeles). The guy came out, looked at the Tosh hdmi error, plugged in his own dvd (which gave snow) and commented "Wow, never seen this before".

Paul's was supposed to call me last Tuesday - a week ago - with an update. No call. I called Sammy again (my 5th call about this), they said the lady from Paul's was supposed to call me back that day. NO CALL YET. NO UPDATE YET.

I am sick and tired of having a house full of broken technology - like the Audio Authority 1154 that didn't work. They finally replaced it with a replacement that also did NOT work. I bought a Zektor. The damn thing won't program. And I did rtfm thank you.

I could blather on about how much crap I've bought that ticks me off. But I won't bore you.

Has anyone else had an HDMI issue with their Sammy 1080p set, or am I one of those poor unfortunate geeks who gets stuck with crap all the time?

Thanks
Dave

I assume you have an HLR 6168. The HDMI inputs should work just fine with the Tosh HD-DVD (I have the A1 connected to a HLR 5078). I did have a bad digital module that prevented handshaking on the my set. It was easily fixed by replacing the digital module and has worked fine ever since. I also had a bad HDMI cable that I replaced with a cheaper cable.

(I'm embarrased by this, but I paid over $100 for my Monster brand 6' cable. And to make it worse it was broken!)

There is also the chance you have a bad Tosh but I would bet that it's the digital module with my second guess it being the cable. If it is the digital module, it is easily replaced in home, takes less than 10 minutes. There are some settings to be made in the service menu that some techs don't know about and can easily be done by you. If you want more help on what to ask for when replacing a digital module, post back here.

Dave69, I think Jameskollar nailed it, again. One thing, which I don't know since I don't have it is if there is a setting on the DVD since the Samsung is 1080i, not p?

Has anyone else had an HDMI issue with their Sammy 1080p set, or am I one of those poor unfortunate geeks who gets stuck with crap all the time?


The HDMI inputs on my HLR5668W failed during the 3-month warranty extension period (the TV stopped sending a proper HDCP "handshake"). Samsung replaced the digital board. The analog board also failed during the same period and was also replaced, as was the LE. Almost a new TV after all that.

Linuspatent, I thought the VGA cable might be a trick question. lol. I don't have a 360 but when I started looking into the 360 for some questions here I discovered that. I thought something had changed? lol.

Isn't the lag reduced now that there isn't 1080p scaling?

I have the 6168 with the Tosh HD via HDMI and the Xbox360 HD DVD via VGA.
Everything works great.

I have the 6168 with the Tosh HD via HDMI and the Xbox360 HD DVD via VGA.
Everything works great.
Same here!

I have the 6168 with the Tosh HD via HDMI and the Xbox360 HD DVD via VGA.
Everything works great.

And so do the movies look the same from either source?

And so do the movies look the same from either source?

I think movies look better on the Xbox360 due to the 1080p and non DNei on the VGA input.
You have less tweaking on the VGA input, some might not like that.

The Tosh looks great on HDMI but I need to hack into the service menu to turn off DNEi, it also seems much darker.

Tosh is my primary player because of the lossless audio option.

All my opinion, of course. ;)

I think movies look better on the Xbox360 due to the 1080p and non DNei on the VGA input.
You have less tweaking on the VGA input, some might not like that.

The Tosh looks great on HDMI but I need to hack into the service menu to turn off DNEi, it also seems much darker.

Tosh is my primary player because of the lossless audio option.

All my opinion, of course. ;)

I turned the DNIe off in mine and it looked too bland and washed out. Now if you have it calibrated the tech will turn it off as part of the calibration, but otherwise you're probably not going to like it without the calibration.

I turned the DNIe off in mine and it looked too bland and washed out. Now if you have it calibrated the tech will turn it off as part of the calibration, but otherwise you're probably not going to like it without the calibration.

Actually, I don't agree. Turning DNIE off defnitely improved my picture and whats more, fixed the major pixelation I was noticing on fast moving scenes like those in CSI, NY.

I have an HLR 6168 and am trying to use it as a monitor for my laptop using the VGA port. At any resolution, the text is blurry and looks out of focus. I have been watching movies at 1080p for a while and haven't noticed this blurriness on movies.

Does anyone know what could be going on and how to fix it? I tried searching this thread - kinda recall having heard such a conversation happening before - but couldn't find anything to help....

Many thanks.

Hello! I posted this in Xbox forum, but wanted to post it here as well. Any help is appreciated!

Hello! If I am posting in the wrong section, please let me know and I'll move my post.

We have a 67" Samsung DLP hooked up with Xbox 360. The tv has progressively taken longer and longer to turn on and when it does the picture is "frozen". This can sometimes take up to 20 mins to correct itself. It is under warranty, we call. They come out & look at it, declare it is the lamp. He installs the lamp today, but also tells me that Samsungs are horrible TVs and that the Xbox is causing our problem. I just spoke with him and he says he suspects that it may be a LVDS cable or board, but Samsung has relayed to us to use the TV for a week and see if it is corrected, if not, call them back. Okay. So. Is this true about the Xbox? Should we not have it hooked up to the Samsung and is it the cause of our tv freezing up. Thanks in advance and I apologize if I posted in the wrong forum!

Originally Posted by dave69
Has anyone else had an HDMI issue with their Sammy 1080p set, or am I one of those poor unfortunate geeks who gets stuck with crap all the time?

The HDMI inputs on my HLR5668W failed during the 3-month warranty extension period (the TV stopped sending a proper HDCP "handshake"). Samsung replaced the digital board. The analog board also failed during the same period and was also replaced, as was the LE. Almost a new TV after all that.

This just happened to me so I called samsung. Spoke to Livia she said it was the cable box that wasn't descrambling the HDCP source and that I needed a new cable box. She has put the burdon of proof on me. She said there is no way it's the TV.

Did either of you see any messages on your screen?

Hey guys I have the HL-R6768W and the left hand shadow popped up about two weeks ago, it started at about an inch, now its about 7"! We got the set from Magnolia in Best Buy, along with the 4 year plan, they are comming out this Monday to look at it, does this consistantly happen even after they put in new Light Engines? I hope so, becuase if we have the same problem 3 times they will give us the new Samsung 67" 1080p.

Wish_i_had_hdtv, the PC is definitely "softer" and I don't think there is much you can do about it? You could increase the font size without changing the res. but I don't think that affects the overall picture, it just makes the text a little larger.

Stellium, that's a lot of BS, I don't know where to start. lol. Are you saying the set doesn't work at all? That's not what you said or should I say you didn't mention, I mean without the 360? If the set works then the lamp is fine. If you have a picture or the set is not black, as though the set is off then the lamp is fine. The lamp could even be fine and it could be the ballast or the power supply. How's that for starters? lol.

If the picture freezes and it freezes on other inputs like cable or DVD then it is most likely the DMD, again, not the lamp or the 360. Sorry but I don't know what a LVDS cable is, but knowing how it is most likely everything but an LVDS cable I find it unlikely to be that. It could be the digital board though. It depends on what happens when using the set without the 360.

With the delay in turning on and freezing I'd say its the DMD and that anything else is a coincidence and not a cause. You might keep the set on longer if you don't already notice the freezing on other inputs.

Make sure they don't remove the set from your house no matter what happens. Period.

Ssuing8825, this a new, known issue with the cable STBs, I think most likely with Comsucks. lol. If you have them and you noticed how their Guide and other menus have changed recently then that is the cause. They updated the firmware to different parts of the US at different times and there is a glitch with it. They are aware of it but I don't see anything being done about it besides switching to satellite. lol.

If you cycle through your inputs and it works after cycling through then that is the cause. If you're still having problems or don't have cable then its probably the digital board.

Alaskan_4x4, it is a common issue but most people have it resolved as long as their replacement LE has been updated. It seems very few people here got LEs that weren't yet updated, which caused the shadow to return. I think only one person here was able to get a replacement so I wouldn't count on it. If you could you'd have to take a number and right now they are serving number one. lol.

This just happened to me so I called samsung. Spoke to Livia she said it was the cable box that wasn't descrambling the HDCP source and that I needed a new cable box. She has put the burdon of proof on me. She said there is no way it's the TV.

Did either of you see any messages on your screen?

When it happened to me, I saw a HDCP error screen, but very infrequently. If I remember right, I would sometimes get a picture only to have the screen go blank after a few seconds. If this is what is happening to you, then you most likely have a bad digital board.

Aside to BVCP: Hi!

I'm curious. Here in the Northwest we have the Microsoft software on our Comcast STBs. I have seen no reported problems with HDMI in my area. Do you know the firmware/software/hardware version that is causing problems? I know that some in the NW have asked to have the firmware version on their 3412s rolled back to fix a random reboot problem that cropped up in the latest firmware version.

If I know what to look for, if I lose HDMI on my cable box it can save me some time trouble shooting. If you don't know, that's cool!

Take care.

Jim

Actually, I don't agree. Turning DNIE off defnitely improved my picture and whats more, fixed the major pixelation I was noticing on fast moving scenes like those in CSI, NY.

Maybe it depends on the model, but mine definitely looks better with it. Of course, it doesn't cost anything but time to try it on your own set.

I just hope Eliab will have mercy on me and visit the South sometime soon so he can calibrate mine (lol). It looks good now, but I'm sure he could make it better.

Jameskollar, I don't have the specifics as far as version numbers and what not. I know that the menus, Guide, DVR and other stuff changed with the FW. If your user interface changed then so did the FW. That is when you'll know. For me I first noticed it not working before I realized it happened when the interface changed. I guess I'm a little slow. lol.

The picture you see will be a grey snow like screen and as soon as you cycle through and back to HDMI everything is fine and that is why its not the set but the FW or STB or cable co. If HDMI stopped working all together then it is the digital board.

When my top notch service center explained to me how it was Comsucks I knew I'd be going in circles. They were a little defensive and I didn't take that too well since I was trying to explain to them how I know the ins and out of the set, which most people don't. it was more like don't waste his time since he's already heard from too many people complaining about it.

My problem was that Comsucks must not have that many people complaining about it and if that was because not that many have HDMI or was it because of the way the set works with HDMI? The more I looked into it the more I realized that Comsucks is well aware of it and it started as soon as the FW was first introduced. That made me just flip! I was furious since they haven't done anything about it.

I tried to get in touch with someone aware of the issue locally and see what the status was on fixing it? The local rep was familiar with it and said he got a few calls. I asked how many was a few and he didn't want to say. I asked a few like ten or one hundred? That got me really pissed since the rep. I thought was being honest with me, wasn't. I then asked for Comsucks HQ address and he couldn't find it. I tried to stay calm. I asked how it was possible that he didn't know it or know where to find it? I realized I was being jerked around and got really aggravated. He then suggested I fill out a form online which I know no one reads! You wonder why I call them Comsucks? lol.

bvcp,

Kinda wierd, but tonight, for the very first time since I switched to HDMI (been running it for 4 months now without problems) I could not get a picture from my 6412! I discovered this after I made my previous post. I jiggled the connectors, switched inputs, tried my HD DVD player in the other input, everything was ok with the TV but the 6412 would not send a signal via HDMI to my TV.

I finally power cycled the 6412 and lo and behold I got back my HDMI signal. All's back to normal now. Totally wierd and what a strange conicidence it occured right after your post about HDMI issues and Comcast.

Do us all a favor, don't make anymore posts about HDMI and Comcast. It must be you who caused the whole problem. ;) :D ;) :D

Its funny.. I purchased my Marantz specifically for that reason because it has component switching. I knew hdmi would be the next big thing,but there weren't any decent receivers at the time that performed HDMI switching. Fast forward 2 years and I'm behind the curve again. Just about all my components use HDMI now. So wrather than upgrade to an HDMI-switching capable receiver (i acutally love this marantz), I'm trying to find a work-around for this annoying remote issue.

I did just find the discrete IR codes for these functions but they're contained in a .ccf file. I imported the .ccf file to this remote control software for Marantz's more advanced lineup of remotes. But unfortuantely I can not plug in my existing remote (RC1400) into my PC to download these codes. Maybe I"ll just go pick up an advanced harmony, download the codes, "learn" them on my existing remote, and then return the Harmony :)


Thanks for the replies all - I did exactly this to resolve my issue. I went to my local magnolia hi-fi, picked up a Phillips "Pronto" TSU7500. Went home, downloaded the a .pcf config file from remote central with the samsung discrete codes, downloaded it to the pronto, then "learned" the discrete codes on my marantz remote from the pronto :) Lastly, proceeded to return the Pronto. Thought it was a damn cool remote. A tad bulky, but a 9/10 on the "cool" factor!

EDIT: Sorry, wrong forum... Please ignore...

Jameskollar, this is so ridiculous, I feel your pain. lol. I'm ten minutes north of Boston and I think they got their FW update first. I think I got mine about a month ago. Do you have the same "snow?" I expected to get a blue screen if there was an issue with the STB. That's why I called and was skeptical with the service center that the cause was definitely the STB. As soon as satellite realizes people might have two HDTVs I'm gone.

Another unsatisfied Comsucks customer, way ta go! lol. I was considering getting a credit until they fix it since that is probably the only way they would address it. I don't have time right now but it must be just about every HDMI customer they have who is looking for some sort of credit or fix. I can only imagine how many more happy customers they'll have after Christmas. The thing that really bothers me is how the FW wasn't tested and after all of the complaints this year across the US they continue to implement it. Someone dropped the ball, no one is paying attention and we continue to pay. Wtf. lol.

Stellium, that's a lot of BS, I don't know where to start. lol. Are you saying the set doesn't work at all? That's not what you said or should I say you didn't mention, I mean without the 360? If the set works then the lamp is fine. If you have a picture or the set is not black, as though the set is off then the lamp is fine. The lamp could even be fine and it could be the ballast or the power supply. How's that for starters? lol.

If the picture freezes and it freezes on other inputs like cable or DVD then it is most likely the DMD, again, not the lamp or the 360. Sorry but I don't know what a LVDS cable is, but knowing how it is most likely everything but an LVDS cable I find it unlikely to be that. It could be the digital board though. It depends on what happens when using the set without the 360.

With the delay in turning on and freezing I'd say its the DMD and that anything else is a coincidence and not a cause. You might keep the set on longer if you don't already notice the freezing on other inputs.

Make sure they don't remove the set from your house no matter what happens. Period.

Hello and thanks for your reply! The TV works fine, it is just VERY slow to turn on...sometimes up to 20 minutes. When the pic does come on, it will sometimes be "frozen" in place, know what I mean? It works fine after it "warms up", so to speak. No problems with DVDs or the Xbox, my husband is playing the Xbox as I type!

Hello and thanks for your reply! The TV works fine, it is just VERY slow to turn on...sometimes up to 20 minutes. When the pic does come on, it will sometimes be "frozen" in place, know what I mean? It works fine after it "warms up", so to speak. No problems with DVDs or the Xbox, my husband is playing the Xbox as I type!

That's ridiculous about the Xbox causing the problem, esp since Samsung was the 'Official TV of the Xbox 360' when Microsoft launched the Xbox last year.

Definitely call Samsung back as there is no excuse for a 20 minute warmup. Don't be rude, but firm, as this is unacceptable. Maybe you should mention that you would like them to send someone else to take a look at it since the last crew is looking for excuses instead of repairs. They also might want to know that their contract repairmen think "Samsung tvs are horrible."

Hello and thanks for your reply! The TV works fine, it is just VERY slow to turn on...sometimes up to 20 minutes. When the pic does come on, it will sometimes be "frozen" in place, know what I mean? It works fine after it "warms up", so to speak. No problems with DVDs or the Xbox, my husband is playing the Xbox as I type!

I had the same problem with my 6768. I lived with it for almost a year, since it always came on, eventually. They replaced the Light engine. You need the same fix.

I am in the same boat as many of you with regard to getting samsung and/or repair centers authorized by them to honor warranty repairs/replacements.

I have been going around with them for over a month, the repair center claims there is nothing wrong with the set, samsung states that i need to request to have it repaired with the repair center, i call them they flat out refuse to repair it, rinse, repeat ad nauseum.

I finally have had enough, so I started to look to see how many are in the same type of boat. And from what it looks like there are many.

the problem is we are all dealing with the GIANT on our own, with little success.

I for one think we should become one voice, a GIANT, to get what is right. I am not saying that replacements/updgrades are the only acceptable outcome. I for one dont care what is done just as long as my unit is in proper working order at the conclusion.

So I propose banding togather in looking into brining this to samsung in the form of a class action suit for breach of warranty citing practices and product defect.

If you are interested in banding together on this as well send me a PM.

Regards,

d:

That's ridiculous about the Xbox causing the problem, esp since Samsung was the 'Official TV of the Xbox 360' when Microsoft launched the Xbox last year.

Definitely call Samsung back as there is no excuse for a 20 minute warmup. Don't be rude, but firm, as this is unacceptable. Maybe you should mention that you would like them to send someone else to take a look at it since the last crew is looking for excuses instead of repairs. They also might want to know that their contract repairmen think "Samsung tvs are horrible."

Thank you so much, all of you! This was our thoughts exactly. It didn't make sense that it was the Xbox and I have read very good reviews on the Samsung. My husband has been furious, especially about the comments. I will be calling them tomorrow, I will let you all know how it works out. Again, thanks so very much, y'all have been a GREAT help! :D

When you consider the modular design of just 3 main circuit boards that can be easily replaced, it seems ridiculous that it's such a big deal to repair our tvs.

There's the:
1- Power board
2-Analog/Digital board
3-Light Engine

Each can be removed/replaced fairly easily. Then, if it corrects the problem, all they have to do is send the defective board back to Samsung. That's it.

I suppose the real trick is to figure out which of the three to replace. Samsung should be putting together some sort of database of troubleshooting to assist the techs in the field to pinpoint which board causes which problems.

Alaskan_4x4, it is a common issue but most people have it resolved as long as their replacement LE has been updated. It seems very few people here got LEs that weren't yet updated, which caused the shadow to return. I think only one person here was able to get a replacement so I wouldn't count on it. If you could you'd have to take a number and right now they are serving number one. lol.

The replacement would be through Best Buy as we got the 4 year full protection plan, thank god (it also includes a free bulb replacement). Best Buy seems to be pretty customer freindly and I am sure it would not be to hard to get a replacement from them.

Like the title says, please don't hate me. I just got my first hdtv. HL-R5688w. I have been reading this and many other threads since august. I have after much research decided that I could not live without this pedestal tv. It is in and I love it.

I am wondering many things that I cannot figure out from just simple reading.
Lets start out with what I am using.

I have DirecTv, no hd, connected with coax.
Xbox used for halo2, not 360, composite (red white yellow is composite, right?)
also Svideo for xbox looks funny, too sharp, like an overly sharpened photo.
Old DVD player with composite (looks much better than satellite though)

My picture on DirecTv has glowing edges on the 4:3 mode. Is that normal. It is very evident when it is black screen. I have bleed over for color. I can see it evidently on cartoons like futurama and family guy with sharp black edges.

My Xbox has lag, not as much since I put it into game mode, but still a too much. Also my sub is having audio lag too. i really want it to be lag free, or at least a little less.

I have already gone into the service menu and DNIe was off for both satellite and my game mode av1 and Svideo1, so I don't see how DNIe off will help my game lag. The lag is just very little, but as an avid Halo2 player, I can tell that when I say "move" it takes a little bit extra to do so.

I want a few things, the lag to stop on my Halo2 playing, the bleed over to stop on my sd satellite signal, and the glowing edges to stop. I am free to provide any other information you may need. If you have suggestions that I should upgrade to HD DirecTv, that can't happen, and my box doesn't have component out. I also don't have a xbox 360. My DVD player doesn't have component out either.

If there is anything I can do to improve the picture with my current arrangement, please let me know. Either settings in the menu or in the service menu. I am using movie mode right now, and since I have seen that DNIe is already turned off (why?) I don't know what else to change. My gamma is at 2 but I didn't see any difference changing it to 0.

Please help me out if you can. I am young, so I don't have a lot of experience in this.

Thank you very much,

Jay

{puts flame suit on}

triple post, oops

triple post, oops

late night posting is slow and I got impatient

foney_email,
You can reduce the game lag significantly by using a VGA cable with your Xbox. I’ve found Halo2 to be nearly unplayable using a component cable.
For your audio problem (video lag) I recommend a Felston audio delay box. http://www.felston.com/ A second option would be to purchase an AVR with an audio delay feature.

Like the title says, please don't hate me. I just got my first hdtv. HL-R5688w. I have been reading this and many other threads since august. I have after much research decided that I could not live without this pedestal tv. It is in and I love it.

I am wondering many things that I cannot figure out from just simple reading.
Lets start out with what I am using.

I have DirecTv, no hd, connected with coax.
Xbox used for halo2, not 360, composite (red white yellow is composite, right?)
also Svideo for xbox looks funny, too sharp, like an overly sharpened photo.
Old DVD player with composite (looks much better than satellite though)

My picture on DirecTv has glowing edges on the 4:3 mode. Is that normal. It is very evident when it is black screen. I have bleed over for color. I can see it evidently on cartoons like futurama and family guy with sharp black edges.

My Xbox has lag, not as much since I put it into game mode, but still a too much. Also my sub is having audio lag too. i really want it to be lag free, or at least a little less.

I have already gone into the service menu and DNIe was off for both satellite and my game mode av1 and Svideo1, so I don't see how DNIe off will help my game lag. The lag is just very little, but as an avid Halo2 player, I can tell that when I say "move" it takes a little bit extra to do so.

I want a few things, the lag to stop on my Halo2 playing, the bleed over to stop on my sd satellite signal, and the glowing edges to stop. I am free to provide any other information you may need. If you have suggestions that I should upgrade to HD DirecTv, that can't happen, and my box doesn't have component out. I also don't have a xbox 360. My DVD player doesn't have component out either.

If there is anything I can do to improve the picture with my current arrangement, please let me know. Either settings in the menu or in the service menu. I am using movie mode right now, and since I have seen that DNIe is already turned off (why?) I don't know what else to change. My gamma is at 2 but I didn't see any difference changing it to 0.

Please help me out if you can. I am young, so I don't have a lot of experience in this.

Thank you very much,

Jay

{puts flame suit on}

OK, Lets take this a little bit at a time. I agree, your TV is a very attractive model, however, it may not have been the correct one for you. I hope you're planning to upgrade some of your components over time (soon, I hope) because you're using the worst possible connections to your TV. Hight tech TVs, like computers only exemplify the old addage, garbage in, garbage out. But, step by step let's looks at your problems.

Directv, I used my HLR6168w with my old Directv box via s-video for quite a while before I switched to a HD box. I didn't have the glowing edges you seem to have, I can only imagine that the problem may indeed be the fact you're using the RF connection. Use the s-video connection if your box has it, if not, cheap new and used boxes with s-video and component outputs are all over ebay.

XBox, The HLR series of TVs aren't known for their good gaming characteristics. There's alot of video processing going on inside the TV and it has been known that these TVs don't have the fastest processing around. At best, I think you'll find that gaming will only become acceptable and never great. Plus, you're connected via composite, which is a fairly poor choice as well.

DNIe, there is not one a single thing to turn off. A whole page of things in the service menu must be turned off. Is that what you did? If not, then DNIe is still on and may be causing some of the things you're seeing with your Directv box as well as with the Xbox.

Sub lag, be more specific about your audio setup.

DVD, Cheap DVD players are now starting to show up with HDMI connections. At minimum you should get a DVD player that can output component.

I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't upgrade both your DVD player and DirecTv boxes for less than $100- $150. Hell, I've got an old RCA DirecTv box with S-video I'll give ya for the cost of shipping. PM me.

I’ve seen a few posts in this thread regarding HDMI problems with 8300 set top boxes. I had both my 8300HDs configured to output only 1080i, which works fine with a component cable connection but not with HDMI. As an experiment I decided to try HDMI with the 8300s configured to output all resolutions. HDMI now works for both of my boxes.

Mentalengine, it sounds like you should start over. First, what is your issue, are you sure you know what needs to be replaced? The issues with the service centers is that some are not well trained and have difficulty deciding what part they believe needs to be replaced. Some prefer to take the set so they can take their time to familiarize themselves with the set and make sure they order the right part.

I think you should go over your situation again here. I don't know why there is an issue but I think you could call Samsung with a new issue, have a new service center in and mention the old issue and have them look at it. If you think you are in the zone and there isn't another service center in your area I think you should bring that up with Samsung. You need a new center for a new issue. Oh, the new issue went away, how about that? lol.

St8kout, I don't think the issue is in the replacement but the diagnosis. There are service centers who are not well trained for whatever reason, usually far from metro areas. Its no excuse but that seems to be the explanation when people here have problems. I'd imagine they don't want to order the wrong part since it could be on them. Like you said though, there are so few parts to deal with and most of the common issues require the same parts.

We could PDF a doc. to Samsung to handout to their service centers in the zone. lol. That's what bothers me is the lack of training and the going in circles. Its so simple. I almost want to say Samsung probably gave them the books, a DVD or some training info but these sets are still new to some areas that the service centers haven't bothered to study it since they haven't serviced them yet. That's my take at this point. People here have said the tech. either knows the ins and outs of the set blindfolded or has no idea where the on off switch is. Its one or the other and that's not right.

Alaskan_4x4, I'm just saying that replacing a part and replacing a set is a huge leap. lol. Why should Worst Buy/ Mag. eat the TV when it can be fixed? The set is under warranty so WB isn't eating anything. It makes for good customer service but I don't see them doing something beyond what another retailer selling these sets wouldn't do either?

Foney_email,

A couple of quick points:

The glowing edges are caused by DNIE. It's doing excessive edge enhancement which is what you'll get at the 4:3 edges. Turning DNIE off will help with this. The picture will become somewhat softer since the edge anhancement will be off. You may not like the PQ at all.

Game lag cannot be improved short of using a VGA cable. VGA is the only input that will reduce lag. There is nothing in the service menu that will help with lag in any respect. You'll either need to switch to VGA or learn to live with the lag.

Just an update re: the "shut-off" problem:

Samsung replaced the entire engine(!) indicating that the intermitent problem would probably be solved via this route.

The technician was absolutely great! He listened to me, he took his time...I think it was the best service of anything that I've ever had repaired.

He also stated that, if the problem rears its ugly head, then Samsung would continue to replace parts (jokingly indicating that I would, in effect, have a "new" set every time a change was made).

Of course, the engine replacement wipes out the calibration made by the great David Abrams, but...

The picture looks, actually, a "hair" better than before (even knowing what the calibration would do).

I have DirecTv, no hd, connected with coax.

My Xbox has lag, not as much since I put it into game mode, but still a too much. Also my sub is having audio lag too. i really want it to be lag free, or at least a little less.

I have already gone into the service menu and DNIe was off for both satellite and my game mode av1 and Svideo1, so I don't see how DNIe off will help my game lag. The lag is just very little, but as an avid Halo2 player, I can tell that when I say "move" it takes a little bit extra to do so.
{puts flame suit on}

I love my HL-R5688W too:)

Ok, first of all if you want to stay with Directv, you should call them and get a FREE upgrade to an HD box, either the H20 or HR20(dvr) (they are free if you really try; call back again and again if necessary), and pay the extra $9.99/mo for HD programming. They will be adding some 30 HD channels next summer, but it's an ok deal for now. Then get an HDMI cable to connect it to the tv, (no, it doesn't have to be an expensive Monster cable - I bought my no-name 10' cable online for about $18, works just fine).

Now if you don't want the HD upgrade, at least use component cables or s-video cable to connect to the tv. You'll also need to run audio cables for sound.

I'm afraid you're out of luck with the regular xbox as far as lag goes. What you want is the xbox 360 with the optional VGA cable for it. That's the only way around it. Sorry.

If you're going to poke around in the service menu, you really should take pictures of each screen setting and store them safely away. If you don't have a camera you should take the time to write them down first.

Now the subject of DNIe: If you're looking at the DNIe Service Menu list and over on the right side of the screen where it says, "DNIe On/Off........OFF," well, that's not it. That's just the normal screen you see there. When you exit the service menu, DNIe comes right back on. To really turn it off you have to go to that same screen and individually set to OFF the following : SNI_PROC_CEA through SNI_PROC_OUTP. There are 10 of these but 2 are already off. When they are all set to OFF then it's really off. I tried it but didn't like it, everything looked washed out and dull. But to each his own:)

I changed the gamma to 0 now, and it does look better. I had to ask my girlfriend for a second opinion.

Tyrod,

I went into the service menu, and when looking at the DNIe menu, DNIe was set to "off". I haven't read the steps for turning of DNIe in a few months, but I thought if it said off, it was off. I will look it up now. I have the sub from my 5.1 system hooked up to sub out on the tv. I didn't hook up the rest of the speakers though. After further inspection, the sub seems to be right on with what is on the screen, or at least so close I can't tell if it's off sync.

I have Svideo on my rca sat box, is it really that much better than coax or composite? If I get a different sat box with component, can I just use my current sat card, or does it have to be same brand box, or do i need to get another card activated for the new box?


vandu,

I have looked, but I don't see any vga cables for the xbox, just the 360. The cable connections don't look the same for the xbox and the 360, or do they fit both? BTW, I don't plan on buying the 360 until august when halo3 comes out.


jameskollar,

I will go back into the service menu and follow the steps to correctly turn DNIe off and see if that helps the glowing edges.


I am going shopping today. First is a wireless keyboard and mouse for my computer, so I can use my samsung as a monitor, and rid my house of the computer desk. I am going to see if there is a DVD player I like. I am also considering an hdtv antenna. I live 60 miles from any of the networks that transmit HD, so I wonder if I can even pick stations up with a powered in-home antenna. I will buy an Svideo cable for my satellite box while I'm there.

I also think I need some lighting to go behind the tv, to help with visibility without bleeding out the picture. Maybe some tracklights.

Translation: I got paid today.

I love my HL-R5688W too:)

Ok, first of all if you want to stay with Directv, you should call them and get a FREE upgrade to an HD box...

Now if you don't want the HD upgrade, at least use component cables or s-video cable to connect to the tv.

If you're going to poke around in the service menu, you really should take pictures of each screen setting and store them safely away....

Now the subject of DNIe: If you're looking at the DNIe Service Menu list and over on the right side of the screen where it says, "DNIe On/Off........OFF," well, that's not it. That's just the normal screen you see there. When you exit the service menu, DNIe comes right back on. To really turn it off you have to go to that same screen and individually set to OFF the following : SNI_PROC_CEA through SNI_PROC_OUTP. There are 10 of these but 2 are already off. When they are all set to OFF then it's really off. I tried it but didn't like it, everything looked washed out and dull. But to each his own:)



I have gotten to use my girlfriend's camera on the tv. I got her a canon 30d, and now i finally have a tv that will handle the large 20 meg raw pictures it takes. I haven't yet changed anything in the service menu, excepting the gamma to 0, so I can still take pics of each menu to prevent screwing up the tv. I didn't change the DNIe yet, but I will after I get back from shopping, thank you for the help

I can't upgrade to HD DTV, because I am told I will loose the subscription to my networks (abc, nbc, cbs) if I upgrade. Now I get east and west coast feeds, and I like having two chances to watch shows.

I will see what I can do, and I will let you guys know, Thanks very much for the help.

Jay

I used to have east and west coast feeds and absolutely loved it. Then Directv cut me off thanks to the cheap b*stard local stations who sued.

If you are allowed to get these feeds then getting the HD package should have nothing to do with them, unless of course Directv doesn't know or realize you're getting them(wink, wink) and will cut you off if you bring it to their attention.

foney_email,
When I had my old Xbox connected to my HLR I was using a component to VGA converter. You are correct. I don't believe they ever made a VGA cable.
http://xbox.about.com/od/xboxaccessories/fr/vdz3rev.htm

Tyrod,

I went into the service menu, and when looking at the DNIe menu, DNIe was set to "off". I haven't read the steps for turning of DNIe in a few months, but I thought if it said off, it was off. I will look it up now. I have the sub from my 5.1 system hooked up to sub out on the tv. I didn't hook up the rest of the speakers though. After further inspection, the sub seems to be right on with what is on the screen, or at least so close I can't tell if it's off sync.

I have Svideo on my rca sat box, is it really that much better than coax or composite? If I get a different sat box with component, can I just use my current sat card, or does it have to be same brand box, or do i need to get another card activated for the new box?

Yes, s-video is better. Most boxes come with cards, you can't swap cards because cards are married to each receiver once it's been activated.

I am going shopping today. First is a wireless keyboard and mouse for my computer, so I can use my samsung as a monitor, and rid my house of the computer desk. I am going to see if there is a DVD player I like. I am also considering an hdtv antenna. I live 60 miles from any of the networks that transmit HD, so I wonder if I can even pick stations up with a powered in-home antenna. I will buy an Svideo cable for my satellite box while I'm there.

I also think I need some lighting to go behind the tv, to help with visibility without bleeding out the picture. Maybe some tracklights.

Get a good antenna. You ought to at least pull in some stations. I use strips of LEDs as backlighting for my set. I got 'em online somewhere. I have a PC hooked up to my TV and it works fine for displaying video I have on that computer, but it doesn't make for very good computer monitor.

I can't upgrade to HD DTV, because I am told I will loose the subscription to my networks (abc, nbc, cbs) if I upgrade. Now I get east and west coast feeds, and I like having two chances to watch shows.

Everyone has their priorities. I'd rather have HD than two sets of the same feeds. If you qualify for distant locals than I can't see why they would take them away. If you get the DVR option you could always record the stuff you wanna see.

As for the xbox stuff, I'll let the folks with the fancy newfangled stuff advise ya. I'm still stuck on pong.

It does look like you're going in the right direction.

I used to have east and west coast feeds and absolutely loved it. Then Directv cut me off thanks to the cheap b*stard local stations who sued.

If you are allowed to get these feeds then getting the HD package should have nothing to do with them, unless of course Directv doesn't know or realize you're getting them(wink, wink) and will cut you off if you bring it to their attention.



Exactly. Shhhhh. Everyone else over in my town has been cut off for a year or two. I signed a legal waiver stating I was not able to get locals with a terrestrial antenna. The rep I spoke to said I should leave my subscription package alone, otherwise I will no longer be grandfathered into having them if I remember correctly. I have no choice if I like my networks.

The advantage is for shows on competing networks with the same time slot. I watch one at 7pm and the other at 10pm, so I don't have to choose.

I got my logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, had to have a friend get me a vga cable from out of town for my computer, and I got some s-video cables for satellite and dvd. I am going to either get a samsung progressive dvd player, or one with a samsung home theater system. That can wait for now. I guess I will order a vga convertor for the xbox, and a component cable for it too.

I talked to a dtv installer here and he said if I buy a box, he can activate it to my subscription so I can have component connections.

I think I am on the right track now. Thanks for all the help so far.

Jay

Edit, I took off DNIe by turning off the other 8 settings for both xbox and satellite inputs, and the glowing edges are gone, they both look better overall too.

The advantage is for shows on competing networks with the same time slot. I watch one at 7pm and the other at 10pm, so I don't have to choose.


The HD DVR can record two shows at the same time. You can also watch a recorded show while recording those two shows. Personnaly, I love my HD DVR (even though it is Comcast). It's not perfect, but it sure beats having to watch live TV.

that won't work with my satellite though. I can only watch one program at a time, so I can't record and watch two different channels.

Well actually it can, as it's two internal receivers in one unit. You run two feeds from your dish into the HR20 and you will be able to record two different shows in HD while you watch a third. You can also plug in an OTA antenna and record your locals in HD, but I think you can only record one local at a time. Something like that. You also might need a different dish depending on the one you currently have.

I'm still trying to get a free HR20 but so far they want to charge me for it. I've read enough forums to know I can eventually get it for free if I keep trying. You just have to talk to the right CSR. I might try threatening to go to Dish next time:)

You can read about it here: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?main_cat=02&CAT=&PROD=HR20

I'm just curious, how much does a screen replacement cost on a 6168W? My TV is fine but I have people coming over for a holiday party next weekend and I want to make sure I can answer them if they ask how much it'll cost them if they throw a Wiimote through my TV.

Currently using the 5688 as a computer monitor with vga. My video card apparently does not handle 1080, so I am still stuck in 4:3 mode. I am at 1280x1024 @60Hz. I can go up to 1600x1200, but that is still a 4:3 picture. I have the built in video card on this computer, I guess I will have to get a new card tomorrow.

I have pincushion on all 4:3, but that is normal(I think). The computer signal is slightly skewed clockwise also, but I read there is no fix for this. Overall I am extremely pleased with this set. It has little quirks, but now that the glowing edges are fixed, I love it.

Now to find a site that has the pedestal component stand cheap. tr85, where are you? I am currently using a cheap garage shelf kit to hold my components I picked up at walmart for just this purpose.

Are there any recommended settings I need for the vga for the computer? Do you guys recommend any tweaks in the service menu, or should I just leave it alone. Should I set it to game mode, since I will also hook up the xbox to vga from time to time? Is game mode a bad idea since it is also for computer input? I plan on just using a vga switcher. That should work I guess.

If anyone is looking for one, the logitech "wireless desktop" keyboard and mouse that is $34 anywhere works great! I can't comment on battery life yet, but I can sit on my couch at viewing distance and still be in wireless range.


Jay

Just wanted to update you guys on my set. Got it back yesterday from the service center with a new light enigne and the shadow is again gone. Just in case anyone is keeping up with stats on these sets, here are mine:

HL-R6178W purchased on 7/22/2005
Delivered on 8/1/2005
Light Engines - 4
DMD Boards - 2
Time away from my home for repairs - Almost 5 weeks total

I know some of you guys have a problem with the sets being taken away to be repaired, but everytime mine comes back the picture is perfect. The one time it was repaired in my home they almost destroyed it. And the kid came in and put his tools on the piano black finish on my speakers!

Hopefully this is one of the new light engines that won't have the shadow problem pop back up.

Also, this last repair was done under my Warrantech extended warranty I bought from TV Authority at the time of purchase. I must say they were very easy to work with and even added the repair shop I wanted to use as a new service center for me. This repair was quicker and easier than the repairs that Samsung had made to the set.

I'm just curious, how much does a screen replacement cost on a 6168W? My TV is fine but I have people coming over for a holiday party next weekend and I want to make sure I can answer them if they ask how much it'll cost them if they throw a Wiimote through my TV.

I don't know if you got the HL-R or HL-S but here's the parts price list for the HL-R:
http://www.samsungparts.com/search/search.asp?searchflag=byonemodel&searchkey=hlr6168w&modelid=371657:)

Currently using the 5688 as a computer monitor with vga. My video card apparently does not handle 1080, so I am still stuck in 4:3 mode. I am at 1280x1024 @60Hz. I can go up to 1600x1200, but that is still a 4:3 picture. I have the built in video card on this computer, I guess I will have to get a new card tomorrow.

I have pincushion on all 4:3, but that is normal(I think). The computer signal is slightly skewed clockwise also, but I read there is no fix for this. Overall I am extremely pleased with this set. It has little quirks, but now that the glowing edges are fixed, I love it.

Jay

I have not tried it for several months so I don't remember for sure, but I think you can still change the screen size with your remote when using it as a PC monitor.

I have gotten to use my girlfriend's camera on the tv. I got her a canon 30d, and now i finally have a tv that will handle the large 20 meg raw pictures it takes. I haven't yet changed anything in the service menu, excepting the gamma to 0, so I can still take pics of each menu to prevent screwing up the tv. I didn't change the DNIe yet, but I will after I get back from shopping, thank you for the help

I can't upgrade to HD DTV, because I am told I will loose the subscription to my networks (abc, nbc, cbs) if I upgrade. Now I get east and west coast feeds, and I like having two chances to watch shows.

I will see what I can do, and I will let you guys know, Thanks very much for the help.

Jay

I own a HLR-5688 as well and recently had it calibrated and DNIE turned off. Be mindful that even though you are disabling DNIE, it will turn itself back on once you shut off the TV and turn it back on. When this happens go to the Settings Menu and adjust the brightness one tick up followed by one tick down. This will turn DNIE off again. I added this as a macro on my remote and it works like a charm.

Just a reminder to everyone, the Shuttle launch is in HD on HDNet which is scheduled to go at 8:47 EST tonight. It's pretty awesome in high-def:)

I own a HLR-5688 as well and recently had it calibrated and DNIE turned off. Be mindful that even though you are disabling DNIE, it will turn itself back on once you shut off the TV and turn it back on. When this happens go to the Settings Menu and adjust the brightness one tick up followed by one tick down. This will turn DNIE off again. I added this as a macro on my remote and it works like a charm.

Whoa, wait a minute. Are you saying if after you turn off all 10 settings in the DNIe service menu, after leaving the menu you have to turn the brightness up and down one tick to turn it off?

Mine was off without doing that. I didn't like it so I went back and restored the settings.

Exactly. Shhhhh. Everyone else over in my town has been cut off for a year or two. I signed a legal waiver stating I was not able to get locals with a terrestrial antenna. The rep I spoke to said I should leave my subscription package alone, otherwise I will no longer be grandfathered into having them if I remember correctly. I have no choice if I like my networks.

The advantage is for shows on competing networks with the same time slot. I watch one at 7pm and the other at 10pm, so I don't have to choose.

I got my logitech wireless keyboard and mouse, had to have a friend get me a vga cable from out of town for my computer, and I got some s-video cables for satellite and dvd. I am going to either get a samsung progressive dvd player, or one with a samsung home theater system. That can wait for now. I guess I will order a vga convertor for the xbox, and a component cable for it too.

That still somewhat pisses me off about losing the east/west coast stations. The L.A. afternoon news was my favorite show for a long time. There was always something happening everyday, from high-speed car chases to major fires to bank robbery shootouts, all on live tv. Now you have to watch shows like "Cops" to see that.

Just a suggestion about DVD players. I got a free Samsung DVD player as part of the Samsung promotion when I bought the TV. It has a choice of progressive or interlaced scanning, and to tell you the truth, I don't see a difference between them probably because the TV does a great job of upconverting everything. But anyway, you might want to consider the fact that the Xbox 360 that you don't want to buy just yet is also a great DVD player. Kill two birds with one stone?

I don't know if you got the HL-R or HL-S but here's the parts price list for the HL-R:
http://www.samsungparts.com/search/search.asp?searchflag=byonemodel&searchkey=hlr6168w&modelid=371657:)
I assume the front screen is the lenticular screen? If so, thats a hell of a lot less than I expected. I'm sure labor would balloon the price up to about $500 or $600.

.....you might want to consider the fact that the Xbox 360 that you don't want to buy just yet is also a great DVD player. Kill two birds with one stone?

That is a really good idea. Looks like I might just have to get one sooner than I thought.

Today I bought a graphics card so I could view at 1920x1080@60hz. I am working on making all my menus, icons and fonts big enough now.

I am just glad to get a picture that fills the entire screen with out being stretched out. I am thinking I will probably just use the computer for dvd's for the time being.

I can either use dvi or vga with this card, what do you suggest? I guess dvi for the computer, and vga for the xbox so I don't have lag. Sound about right?

Jay

That is a really good idea. Looks like I might just have to get one sooner than I thought.

Today I bought a graphics card so I could view at 1920x1080@60hz. I am working on making all my menus, icons and fonts big enough now.

I am just glad to get a picture that fills the entire screen with out being stretched out. I am thinking I will probably just use the computer for dvd's for the time being.

I can either use dvi or vga with this card, what do you suggest? I guess dvi for the computer, and vga for the xbox so I don't have lag. Sound about right?

Jay

With the right computer, you can do 1080p on the VGA and watch movies. Just FYI.

Whoa, wait a minute. Are you saying if after you turn off all 10 settings in the DNIe service menu, after leaving the menu you have to turn the brightness up and down one tick to turn it off?

Mine was off without doing that. I didn't like it so I went back and restored the settings.

No. Once you turn your TV off. When you turn it back on you need to follow those steps.

No. Once you turn your TV off. When you turn it back on you need to follow those steps.


There is more than one way to disable DNiE. I prefer turning off everything under DNiE in the service menu because no further action is required. I would not want to have to change settings every time I turned the TV on. I suspect the person that calibrated your set is not familiar with the method most of us use, that have disabled DNiE.

There is more than one way to disable DNiE. I prefer turning off everything under DNiE in the service menu because no further action is required. I would not want to have to change settings every time I turned the TV on. I suspect the person that calibrated your set is not familiar with the method most of us use, that have disabled DNiE.

Vandu is right, I seen it myself. I had my set calibrated and I forget the exact term Eliab used for what happens, but sometimes (not all the time for me) when I turn my set on there is balck crush occurring. To get rid of it you merely kick the brightness up one and then down one in the user menu.

I too have a macro in my MX850 to do this. Works great.

That is a really good idea. Looks like I might just have to get one sooner than I thought.

Today I bought a graphics card so I could view at 1920x1080@60hz. I am working on making all my menus, icons and fonts big enough now.

I am just glad to get a picture that fills the entire screen with out being stretched out. I am thinking I will probably just use the computer for dvd's for the time being.

I can either use dvi or vga with this card, what do you suggest? I guess dvi for the computer, and vga for the xbox so I don't have lag. Sound about right?

Jay

That is exactly what I did to connect to both computer monitor and TV.

There is more than one way to disable DNiE. I prefer turning off everything under DNiE in the service menu because no further action is required. I would not want to have to change settings every time I turned the TV on. I suspect the person that calibrated your set is not familiar with the method most of us use, that have disabled DNiE.

My TV was calibrated by Eliab who seems to be quite familiar with the HLR models. He indeed turned off those settings you mentioned but there is a bug in the firmware which automatically turns DNIE back on when you power on the TV. It is well documented in this thread. The settings remain off in the service menu and you do not need to re-adjust them but you still need to follow the brightness routine.

My TV was calibrated by Eliab who seems to be quite familiar with the HLR models. He indeed turned off those settings you mentioned but there is a bug in the firmware which automatically turns DNIE back on when you power on the TV. It is well documented in this thread. The settings remain off in the service menu and you do not need to re-adjust them but you still need to follow the brightness routine.

For some reason that just doesn't work on my HL-R5688W, in that there is no obvious change in the picture when I do that. I tried it both ways; first with the normal service menu settings, then with turning off DNIe settings in the service menu. Either way, after I turn the set off then back on (after waiting a few minutes), then changing the brightness up and down one tick, nothing changes. Maybe mine is a different firmware version. In fact I'd like to see how my firmware version compares with everyone who has this same model. Does anyone have the same numbers at the bottom?

Here's mine:
http://members.roadfly.com/postal-guy/TOP MENU.jpg

I believe on reviewing the posts by Eliab and others on the DNIe bug, you'd find that the bug is not manifest on every occassion. Sometimes, not everytime, after disabling DNIe via the 10 parameters in the SM, your TV on start up will appear as if DNIe were actually still on. This is where manipulating the brightness control provides a quick fix. I had it happen to me for the first time last week.

The shadow problem in these sets seem to be a chronic problem. After 300 hours, the appeared on my recently Avical calibrated set and now the LE will have to be replaced next week. This will be my 2nd replacement of a LE under warranty. The LE had a very recent frim ware version dated July 2006, and appears to be a recent build. The 2" shadow is on the left side top to bottom and is dark, but not opaque. The technician who replaced my last LE says that a replacement is the way they fix it. I'm not convinced. It seems like the shadow is a mechanical problem and not related to the chip or electronics. It would seem that a minor adjustment in the optics could correct this problem. Has anyone here tried to repair it this way?

Also, what values are over written on the Digital board from the new LE? Right now my picture of absolutely perfect except for the shadow. I'm pissed that my recent calibration may go up in smoke. But I'm glad I have another two years on my warranty!

By the way, my experience with Samsung warranty service has been very good so far. The factory warranty runs out next month and then the my Tweeter extended warranty takes over.

Halco,
When I had my LE replaced, I informed the technician that the service manual states that color calibration is required after a LE replacement. Neither he nor I were aware of the correct procedure for updating the TV’s color parameters. He suggested swapping the color wheels between the new and old LEs because most of the color information is contained there. I agreed and was happy with the outcome. It would be interesting to hear what the folks at Avical feel about this procedure. It may not be perfect but could it save you from having to have the TV recalibrated?

That would make some sense if no two color wheels had exactly the same color hues. I suspect that Index delay variations would have a larger impact.

That is exactly what I did to connect to both computer monitor and TV.


Everything I've read says that we can't input 1920x1080 60Hz over the DVI connector... Is that not true? I thought many people had difficulty hooking up a computer over DVI for that reason.

I have the HLR-5078 and an Xbox 360 playing over the VGA interface. I've been floored by the quality of the gaming picture. I recently received the HD-DVD drive as an early Christmas present. Most of the movies I've had a chance to watch have looked awesome (MI:3, King Kong, Batman Begins, etc.)

Last night I watched MI:2 from the Ultimate Missions Collection and noticed some things that bug me. Most of the movie looked pretty good, but there were some scenes that I think had imaging problems, and I was wondering if anyone here had suggestions on improving them. The two scenes in question are the ones where Ethan and Nyah make love after their car chase. They are in a fire-lit room and Nyah is lying in the bed facing the fire. Her face and arms appear abnormally blotchy and very red. Then about half way across her arm and face (where the fire light would normally taper off to shadows), her normal skin tones return and everything looks great.

I noticed the same effect when Ethan and Swanbeck first meet. Again, they are in a room with a fire, and it seems the side of their faces that would catch the fire light appear red and blotchy, but the shadowed or lightly-lit areas of their face appear normal. When the characters moved around, the areas of blotchiness transitioned. It was very distracting.

This effect repeated throughout the movie whenever a bright light source would be hitting a characters face. It's almost as if there was no gradient to go from the brightly lit areas of the skin to normal skin tones. Just blotchy red to normal skin tone in a sudden transition.

This is the only movie I've noticed the problem on, but all reviews of the HD-DVD disc state the picture quality is almost equal to MI:3, so if this were an authoring problem, it seems like it would have been mentioned.

I'm thinking about breaking out the component cables to see if this effect is limited to the VGA input. If anyone can think of any settings (service menu or user menu) that may help with this display problem, please let me know. The adjustability of the VGA input is rather limited in the user menu, so there was only so much I could do with a disc like video essentials. My understanding is the DNIe is disabled on the VGA input by default, so the problem shouldn't be caused by any processing from that feature. I guess it could also be some effect of the box 360, but since it has worked great on other films, I don't know why it would have a problem here.

Halco, I agree its not acceptable but there are very few people who are on their second replacement LE. My theory is that some of the early LE replacements, like yours I think, didn't have updated parts before they were installed. I think LEs like yours were just replaced until they realized they needed to change some of the parts. The FW could be upgraded at any time regardless of the parts they might have changed.

I think you're right that its a mechanical issue, related to the optics, interferes with the light path and that's why a new LE will fix it. No one is authorized to fix the parts, just replace them. Anything else is not covered and you could run into problems.

I'm sure we could fix it ourselves but could easily void the warranty. The other thing I was thinking as I write this is about us not being able to get the upgraded replacement parts. Yes, you could probably just fix it without the new parts but it would just happen again at some point. Since its under warranty I'd rather have someone swap the part in a few minutes than take all of that risk fixing it yourself.

I'm sure we could fix it ourselves but could easily void the warranty.

Yeah, don't even think of doing that if it's still under warranty. You'll be screwed for sure then.

I am trying to find out what the model/part number is for the light engine in the 6168w. I have tried online with no luck. I have had one replaced and have reason to believe that the wrong LE was put in possibly one that was for a 720p set. Any volunteers willing to drop the back hatch and take a peek? I'm going to and I will post the model number that I have.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

d:

With the right computer, you can do 1080p on the VGA and watch movies. Just FYI.


No dice. I tried some hd trailers, but they did not play. They just froze, and the audio continued. I think I need more ram. I have 512, but it says I need at least a gig for 1080p.

I have only tried the quicktime hd though, and I have never really liked quicktime, so perhaps the avi hd content might work better with my system.

I also tried the s video connection on this video card, and it really looks terrible. It was very fuzzy and I could not read any of the text. It wasn't SD fuzzy, but more like it was out of tune. I tried a different s video cable, and got the same picture. I guess I just need to buy a dvi cable now, just to try it out.

Jay

The shadow problem in these sets seem to be a chronic problem. After 300 hours, the appeared on my recently Avical calibrated set and now the LE will have to be replaced next week. This will be my 2nd replacement of a LE under warranty. The LE had a very recent frim ware version dated July 2006, and appears to be a recent build. The 2" shadow is on the left side top to bottom and is dark, but not opaque. The technician who replaced my last LE says that a replacement is the way they fix it. I'm not convinced. It seems like the shadow is a mechanical problem and not related to the chip or electronics. It would seem that a minor adjustment in the optics could correct this problem. Has anyone here tried to repair it this way?

Also, what values are over written on the Digital board from the new LE? Right now my picture of absolutely perfect except for the shadow. I'm pissed that my recent calibration may go up in smoke. But I'm glad I have another two years on my warranty!

By the way, my experience with Samsung warranty service has been very good so far. The factory warranty runs out next month and then the my Tweeter extended warranty takes over.

Halco, A few people who have had this problem as well as a dlp repair tech have related that the cause of the shadow is a sagging mirror in the light tunnel. Apparently there are four mirrors held together by glue and some sort of metal wire system. Two of the posters reported that the techs who came out disassembled the light engine, replaced the sagging mirror, and put it all back together rather than putting in a whole new light engine. Check out this thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=743423

Halco, A few people who have had this problem as well as a dlp repair tech have related that the cause of the shadow is a sagging mirror in the light tunnel. Apparently there are four mirrors held together by glue and some sort of metal wire system. Two of the posters reported that the techs who came out disassembled the light engine, replaced the sagging mirror, and put it all back together rather than putting in a whole new light engine. Check out this thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=743423

That is exactly what my repairman told me from previous experience even though he did replace the whole LE on mine.

No dice. I tried some hd trailers, but they did not play. They just froze, and the audio continued. I think I need more ram. I have 512, but it says I need at least a gig for 1080p.

I have only tried the quicktime hd though, and I have never really liked quicktime, so perhaps the avi hd content might work better with my system.

I also tried the s video connection on this video card, and it really looks terrible. It was very fuzzy and I could not read any of the text. It wasn't SD fuzzy, but more like it was out of tune. I tried a different s video cable, and got the same picture. I guess I just need to buy a dvi cable now, just to try it out.

Jay

Microsoft has some 1080P content somewhere on their website. You need to use Windows Media Player to see it.

edit: Found it http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/musicandvideo/hdvideo/contentshowcase.aspx

Halco, A few people who have had this problem as well as a dlp repair tech have related that the cause of the shadow is a sagging mirror in the light tunnel. Apparently there are four mirrors held together by glue and some sort of metal wire system. Two of the posters reported that the techs who came out disassembled the light engine, replaced the sagging mirror, and put it all back together rather than putting in a whole new light engine. Check out this thread. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=743423

Excellent post.
I think the part you describe is exactly what causes the shadow. It is shown in the service manual as "Mirror-Light tunnel".

It can be fixed, but it's easier for the tech to swap engines and let Samsung refurb it. Someone will likely get my old LE. If we keep these sets after the extended warranties run out we should be prepared to fix em ourselves.

Vandu is right, I seen it myself. I had my set calibrated and I forget the exact term Eliab used for what happens, but sometimes (not all the time for me) when I turn my set on there is balck crush occurring. To get rid of it you merely kick the brightness up one and then down one in the user menu.

I too have a macro in my MX850 to do this. Works great.

My HL-R6768W exhibits this problem each time it powers up **or switches inputs**. I fixed it by adding "Movie Mode" to the end of each input selection macro. That works for me because, after runing DVE calibration for each input/resolution in the service menu, I switch to Movie Mode in the user menu (again, for each input/resolution) and set Contrast=90, Brightness=50, Color=40. These specific values are required to re-establish the calibrations achieved in the service menu. Even though the SM calibration values vary by input/resolution, these 90/50/40 values are identical in the UM for all inputs and resolutions.

This approach is recommended by Eliab Alvarez de la Campa and David Abrams in their "Samsung's Chiller Theatre" article (formerly hosted at americanwired.com but apparently no longer online).

I am trying to find out what the model/part number is for the light engine in the 6168w. I have tried online with no luck. I have had one replaced and have reason to believe that the wrong LE was put in possibly one that was for a 720p set. Any volunteers willing to drop the back hatch and take a peek? I'm going to and I will post the model number that I have.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

d:

Here ya go.

http://www.samsungparts.com/search/search.asp?searchflag=byonemodel&searchkey=hlr6168w&modelid=371657&cookie%5Ftest=1

I have the HLR-5078 and an Xbox 360 playing over the VGA interface. I've been floored by the quality of the gaming picture. I recently received the HD-DVD drive as an early Christmas present. Most of the movies I've had a chance to watch have looked awesome (MI:3, King Kong, Batman Begins, etc.)

Last night I watched MI:2 from the Ultimate Missions Collection and noticed some things that bug me. Most of the movie looked pretty good, but there were some scenes that I think had imaging problems, and I was wondering if anyone here had suggestions on improving them. The two scenes in question are the ones where Ethan and Nyah make love after their car chase. They are in a fire-lit room and Nyah is lying in the bed facing the fire. Her face and arms appear abnormally blotchy and very red. Then about half way across her arm and face (where the fire light would normally taper off to shadows), her normal skin tones return and everything looks great.

I noticed the same effect when Ethan and Swanbeck first meet. Again, they are in a room with a fire, and it seems the side of their faces that would catch the fire light appear red and blotchy, but the shadowed or lightly-lit areas of their face appear normal. When the characters moved around, the areas of blotchiness transitioned. It was very distracting.

This effect repeated throughout the movie whenever a bright light source would be hitting a characters face. It's almost as if there was no gradient to go from the brightly lit areas of the skin to normal skin tones. Just blotchy red to normal skin tone in a sudden transition.

This is the only movie I've noticed the problem on, but all reviews of the HD-DVD disc state the picture quality is almost equal to MI:3, so if this were an authoring problem, it seems like it would have been mentioned.

I'm thinking about breaking out the component cables to see if this effect is limited to the VGA input. If anyone can think of any settings (service menu or user menu) that may help with this display problem, please let me know. The adjustability of the VGA input is rather limited in the user menu, so there was only so much I could do with a disc like video essentials. My understanding is the DNIe is disabled on the VGA input by default, so the problem shouldn't be caused by any processing from that feature. I guess it could also be some effect of the box 360, but since it has worked great on other films, I don't know why it would have a problem here.

Well, after 1.5 hours of investigation, I think my problem is fixed. The SD-DVD through my DVD player's component and HDMI connection exhibited the same problem, which made me doubtful it was just the type of cable I was using. I u sed my Video Essentials disc and everything looked out of whack on all my inputs. I tried tweaking some of the UM settings, which were pretty limited for VGA. I could make the problem less severe, but I couldn't make it go away completely. So finally I went to the service menu and started checking settings.

I had this set calibrated in April and at the time, I tried to write down as many of the settings as I could (I thought the calibration tech should write them down and give them to me, but apparently that wasn't part of the service), but I didn't catch them all. Anyway, looking through the settings, I had noticed some values had changed. I know what some of the menu items do, but not all, so I was leary to change too much in fear that maybe some settings are supposed to change as the set ages. However, most of the color settings I did understand and the first thing that jumped out at me was that the gamma setting had changed back to 3 from being 1 post calibration. I then noticed that several of my color settings had changed as well.

It appears that at some point (I haven't watched a movie in three weeks, and didn't notice any problems with the last movies I watched) my set lost it's calibration info and reset back to default values. This sucks a quite a bit. I had written down most of the cal settings. However, I neglected to write anything down for the VGA input because I never thought I would use it. The rest of my set is pretty close to being back to where it was, but the colors are still off on the VGA input a bit. To keep from getting another calibration, I guess I'll tweak the few values I'm comfortable with and try to reproduce the appearance of the HDMI inputs as close as possible.

This is probably a stupid question but have you had any service done on your set since it was calibrated? Such as a light engine replacement? Not sure about the other components, but I'm pretty sure a LE swap will loose all your calibrations.

This is probably a stupid question but have you had any service done on your set since it was calibrated? Such as a light engine replacement? Not sure about the other components, but I'm pretty sure a LE swap will loose all your calibrations.

Just an FYI.

Changing the LE does n t cause the loss of the clibration settings. Replacing the Digital module does since the settings are stored there. But, and a big but, replacing the LE will cause the calibrated settings to be off so for all practical purposes you lose calibration when replacing the LE.

Also, if you do have a calibrated set and you do need a new Digital module, take pictures of the settings. Once the new Digital module is in place you can restore the settings and your set is calibrated once again.

I know this because this is exactly what happend to me. I lost a Digital module first and then a LE.

why exactly does an LE replacement cause calibration settings to be off? is it because each LE has it's own particular characteristics? is it because it will be very bright at first, but then it will eventually dim down to the same level.

I know that this is in this thread somewhere, but I've been busy with school for the past few months.
How do I check to see how many hours are on my lamp?
Has anyone noticed a high-pitched sound from the color wheel?
Mine seems to be a little louder than it was a few months ago.
I've got appx. 1 month on the Samsung warranty, and then another 12 from Amex.

I know that this is in this thread somewhere, but I've been busy with school for the past few months.
How do I check to see how many hours are on my lamp?
Has anyone noticed a high-pitched sound from the color wheel?
Mine seems to be a little louder than it was a few months ago.
I've got appx. 1 month on the Samsung warranty, and then another 12 from Amex.

Have you registered your set with Samsung online for the extra 3 month warranty?

You have to go into the service menu for the lamp hours. From this Main menu, select 'Option' and you will see it. When you're in the 'Option' menu, press 'Menu' to back out of there. Don't hit 'Enter' or you will reset the Lamp life.

http://members.roadfly.com/postal-guy/TOP MENU.jpg

If your not familiar with the service menu, know that you can really screw things up if you're not careful. I tell everyone they should take pics of all the menu settings before messing around in there.

Hey guys, I have the 6768w (I think) cant remember but it was one of the first 67" 1080p's that samsung had out. The LE is getting replaced right now but I am not at home. The guys says that he does not have to re-calibrate it becuase the tv will re-calibrate its self, is this true? He is also hooking up a computer to it, what would he do that for? I cant ask him questions becuase I am not at home :( .

Sorry to change the subject, but for you 5688 owners, did you buy the tr85 stand, or do you have another clever solution for video components. I am currently using a cheap plastic 4 tier garage shelf that I got for $9. It is black, but it still looks ugly next to the set.

Should I get the tr85 stand currently around $285, or something else.

My main choice is the xbox 360 or the stand, but I am sure the stand is more practical, and after xmas the 360 will probably drop in price.

The stand is very hard to get now, so if I wait, I will be out of luck. I am also worried that the stand is ugly. What do you stand owners think.

Thanks, and sorry I have nothing to add about the repairs. I only hope I don't have to worry about any of that for a long time.

Jay

He is also hooking up a computer to it, what would he do that for? I cant ask him questions becuase I am not at home :( .

I saw in the service manual that the usb plug in the back is for software upgrades, and they use a usb memory stick to upload it to the tv. Maybe he didn't have one so he brought the computer instead.

Sorry to change the subject, but for you 5688 owners, did you buy the tr85 stand, or do you have another clever solution for video components. I am currently using a cheap plastic 4 tier garage shelf that I got for $9. It is black, but it still looks ugly next to the set.

Should I get the tr85 stand currently around $285, or something else.

My main choice is the xbox 360 or the stand, but I am sure the stand is more practical, and after xmas the 360 will probably drop in price.

The stand is very hard to get now, so if I wait, I will be out of luck. I am also worried that the stand is ugly. What do you stand owners think.

Thanks, and sorry I have nothing to add about the repairs. I only hope I don't have to worry about any of that for a long time.

Jay

I was tempted to get it when I saw the price drop (some places still want about $600 for it), but I'll just make do without it.

The Xbox 360 has not changed price for over a year now. Don't count on it anytime soon, esp when Microsoft actually sells them at a loss. They get their money back from games, accessories, xbox live, etc. The original xbox price came down only shortly before the 360 hit the selves, so unless you're willing to wait until the next generation xbox...

...unless you're privey to some insider information you'd care to share....

Speaking of xbox 360, UPS just delivered mine back from repairs, where Microsoft repaired it for free even though the production date was Oct 2005. Time to fire it up again and see if they did it right:)

Followup: They gave me a another xbox 360 dated 3/16/2006. I wonder if there was some major design change where it wasn't worth fixing mine but replacing it instead.

Hey guys, I have the 6768w (I think) cant remember but it was one of the first 67" 1080p's that samsung had out. The LE is getting replaced right now but I am not at home. The guys says that he does not have to re-calibrate it becuase the tv will re-calibrate its self, is this true? He is also hooking up a computer to it, what would he do that for? I cant ask him questions becuase I am not at home :( .
No, it won't recalibrate itself, in the service manual it states that a CCA (Color Coordinate Adjustment) adjustment is necessary after a light engine or digital board or color wheel is changed. Then the service manual goes into a procedure for this adjustment, on page 3-16 of the HLR service manual. Overall what it says is he has to go into the service menu and select DMD (arrow) DIGITAL and that resets everything so it looks good. It's a little more complicated but he should have a service manual and that will tell him what to do.

Alaskan_4x4, there is no reason to connect the computer. It sounds like he is confused with another model. There are no FW updates or anything that the set would need a computer for. I don't think it can damage anything.

No, it won't recalibrate itself, in the service manual it states that a CCA (Color Coordinate Adjustment) adjustment is necessary after a light engine or digital board or color wheel is changed. Then the service manual goes into a procedure for this adjustment, on page 3-16 of the HLR service manual. Overall what it says is he has to go into the service menu and select DMD (arrow) DIGITAL and that resets everything so it looks good. It's a little more complicated but he should have a service manual and that will tell him what to do.

Alaskan_4x4, there is no reason to connect the computer. It sounds like he is confused with another model. There are no FW updates or anything that the set would need a computer for. I don't think it can damage anything.

Great, well I guess I better order a service manual so I can prove it to him, it sucks when no one is home that knows anything about the equipment. He did go into the service manual (I know this becuase he needed the remote that came with the tv) so maybe he did "reset" it.

Where is the best place to get a service manual asap?

Thanks guys

Where is the best place to get a service manual asap?

Thanks guys

Man, this will be the third time I've posted this here in the last few days. Does anyone read my posts? I get no respect:)

Enter your correct model number if this is not your tv.
http://www.samsungparts.com/search/search.asp?searchflag=byonemodel&searchkey=hlr6168w&modelid=371657

why exactly does an LE replacement cause calibration settings to be off? is it because each LE has it's own particular characteristics? is it because it will be very bright at first, but then it will eventually dim down to the same level.

I believe thay all have their own charateristics. When I had mine replaced, the calibrated settings I had from Eliab were all goobered up. For example, the red was so high that it bled into other colors. The set looked awful. The tech that did the replacement did not know about the DMD->Digital transfer in the service menu so I got to see how bad it really was.

Once I performed the DMD->Digital transfer, the set was back to factory specs and quite watchable, but the calibration was gone. Suffered with that for a few weeks until Eliab was out here in my area again and I could get it recalibrated.

Followup: They gave me a another xbox 360 dated 3/16/2006. I wonder if there was some major design change where it wasn't worth fixing mine but replacing it instead.

More likely yours goes into que "to be repaired" while they take an already repaired one to send you.

More likely yours goes into que "to be repaired" while they take an already repaired one to send you.

You're right. I found an enclosed note to that effect. They must be running behind because even then they had mine for five days before shipping me another one.

Mine was in pristine condition; the one they sent me has some minor blemishes. Still, I can't complain about the free repair though:)

You're right. I found an enclosed note to that effect. They must be running behind because even then they had mine for five days before shipping me another one.

Mine was in pristine condition; the one they sent me has some minor blemishes. Still, I can't complain about the free repair though:)

While the corporate philosophy may (or may not) emphasize customer service, most often, that philosophy doesn't necessarily filter down to the shipping department.

Using modern test fixtures for any given product line along with standard repair procedures, the repair of something such as a game box is fairly inexpensive. Shipping, on the other hand, is a variable because of fluxuating fuel prices and the contracts each OEM has with the shipping companies. Repair depot shipping departments typically staff at a very economical level (few people). The result is that there is a much longer wait for your number to come up in the computer (fifo).

It's just like standing in line in the meat market. Take a number and waits yur turn. The more folks behind the counter, the faster your number comes up. Fewer folks....well you get the idea.

And that doesn't even take into effect something as simple as a box. You'd think the shipping department would have scads of boxes, peanuts, tape. etc. That's not necessarily true. They keep inventory levels low, purposefully, to minimize inventory costs. Inventory capitol is currently one of the "necessary evils" of corporations. They try to minimize the cost of stuff sitting on shelves, because it's not making them money. So, for example, if they have a shipment of tape coming "just in time" and for some reason the shipment is late. It could deplay shipment of your box. Go figure.

I believe thay all have their own charateristics. When I had mine replaced, the calibrated settings I had from Eliab were all goobered up. For example, the red was so high that it bled into other colors. The set looked awful. The tech that did the replacement did not know about the DMD->Digital transfer in the service menu so I got to see how bad it really was.

Once I performed the DMD->Digital transfer, the set was back to factory specs and quite watchable, but the calibration was gone. Suffered with that for a few weeks until Eliab was out here in my area again and I could get it recalibrated.

For those who want to know, and I'm one, what is the main factor that determines the color space differences in individual Light Engines. Could it be variations in color purity of individual color wheels? If not, every set would come off the production line with the same color space calibration. And, replacing a light engine would not effect the calibration. It cant' be the mirrors. Maybe we need a DLP wikipedia site.

Have you registered your set with Samsung online for the extra 3 month warranty?


Saved my bacon... I can't recommend it enough.


Btw, when the light engine was changed out, I got a minor smudge/shadow at the top of the screen (basically only visible with a white backdrop or I'd have mentioned it to the tech.) 'd guess this is something on the lens or glass of the light engine? Can I just open it up and clean with a microfibre cloth, or do I need to call them back in?

(I'm an EE, so electronics don't frighten me, incidently. :) )

The 2" shadow is on the left side top to bottom and is dark, but not opaque. The technician who replaced my last LE says that a replacement is the way they fix it. I'm not convinced. It seems like the shadow is a mechanical problem and not related to the chip or electronics. It would seem that a minor adjustment in the optics could correct this problem. Has anyone here tried to repair it this way?


You can't. The tech is right... they swap out the whole light engine, which is basically sealed and not adjustable.

I just did this last weekend myself for the same symptoms. The tech explained that the glue that holds the mirrors in place comes loose and so the mirror isn't angled quite right, or something to that effect.

Either way, the replacement worked and I'm happy I was still (barely) under warranty.

Hi All,

However, one problem I've run into is that there is no direct button to go to the DVD HDMI1 source, or STB HDMI2 source, etc. There is a source button the HLS-6188w remote, but it just cycles through each input.
...
If anyone has found a solution to this, please let me know. Preferably the solution will not include goign out and spending $200 on a new remote. I'd really like to continue using the one I have now.
-Bill

Well, there IS a direct code to go to HDMI1 (there isn't for 2... I tried every combination, and that was the one I was plugged into originally.) I can look up the code sequence when I get home if you're interested. It's for a one-4-all remote, but presumably your marantz can be programmed for it also somehow? If not the high-end one-4-all remotes are only like $50 and can be programmed by parrallel port if you were interested. There's a learning curve though.


Either way, you won't be able to go to the STB input so I don't know that you care to get a partial solution. Since I have my DVD player on component it works out for me.

Well, there IS a direct code to go to HDMI1 (there isn't for 2... I tried every combination, and that was the one I was plugged into originally.) I can look up the code sequence when I get home if you're interested. It's for a one-4-all remote, but presumably your marantz can be programmed for it also somehow? If not the high-end one-4-all remotes are only like $50 and can be programmed by parrallel port if you were interested. There's a learning curve though.


Either way, you won't be able to go to the STB input so I don't know that you care to get a partial solution. Since I have my DVD player on component it works out for me.

Actually, there is a discrete code for HDMI2. I currently have discrete codes for the following inputs programmed into my MX-850:

PC
HDMI1
HDMI2
COMP1
COMP2
SVID3

A followup... after a call from some guy at Pauls late last week, who told me that the Samsung "Product Specialist" told him that I need to update the firmware in the Tosh. I did that. Their tech knows I did that. Samsung knows I did that. Pauls promised to call me back the following day. Yeah right.

This is the absolutely most HORRIBLE service experience I have ever had... and considering I put up with THREE bad Sony Wegas (2 rptv and an awful 60xbr800) at least Sony tried their best to fix their broken stuff.

A week prior to buying the Tosh on 11/04, I called Samsung because of the HDMI issue with the Sony. After them telling me that the player was at fault, I took the plunge and bought the HD.

It is now over seven weeks since I first called Samsung and I still have no idea what's happening or how this is going to get fixed.

I've tried to handle this by being easy going and a nice guy. Well, that doesn't seem to work. If anyone has the name/number of someone high up - like the VP of Customer blah blah, I'd appreciate a PM. If not, I can Google 'em and see what I can come up with.

Thanks for reading my rant and allowing me to vent :) (ya know, you pay a premium for something and expect support to go with it).

Dave






I bought a Sammy 6168 through the AVS Power Buy / TVAuthority.

A month back, I purchased a Tosh HD-DVD and found that the HDMI on the Sammy is NOT compatable with newer HDMI devices. Even tried a Sony 75. No luck. Both dvd players work on the 42 plasma upstairs - a newer HP.

Called TVAuthority, lot of help these guys were. You pay a PREMIUM for supposedly great customer service, and they couldn't even give me the correct number to call for Samsung. Nor did they even offer to help me.

And of course, I find out about the manufacturing defect - and yes, if it doesn't work, it's a defect - a week after the warranty expires. Granted, I paid by Amex so I get the additional warranty, but this is a defect and Samsung only agreed to "extend my warranty" after I threatened to call the State office of Consumer Affairs.

Sammy finally refered it out to Paul's TV in the valley (Los Angeles). The guy came out, looked at the Tosh hdmi error, plugged in his own dvd (which gave snow) and commented "Wow, never seen this before".

Paul's was supposed to call me last Tuesday - a week ago - with an update. No call. I called Sammy again (my 5th call about this), they said the lady from Paul's was supposed to call me back that day. NO CALL YET. NO UPDATE YET.

I am sick and tired of having a house full of broken technology - like the Audio Authority 1154 that didn't work. They finally replaced it with a replacement that also did NOT work. I bought a Zektor. The damn thing won't program. And I did rtfm thank you.

I could blather on about how much crap I've bought that ticks me off. But I won't bore you.

Has anyone else had an HDMI issue with their Sammy 1080p set, or am I one of those poor unfortunate geeks who gets stuck with crap all the time?

Thanks
Dave

Jeez, are you saying the Sammy's hdmi wont hand shake with the new Tosh HD-DVD's? I hope not, since I have an HD-A2 on order!!!!

That better not be the case or I smell a class action! wtf? lol. I thought there were some HD/BR players people had working on these sets? My question earlier was whether the DVDs people played had HDCP on them? I imagine some DVDs might not have that yet?

Is there someone familiar with the DVDs to know which if not all have the HDCP? HDCP is why the set might not work, it isn't about HDMI itself afaik. Some confirmation here would be great.

Ok, 'tis the season. lol. I think I'm interested in one of those remotes you guyz have. I'd only want it if it handled everything. Will all of them work or do I need a certain model? I like the color screen ones but don't like the $$$.

I'm looking to get an AVR at some point with true hd 7.1, delay, hdmi and sirius. That should do it for ten years right? lol, a 360 or something like that at some point and a HD/BR player.

Anyone know where to go for good prices on these remotes, will there be new ones out soon? I saw Tweeter has their own now.

Jeez, are you saying the Sammy's hdmi wont hand shake with the new Tosh HD-DVD's? I hope not, since I have an HD-A2 on order!!!!

My HD-A1 handshakes just fine both straight to my 6168 and through the Yammy rx-v2600.

Ok, I know people are busy shopping, lol. but can those remotes I mentioned above do all of the STB functions? I mean if I can't get rid of all of the remotes then I might as keep 'em. Thanks!

Ok, I know people are busy shopping, lol. but can those remotes I mentioned above do all of the STB functions? I mean if I can't get rid of all of the remotes then I might as keep 'em. Thanks!

The Harmony line is popular, and people tell me that they're fairly universal. When I looked, however, their "web programmability" didn't support all of my components by any means. So... I went with the RTI T2+ and IR-Pro. The IR unit will *learn anything*, and the T2+ can be programmed via PC software *to do anything*. If you like, you can go further with their RP macro controllers, RS-232 interfaces, power sensing, etc. It's an amazingly capable system. They've also announced a color T2+ (to ship early in 2007).

RTI is not inexpensive. The T2+ and IR-Pro together run about $1K. Supposedly they're only available through a Custom Installer dealer network, but there is at least one reputable, online, authorized dealer who carries RTI. The PC software (TheaterTouch Designer) is simple, powerful, and relatively bug-free. Highly recommended.

I have a HLR-6168 that had the light engine replaced at the very end of the factory warranty. A few weeks later I noticed that the picture was out of vertical alignment. For instance, if there are black bars on the top and bottom, the top is 4 inches and the bottom is only 2 inches. I also get some "bleed" at the top of the screen where the picture runs out.

The service company won't come back to fix it because it's now out of warranty and they say the issue is not necessarily caused by the light engine replacement.

Is there an adjustment that can be done in the service menu to fix this?

Thanks

RodWorks,
You can make those adjustments in the service menu. I made the adjustments over a year ago so I can’t tell you exactly where it is but it was fairly strait forward. I’m sure if you have a problem finding it someone here will know where it is.

I have a HLR-6168 that had the light engine replaced at the very end of the factory warranty. A few weeks later I noticed that the picture was out of vertical alignment. For instance, if there are black bars on the top and bottom, the top is 4 inches and the bottom is only 2 inches. I also get some "bleed" at the top of the screen where the picture runs out.

The service company won't come back to fix it because it's now out of warranty and they say the issue is not necessarily caused by the light engine replacement.

Is there an adjustment that can be done in the service menu to fix this?

ThanksBased on my reading of your problem, you might have two issues. I'd guess one issue is vertical/horizontal position misadjustment, not "vertical alignment." If the black bars are parallel, then the difference in size of the bars might be adjustable via the service menu. Look in the first submenu (DDP1011) of the SM. The first two parameters labelled "V-Position" and "H-Position" are the ones you want. Most likely the V-Position needs adjustment. Just make sure you do not leave the V-Position at either 34 or 35 as this will cause horizontal lines on the right side of the screen. There are patterns on the usual calibration disks (Avia, DVE and I believe GetGray) that can help get this adjustment correct.

The "bleed" might require a tilt adjustment to fix. This requires a physical adjustment of the DMD board and is a PITA to do.

Based on my reading of your problem, you might have two issues. I'd guess one issue is vertical/horizontal position misadjustment, not "vertical alignment." If the black bars are parallel, then the difference in size of the bars might be adjustable via the service menu. Look in the first submenu (DDP1011) of the SM. The first two parameters labelled "V-Position" and "H-Position" are the ones you want. Most likely the V-Position needs adjustment. Just make sure you do not leave the V-Position at either 34 or 35 as this will cause horizontal lines on the right side of the screen. There are patterns on the usual calibration disks (Avia, DVE and I believe GetGray) that can help get this adjustment correct.

The "bleed" might require a tilt adjustment to fix. This requires a physical adjustment of the DMD board and is a PITA to do.

Yes, to clarify the black bars are parallel, it's just that top is larger than the bottom. It seems I need to move the picture up vertically approximately 1-2".

I believe the "bleed" is just the end of the picture that I'm seeing.

Thanks

Thanks guys...Problem solved. V-position was 31, changed to 41. H-position was also off a little too. There is a very convenient red box that just needs to be centered on the screen.

Now, can I beat the Samsung Customer Service Rep who told me it was definately my cable box.

Milos47, thanks but that's what I was afraid of. Tweeter has their own touch screen unit for $1k. Its that coffee table type of remote, or whatever you guys call it. lol.

Ok, I know, but I need help in choosing a game console. I don't think I'm a wii guy so that's out, nothing personal. That leaves PS3, I can wait for it to be in stock or the 360, I'll see if someone has a deal after Christmas, although unlikely.

Originally my plan was to get the one that had the "right" DVD format, saving me money on a HD player and needing another connection for it. Now it looks like there is no end to the war in sight, I mean the HD player war lol. Now I wonder if I should just get the "better" game console and add a STB HD player if I need to at some point, if the game console I get has the "wrong" format?

I thought the 360 had a better game selection but I don't really know what the difference is between the 360 and PS3 besides the DVD format? Any help deciding or info on the two would be great. I haven't had a game console since Atari. lol. Does one work better than the other with these sets?

My HD-A1 handshakes just fine both straight to my 6168 and through the Yammy rx-v2600.

And mine is fine to my HL-R6178W. Been running it since June or July (whenever they came out) with no troubles. It worked with and without the newest firmware.

Ok, I know, but I need help in choosing a game console. I don't think I'm a wii guy so that's out, nothing personal. That leaves PS3, I can wait for it to be in stock or the 360, I'll see if someone has a deal after Christmas, although unlikely.

Originally my plan was to get the one that had the "right" DVD format, saving me money on a HD player and needing another connection for it. Now it looks like there is no end to the war in sight, I mean the HD player war lol. Now I wonder if I should just get the "better" game console and add a STB HD player if I need to at some point, if the game console I get has the "wrong" format?

I thought the 360 had a better game selection but I don't really know what the difference is between the 360 and PS3 besides the DVD format? Any help deciding or info on the two would be great. I haven't had a game console since Atari. lol. Does one work better than the other with these sets?

I have both, but my PS3 just arrived Thursday and I haven't had a lot of time with it yet. My first impression is I do not like it as a Blu-Ray player. The simple reason is this: You only get one active video and one active audio output. This means that if you are running the component video out (which I am) the HDMI output is not active. This is not where I have the problem. My problem is with the audio output. I do not use my large speakers when gaming. I only game with the TV sound. This means that everytime I change from a movie to a game and vice versa, I have to go in and change the audio outputs in the software. PITA in my opinion. I do not have the newest update on the PS3 yet, so maybe this is corrected in the newest release. My first response to my wife was if we are going to entertain the idea of Blu-Ray it is going to require a standalone player.

I do not have the HD-DVD drive for the 360, I have one of the Toshiba HD-A1 units.

From a gaming standpoint, the XBOX 360 is a great machine but I really like what I have seen from the PS3 so far. I plan on putting in a lot of time between now and the first of the year getting to know the PS3 better.

The problem with choosing is proprietary games. If you like racing games, Gran Turismo is hands down the best racing game made and it is only available for Playstation. Halo is quite possibly the finest FPS made (I did get Resistance: Fall of Man for the PS3 and it is supposed to be great, but I haven't tried it yet) and it is only on the XBOX.

Ok, I know people are busy shopping, lol. but can those remotes I mentioned above do all of the STB functions? I mean if I can't get rid of all of the remotes then I might as keep 'em. Thanks!

I'm Baaackk! Been off line since Thursday night due to our little wind storm. :)
(If I wanted wind storms I'd live on the east coast). :D

I highly recommend the Home Theater Master MX-850. It can replace all of your remotes (have not found a remote it can't duplicate) and can handle very complex macros. The RF feature is very cool. You need a MRF-250 (or such) RF to IR base. Whats cool about RF is that you don't need to point your remote at your equipment. Very handy especially when running those longer macros.

Downside is you'll need to spend some time programming it.

My problem is with the audio output. I do not use my large speakers when gaming. I only game with the TV sound. This means that everytime I change from a movie to a game and vice versa, I have to go in and change the audio outputs in the software. PITA in my opinion. Halo is quite possibly the finest FPS made (I did get Resistance: Fall of Man for the PS3 and it is supposed to be great, but I haven't tried it yet) and it is only on the XBOX.

Why change the audio setup to begin with? I love the surround sound effect that is present in all the games; adds to the feeling of being 'in' the game.

Xbox live is surely worth looking into. MS is starting to offer movie downloads to the 360 hard drive. It's somewhat a limited selection now, but you can rent a movie online for about the same price as going to Blockbuster, (plus, you don't have to drive back to the store to return it).

Is M$ planning on offering HD movies too? That might be big. I just got a 360 at Costco, it has a $25 instant rebate that's good through Sunday. I'm not opening it until I'm sure its the "one." Netflix is the bomb. lol.

Ok, so aside from playing movies what is the difference between the 360 and PS3 spec wise or feature wise or something?

Is M$ planning on offering HD movies too? That might be big. I just got a 360 at Costco, it has a $25 instant rebate that's good through Sunday. I'm not opening it until I'm sure its the "one." Netflix is the bomb. lol.

Ok, so aside from playing movies what is the difference between the 360 and PS3 spec wise or feature wise or something?

On some you have a choice of HD or not, they're about a $1 more. Like everything in Live Marketplace, you pay for them with 'Microsoft points,' (google that for a complete rundown). I have not rented any yet so I don't know the particulars such as how long the rental period is, but it's a great idea and once they start getting the newest movies in you won't have to worry about them all being rented out.

I almost forgot, they're also offering some tv shows, for those of us without a dvr.

I really have not kept up with the PS3, but I have heard that game play is neither better or worse than the 360. They're both excellent consoles. I guess what matters is who has exclusive rights to the best games.

=========================================================

Edit followup: See this http://www.xboxtoday.ca/12082006/14/xbox_360_tops_playstation_3_at_the_apollo

"H3TV completely exposed that PS3’s high-definition picture doesn’t come close to XBOX,” he said. “Everyone that had the opportunity to compete on both consoles scored XBOX higher across the board.”

Just a quick question, does the 88W series have HDMI 1.3?

Is M$ planning on offering HD movies too? That might be big. I just got a 360 at Costco, it has a $25 instant rebate that's good through Sunday. I'm not opening it until I'm sure its the "one." Netflix is the bomb. lol.

Ok, so aside from playing movies what is the difference between the 360 and PS3 spec wise or feature wise or something?

Yes, there are HD movies. I have not tried it though, but here is an HD-DVD / downloaded HD movie comparison.


Link (http://www.jakeludington.com/hddvd/20061204_xbox_video_marketplace_and_hddvd_comparison.html)

Just a quick question, does the 88W series have HDMI 1.3?
No. (No 2006 model Tvs have HDMI 1.3.)

Want to make yourself sick? Go to Frys.com and see what they are charing for an HLS-6187... and FREE shipping too! I paid DOUBLE this last year for my 61" 1080p HLR... guess that's the price you pay for being on the cutting edge... I'm tempted to try and sell my HLR on craigslist or something and pick up the HLS... I would think I'd be able to do it for a nearly even trade if I could find someone who didn't know any better.

Has anyone had their HLR display a constant green screen due to the HDMI protection. I have tried everything to reestablish a connection with all of my other equipment connected via HDMI but I still get the green screen. I even left the TV unplugged for a day and then tried to connect it but got the dreaded green. Had this same HDMI setup for over a year with no problems. I have a feeling it's gonna need a repair. Will be my third digital board in less than 2 years for other issues. That 5 year warranty was a good choice.

If you're saying it was working and now it's not, then I think you know the answer. The only other thing might be is if you have some sort of HMDI switch in between.

Has anyone had their HLR display a constant green screen due to the HDMI protection. I have tried everything to reestablish a connection with all of my other equipment connected via HDMI but I still get the green screen. I even left the TV unplugged for a day and then tried to connect it but got the dreaded green. Had this same HDMI setup for over a year with no problems. I have a feeling it's gonna need a repair. Will be my third digital board in less than 2 years for other issues. That 5 year warranty was a good choice.

Is it just for the HDMI input, or do all inputs result in the green screen? Never heard of this, except for component inputs being connected incorrectly. You also need to eliminate the possibility of either the cable or the set-top-box you're connected to, being at fault.

Yeah, extended warranties look better and better.

Is it just for the HDMI input, or do all inputs result in the green screen? Never heard of this,

There are other HDMI-related green screen reports in this thread, including one of mine: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8750375&&#post8750375

Looks like the problem there was with the Comcast set-top-box, not the tv.

So in your case, was it the tv or the STB?

darc87 needs to try something else that uses HDMI (like a dvd player) to see what's at fault.

Is it just for the HDMI input, or do all inputs result in the green screen? Never heard of this, except for component inputs being connected incorrectly. You also need to eliminate the possibility of either the cable or the set-top-box you're connected to, being at fault.

Yeah, extended warranties look better and better.

Either HDMI port will produce the green screen if I connect another A/V HDMI source. Now if I connect my HTPC to either HDMI port then all is well so it's definitely a handshake problem.

Apparently some 6412 comcast boxes with a recent 16.20 firmware can have a problem. I have said firmware but my other devices are creating the green screen I think. Reason I say that is that perhaps the cable box is creating the handshake problem and it's not getting reset before I connect another device. I am going to keep at this a while longer and then call Samsung for a service.

Darc87, try and cycle through your inputs. HDMI should work, if its the STB, after you cycle. I have a sort of b&W, snow screen, not green. I turned green when it happened though. lol. You should be able to determine the source, either a part on the set or a component. It sounds like its the digital board since other HDMI components don't work? Try the cycle idea on another HDMI component.

I have read that several other buyers of the HL-R6168W received an extra 3 months of warranty. Can anyone tell me how they received this extra 3 months? I am having an issue with Samsung that is outside of the 12 month warranty but is within the 15 month window. Any suggestions or advice on this issue would really be appreciated.

To receive the extra 3 months you had to register the TV with Samsung within the first couple weeks of ownership. It may have been within the first month.

Darc87, try and cycle through your inputs. HDMI should work, if its the STB, after you cycle. I have a sort of b&W, snow screen, not green. I turned green when it happened though. lol. You should be able to determine the source, either a part on the set or a component. It sounds like its the digital board since other HDMI components don't work? Try the cycle idea on another HDMI component.

My setup is the following:

HLR5688 HDMI1<----HDMI out Denon Receiver HDMI in <------CCable Box HDMI out & DVD HDMI out

My components run through my receivers then out to my TV. When you say cycle the inputs what exactly do you mean?

I ordered another long HDMI cable just to rule that out but I am not too confident that is the problem. When I use my existing cable and go direct to each HDMI source I still get the green screen.

Have you ever heard of the HDMI connection working but the HDCP handshake stops working? I figured it was all or nothing...

Thanks for your help.

some credit cards extend your warranty period. check your benefits.

I have read that several other buyers of the HL-R6168W received an extra 3 months of warranty. Can anyone tell me how they received this extra 3 months? I am having an issue with Samsung that is outside of the 12 month warranty but is within the 15 month window. Any suggestions or advice on this issue would really be appreciated.

To receive the extra 3 months you had to register the TV with Samsung within the first couple weeks of ownership. It may have been within the first month.

Thanks. Just for grins I registered my TV last night and much to my amazement, Samsung gave me the 3 extra months of waranty that I was requesting from the customer care center. This should be interesting....

Let us know how you make out.

Have you ever heard of the HDMI connection working but the HDCP handshake stops working? I figured it was all or nothing...

Thanks for your help.

Yep. Happened to me. Was able to get the HDMI inpuit calibrated by Eliab since the signal generator he uses does noit require handshake but my cable box refused to work with the set. Replaced the digital board and all was well.

Darc87, sorry I was trying to help figure out the cause or the source. It sounds like the digital board, again. I never heard of anyone getting more than one digital board replaced so this is really odd.

By cycling through I mean you keep hitting Source on the Samsung remote until you get back to that HDMI input again. The HDMI will handshake immediately after it cycles if its the STB. I don't see how it can be the STB if the DVD player has the same issue and isn't connected to the STB, like a DVD recorder might be.

You eliminated the AVR. If the DVD is connected directly and doesn't work then its the digital board. It isn't HDCP, yet since that hasn't been implemented yet afaik, the STB doesn't have HDCP and SD DVDs don't have that either.

I'd send back or refuse the new HDMI cable since the cable you have is fine. It has to be the digital board since there is no other part in the set that it could be. I just don't understand how that could be so faulty? You might tell Samsung how many times the digital board has been replaced. That is ridiculous.

hello,

i havent posted on this site in ages..and have not been keeping up to date w/the latest advancements in HD technology...until now.

i bought my hlr 6168w way back in july 2005. i bought it as an early adopter of 1080p, not realizing that it was native and can only accept 1080p input via VGA.

i have both an xbox 360 and a ps3 (should get here by thursday). the 360 is connected via component@1080i. i have no complaints, i think it looks fantastic. i considered getting the 360 HD-DVD player and getting a VGA cable so i can view @ 1080p, but...

since i will have a ps3 in two days, my questions are:

1. which way, in all of your opinions, is the "best" way to view HD or BR dvd content? 1080i via HDMI (ps3) or 1080p via VGA (xbox 360).

2. is it true, that at the current time, there is NO ps3 VGA cable? so i couldn't watch/play anything in 1080p w/my current tv anyway? so the "best" i can do right now is 1080i via HDMI on my ps3?

has anyone viewed both 1080p via VGA (HD DVD) and 1080i via HDMI (Blu ray) on our tvs? any comments?

sorry if these ?'s have been asked. i've spent the last few hours searching this and other sites for some decent answers.

happy holidays

-c

The picture quality from the 360 HD DVD add on over VGA is excellent. Many have stated the picture is as good as their stand alone HD DVD players. The problem is the audio from the 360 is lacking, when playing HD DVDs. I can only say that standard DVDs sound better. Microsoft is working on a fix but until we hear it we won’t know how good the fix is. Do to lag I have to recommend VGA for the gaming on the HLR series. Lag is significantly reduced over VGA on the HLRs.
If the PS3 does not have a VGA output I would recommend a component to VGA converter. This isn’t an issue for non time sensitive games but if timing is important in a game, then VGA IMHO is the only way to go.
As far as 1080i over component vs. 1080P over VGA is concerned I think they are very close.

pup73, you really should get the Xbox VGA cable for the 360. The lag time using component is pretty bad for game play.

Yep. Happened to me. Was able to get the HDMI inpuit calibrated by Eliab since the signal generator he uses does noit require handshake but my cable box refused to work with the set. Replaced the digital board and all was well.

I also just got my set calibrated by Eliab. If I get a new digital board will the calibration remain?

Darc87, sorry I was trying to help figure out the cause or the source. It sounds like the digital board, again. I never heard of anyone getting more than one digital board replaced so this is really odd.

By cycling through I mean you keep hitting Source on the Samsung remote until you get back to that HDMI input again. The HDMI will handshake immediately after it cycles if its the STB. I don't see how it can be the STB if the DVD player has the same issue and isn't connected to the STB, like a DVD recorder might be.

You eliminated the AVR. If the DVD is connected directly and doesn't work then its the digital board. It isn't HDCP, yet since that hasn't been implemented yet afaik, the STB doesn't have HDCP and SD DVDs don't have that either.

I'd send back or refuse the new HDMI cable since the cable you have is fine. It has to be the digital board since there is no other part in the set that it could be. I just don't understand how that could be so faulty? You might tell Samsung how many times the digital board has been replaced. That is ridiculous.

Thanks for your help. I think you are right. I had other problems in the past with the TV not related to the HDMI which they decided to replace the digital board. Basically these repair guys (atleast the one I deal with here in South Florida) just replace the light engine and/or digital board rather than try to diagnose the problem.

Oh well..like I said the warrenty was a sound investment

I also just got my set calibrated by Eliab. If I get a new digital board will the calibration remain?

No. But, and this is a very big but, you don't need to lose calibration!!!! Take pictures of each screen in your service menu. Don't forget to take pictures of the differnt inputs running at the resolutions you will be using (1080i, 720p, etc.). Make sure you capture all of it. I am positive Eliab would be willing to tell you what is most important.

Once the new Digital board is in place, don't let the tech do the Digital -> DMD transfer. Most likely he won't even know it's there. There is also no need to do the DMD -> Digital transfer.

Using the pictures you took, restore all the settings in the service menu. Don't worry as you change the settings, the screen will go all screwy but as you input the last of the settings it snaps back to normal. This WILL restore your calibration. I did this and it worked perfectly!

If for some reason you screw this up, you can always do the DMD -> Digital transfer. You won't have a calibrated screen but at least you'll be back to factory defaults.

That brings up something I and others have often thought about. Now I know that a lot of people here will immediately say it won't work, but I would still like to try it for myself, and that is to copy someone elses calibrated settings to my own tv (using the same model of course). If it doesn't work, I can always put them back.

The reason I think it would work (well, maybe not perfectly) is that some time ago some people here listed their factory settings and they were almost identical to mine, even though some were different models. So if I used someone elses calibrated settings, I should at least be closer to calibration than I am now.

Now if you're thinking I'm trying to cheat Eliab, I have been trying to get him down here, but he does not have any immediate plans for Louisiana. He said he cannot even recommend anyone in this area. So, if anyone would like to share their calibrated settings for an HL-R5688W, I'm willing to be the guinea pig and test my theory. You can PM me if you don't want to go public with your settings.

Hello, this is my first post to this great forum and I hope you folks can help.

I was very close to purchasing the 50" Samsung HL-S5088 today but my final test was to view some high resolution JPGs using the WiseLink USB port. I expected the 1080P resolution to do a pretty good job of displaying the images but was very disappointed. The images are from a Canon 20D with about 3k by 2k pixels and a variety of high and low contrast, finely detailed images.

In searching the forums I see the the algorithm for scaling the images may not be very solid. What I was seeing were images that were displayed at 1/2 the size they should have been or in other cases they were scaled well but the resolution was very poor. The edges in the image were blocky with lots of false contouring in smooth areas of the images. This was at our local Tweeter store and the sales guy was very surprised also.

We took the same usb drive to several other HDTVs and in general the results were more what I would expect. The best by far was on a 720P plasma unit.

So, my question is should I expect to see much better results if I play the images from a DVD player as full resolution JPGs copied to a disk? (Assuming the player is capable of reading JPG files) Viewing image displays is an important application for my use of the TV and I want the images to look really good.

I don't care so much about the WiseLink path, it was just a convient way to try the demo. I just want to make sure the TV is capable of displaying high res still frames with good results.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks,

That brings up something I and others have often thought about. Now I know that a lot of people here will immediately say it won't work, but I would still like to try it for myself, and that is to copy someone elses calibrated settings to my own tv (using the same model of course). If it doesn't work, I can always put them back.

The reason I think it would work (well, maybe not perfectly) is that some time ago some people here listed their factory settings and they were almost identical to mine, even though some were different models. So if I used someone elses calibrated settings, I should at least be closer to calibration than I am now.

Now if you're thinking I'm trying to cheat Eliab, I have been trying to get him down here, but he does not have any immediate plans for Louisiana. He said he cannot even recommend anyone in this area. So, if anyone would like to share their calibrated settings for an HL-R5688W, I'm willing to be the guinea pig and test my theory. You can PM me if you don't want to go public with your settings.

IMO, that won't work. The LE is key to the whole thing. I had my set calibrated. I was able to keep calibration through a digital board replacement. However, I later had the dreaded 2" shadow appear. The LE was replaced and the Digital board was left in it's calibrated state. All I can say is that the picture was awful. From my experience, I would venture to guess that each LE requires different settings in the Digital board, hence the DMD -> Digitial transfer in the SM.

Wow this thread is still cooking...

There seems to be a "shadow" along the side of my screen. At first I thought I was seeing things but it seems be getting bigger...

Has anyone experienced this?

Welcome to the shadow club Tony.
I had a replacement LE (it simply wouldn't come on) for my 6768 back in October. Then last month Avical had a Texas tour and calibrated my set. The result was, as usual, a fantastic improvement. Now I have the shadow problem like many many others have experienced. The repair tech ordered a new one, but it's been two weeks and says the factory is back ordered. Looks like the problem is pandemic. The mirror-light tunnel (BP67-00218A) is the problem. It's a long 5" rod type mirror, which is glued in the lens assembly and apparently the glue gives up and it slips just enough to cause the shadow. I read in another post somewhere it can be repaired, but requires extensive disassembly of the light engine optics. It can be done but surely would void your warranty. Simple solution is replace the whoe LE kissing my calibration goodby! I am so tempted to and repair it myself. Tempting thought.

IMO, that won't work. The LE is key to the whole thing. I had my set calibrated. I was able to keep calibration through a digital board replacement. However, I later had the dreaded 2" shadow appear. The LE was replaced and the Digital board was left in it's calibrated state. All I can say is that the picture was awful. From my experience, I would venture to guess that each LE requires different settings in the Digital board, hence the DMD -> Digitial transfer in the SM.

I think I have asked this before, but can anyone define exactly what effects the differences in color space values between different LE's? Could it be in the color wheel? If that's the only factor, then one could put the old wheel in the new LE and keep all settings the same? Would this work? Also, jameskollar, did the service tech give you any grief about your calibration, having been in the SM and all?

Halco,
I had the color wheels swapped, when I had my LE replaced. I was pleased with the results but I would like to hear from an expert on the subject. The technician that swapped the wheel (5-10 min job) stated that most of the reason for color correction, after a LE change, is the pigmentation variation in the color wheels. It makes sense but I would like to hear it from calibration expert.

Thanks vandu.
I assume that the tech didn't object to your idea? And I also assume that no DMD>digital copy was done? The only adjustments then would be index and actuator values?

Vandu has the best explanation I've seen for the variation. I don't believe there is a single expert post in this thread about LE variations.

No grief about the SM and calibration. Of course, I use the don't ask, don't tell principle. Tech saw the shadow and immediately began replacing the LE, no questsions asked.

It was actually the technician’s idea because he didn’t have any color correction equipment. At the time this was done I wasn’t aware of the DMD>digital copy. After the LE swap I used DVE to check if I needed to readjust contrast, brightness or color. I readjusted the brightness setting but that was likely the new bulb.

Thanks vandu
I think we are on the right track here. It sounds like your calibration was saved except for the increased brightness due to new bulb. Who calibrated your set? Maybe there is hope for my situation after all.

Halco,
I calibrated the TV myself with DVE. I didn't have the Avical calibration done last month because I was considering a new TV at the time. I would ask the guys at Avical what they think the best path is for you. They are more knowledgeable about these sets than most.

I've had my 6168W for over a year and my LDL issue has recently become more apparent. From what I understand a replacement LE would fix this problem. However, since my warranty has run out I am not sure how to proceed. Does anyone know how much it would cost to have a replacement LE installed?